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Serving Stokesdale, Oak Ridge, Summerfield, & Northwest Guilford County :: Your Locally Owned, General Interest Newspaper :: March 2014 Edition ::
Summerfield Trail Project May Cost Millions Of Dollars
Business leaders in the northwest Guilford area met at the recent breakfast meeting for the Stokesdale Business Association in February. Photo: The Star.
Stokesdale Tries To Revive Business Association
Summerfield Town Manager Scott Whitaker points to a map for the proposed trail that would run from Highway 220 to the Community Park. Photo: The Star.
By The Star By The Star
a big city like Greensboro, as the money stays here locally. “We need to get back to those small town roots,” said Bruno. “We want to get back to where we started.” Bruno said at the meeting that they are hoping to encourage old members to return and to get new members to sign up. The group hopes to not only have regular breakfast meetings once a quarter but also to have networking sessions after work as well. In addition, they hope to have a new updated website with a list of members that can be used by the public as a service directory. Dues for the group are $75 and they are giving anyone credit for their dues if they paid last year due to the inactibity of the group over the last few months. “In all fairness that seemed like the right thing to do,” said Bruno. Stokesdale Town Mayor Randy Braswell who was present at the meeting said he would like to see more large companies like Culp Ticking join the group to make sure they are represented in the business community. He said it would also benefit small business owners if they could provide needed products or services to larger companies. Braswell said it was important for the town to have the business association back up and running. “Small businesses make this country rock and roll,” he said. “Stokesdale to me is a powerhouse for small business. We support each other.” There was a consensus at the meeting that business owners would certainly benefit from meeting on a regular basis and just letting each other know that their services and products are available. The group plans to send out email notices about upcoming meetings and events. If you’d like to join the email list or join as a member, just contact business association president Frank Bruno at 336-337-8473 or you can also call Frank Schmid at 336-676-2947. ::
SUMMERFIELD – There has been a lot of discussion about a proposed 2.7 mile walking trail in Summerfield and there has even been a trail committee to try and determine a route, but until recently, there hasn’t been much talk about how much the trail will actually cost taxpayers, especially those in town. The proposed trail would run from US Highway 220 from a proposed tunnel, cross part of Summerfield to Pleasant Ridge Road and then head towards Summerfield Elementary where it will end at the Community Park behind the school. At the recent budget workshop on February 25th, with the Summerfield Town Council in attendance, there finally seemed to be some numbers on costs as council member Alicia Flowers tried to get Summerfield Town Manager Scott Whitaker to provide some clarity on cost. When asked if Whitaker could provide a possible dollar figure for just the planning of the trail, he declined. “I’d rather not throw it out there, because it has no scope,” he said. When pressed further, Whitaker finally said that the town had budgeted $250,000 for the trail’s design but also acknowledged it could be much higher. He said one design firm gave a much higher estimate. “They said it could be as high as $500,000,” he told the council. Whitaker also said that as a general rule for such trail projects, the total cost for the project would be around 5 times the cost of the initial design. “The design cost is 15 to 20 percent of the total construction cost, so that gives you some idea,” he said. In other words, if design quotes came in at around $250,000 the cost of the trail construction project could be estimated to be around $1.25 million. If the cost of the initial design came in at $500,000, then the construction costs could be estimated to be $2.5 million according to Whitaker’s formula. Those costs would be in addition to any costs spent on acquiring property or easements for the trail. Right now, the town has expended no dollars on the project and the council would have to vote to proceed. It if goes forward, the town may be able to get some of the trail paid for by getting state or federal grants that may cover as much as 80% of the construction costs. However, those are not guaranteed as the town would have to apply for those grants and get approval before gaining the funding from other sources. Whitaker seems to be pushing for the town to go ahead and pay for the initial design, even if it doesn’t apply for or receive grant money to help cover those initial costs. “What we initially pay out up front will ultimately indicate our seriousness about this project,” said Whitaker. Town council member Alicia Flowers said since a lot of money was involved, she felt the town had an obligation to at Business leaders introduce themselves at the Stokesdale Business Association least try and get outside funding for the meeting. They hope to have at least quarterly meetings in town. Photo: The Star. design phase rather than not even apply
STOKESDALE – In February, the Stokesdale Business Association met at the Stokesdale Town Hall for a breakfast meeting in an effort to revive the group and revive membership in the organization. About 14 people were there at the group’s first meeting in a long time. Those present included representatives from the insurance, construction, computers, transportation, service and other industries. The business association, which also has used the name “Four Corners Chamber of Commerce,” has faltered in the past year for several reasons, but business men and women who showed up at the recent meeting are hoping to change the group’s momentum. In years past, the group had an active membership and even put out a Stokesdale business directory, but a combination of factors including the downturn in the economy and a difference in opinion on how to lead the group, caused some issues. At the recent meeting, Frank Bruno, who works with Woodmen of the World insurance and who is also a town council member, said that the new group welcomes businesses from around the area, not just in Stokesdale. Indeed at the meeting there were people there from Oak Ridge including George McClellan of Lincoln Financial Services. McClellan lives in Oak Ridge and also serves on the town council there. “This area is a great place to do business,” said Mr. McClellan. Bruno told the people present at the meeting that there are around 100 businesses just in Stokesdale. He added that people want to do business locally but if they don’t know someone is in the area providing a service then they can’t do business with them. Many in the group said they would rather obtain a product or a service from someone in their community than have to drive into
for it at all. “There’s a 50-50 chance if you ask for it, but there’s a 100% chance you won’t get it if you don’t ask for it,” she said. Whitaker said that by applying for the outside funding for the design, it could delay the project by six months. Despite floating the initial cost estimates, Whitaker said they really don’t know costs for sure and that the town needs to send out RFP’s or Requests For Proposals from design firms which should provide a more concrete idea of the potential costs. Also discussed at the meeting was the issue of what happens if all of the property owners don’t agree to an easement through their property for the trail. The trail easement could be 20 feet wide with a 10 foot wide paved area passing through properties on the way. Although town officials were careful not to say that they would in fact employ legal moves such as condemnation or eminent domain to take the property forcibly from unwilling landowners, it was discussed as a possible option. “You either buy it, negotiate it, or purchase what you need...or you condemn it and that’s eminent domain,” said Whitaker, who said that they have secured verbal agreements along 90% of the proposed trail so far. At meetings, landowners who have not signed off yet on the trail have been somewhat vilified by town officials. Rather than acknowledging that some people may just not want strangers walking through their backyard or their property divided by easements, one trail committee member at the February 11th town meeting described anyone opposed to a trail easement as “a hermit.” Whitaker called unwilling landowners “a challenge” and those properties “trouble spots.” He admitted the town may have to shell out some cash to landowners, especially at the ends of the trail where there is more opposition. “I think we’re going to have to spend some money to make this work,” he said. “Some people see [a trail easement through their land] as a property enhancement,” he said. “Other people see it differently.” ::
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