City council working out places not to park

ASHEBORO — Asheboro Mayor David Smith took up the gavel once again with the city council. With a couple months left before his retirement, he presided over the first half of the Nov. 6 meeting. Smith has been out due to a liver transplant.

“I’ve got a long road to recover yet, but I wanted to be here tonight,” he shared before the council moved onto its agenda, which included parking enforcement and a plan for City Attorney Jeff Sugg’s upcoming retirement.

Road enforcement

■ Staff will revise the daytime parking ban for North Randolph Avenue after neighbors asked to ease the new restrictions.

In August, the city banned on-street parking from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. because residents said vehicles were blocking visibility at the intersections.

However, Assistant City Manager Trevor Nuttall said they reported new hardships. Angie Barnes sent a letter explaining that the duplex she owns does not have the space for a driveway. Nuttall said the staff could amend it to only prohibit parking within 175 feet of East Salisbury Street.

Sergio Muñoz addressed the council and said the lack of a left-turn lane at Worth Street has led to wrecks. He asked about making it a one-way street, which it had been many years ago.

The council approved the parking amendment, but Council member Clark Bell asked about reviewing the one-way street request. With three new council members about to be sworn in for the new term, Sugg said the current council can discuss it at their December organizational meeting.

■ A section of Peachtree Street will get its own parking plan, restricting parking only to the west side between Chestnut Street and the railroad tracks. Nuttall said car dealers use the on-street parking, but staff feel they can safely ban parking on the opposite side next to the health clinic.

■ They permanently closed Mark Avenue east of Pepperidge Road. Donald W. Lanier of Lanier Real Estate said it was only meant to be to connect homes rather than be a public right of way, and the current property owners chose to use different access points.

■ During public comment, Robert Neal asked for speeding enforcement in the Greystone neighborhood. He said he recently saw a truck run into the back of a delivery truck on Shamrock Road.

Smith called the neighborhood a “legitimate concern” due to its wide streets and ill-defined intersections. Bell said he’s observed a lot of burnouts. Incoming council member Phil Skeen also got up during the public comment to say he’s seen cars doing donuts.

Other agenda items

■ Council members rezoned land on West Balfour Street for Harpley’s Holdings to build a freezer warehouse for processed meat.

Realtor Bobby Crumley presented the building proposal on behalf of Jamie Harpley, who recently bought Randolph Packing. He said they store their product all the way in Sanford, and they can’t expand next to their facilities on the other side of West Balfour Street because they are next to the flood plain. Along with a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, they would like to add more parking and a lab for sample testing.

Council members Bill McCaskill and Kelly Heath asked how it would affect the neighborhood on Canoy Drive. Crumley, along with Planning and Zoning Director Justin Luck, said it will have enlarged vegetation buffers and no driveway to Canoy Drive. Crumley said most of the early-morning traffic will be box trucks with a few tractor trailers.

■ Recreation Services Director Jonathan Sermon got council consensus to review the Municipal Golf Course policy. He said they have gotten complaints about a large group taking up morning tee times. While this does not break any policies, Sermon said he would like to set up a scheduling system and master calendar. He said the last update to the golf policy was more than 10 years ago.

Search for next city attorney

City Attorney Jeff Sugg plans to retire in February. City Manager Donald Duncan announced a committee to hire his successor.

He recommended Bell and Mayor Pro Tem Walker Moffitt, to be joined by two members of the new city council. Incoming Mayor Joseph Trogdon, Jr., Police Chief Robbie Brown and Human Resources Director Hope Kemp will fill out the committee.

Sugg became city attorney in 2000. Duncan said he has agreed to continue serving in a manner the council deems fit.

Public comment

Maxine McIver spoke on behalf of herself and neighbors living around Cedar Farm Road. She said for years, the smell of gas from the sewer lines gets inside their homes, particularly early in the morning and in the afternoon.

Smith said they are doing smoke testing on lines right now and he would ask staff to move that area into a priority position.