[3:20] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for attending our town council

[3:24] meeting this evening, September 8th, 2026.

[3:29] And if you would please roll call. Cat

[3:34] » Perry >> here.

[3:35] » David Harwood >> here.

[3:36] » Wayne Miller >> here.

[3:38] » Doug Matson's here. >> Thank you. All right. Very good. If you

[3:43] would please stand for the pledge of allegiance.

[3:51] I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic

[3:58] for which it stands. [clears throat] One nation under God, indivisible, with

[4:04] liberty and justice for all.

[4:14] » All righty. Council approval of minutes. August 11th, 2026, regular session.

[4:21] August 28th, 2026, special meeting minutes. Do I have a

[4:26] motion? >> So move.

[4:28] » Do I have a second? >> Second.

[4:30] » Any any discussion? No changes. Okay. How do we vote? Cat

[4:38] » I. >> David.

[4:39] » I. >> Doug.

[4:41] » Hi. >> Melissa.

[4:42] » Hi. >> Okay. All right. Regular agenda

[4:45] adoption. We've got a few little changes right here. Uh council, I'm requesting

[4:50] when we pull the art in the park. Uh there was some uh changes that need to

[4:56] be made on this so we follow proper protocol

[5:01] um as far as dates and so on. So they're going to resubmit in October.

[5:07] Okay. Uh secondly, make note uh citizens that uh we will have a closed session

[5:18] this evening. There might be a decision made after close session but uh I don't

[5:25] have my crystal balls so I can't tell you and uh so just want to let you know.

[5:32] Okay. Alrighty.

[5:37] All right. Council, that covered all, you think?

[5:41] » Thank you. Uh, council, do I have a motion to approve the regular agenda

[5:46] with the change? >> So, move.

[5:49] » Have a second. >> Second.

[5:52] » Any discussion? >> Okay. Cat

[5:55] » I. >> David.

[5:56] » I. >> Wayne.

[5:57] » I. >> Doug.

[5:58] » Hi. >> Melissa. Hi.

[5:59] » Okay. [clears throat and cough] Consent agenda. Monthly department

[6:03] reports 2026 August purchasing policy fireworks

[6:10] approval country club go bond project list update we removed art the park if

[6:17] it's not on there and TDA board vacancy advertisement. Do I have a motion to

[6:22] approve? >> So moved. I

[6:24] » have a second. Second. >> Okay. Normally no discussion on consent.

[6:28] How do you vote? Cat. >> Hi,

[6:30] » David. >> Hi,

[6:31] » Wayne. >> Hi,

[6:32] » Doug. >> Hi,

[6:33] » Melissa. All right. Okay. Public comments.

[6:46] I know most of you did not come tonight to see your beautiful council and your

[6:50] mayor. So, if you're here to speak on uh the stop signs, it's not a public

[6:57] hearing, but you can speak during the three minutes if you wish. So,

[7:04] uh let's see. Bob Hartull,

[7:10] how you doing, Bob?

[7:15] » If you would just state your name and address for the record,

[7:19] » just like in front of the grand jury. Um, [laughter]

[7:22] my name is Robert Hartnett. I live in 180 Twin Springs Road and I have done so

[7:28] for 44 years. I realized the other day I'm here for the stop sign information.

[7:37] The new h the house that was formerly owned by the Dun is under construction

[7:44] to build a big um back apartment. Therefore, all the employees are working

[7:53] parking on the street. Therefore, we are practically a one- lane road right at

[8:00] the corner. So my suggestion is that either we create two things that they at

[8:09] least have to park two car lengths back from the corner cuz as you come uh down

[8:17] from Laurel Park, [cough] you can't see what's there. In fact, yesterday or a

[8:24] day before yesterday, Gigi and I were in tandem by happens and a

[8:31] worker who was in a hurry to get home, I guess, to his family

[8:36] sped by broke out from a parking space and he could not have been that much.

[8:44] I I did not have time to salute him with a single finger, but I tried and then he

[8:50] was gone before. But I'm still aware of where he is. So my suggestion is if you

[8:56] either stop sign or a no parking sign for that two and that will solve part of

[9:02] the problem. There's some that think it's more of a problem than I do. That's

[9:06] my only suggestion. >> Bob, for the record, uh which location

[9:10] are you speaking of for the stop signs? Oh, Laurel Park and and Twin and um

[9:18] Dogwood. Okay. >> Oh, I thought I didn't realize there

[9:21] were more. >> Thank you, sir.

[9:25] » All right. Jim Butler. >> Hey, Jim.

[9:30] » I'm Jim Butler, 177 Dogwood Lane. Occasionally, I agree with Bob. Not

[9:37] tonight. I'm here to oppose the stop sign. uh

[9:42] that's proposed. It's unnecessary. It's unwarranted and it's inconsistent with

[9:47] North Carolina DOT regulations and requirements for the installation of an

[9:52] AWS and allway stop. So here we have one road which goes up to Main Street which

[9:59] is Laurel Park. Dogwood Lane tease into it. Uh my wife's family has lived in

[10:04] that particular location since 1972. We purchased the house some 24 years ago.

[10:11] There's never been a single accident at that intersection. And so what I always

[10:16] defer to is what does the law say? And North Carolina DOT is the one that sets

[10:22] up requirements. And what they require is an engineering evaluation of the

[10:27] intersection which is an analysis of traffic volumes, crash history, site

[10:33] distance, and you performed then a field investigation and you render your

[10:37] engineering report at the proposed location and volume is low. There's no

[10:42] history of crashes. There's adequate site distance. There is the cost to the

[10:47] town of putting up signs and maintaining them. There's a cost to the traveling

[10:52] public of the burden of the stop sign that's totally unnecessary and unlawful

[10:58] under how North Carolina applies the the federal manual. Believe it or not, there

[11:04] is a federal manual of uniform traffic control devices that determines whether

[11:08] an intersection is appropriate for an all-way stop. The all-way stop is

[11:14] appropriate if you've had and crashes is the number one item. if you've had four

[11:19] crashes within 12 months at that location or five crashes within 36

[11:24] months. The other characteristic that's used is volume. You look at the volume

[11:29] which includes all cars, all trucks, all pedestrians, all bicyclists, and it

[11:34] needs to exceed 300 units per hour on an 8 hour average. You couldn't get that

[11:41] many people on Dogwood Lane and Laurel Park after the parade.

[11:45] So again, it's unnecessary. We're contravening what the appropriate

[11:49] standards are that are applied in North Carolina and I request it to be either

[11:54] tabled until you can do an engineering study or turn down.

[11:58] » Once again, would you please state the streets you're speaking of for the

[12:02] record? >> Dogwood Lane and Laurel Park.

[12:04] » Thank you so much. Appreciate it. >> Miss Jenny Miller.

