Summerfield hires fi rm for A&Y Greenway planning

Kimley-Horn replaces Stewart, hired originally for the project in 2015, but fired in January by the town

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – After possibly overpaying its previous design and engineering firm, the Summerfield Town Council decided last week to hire Kimley-Horn to complete planning and provide right-of-way acquisition services for the Atlantic and Yadkin (A&Y) Greenway through the town.

The council voted unanimously during its April 11 meeting to approve a contract paying Kimley-Horn as much as $620,752.35 for the project, with the state Department of Transportation paying 80% of the costs and Summerfield 20%.

Costs have climbed since 2015 when the town hired design and engineering firm Stewart to plan the A&Y’s southern route through town, according to Town Manager Scott Whitaker. In January, he terminated Summerfield’s contract with Stewart after expressing his dissatisfaction with the firm – partly due to the firm’s lack of staffing – in performing its duties.

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I’m curious – I know the town council in Oak Ridge approves the meeting agenda at the beginning of each monthly council meeting, but who decides what goes on the draft agenda? And can the draft agenda be revised at the council meeting before it is voted on?

Sandra Smith, Oak Ridge’s assistant town manager and town clerk, told us the draft agenda is the responsibility of the town clerk in conjunction with the town manager and other staff members.

“Agenda items are discussed with the mayor and individual council members at weekly council briefing meetings,” Smith said. “At the meeting, the council formally adopts the meeting agenda. However, since the agenda belongs to the council, any member can make a motion to amend the agenda either at the beginning of the meeting or at any point during the meeting. To pass, the motion just needs a second and a majority vote in favor.”

Why can’t our local towns put more issues to a referendum so that citizens can make decisions versus the town council? It just doesn’t seem right that five council members have the final say on projects such as restoring the Redmon house in Oak Ridge – especially when the project involves spending a lot of our taxpayer dollars and there is so much opposition to it.

For the answer to this question, we deferred to the School of Government (SOG) at UNC Chapel Hill, which provides information on a broad range of topics affecting local governments and public agencies in North Carolina.

According to a blog on the SOG’s website, written by Robert Joyce, “under North Carolina law, only those elections specifically authorized by the state’s constitution or by statute may be held. In the absence of such authorization, any particular kind of referendum (special election) simply may not be held.”

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SUMMERFIELD town council

April 11 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

as

reported by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Mayor Tim Sessoms called the monthly meeting in Summerfield Community Center to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members

Jeff Davis, Janelle Robinson, Reece Walker and John Doggett present.

DeVaney offered the invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Consent Agenda

 5  0 to approve the consent agenda, which included approval of a contract to hire C. Randolph CPA, an accounting firm located in West Jefferson, North Carolina, to prepare Summerfield’s annual audit. Separately, the council approved changing the start time of the Finance Committee’s regular monthly meeting from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The council also approved removing from the meeting agenda a discussion related to the town’s fight against potential de-annexation of landowner David Couch’s 973 acres.

Earlier, Robinson had requested the council discuss how it plans to communicate with the public and the lobbyists and lawyer recently hired by the town to assist Summerfield leaders in fighting possible de-annexation. During the meeting, Robinson asked that the topic be removed from the agenda.

“I feel like we shouldn’t discuss it in public,” she said.

Announcements

„ Movie in the park. The town plans to host this year’s first movie in the park Friday, May 5, on the soccer field of Summerfield Athletic Park. The showing of “Coco” will start at 8:30 p.m.

„ Dog park grand opening. Summerfield’s Paw Park will open Saturday, May 6, with grand opening activities from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The park is located behind the amphitheater in Summerfield Community Park and is most easily accessible from Medaris Street.

„ Farmers market. The Northwest Guilford Farmers and Specialty Market will kick off its five-month season Wednesday, May 3, and run through Saturday, Oct. 28. The market will be located at Greensboro Performing Arts, 7200 Summerfield Road in Summerfield, and will be held twice weekly – on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. (and later as the days get longer) and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Recognition of Service. The council recognized Millie Hoffler-Foushee for her 18 years of service on the town’s Finance Committee. She resigned as chair after she and her husband, William, sold their home in Summerfield earlier this month and moved to Greensboro.

“I did not want to go; I wanted to stay here,” said Foushee, who cried after she received a plaque from Sessoms and posed for photographs with council members and town staff. “I’m going to miss being here.” (See related article on p. 18.)

Thank you, Oak Ridge. Later in the meeting, Sessoms expressed Summerfield’s appreciation for Oak Ridge Town Council’s approval of a resolution urging the state legislature to work with towns and cities and the League of North Carolina Municipalities on local zoning matters. The resolution cited David Couch’s de-annexation efforts as an issue better resolved by local leaders in Summerfield, not the state legislature.

Public Safety

Summerfield Fire District. The district

WHAT they voted on, and HOW they voted:

Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members Jeff Davis, Janelle Robinson, Reece Walker and John Doggett voted on the following items during the council’s April 11 meeting. Mayor Tim Sessoms was present, but in Summerfield the mayor votes only to break a tie.

