8 minute read
Oak Ridge Town Council meeting
OAK RIDGE town council WHAT they voted on, Feb. 4 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS and HOW they voted:
as reported by CHRIS BURRITT
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Mayor Ann Schneider called the monthly meeting to order in Town Hall and was joined in person by Councilmen George McClellan and Doug Nodine; Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman and council member Martha Pittman participated remotely. The meeting was recorded and livestreamed on Oak Ridge’s YouTube page, which is linked to the town’s Facebook page.
Oak Ridge Lions Club president Frank Kelleher offered the invocation; it was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Sophia Soto of Girl Scout Troop 40085.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Sheriff’s Office. First Lt. Jeremy Fuller reported the sheriff’s District 1 office responded to 90 calls in Oak Ridge in January; they included five larcenies and two “smash-and-grab” burglaries from motor vehicles at Town Park.
Noting reports of vehicle break-ins at Triad-area parks by a group known as the Felony Lane Gang, Fuller urged motorists to lock their vehicles and put valuables out of sight.
“If they see valuables inside in plain sight, they’re bashing the windows out and they’re taking the property,” Fuller said.
The Felony Lane Gang originated in Florida a decade ago and has been targeting mothers across the U.S., according to an article in USA Today in January 2020. Men in the gang break car windows to steal purses while women use stolen IDs and credit cards “to commit more crimes, like cashing bogus checks or going on shopping sprees with stolen credit cards,” the article said.
The gang gets its name from the method the women use to cash fake checks, according to the newspaper. Trying to avoid detection, they often wear wigs while going through the “felony lane,” the drive-through lanes at banks farthest away from tellers. Oak Ridge Fire Department. Lt. Caleb Eller said the department responded to 56 calls last month; of those, 24 were fire-related and 32 were medical calls. Firefighters completed 538.5 hours of training.
PUBLIC HEARING
5 0 to approve a request to rezone nearly 98 acres on the south side of Bunch Road east of N.C. 150 from agricultural to CZ – RPD (Conditional Zoning – Rural Preservation District). (See related article on p. 14.)
MANAGER’S REPORT
Board appointments
5 0 to appoint Jim Harton to the town’s Finance Committee and reappoint John Garrett to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Mayor Ann Schneider, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman and council members George McClellan, Doug Nodine and Martha Pittman voted on the following items during the Feb. 4 council meeting. 5 0: Approve a request to rezone nearly 98 acres on the south side of Bunch Road east of N.C. 150 5 0: Appoint Jim Harton to the Finance Committee and reappoint John Garrett to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board 5 0: Approve a resolution for Oak Ridge to adopt Guilford County’s multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan 5 0: Adopt ordinances reducing the speed limit in Linville Oaks subdivision 5 0: Approve increasing the fees for shelter rentals at Town Park, starting Jan. 1, 2022 5 0: Approve the second reading of a proposed ordinance to renew the town’s waste collection franchise agreement with GFL Environmental Services 4 1: Hire (Nodine opposed) Hill Studio, a Roanoke, Virginia-based design firm, to help develop a plan for renovating the historic Redmon house 5 0: Hire Hill Studio to develop an illustrated design guidebook for enhancing the town core’s “village feel”
Hazard mitigation
5 0 to approve a resolution for Oak Ridge to adopt Guilford County’s multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. It requires state and local governments to coordinate efforts to reduce the risks and impacts of future natural disasters and emergencies. Speed limit reduction
5 0 to adopt ordinances
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reducing the speed limit in the Linville Oaks subdivision from 35 mph to 25 mph. 5 0 to approve increasing the fees for shelter rentals at Town Park, starting Jan. 1, 2022. Town staff recommended adopting the increase immediately, but Pittman and McClellan suggested delaying the increase until next year to ease rental costs for nonprofit groups and other organizations during the pandemic.
The council also decided to waive shelter rental fees for documented nonprofit groups for the rest of this year. Doing so will encourage organizations to meet outdoors amid public gathering restrictions, Pittman said.