[12:18] Yes. Um, my name is Jenny Miller. I live at 490 Go Forth Road. Thank you, town

[12:24] manager, mayor, and city council for listening to me and to the public. I'm

[12:30] here to ask that a task force

[12:35] um be created maybe through the town council or appointed by the town

[12:39] manager, [clears throat] however it's deemed necessary to look at an ordinance

[12:43] that would ban feeding of the deer in the town limits to Blowing Rock. Um on a

[12:49] recent doctor visit, my I have an internist, she said, "Jenny, we've had

[12:53] hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Lyme tick disease and um blowing and um

[13:00] Rocky Mountain." And the and the third one that bites you and then you can't

[13:04] eat meat, that one is even being tested for up here right now because the ticks

[13:09] are coming down from the north and that's the last one to come down, but

[13:12] it's here. And feeding the deer just invites more ticks. And the deer have

[13:19] plenty to eat. You know, they can go into the woods. They can go into the n

[13:23] they can go into mother nature. Oh, I should be talking to you. They should

[13:27] they can go into um the woods. But a little town, I think it was Edon, North

[13:33] Carolina, um they they did a ban on deer and the um bird feeders because of the

[13:39] deer and the bear. They banned the bird feeders. And I know that would be a huge

[13:44] protest in this town, but they had an overabundance of bear and now they have

[13:49] not had one bear in five years because there are just no bird feeders. So the

[13:53] bears don't come in. And then the second one is the ordinance with the um deer

[13:59] with um feeding the deer. if you know maybe somebody could um make it a point

[14:03] to look into that or form a committee or something but it might not be going on a

[14:07] lot but I see enough of it to warrant you know some questions. So that's it

[14:15] and um thank you for listening. >> Thank you Miss Miller. Thank you

[14:21] » Will Miller.

[14:25] It must be Miller night. It's Miller time. [laughter]

[14:31] You okay, Wayne? Uh uh thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. Um I'm coming to

[14:37] speak about the other intersection um with a different um point of view. This

[14:43] is Yeah, this is a >> where Country Club Lane dead ends and I

[14:47] guess it goes left and right goes down to the Country Club Lakehouse. Um, I

[14:53] think that's on the agenda. And, um, Jim just really ruined everything I was

[14:58] going to say over here with his legal, but sometimes you you can do go with an

[15:03] objective and sometimes subjective. He's talking subjective. This is objective.

[15:08] Um, because the club has opened up the lakehouse facility uh, for a lot more

[15:14] use, lunch, dinner, and everything. And I think if you have further questions

[15:17] about this, I think Paul Beavenzy, the managers, club manager here, he could

[15:21] speak to it, but it's you that there's a ton of more traffic in the last year

[15:26] going through that intersection. Right now, [clears throat] it's it's a T

[15:31] intersection with only one stop sign. And the the stop sign that's there is

[15:36] hardly visible and it's not if I was going to put one anywhere, I wouldn't

[15:40] have put it there. But that said, there's a lot of stuff going traffic

[15:44] coming through there. I don't think would show up on any vehicle count

[15:47] because so much of it is golf cart traffic. Um at some point in time, uh if

[15:54] we don't really sign and put signs up, there should be three stop signs and

[15:58] maybe a stop ahead sign on country club just to let people know because a lot of

[16:02] people come through there aren't um don't live here. They're coming here for

[16:06] weddings or or receptions or you name it and they're [clears throat] just unaware

[16:11] because there's no signage. um at some point there is going to be an

[16:15] accident where a car and a um golf cart um get together and that won't be good

[16:22] for the people in the golf cart. So I I would hope that the that the police and

[16:26] the and the first responders would really be in favor of this idea u

[16:31] because I don't think any one of us want to make a decision or or lack making a

[16:37] decision that might save a life. Thank you. Well, if you would uh I don't think

[16:43] you live with uh Wayne Miller. Could you state your address?

[16:48] » Yeah, I'm sorry. 370 Wonderland Drive. >> Um but I'd like to live with Wayne.

[16:53] [laughter]

[16:55] » All right. Um and since we're going forward, would the general manager of

[17:00] the Bo Country Club, Paul, would you like to say something for a minute or

[17:05] two?

[17:13] Good evening everyone. Paul Benzi, >> which address would you like?

[17:18] » 2001. Okay. >> 200 drive.

[17:22] » Okay. >> Uh I I do not live there. I work there.

[17:25] » Um the lakehouse opened this past season uh after a remodel and a refresh and so

[17:31] it has revitalized, rejuvenated what we are doing down there. Uh it is a

[17:36] seasonal operation open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Um with no real

[17:41] operation outside of that uh outside of that time frame.

[17:46] The lunch service down there is six days a week with dinner service 4 days a

[17:51] week. We did have a couple of pre-season or

[17:56] you know pre-opening uh receptions down there and a couple of

[18:01] postseason receptions that we have planned for this upcoming year. So I

[18:05] think it's four non-member wedding style uh rehearsal dinner style events. Uh the

[18:12] majority of the traffic that we do see through that area is obviously members.

[18:15] Uh so it is repeat traffic. about a third to maybe a half of that traffic

[18:20] would be golf cart traffic. Uh not u car traffic.

[18:26] And um I would say on average our lunch volume down there is [clears throat]

[18:32] predominantly golf cart traffic with 60 to 70 diners per meal period with our

[18:39] dinner averages about 110 to 120 per evening down there. Um again, um

[18:48] predominantly cart traffic, obviously weather dependent. If if it's raining,

[18:53] the car traffic gets much higher. Good.

[18:57] » Thank you, Paul. >> Thank you.

[19:01] Okay, I guess we'll move on here. Thank you

[19:06] everyone for your comments. Uh this is a presentation from Foothills

[19:11] Consery and Andrew Cota.

[19:19] » Welcome. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and members of the

[19:23] council. My name is Shane Pris. I live at 208 Sherwood Place, Morgan, North

[19:28] Carolina. Um I realized I thought I was in the right town, but um when I saw our

[19:32] former finance director, but I realized we were just borrowing her from you all.

[19:36] So um glad to see that. Andrew, how's Andrew doing?

[19:39] » He's doing great. Um >> Oh, there he is.

[19:41] » Andrew is joining us as well. Um I'll be giving the presentation today um on

[19:45] behalf of the organization. Um what we're here to talk to you about tonight

[19:50] is giving you all an update on our uh study that we've done for a potential

[19:55] public trail on the 330 acre property we conserved adjacent to the Blowing Rock

[20:01] attraction. U but I'll step back a little bit. Um we are Foothills

[20:05] Conservancy of North Carolina. We are a 501c3 nonprofit land trust. Our job is

[20:11] to conserve and protect special places and land and water resources in our

[20:15] 8ount service area that includes Cwell County and comes right up to the edge of

[20:21] Blowing Rock and into it. Um specifically, uh if you mind advancing

[20:25] the slide, um we have over the last 30 years uh conserved almost 75,000 acres.

[20:32] And this is my favorite number because every time I put it on a slide, it's

[20:36] already out of date. Um, that means that we're working hard for you all to keep

[20:39] this place special. Um, as you know, it all is. And a lot of people who've been

[20:43] here a long time, it is a special place. Um, and we live in a special region. But

[20:48] we want to talk specifically about um, our property here in the Blowing Rock

[20:54] community, our 330 acre John's River Headarters Preserve. That means that

[20:59] it's something that the conservancy is going to own. um in perpetuity so that

[21:03] we can manage it and protect it and ideally eventually have a level of

[21:08] public access to it because we think that it's really important that people

[21:11] be connected to the almost 75,000 acres and soon to be almost 78,000 acres of

[21:17] land that we've conserved. So this property is really special. Um it's got

[21:22] a bunch of source water for um that flows into the Kataba. Over 3 million

[21:26] people rely on it. Um it is spectacularly beautiful. Um, as you

[21:31] drive into town, um, you notice you look off to the left where Wheelies used to

[21:35] be and you see nothing except for you see everything. And the idea is that

[21:39] that is how it's going to look forever. Um, that's what we want. And when you

[21:44] get down in the property, it is even more spectacular. Um, there are really

[21:48] exciting things in the property. Um, if you mind going back a slide, I want to

