Board of Commissioners — Work Session

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Commissioners heard a briefing from GoTriangle's leadership on the agency's 2025-2028 strategic plan, its role as the region's transit operator, and the coming Wake Bus Plan update, an outgrowth of the 2035 Wake Transit Vision Plan that CAMPO and GoTriangle's board approved in November 2025. No action was on the agenda for this item.

The board then took up where to put the new Athens Drive library, weighing four options: buying the Well Fed Garden property, building on Tryon Road across from Swift Creek Elementary, fitting it onto the Athens Drive High School campus, or deferring the decision a year. Staff said the high school site would need a driveway relocation NCDOT has already declined to approve, and that building there would require finding roughly $30 million elsewhere in the library bond, forcing cuts to other planned branches. Vice-Chair Safiyah Jackson and Commissioners Shinica Thomas, Susan Evans, Tara Waters and Cheryl Stallings each spoke against deferring for a year, and most favored pursuing Well Fed Garden, whose owner County Manager David Ellis said remains willing to sell. No motion was made. Commissioners directed staff to open negotiations on Well Fed Garden and to return with an appraisal; the county manager said staff would report back within four weeks.

How the votes went

No votes were taken. The board reached informal consensus to pursue negotiations on the Well Fed Garden site for the Athens Drive library and directed staff to return with an appraisal.

From the published minutes.