Weaverville – More happened at the September meeting of the Weaverville Council Monday (Sept. 26th) than approving a water request (see article page 6).
The council approved the consent agenda after a request by Councilman Andrew Nagle to pull one of the items for further discussion later in the meeting. Among the other consent agenda items approved was a budget amendment for the police department, where the ABC Board disbursed $11,642 for law enforcement and $16,299.78 for alcohol education. They also set a date for two public hearings; one for a code amendment for retail uses in the C-1 district and the other for a comprehensive land use plan update at their October 24th meeting. They also made a number of board appointments and approved the staff to work on state grant and loan applications for use at the water treatment plant.
Town Manager Selena Coffey then gave her report to the board, first introducing the new Town Clerk, Grace Keith, on her first day of employment. She then mentioned the new fire chief, Scottie Harris, will begin on Oct. 10th and the town “will be holding a reception at some point thereafter in order for Council and the public to meet him.” She also said residents were concerned that the Lake Louise fountain was not working. It was then that Public Works Director Dale Pannell said it had been repaired and was currently working. While the fountain is very decorative, it serves to aerate the water for the fish.
Coffey told the council that the work on replacing the I-26 bridges over Quarry Road is set to begin in October. “It is very important that we maintain safety in the area and I encourage the public, as well as our town departments, to not walk in that area, as there will be substantially more traffic on Quarry Road, as well as potential debris from the construction.”
She ended by saying the new toters for garbage pickup were now available for a one-time cost of $55 and “that amount will be added to water bills in January 2023. If customers prefer, they can be put on a payment plan with five monthly payments of $11.
In the discussion and action items, Community Center Coordinator Shelby Stovall at Lake Louise gave a community center usage report where she reported that the center had been used 1,035 times since its opening for both free and paid events and had brought in more than $35,000 in usage fees. Vice Mayor Jeff McKenna asked Stovall to provide the usage as a graphic to see if use is growing.
Coffey then gave the council the results of two estimates on having the town hall roof replaced, recommending the lowest bid of $48,350, which the council approved.
Town Planner James Eller presented a proposed sidewalk priority list in no particular order. According to the agenda notes, “current goals of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) call for the establishment of a priority list for sidewalks… A sidewalk priority list is intended to provide a list of streets upon which sidewalks will be required as a part of development approvals at the developers’ expense. It does not obligate the town to install any sidewalks.
“If adopted, this priority list could also provide a good starting point for implementing a sidewalk improvement program and master plan, which are also listed as goals within the CLUP.” No action is to be taken until after the public hearing in October.
The meeting ended with Pannell giving his public works and water departments’ quarterly reports, where he said the water system only reported seven percent of unaccounted water. Pannell said the standard for a “tight system” is anything less than 10 percent. He also reported that the department has been able to rid Lake Louise of Canadian geese, which have been making such a mess in the park.
The council then circled back around to the item Nagle had pulled off the consent agenda, which was a lawsuit settlement with a former town firefighter who lost his job. What can you tell us? asked Nagle of Town Attorney Jennifer Jackson. She said the lawsuit was settled for $70,000, of which the town was paying $20,000 while the NC League of Municipalities was paying $50,000. Asked how much the town had been sued for, Jackson said $150,000.