[21:52] point out some um,

[21:57] it's okay. um want to point out a few things about the property particularly

[22:01] um where it is situated on the land. Um so one thing that we do want to um point

[22:07] out specifically on this is that you can see that it is pretty landlocked um with

[22:13] other properties. Uh we have one public access point on this whole project and

[22:18] you can see it is up on Pinnacle A. um it does abut the national forest but

[22:24] does not directly connect with Globe Road and that is important when we were

[22:28] considering how to get the public in and out of this property. Access is one of

[22:33] the most important things um that how are people going to come and go um where

[22:38] we're going to bring them in. We looked at the forest service but their priority

[22:41] right now is recovering from the hurricane Helen damage that is they are

[22:46] five years out from having a conversation about anything new. not

[22:49] doing anything new, having a conversation about it. They have a lot

[22:52] of work to do. Um, and we are helping them in some capacities with other

[22:55] nonprofits in the organization, but it rebuilding our infrastructure will take

[22:59] time. So, we went and did this study. I took a look at it. I had some concepts,

[23:04] but you said, "Hey, let's get a second opinion. Let's hire Nature Trails LLC,

[23:08] um, a reputable um, recognized trail firm that works in North Carolina. It's

[23:12] based out of North Carolina." and they did the trail study on the next slide as

[23:17] well as flagging on the ground. And that's an important step to tell us

[23:21] where the flagging um flagging tells you where the trail is going to be. Thank

[23:25] you. And um as you can see, we thought that the upper portion of the property

[23:31] is much more suitable for a positive um environmentally sustainable trail

[23:36] experience. And with that comes the access question. And the question we're

[23:41] here to present to you tonight um and looking for help is getting people in

[23:45] and out. As you can see up in the corner there where it says Cliff Drive right

[23:49] there is um the one point where this property touches road and has legal road

[23:55] access. So that presents us with kind of two options. One is go through a

[24:01] reszoning process for a small parking lot. That is not necessarily ideal

[24:06] situation for us. Um it is in a neighborhood. It doesn't have a lot of

[24:10] space and like most of the properties here in Blowing Rock it goes downhill

[24:14] pretty quickly. So at best maybe five cars more likely three. An alternative

[24:20] that we're looking at is we call it at grade um access point. So that would be

[24:27] along DOT right ofway. It would be connecting in with the existing sidewalk

[24:31] system which at this point is on the far side of 321 which there are some

[24:35] existing crossings already um by the end in other places could potentially be

[24:40] another one for this but sidewalk coming up to that point as well is another

[24:46] option. There are possibly other alternatives that we have not thought of

[24:49] yet. Um so if you don't mind advancing the next slide. Thank you.

[24:53] um we want to present our information to you all and really open up for questions

[24:57] and um seek help. We have not moved forward with fundraising or anything

[25:02] past the point of doing a basic trail study which was funded by some partners

[25:06] and interested um parties into looking into this so that we can have these

[25:11] conversations well before we talk about the next steps. So want to thank you so

[25:15] much for your time. I know you have a big packed agenda today. So, um, really

[25:18] want to open up to any questions that, um, we can talk about and, um, present

[25:22] this idea to you and further conversations in the future. Thank you.

[25:30] » Do you uh do you have a timeline established?

[25:35] » Uh, at this stage, no. Um, we really do need to figure out the access question

[25:40] of what's the best way to go forward. Um, and we haven't delved into that too

[25:45] deeply other than from the trail study to say that this is likely the best

[25:49] access point that we have um, legal right to.

[25:54] » Does this encompass uh, Cherry Tree Holler right there at the base of what

[26:01] was canyons at the end of the parking lot?

[26:04] » Yes, it does. So, um I believe we owned that property before um we purchased

[26:08] this second larger property um when it was available for protection. So, we've

[26:12] added to that and the uh um uh conservation holdings.

[26:20] » So, essentially your request, what you're looking at doing, if I may

[26:25] council, um is making a trail head up above canyons, the old canyons. Is that

[26:32] correct? Um, that is a possibility, Mr. Mayor. Um, we're looking for solutions

[26:38] of what's the best way um for the community to get people in and out of

[26:44] this if we are to develop public access into this property.

[26:50] » Um, that would have to be reszoned, would it

[26:55] not, Kevin?

[26:59] for I don't know.

[27:03] » Okay.

[27:07] » And >> say the Forest Service is not

[27:09] cooperating much for Globe Road. >> I I wouldn't say that they're

[27:13] uncooperative. I would say that they have a massive they're they have a lot

[27:17] of priorities that come far before talking to us about this one.

[27:22] » Um but yes, Mr. Mayor, that is one of the possibilities. The other would be

[27:27] some sort of sidewalk or interconnection with parking um at another location for

[27:32] people who are interested in visiting the property. Um we don't have um

[27:38] particular plans in one way or another. That's why we wanted to present it to

[27:40] the community to see what is the best option for everyone collectively and

[27:45] what do we feel is is the right option for the community to move forward and

[27:48] look at pursuing um at that point. So that's why we want to present it to you

[27:52] and the group as a whole.

[27:56] I think we would have to rely on trail engineering experts obviously. I

[28:05] mean that is a very dangerous property I would think for the public to access.

[28:14] Um, >> I mean I I don't know all the entry

[28:17] point or possible entry points, but >> I can tell you without a trail, yes, I

[28:22] agree fully it would be a dangerous property access having done it several

[28:26] times myself um and slid down mostly. Um, we would have um I have been working

[28:32] for 16 years in this field. So, um, feel comfortable with also the design that we

[28:37] hired from another professional firm to do that we could build a sustainable

[28:42] safe experience out there. It would still be rugged. It is quite a rugged

[28:46] property. That's why it goes straight down the hill, but we would do so in a

[28:49] way that would meet all of the applicable trail standards and be safe

[28:53] for the public to access when we were ready to open it.

[28:56] » Okay. So essentially the only access from the town of Blowing Rock would be

[29:03] that location uh because otherwise you're bordered by

[29:08] private property. Correct.

[29:10] » That is correct. >> Okay. Or Globe Road

[29:15] » which would be through the Forest Service and also put you at the bottom

[29:18] of the property. And we did feel that the top was more suitable um just from

[29:23] what you can see there. The way the rivers lay a lot less rodendrin

[29:29] um and it it it's a bit of a slog to get from the bottom to the top I'll tell

[29:32] you. So >> going down is not a problem. I'm just

[29:34] wondering [laughter]

[29:41] » I'm invite Andrew up to help answer some questions as well.

[29:44] » How much is actually in the city limits of Born Rock?

[29:51] in the city. >> Hi, thanks for having us.

