OAK RIDGE town council
Nov. 4 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS as reported by CHRIS BURRITT Mayor Ann Schneider called the monthly meeting in Oak Ridge Town Hall to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman and council members George McClellan, Doug Nodine and Martha Pittman present. Denise Sacks, missions and discipleship pastor at Shady Grove Wesleyan Church in Colfax, offered the invocation; it was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Scout project. Milana Nostrand, a founding member of Oak Ridge’s Scout Troop 219 G (girls), received a standing ovation in recognition of her Eagle Scout service project. For her project she photographed the gravestones of veterans in local cemeteries to create a database of information for history buffs, relatives and others.
“This is an awesome resource,” Schneider said, noting a link to the database will be posted on the town’s website.
PUBLIC SAFETY Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. L.T. Tucker reported the sheriff’s District 1 office responded to 77 calls in Oak Ridge in October, including two burglaries from motor vehicles and one residential burglary; there were also three larcenies. Oak Ridge Fire Department. Engineer Jesse Hopper reported the department responded to 71 calls for emergency service in October, including two fire-related calls and 27 medical-related calls. Firefighters obtained 729 hours of training. As a safety tip, Hopper encouraged homeowners to have their fireplaces, chimneys and gas logs inspected before using them this season.
WHAT they voted on, and HOW they voted: Mayor Ann Schneider, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman and council members George McClellan, Doug Nodine and Martha Pittman voted on the following items during the Nov. 4 meeting.
5 0: Appoint Adrian Eckenrod as an alternate on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee 5 0: Authorize transfer of $21,161.87 to the Veterans Memorial Restricted Fund
5 0: Adopt a resolution seeking state environmental approval for creating a municipal water system
5 0: Accept the town finance officer’s financial report for October 5 0: Authorize finance officer and the town manager to negotiate
with Truist Financial for a loan for up to $3.25 million to help pay for development of Heritage Farm Park
‘CLEAN’ AUDIT
Chad Cook, senior manager for Dixon Hughes Goodman, said the accounting firm’s audit of the town’s finances for the fiscal year ended June 30 produced a “clean” report, with no modifications to financial information needed. Council members congratulated finance officer Sam Anders for his handling of Oak Ridge’s finances. “Things are in great order,” Schneider said.
MANAGER’S REPORT 5 0 to appoint Adrian Eckenrod
as an alternate on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
5 0 to authorize the transfer
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NOV. 18 - DEC. 1, 2021
The Northwest Observer
of $21,161.87 to the Veterans Memorial Restricted Fund, matching money raised by the Special Events Committee for the establishment of a site honoring veterans. In the quarter ended Sept. 30, the committee raised $20,839.87 from donations and food truck proceeds during RidgeFest. An additional $322 in donations was received in the previous fiscal year ended June 30, bringing the town’s match to $21,161.87. To date, collections by the committee and the town’s match total $42,001.74, according to an Oct. 27 memo from Town Clerk Sandra Smith •toTotally local since 1996 the council. Combined with $8,649
collected before the town committed to match donations, the committee has raised $50,650.74 for the veterans site. Constructing the Veterans Honor Green in Heritage Farm Park is estimated to cost about $150,000, according to Schneider. Earlier this year, the council agreed to provide as much as $34,000 in matching funds to the project in this fiscal year, which will end June 30, 2022. Later in the meeting, Special Events Committee Chair Patti Dmuchowski said the committee is “overwhelmed by the generosity of the community” in donating to Veterans Honor Green.
NEW BUSINESS 5 0 to adopt a resolution seek-
ing state environmental approval for creating a municipal water system. Approval of the resolution advanced plans for establishing a water system that would initially serve new Oak Ridge subdivisions with at least 30 lots. The resolution addresses three documents – a water system management plan, water rules and a water conservation plan – that town manager Bill Bruce is submitting to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for approval. In July, the town hired Envirolink Inc. to establish and operate the water system, and will rely upon the contractor to work with state regulators to obtain approval of the town’s water system management
