A carnival will take place next month in the Roses parking lot, a venture by a law enforcement group that seeks to benefit its youth outreach and at least one nonprofit group in Sampson County.

A conditional use request by Joseph Snider to operate a special event at the intersection of Southeast Boulevard and Pugh Road was unanimously recommended by the Clinton City Council during its meeting earlier this week.

Felipe and Nelly Gutierrez have signed the application as owners. The carnival will be set up in a 20,400-square-foot space in the parking lot, with organizers planning to set up starting Sunday, May 14, and continuing through Monday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 16. The carnival will then operate from 6 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, through Friday, May 19; from 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 20; and from 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 21.

The operation will be broken down May 21-22.

Trey Ball with the Goldsboro Police Department spoke on behalf of Snider, who could not be present at the meeting.

“We work with the Law Enforcement Explorers Program,” said Ball. “It’s also a chartered organization through the Boy Scouts of America. Some of the proceeds from this carnival will assist Goldsboro Explorers post as well as the Martin County post, which Mr. Snider is a part of — to help our programs and to help us get to our national conference.”

That conference will be held next year at prestigious Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Law Enforcement Explorers Program aims to build strong relationships between youth and law enforcement while exposing young explorers to the law enforcement profession. Participants have described the bonding experience as a “rewarding and invaluable experience for the future of our community.”

Ball said the goal was also “to seek out a local organization that we can help.” The applicant is planning to seek out a local nonprofit to which a donation could be made. No group has been identified.

“We are going to be coming down into your town so we want to give back to the local area,” said Ball, noting that a local Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts troop was an option. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Boy Scouts. If there is another organization that you have in mind that you want to recommend to us, we would certainly entertain that as well.”

He said it was possible that more than one nonprofit group could be assisted.

In other business, the Council approved rezoning requests by Clifford Faison to rezone approximately 0.65 acres, located at 540 McKoy St. from R-6 Residential to NS-Neighborhood Shopping; and by Marshall Thornton to rezone 1.31 acres located at the intersection of Beaver Dam Drive and Faison Highway from R-8 Residential to HC-Highway Commercial.

Mayor Lew Starling and Council member Marcus Becton discuss matters during this week’s meeting.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_city.jpgMayor Lew Starling and Council member Marcus Becton discuss matters during this week’s meeting.

By Chris Berendt

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