[29:53] » Doug had a question for you, Andrew. >> I um how much of the property is in the

[29:59] city limits? I'm not sure of the exact acreage, but we know that the the

[30:03] northern sliver of the property is encompassed by the uh Blowing Rock city

[30:07] limits. Um, and our our our conundrum is that we

[30:14] have good legal access to the property along

[30:19] Pinnacle Avenue, but that that site or that lot is insufficient for a public

[30:27] access trail head parking area. So, how do we safely get people to that

[30:32] location? And we think it would be meaningful coming from town to allow

[30:36] people to to explore along the the the sidewalk system from downtown out

[30:42] towards 321, you know, to in in the uh uh the direction of Green Park area and

[30:49] cross at the old restaurant and up up the hill along Pinnacle to get onto the

[30:54] property itself. So it would connect it would connect that that preserve to the

[30:59] town, provide another option for the public to um to have outdoor recreation

[31:04] experience close to town. Um uh much like Glenn Bernie in the other

[31:10] direction. Uh but you know getting from there's not a crossing there's not a

[31:15] safe crossing across 321 from the existing sidewalk to Pinnacle and to the

[31:22] lot with the the former restaurant area. So that's that's really what

[31:28] our our question our conundrum is in you know getting people onto the the

[31:32] tractive land safely. Um and I you know will mention the support that we

[31:39] received from from the Blowing Rock community to be able to purchase and

[31:43] permanently protect this this tract of land a few years ago. It was

[31:47] overwhelming support um from many people in this room that helped raise millions

[31:53] of dollars essentially to ma help match some of the the state funded grant

[31:57] sources that we brought to to this project. And um you know at that time we

[32:02] had we had discussed with those supporters our our willingness and and

[32:06] ability to to pursue a public trail project on the property as as you've

[32:10] seen and we've done pretty extensive um uh surveying of the land with with

[32:16] professionals and Shane is one of those professionals. Um so we know that this

[32:21] is possible but it's it's the it's the the point of access that is challenging

[32:26] at this point. So, we're hopeful that the the town would recognize this,

[32:30] acknowledge this, and maybe support some type of solution. Uh, work with us on

[32:36] some type of solution. council. My recommendation I think would be that um

[32:45] that they need to get with our zoning department, [clears throat]

[32:50] get clearance there and recommendations from our zoning and planning

[32:55] and come back with a plan uh on where exactly

[33:03] um and if you decide you're you're going going to need some kind of access for

[33:09] emergency vehicles at least up top. Am I >> not? I'd also have them talk with Chief

[33:15] Graham. >> Have them talk with Chief GR.

[33:18] » I think I you know that's just my take on it council. I think that guys need to

[33:24] come up with a firm plan and then come back talk to zoning planning

[33:30] our our chief fire chief. Uh because as Doug can relate to, Doug when he was

[33:38] chief, he made many trips down Glenn Bernie Trail of which he didn't really

[33:42] want to do, but he had to to bring people out.

[33:47] » We went down through Tree Holler, too. So, it's a it's steep down through

[33:52] there. >> And no, no matter how

[33:57] what good physical shape people are in, somebody can always trip.

[34:02] » Yes. And so >> that's just my thought council. I mean

[34:05] you all feedback from you guys. I >> Great suggestion.

[34:11] » How long would this trail be? >> Approximately three miles in length.

[34:17] » Is it an out and back or a >> It's a It's a loop loop system.

[34:22] » Okay. >> Yeah. You got to come back up that hill.

[34:26] » Yes. >> Okay. [laughter]

[34:28] » You're not installing a chair lift, are you?

[34:30] » No. Again.

[34:33] You had mentioned five parking spaces. Does is that adequate for your needs or

[34:39] is that just what you think you can support there?

[34:44] » Councilman, that was just a off the napkin, back of the napkin kind of

[34:49] estimate. I would say three to five maybe. um is just it's not a very wide

[34:56] parcel and there's not a lot of room to go uh deep into it before it kind of

[35:01] tapers off. Um so I more to make a point of not very many and especially if

[35:06] you're trying to provide um some space specifically for emergency access as

[35:10] well that would take one or two out um just from the off the top.

[35:15] » Okay. Thank you. What worries me there is as it grows more popular is that

[35:20] » that may not be enough, >> right?

[35:23] » You know, and and then do you have room there to

[35:29] enlarge without getting on private properties?

[35:33] » Yeah, that's a good question. We haven't done an engineering or design study for

[35:37] parking and I think that's one of the suggestions.

[35:40] um and and having access to the planning department or at least you know the

[35:45] ability to set up a meeting to start speaking with emergency management

[35:49] services so we can evaluate that area. Um but we don't think that it

[35:56] will be sufficient for if it grows in popularity which it it very well could.

[36:01] Um it it's a spectacular area and and anything engineered, a trail, an

[36:07] approach that would be engineered to get down into the the tract of land would be

[36:12] um you know an expensive endeavor but something that safety would be you know

[36:17] uh at the top of the list to to ensure for the public. Um but it is a spec it

[36:23] would be a spectacular experience for the public for years to come and that's

[36:28] really what we're what we're going for here. So,

[36:33] » looks like you got about a third of an acre to work with up there.

[36:37] » I I think that's >> before it really gets steep.

[36:40] » Yeah, that's probably about right. >> That seem about right.

[36:43] » I think the that entire parcel is about three acres in size, but like you

[36:48] mentioned, we may have an acre uh at most that's relatively level before the

[36:54] land drops off. >> Okay.

[36:58] » Y'all good with that? >> Yes, sir. So, yeah, get with planning,

[37:02] zoning, Kevin Rothrock, get with our uh public safety,

[37:06] uh coordinate with Alice, >> and uh come up with a plan that uh can

[37:12] be brought back to council for further review.

[37:16] » Okay. Thank you all. >> Thanks for everything. Appreciate it.

[37:22] » All righty. Okay. This next session is a public

[37:27] hearing. Ordinance 20265, revision of land use code parking

[37:33] requirements to parking recommendations. Kevin Rothrock.

[37:40] [clears throat]

[37:44] » Thank you, Mayor and Council. Um, bringing before you tonight a u a draft

[37:52] ordinance. Uh the unique thing about it is that

[37:55] we're a little bit ahead and and not reacting to to issues. But uh this

[38:02] ordinance is to revise our land use code parking requirements

[38:09] uh to make those parking recommendations.

[38:14] Uh in this year, the North Carolina General Assembly ratified House Bill

[38:20] 162, which made significant changes to local parking regulations.

[38:25] So on January 1st of this coming year, local governments can no longer require

[38:29] minimum off street parking standards for any new development. Instead, property

[38:34] owners and developers will have the option to choose the number of parking

[38:37] spaces they deem appropriate to satisfy their proposed development needs. Local

[38:42] ordinances still can still regulate minimum parking space dimensions,

[38:46] parallel parking space dimensions, and parking lot aisle and circulation

[38:50] configurations. In anticipation of this new prohibition,

[38:54] the following draft ordinance is hereby submitted to correct the land use

[38:59] ordinance consistent with North Carolina law. The table of parking regulations

[39:03] has been changed to recommendations and moved to an appendix appendix H if

[39:10] developers choose to use the current parking ratios as a guide.

[39:14] Um we presented this to planning board in August and they recommended approval

[39:20] of the draft ordinance with some clerical clerical modifications

[39:24] and those have been reflected in this in this draft ordinance before you. In

[39:29] addition, the plan board asked that staff consult with the town attorney to

[39:32] see whether loading zones could be eliminated from that ordinance. And uh

[39:37] in talking with Joey uh last week uh he his understanding was

[39:43] that requiring off- streetet loading zones would be inconsistent with the new

[39:47] state law. So the draft ordinance removes that requirement as well for um

[39:52] loading zones, off- streetet loading zones.

[39:55] Uh, I want to point out too the land use code or any land use code changes in

[40:00] North Carolina must have a statement of uh, consistency related to the town's

[40:05] comprehensive plan, land use plan, whatever it may be called, depending on

[40:09] the jurisdiction. The ordinance is not required to be

[40:13] consistent with that comp plan, not in North Carolina, but there has to be a

[40:16] statement that acknowledges the plan. um this particular ordinance

[40:22] from the staff uh opinion is that it's inconsistent with our comprehensive plan

[40:30] um but it's consistent with the state law and so I reflected that in the first

[40:34] in the opening uh preamble of the ordinance there

[40:39] uh the sixth one down it says this

[40:43] ordinance and the amendments herein as as proposed are inconsistent with the

[40:47] 2024 comprehensive a plan update including the following plan objectives.

