News
Resident Wants Rollins Drive To Be Cul-De-Sac
Date: April 2006
By DAVID R. ROSS
The Leaf-Chronicle
The recent reopening of Rollins Drive was a subject of last week's
meeting of the City Council's Street Committee.
The council voted in April to reopen the narrow roadway to thru-traffic
to accommodate the cleanup and interpretive efforts of the Mount Olive
Cemetery Historical Preservation Society.
Mount Olive Cemetery is an historic black cemetery, and the preservation
society wants to eventual have events and programs there to educate
groups about the history of the area.
Rollins Drive, which is the only access road to the cemetery, was at one
time closed with a metal guardrail barrier at one of its intersections
on Swift Drive. City officials closed Rollins Drive to
thru-traffic in the early 1990's because there had been reports of drug
activity and people parking and dumping in the secluded area.
Steven Stroman, who owns the property on Rollins Drive across from the
cemetery, told committee members last week there have already been
people parking in the area, which cannot be seen from Swift Drive.
Stroman said he reported the incident to police.
Hs asked Street Committee members if they could consider making one end
of Rollins Drive a cul-de-sac so that preservation society members can
turn their vehicles and buses around for events.
"This would allow for vehicles to come in and turn around but it would
not be open to thru-traffic, and let people come in there and part where
they can't be seen," he said.
Geneva Bell, chairwoman of the preservation society, said she and her
group worked hard to get Rollins Drive opened and they do not want it
closed again.