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Treasurer and — Taylorsville officials are shown above from left to right: Town Manager Aaron Wyke, Mayor Pro-Tem Eric Bumgarner, Councilman Tamara Odom, Treasurer Zachary Green, Mayor George Hallman, City Council. Congressmen Kim Brown and Jack Sims.
Written by Angela Farr King
The Taylorsville City Council held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. The Rev. Allen Fox, pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Taylorsville, opened the meeting with a prayer for the town.
This was the first meeting for new Finance Director Zachary Green. He has been on the job for three and a half weeks. “He’s already been a great help at town hall,” said Yolanda Prince, a town clerk. Green earned his bachelor’s degree from Guilford College and his master’s degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has spent the past three years doing private bookkeeping work.
The Town Council unanimously passed a resolution designating an applicant’s representative for the Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities (BRIC) grant application. Town Manager Aaron Wyke has been designated as the lead agent on the application. This was part of the grant application process.
In the second part of the application, the Board unanimously approved the Local Match Fund Commitment Letter. Weick explained that the letter commits the town to paying 10% of the grant amount, or $191,505. He went on to explain that the scope of the grant project includes:
• Sewage pump station improvements: Replace four pumps with heavy-duty pumps. Replace the two control panels with units with weatherproof enclosures, electrical surge protection and rain screens, and install the Fairway Oaks pump station’s electrical equipment on an elevated level.
• Sewer Stream Crossings: Strengthening 15-inch sewer pipes exposed in the levee and floodplain near Stillewoldt Creek. Reinforce with soil, natural rock, and vegetation (no concrete).
• Road culverts: Replace existing undersized road culverts (which are frequently susceptible to flood damage) with nature-based solutions.
• Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) improvements: Relocating chemicals and equipment out of the floodplain. Replacing existing chlorine contact tanks with new ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems to eliminate the use of chlorine gas in floodplains. Restoring the Strewalt Creek stream and floodplain to its natural state along the north/upstream side of the wastewater treatment plant site as a nature-based solution to reduce flood impacts.
Wike was asked about the project schedule. He said there is no guarantee the grant will be covered, but the town has received grants in the past so he expects that to happen. He expects the town will be notified of the grant decision by March or April. Wike added that if the town receives the grant, he expects a bidding process will take place and the project will begin in the fall of this year.
Manager Wyke then submitted a request to install “No Truck Turn Right” signs at North Carolina Highway intersections. 16 South and Main Avenue Drive. He said he received a call from Adams Funeral Home about a truck coming around the corner trying to turn right off the highway. On 16th South he enters Main Avenue Drive and damages a retaining wall. If the truck driver fails to stop, Adams Funeral Home will have to pay for the repairs out of pocket or use its own insurance to cover the costs. Mr Wike further explained that there is currently a “No Right Turn Truck” sign in the middle of the highway sidewalk. It is located to the south just before the 16th intersection, but the location is bad. He contacted Scotty Abernathy of the Department of Transportation to investigate the scene. Abernathy recommended installing signs at actual traffic lights. The board was asked to vote on a public hearing on the issue and unanimously voted to hold a public hearing at its next board meeting on March 5th. If passed, police departments would have the power to ticket trucks that turn right.
In a budget amendment, the City Council approved receiving a $3,500 general fund contribution from the private sector for Hometown Christmas. They also approved transferring $18,181.59 in reimbursement from the police radio grant received to the general fund.
Alexander County Children’s Partnership will close one block of First Street SW between Main Avenue and Main Avenue Drive on Thursday, April 11, 2024 for the annual Spring Fling from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. I have submitted a request. It also requested a rainy day closure, set for April 18, if necessary. The board unanimously approved the request.
Taylorsville Police Chief Mike Millsaps said in a staff report that the department received 137 voluntary calls in January. These are calls where officers initiate a stop or approach a vehicle because they are already on scene. The number of dispatches in January was 361. Millsaps noted that this equates to a total of about 500 calls per month, which is a very high volume.
Aaron Wike reported on public works. He said it started raining on January 9th, and 4.5 inches of rain fell quickly. As a result, four cases of sewer flooding occurred. He said the Department of Public Works had taken precautions, including proactively replacing one pump before the rain, but overflows still occurred.
Wike also told the board that during heavy rains, rain seeps in through the back door of Urgent Care at Mountain View in Taylorsville. He said it creates a “river” flowing behind their buildings. Wike added that this has also caused problems with water seeping through the side walls on his Second Avenue side of Urgent Care. He said the problem would likely cost around $50,000 to fix, but it needed to be addressed “sooner rather than later.”
The Town Council will hold a work session on “Downtown Revitalization Initiatives” on Tuesday, February 20th at 10 a.m. The next monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th at 5:30 p.m.
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