[0:19] We're back to the first one in August. So, welcome. Glad that you're with us.

[0:22] As we always do, we'll start with a moment of silence.

[0:25] And then we'll remain standing for our pledge of allegiance. As we go to that

[0:28] time, please keep the Roberts family in your thoughts and prayers, please.

[0:33] Father and son who were tragically killed uh

[0:38] uh this past week uh and to I think at the coast. I don't know a whole lot

[0:43] about it, but uh we do want to keep them in our thoughts and thoughts and prayers

[0:47] and the family, please, as as they move forward uh with all this kind of thing.

[0:52] Terrible terrible situation. So, we're really sorry about that. So, if you

[0:56] will, please now rise. Join me for a moment of silence.

[1:34] Thank you. Please salute the flag. I pledge

[1:37] allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic

[1:41] for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[1:46] justice for all. Thank you.

[1:52] Tonight, we our first order of business for the Uh, agenda is a matter scheduled

[1:56] for public hearing. Our first tonight is a zoning ordinance amendment. This is

[2:02] ZOA 1-26. We'll hold this hearing to consider

[2:06] approval of a text amendment to allow an educational facility in various zoning

[2:12] districts. The applicant, Waterlife Church, is

[2:15] requesting an amendment to add educational facility defined in Article

[2:21] 4 as including public and private K through 12 schools,

[2:26] college, universities, and technical institutes to the permitted use chart.

[2:32] Staff is recommending approval of the ordinance amendments based on the

[2:35] following consistency statement. The proposed zoning amendment is consistent

[2:40] with the 2045 comprehensive plan

[2:44] in that an initiating zoning changes within target

[2:48] areas to encourage development is a primary proactive strategy. In the long

[2:54] term, adjusting the ordinance to account for all forms of educational facilities

[2:59] would effectively encourage a variety of developments in growing areas serving

[3:05] families. This amendment would also help to revitalize vacant and historic sites,

[3:11] such as the Westland Elementary School site, and potentially encourage future

[3:16] academic opportunities at the old Winona High School uh, campus.

[3:22] One of the primary goals of a planning department is to always be figuring out

[3:27] ways to simplify, streamline, or make the zoning code easier to understand and

[3:33] implement for long term. This zoning amendment accomplishes that goal.

[3:38] I will open the public hearing, and I will introduce our planning director,

[3:43] Anna Williams, for her com- uh, comments, please.

[3:46] » Thank you so much. So, I have uh, just a couple slides for

[3:51] you for each case.

[4:01] When the applicant, Waterlife Church, asked planning staff how to reuse the

[4:06] West Lenoir Elementary School site uh as a private school, I realized two things

[4:11] about the zoning ordinance. Um that private schools were not

[4:15] accounted for on the permitted use chart uh and that the R-12 zoning district did

[4:21] not allow for public school use. So, this public school building couldn't be

[4:25] be reused for a public school um if uh if if if that were being sought.

[4:32] So, I advised that they apply for a text amendment to add educational facility

[4:38] uh as a use to the permitted use chart. Um so, currently the uh

[4:44] zoning ordinance provides for daycares and preschools. It provides for public

[4:49] schools through the public service facility use and for um vocational and

[4:55] specialty schools. Uh but it does not include private academic institutions.

[5:00] It doesn't include colleges or universities uh anywhere on the

[5:04] permitted use chart. Um it probably has in the past, but over time consolidation

[5:09] and things uh it it was it's no longer there.

[5:15] The definition section of the zoning code contains a definition for

[5:19] educational facility um and it is a facility for the

[5:24] education of children and or adults, including public and private

[5:27] kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools, colleges, technical institutes,

[5:32] and universities, but excluding specialized trade schools and nursery

[5:35] schools. Um

[5:40] So, the text amendment itself uh would add educational facilities as a

[5:45] permitted use by right in B2, general business, B3, our central

[5:50] business district, B7, the highway business district, and O&I, office and

[5:55] institutional district. And as a special use in several residential zones, R6,

[6:02] R9, R12, and RC. It would also remove schools from the definition of public

[6:08] service facility to eliminate overlap. So, in summary,

[6:15] um here's a chart. It's also in your staff report, I believe on page three of

[6:20] the staff report, um for the zoning amendment. And it shows that educational

[6:24] facilities would be permitted um in those zones that I read out, a

[6:29] special use in those residential districts that I read out. Um

[6:34] and then this also shows where public service facilities are. Basically, the

[6:39] only difference in location of where public service facilities are allowed

[6:42] today and where educational facili- facilities would be allowed is the

[6:46] industrial districts. Um I doubt a school would ever want to

[6:51] locate in an industrial district anyway, but a public service facility like an

[6:55] EMS base or a firehouse may may want to locate in an industrial district.

