Gary Herman
Alex. County Public Information Officer
More recreational opportunities are on the horizon as the Alexander County Board of Commissioners approved two lease agreements with Duke Energy at their February 4th meeting. Once finalized, the county will have 40-year leases for Dusty Ridge Park and the Wittenburg Access Area.
The Wittenburg Access Area, which is located off Wildlife Access Road in Bethlehem, totals 26.7 acres. It currently has parking, boat access, and a fishing pier. Alexander County Manager Rick French said the county hopes to apply for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant to help fund some recreational opportunities there. Proposed amenities include a disc golf course, picnic areas, trails, a swim beach, restrooms, and additional parking.
French said that PARTF grant applications are due May 1st, with announcement of awards sometime in the fall of this year.
Dusty Ridge Park is currently leased by Alexander County, so a new lease will extend that agreement. The 78.3-acre park currently has three athletic fields, restrooms, a concession stand, trails, a picnic shelter, and parking. Proposed amenities include a mountain bike trail, a disc golf course, soccer fields, as well as additional trails, restrooms, picnic shelters, and parking.
Once the agreements are finalized, the county will begin planning the various improvements at these two locations.
“These are some amazing plans. You see a lot of things like these in other places,” said Commission Chairman Jeff Peal. “This is a lot of really good green-space activities that will be a big asset to our citizens in providing recreation that thousands will have the opportunity to enjoy.”
In other business, commissioners approved abatement of a nuisance for property located at 150 Bridge Pointe Lane in Bethlehem, owned by Kenneth Mogray. Jon Pilkenton, Alexander County Planning and Development Director, said the property includes a house with a collapsed roof. The initial complaint was filed in July 2018. Code Enforcement Officer Seth Harris served notice to the property owner on July 19 giving him thirty days to remove the violation. Upon a site visit by Harris on September 15, the issue had not been corrected, and the owner was served a second notice of violation. On September 29, the owner stated that he was willing to remove the house and would consult with a contractor. As of January 2019, the violation still had not been corrected, and the property owner was served with a Notice of Hearing to appear before the County Commissioners. Pilkenton said that on January 29, the owner obtained a demolition permit from his department, but there is no time limit on the permit; therefore, he recommended declaring the property a nuisance and giving the owner 20 days to abate. If the issue isn’t corrected in 20 days, the county will demolish the house and bill the owner.
Commissioners approved a rezoning request from Stephen Tyler Brown for three parcels on S and K Road, just off NC Hwy. 127, totaling three acres. The land will be rezoned from RA-20 (residential/agricultural) to H-C (highway/commercial). Brown intends to build mini-storage units on the property.
Paul Teague, Community and Economic Project Developer for the Western Piedmont Council of Governments, presented information about the fair housing requirements involved with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the Stony Point Elementary School wastewater project. He plans to present a fair housing plan at the March meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
The next meeting of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners is set for Monday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the CVCC Alexander Center for Education.
Meetings are recorded and uploaded to the county’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/alexandercountync. The meetings are also aired on the Alexander County Government Channel on Spectrum channel 192.