City makes sidewalks a priority
By Mary Anderson
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - The city sidewalk ordinance was amended by the Asheboro City
Council at the regular meeting on Thursday to require sidewalks for all
new buildings except single family and duplex construction.
The update to the sidewalk standards for the city in the Asheboro overlay
district, including the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction (ETJ), requires
sidewalks to be installed along all street frontages in accordance with
City of Asheboro sidewalk design standards.
Councilwoman Linda Carter made the motion to amend the ordinance. Councilman
David Smith predicted the Asheboro city limits will grow to include the
ETJ and said the amendment "would protect what will become the city
limits."
On another matter, the council modified the lengeth of the Time Warner
Cable Television Franchise, but adopted the agreement on the first reading
with any additional changes to be made prior to the Feb. 10 meeting when
the franchise will be presented for adoption. After some discussion, the
council changed the requested 15-year franchise to a 10-year contract with
the option to continue for 5 additional years.
Terms of the contract include:
* Any new technology on the market and available from two vendors will
be made available to Asheboro subscribers.
* The city will receive a 5 percent franchise fee that Time Warner will
collect from subscribers.
* All government buildings, including the water plant, will get cable
access at no cost.
* Increases the time for Time Warner to identify and correct problems
from 30 days to 45 days.
* Time Warner will reimburse the city up to $4,000 for a government access
channel.
Dave Harris of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments said the town
has an educational channel now and may want to combine that with a government
access channel in the future.
Time Warner serves 5,100 customers in Asheboro.
The issue didn't subside without comment.
Charles Willard asked the council to reserve the right for a non-profit
organization to test market television programming in Asheboro.
Harris said while many churches use public access channels, anybody could
get on with any kind of programming. Time Warner has channel space available
for sale to entrepreneurs who produce their own programs.
Keith Crisco had concerns that the 15-year franchise was non-exclusive.
Mayor David Jarrell asked why Lexington residents paid $10 less per month
than Asheboro residents for the same service. Harris said one factor was
competition by a local telephone company in Lexington.
Councilman John McGlohon asked how many subscribers had signed up for
the high end options. Subscribers have no say on programming or price and
have to pay for the higher priced options to be available whether they want
them or not, McGlohon said.
Harris said the monthly fees to subscribers are set by a formula and
the council could do nothing about the rates.
In other business, the council:
* Approved a revised preliminary plat for Heathwood Acres, an 85-lot
subdivision located on Old Castle Drive. James Worth Heath of Randleman
is the developer of the property, currently under development in half-acre
lots.
* Approved a request by Madison Heights, LLC of Randleman, for a special
use permit to increase the density ratio in a subdivision to be developed
on 8.28 acres on the east side of North Fayetteville Street to allow construction
of a clubhouse and a car wash as amenities for residents of the 72-unit
development.
* Continued until the Feb. 10 meeting a request by Dexter L. Trogdon
Sr. for a special use permit for 2.4 acres of property located at 418 Loach
Street because the architect had not delivered the plans. Trogdon wants
to expand a church in a residential area by adding a fellowship hall and
some parking, landscaping and buffering to be installed in Phase 1 and a
new sanctuary with additional parking, landscaping and buffering to be installed
in Phase 2. A previous permit issued in 2003 had expired for lack of action
by church officials.
* Approved a request by Gary Martin for a special use permit for property
owned by James Wright at 527 and 529 N. Fayetteville St. for Light Industrial
Use in the B2 zoning district. Martin will have a maximum of six employees
to manufacture latex hospital supplies in the vacant 9,500-square-foot office
building.
* Approved a satellite annexation requested by BSR, LLC for non-contiguous
annexation of 2.318 acres along the west side of U.S. 220 Business South.
* Set a public hearing for the Feb. 10 meeting on a petition from James
C. and Shirley P. Allred and Patsy Lee Haynes requesting contiguous annexation
of 1.5 acres at the intersection of Idlewild Drive Extension and Rockaway
Drive.
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