Summerfi eld Town Council

from Northwest Observer / March 17-30, 2022

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SUMMERFIELD town council WHAT they voted on, March 8 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS and HOW they voted:

as reported by CHRIS BURRITT

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, Reece Walker and John Doggett present.

Oak Ridge council member George McClellan offered the invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.  5 0 to adopt the consent agenda, which included reducing the speed limit to 30 mph on Henson Forest Drive, Matheson Court and Katherine Louise Drive in the Armfield subdivision.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Town Manager Scott Whitaker reminded the audience the town has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, for residents to

Summerfi eld Merchants Association (SMA) supports our local businesses and community. To join or for more info, email info@summerfi eldmerchant.com or visit www.summerfi eldmerchant.com or

Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members John O’Day, Janelle Robinson, Reece Walker and John Doggett voted on the following items during the council’s March 8 meeting. Mayor Tim Sessoms was present, but in Summerfield the mayor votes only to break a tie.  5 0: Adopt the consent agenda, which included reducing the speed limit to 30 mph on three streets in the Armfield subdivision.  5 0: Approve a budget amendment related to spending for a land use plan and an update of a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a municipal water system  5 0: Adopt a Conflict of Interest policy, as required by the state of North Carolina  5 0: Approve an agreement between Summerfield and the North Carolina Department of Transportation for extending the A & Y Greenway  5 0: Authorize Stewart, a design and planning firm, to update its 2017 survey of threatened and endangered species along the route of the A&Y Greenway  5 0: Schedule a meeting for April 26 at 6 p.m. for owners of property southeast of town limits to learn about voluntary annexation into Summerfield

Facebook.com/Summerfi eldMerchantsAssociation

Thanks to SMA member Zoraida Corbett, publisher of Summerfi eld Living and Lakeside Living, for hosting our meeting on March 1 at Still Water Farms, and to our guest speaker Ann Schneider, mayor of Oak Ridge.

Also, a big welcome to our newest member, Stephanie Lomax, real estate agent for Allen Tate Realtors!

Join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 6:30 p.m. To RSVP, email info@summerfi eldmerchant.com

learn and ask questions about landowner and developer David Couch’s request for a text amendment to the town’s development rules.

The meeting will be held in Summerfield First Baptist Church’s Family Life Center at 2300 Scalesville Road.

Couch, owner of Summerfield Farms, is seeking approval of the text amendment as part of his plan for the commercial and residential development of 973 acres in Summerfield.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Summerfield Fire District. The fire department reported it ran 115 calls in February, which include 30 firerelated calls, 60 EMS-related calls and 25 other calls. Firefighters installed 23 child safety seats during the month. On a safety note, the department urged people who plan to cook outside to make sure their grills are free of grease, birds’ nests, spider webs and other debris. People cooking with propane gas should also make sure the hose from the tank to their grill isn’t leaking. 6 MARCH 17 - 30, 2022 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s District 1

office reported it responded to 110 calls in Summerfield in February; those calls included three accidents with personal injuries, an auto theft and 12 reports of suspicious activity.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Carolyn Williams criticized council and staff members who flew on Couch’s plane last month to visit two residential developments in coastal South Carolina.

Calling the trips “undeniably unethical,” Williams said town leaders who took the trips “have jeopardized Summerfield residents’ trust and confidence in your ability to represent this town” in evaluating Couch’s request to amend the town’s development rules.

In separate trips last month, Whitaker, Town Attorney Bob Hornik, planner Brad Rentz and all council members except Lynne Williams DeVaney flew with Couch to look at two planned developments in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The purpose of the trip was for Couch and designer Victor Dover to show Summerfield leaders design and construction techniques ...continued on p. 8

that Couch wants to replicate in development plans for his Summerfield property.

Whitaker, Sessoms and Hornik defended the decision by town leaders to fly on Couch’s plane.

“I think it’s important for the citizens to realize that elected officials and staff all over the country go on field trips like this all the time for major projects and facilities,” Whitaker said. “It was an information-gathering trip. This was not unethical.”

In advance of the trips, Sessoms announced during last month’s council meeting that he and other town leaders had accepted Couch’s invitation.

Reviewing the trip during last week’s meeting, the mayor said, “I learned a lot that I didn’t know before. I was in no way coerced or swayed during that trip.”

MANAGER’S REPORT

Budget amendment

 5 0 to approve a budget amendment shifting money from the town hall construction budget to two line items: $34,800 for the creation of a land use plan, bringing to $64,800 the cost of the plan, and $29,470 for an update of a water-for-fire protection study. Conflict of Interest policy

 5 0 to adopt a Conflict of Interest policy, required by the state of North Carolina for Summerfield to receive the $50,000 small town development grant presented last month by state Representatives John Faircloth (Dist. 62) and Jon Hardister (Dist. 59)

Provisions in Summerfield’s governing documents pertaining to conflicts of interest aren’t sufficient for the town to receive the grant, according to a memo from town staff to the council. As a result, staff prepared the new policy based on a sample policy from state officials.

