Woodfin – The Woodfin Town Council met in front of a larger than usual crowd at its September meeting (Tuesday, Sept. 20). A couple of issues drew residents, including the removal of the invocation from the meeting agenda and the town’s new trash containers.
The meeting started with the approval of the consent agenda, which Town Manager Shannon Tuch explained to the board included approval of a five-year contract between the Town of Woodfin and Curbside Management for pick-up of the town’s recyclables at the cost of $3.99 per pick-up.
The consent agenda also included a reimbursement resolution for the issuance of General Obligation Bonds; a budget amendment for a Walmart Community Foundation Grant; a resolution setting a public hearing for the voluntary annexation of 15 acres located off Olivette Road; and a fee schedule update.
Next came public comment, where the first to speak was Pastor Bradley Collins of the Elk Mountain Baptist Church, who addressed the removal of the invocation from the town’s meetings. Collins said he had grown up in the community, had his first job and learned to shoot a gun in the town. “I have seen this community grow in many ways, some for the good, but unfortunately, some for the worse.”
He went on to say he was “saddened at what I witnessed at the last council meeting regarding the removing of the moment of silence,” and that it was a “hasty decision” based on the NC School of Government’s five-step decision-making process. He said his understanding of the Constitution was that the “First Amendment in this country is a Freedom of Religion, not from Religion.”
He added, “As mentioned by some in the last meeting, if we are trying to look at the federal level for guidance on the issue, I would be more than happy to assist you all in reinstating prayer at the beginning of every meeting just like the United State Senate and House of Representatives, who each have their own paid staff chaplains, but I would do it for free.” Many in the audience applauded Collins after he finished.
Next to speak were several residents from the Crest development, one of which was Harry Garfinkle, who complained about the size of the new trash and recycling bins, which he said were “too big.” He said he could not put his car in his garage with the new bins inside. All the residents from the community agreed that the containers were too large and asked for an alternative.
Also speaking was a woman who had witnessed the “heart-breaking” situation where a neighbor’s dog had been chained and asked the town to enact an ordinance against chaining dogs.
The council then heard from Nancy Lux with the town’s auditing firm, who reported the town was receiving an unmodified report, which is the highest approval a firm can give of the town’s handling of its finances, and they would submit the report as soon as they obtained the Woodfin’s ABC’s annual report.
After Lux, Tuch presented her manager’s report where she told the board about three small new contracts, said 13 of the 20 streets being repaved had been completed, and Lake Town Drive, which was next to be paved, was being put off until an erosion problem was solved. She also told the board a stormwater administrator had been hired, Bob Dennis, and would be joining the staff.
The big news was that with the recent TDA grant, the greenway/blueway is fully funded and that work can move forward. The blueway water feature, which will be placed into the French Broad River, is under development in Europe.
New business
The town held a public hearing on a right-of-way closure on a portion of Wellington Drive. Tuch presented the item saying a homeowner whose house was built in the 1940s had encroached on the street’s right-of-way with about 10 feet of the home. The owner asked that the right-of-way be closed. In studying the request, Tuch, who used the GIS system, found some of the other houses along the drive had also been built on the right-of-way. Tuch said the staff recommendation was not to honor the closure as it was a partial approach.
Councilman Ronnie Lunsford pointed out that GIS was not always correct. Tuch acknowledged his point and said homeowners should have a property survey of their own completed.
When the hearing was open, only the homeowner, Tom Gill, spoke. Gill said he and his wife had found this out when they tried to sell their house after buying it a few years ago. He said he lost the sale of the house because of it. “We did not know this was a problem,” he told the board.
Councilman Eric Edgerton said Gill should work to get the whole right-of-way closed along the street and not in a “piecemeal fashion.” He moved to continue the discussion until next month, when Gill could bring the town another approach to the problem. The board voted to continue.
The council then voted to appoint Miranda Wyatt of Mars Hill to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee. Wyatt is the director of the Woodfin YMCA branch.
After having received only two applications for grant money from the town’s $51,000 plus fund, the council asked Tuch to extend the deadline another month to see what other local organizations might apply. Councilman Jim McAllister said he would like to see more local non-profits and churches apply for the money to help the needy in the community.
The board then heard from Police Chief Michael Dykes about a required public safety ordinance amendment that he would present next month. Afterward, the council went into an executive session before adjourning for the night.