The Aberdeen Town Board is closer to bringing a specialized dog-training facility to town, but it wants clearer definitions for what they plan to allow in the town limits.

At its work session Thursday, the board discussed the wording of a proposed text amendment that would allow Southern Pines-based K2 Solutions Inc. to train 130 Labrador retrievers as bomb-sniffing dogs and detonate explosive devices for simulated military situations on property zoned for heavy industrial off N.C. 211.

Lane Kjellsen, president and founder of K2 Solutions, has a contract with the U.S. Marine Corps to train the dogs, and he hopes to expand his business to other forms of training in the area.

The board also reviewed the rezoning request from Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills. Habitat has asked the town to rezone land in the Midway Community, between Midway Road and Bronwyn Street from R-20 residential to R-15 to allow construction of a Habitat neighborhood.

Habitat originally applied for R-10 residential rezoning to allow more homes on the 12.83-acre property but reapplied for R-15 to accommodate concerns of both Bronwyn Street residents and the Town Board.

Habitat construction manager Robert Bunke presented the new project plans to the board and highlighted larger lots, less homes and a larger buffer of green space bordering the Bronwyn lots.

The board expressed a general tone of approval over the plans and believed the proposal to be a "nice compromise."

The board will hold a public hearing on the rezoning of the property at its meeting Nov. 9.

In order to accommodate Habitat for Humanity's grant deadlines for the project, the board also agreed to hold a special call meeting at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16, to vote on the project. Normally, the board waits a month to on such matters.

In other business, the board voted 3-2 to reject a text amendment to allow indoor assembly in Aberdeen's Downtown Retail Overlay District. Janet Kenworthy, of The Rooster's Wife concert series, asked the town for the change so she could establish an indoor venue.

The board also gave Public Works Director Rickie Monroe the go ahead to begin a town recycling program to abide by a new state law banning plastic bottles in landfills. The board also gave Monroe approval to order 2,700 95-gallon recycling bins for Aberdeen residents. Monroe plans to send Aberdeen residents a letter detailing the new project in the next few weeks.

For more on this story, see Sunday's print edition of The Pilot.