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Preview: May 6 Oak Ridge Town Council meeting by CHRIS BURRITT
OAK RIDGE – Oak Ridge Town Council will consider conducting a study to determine the feasibility of installing water tanks and hydrants for fighting fires. Town Manager Bill Bruce recommended the council approve the proposed scope of work for a fire suppression system, based upon recent discussions between the town’s Water Advisory Committee and Oak Ridge Fire Chief Ken Gibson. “The system may include land acquisition, well drilling/wellhead construction, and engineering and construction of a storage facility for fire department access,” Bruce told the council in an April 30 memo. Exploring the system is one option for the expenditure of $1.1 million that the state General Assembly gave Oak Ridge for water-related projects. Last year, Oak Truck Tires Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale each got $1.1 million from $3.3 million & left unspent on a feasibility study of a regional water system for northwestern Guilford County. Citing costs, the towns didn’t proceed with the regional system. Full automotive repair & maintenance • Tune-ups Wheel & tire repair/alignment • NC inspections The Water Advisory Committee modeled its proposed scope of work for a fire ASE certified technicians suppression system on a similar study that the Wooten Co., a consulting firm, – prepared for the town of Summerfield in Dan Rice Mitch Glover 2016 and updated in 2020. President VP/GM of Greensboro If Oak Ridge’s council approves the scope of work, town and fire department leaders would explore the effectiveness (336) 668-0091 • 312 S Regional Rd, Greensboro and costs of placing tanks and hydrants 11 locations open M-F 7:30-5:30 for filling tanker trucks in various locaEmergency roadside 24/7/365 • Shuttle service within 8 miles tions around Oak Ridge. www.piedmonttrucktires.com Putting an elevated tank and hydrants on the fire department’s property on Linville Road at Scoggins Road is 6 - 19, 2021 The Northwest Observer •aTotally local since to1996 possibility, according Bruce. Another
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possible site is the vicinity of N.C. 68 and N.C. 150 (Oak Ridge Road). Or groundlevel or buried tanks and hydrants may be placed in various locations around town. The scope of work would also evaluate possible sources of water, Bruce said. They include ground water or water purchased from the city of Winston-Salem, assuming that water lines were extended to Oak Ridge along N.C. 150 or Haw River Road. In other business, the council will consider adopting a resolution urging state legislators to vote against two bills giving the General Assembly authority over local zoning and land use planning. Specifically, one of the bills would require local governments to include residential duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and townhouses in areas zoned for residential use, according to the resolution. The resolution lays out Oak Ridge’s objection, stating the town’s zoning ordinance and future land use plan “allow for a diversity of housing types and lot sizes” and that the legislature’s “one size fits all” approach undermines local authority over issues of land use. The second bill would require that all local ordinances regulating the removal of trees be permitted only with the express authorization of the General Assembly. The resolution states the Oak Ridge Town Council, the Planning and Zoning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission value trees. As a result, the council believes “any state legislation restricting local tree ordinances will damage local efforts to preserve our rural and historic character, hamper economic development and lower residents’ quality
