LUCAMA — The Lucama Board of Commissioners has chosen an outspoken Elm City resident as the successor to Interim Town Administrator Ralph Clark for the town’s administrator role.
Gabe Merando will spend “about six months” as the assistant town administrator while Clark transitions out of the role. Merando praised Clark for his work in restoring order in Lucama.
“I’m walking into a beautiful situation,” Merando said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. The current administrator, I don’t know how he did it, but he moved mountains. He got four years of audits complete in 16 months. He got the town good with the LGC (Local Government Commission). We’re in a good place with them. Budgets are on track now. Everything’s moving forward. As long as I keep implementing what he’s put in place, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Merando is a former building inspector with experience in engineering, zoning, stormwater and sewer infrastructure who spent the bulk of his career in New York. His goal now, he said, is to help Lucama thrive and make it a shining star among small municipalities.
“I want us to be the poster child of the LGC,” Merando said. “I want them to be able to say, ‘Look, these guys did it. They’re continuing to do it. They’re taking our direction.’ And that’s easy as long as you follow the LGC’s advice. Treating them like a roadblock is not the way to go. We have to work with them for everything.”
ON INFRASTRUCTURE
Merando said his focus is on infrastructure, both short term and long term. He said he’s aware of residents’ concerns about the town’s aging water infrastructure but ensured the town was on the right path.
“A lot of the problem now is just discoloration,” Merando said. “These guys are jumping on these leaks. It’s reported and they’re out there that same day. The disturbance from them actually fixing things causes discoloration. It’s not a health concern. It’s just a very big inconvenience. We’re moving towards a bigger picture where we’re not having to deal with this anymore.”
Merando said communication is key.
“We’re trying to get better as far as communicating when there is a break and discoloration,” he said. “We hired a full-time water department head. He’s really good. He’s got, I think, 20 years experience in it. He’s good at flushing out the hydrants. He knows which hydrants to open, where and how long to get rid of most of the discoloration. I know the laundry is a big issue with discoloration. The thing, realistically, I would do is a quick rinse through the washing machine to get that discoloration out.”
He said the town is also working on replacing rotting power poles, making utility upgrades and replacing other out-of-date infrastructure. He said a point of emphasis for Lucama should be in preparing for future growth.
“I think everybody sees our forward momentum,” Merando said. “We’re working to get meters replaced, get everything new and good. Everything in the long run, if you don’t see an immediate return, is to get to where we need to be in five, eight years. Down the line, it’s going to benefit us. We’re preparing now for future growth. We’re making sure the infrastructure is up to standard with where we think we’re going to be in five, eight years. We want to make sure we have the right sizes to handle water volume, the right sizes for lines to make sure we’re not dealing with power outages.”
DEPUTIES AND DIRECT PATROL
Merando said he hopes to see the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office return direct patrols to the Lucama community, and he’s confident a deal can get made.
“I haven’t spoken much to Ralph (Clark) about it,” Merando said. “I’ve got to get a feel for what the board wants. I’m on board with trying to get them back in. I think the board is too. They’ve got a very tiny substation. At the very least, I want to try to expand that.”
Merando said he’s interested in moving town offices to give the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office some more elbow room at its current substation in town.
“We own a building across the street that’s been vacant for 10 years,” Merando said. “We can take a portion of that, use that for some storage and some offices, then maybe expand what they have (at the substation) to make it more inviting. At the very least, if we can’t come to an agreement and sign a contract with them next year, we can at least give them some space to occupy that will make them feel more comfortable. I’d like to be able to sit down with the sheriff, if he’s willing, get on the same page and renegotiate things.”
TOWN STAFF, COMMISSIONERS
Merando was complimentary of his new staff in town.
“The staff here is awesome,” Merando said. “Our council members, highway department, DPW (department of public works) — they’re all awesome. They have like a combined 400 years of experience between them. They all have their role. They’re so on the ball. They don’t need to be told how to do something. They know exactly what they’re doing with very little direction.”
He said Lucama’s staff tend to go above and beyond what’s asked of them.
“Every single one of them works 10 times harder than I’ve ever seen,” Merando said. “You can tell they love the community. They love what’s going on. You see the way they treat the residents when they come in to pay their bills.”
He said he’s been encouraged by the commissioners’ commitment to furthering his education in managing a town.
“The board is very interested in sending me to the right classes,” Merando said. “In October, there’s a very detailed course through UNC (University of North Carolina) for town administrators. I’ll be going to that. I’ll be taking classes with the League of Municipalities. They (the board) are all about doing the right things. They’re all very eager and they’re informed. They ask questions. They do more than what they’re paid for. They all come in and ask questions. Before the meetings, they make sure they know what they’re talking about. They want to know what’s going on to help fix it. They’re making educated decisions in their voting.”
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