Improving surface water drainage and managing storm water more efficiently will be discussed when the committee drafting Columbia’s 5-year economic development plan meets on Jan. 21, Mayor James Cahoon told the board of aldermen early this month.

Drainage ditches rapidly overflow after moderate rainfall, showing a need for clean-out. And rain water stands for long periods on several town streets, contributing to potholes and adding to street maintenance costs.

Also on the committee’s agenda will be finding ways to overcome the negative economic impact brought on by the closure of Whitecap Linen Service and Tyrrell Prison Work Farm, the mayor said

The linen service, which closed its doors a year ago, was the town’s biggest water and sewer services customer.

The prison, which shut down in December, paid the town about $18,000 a month to dispose of its sewage. An effort to “encourage the state to re-purpose the facility” is on the agenda, town manager Rhett White said Jan. 10.

Topping a list of goals discussed over the past several years was hotel or motel recruitment, but the prison closure has altered somewhat the perceived need. It was widely reported that family members and friends of many offenders traveled here to visit them on weekends, lodging overnight in Plymouth, Edenton, Manteo or the Outer Banks.

Efforts at promoting ecotourism, with more and consistent use of the area’s water resources, will be on the agenda.

Other subjects aldermen discussed in a 2018 workshop were zoning ordinance enforcement, business vacancies, engendering public resiliency following hurricanes, parks maintenance, replacing Christmas decorations, and removing abandoned vehicles, all of which were addressed in some way during 2019.

Committee members (appointed by the aldermen) and the entities they represent are: Lloyd Armstrong and Hal Fleming, board of aldermen; Barbara J. Spencer and Janet Walker, planning board; Victoria Barber, Concerned Citizens Group, Karen Clough, chamber of commerce; Oliver Holley, board of education; Lauren Nelson, Eastern 4-H Center; Major Shively, sheriff’s office; James Stehlin, parks and recreation; Marlene True, Pocosin Arts; Kim Wheeler, director of the Red Wolf Coalition; and Dea’Shawn Spencer and Kea’Shawn Spencer, Columbia High School seniors. Mayor James Cahoon chairs the committee.

Regional planner Lee Padrick of the state Department of Commerce is assisting the committee in choosing five or six goals that hold a prospect of being achieved by 2025.