ASHEBORO — The Asheboro City Council met Thursday and authorized engagement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, the annexation of property into city limits, and the approval of a contract for turf on the Zoo City Sportsplex.
The council approved authorization to engage the Piedmont Triad Regional Council for two different projects.
The first project is for grant services related to the construction of the David and Pauline Jarrell Center City Garden.
“At the last council meeting, I informed the council of our intention to work with the Regional Council to pursue grant funds for the construction of the Jarrell Center City Garden,” said Community Development Director Trevor Nuttall. “There’s a community involvement part of this, a permitting part of this, and they will help us manage any subcontractors that are necessary as we go through the final planning and design process.”
The second project is to provide strategic management assistance to the city for a potential waterline extension project.
“We have been in communication with Randolph County Economic Corporation since the beginning of May concerning a potential project going on at the Chatham Advanced Manufacturing Site on the Randolph County-Chatham County line,” said Water Resources Director Michael Rhoney. “Their request to us is if we’d be willing to extend certain water services to that site. The state budget was approved with a large sum of money granted for potential development there, and that was granted to the City of Asheboro to provide that service. With that, it’s a big undertaking for us, and there are several jurisdictions involved, so we have gone to the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to seek their guidance.”
The council then approved a $3,897,216.41 contract with Field Turf for the installation of turf fields and all appurtenances on Fields 5, 6, 7, and 8 at the Zoo City Sportsplex.
Along with this, the council needed to approve a budget amendment to the general fund to appropriate $2,181,790 in fund balance to transfer to the Zoo City Sportsplex fund for the new turf expense.
The council also held two public hearings, both for annexation requests into the city limits of Asheboro, the first being a request for approximately 7 acres of land at 923 Meadowbrook Road and the other being a request for approximately 20 acres of land in the Timber Ridge Subdivision along East Allred Street.
The council approved both annexation requests after no comments were brought forth during the public hearing periods.
The council then heard a request from William C. Burrow for city waterline connection authorization for property outside the city and not contiguous to the primary city limit lines.
“[The applicant] is wanting to connect to a city water main,” said City Attorney Jeff Sugg. “He does not fit under the normal exception, which is that you have to be adjoining an existing line. His situation is that he’s submitted documents from the Randolph County Health Department showing that the water is not safe to drink on that particular property. He’s not asking for access to a city sewer main; he’s asking only for access to a water main. Since he’s outside the city, the city would not extend the line, would not pay the cost to do so, and would not procure an easement. However, under the city code, the council has the authority to grant him an exemption and allow him to connect to the water main based on the peculiar facts, that being unsafe drinking water.”
The council approved the request as the applicant is taking the necessary steps to procure a private easement and pay for and maintain the line.
The City of Asheboro Council will next meet September 8.
