Oak Ridge Town Council meeting

April 1 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

as reported by PATTI STOKES

Mayor Ann Schneider called the monthly meeting to order at 7 p.m. with council members Doug Nodine, Martha Pittman, George McClellan, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman, the town manager, clerk, attorney and finance officer attending in person along with a handful of citizens.  5  0 to approve a contract with Davis-Martin-Powell & Associates, a High Point-based engineering and surveying firm, to assist town staff with selecting a contractor for two Mountains-to-Sea Trail projects.

The town plans to build a sidewalk along Pepper and Haw River roads connecting two sections of the trail northwest of Oak Ridge, while building a parking area on Linville Road.

Pittman thanked Town Manager Bill Bruce and Town Attorney Michael Thomas for their work to finalize the contract and noted, “This will help us provide that critical link between the trails.”

NEW BUSINESS

 5  0 to approve a resolution to hold a public hearing to close 800 feet of a public non-maintained roadway at the end of Linville Ridge Drive. Applicants Bernard and Anna Walraven own all of the property at the end of Linville Ridge Drive. Park name recommendations. John Garrett, co-chair of the town’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, explained the process the committee had undertaken in recent months to seek citizen input on naming the 58-acre Whitaker property which will be developed as an extension of the town park.

Garrett said the committee received over 200 suggestions (some were duplicates), and from there the board narrowed the list down to its top three choices. “Heritage Farm Park” was the No. 1 choice, with “Oak Ridge Veterans Park” and “Oak Ridge Community Park” ranking second and third.

The council will vote on the park name at its May 6 meeting.

FINANCE REPORT

Finance Officer Sam Anders reported the town has $3.93 million in assets and a fund balance of $3.87 million, which reflects an increase of $297,000 this fiscal year. Budget amendment. Anders requested the fund balance be decreased by $18,000 to cover extra park expenses related to COVID that totaled $7,500; IT capital expenses of $7,000; furnishings of $2,200, dues and subscriptions of $1,000, and $300 for communication-related expenses. All but $1,000 of this $18,000 will be offset by federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) stimulus funding the town received last fall, Anders noted.  5  0 to approve a budget amendment totaling $18,000 and separately, to approve the finance report.

meetings discussing possible park names for the Whitaker property. The board supports seeking state PARTF (Parks and Recreation Trust Fund) grant money NEXT MEETING for developing the Thursday, May 6 • 7pm Whitaker property, Visit website for details Browning said. And, it approved CONTACT YOUR TOWN East Forsyth (336) 644-7009 High School ssmith@oakridgenc.com using the town www.oakridgenc.com park’s amphitheater, if needed, for a Senior Day auction in May. Music in the Park events are on schedule for the second Saturday of each month from April to October. Historic Preservation Commission. Chair Debbie Shoenfeld said the commission approved a COA (Certificate of Appropriateness) for a new singlefamily home on Linville Road at its March meeting and COAs for two new PUBLIC COMMENTS single-family homes in Willow Oaks on (none) Billet Road. COMMITTEE/ COMMUNITY REPORTS The commission is reviewing its illustrated guidelines, working on the next steps for its book project, Parks and Recreation Advisory and pulling together applications for Board. Co-chair John Browning said the board spent much of its last two ...continued on p. 34

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Stokesdale in seeking PARTF funding for expanding their parks and recreational facilities. Neither Oak Ridge nor Stokesdale received a grant each had applied for last year, raising the possibility that Summerfield’s application may be denied this year and requiring the town to reapply next year.

“It is hard to get PARTF grants the first time around,” Palmer McIntyre, conservation planner for Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC), said during an April 8 informational meeting about Bandera Farms. “At least we’re getting it in the hopper. If we don’t get it this year, we will apply next year.”

e master plan estimated costs of $1.79 million for the project, consisting of 4.5 miles of trails and two trailheads with parking, an adventure playground, picnic shelter and restrooms. It also calls for construction of a mile-long section of the Piedmont Green way, using natural materials. In a second phase, the greenway will be paved with asphalt, at an estimated cost of $1.05 million.

PLC and the local governments backing the project plan to seek state and federal grants to pay for the trails preserve. Aside from PARTF, the master plan lists four other possible sources of grants, all of which require a local match of varying percentages by recipients.

“That is the hope, that we can fund the development of this project mostly through grants,” McIntyre told those attending last week’s meeting.

In exchange for PARTF funding, creation of the Bandera Farms trails preserve would improve residents’ quality of life by preserving green space and expanding recreational assets, according to the master plan. It would also create an opportunity for health and wellness in the community while boosting the economy by drawing visitors to the area’s trails.