[7:02] No schools in our area are located in industrial right now, so it doesn't

[7:06] create any non-conformities to take schools out of the public service

[7:09] facility.

[7:12] So, planning board reviewed this at their July meeting, and they recommend

[7:16] approval of the request and adoption of the consistency statement

[7:22] um that the mayor read for the record.

[7:26] That concludes my prepared comments. If you have any questions, please let me

[7:29] know. The applicant is also in the audience tonight.

[7:32] » Thank you. Anna, any questions? Yes, sir.

[7:36] » Should we add pre-K to this because there is

[7:40] a lot pre-K

[7:48] group and it might be road block if it's not in there.

[7:52] » Sure. Um I will say that child care centers and preschools are accounted for

[7:58] in another use in the zoning ordinance and it's called child care center.

[8:03] Um and it is allowed as a special use permit in residential and um permitted

[8:08] in these districts. It's just a different

[8:11] definition. >> Uh

[8:14] if someone had a school and pre-K,

[8:19] do they have to do a separate permit? >> Oh, that is a good question. Yeah. Uh I

[8:24] see what you're saying there. Um >> It's okay to think about it for a

[8:27] minute.

[8:30] Cuz it may cause some overlap. >> Yeah. Um I wish I had the zoning

[8:35] ordinance in front of me and I could tell you exactly where they're allowed.

[8:39] Um Sure, I'll take a minute. Yeah. Yeah.

[8:44] » I just don't want someone to have a permitting problem or do

[8:48] open a pre-K.

[8:53] And we're here to discuss that tonight. >> Right. Right.

[8:56] » Keep us from having any issue later.

[9:08] Uh your your statement was you think this is already allowed but wouldn't you

[9:11] say that? That's a reason for a minute.

[9:15] » Yeah.

[9:18] Well, I mean if we're going to if the definition is going to split them up,

[9:22] then it's a potential argument that it if you have an educational facility that

[9:27] includes pre-K that it doesn't include it. If we've got a

[9:32] definition for pre or I guess you said child care and preschool And then

[9:37] definition for educational facilities, I would think getting one for educational

[9:42] facilities necessarily excludes child care and uh

[9:46] preschools. So,

[9:58] » Uh there are more allowances in our zoning ordinance for day cares and

[10:02] preschools than there are in this zoning amendment.

[10:05] Um a daycare center is a special use in rural residential.

[10:11] The R12, R9, R6 is permitted in RC and it's permitted in um all of the

[10:19] commercial districts and industrial districts except for in the B6 where

[10:24] it's also a special use. And B6 is a transitional business district. So,

[10:29] there are or a wider allowances for day cares than there are for the educational

[10:34] facilities.

[10:38] I believe so. I believe so. >> Okay.

[10:42] » Probably add a condition to anybody's permit.

[10:45] Add that when

[10:51] » Absolutely. Yeah, that great great point from the city manager that um if if they

[10:56] wanted to have if a private school that applies

[11:01] for a special use permit in a residential district wanted to include

[11:03] daycare or preschool, they could apply for that in the moment as well. And the

[11:07] ordinance would allow for that in the residential districts. Mhm.

[11:13] » Any other questions from the council at our

[11:15] at this time?

[11:19] Okay. Thank you, Anne. We are still in the open. We are in the

[11:23] um public hearing. So, if anyone would like

[11:26] to address the council at this time concerning this zoning ordinance

[11:30] amendment as presented, this is the time to do so. If you do, please come forward

[11:35] and give us your name and address. Glad to hear from you if you like.

[11:42] Okay. I don't see anyone rushing the podium,

[11:46] so All right. I will then close the public

[11:50] hearing since no one is coming forward and turn it over to council for any more

[11:55] discussion and or motion when you are ready.