[40:52] One or a uh review and amend parking recommendations requirements, excuse me,

[40:58] established in lane use code, including parking standards, provisions for

[41:01] satellite parking and similar requirements to ensure that parking is

[41:05] adequately addressed. And parking is something we talk about all the time. We

[41:09] don't have enough parking. Uh,

[41:13] another item of the comprehensive plan, study park and performance standards for

[41:17] all short-term rental and lodge uses. And we we had done that when we made

[41:20] some changes a few years ago for short-term rentals. And then C,

[41:25] implement the recommendations of the downtown park and management study and

[41:29] update the study regularly to incorporate changes over time. So

[41:34] these items um show that this ordinance would be inconsistent with our comp plan

[41:41] from the staff's opinion. Uh it would be dependent on you if you agree with that.

[41:46] Um but although inconsistent with our comp plan, it would be consistent with

[41:51] state law. Um after the planning board um

[41:58] after their decision to move forward with the draft ordinance, we made a few

[42:03] additional staff changes uh minor. I wanted to point those out. As as I said,

[42:08] we moved appendix H uh moved the recommendations into one

[42:15] table. Uh we had two. We had a parking table for

[42:20] downtown and the and the town center and then we had a separate parking table for

[42:24] everything else. So, we've combined them just into one and left it um

[42:30] the one that was for everything else. And we made a few other changes. One, we

[42:35] removed the uses that are not currently allowed in our land use code. So, we

[42:39] just struck those out. That was colleges and drive-ins, racetracks, and

[42:43] scrapyards. We don't allow those in anywhere in town. there is a place for

[42:47] them. We don't allow them. And so there was a parking requirement for those

[42:52] uses, but we just struck those out. And the other thing is that the

[42:56] recommendation was for restaurant parking from one space for every 100

[43:02] square feet to one per 200. In downtown, it's one per 250. Out in general

[43:07] business is one per 100. And uh staff recommendation was just to make that to

[43:12] one to 200. Again, these are all recommendations. Developer does not have

[43:17] to choose to go by that. They have the option to choose what how much parking

[43:22] meets the needs that they are proposing.

[43:28] » If that's not too confusing, I'll be glad to answer any question. [laughter]

[43:32] » Okay, council. We're opening this up for public hearing.

[43:39] Sure.

[43:44] » Would any of the public like to speak on this matter?

[43:49] » Um,

[43:52] I guess it's pretty much I mean, we need to follow state guidelines.

[43:57] » It's all recommendation. >> If not, we're going to keep Joy busy all

[44:01] the time.

[44:05] » Okay. Do I have a motion to close the public hearing? move.

[44:09] » I have a second. >> Second.

[44:11] » Okay. Uh council thoughts, motions >> is

[44:20] » motion. Yes. Yes, ma'am. >> We don't really have a choice. Right.

[44:24] » Well, uh I just looked at it and the few people that signed off on that from the

[44:28] state, I don't think we want to mess with. Okay.

[44:30] » That's what I thought. [laughter] >> So,

[44:33] » it was pretty divi, uh not divisive, decisive. Yeah,

[44:38] » it was >> the House and Senate level

[44:42] » pretty convincing. I don't think it's going to change.

[44:45] » Pretty much nonpartisan from what I saw. >> Yeah. So,

[44:49] » so I mean it doesn't seem like there's even

[44:52] » All we need is a motion from you, Melissa.

[44:55] » So, I move that we adopt the new ordinate parking ordinance as described.

[45:04] Is that >> have a second?

[45:08] Second. >> Any other discussion? Okay. Cat

[45:12] » I. >> David.

[45:13] » I >> I

[45:16] » Okay. >> All right.

[45:18] » Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate it. >> Thank you.

[45:20] » When you figure all this out, will you call me?

[45:23] » Yeah. [laughter]

[45:29] » Alrighty. Let's see here. We're now into regular

[45:35] agenda. wrong proclamation. H you know seems like just yesterday

[45:44] but

[45:47] Rahm is celebrating 15th anniversary

[45:54] that is the Bling Rock Art and History Museum.

[45:58] So would you like to speak on something before I read the proclamation?

[46:03] Well, I think it's customary that I state my name and my address if that's

[46:07] correct, sir. That would be [laughter] >> Yes. I'm Steven Dragzik and I reside at

[46:13] 150 Celestial Drive here in Blenrock, North Carolina. And I am the Terresa and

[46:19] Don Kane executive director for the Blowenrock Art and History Museum, but

[46:22] our friends call us Braum. So, we are preparing on October the 1st to

[46:27] celebrate our 15th anniversary here in the community. So, that is why I'm here

[46:30] tonight. Thank you. Um, I will say that Braum

[46:37] um have done a great job of promoting Blowing Rock for arts and history and I

[46:44] I think Mr. Hardwood was involved early on and I think it says a lot for our

[46:50] citizens support the community support. My hats off to you. So that being said,

[46:59] okay, whereas Braum Blowing Rock Art and History Museum was created through the

[47:04] vision, determination, generosity of community members who believe that art,

[47:09] history, and cultural traditions of Blowing Rock and the surrounding region

[47:14] served a permanent home. And whereas since opening its doors in 2011, Braum

[47:20] has become an important cultural institution in the town of Blowing Rock,

[47:24] preserving and sharing the stories of our community while presenting

[47:29] exhibitions and programs that connect the high country with artists, ideas,

[47:33] and audiences from across North Carolina and beyond. And whereas Braum carries

[47:40] forward its mission to curate, preserve, educate, inspire, celebrating the artist

[47:46] heritages of Appalachia while creating opportunities for new generations of

[47:51] artists, students, residents, and visitors. And whereas through

[47:55] exhibitions, educational programs, lectures, performances, community

[48:00] partnerships, and the preservation of its growing permanent collection, Braum

[48:05] enriches the cultural life of Blowing Rock and contributes to the town's

[48:09] identity as a destination for arts. And whereas Bron welcomes residents and

[48:16] visitors with free admission, ensuring that art, history, creativity, and

[48:21] learning remain accessible to the widest possible audience. And

[48:27] whereas the museum's success over the past 15 years reflects the extraordinary

[48:33] commitment of its founders, trustees, trustees, staff, volunteers, dosent,

[48:39] artists, members, donors, community partners, and friends. And whereas as

[48:45] Braum celebrates his 15th anniversary in 2026,

[48:50] the museum honors the people and stories that shape its first 50 years. while

[48:56] looking forward to its next chapter of service to Blowing Rock and the broader

[49:00] high country. Now therefore, be it procla proclaimed that the mayor and

[49:06] town council of town of Blowing Rock recognize and celebrate the 15th

[49:12] anniversary of Braum.

[49:17] Am I missing the page? >> Page two.

[49:21] and recommend that the museum for 15 years of enriching our community through

[49:25] art and history, education, creativity, and service be it further proclaimed

[49:30] that October 1, 2026 be recognized in the town of Blowing Rock as Prom's 50th

[49:37] anniversary day, 15th anniversary day in celebration of this milestone in

[49:42] appreciation of Brahm's continued contribution to the cultural life and

[49:47] future of our community. Do you write that?

[49:52] That's pretty good. [laughter] [applause]

[50:05] » [applause]

[50:12] » I love >> mayor. If I could have a point of

[50:16] privilege always.

