At the end of the public portion of the meeting, the board went into closed session with the town’s attorney, Ray Parker, to discuss the issue.
“No action was taken specifically on the issue,” Lloyd Payne, Elkin’s town manager said after the closed session. “Our request to our attorney was to contact the attorney for the business owners.”
“JFM Enterprises, LLC, and its attorney has sent a packet of information to the town of Elkin requesting that they revisit their decision of an ordinance that would allow them to charge us $5,000 for our privilege license and $3,000 per computer terminal,” Frank Myers, owner of JFM Enterprises, LLC said.”We have had no contact from the town or its attorney and are waiting on a response.”
After the meeting was called to order, minutes from the previous March and April meetings were approved and Terry Kennedy was excused from the meeting while he attended a recognition ceremony in which his wife was being honored.
Barbara Long, Elkin City Schools CTE director, came to the board of commissioners to request a waiver of the connection fee for a water tap to the new community garden project in downtown Elkin.
“The community garden is part of our learn and serve grant we received from the state,” Long said. “We’ve come to request that as part of that grant, as a participant of three community organizations, the town waive the tap fee for a water connection that will service the garden. The grant was in the amount of $11,000. and a good portion of it is being spent on the garden.
“When it’s finished, residents will be able to rent a plot where they may like to plant vegetables, flowers or herbs,” she said. “Our students may grow vegetables and offer them for sale as a means to fund the maintenance of the garden. We need to be able to provide a water source for the garden.”
A tap fee for a water connection cost $500.
Gill Ripley, commissioner, spoke his concerns over providing a water source not being a green compliant to the garden.
“How are you going to control the water,” Ripley asked Long.
“We are planning to either put a lock on the water valve and we plan to have deer fencing and could possibly put a lock on the gate to the garden also,” Long said.
“I oppose the waiver (because), I’m concerned it would not be a green garden (with a provided water source).”
Long explained to the board that although water could be carried from the homes of the people who rent the garden plots, when planting tomato plants, there is a need for daily watering.
The commissioners voted three to one to approve the waiving of the fee, with Ripley opposing.
Mayor Lestine Hutchens congratulated Leslie Schlender, Elkin’s economic director, for completing the Rural Economic Development school.
“I want to congratulate Leslie on completing these classes,” Hutchens said. “This is a tough class to get through in three months.”
Commissioner Joe Walker spoke to remind everyone of the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival this coming Saturday at the Elkin Municipal Park.
Dan Whelan spoke to the board in request of a variance to allow alcohol and the closing of Main Street, due to a change in the date of the first “Celebrate Elkin” event this year.
“There is a conflict in the date we had first asked for, May 22, so we’ve had to postpone the first Celebrate Elkin night to May 29,” Whelan said. “I’m requesting that we be allowed to serve alcohol and close Main Street on May 29 for the event.
“We will be utilizing the downtown area on May 22 for additional auditions for anyone who wishes to compete in the talent show on May 29.”
The board unanimously approved the request.
In another issue, Whelan asked the board if any resolution had been made concerning the use of off-site signs to advertise downtown Elkin events as well as the placement of banners along Main Street.
Hutchens explained that the request first had to go through the planning board and then their recommendation would brought before the board to discuss.
“I’ve done a proposal of sorts,” Whelan said. “I thought that possibly there could be two different zones. A festival zone, which would designate the areas of downtown and the Elkin Municipal Park, and a designation for for-profit and non-profit organizations.”
The board referred him to the planning and zoning board for recommendations and approval.
George Crater, Elkin’s planning director proposed a change request in the number of complaints received prior to action in the minimum housing code policy.
“At present, when five people complain, we contact the property owner about any unsafe housing violations,” Crater said. “We would like to request that this be changed to after three complaints.
“We would refer to the N. C. building codes and would incorporate the codes as to whether a structure is determined to be safe or unsafe within the city limits,” he said.
Approval was given for the change in the number of complaints prior to action.
Payne spoke to the board of a request from Jonesville to participate in an Elkin-Jonesville emergency interconnection.
“The eight inch water line that is attached to the bridge is a gravity fed line,” Payne said. “Jonesville is working on building a new water plant, and to get a large sustained water flow, they need the water line from us.
“The line was initially put in place when the area was experiencing a drought and Elkin needed to pull water from the Yadkin River. We have a pump that allows us to bring the water into Elkin, but to send the water to Jonesville, it is only gravity fed. Jonesville is expecting the cost to be in the neighborhood of $150,000. Our portion of this, minus the $15,000 we spent originally would be approximately $57,500.
“This amount is before any grant money that is available is applied. It would be a win, win situation for Elkin. The booster pump that would be put in place will allow for approximately 300,000 gallons to be moved swiftly to Jonesville.”
After discussion between the board members, Payne continued to explain the request.
“The state said they want Jonesville to have a large interconnection to move water quickly if needed,” Payne said. “The connection will be underground and a most likely fenced.”
Both Joe Walker, commissioner, and Ripley expressed concerns with the funding.
“This is an option for us but not for Jonesville,” Walker asked Payne.
“Yes,” Payne said. “They have to have this, but we don’t have to go the 50/50 on the money.”
“I’d like us to go after grant money before we decide,” Ripley said.
The board agreed to a participatory agreement for which they consented with the amount to be determined minus the $15,000 that was put in with the initial eight inch line that follows the bridge.
“In the spirit of cooperation we should agree to participate,” Ripley said.
An update on the tennis court project brought Adam McComb before the board with a request to use funds from the Virginia Shaw fund.
“A recommendation from the USTA (United States Tennis Association), has been given to use an engineering firm that will oversee the bids and the construction documents for the tennis court project,” McComb said. “We would like to request $20,000 from the Virginia Shaw fund to put toward the engineering.
“The balance of the Shaw fund is $77,500.” he said. “We’re asking the board for approval to use this money at the recommendation of the parks and recreation advisory board.”
After the board approved the use of the funds, Hutchens spoke of Virginia Shaw.
“Virginia Shaw will never know how much good her money has done for the town of Elkin,” Hutchens said.
The Town of Elkin has openings on the library, Main Street, and planning advisory boards and is seeking citizens who would like to participate.
Teresa Howell, Main Street director, spoke to the board of changes to the by-laws for eligible members of the Main Street advisory board.
“We’re re-doing the by-laws to allow for business owners in Elkin who are not Elkin residents to be allowed to sit on the board,” Howell said.
“We are reconsidering using concerned citizens who care about the downtown area as advisory board members,” Payne said.
The board reappointed Joan Saunders to the library board for a three-year term. There are two openings remaining on the library board.
The planning advisory board has an opening for the ETJ member, which will be an alternate position.
Elkin’s Main Street advisory board has four openings. The town requests that anyone interested in being a member of one of the advisory boards, contact the town for more information.
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