4-way stops on Worth, Elm streets made permanent

ASHEBORO —The Asheboro city council finalized actions on streets and the airport at the July 10 regular meeting. During the evening, they approved a work contract for the Agricultural Center and thanked a fire captain retiring with nearly three decades of service.

Mayor Pro Tem Walker Moffitt led the meeting while Mayor David Smith was out sick.

Traffic lights and parking

■ The three intersections that had stoplights removed will keep the stop signs. After a test period, the city council adopted an ordinance to make the changes permanent. Council member Bill McCaskill dissented on the South Elm and Worth Street intersection. He said he believes the traffic there is too great for a 4-way stop.

The council members asked the police if that intersection had a history of problems. Chief Robbie Brown said they pulled the data and found no collisions there.

The other two 4-way stops are at North Main and Worth Streets, and at Brewer and North Elm Streets. Council first voted to remove the lights in November after engineering said the aging stoplights would be expensive to replace.

■ Council also voted to implement a daytime ban on street parking for North Randolph Avenue. Residents have reported that the mechanic shop on the corner with North Salisbury Street is parking vehicles too close to see around the turn. Council members chose the option to bar parking from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. so that residents can still park overnight.

Mitigation agreement

Assistant City Manager Trevor Nuttall shared the updated Regional Hazard Mitigation plan shared with Davidson County. Randolph County has participated in this plan, done in consultation with FEMA, for the past year.

All member governments in both counties are asked to endorse it, so they can be eligible for grants to enact mitigation against natural disasters and other hazards.

Nuttall noted that the updated plan now includes removing debris that collects in storm-water infrastructure. He said, “It’s a constant concern for us, and we’re paying extra attention as these kind of storms come.”

The city council approved the plan. Council member Kelly Heath asked when the flood maps will be updated for Special Flood Hazard Areas. City Manager Donald Duncan said that after Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, the state realized the maps do not match real slopes, and so they must be redrawn before they can go to municipalities.

New contracts

Terry’s Plumbing and Utilities won the contract to work on Randolph County’s Agricultural Center with the sole bid of $522,285. Water Resources Director Michael Rhoney said they will install a 180 gallons-per-minute lift station.

They moved a work authorization forward for the new airport terminal. Engineering staff announced that TRC for WK Dixon will do the archaeological survey for $14,295.

The council also gave the final approval to a new hangar subleasing contract for pilots.

Retiring Captain King

Fire Chief Eddie Cockman and the city council recognized Senior Captain Robert King, who retired after 28 years with the fire department. They presented him with a plaque and his hat, coat nametag and badge.

“It’s been non-stop fun, except for a little bit,” King joked. “I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for hiring me.”

Cockman said King’s contributions to Asheboro Fire and Rescue are not done, as he will train new recruits at Randolph Community College.