[50:21] » I want to recognize someone who's in our audience. Okay.

[50:25] » And she is not going to be happy about it, but on the back row is our the first

[50:30] executive director of Braum, JOANNE MITCHELL.

[50:34] » [applause]

[50:43] » AND JOANNE singlehandedly wrestled this museum into being into

[50:50] existence. sometimes strong arm,

[50:54] but uh the money that was raised to build

[50:58] that building, to foster that dream, and to encourage people to believe in that

[51:06] dream, uh rest squarely at Joanne Mitchell's

[51:10] feet and um I want to just recognize her for that and thank her for that.

[51:25] » [applause]

[51:33] » I know [laughter]

[51:37] because I came many times, Kevin, to this council, this room with other

[51:45] members to uh plead our case for different

[51:49] And I think it's about time for the town and the council to recognize the good

[51:55] work that Stephen and many others have done since David and I started this

[52:01] whole thing. >> Yes.

[52:02] » So, thank you, David, that you are. [laughter]

[52:07] » Nothing's changed. >> Thank you, Miss Mitchell.

[52:11] All right. Thank you, Braing Rock Art History Museum. What was your

[52:17] address again? Oh, good. That's good. Okay. Stop signs request. Laurel Lane,

[52:24] Dogwood, and Country Club. Uh, Chief Nathan Kurt. Chief,

[52:31] come on down. >> Good evening, Chief.

[52:36] » Good evening,

[52:42] » Mayor Council. I believe the agenda said Laurel Park

[52:49] Road first. So, I'll start off with that staff recommendation.

[52:52] Uh, the Blowing Rock Police Department recommends that the town council

[52:55] authorize the installation of a three-way stop at the intersection of

[52:58] Laurel Park Road and Dogwood Lane. Specifically, the Blown Rock Police

[53:02] Department recommends that stop signs be installed on the approaches to the

[53:04] intersection as necessary to require vehicles traveling on Laurel Park Road

[53:08] and Dogwood Lane to stop before entering the intersection, creating an all-way

[53:13] three-way stop configuration appropriate to the roadway layout. The intersection

[53:17] of Laurel Park Road and Dogwood Lane is located within a residential area of

[53:21] Blowing Rock and serves as an access point for residents, visitors, and other

[53:24] motorists traveling between Laurel Lane or excuse me, Laurel Park Road and

[53:28] Dogwood Lane. The town's previous traffic regulations identify Laurel Park

[53:33] Road northbound at Dogwood Lane as a yield intersection. A change was made

[53:38] about 10 11 months ago to this intersection. Remove the yield sign and

[53:42] replace it with a stop sign at Dogwood Lane.

[53:45] The police department has reviewed the current traffic control configuration

[53:49] and believes that additional positive traffic control at this intersection

[53:53] would improve driver awareness, provide a clear rightway determination, and

[53:57] enhance overall safety for motorists, pedestrians, and nearby residents.

[54:02] Excuse me. And [clears throat] uh there's also a

[54:06] signed petition out there from the residents wanting that. So, and I've

[54:10] also seen videos from where they've taken it from motors coming on Laurel

[54:16] Park and traveling [cough] around that [clears throat] retaining wall that's

[54:18] right there and going into the opposite lane of travel. That also influenced our

[54:22] uh recommendation on this one. The next recommendation

[54:29] is for a three-way stop at Country Club Drive and Country Club Lane by the

[54:32] Lakehouse driveway. The Blowing Rock Police Department

[54:37] recommends against the installation of a three-way stop at this location where

[54:40] Country Club Drive and Country Club Lane meet near the driveway providing access

[54:44] to the Blowing Rock Country Club Lakehouse. Currently, the lakehouse

[54:47] driveway has a stop sign for traffic turning onto Country Club Drive or

[54:51] Country Club Lane. After consideration of the roadway configuration, traffic

[54:55] movements, and the purpose of stop control devices, the police department

[54:59] does not believe that the installation of an additional stop sign at this

[55:02] location is warranted at this time. The department recommends maintaining the

[55:06] existing traffic control configuration and continuing to monitor the

[55:10] intersection for traffic conflicts, crashes, and other documented safety

[55:13] concerns. The police department does also recommend that the dividing lines

[55:17] be repainted to assist motorists with the proper deliation of the roadway.

[55:21] They are quite faded down there on Country Club and Country Club Lane. I

[55:26] also pulled the trash or crash data for both roads

[55:31] for the past six years. So on Country Club Drive, we have had one uh traffic

[55:38] incident that was on March 2023. That was a FedEx truck. No other vehicles

[55:43] were involved and it was weather related on a snow-covered road that day in

[55:47] March. And then we had two other incidents uh on Country Club, but that

[55:51] happened in the PVA, the country club, backed into another vehicle in 22. And

[55:56] then 21, the delivery truck actually hit the awning of the country club.

[56:01] And then Laurel Park and Dogwood, we had one recorded traffic incident within

[56:06] this six uh six-year time frame. September of 2020, a truck and trailer

[56:10] was backing out and hit a retaining wall down there.

[56:16] » Council, keep in mind each one of these you'll need to vote on separately. Okay?

[56:21] So, keep that in mind. So, you address it how you wish. [snorts]

[56:26] » Chief, I have a question. >> Yes, ma'am. based on the crash data,

[56:30] » why did you recommend one be approved and one not be approved?

[56:35] » So, the reason I recommended the one on Laurel Park Road in Dogwood Lane, um, is

[56:40] because there's more information with that one. So, we've done traffic studies

[56:43] down there. We've had officers down there dedicated. We've done checkpoints

[56:47] to measure that. And seeing the videos where these cars are coming off, I don't

[56:52] think there's a safe way that you can do this where they're not crossing into the

[56:56] other lane of travel. So, they're going over the the dividing yellow line to

[56:59] make that turn that's coming from Main Street and off of Laurel Park Road. Um,

[57:05] and the signed petition that was provided from the community down there

[57:09] in favor for the three-way stop. The one on Country Club, I'll be honest with

[57:14] you, I don't have a lot of data down there. Uh, this was the first that I've

[57:17] heard about this being an issue. Um, I wasn't aware that the lakehouse actually

[57:22] opened up for all this new additional traffic and things like that for dinner

[57:26] and lunch and things like that. So, I think that we should go forward and try

[57:31] to collect some more data and things like that. But, when I went down there

[57:34] and looked at the site, I mean, it's very hard to even see where the the

[57:38] yellow dividing line is. So, I think that needs to be updated.

[57:42] » But did you just say that Laurel >> that was on Country Club? I'm sorry. I

[57:47] mean, Country Club has had more accident more crashes in the last few years than

[57:52] Laura. >> They both had one. Yeah. One pertaining

[57:55] to the roadway. >> Okay.

[57:58] » Thank you. And currently at there is [snorts] a stop sign at Dogwood and

[58:04] Laurel or not? >> So, yes, there is a stop sign at Dogwood

[58:08] where it goes back into Laurel Park. It used to be a yield sign about 11 months

[58:12] ago. I brought it before council then and we changed the yield sign to a stop

[58:17] sign. So after that, we observed and the videos came in and things like that and

[58:22] I talked to community members and they said that it's not working. So to safely

[58:25] travel through that intersection, they would like a three-way stop.

[58:30] » Thank you. >> You said this was signed by the

[58:33] residents >> of Laurel Park and Dogwood.

[58:36] » Mhm.