The policy is intended to “prevent the personal interests” of town leaders from interfering with the performance of their professional duties, according to the draft of the policy. It also prevents leaders from achieving “personal, financial, professional and/or political gain… at the expense of the town of Summerfield.” A & Y Greenway agreement

 5 0 to approve an agreement between the town and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for extending the Atlantic and Yadkin (A&Y) Greenway in Summerfield from U.S. 220 to Centerfield Road.

NCDOT put the project on its to-do list in 2015, with the agency paying 80% of the cost and the town paying the remainder. The price tag, in 2015 dollars, is $4.29 million for right of way acquisition, slated for later this year, and construction scheduled to begin in 2024.

The state would pay $3.43 million of the project, and the town would pay $857,200, according to the agreement. If costs are higher than estimated in 2015, the 80/20 percent split would remain in place, Whitaker said.

The agreement “is an important step in keeping the project moving forward,” according to a memo from town staff.

Dwayne Crawford said the council’s adoption of the unified development ordinance (UDO) last June contained “several major procedural, process flaws.” Reiterating his earlier criticism of the process, he cited the council’s decision to amend the draft UDO during the same meeting it adopted the regulations, without giving public notice or seeking public comments about the changes.

Town Attorney Bob Hornik countered Crawford’s criticism, saying “the process (of adopting the UDO) went exactly as the law anticipates the process to go.”

The council was legally entitled to amend the draft ordinance after conducting its public hearing on the issue, Hornik noted.

McClellan introduced himself as a candidate seeking the District 3 seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Among his positions, he said he opposed mask mandates because they interfere with the ability of businesses to operate effectively.

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ACCEPTING MOST MAJOR INSURANCE PROVIDERS Endangered species study

 5 0 to authorize Stewart, a North Carolina-based design and planning firm, to update its 2017 survey of threatened and endangered species along the route of the A&Y Greenway. The town agreed to pay as much as $10,421 for the update. ARPA spending. As Guilford County prepares to distribute $104 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds it received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), it’s asking local municipalities to identify projects and how much they’d cost. The council decided to ask the county to appropriate $22.6 million for the establishment of a municipal water system and another $1.5 million for development of Bandera Farms Park.

The ARPA identifies six eligible uses of the money, and town staff plans to seek funding through two of them – Bandera Farms Park for promoting public health and the municipal water system for improving water and sewer infrastructure.

Freese and Nichols, the town’s engineering firm, has given a rough estimate of $22.6 million to construct the water system, according to Walker.

Town staff sought the estimate, which Whitaker emphasized is a

“ballpark number,” from the engineering firm so it could apply for the federal COVID-19 relief funds.

There’s no guarantee that Summerfield or other towns will get any or all of the federal money they’re requesting.

“The answer is always going to be ‘no’ if we don’t ask,” said Dee Hall, the town’s finance officer.

Voluntary annexation meeting

50 to schedule a meeting for April 26 at 6 p.m. for owners of property southeast of town limits to learn about voluntary annexation into Summerfield.

The council is pursuing voluntary annexation by eligible property owners after the Guilford County Board of Commissioners denied the town’s request last year to create an extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) in unincorporated property in the vicinity of Lake Brandt and Plainfield roads. Summerfield leaders sought the establishment of the ETJ as a way to control zoning of property adjoining town limits.

Town staff plans to ask Center United Methodist Church on Lake Brandt Road to host the informational meeting for property owners to learn more about the voluntary annexation process and ask questions. Town hall financing. The council is considering the Finance Committee’s recommendation that the town borrow $1.8 million to help pay for construction of the new town hall. If the council accepts the loan offer from Pinnacle Financial Partners, it would be the first time that Summerfield has borrowed money, according to finance officer Hall. (See related article on p. 2.) Hometown basketball stars. Mayor Pro Tem DeVaney recognized two Summerfield basketball stars – Elizabeth Kitley, a junior at Virginia Tech, and Elissa Cunane, a senior at North Carolina State University – following their accomplishments in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. (See related article on FC.) I-73 emergency median crossover. NCDOT is completing a crossover on Interstate 73 to enable law enforcement and emergency vehicles to turn around on the highway between the exchanges at N.C. 150 and 68, according to Walker. Until now, guardrails between the northbound and southbound lanes prevented vehicles from crossing the median.

NEXT MEETING Tuesday, April 12 • 6:30pm Visit website for details CONTACT YOUR TOWN (336) 643-8655 clerk@summerfieldnc.gov www.summerfieldnc.gov

CLOSED SESSION

The council recessed the meeting and went into a closed session to discuss a legal matter. After reconvening, the council took no action. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.