 5  0: Approve the consent agenda, which included approval of the town’s contract to hire C. Randolph CPA, an accounting firm located in West Jefferson, North Carolina, to prepare Summerfield’s annual audit

Millie

Hoffler-Foushee (front row, second from right) stands with Summerfield Town Council and staff members after receiving a plaque at the April 11 council meeting in recognition of her 18 years of volunteering on the town’s Finance Committee. reported it ran 142 calls in March, including 23 fire-related calls, 60 EMSrelated calls and 59 other calls. Firefighters also installed 13 child safety seats and three smoke alarms.

Referencing a recent house fire on Horseshoe Drive in Summerfield in which a woman and her dog died, the district reminded residents to make certain they’ve installed and are maintaining smoke detectors. Residents were also urged to prepare a fire escape plan that’s known by everyone in the house.

Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s District 1 office reported it responded to 305 calls in Summerfield last month, resulting in 13 formal case reports.

Sheriff’s personnel also assisted

 5  0: Hire engineering firm Kimley-Horn to complete planning and provide right-of-way acquisition services for the southern route of the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway

 5  0: Hire attorney Michael Thelen, with Womble Bond Dickinson, to represent the town in opposing landowner David Couch’s de-annexation efforts

 5  0: Appoint Dylan Barrick to the Trails and Open Space Committee firefighters and the county fire marshal’s office with the fatal house fire last month.

The sheriff’s office is also investigating the theft of several unsecured tools from an outbuilding on Strawberry Road and the break-in of an outbuilding on Banning Road. Residents were urged to secure valuables and record their make, model and serial numbers.

Public Comments

„ Gail Dunham said she objected to

S’FIELD TOWN COUNCIL

...continued from p. 7

Summerfield possibly erecting a water storage tank on the town’s property which fronts U.S. 220 at N.C. 150. Instead, she said, the town should consider selling the 13.4 acres, known as the northern Gordon property.

„ Teresa Perryman urged the council to share more information about its fight against the potential de-annexation of Couch’s property. She suggested the council hold extra meetings to provide citizens with updates about negotiations between the two sides and share more information with the news media.

„ “I don’t think you should negoti- ate with a bully,” said Brett Lamberth, urging the council to fight the possible de-annexation “all the way.”

„ Paul Roberts informed the council about efforts by the recently formed “Summerfield Goodfellas” to work with town leaders and first responders to insure the safety of people with disabilities or other special needs during severe weather and power outages.

As a first step, Roberts suggested first responders identify individuals who may need help during weather-related emergencies and electricity blackouts.

MANAGER’S REPORT

A&Y Greenway engineering

 5  0 to hire engineering firm

Kimley-Horn to complete planning and provide right-of-way acquisition services for the southern route of the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway. The project is projected to cost $620,752.35, with the state Department of Transportation paying 80% and the town 20%. (See related article on p. 2.)

Earlier during public comments, Ginger Lambrecht, chair of the town’s Trails and Open Space Committee, urged the council to finalize the agreement with Kimley-Horn.

Potential voluntary annexations. About 15 property owners on Summerfield’s eastern border have filed petitions seeking voluntary annexation into the town, planning manager Brad Rentz said.

Interest in voluntary annexation has emerged since the council held a special called meeting last April to explain the process to residents of the Ridgewood subdivision and others living in the vicinity of Lake Brandt Road.

On the chance that other homeowners will seek voluntary annexation, Rentz urged the council to consider the requests as a group during a single meeting, rather than spreading consideration over different meetings.

Historic properties update. Town Manager Scott Whitaker reported that, on behalf of the town, Preservation North Carolina continues negotiations over the sale of the historic Gordon Hardware building and Martin house to potential buyers.

Council Business

De-annexation lawyer hired

 5  0 to hire attorney Michael Thelen, a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Raleigh office, to represent the town in its de-annexation fight against Couch. Thelen’s hourly rate is $580.

Concerned about racking up legal fees, council members discussed, but didn’t agree on an approach for limiting each member’s direct communication with Thelen. (See related article on FC.)

Committee appointment

 5  0 to appoint Dylan Barrick to the Trails and Open Space Committee.

Land use plan update. The council decided to delay possible approval of a proposed land use plan (LUP) until after the outcome of Couch’s de-annexation efforts becomes clear.

The developer’s property cuts a wide swath across Summerfield, so its removal from town limits would affect long-range recommendations in the LUP, Walker said.

The steering committee working on the LUP wants to hold another meeting before finalizing a draft that would be forwarded to the town’s Planning Board, according to Whitaker.

As part of its review of the LUP, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing to gather citizen input. Afterwards, the board will forward a recommendation on the draft plan to the council. The council will also hold a public hearing as part of its review process and ultimate decision on whether to adopt the LUP as presented. Property tax rate increase. DeVaney said she’s opposed to the possibility of a tax rate increase, an idea raised last month by Whitaker and Dee Hall, the town’s finance officer, in anticipation of rising costs the town is, and anticipates experiencing.