[11:59] » Mayor Joe, I would like to note that for the record I have attended Water Life in

[12:04] the past and I would just like to let the council know if anyone has any issue

[12:09] with me voting on this issue. I've not attended since January and I

[12:14] didn't know anything about this until just recently, so

[12:17] but I do want to make note of it.

[12:22] » See anything issue with that.

[12:24] » I don't think it's an issue for either one of these. It's it's potentially an

[12:28] issue for the special use if we get to that,

[12:31] but I don't I don't see it as a conflict.

[12:33] Previously been a member of that church.

[12:36] » Okay. >> For attending.

[12:38] » All right. Thank you. All right. Any other discussion or

[12:43] comments?

[12:46] You ready? We'll entertain a motion.

[12:49] » Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion that we approve the zoning ordinance

[12:53] amendment ZOA 1-26 as presented. >> Okay. We have a motion from Mayor Pro

[12:59] Tem Perkins that we approve the zoning ordinance amendment as presented.

[13:04] Any other comments, good discussion? All in favor, please say I.

[13:08] » I. >> With a consistency

[13:10] » With a consistency statement, yeah. Well, that would be included in that.

[13:13] » Yeah, what he said. >> That all right?

[13:17] » For sure. >> Thank you.

[13:19] All right. That motion was unanimous. Thank you for that.

[13:23] All right. We'll move on in to the second public hearing, which is the

[13:27] special use permit, this is SUP 2-26. This is for a Water Life Private School,

[13:34] West Lenoir Elementary School at 117 Maple Drive Northwest.

[13:39] This is a quasi-judicial hearing. It will be held to consider a request to

[13:45] reuse the vacant building located at 117 Maple Drive as a private school.

[13:51] Planning Board recommends approval of the requested special use permit for the

[13:56] private school with the following conditions, which I'm going to allow the

[14:00] a planning director of Hannah Williams to present to you in a few minutes.

[14:04] Uh Mr. War, you want to go ahead and talk

[14:06] about the >> Yeah, I just said this last week, so

[14:09] you're you're going to hear it from me again. Let me remind everyone about

[14:11] quasi-judicial hearings. Got my little Got my little guidebook to remind me

[14:15] exactly what to say. >> We appreciate it.

[14:18] » So, this is a Unlike the previous hearing, which was a legislative

[14:22] hearing, which the council could have heard people say, "We don't like it. We

[14:26] like it." That sort of thing. Uh and if they approved that, this is

[14:30] now a quasi-judicial. It's an evidentiary hearing. Um this means that

[14:34] it's like a court hearing. Um you have to There are specific

[14:37] procedures that this council has already put in place for consideration of

[14:40] quasi-judicial matters. Um your discretion is limited. There's

[14:45] basically a checklist of things that the applicant must meet. If they meet those

[14:49] things, you must approve the uh permit. If they don't meet them, uh

[14:53] you can't. Uh the board has to base its decision upon competent, relevant, and

[14:58] substantial evidence in the record. So, just like last week, anyone who speaks

[15:02] has to be sworn. It's uh it's actual evidence. It's not a popularity contest,

[15:07] so you can't Unlike the previous hearing, you couldn't have someone say,

[15:10] "And you know, I just don't like this. I don't think you should approve it cuz I

[15:13] don't want a school near me." or something like that. Um it

[15:17] The uh the meeting, obviously, is open to the the

[15:20] but only certain people can participate. If this were a more contentious hearing,

[15:25] occasionally you would have attorneys that would object and present and

[15:28] present evidence and that sort of thing, but people can't offer opinions unless

[15:33] they're qualified as experts. If someone were to stand up and say, "Uh the school

[15:37] bringing too much traffic in the neighborhood." They'd actually They

[15:39] wouldn't be allowed to say that. They'd actually have to have a traffic expert

[15:43] that's done studies and that sort of thing. Um

[15:46] So, that's sort of from the side of people that are testifying. On your

[15:49] side, as you already mentioned, um you wouldn't want to have a trial in front

[15:54] of a judge who had already decided the case ahead of time or was best buddies

[15:58] with the opposing party or something like that. So,

[16:01] uh the parties are entitled to an impartial board. You can't participate

[16:05] if you have a fixed opinion about the matter, like if your view is

[16:08] "No more schools anywhere. We have enough schools." You wouldn't be allowed

[16:11] to vote on this. Um if you have a if you had a financial

[16:14] interest in the matter, so if you were on the board of of the Water Life

[16:17] Church, it might be inappropriate for you to be or if you have a close effect

[16:21] close relationship with an affected person, like if you were married to one

[16:24] of the applicants or they were engaged or something like that. Um you can't

[16:28] have You can't have anyone who's con- Well,

[16:31] if someone has contacted you about this beforehand, you have to disclose it. And

[16:36] if you've engaged in a conversation with them, you would have to recuse yourself.

