Here is a summary of local government meetings in the Lake Norman region for the latter part of July. We are supplying links so you may view the streaming video from these meetings at their actual times or after the meetings. Please note our reports do not include the full content of the meetings. —EH Stafford, Managing Editor
Cornelius
MONDAY, JULY 20th — Board approves raise for Town Manager
At the Monday, July 21st meeting of the Cornelius Town Board, commissioners approved a 7.6% raise for Town Manager Andrew Grant. His annual salary will increase from $144,000 to $155,000. The raise is retroactive to June 4, and the issue will be revisited in February. At this point, uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial implications it will ultimately have on the town’s finances prevented Grant from receiving a higher pay increase. Grant’s salary increase brings his compensation more in line with similarly sized towns.
Cornelius Town Board meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 7pm in the Assembly Room at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Avenue, Cornelius, NC 28031. Meetings may be closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions, check with the town to confirm. You can view current and past agendas as well as video streaming of the meetings on the Cornelius Town Hall website.
Davidson
TUESDAY, JULY 28th — Turn Lane project completed
At the July 28th Davidson Board of Commissioners meeting, it was announced that the Town of Davidson had completed the right turn lane at the Davidson-Concord Road intersection with N.C. Highway 73 in the middle of June. A repositioning of the Washam Road intersection is just a portion of the overall scope of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) plans for Highway 73 modifications, which are still years away.
Delays
The delay in the right turn lane project was evident before the financial shortcomings brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the delays in NCDOT’s schedule of projects, the Town decided they would take on the turn lane project as one of their own with approval from NCDOT. Including all engineering and construction costs, the overall financial implications for the Town of Davidson was $105,700.
Davidson does not anticipate any refunds from the state for the project, but the town could reimburse itself for those expenditures when previously approved transportation bonds are issued. When commissioners began discussing the turn lane project as something the town could handle as opposed to waiting for the NCDOT to complete the project, the NCDOT estimated that N.C. Highway 73 work would begin in 2023.
NCDOT revised project schedule
The NCDOT released a revised project schedule delaying construction on the eastern section of N.C. 73 between N.C. 115 and U.S. 29 in Concord, which also included the Davidson-Concord Road area until 2026. Construction on the western section of N.C. 73 project is still slated to begin in 2023.
Davidson Town Board meetings occur on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Meetings may be closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions, check with the town to confirm. The agenda, meeting minutes, and links to audio and video recordings of the meetings can be viewed on the town’s website. See exact meeting dates and times on the calendar. Contact information for Davidson’s mayor and board of commissioners is available in the staff directory .
Huntersville
MONDAY, JULY 20th — Huntersville’s history appears to be changing
After a lengthy exchange of ideas, public input, and pleads from two commissioners, the 102-year-old “Doc Craven House” located at 103 Old Statesville Road appears to simply be part of the town’s past. Currently, the house is listed on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Historic Landmark Commission as a notable property. Commissioners approved a proposal for the house to be demolished to make way for a prioritized path linking the east and west sides of town.
Small possibility to save the Doc Craven House
The one saving grace for the house is that if someone comes forward interested in purchasing and moving the house from its current location, the town will cooperate.
The plan for a greenway
The plan is to transform the nearly 1-acre plot of land into a park-like facility paving the way for a greenway. It is located near the Cashion’s mart at the intersection of N.C. 115 and Gilead Road. The town purchased the house and the property four months ago. The town finalized the $350,000 purchase in June. The current plans for the land align with state and town objectives. Construction is slated to begin soon on the proposed greenway segment, which will go through the park, west of the property, behind Huntersville Elementary School, toward U.S. 21.
It is envisioned as a multi-modal link between the towns’ historic downtown and greenway networks on the western side of interstate 77. As part of the interstate 77 express lane construction project, a tunnel will provide a unique non-motorized vehicle passageway connecting opposite sides of the interstate.
Wanted more time
Two of the six commissioners strongly opposed the plan, asking for the final decision to be pushed back. They wanted time to conduct a thorough inspection of the building’s state, suggesting a $7,000 to $10,000 investment for a comprehensive evaluation could determine if the building could be saved. Ultimately, demolition of the historic landmark was agreed upon because of money the town had already spent to purchase the property and adjacent house, and the estimated $150,000 to $200,000 price tag it would cost to renovate the house.
The reason for the high cost to rehabilitate the house is due to the unknowns of the plumbing, electrical, and overall structure, as well as the possibility of having to deal with hazardous materials like asbestos, and experiences related to other efforts to preserve and market historic properties.
Huntersville Town Board meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 6pm in the Huntersville Town Hall, 101 Huntersville-Concord Road, Huntersville, NC 28078. Meetings may be closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions, check with the town to confirm. You can view meetings on the Town of Huntersville’s Facebook page.
Mooresville
MONDAY, JULY 20th — Cancelled
Mooresville Town Board meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 6pm in the Executive Board Room at Mooresville Town Hall, 413 North Main Street, Mooresville, NC 28115. Meetings may be closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions, check with the town to confirm. View current/past agendas and video of the board meetings.
Photos courtesy Pixabay.com
Travis Sherrill
A lifelong Mooresville native, and a library associate at the Mooresville Public Library. I am in charge of marketing and promoting events taking place at the library. An avid sports fanatic. I especially love Davidson Wildcats basketball, Atlanta Braves baseball, and NASCAR.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by our writers belong solely to them and do not represent LKNConnect.com, its publisher or its staff.
