Garden gets funding; UW, DAI share numbers

Janet Imrick

Randolph Hub

ASHEBORO — The City of Asheboro could use nearly $300,000 from the state for the Jarrell Center City Garden project, if it can find a matching gift. The City Council voted for that at the Dec. 5 meeting while also hearing annual reports on downtown visitors and United Way services.

Garden funding

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources granted a $298,720 award for community garden planned for Worth Street.

Assistant City Manager Trevor Nuttall said it must be matched, and the city is already seeking other funding to fill that requirement. Asheboro has asked for about $240,000 of what remains in the state’s Community Development Block Grant fund. Asheboro has three years to begin the project, and the grant is reimbursable if it does not pan out. 

Mayor David Smith said he wants the city to prioritize the garden. “This is not pie in the sky. This is something that, in perpetuity, should benefit all of Asheboro and Randolph County,” he said. “It’s a quality-of-life thing, and people down the road will see the need for greenspace and to enjoy nature.”

Annual reports

- United Way of Randolph County allocated nearly half a million dollars for services for in 2023, according to its annual report.

Before breaking down the numbers, new Executive Director Samantha Baker shared her own story of going to United Way when her family needed help paying bills. 

“I’m proud to share my story, as it is, in my opinion, a success story,” she said. “I’m proud to answer the phones and make sure United Way continues to give back the way it gave back to me.”

She said the organization allocated $477,226 for nonprofit partners and local programs, benefitting about 50,000 people. The Randolph Senior Adults Association delivered more than 100,000 meals, and more than 700 children took part in their summer camp programs.

Among its partnerships, Baker said the annual Post cereal giveaway in 2023 raised $10,000. The top five workplace donors to its campaign were Technimark, the City of Asheboro, The Timken Company, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, and Randolph County Government.

Looking ahead, Baker said United Way is launching a new initiative called Pathway to Prosperity, which will focus on the uninsured or underinsured.

- Downtown Development Manager Addie Corder delivered the annual report for Downtown Asheboro, Inc. She said the 2023-24 fiscal year saw $100,000 in public investment for the city hall’s parking lot and building renovations and about $2.7 million in private investment.

Corder said the building vacancy rate was 6 percent, but some businesses closed in September. She said, “This year has been incredibly difficult, especially from the retail perspective. We’ve seen that across the country.”

However, she said community events were highly successful based on traffic data. The Fall Festival saw 22,000 visitors. “That is no coincidence that is the biggest retail day,” she said.

Rezoning and annexations

Council members voted to rezone properties on Old Liberty Road. 

- Donna Frazier Hughes asked to change her plots on 1449 and 1453 Old Liberty Road from residential to light industrial. The property was where her late husband once ran a boat repair and sales shop.

- Jeffrey B. Davis with Innovision Group, LLC asked for 305 Old Liberty Road to be made fully R10 Medium-Density Residential. He said they would like to build a two-family home, but part of the plot was zoned for commercial.

- Vuncannon Frazier, LLC asked for 44 acres on 801 Hub Morris Road to be annexed by the city. The council agreed to schedule a public hearing.

- The council then voted for Taylor Trogdon Jr. to succeed Ritchie Buffkin on the planning board next month. Council member Joseph Trogdon, Jr. asked to be recused from the vote due to their familial connection. Buffkin’s is one of two seats that will be vacated soon. Nuttall said the County Board of Commissioners selected Jacob Wilburn to fill the extraterritorial planning jurisdiction seat.

Airport leasing

The Asheboro Regional Airport will have a new lessee. The council approved a lease for John Derksen of Dura-Built, LLC, to build 95 by 95 hangar. It will cost him $902.50 a year for 30 years.

This vote inspired council members to ask about how the current hangar space is being used. At the suggestion of Mayor Pro Temp Walker Moffitt, the city may ask Cardinal Air and the Airport Authority to do an inventory and list the value of the planes.