[16:40] If you've gone out to the site saying, "Oh, there's the special use permit. I'm

[16:43] going to go check out the site." Again, you can't You wouldn't be able to

[16:46] participate then or at least you would have to disclose it. Um again, you If

[16:50] you were having a trial about a boundary line, you wouldn't want the judge to

[16:53] have gone out ahead of time and taken a look at the property or something like

[16:56] that. So, putting spelling all that out, does

[16:58] anyone have anything they need to disclose about any involvement they've

[17:01] had with this or communica- ex parte communications?

[17:06] All right. Turn it back over to you. >> Thank you, sir. Thank you for that.

[17:11] All right. We are in the uh public hearing now. I'll open the public

[17:14] hearing. I'll again will bring our pub- planning director Anna Williams up and

[17:19] Anna, you will have to be sworn officially at this time.

[17:24] Anybody that is planning to speak to this, if you would like to be sworn now,

[17:29] we can do it and then you won't have to do that individually, so.

[17:35] All right.

[17:54] » Another couple of slides for you this evening.

[18:06] All right, with the text amendment in place, uh we can now discuss the special

[18:11] use permit for the proposed private elementary school at 117 Maple Drive,

[18:17] the location of former West Lenoir Elementary School.

[18:21] Uh following the closure of the school in 2021-2022,

[18:26] um it was sold to a private owner, Hass So

[18:30] Holdings LLC. Um it's zoned R12 and the property is

[18:34] about 4 acres. Waterlife Church is considering developing a private school

[18:39] at this site. Here's a zoning map of the property.

[18:43] This is the property. It's um R12. R12 is is that brown color.

[18:49] Most of this neighborhood is R12. It does butt up against R9, a multi-family

[18:54] zone. It's also in a study listed a national

[18:59] register study listed neighborhood. Uh and this is a map uh from the state

[19:03] historic preservation office. That green polygon is around what is considered

[19:08] Fairfield Park, a a neighborhood, and that means there's many intact historic

[19:14] elements in the neighborhood. Um the orange dots are properties that

[19:19] have been surveyed and noted for historic qualities.

[19:22] Um there's nothing binding uh these properties to remain historic uh at this

[19:28] time. However, should the city pursue uh getting the neighborhood on the national

[19:33] register in the future, uh we would want to preserve those historic elements. So,

[19:39] there are some conditions of approval for the subject school building.

[19:44] Um and uh these were drafted by planning

[19:48] staff in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office so that

[19:52] those historic qualities remain. Uh the brick exterior of the building

[19:57] must not be painted, stuccoed, in any way obscured, nor the decorative brick

[20:01] patterns altered in any way. The concrete accents, including the

[20:06] parapet coping, the cornice, the swag relief panel,

[20:10] and the stones around the entrances must be retained. No additions shall be

[20:15] attached to the existing school building.

[20:18] Uh if accessibility ramps are needed, uh these should be added to the side or

[20:23] rear elevations. Uh and existing window and door openings must be retained. The

[20:28] current windows and doors do not appear to be original to the building. If the

[20:32] current windows and doors need to be replaced, the material should fit within

[20:35] the existing openings without requiring openings to be resized and filler

[20:39] material should be avoided. Uh so, those are the conditions of

[20:44] approval. There are uh a set of eight findings that must be met prior to

[20:50] approval, and I'm going to read those now for the record.

[20:54] With regard to development standards, the applicant has no plans to expand the

[20:58] exterior structure of the school. So, all building heights and setbacks will

[21:01] remain the same. With regard to driveways and ingress and

[21:05] egress, current driveways and parking will remain in place as the applicant is

[21:10] not planning an expansion to the buildings. All patches, holes, or other

[21:14] deficiencies of the paved areas on site will need to be repaired by the

[21:18] applicant so as to come into compliance with design standards as well as to

[21:22] prevent any safety issues for pedestrians, drivers, students, and

[21:25] staff of the proposed school. With regard to off-street parking, the

[21:29] existing parking area is adequate for the intended use of the development.