Over the past year, PLC, a Greensboro-based nonprofit

Photo courtesy of Piedmont Land Conservancy Lillian Cahill, co-leader of a work crew rough cutting the equestrian and hiking trails at Bandera Farms this week, clears the way with a brush cutter.

land preservation group, has spearheaded efforts to create the trails park on the undeveloped property on Bunch Road. It is bounded by Interstate 73 to the east and Reedy Fork Creek to the north, creating a floodplain restricting residential and commercial development of the tract. PLC negotiated the purchase of the property from heirs of Dr. Joe Henson, a deceased Greensboro doctor who bought the property in the early 1970s. Last December, the nonprofit paid $575,000 for the land, with a state grant and financial contributions from the towns of Summerfield and Oak Ridge, the city of Greensboro and Guilford County.

The group is now planning the development of the rolling, wooded land with about 4.5 miles of trails for horseback riders and hikers. In addition, property running along the floodplain serves as the future route of the Piedmont Greenway, a trail that will stretch 19 miles from

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Greensboro to Winston-Salem through Summerfield and Kernersville.

The asphalt greenway will accommodate runners, walkers and cyclists, while the natural-surface trails looping through the property will handle horses and hikers, according to McIntyre. Motorized vehicles won’t be allowed.

As part of the site planning process, workers flagged the looping trails, with the start of construction dependent upon securing of grants. PLC representatives said the nonprofit contracted with Conservation Corps North Carolina, an AmeriCorps program, to rough cut the flagged trails.

This week, the crew is using saws, loppers and other tools to clear a trail corridor 5 feet wide, according to McIntyre.

She led the informational meeting at the Bur-Mill Park clubhouse last week, presenting the project master plan produced by Destination by Design, a recreational trails design firm based in Boone, North Carolina.

A rendering shows two sets of trails, connected by a bridge over a creek, looping back and forth across the eastern and western sections of the property.

Plans call for two parking lots on Bunch Road, with the design for equestrian parking incorporating suggestions from horseback riders surveyed by the PLC.

The parking lot for riders will allow trucks and trailers to pull in and out so they won’t have to back up their rigs. Mounting blocks will help riders get on and off of their horses, with accommodations for disabled riders.

A separate parking lot will serve visitors who want to walk and cycle on the greenway and play in an adventure playground. Restrooms, the play area and paths will also comply with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, McIntyre said.

Eight of 10 respondents to the PLC’s survey recommended construction of a trail with “moderate” ups and downs. Plans call for natural surface trails 6 feet wide, an improvement upon old logging trails often used for riding in equestrian parks in the Triad, according to McIntyre.

The PLC’s survey found that 89 percent of horseback riders travel more than half an hour to ride on trails.

Bandera Farms will give horseback riders another option in Guilford County where Bryan Park and Northeast Park offer equestrian trails, according to the Bandera Farms’ master plan. A half dozen other parks within 85 miles of Bandera Farms offer horseback riding.

The county has one of the highest concentrations of horses in the state, McIntyre said.

“It is a rich place for horses, so it seemed appropriate to have a horse facility in this part of the county,” she said.

Eventually, the PLC plans to transfer ownership of Bandera Farms to Summerfield since the property is located inside of the town limits.

“That doesn’t mean we will be operating it on our own,” Summerfield Town Manager Scott Whitaker told those at the meeting last week.

Operation and maintenance of the park will be determined by a memorandum of understanding that will be negotiated among the PLC, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Greensboro and the county, according to Whitaker.

PLC and the municipalities have incentives to remain involved in the project, McIntyre said.

Summerfield and Oak Ridge view the project as a recreational destination, she said. The county backs the establishment of the Piedmont Greenway while conservation of the property protects Greensboro’s watershed.

PLC will hold the conservation easement on the land, McIntyre said.

“We like to think of this as a park that will offer something for everyone,” she said.