Even if the council were to increase Summerfield’s tax rate by 1 cent per $100 property valuation, DeVaney said she’d want to make sure that such an increase would be temporary. She cautioned that, from her observations, property tax hikes aren’t usually reversed.

Summerfield property owners now pay 2.75 cents per $100 property valuation.

Closed Session

The council entered a closed session to discuss a legal matter. The session lasted one hour, 15 minutes. After reconvening, the council took no action.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:56 p.m.

supporting Michael Logan for District 3 Guilford County Board of Education

Republican voters in northwest Guilford County continue to support Michael Logan to represent District 3 on the Guilford County Board of Education.

Shortly after Pat Tillman (R) vacated the District 3 school board seat, the Guilford County Republican Executive Committee held an election for the nominee to fill that seat. Two candidates, Michael Logan and Eric Strimple, campaigned for the seat, with Logan winning the majority of votes.

Michael Logan is a 26-year GCS teacher with an impeccable record. His dedication to the betterment of his students led to many achievements for them as well as for him in his professional life. Among them, he was named “Teacher of the Month” by Carolinas Teacher Association in 2022.

Michael Logan is a very active and committed member of the Republican Party, selflessly working to get conservative candidates, including Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, elected to office.

Michael Logan has held several leadership roles within the Guilford County GOP, including serving as chair of District 3. Through his work with the Republican Party, he has interacted with thousands of voters in the district and garnered loyal support from residents in Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and Greensboro.

Michael Logan was legally nominated by the Guilford County Republican Party’s Executive Committee to fill the District 3 school board seat, but now thousands of residents in District 3, which encompasses northwest Guilford County, have been subjugated by the county’s Democrat-led Board of Education.

On April 4, in a shameless and underhanded act, the Democrat-led BOE installed a RINO, (Republican In Name Only) who was neither elected by the voters nor nominated by the Republican Party to fill the District 3 school board seat.

According to law, the seat vacated by Tillman was to be filled by the Guilford County Republican Party Executive Committee’s nominee. The executive committee is comprised of the executive board and precinct leaders, who are elected by party delegates. Delegates (who have met certain party criteria) are registered Republican voters. Therefore, by proxy of the Executive Committee, Michael Logan was elected by voters to represent District 3 on the school board.

When the Democrat-led BOE installed their choice of Republican candidate onto the school board, they deprived everyone in District 3 of a lawfully nominated school board member and left us with an installed, self-serving traitor who was neither elected nor nominated by the voters.

This is an unfair act toward all who live in District 3.

Furthermore, residents in District 3 have been conned by unethical secret meetings between the BOE chair, Deena Hayes-Green, the BOE’s attorney, Jill Wilson, and the installed school board member, Bill Goebel.

Earlier in the day on April 4, Hayes-Green and Wilson met privately with Goebel to discuss the process of seating him on the school board. During that meeting, Goebel was privy to information that was not shared with the entire school board until later that day — information on how Hayes-Green and Wilson intended to circumvent the law and install him instead of Michael Logan. Goebel was asked not to share the information with the public or with the Republican Party prior to the BOE’s meeting. Goebel acted dishonorably when he colluded with Hayes-Green and Wilson to overthrow the legal nomination of Michael Logan. He not only betrayed the Republican Party, he betrayed every resident in District 3. In further disgrace, just a month earlier Goebel had pledged his loyalty to the Republican Party when he ran for chairman of the Guilford County GOP. In his video speech, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zH4jyAmUIE, Goebel asked the delegates for their votes and stated, “I will not let you down.”

Residents of District 3, which includes Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and parts of Summerfield and Greensboro, have been disenfranchised by unethical and possibly illegal activity conducted by Hayes-Green, Wilson and Goebel. Lawsuits are under consideration.

In the meantime, state Rep. Jon Hardister is working on a resolution. In a recent interview with the Rhino Times, Hardister was asked if Goebel’s appointment to fill the District 3 Guilford County school board seat on April 4 meant the issue was settled. To that, Hardister responded, “It’s not over. It’s certainly not over.

“Local governments, such as school boards, are political subdivisions of the state and the state has tremendous power over them,” he continued. “In my view, the school board has defied the law twice now. Our discussions at the state level are about what can we do to rectify that.”

Saying he was in discussions with leaders of both the state House and Senate to determine the best way to move forward, Hardister added, “We’re strongly considering taking additional action and there could be legislation introduced shortly.”

The easiest and most fair resolution is for Goebel to right the wrong and step down from the District 3 school board seat. This would allow the Guilford County Republican Party to conduct a new election for the nominee to fill the District 3 school board seat. If Goebel still desires to represent District 3, he will be given a fair chance to earn the votes for the seat instead of gaining them by unscrupulous means.

In addition, Hayes-Green, the BOE chair, should step down and the BOE’s attorney, Jill Wilson, should be fired. Our public school system deserves to be represented by those who are honest, ethical and have the students’ best interests at heart.

Residents, particularly Republicans, in District 3 will continue to support Michael Logan as our district’s school board representative. We believe he is the most qualified and should be the one seated.

To join our efforts in supporting Michael Logan, follow and engage on our Facebook page @supportmichaellogan.