MINUTES

 

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA                                          BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

COUNTY OF HENDERSON                                                                                  MAY 29, 2001

 

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners met for a special called meeting at 5:00 p.m. in the Commissioners= Conference Room of the Henderson County Office Building at 100 North King Street, Hendersonville, North Carolina.

 

Those present were: Chairman Bill Moyer, Vice-Chair Marilyn Gordon, Commissioner Grady Hawkins, Commissioner Don Ward, Commissioner Charlie Messer, County Manager David E. Nicholson, and Assistant County Attorney Jennifer O. Jackson.

 

Also present were: Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator Rocky Hyder, Property Addressing Coordinator Curtis Griffin, and Volunteer Coordinator Amy Brantley.

 

Absent was Clerk to the Board Elizabeth W. Corn. Amy Brantley took notes and prepared the minutes in Ms. Corn=s absence.

 

CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME

Chairman Moyer called the meeting to order and welcomed those in attendance.  He stated that the purpose of this meeting was to hold Public Hearings on Road Names and Rural Route Addressing.

 

PUBLIC HEARING - ROAD NAMES

 

Staff Comments

Rocky Hyder presented the Board with a list of road names. The majority of the streets are in the Mountain Home Area, several are road petitions for unnamed roads, and two situations where a road is being renamed to eliminate a duplicate. The roads are Cosmos Drive, Poppy Lane, Audrey Trail, Courtland Blvd, Green Haven Lane, Mountain Home Street, Sweet Magnolia Lane, Sweetpea Lane, Sweet William Lane, Trillium Trace Drive, and Widows Peak Lane. The road petitions for unnamed roads are Boy Sue Trail, and Silas Sitton Drive. The two roads that will be renamed due to duplication are Wolf Shoals Lane to Kanuga Falls Lane, and Bulldog Lane to Shady Grove Lane.  

 

Public Comments

 

1. Richard Woodlee - Mr. Woodlee stated that he lives at #2 Woodlee Avenue, and has been there for about 25 years. The street in question, Green Haven Lane, is three blocks long. When the 911 system originally came out, two blocks were named Woodlee Avenue, and one block was named Austin Avenue.

 

The property addressing project requires that streets bear one name. He stated that there was a mixup with the first ballot. Since then, Mr. Woodlee generated a formal road name petition using the county=s petition as an example. He has 10 names on the petition, which is a majority.

 


2. Austin Smith - Mr. Smith informed the Board that he owns property on what is currently Austin Avenue, and that the street was named after him. He has lived in Mountain Home since 1954, and has done many things for the betterment of the community. He would like for the road name to remain Austin Avenue, but stopped approaching the neighbors about the road name to keep peace in the neighborhood. When the Property Addressing Department suggested Green Haven Lane, he supported it 100%.

 

Rocky Hyder informed the Board that after the first balloting process, it became clear that the community was divided between the two names. The Property Addressing Department=s proposal was to come up with a name that was neutral, and the community could support. In regards to the petitions Mr. Woodlee had submitted, it is their opinion that two of those votes be considered invalid. On one of these votes, the actual property owner is unclear. On the second vote, the voter=s property does not adjoin the street. The recommendation of the Property Addressing Department was to name the street Green Haven Lane, because the community supports that name.

 

Commissioner Messer questioned the number of residences on the street. Mr. Hyder stated that there are 18 properties. A neutral name was suggested to prevent a balloting situation similar to the first attempt, which resulted in an impasse. Commissioner Hawkins asked what the vote had been for Green Haven Lane. Mr. Hyder replied that it was 6 for Woodlee, and 12 for Green Haven.

 

Following discussion, Mr. Woodlee readdressed the Board. He maintained that the property which does not adjoin the street, does abut the old Third Avenue, and it is the quickest exit from the property. He further maintained that property owner which is in question, did pay $10,000 for the property and does have a deed. He cited additional reasons for wishing to retain Woodlee Avenue, including volunteer work and community service.

 

Commissioner Moyer made the motion to close the public hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

 

Mr. Smith then requested to readdress the Board. Commissioner Ward made the motion to reopen the public hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried.

 

Mr. Smith noted that the Woodlee Avenue portion of the street only has three houses, the rest consists of vacant lots. The Austin Avenue portion has the majority of the residences. He stated again that he supported the name Green Haven Lane, to maintain peace in the community.

 

Commissioner Ward questioned the issue with the Sheriff=s Deed. Jennifer Jackson explained that without having completed a title search on the property, she could not comment.

 

Commissioner Hawkins made the motion to close the public hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried.  

 

Following discussion, Commissioner Gordon made the motion to adopt the list of names presented by the Property Addressing Department. They were read into the record as follows: Cosmos Drive, Poppy Lane, Audrey Trail, Courtland Blvd, Green Haven Lane, Mountain Home Street, Sweet Magnolia Lane, Sweetpea Lane, Sweet William Lane, Trillium Trace Drive, and Widows Peak Lane, Boy Sue Trail, Silas Sitton Drive, Kanuga Falls Lane, and Shady Grove Lane.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.  

 

PUBLIC HEARING - RURAL ROUTE ADDRESSING

 

Staff Comments

Rocky Hyder presented the following Rural Routes:

Hendersonville - Routes 1 through 25

Fletcher - Route 1 and 3 through 7

Etowah - Routes 1 and 2

Flat Rock - Routes 1 through 6

Zirconia - Routes 1 and 2

Saluda - Route 1 (Henderson County Residents only)

Horse Shoe - Routes 1 and 2

Gerton - Route 1

Arden - Routes 1 through 3 (Henderson County Residents only)

Penrose - Route 1 (Henderson County Residents only)

 

Notices were posted in each of these Route areas, at the courthouse, in the Times-News,  and other appropriate areas.

 

Chairman Moyer made the motion to go into public hearing to get comments on the system.       

All voted in favor and the motion carried.  

 

Mr. Hyder informed the Board of the procedure that will be used in the road naming process.

1. Any road without existing addresses will be addressed using the 5.28 distance-based scheme.

2. Roads that have already been assigned addresses, that are in sequential, logical order will be  

    left the same.

3. Roads that have been assigned addresses, but have problems associated with the logical

    sequence of those addresses, will be changed only to the extent necessary to put those in

    logical order while leaving room for growth.

4. Roads that have addresses, but whose addresses are completely out of sequence will be

    completely readdressed to provide a logical sequence.

 

Chairman Moyer made the motion to close the public hearing. All voted in favor and the motion carried.  

 

Chairman Moyer made the motion to accept the system as explained to number rural routes with the actual numbers being brought back at a later date for approval. All voted in favor and the motion carried.  

 

Commissioner Hawkins made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:32 p.m.  All voted in favor and the motion carried.

 

Attest:

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                           

Elizabeth W. Corn, Clerk to the Board                        William L. Moyer, Chairman