[58:42] Uh, Chief, do you know how many residences

[58:47] in Laurel Park Dogwood area are full-time, permanent, full-time?

[58:55] » I do not have that information. It's

[59:00] » I don't even want to take a guess at you. I could probably get that

[59:02] information for you, though. >> I I have it.

[59:05] » Perfect. [laughter] [clears throat] It's 11

[59:10] out of 53 53 houses in that um I don't know which one area and um but out of 53

[59:21] 11 are full-time. So

[59:29] it's not that many. It's not Yeah.

[59:37] Okay, council, would you like to weigh in on a decision

[59:44] on the intersection of Laurel Park Road and Dogwood Lane first?

[59:50] Would you like to make a motion to approve?

[59:57] We'll make a motion with >> I'll make a motion to approve. I mean if

[1:00:00] the residents want it at least

[1:00:03] » okay >> vote on can I ask a question

[1:00:07] » what

[1:00:11] » there's a misperception that the res >> you you can't when we're in session I'm

[1:00:16] sorry that's that's why I gave you all the three minutes earlier

[1:00:19] » I have a question the chief how many residents signed the petition in favor

[1:00:25] of this >> one Thank you.

[1:00:51] » It's all for the same. >> Yeah.

[1:01:03] So that's 27.

[1:01:26] Except different.

[1:01:56] I can't find

[1:02:20] » We've got 79 signatures on this, Melissa.

[1:02:23] » 79. >> 79. And that includes Twin Springs, I

[1:02:26] believe, as well. >> Dogwood Lane, Laurel Park, Quail Hollow

[1:02:31] Drive, and Twin Springs.

[1:02:34] » Okay, thank you. >> Okay, we have a motion on the table. Do

[1:02:39] [clears throat] we have a second? >> Wait a minute. What's the motion?

[1:02:42] » To approve. >> Okay,

[1:02:46] » we have a second.

[1:02:51] » Doug seconded. Any further discussion on this one? Okay. Cat.

[1:02:56] » No. >> David.

[1:02:57] » I >> I

[1:02:59] » I >> I

[1:03:01] » Okay, the next one is Country Club.

[1:03:08] So, do we have additional questions for the chief on Country Club Drive?

[1:03:16] This is the line that I'm talking about here. This is your dividing line of the

[1:03:21] road. presly that

[1:03:26] » we ever get our new pan. >> Good. Okay.

[1:03:29] » I also make a I'll make a motion on that.

[1:03:32] » I'm sorry, Doug. Go ahead and hear you. >> I'll make a motion in favor of that.

[1:03:36] » You make a motion in favor of the three-way stop at Country Club. Okay. Do

[1:03:42] we have a second? >> A second.

[1:03:44] » We have a second. Any further discussion, council?

[1:03:47] » Yes, ma'am. Does that need to be a three-way stop or

[1:03:50] just a one stop as you approach the >> at the end of Country Club?

[1:03:57] » So, so the way it is right now, give me some more reaching room here. There's

[1:04:02] your stop sign. This is the the driveway >> that goes down to the lakehouse, right?

[1:04:07] » So, you have a stop sign here. And the way this road is, it just continues

[1:04:11] around, >> comes up. So, this is the dividing line,

[1:04:14] Country Club Drive. And then when you get down here, Country Club.

[1:04:18] » Okay. >> So, you're wanting to add a stop or

[1:04:23] Well, the proposal is to add another stop sign

[1:04:28] » both directions on Country Club, >> correct? Or Country Club Drive,

[1:04:33] » right? >> That's what we're Yes. So, we want to

[1:04:35] turn this into a three-way stop. My recommendation is not to turn it into a

[1:04:39] three-way stop at this time. Okay. >> Thank you.

[1:04:45] Maybe I missed it, Chief, but could you elaborate on that decision?

[1:04:50] » Yeah, David. So, the reason I made this decision is because the only data that I

[1:04:55] really have to go off of here is the very limited crash data I have for the

[1:04:59] past six years. There was one traffic incident, and what that traffic incident

[1:05:03] occurred was a FedEx truck came down and came to rest on that uh young lady's

[1:05:09] timber right there in her little cart near.

[1:05:12] He came down snow covered road and he just kept going.

[1:05:16] » So what what's precipitated this coming before us then? What's changed? Why is

[1:05:23] this here? >> It came up in a staff meeting. So I

[1:05:26] started looking into it. Someone reached out to me and said that they have asked

[1:05:30] for this um that it was a safety issue that they asked before. Um including the

[1:05:36] council members um but it uh just never got formally I guess recommendation was

[1:05:42] never formally made and council never formally considered it. So it was part

[1:05:47] of a list of a list of things that were outstanding.

[1:05:52] » I see.

[1:05:55] Personally, I almost feel like I would like to see

[1:06:00] this with uh the line painted, you know, and let's see how that works.

[1:06:06] » Mhm. >> And and

[1:06:08] » the entire roadway is faded. >> Yeah. And now we do have a new paint

[1:06:13] machine. I'm happy to announce. [laughter]

[1:06:16] » I agree with you, David. When you look at that,

[1:06:20] if you don't know which way. [clears throat]

[1:06:23] Well, we have a first. We have a second in favor of it. Uh, how do we vote? Cat,

[1:06:31] » I. >> David,

[1:06:33] » no. >> I

[1:06:35] » I >> I

[1:06:37] » Okay. And,

[1:06:40] uh, please make note on that, Hillary, in the minutes that the po the road

[1:06:45] definitely needs realigning if you would.

[1:06:48] » Thank you, Chief. Thank you. Okay.

[1:06:53] All righty. Okay, ladies and gentlemen,

[1:07:03] » it's onet.

[1:07:19] All right, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say our hearts and prayers

[1:07:24] should go out to the 911 victims 25 years ago.

[1:07:30] Very unfortunate, very sad. It happened in many locations

[1:07:35] as we all are aware. So keep your hearts and prayers mine for all those that were

[1:07:42] lost and the families that are having to struggle. So, uh, that's it for me. C,

[1:07:49] » we got a we got a little position reclassification. I got

[1:07:54] flustered with everybody leaving. Okay. [laughter]

[1:07:59] » Okay. Sorry about that. Margaret, please come on up. Thank you guys. [laughter]

[1:08:03] I mean, I was already

[1:08:07] » You're all done. I got it. >> Go ahead. It's all you.

[1:08:11] » Council, thank you for uh speaking with me this evening. I want to start off

[1:08:15] this position reclassification quest by uh thanking Holly Autry for her service.

[1:08:19] She's been with the town for a number of years and we certainly appreciate

[1:08:22] everything she's done. She started out part-time utilities and moved on

[1:08:27] full-time and left for a bit and then came back to help us with the

[1:08:30] receivables and the front desk. She's found another opportunity that she's

[1:08:35] really excited about and we're very happy for her. But we do want to thank

[1:08:38] her for that and recognize what she's meant to this town and the service she's

[1:08:42] provided. Um, but with her leaving, it provided an opportunity for us to look

[1:08:47] at our structure and maybe determine what might be the best way to refill

[1:08:51] this position. And I would like to request we consider uh renaming it and

[1:08:57] reclassifying it to a full-time deputy finance officer. Doing this is going to

[1:09:03] provide some significant change and strengthen the town's town's financial

[1:09:08] operations, maintain compliance with North Carolina local government finance

[1:09:12] and payroll requirements. It's going to improve our internal controls and really

[1:09:17] ensure some more accurate and timely financial transactions going on with the

[1:09:22] town. I think this is a great opportunity to bring some real uh depth

[1:09:27] and knowledge into the finance and administration area that I feel is

[1:09:32] needed. Um I put you several more comments in the memo and happy to read

[1:09:38] them to you, but I'm I'm also happy just to take any questions.

