City rezones annexed NC Zoo property

ASHEBORO – The North Carolina Zoo has officially been rezoned as part of the City of Asheboro, while the city takes the next steps in maintaining the Zoo City Sportsplex, McCrary Park and the future community garden.

Zoo Gets Rezoned

On Oct. 10, the Asheboro City Council approved zoning recommendations for the Zoo and the NC Zoological Society: 2,272 acres of Zoo Parkway, Panther Creek Road, Ross Harris Road, Old NC Highway 13, Old Cox Road and Fairview Farm Road were rezoned.

Assistant City Manager Trevor Nuttall said staff chose designations TH Tourism-Hospitality and R40 Low-Density Residential because they closely matched the Zoo’s previous zoning while it was in county limits and gives the Zoo the potential for future development. R40 allows for low-intensity housing nearby.

Ed Commins, a resident of Ross Harris Road, asked how rezoning will impact the non-zoo properties. Mayor Pro Tem Walker Moffitt answered that he believes the neighbors will benefit.

Chris Scott, in-house counsel for the Zoo Society, spoke in favor. He said, "The TH and R40 designations are appropriate for the land out there and will protect the integrity of the land."

Sportsplex Playground needs repairs

The rainfall from Hurricane Helene exacerbated a safety issue beneath the playground at the Cone Health Zoo City Sportsplex, according to Assistant City Engineer Spencer Patton and City Manager John Ogburn.

Patton explained that the cultural and recreation staff noticed the soil under the play surface was moving out through the retaining wall. A soil engineer found that the stone was holding water too long, and it seeped under the stone, causing a hump to form over the catch basin. A temporary fix was put in, but the storm raised additional concerns. The city is waiting on a third-party engineering firm to finish a review before reopening. Patton said the company that made the playground will absorb the costs.

With most of the work at the Sportsplex complete, Finance Director Deborah Reaves said she will do a general clean-up of the Zoo City Sportsplex Fund. She asked council members to allocate the rest of the grant money from the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) to the Sportsplex Fund, as it can cover any remaining expenses. The city council moved $897,822 from the Capital Improvements Fund to the Sportsplex Fund.

Public Information Officer Alyssa Chapuis introduced the Sportsplex’s new website conehealthzoocitysporsplex.com. The original zoocitysportsplex.com domain redirects to the new webpage. She said the site includes information on how to reserve the facilities and lets people sign up for text or email alerts to stay aware of events, traffic and parking.

Ballpark change orders questioned

Council members are waiting on more information from the contractor for McCrary Ballpark before acting on change orders. Patton told them that they received a request to pay Rodgers Builders, Inc. an additional $42,946 in taxes.

Reaves said she reviewed the change orders and talked to Chris Mabry from Rodgers Builders shortly before the meeting began. She said he told her that sales tax was excluded in the original contract, but they discussed a plan for the city to pay any invoice with sales tax on it. The city can then file to be reimbursed by the state.

The city council tabled any decisions until Rodgers Builders sends Reaves the rest of the documentation.

Garden environmental inquiry

The next step for the David and Pauline Jarrell Center City Garden is for the city to submit project plans and a formal request for land disturbance approval to the state. Patton said the Army Corps of Engineers finished its review of Asheboro's request for Jurisdiction Determination and agreed with the city's assessment that there was federal jurisdiction.

Patton said with the council’s approval, staff will be able to apply for grants once they become available. The council agreed to authorize the city manager to take the next steps. Council member Kelly Heath asked Ogburn when they could hear about funding. Ogburn said they do not have a timeline, but there have been informal talks, and he expects they will have a strong application.