Weaverville – Whether or not to allow a venue in town to produce noise later into the night or allow golf carts on certain roads inside the town was part of a lengthy agenda at Weaverville’s February meeting.
The meeting on Monday (February 26th) got underway with changes to the town’s agenda. Councilwoman Michele Wood asked that two consent agenda items be moved to the discussion and action items, and Mayor Patrick Fitzsimmons wanted to add a proclamation to the agenda. The agenda was approved with the changes.
Under the consent agenda, which the council passed, the town amended the police budget to $760 for alcohol education and $542 for law enforcement from the ABC Store distribution for the last quarter of 2023.
Also, under the consent agenda, the board set a public hearing for March 25th at 6 pm for a “set of code amendments that address many aspects of environmental protection, including steep slope regulation, mountain ridge protection, and various aspects of stormwater management,” along with revisions to the Weaverville Tailgate Market memorandum of understanding and two proclamations, one for Earth Day and the other to honor Blue Mountain Pizza for their 20th anniversary.
In highlights from Town Manager Selena Coffey’s report to the council, she updated them on Recreation Complex programming, informed them the Short-Term Rentals Listening Sessions was over, and Kayla DiCristina, Land of Sky Regional Council, who led the sessions, would present her findings at the next Planning Board meeting on Thursday, March 7th.
Coffey also said the OSHA Consultation Visits “were held on February 13 and 15, and our departments faired very well. The consultants found very few issues, and I appreciate our entire team’s efforts to ensure the continued health and safety of our employees.”
She said the Eller Cove Watershed Trail System “received the final report from Elevated Trail Systems but has decided to delay the presentation of the report until after the Quarry Road Trail System report is complete. This work will begin this month, and we hope to have a presentation for both locations in March or April.”
The new Pickleball Courts are a resounding success, so much so that the town has “received comments from residents who live near the courts are complaining about the noise.” So, now the town is “planning to install a sound barrier, which will serve as an acoustical dampening solution for pickleball courts.”
Public comments offered an earful
In the public comments portion of the meeting, golf carts on public roads and the noise from a private venue in downtown Weaverville dominated the comment period. Two people from the Weaver House – Ward Patton and Alexandra Bertram, spoke in favor of allowing limited later-night events at their venue. They requested 11 pm instead of 10 pm to accommodate some events. Several residents asked the council not to grant later night events, saying the venue was already enough of a noise nuisance and that noise from the “breakdown” of equipment could be heard until midnight.
Bo Platt, head of the Reems Creek Golf Club Homeowners Association, spoke in favor of a code amendment change to allow golf carts on certain streets next to the golf course.
Under discussion and action items
The council agreed to allow Town Finance Director Tonya Dozier to renew an audit contract with Gould Killian CPA Group, which has been auditing the town for the last decade or more, but asked Dozier to ask for another auditor to get a fresh set of eyes on the town’s finances.
The council also agreed to move forward on the annexation of 75 Cole Road, allowing Town Planner James Eller to handle the matter. Additionally, they passed a resolution supporting the county’s Passive Recreation Lands Grant application and a waterline easement approval at Lakeway Circle.
Public Works Director Dale Pennell requested a change order in a paving contract with French Broad Paving for $123,000 in Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalk ramps, which the council approved.
Regarding the citizens’ request for code amendments for the Weaver House and golf carts, the council took no action to extend the hours for the venue and will look at what other towns have done on the golf cart. They also reactivated the Tree Board.
In another item regarding rules of procedure in the meeting cancellation, Councilwoman Wood was concerned about the number of council workshops being canceled (6 of the last 9). After some discussion, they agreed on policy changes, including canceling, only when most council members agreed to the cancelation.