Commissioners debate firefighter radios, box store regulations

Janet Imrick

Randolph Hub

ASHEBORO — Five fire departments are teaming up to purchase radios, and the new communication tower for Randleman has a builder. 

Those two measures impacting emergency communications were approved by the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2, one unanimously and the other on a 3-2 split vote.

Commissioners also heard about a regional effort to get more movies shot in the Piedmont, farmland preservation, and proposed changes to commercial districts.

Emergency communication

In a split vote, commissioners approved a $507,286.54 loan for fire departments to purchase radios. Climax Chief Gary McGee said that Climax, Level Cross, New Hope, Julian and Seagrove hope to save money through a bulk purchase or an end-of-year discount.

McGee said their equipment typically needs replacing every 10 years, and the cost doubles each time. He said, “Our capital needs are getting pushed off more and more in order to push these more immediate needs.”

Commissioners disagreed over whether to require interest on the loan. David Allen said without it, taxpayers would subsidize about $60,000. Additionally, he said, he worried about setting a precedent for other non-profits to ask for interest-free loans.

Hope Haywood agreed and said that the county has to consider the costs of upcoming projects, such as new school construction.

Lester Rivenbark said the only other way for the departments to raise the money might be through raising taxes.

Allen acknowledged that Julian is his fire department. “I certainly don’t want them to show up and not be able to talk on the radios because we didn’t fund it, but I don’t think this is that,” he said. “Radios are specifically mentioned as why they need that tax.”

Kenny Kidd made a motion to approve the loan as requested. “I do think it’s completely different than any other non-profit,” he said.

Allen offered an amendment for a 2 percent interest. The amendment failed 2-3, with Allen and Haywood voting for it. The vote on the original motion passed along the same line, with Chairman Darrell Frye, Kidd and Rivenbark voting for.

At the meeting, Emergency Services Deputy Chief Jared Byrd presented the construction bids for the Viper Tower to be built in Randleman. K-Co Enterprises bid lowest at $539,977. Commissioners approved that bid.

Byrd said the new tower aims to cover gaps in the Viper Network used by emergency responders. Randleman has donated the land behind the water tank on Commonwealth Road for a 390-foot tower.

Future of film and farming

Commissioners accepted a $17,000 Agriculture Development and Preservation Trust Fund grant to try and protect farming and forest land.

According to Cooperative Extension Livestock Agent Adam Lawing, the county lost more than 10 percent of farmland over five years. There are currently 1,238 farms. With this money from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, they will hire a consultant to help update the Randolph County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan.

Commissioners also heard about the Piedmont Triad Film Commission’s efforts to attract more film shoots. Rebecca Clark, executive director, said filmmaking dramatically decreased in North Carolina back in 2015 when the state cut its incentive, and the latest incentive only benefits Charlotte and Wilmington. The Commission is asking lawmakers to consider an amendment that includes the Piedmont area.

Clark said filmmaking benefits communities by shopping locally, hiring local crews and potentially bringing attention to the area. She pointed to Mount Airy. “The amount of tourism is astronomical, the amount of visitors they get, just because of Andy Griffith’s association with Mayberry and Mount Airy,” she said.

She said when the Hallmark movie “The Confession” filmed at Trinity’s Linbrook Heritage Estate, they spent $60,000 on flowers from Asheboro. “The Disappointments Room” filmed in Ramseur.

Unified Development Ordinance updates

The Planning and Zoning Board is making changes to the Unified Development Ordinance. 

Tonya Caddle said they will retire the Highway Commercial District and create three new districts:

- General Commercial District (GC).

- Limited Commercial District (LC): Buildings up to 40,000 square feet.

- Community Commercial District (CC): Buildings up to 10,000 square feet.

Property owners within current Highway Commercial Districts will keep their usage rights.

Commissioner Haywood asked if they plan to regulate how many stores one company can build in a region. She used Dollar General as an example. 

Haywood said she does not want businesses to build stores closely together, only to shut down the less successful locations and leave behind vacant buildings for the county to deal with. 

Caddle said the board is not currently taking action, and it would take time to draw up a map of every business in the county.

The planning board also plans to ease the process for building up to two homes on one parcel. 

Right now, building more than one home requires a special use hearing, regardless of the property size.