7 minute read
Summerfi eld Town Council meeting
Jan. 11 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
as reported by CHRIS BURRITT
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Mayor Tim Sessoms called the monthly meeting in Summerfield Community Center to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members John O’Day, Janelle Robinson, John Doggett and Reece Walker present.
Rev. Larry Kirby, associate pastor of music and senior adults at Summerfield First Baptist Church, discussed the church’s history and mission before offering the invocation. DeVaney led the Pledge of Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA
5 0 to approve the consent agenda, which included three items: the meeting agenda, open session minutes of the council’s Dec. 14 meeting and adoption of the state-recommended schedule for retaining and disposing of records that have no further
WHAT they voted on, and HOW they voted:
Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members John O’Day, Janelle Robinson, John Doggett and Reece Walker voted on the following items during the Jan. 11 council meeting. Mayor Tim Sessoms was present, but in Summerfield the mayor votes only to break a tie. 5 0: Approve a text amendment to the unified development ordinance (UDO) while remanding to the Planning Board a section proposing to reduce the number of bedrooms allowed in quadplexes 5 0: Authorize the town to take over the lighting bill for the U.S. 220 pedestrian tunnel from the N.C. Department of Transportation 5 0: Approve the calendar for planning and approving the town’s budget for the fiscal year starting July 1
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PUBLIC SAFETY
Summerfield Fire District. The district reported it ran 113 calls in December, which included 46 fire-related calls, 65 EMS-related calls and 22 other calls.
As safety-related tips, the district recommended residents turn off portable heaters when leaving a room and before going to bed, and using generators only outdoors and not in garages, even if the door is open. Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s District 1 office responded to 114 calls in Summerfield last month; they included two auto thefts, three larcenies and nine reports of suspicious activity.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Beth Kaplan urged the council not to go along with a Planning Board recommendation regarding requirements in property zoned for open space residential (OSR) and open space mixed use (OSM). If adopted as part of the town’s unified development ordinance (UDO), the recommendation would require that at least 15 percent of open space be comprised of land that is buildable by Summerfield and Guilford County standards. Designating buildable land as open 8 JAN. 20 - FEB. 2, 2022 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 space would increase the prices of lots for new homes, making one of the
goals of Summerfield’s strategic plan – construction of affordable housing – harder to achieve, Doggett said. Kristen Law, vice president of communications for Northwest Guilford High School’s Parent, Teacher, Student Organization (PTSO), updated the council on efforts to secure contributions of money, materials and labor from businesses and individuals to refurbish 24 mobile classrooms on the school’s campus.
Since kicking off the Mobile Makeover project last month, Law said a large company, a local newspaper publisher, a church and a former student are among those who have agreed to adopt mobile units for renovation.
Sessoms told Law he’d like to understand more about the initiative.
“We have the Summerfield Merchants Association, and those guys are always looking for projects,” he said. The PTSO has scheduled a Mobile Makeover informational meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the high school. BJ Barnes, who ended his term as mayor last month, applauded Summerfield’s fire department, town staff and council members for their contributions to Summerfield and added that “he’s tickled to death” about plans for the new town hall.
5 0 to approve a text amendment to the unified development ordinance (UDO), with the exception of a section proposing the number of bedrooms in quadplexes, or buildings that contain four dwelling units, be reduced from 10 to eight.
The council remanded that section to the Planning Board, which had earlier recommended reducing the number of bedrooms in quadplexes built in open space residential and open space mixed-use zoning districts. Councilman Reece Walker said he wants the board to clarify its recommendation.
Speaking from the audience, developer David Couch expressed concern about limiting the number of bedrooms in quadplexes. Decreasing the number would reduce income for developers, Couch said. In turn, that would force them to eliminate building enhancements that would make structures more attractive, Couch said. (See related article on p. 16.) Land use plan. Jesse Day, regional planning director for the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, provided an update about his organization’s creation of a land use plan for Summerfield.
Day focused on population growth projections, based on recently released U.S. Census estimates showing the town had 10,951 residents in 2020. Population is forecast to grow by about 2,000 people through 2040 – a projection that Whitaker described as “a very low number for 18 years from now.”
The council will provide scenarios for higher growth in the draft of the land use plan it hopes to complete in late February or early March, Day said.
Tunnel lighting
The decision follows a recommendation by the Trails and Open Space Committee that the tunnel be lighted during the daytime, partly for safety and partly to show off murals painted by local high school students.
At present, the tunnel is lit at night, a cost paid by NCDOT. The state agency agreed for the town to take over the light bill if it wants to light the tunnel during the day, Whitaker said.
Duke Energy’s bill for lighting the tunnel round the clock will total about $72 a month, or $864 for the year, according to Whitaker. Budget calendar
5 0 to approve the calendar for planning and approving the town’s budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. New lawsuit. Town attorney Bob Hornik said former council member Teresa Perryman and Summerfield resident Danny Nelson have filed a lawsuit against the town, some current and former council members, former Town Attorney Bill Hill and outside counsel Gray Nelson of the Nelson Mullins law firm.
Similar to an earlier suit, the new litigation claims the town improperly spent taxpayer money for the legal defense of council member Dianne Laughlin, who was appointed in October 2018 to fill ousted Todd Rotruck’s seat until the 2019 election. (See related article on front cover.) Planning promotion. Brad Rentz, hired as the town’s planning technician and enforcement officer in late 2020, has been promoted to planner, Whitaker told the council; Rentz will retain his enforcement duties.
Rentz “has done a phenomenal job in the absence of a planning director,” said Whitaker, adding that he’s struggling to find applicants to replace Chris York, who resigned as planning manager last September. Finding qualified planning personnel is a challenge many municipalities ... continued on p. 34
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