Golden Waffle will soon be serving up more parking

ASHEBORO — During their Aug. 7 meeting, Asheboro city council members approved a rezoning so that a popular restaurant can add more parking. They also agreed on easements and took the first vote toward changing the junked vehicle ordinance.

Land-related requests

■ Golden Waffle got its rezoning request approved. Council members agreed to make the residential 1315 Cliff Road into B2-General Commercial.

Owners Ken and Patricia Greene bought the land in December. Ken told council members it has been a long time coming. Golden Waffle, a popular spot on Dixie Drive, is open 24 hours a day. The rezoning will allow them to add more parking spaces along the back of the restaurant.

A single house sits on the property. Community Development Director John Evans said it can remain there as a legal non-conforming structure. Council member Bill McCaskill asked if they will have to add fencing. Evans said no, but there is currently landscaping along Cliff Road and Emerson Drive.

■ The council then approved two easements. Assistant City Engineer Spencer Patton presented the request for Duke Energy Progress on Trade Street. 

The 20-foot non-exclusive easement will allow them to set up transformers and remove the current poles, except for one in the newly paved parking lot between Bold Coffee and the recreational center.

The second easement will be temporary through Dec. 31. H.W. Culp Lumber Company asked for permission to use the section of the access road on city property to move timber off of Land Lakes Trail.

They approved the easement, but council members Walker Moffitt and Joseph Trogdon, Jr. both said the $4,000 performance bond was low. City Attorney Jeff Sugg said it was part of the discussion, but it reflected the historic cooperation between the city and the property owners.

Junked vehicle ordinance update

The city intends to update its ordinance so that the city can remove junked motor vehicles even when a property owner does not cooperate.

Sugg said the current chapter combines two general statutes which limit the city’s ability to remove an abandoned vehicle unless the property owner asks them.

He said the revisions will allow the code enforcement officer to work around the property owner and determine if it has a negative impact on the community, property values, health and safety.

Council member Eddie Burks said he was happy to see new language. 

He said, “There’s a place where you turn to go down my road, where the weeds are so tall, you could never see the license plate to know if it’s actually on there or not. This gives [the code enforcement officer] some teeth to enforce it.”

The city council must vote twice on the ordinance change, so it will return for a second reading on Sept. 4.

Continued local partnerships

The city council formally approved its continued work with local economic entities. Finance Director Deborah Reaves laid out the three organizations’ requests for this year:

■ The Randolph County Economic Development Corporation will receive a requested $55,000.

■ The Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce will receive $75,000.

■ Downtown Asheboro, Inc. will receive $105,000 to be divided between the Main Street Program and the downtown concert series.

The funds were already allocated in this year’s budget.

Uwharrie Ridge, Archdale/Farmer schools get new assistant principals

■ The Randolph County Board of Education on Monday, Aug. 18, approved the following administrative appointments at its monthly meeting:

— Crissie Weeks was named Assistant Principal at Uwharrie Ridge Six-Twelve effective for the 2025-26 school year. Weeks was an assistant principal in the Dare County school system at First Flight High School from 2020-22 and the First Flight Elementary School from 2022-25. 

She began her education career as a teacher in 1995. 

— Erin Robertson, a Student Services Coordinator, was named Assistant Principal at Archdale Elementary School (50%) / Farmer Elementary School (50%) effective for the 2025-26 school year. Robertson has served as the Student Services Coordinator / Central Services, Randolph County School System, since 2016, and before that was a counselor at Trindale Elementary School from 2005-16.

Randleman student receives national honor from NSHSS

■ On July 28, the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) selected Damari Garner from Randleman to become a member of the organization. NSHSS recognizes top scholars  who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship and community commitment. 

NSHSS co-founder and President James W. Lewis said the group “recognized the hard work, passion and commitment that Damari has demonstrated to achieve this exception level of academic excellence.” NSHSS members automatically becomes lifetime members at the time of the initial membership. From high school to college to career, NSHSS connects outstanding young scholars with the recourses they need to develop their strengths and pursue their passions. For more information, visit www.nshss.org.

NCDL breaks down unpaid wage report, results; 12 complaints in Randolph 

■ The NC Department of Labor has provided a detailed breakdown of complaints investigated by its Wage and Hour Bureau following the July 31 announcement that more than $2.5 million in unpaid wages was recovered for workers across the state. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the Wage and Hour Bureau investigated over 1,600 complaints across 87 counties and 31 industries throughout North Carolina. Top industries by complaint volume were Retail, Eating Establishments, Construction, Medical and Transportation. More than $786,000 in lost wages were recovered from 270 complaints in Wake County, by far the largest area of wage recoveries. Randolph County had 12 complaints that led to the recovery of $14,614.99 in wages. For more information or to file a complaint, visit labor.nc.gov or call 1-800-NC-LABOR.

Deadline for Blue Jeans Gala Aug. 30

■ The Randolph County Democratic Party’s 17th Annual Defending Democracy Blue Jean Gala is Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at the George Washington Carver Community Enrichment Center. Deadline to sign up is Saturday, Aug. 30.

Individual tickets are $50 and include dinner and the evening’s program, which begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will hear from candidates endorsed by the RCDP and connect with fellow supporters of democracy in Randolph County.