City Council balks at cost of adding sidewalks on US 64

 Janet Imrick

Randolph Hub

ASHEBORO – A six-figure price tag made the Asheboro City Council balk at an offer from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for adding more sidewalks along U.S. 64. 

The City Council considered several actions for pedestrians, drivers and public transit riders at their Oct. 10 meeting.

The council did not believe the 2,000 feet NCDOT proposed to build from Browers Chapel and Dublin Roads to Executive Way and Center City Plaza was worth the amount the city would have to pay to match.

Assistant City Manager Trevor Nuttall told council members that NCDOT's Highway Division would commit $2.042 million from the Transportation Improvement Program. The city would have to provide $510,000.

"We want sidewalks, but $510K for that little thing sounds like an awful lot of money," Mayor David Smith said. "That's a lot of money we could put somewhere else."

Council member Kelly Heath said, "With all the other things that we have to do, I'm just not understanding why this would be a high priority for us, to spend that amount of money."

Council members Bill McCaskill and Walker Moffitt said NCDOT would have difficulty laying sidewalk along the uneven terrain. "From Dublin Road to Executive, to Center Point Plaza, are they just going to make a sidewalk for that big gully right there?" McCaskill said.

Council member Joseph Trogdon, Jr. said more sidewalks would not stop pedestrians from cutting across traffic if it did not come with adequate crossings. "Are we saying that somebody walks out of the [Hampton Inn] hotel, is going to walk up to the light at the Sheetz, cross the street, and walk all the way back down to Chili's?" he asked.

"Just take the $500,000 to fix Park Street and areas that people are utilizing around here downtown," Moffitt said.

Smith explained that historically, the planning board left it up to business owners to decide whether to add sidewalk, which is why they stop and start along East Dixie Drive. "People say to me all the time, the sidewalks don't go anywhere," he said.

Next Step Toward Zoo City Loop

The council will consider a different offer from NCDOT to help launch a Zoo City Loop public transportation route. Nuttall told them that Asheboro might get a better deal for a federal Carbon Reduction Program, although nothing has been formalized.

Last year, NCDOT said it would give a Carbon Reduction Plan grant of $440,000 to Asheboro to buy four electric Light Transit Vehicles. The city would have to contribute $293,333 to get that money.

However, during the city’s talks about executing the grant, NCDOT came back and said it could increase the amount to $586,668, cutting the city's match requirement in half to $146,667. Nuttall cautioned that the agency may walk back that offer given the recent need in Western North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene.

City Manager John Ogburn requested that the council ask NCDOT to prepare an agreement, and council members can still turn it down if they do not like the terms. The council unanimously agreed to move forward with the request.

“I really think we need to strike,” Ogburn said. “Our population is not evenly distributed. The by-large retail, medical, and goods are in this section, and the people are in that section."

The Zoo City Loop has been proposed to connect North Asheboro residents and senior citizens with the Asheboro Mall, YMCA, Farmer’s Market, Walmart, and other popular stores and recreational centers.

Restaurant On-Street Parking

The city may add up to six on-street parking spaces to accommodate restaurant customers at the corner of Loach and Cross Streets. The engineering staff found there was enough room on Loach Street to add parking. Ogburn said staff will draft a formal ordinance, and these spots will likely have a time limit.

The city council approved rezoning 841 Cross Street at the request of Raul Muñoz, who wishes to build an outdoor gazebo for customers to sit and eat. However, the planning board and council members noted the parking lot was in bad condition.

Trogdon said on-street parking will likely make the situation "less chaotic."