[21:34] With regard to impacts on surrounding property, the usage will have a similar

[21:38] or lesser impact than the previous school that occupied the building for

[21:42] many years. As for screening and landscaping, a

[21:45] vegetative buffer of 15 ft must remain in place or be restored on the southern

[21:49] property lines. The applicant will maintain that plants

[21:53] and if need if any need replacing, new plants will be planted in accordance

[21:58] with the city's zoning ordinance. As for signage and lighting, the

[22:02] applicant will use a 6-ft tall monument sign with 32 sq ft of lettering or copy

[22:07] area. It will be designed to have low impact on the neighboring properties. As

[22:12] for the architectural appearance, the applicant will maintain the historic

[22:15] nature of the structure. No additions to the current Westland school building

[22:19] will occur. As for the hours of operation and

[22:22] intensity of the the use, the school will have a similar impact as the

[22:26] previous school. The children and parents that attend will sign a code of

[22:30] conduct stating it is a privilege to attend and must adhere to a standard

[22:34] level of conduct. Applicant states that 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. will be the hours

[22:39] of operation.

[22:43] Um planning board uh again discussed this in their July meeting and

[22:47] recommends approval of the requested special use permit for the proposed

[22:51] school with the historic uh conditions um

[22:56] that I read for the record. I would also like to submit the staff report for the

[22:59] record. >> That's a great idea.

[23:03] » That concludes my prepared comments and if you have any questions, I'm

[23:06] available. >> Thank you, Anna.

[23:09] Anyone have any questions or or comments for Hannah in any way

[23:15] concerning the concerning this

[23:18] special use permit. >> I have a couple questions.

[23:22] » Go ahead. >> Um

[23:24] hours of operation 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Does that mean they cannot have

[23:29] like an evening >> concert?

[23:33] » I think that is meant to be the typical hours.

[23:36] We could adjust that here in this hearing if needed. Um

[23:40] » I mean, it's fine. I I just want to make sure that that we have clarity on that.

[23:45] Um cuz I know there'll be sometimes where

[23:48] they need a night time event for parents. Um

[23:51] and

[23:55] with the concrete at the front of the building

[24:00] is it the

[24:02] proposed language says to maintain those things as they are.

[24:06] » Which concrete? Um

[24:09] » In the historic qualities. >> Yeah, it was number

[24:14] two. Yeah, but I mean, if you're looking at

[24:17] the building, you're you're thinking of something.

[24:19] » Yeah, right there. So it says to um

[24:25] How's it worded?

[24:29] must be retained. >> You talking about the parapet and

[24:32] » Yes, yes, number two up there. So um when it says it must be retained

[24:40] if something becomes structurally unsafe, something of that nature, do

[24:46] they need to put it back with the way it looks originally?

[24:49] » Yes. >> Okay. That's fine.

[24:52] And then for um knowing the age of that building,

[24:57] fire code as part of the permitting,

[25:03] will they have to bring things to modern fire code

[25:08] uh if it wasn't already?

[25:11] » So, I am not a building inspector, so I'm

[25:15] not um certified in the North Carolina building code, but my understanding is

[25:19] that historic buildings need to meet something called existing building code,

[25:24] and um Caldwell County in- uh building

[25:28] inspections is very familiar with that, and I'm

[25:32] I imagine that that they'll be able to work with what they have.

[25:35] » Yeah. Okay. Okay.

[25:39] But that would be a Caldwell County uh

[25:42] once something were to happen, they permitting, they would be taking that

[25:45] part of it. Okay. >> It would have to meet all of that.

[25:47] » Okay. >> Yeah.

[25:50] » Uh I think that's all my >> the building in its current

[25:55] status would meet that? Or it would have to

[25:59] meet current 2026? >> My understanding is that um

[26:07] historic buildings and structures, there are they don't have to meet everything a

[26:12] modern brand new building will have to meet. That um

[26:16] that there's there's a way to meet the North Carolina building code without

[26:20] having to put like everything modern inside of it. Um

[26:24] there's a >> big a big issue for

[26:27] them running the school, so >> Right.