[1:09:43] » Questions, council. Do we have a motion to approve this

[1:09:47] position? >> So moved.

[1:09:49] » Do we have a second? >> Second. Any further discussion?

[1:09:56] » Cat. >> I

[1:10:02] » Thank you, Margaret. Sorry about the delay. I got a little flustered.

[1:10:05] [laughter] >> You know, it uh I mean, these two these

[1:10:09] two were supposed to kick me when I miss a section. Okay. Nobody kicked me.

[1:10:15] » All right. All right. Once again, thank you. Uh thank you, Margaret. And please,

[1:10:20] let's keep those 9/11 victims and families in your prayers.

[1:10:27] » Yes. >> Dad, got anything?

[1:10:29] » I have no comments. >> David,

[1:10:30] » none for me. >> Wayne,

[1:10:32] » Doug, uh, >> thank you, Doug. [laughter]

[1:10:36] » As usual for me, two or three things. Uh, one, I would like to thank the two

[1:10:43] ladies on council for uh, a bring the house down act that they

[1:10:50] both had at groovy nights and it was for, you know, uh, for the charity that

[1:10:57] is for for the scholarships, the the children is great and and uh, y'all

[1:11:03] brought the house down and it was good and thank y'all.

[1:11:05] » Thank you. Uh other one um you know the uh on the way out I think I left this

[1:11:13] one out last month uh where they had passed you know legislation about the

[1:11:19] occupy tax can only be uh cannot be used for public safety you

[1:11:25] know uh keruck is going to be allowed only through the court system is is how

[1:11:32] they're going uh I along with Charlie. Uh

[1:11:38] would like to say uh do remember September 11th. Take time to honor those

[1:11:44] that lost their lives. Some gave all, all gave some. Some remember the first

[1:11:50] responders and volunteers as we say goodbye to many of our brave

[1:11:56] and generous people who gave themselves to help the families and the communities

[1:12:01] affected. uh like you please. >> Thank you.

[1:12:06] » Always remember. >> Listen.

[1:12:10] » Well, I I certainly agree with that sentiment and I would like to say Doug,

[1:12:14] you did quite a remarkable performance yourself, but I thought you were going

[1:12:18] to wear your wig tonight. So, we were all doing a double take because he

[1:12:22] looked >> very young.

[1:12:26] » Joey Alice, yours.

[1:12:30] » Thank you, Mayor Councel. Um, I'll try to make it brief. Uh, software update

[1:12:35] August 3rd. I reported at the last month's meeting the town issued an RFP

[1:12:40] for enterprise resource planning software and implementation services.

[1:12:44] Um, the RFP was meant to seek a modern cloud-based platform integrating our

[1:12:50] core administrative and financial functions that include payroll, um, HR,

[1:12:55] finance, uh, utility billing, and we received five proposals and those

[1:13:01] proposals were received on August 31st. Uh, team of staff has been reviewing and

[1:13:08] scoring these and now scheduling vendor demonstrations. We anticipate awarding a

[1:13:13] contract in October with a projected go live date of May 1st, 2027.

[1:13:21] An update on the fire station roof. Um RFP was issued on June 10th with bids

[1:13:27] due on July 8th. Two uh two bids were submitted and lowest responsive bid was

[1:13:33] $99,646. The contract and notice to proceed was

[1:13:38] uh provided. Work began August 31st and was 98% complete as of this past Friday.

[1:13:46] Uh the contractor expects to be finished this week. He has one more day of

[1:13:51] scheduled work and that is just to replace a damaged roofto-all vent. So

[1:13:56] that project will be closed out and complete this week.

[1:14:00] Crosswalks and this is another project that I'm happy to say is closed out and

[1:14:05] complete. Uh lot of talk about crosswalks since coming on board and in

[1:14:10] your budget time. Um previously reported requested a revised proposal because the

[1:14:15] original did not address the side street areas on the crosswalks. Uh August 18th

[1:14:22] a we received that revised quote for $92,47460.

[1:14:29] Um, this again was for completing 14 crosswalks [clears throat]

[1:14:33] along Main Street and the side streets. August 19th, uh, staff along with McGill

[1:14:40] reviewed the proposal and selected the color and the patterns. October or

[1:14:44] August 28th, DOT, um, approved the encroachment permit. And August 30th, we

[1:14:52] started um, and finished on September 2nd. Everything wrapped up. Um, traffic

[1:14:59] control was completed with public works, so I thank them for their help in

[1:15:02] keeping the uh costs down as well and keeping everybody safe. Um, and we also

[1:15:10] amended the scope slightly to include restriping of the white crosswalk lines

[1:15:16] on Main Street for an additional $7,500. Um once uh once the crosswalks were done

[1:15:22] and I went and looked at them, it was obvious that those um needed refreshed

[1:15:28] as well. There was a lot of areas with chipped and missing paint. So we were

[1:15:32] able to knock those out while we were while we were there.

[1:15:36] Um, also during the project I inquired to DOT about the crosswalk location down

[1:15:43] near Chatola to see if we can incorporate in that into the crosswalk

[1:15:47] striping as well. Um, I was informed that this area did not qualify because

[1:15:55] of the 25 mile per hour speed limit and relatively low pedestrian volume. So,

[1:16:02] the signs are still located um in that location, but [clears throat] we did not

[1:16:08] stripe that. So, I'm sure that'll be a question as to to why we didn't restripe

[1:16:13] that area, but I did inquire the DOT and uh they did not um give the approval to

[1:16:19] do that. Main Street, uh thank you to the

[1:16:23] landscaping department for a lot of the fall flowers that they put up this

[1:16:27] month. Um those are new this year. the hanging baskets and uh several leaning

[1:16:34] light poles on Main Street were reported to um Blue Ridge Energy. Uh replacement

[1:16:40] street lights are scheduled on Wallingford that were out for the past

[1:16:45] several months. That's scheduled this week for replacement. And the trash can

[1:16:49] replacements are scheduled for this week as well.

[1:16:54] So, a good a good bit happening on Main Street.

[1:16:59] uh policies. Work continues on town policies and procedures. Uh tonight's

[1:17:04] consent agenda included the purchasing payables policy and procedures manual.

[1:17:08] Thank you, Margaret. And to all staff for their assistance and we are in the

[1:17:13] process of updating the personnel policy. Um I expect to have this before

[1:17:18] council for cons consideration in October or November at the latest. That

[1:17:24] completes my report. >> Thank you, Alice. Thank you.

[1:17:29] And we are going to take a recess, but we will fall under

[1:17:35] » close session. North Carolina General Statute 143-318

[1:17:42] 111A3 to consult with an attorney employed by

[1:17:46] the town in order to preserve the attorney client privilege and North

[1:17:52] Carolina General Statute 143-31811A6

[1:17:58] to consider the qualifications competence or conditions of a

[1:18:03] prospective public officer or employee employee and to hear or investigate a

[1:18:09] complaint or grievance by or against an individual public officer or employee

[1:18:18] » the count uh citizens there there might be a decision made when we come out of

[1:18:22] close session but I'm not sure can you find an attorney so that being said

[1:18:28] we're going to take a fivem minute recess oh thank you so much for

[1:18:31] attending this evening

Town Council Meeting - Tuesday, September 8th, 2026

Transcript