The Down East Seniors Club held its Feb. 1 meeting at the Blind Center of North Carolina in Washington. President Stewart Rumley led the meeting. Ed Hamrick led the singing of “God Bless America,” and Charles Smith gave the invocation. Dick Paul provided humor.

Member Bobby Roberson, who is the Washington city manager, told about happenings in the city. The audit of the city financial records has been completed, and there have been no findings for 22 years. Ribeyes restaurant will replace the old Apollo steakhouse. The current building is to be demolished and rebuilt with some outdoor seating. The city will get on social media this year to get out information that people need to know and prevent rumors with incorrect information. The city has a $96,000 grant to improve the entrance to the central business district. There are people interested in locating apartments in the central business district, but the difficulty is providing dedicated parking spaces for the occupants. There are plans to increase the lighting on the boardwalk behind Moss Landing. The Farmers’ Market will move from its current location to an area near the intersection of Water and Bonner streets. The city is searching for a site in the central business district to relocate the police department. Police will be out walking on the street more to increase their visibility. Paid travel for city employees is limited to instate unless approved by city council. A considerable amount was spent on tree trimming during the past year, resulting in no power outages during the last snow/ice storm. The city has an active program of flood control, and this allows city residents to get a 15-percent discount on flood insurance.

Mark Eakes won the 50/50 drawing.