[26:30] » want them to be scrapped. >> Sure. Yeah. Or having to

[26:34] put on an addition, and then they're not able to put on an an addition,

[26:38] certainly. Um I I would

[26:42] I don't I'm not really able to speak about the building code, but I do know

[26:46] for other historic properties, especially in downtown Lenoir,

[26:50] um there are architects that can design things to meet the current or

[26:56] meet the existing building code the something called existing building code

[27:00] cuz it's an existing building recognizing that it can't meet

[27:03] everything modern without completely taking the building down.

[27:09] » Question then.

[27:12] I think that's all my questions. Okay, thank you.

[27:16] Anyone else have any questions? It's already

[27:21] a special use. Okay.

[27:25] Thank you, Anna. >> Um, I do have one thing. Shall we um

[27:30] edit the eighth condition about hours of operation to allow for occasional

[27:35] evening uses for school functions or something like that?

[27:39] » I would say that probably would be good to do.

[27:41] » I think that'd be good. >> With occasional Okay. I'll read that

[27:44] I'll read that for the record as I've amended it. The school will have a

[27:48] similar impact as the previous school. The children and parents that attend

[27:52] will sign a code of conduct stating it is a privilege to attend and must adhere

[27:56] to a standard level of conduct. Applicant states that the that 7:00 a.m.

[28:01] to 5:00 p.m. will be the hours of operation with occasional evening uses

[28:05] for school functions. >> That sounds great. That covers it.

[28:10] That'll set a good model for the next time.

[28:13] » Pre-K and you want to add that? >> Um, that might be a question for the

[28:17] applicants. So.

[28:22] » Pre-pre school pre-school addition or anything?

[28:35] » Do we need them to come to the podium for that?

[28:39] » They have to get sworn in otherwise you can't

[28:40] » Yeah. Right. Okay.

[28:53] » Send the big dogs up for this.

[29:13] And you can you can we know who you are. We would just give us that for the

[29:16] record. >> But anyway, yes, we would like to amend

[29:19] that to allow for the potential of a preschool if we deem that in the future.

[29:22] » Okay. Thank you, sir.

[29:30] Thank you. All right, before I close the public

[29:32] hearing, is anyone else who would like to address the council at all? Uh

[29:36] You can still be sworn and all that, so. Okay, seeing no one, I will close the

[29:41] public hearing and I'll turn it over to the council for

[29:44] any more discussion or action when you are ready.

[29:47] » Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to approve the special use permit SP SUP

[29:53] 2-26 as presented. >> Thank you, sir. We have a motion from

[29:57] council member Stevens that we approve the special use permit SUP 2-26 as

[30:04] presented by staff planning staff

[30:08] to the council. >> Do what?

[30:10] » And as amended. >> And as amended, thank you.

[30:12] » Adopting findings of fact. >> Add that.

[30:15] » Please do that. Thank you. >> That's why we pay you the big bucks.

[30:21] Thank you for that. No other discussion. All in favor,

[30:25] please say I. >> I.

[30:27] » All opposed. Thank you. That carries unanimously. Thank you.

[30:31] Thank you for being with us to this evening. We appreciate that.

[30:35] All right, we will move on then to consent agenda items on our agenda.

[30:40] Tonight we have the minutes of our city council meeting of Tuesday, July the

[30:45] 28th, 2026. And out of B is the approval. This is a

[30:49] preliminary settlement report. Uh the request that the city council accept the

[30:54] preliminary settlement report as required by the North Carolina General

[30:58] Statute NCGS 105-321 and 352.

[31:04] And that the insolvents report be entered into the official

[31:09] minutes indicating persons whose taxes remain unpaid for 2025.

[31:15] Also, request that both lists be recharged to the tax collector for

[31:20] collections along with the taxes for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2026

[31:26] as provided by the law in accordance with the North Carolina General Statute

[31:31] NCGS 105-321 and 352 as submitted.

[31:37] That's all items for the consent agenda item A and B. Open it up

[31:41] for any discussion or motion when you're ready.

[31:45] » Mr. Mayor, make a motion that we approve the

[31:48] consent agenda items A and B. >> Thank you. Council member Presswood

[31:54] makes a motion that we approve consent agenda items A and B as presented. All

[31:59] in favor, please say I. All opposed. Thank you very much.

