9 minute read
Summerfi eld Town Council meeting
SUMMERFIELD town council WHAT they voted on, Feb. 9 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS and HOW they voted:
as reported by CHRIS BURRITT
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Mayor BJ Barnes called the monthly meeting to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sessoms and council members John O’Day, Lynne Williams DeVaney, Teresa Pegram and Reece Walker present.
Sessoms offered the invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The council limited inperson attendance to the meeting in Summerfield Community Center due to public gathering restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting was livestreamed on the town’s Facebook page.
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
The council presented a plaque of appreciation to Jennie Taylor for serving on the town’s Trails and Open Space Committee since March 2018; most recently, Taylor has served as chair of the committee.
PUBLIC SAFETY, COMMITTEE REPORTS
Summerfield Fire District. The fire district reported it responded to 111 calls in January, including 62 EMSrelated calls and 23 fire-related calls. Firefighters installed eight child safety seats. Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s District 1 office reported it responded to 106 calls in Summerfield last month; of those, 25 related to activated burglar alarms, one was a residential burglary and another was robbery of a person. Historical Committee. Town Manager Scott Whitaker reported on some of the committee’s recent activities, which have included historical research and documenting and exploring possible uses of the historic Gordon Hardware building and the Martin House at Summerfield Road and N.C. 150.
AUDIT REPORT
Summerfield’s cash reserves topped $7 million in the fiscal year that ended last June 30, according to the town’s financial audit. Cash totaled $7.01 million last fiscal year, compared to $6.94 million a year earlier.
The audit by accountant Wade Greene of Whiteville, North Carolina, showed available funds of $6.87 million, enough money to cover almost five years of operating expenses; Greene noted available funds were up slightly from $6.84 million the previous fiscal year.
“Your audit is clean; you’re in great shape,” Greene said. He added that the town’s financial record keeping was “perfect,” drawing applause from council members for Dee Hall, the town’s finance officer.
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Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sessoms and council members John O’Day, Lynne Williams DeVaney, Teresa Pegram and Reece Walker voted on the following items during the Feb. 9 council meeting. Mayor BJ Barnes was present, but in Summerfield the mayor votes only to break a tie. 3 2: Withdraw (Pegram and O’Day opposed) the town’s request to rezone 13.4 acres at 7818 Summerfield Road for a new town hall 5 0: Drop consideration of creating the Tomorrow Committee 5 0: Authorize Town Manager Scott Whitaker to appoint as many as nine members to the new Land Use Plan Committee 5 0: Reappoint Dick Feulner and Trudy Whitacre to the Zoning Board for three-year terms 5 0: Proceed with construction of a “Welcome to Summerfield” sign on U.S. 220 at Strawberry Road 4 1: Enter (DeVaney opposed) into a legal agreement with Revolution Academy to allow a limited number of students and staff to begin using the charter school’s new building on N.C. 150
TOWN HALL UPDATE
Representing architectural firm Creech & Associates, Michael Supino and Natalie Stenger presented first renderings for Summerfield’s new town hall. The proposed design for the estimated $3.5 million project shows a single-level building made of stone, timber and glass on 13.4 acres owned by the town along U.S. 220 and N.C. 150. (See related article on front cover.)
DeVaney said she’d prefer a design using bricks prevalent in historic Summerfield buildings such as the current Town Hall. O’Day said he likes the design using “natural elements” in the building.
PUBLIC HEARING
3 2 (Pegram and O’Day opposed) to withdraw the town’s request to rezone 13.4 acres at 7818 Summerfield Road for a new town hall. (See related article on front cover.)
During a public hearing, Chris York, the town’s planning manager, explained the request to rezone the property along U.S. 220 at N.C. 150 from two residential classifications – RS-30 and Town Core District – to General Business. No residents spoke for or against the rezoning request during the hearing.