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The two rounds of PPP loans offer a direct incentive to small businesses by making their borrowing forgivable if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks after the loan is approved. The SBA requires that 60% of the loan amount be used for payroll, with the remaining amount usable for other expenses such as rent, mortgage interest or utilities. Our primary care providers have one goal in common: keeping you and your family healthy. As Some rules changed for the second part of a world-class academic medical center, we have access to a broad range of services focused on high quality, affordable care. draw, such as limiting access to loans to Our primary care providers have one goal in common: keeping you and your family healthy. As part of a world-class academic medical center, we have access to a broad range of services focused on high quality, affordable care. our family carefor life Our primary care providers have one goal in common: keeping you and Same- and next-day appointments often available. FAMILY MEDICINE – SUMMERFIELD 4431 US Highway 220 North Our primary care providers have one goal in common: keeping you and your family healthy. As part of a world-class companies with no more than 300 employees – down from 500 in the first round – to reach more small business owners. “There is still a lot of need out there,” Same- and next-day appointments often available. caring for yours your family healthy. As part of a world-class academic medical center, we have access to a broad range of services focused on high quality, affordable care. Same- and next-day appointments often available. Summerfield, NC 27358 336-643-7711 | Wakehealth.edu A Wake Forest Health Network practice. academic medical center, we have access to a broad range of services focused on high quality, affordable care. Same- and next-day appointments often available. FAMILY MEDICINE – SUMMERFIELD 4431 US Highway 220 North, Summerfi eld, NC 27358 336-643-7711 | Wakehealth.edu/PrimaryCare Brady Young, Bank of Oak Ridge’s chief retail banking officer, said in a recent interview. “People don’t seem to be as scared, but they are still certainly concerned.” carefor life Our primary care providers have one goal in common: keeping you and your family healthy. As part of a world-class academic medical center, we have access to a broad range of services focused on high quality, FAMILY MEDICINE – SUMMERFIELD 4431 US Highway 220 North Summerfield, NC 27358 336-643-7711 | Wakehealth.edu A Wake Forest Health Network practice. FAMILY MEDICINE–SUMMERFIELD 4431 US Highway 220 North Summerfield, NC 27358 336-643-7711 | Wakehealth.edu A Wake Forest Health Network practice. As the second round of PPP lending opened in January, Young said some officials in the banking industry anticipated applications for borrowing would be roughly a third of first-round demand last year. So far, however, the percentage of affordable care. A Wake Forest Health Network practice. second-round borrowing is higher than

Same- and next-day appointments often available. that. As of this past Tuesday, April 13, Bank of Oak Ridge had approved

FAMILY MEDICINE – SUMMERFIELD 416 loans totaling about $30 million. In 4431 US Highway 220 North the first round, it approved 607 loans

Summerfield, NC 27358 336-643-7711 | Wakehealth.edu worth $50.09 million, according to Young. PS Communications, publisher of the

A Wake Forest Health Network practice. Northwest Observer, experienced a 38% drop in advertising revenue last spring as Protect your home its advertisers, most of which are small businesses, began feeling the effects of ANDyour family. the pandemic on their bottom line. “Initially we felt only a slight tremor and I thought (very naïvely), ‘maybe our local businesses won’t be hurt as badly as those

Home | Auto | Motorcycle in some parts of the country,’” said Patti

Life | Business Stokes, PS Communications’ owner. But by May, the company’s revenue had plum5709 W Friendly Avenue Greensboro Proudly serving the Triad since1963 meted. Stokes said she was initially resistant to take “a government handout,” feeling (336) 299-5185 she should either figure out how to make it on her own, or let fate take its course. gladwellinsurance.com As revenue kept dropping, however, she ultimately decided to apply for a PPP loan to keep her staff employed and cover overhead expenses while hopefully 12 APRIL 15 - 28, 2021 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 riding out the storm. “Once I made that decision, I was able to breathe a little easier, at least as it related to the temporary security of my business,” Stokes said. “I felt like our newspaper was especially needed to connect people during such an uncertain time, and if I didn’t try to swim out of the storm, I would not only be bailing on my employees, but letting the communities we serve down.”

Once borrowers have used loan proceeds, they can request forgiveness of the loans. At Bank of Oak Ridge, 293 firstround loans, or 48.3 percent of total loans amounting to $22.5 million, have been forgiven, Young said.

PS Communications applied for and received forgiveness for its PPP loan in January.

“Getting that confirmation was a relief, for sure,” Stokes said. “The loan, combined with making some changes in our in-print frequency to reduce our overhead, made all the difference in our survival and I’m grateful we’re still here.”

Fidelity Bank, which operates a branch in Stokesdale, declined an interview request. First Bank and TowneBank, with branches in Greensboro serving northwestern Guilford County, didn’t respond to requests for interviews.

Bank of Oak Ridge has stepped up its outreach to minority and other small businesses that may not have qualified for first-round loans or are unfamiliar with the loan program, Young said.

“People don’t seem to be as scared as the first time we talked, but they are still certainly concerned,” he said, noting that sectors such as restaurants and hospitality are still suffering despite the rebounding economy.

Over the past week, Maurer said she’s booked about 35 trips for clients who are willing to resume travel amid the widening distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and the easing of travel restrictions globally.

But demand for travel isn’t “back where it was” before the economic shutdown last March, Maurer said.

“Some people are still scared,” she said. On the other hand, as some people book cruises and other vacations to destinations such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rico and Alaska, they’re going first class.

“They’re ready to go because they haven’t spent money on travel in a year,” Mauer said. “They don’t know what’s coming so they want to do it right. I call it ‘revenge spending.’”