As an example of the fee increase that takes effect next year, the cost for Oak Ridge residents to rent a
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shelter for half a day (or four hours) will increase from $30 to $40 under the new schedule. It will be the first increase since the park was constructed in 2007, Town Manager Bill Bruce said.
OLD BUSINESS
Waste collection
5 0 to approve the second reading of a proposed ordinance to renew the town’s waste collection franchise agreement with GFL Environmental Services (formerly Waste Industries); the agreement runs through March 31, 2024.
NEW BUSINESS
Redmon house planning
4 1 (Nodine opposed) to hire Hill Studio, a Roanoke, Virginia-based design firm, for a fee of $18,500 to work with a steering committee of town leaders to develop a plan and estimated costs for renovating the historic Redmon house next to Town Park.
Council members and residents suggested numerous possible uses – bridal showers, birthday parties, senior citizens’ gatherings, among them – for the white clapboard house if it were renovated.
Councilman Doug Nodine voted against the action, saying he thinks it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money. Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman urged fellow council members to plan carefully to avoid pursuing the project with “a blank check.”
As an example, adding an additional bathroom to the house may require improvements to the septic system, Kinneman said, noting the cost of adding parking and landscaping improvements are other considerations.
Kinneman stressed he wants clear direction from the steering committee about the cost of improvements and how the house would be used.
“It’s a good cause to renovate it, but I just don’t want it to be renovated and not used,” he said.
Not only would restoring the house on Linville Road at Lisa Drive provide community meeting space, it would also show Oak Ridge’s commitment to historic preservation, Schneider said.
A 2019 survey of residents about future park improvements found support for renovating the Redmon house, the mayor pointed out.
Town core design guidelines
5 0 to approve paying Hill Studio $21,500 to develop an illustrated design guidebook for enhancing the town core’s “village feel.”
The firm will gather ideas from roundtable discussions and a public workshop or open house to determine preferences of town leaders and residents in guiding development within Oak Ridge’s commercial business district.
The guidebook will instruct property owners and developers on how to proceed with projects, Nodine noted.
FINANCIAL UPDATE
Operating profit from Oak Ridge’s ABC store has generated revenue of $159,613 so far this fiscal year; that total is just $3,387 shy of projected revenue from the ABC store for the entire fiscal year that will end June 30, according to Sam Anders, the town’s finance officer.
Sales of alcoholic beverages for athome consumption have risen as the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed consumption in bars and restaurants, Anders said in an interview after the meeting.
McClellan said he’s “very impressed” by the ABC store’s financial performance.
“We just want to tell folks ‘thank you for drinking,’” he said.
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Five residents spoke in support of preserving and renovating the Redmon house: Aleksandra Gill, who is helping organize a 4-H club in Oak Ridge; Debbie Shoenfeld, chair of the town’s Historic Preservation Commission; Caroline Ruch, vice chair of the commission; Phyllis Anders, a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; and Courtenay Benbow Harton.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Co-Chair John Garrett reported the board has begun to seek citizen input on naming the Whitaker property, the future site of the Town Park expansion. Finance Committee. Chair John Jenkins said the committee plans to begin working next month on Oak Ridge’s budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. Historic Preservation Commission. Chair Debbie Shoenfeld said the commission is contacting owners of historic houses in Oak Ridge to let them know about the historic heritage grants program. Planning and Zoning Board. The board reported it elected Nancy Stoudemire as chairperson and Jason Streck as vice chair for 2021. Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Co-Chair Bill Royal and Anne Steele reported volunteers are preparing to install emergency locator signs in Cascades Preserve and the Headwaters Trail northwest of Oak Ridge.
Placed every quarter of a mile along the trails, the diamond-shaped signs will be marked with a four-digit number, allowing hikers who need help to give their exact location when they call 911 for emergency assistance. Special Events Committee. Chair ...continued on p. 34
