[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.