CHINA GROVE — China Grove town officials will soon be opening the floor to proposals from potential developers to determine the fate of the old Wells Fargo bank building, located downtown at 125 N. Main Street.

During the town council’s regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Rodney Phillips said that intent behind the request for proposals (RFPs) is to do something “that would be quite interesting and complementary to what is going on downtown.”

A subcommittee comprised of Phillips, Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Starnes, Council member Lee Withers and Town Manager Franklin Gover was formed to kick start the process.

“The RFP we developed was loosely put together to allow a lot of creativity,” Phillips said. “We did not go into a lot of detail other than some ideas to what the town wants because we want to leave it open for whoever wants to respond to it to tell us what they think should be there.”

Gover described the RFP process as “formalized” and “competitive.”

Starnes said that an RFP score sheet the town created gives metrics that are weighed based on responses of each developer.

“It helps us to tally up the scores and really look objectively,” Starnes said. “The scorecard and weights can be adjusted to see what works best.”

Council member Don Bringle likened the project to what Salisbury did with the Empire Hotel as the city sought to reimagine a historic downtown space.

“We purchased this with a vision to make sure that we help downtown,” Bringle said. “We want to make sure that we select an individual or individuals who share our vision and that it’s not a situation where someone would purchase the building and sell it a year later.”

On Tuesday, Bringle offered a potential timeline for the move.

“We could look at an opportunity of that building being sold by as early as early June or no later than late July,” he said. “We don’t need to be in the real estate business.”

Starnes added that the town does want to liquidate the asset, but clarified that “we need to take the appropriate time to make sure it’s what we want.”

Advisory board appointments

In other China Grove news, two Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members were reappointed, filling two of the board’s vacancies.

Adriane Leach and Barbara Heim return to the board for three-year terms.

In her application, Leach said that she grew up in China Grove and wants to “be involved in helping it to prosper.”

Meanwhile, Heim pointed to her organizational and meeting planning skills as benefits behind her appointment.

“I love China Grove and with my input and assistance, I can make a difference,” she added.

Two vacancies remain on the board that was established by the China Grove Town Council in 2005.

The role of the board is to serve as an advisory body to the council on all matters related to parks that are maintained by the town.

The board reviews policies and procedures that encompass parks and make recommendations as determined to be “pertinent and appropriate.”

The board reviews the utilization of facilities and makes recommendations regarding lease, acquisition, sale, design, improvement, maintenance, operations and scheduling of parks and equipment provided. It also reviews policies and makes recommendations regarding fees, service charges, scholarships and fines related to facilities, equipment and programs provided by China Grove.

On a more general basis, the board is intended to keep the council and general public informed and advised to those matters and be ready to perform other duties as instructed by the council.

Applications can be found online at chinagrovenc.gov. (https://www.chinagrovenc.gov/…/boards_and…/index.php)

Paper applications are also available in person at China Grove Town Hall, located at 333 N Main St. Anyone with questions can call 704-857-2466 or email jsellers@chinagrovenc.gov.