BY DEBBIE PAGE

Troutman Town Council members discussed problems related to a recent horse auction at the Iredell County Fairgrounds during their agenda briefing on Monday.

Town Manager Ron Wyatt said that the town welcomes events at the fairground and wants to work with the county and event organizers to have a great experience. However, Wyatt said that the town is not responsible for policing the conduct and activities occurring on the fairground site and needs to make expectations clear to organizers.

Councilman Eddie Nau said he was unhappy with the traffic conditions, illegal parking, and parking in business parking lots that blocked customers from patronizing those businesses.

Nau was also concerned that the PA system was still blasting auction business at 1:30 a.m. and disturbing nearby residents. Since another horse auction is planned for the spring, Nau suggested that the council and staff consider measures to strictly enforce UDO requirements and traffic and parking regulations before the next horse auction event.

Nau also noted that County Commissioner Gene Houpe was very receptive to the concerns expressed by Troutman officials during a recent conversation.

Wyatt said the town requires permits for gatherings of more than 50 people. When the paperwork for the next event arrives, Wyatt said the town will require organizers hire additional officers to control traffic and parking.

The town will also require that the auction organizers develop a parking plan for the event. The organizers must ensure events are properly supervised and carried out, before the town will sign off on the event, Wyatt said.

The town manager was especially concerned about the difficulties customers faced while accessing area businesses during the recent event.

Council member Paul Henkel set the town needs to be more serious about dealing with these issues. He suggested setting up a meeting with the county manager to set expectations and explain ordinances to increase desired collaboration between the county and the town.

INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT UPDATES

Town Planner Andrew Ventresca also updated the council on several intersection improvements. He reported that the North Main/Old Mountain/Murdoch Road intersection has progressed to the point that NCDOT has given approval for letters of interest for engineers to be issued.

Ventresca said selecting an engineer and the ensuing design process will take about a year. The project, which is funded by a grant, will also require the purchase right of way.

Ventresca estimated that the project might begin in 2027 if all goes smoothly. The design will include extending turn lanes and adding auxiliary lanes through the intersection. Pedestrian improvements desired by the council could be added to the project.

The Flower Loop/Houston Road intersection realignment is already underway. Utility relocation has begun, and NCDOT has set April 22 as the let date for construction bids. The state-funded project should only take a few months to complete once construction begins.

Oswalt-Amity/Barkdale/South Main Street intersection will also be getting required turn lanes soon, paid for by the Rocky Creek subdivision developers.

These two improvements near Exit 42 should help alleviate some traffic congestion, Ventresca said.

At the last agenda, briefing, council members discussed the need for a pedestrian crossing across Main Street near Town Hall to help ESC Park access. However, Ventresca said NCDOT was against this idea because of the 35 mph speed limit and the heavy traffic on the the busy highway.

The agency suggested the best place for a pedestrian crosswalk would be at the Tally Street stoplight, which could be possibly added to the sidewalk project if council members desire.

In an update on the long-delayed Tally Street sidewalk project, Ventresca reported that right of way plans have now been approved by NCDOT so that the project can seek estimates of the cost to acquire right of way along the 33 properties impacted by the project. The town will need to purchase varying amounts of property from 25 of those property owners

The cost estimate is needed to request the money to purchase the right of way from these property owners.

Ventresca said that the acquisition will hopefully not be too much of a headache. The speed of acquisition depends on how citizens negotiate with the town. Acquisition could go as quickly as six months but could also extend to years if negotiations are difficult.

UPCOMING THURSDAY NIGHT

The agenda for Thursday Night’s agenda includes:

♦ Recognition of Jose Pinheiro as the Town of Troutman December Employee of the Month.

♦ Recognition of the 2024 Town of Troutman Employee of the Year.

♦ Presentation of the Town of Troutman 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Audit by Alan Thompson of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams and Co.

♦ Presentation of the ABC Store quarterly report by Layton Getsinger.

♦ Consideration of a date and time for council’s Strategic Planning Retreat.