Rezoning the property for general business raised the possibility for a wide range of commercial development along U.S. 220 – from a pool hall to a convenience store with gasoline pumps to a bowling alley. A few weeks ago, the town’s Zoning Board voted 3-2 against recommending the council approve the
rezoning request, largely based on concerns for the wide range of businesses a GB zoning would allow.
After withdrawing the rezoning request, the council instructed town staff to prepare a new request seeking to rezone the tract for general business with conditions which would limit the types of uses permitted on the property.
Town staff plans to present the new rezoning request to the Zoning Board Feb. 22 and to the council March 9.
MANAGER’S REPORT
Tomorrow Committee
5 0 to drop consideration of creating the Tomorrow Committee, which would advise town leaders on immediate needs and long-range planning.
After endorsing the proposal over the past year, DeVaney suggested the council “take it off the table permanently” while encouraging volunteers to share ideas with town leaders.
Earlier, council members had disagreed about how they’d select committee members. They also struggled to define the committee’s mission and how it would interact with the council and other committees. Appointments: LUP Committee
5 0 to authorize Whitaker to appoint as many as nine members to the new Land Use Plan (LUP) Committee. It will work with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to develop a plan to regulate land development, with primary goals being to protect the environment, restrain congestion and minimize conflict among property owners. Appointments: Zoning Board
5 0 to reappoint Dick Feulner and Trudy Whitacre to the Zoning Board for three-year terms. Welcome signs
5 0 to proceed with construction of a “Welcome to Summerfield” sign on U.S. 220 at Strawberry Road, while delaying plans for erecting a sign along Interstate 73 north of town.
Whitaker said town staff has struggled to secure a suitable site for the I-73 sign after talking to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) about a possible easement along the highway. NCDOT would require installation of a guardrail estimated to cost $10,000 at one possible location, which isn’t easily accessible for electricity to light the sign, the manager said.
Council members discussed the possibility of eventually erecting a second sign on U.S. 220, near the new town hall. Founders’ Day. Whitaker said town staff decided not to hold Founders’ Day, the town’s biggest event, again this May due to public gathering restrictions related to the coronavirus. The outbreak also forced the cancelation of Founders’ Day festivities last May.
COUNCIL’S REPORT
Revolution Academy opening
4 1 (DeVaney opposed) for the town to enter into a legal agreement with Revolution Academy allowing a limited number of students and staff to begin using the charter school’s new building on N.C. 150.
NCDOT’s widening of the road isn’t slated for completion for another few weeks, Principal Mary Catherine Sauer said. However, the school building is near completion, which has prompted Revolution Academy to request the town’s permission to use the building for students needing tutoring and academic assessments, staff and staff’s children who attend the school.
“I expect that these activities will have little to no impact on Oak Ridge Road (N.C. 150) traffic,” Sauer told the council, referencing concerns expressed by Henson Farms homeowners and others living near the campus that the drop-off and pick-up of students will lead to congestion on N.C. 150, which runs along the front of the charter school.
Since commencing operations last August the school has been renting temporary space in the Church on 68 as it awaits the opening of its Summerfield campus.
“Staff isn’t comfortable allowing early access to the building based on traffic and public safety concern,” according to Whitaker’s memo to the council. He explained that a legal agreement between the town and the school would be required for occupancy of the building.
Sauer offered to limit to 20 the number of students in the building at one time, which addressed Barnes’ concern that the proposed agreement didn’t specify the number of students.
In an interview, DeVaney said she opposed the limited return of students because construction of the building isn’t yet finished, creating potential safety risks. She added she’d prefer for students to use the building only after construction and road improvements have been completed. UDO update
The council instructed Whitaker to recommend the date for an open house for residents to learn about the town’s proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a set of regulations governing development in Summerfield.
Whitaker plans to investigate the best way to inform residents of the meeting, as required by state law, before recommending an open house date.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Barnes congratulated DeVaney for her appointment to the Piedmont Triad Regional Council’s executive committee. Following comments by other council members, the meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m.
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