[32:04] Now time on our agenda for a request and petitions of any citizens. If there's

[32:08] anyone who would like to address the council, this is the time to do so.

[32:13] I believe all of our guests have left except for our all of our staff. Thank

[32:17] you for being here and reporter. We appreciate you guys being with us. So,

[32:22] you have anything to to add or say or now's the time. Okay.

[32:26] We'll move on. We do not have any reports of our boards and commissions

[32:29] this evening, so we'll move on to reports and recommendations of the city

[32:33] manager, Mr. Hildebrand. >> Mayor Council, I have tonight is some

[32:37] items for information. The Lenoir Tourism Development Authority

[32:40] will meet on Thursday, August 6th at 4:00 at the Gilded Veil,

[32:45] over hill, and that's located at 3110 Indian Grave Road.

[32:49] Uh also, the Tomato Blast event will be held on Friday, August 7th from 6:00 to

[32:53] 7:30 p.m. at the Unity Park and Community Gardens.

[32:57] Uh also, Friday night we have a concert downtown with Deakon Black.

[33:01] That'll be held again Friday, August 7th from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the

[33:06] stage. Uh the 56th 52nd annual Harambee

[33:10] Festival will be held on August 8th through the 14th. Events will be held

[33:14] daily at the MLK Center, and all those events can be found at cityoflenoir.com

[33:18] on our website. And I will mention that this is the oldest um continuous

[33:22] festival in Caldwell County. Uh the ABC Board will meet on Wednesday,

[33:26] August 12th at 2:00 at the ABC store, the main store.

[33:30] Uh Lenoir Business Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, August 13th at 6:00,

[33:34] third floor City Hall. The uh Southern Sundown 4-Mile Race will

[33:38] be held on Saturday, August 15th beginning at 7:00 p.m. The race will

[33:42] begin and end at Liquid Roots Brewing Project. And lastly, the Parks and

[33:46] Recreation Board will meet on Monday, August 17th at 6:00, and that's

[33:50] going to be held at Mulberry Recreation Center.

[33:52] If you have any questions, I'll try to answer those.

[33:55] » Any questions concerning anything coming up?

[33:59] There is a ribbon cutting uh in the morning at the new Seven Brew

[34:04] coffee shop. Uh 9:45, 10:00. I think it's 10:00

[34:08] in the morning, so we'll invite you to that if you'd like

[34:11] to be there. Open to the public.

[34:14] » You what? >> So, anyway, glad that new business is

[34:19] opening up in our community, for sure. And Harambee, of course, is always a

[34:24] great event. All this next week will be fun.

[34:27] Starts on the 8th with a fence up at the King Center outside, and there's a

[34:32] different items that will be uh going on all week, including the recognition

[34:37] banquet Thursday, the senior citizens is

[34:40] Tuesday, and there's game night and several other things. So, hope you will

[34:44] come out to

[34:47] Yeah, and congratulations to be presented to

[34:51] our own council member Chrissy Thomas, who will be inducted into the Black

[34:55] Sports Hall of Fame to Friday evening at the MLK Center. Congratulations to

[35:02] you for that.

[35:07] Thank you. She was great She was a great athlete

[35:09] once upon a time.

[35:14] Still is. I think she still plays some. So, uh

[35:17] we'll see. But, anyway, congratulations for that.

[35:20] Couple of state championship teams back in those days, wasn't it? Yeah.

[35:24] I remember correctly, '85, '86, eh? >> Back to back.

[35:28] » Back to back. Yep, that's right. All that. So, all right.

[35:34] Anything you want to Anybody want to add to that? Anything? Okay.

[35:37] Mr. City Attorney, anything else from you?

[35:39] » No, sir. >> Thank you, sir.

[35:41] I do not have any other recommendations of anything tonight. We've talked about

[35:44] so much the last 2 weeks, there's not much to add to to anything, but uh it's

[35:49] been a really busy busy time in the summer. Hope you will enjoy the concerts

[35:54] and the many events that are still going on through August and through into

[35:57] September. Uh there's a lot still to happen, and we'll be celebrating 250 for

[36:03] as long as we can this year. So, enjoy that.

[36:06] Any reports from any of our council members?

[36:08] Anything to come up? Okay. If nothing else to come before us,

[36:13] we stand adjourned.

[36:38] » Mhm.

City Council Meeting Live Stream, August 4, 2026

Transcript