SUMMERFIELD town council
March 8 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS as reported by CHRIS BURRITT Mayor Tim Sessoms called the monthly meeting in Summerfield Community Center to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members John O’Day, Janelle Robinson, Reece Walker and John Doggett present.
5 0 to adopt the consent
Oak Ridge council member George McClellan offered the invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Town Manager Scott Whitaker reminded the audience the town has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, for residents to
agenda, which included reducing the speed limit to 30 mph on Henson Forest Drive, Matheson Court and Katherine Louise Drive in the Armfield subdivision.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Summerfield Merchants Association (SMA) supports our local businesses and community. To join or for more info, email info@summerfieldmerchant.com or visit www.summerfieldmerchant.com or
Facebook.com/SummerfieldMerchantsAssociation
Thanks to SMA member Zoraida Corbett, publisher of Summerfield Living and Lakeside Living, for hosting our meeting on March 1 at Still Water Farms, and to our guest speaker Ann Schneider, mayor of Oak Ridge. Also, a big welcome to our newest member, Stephanie Lomax, real estate agent for Allen Tate Realtors!
Join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 6:30 p.m.
To RSVP, email info@summerfieldmerchant.com
6
MARCH 17 - 30, 2022
WHAT they voted on, and HOW they voted: Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and council members John O’Day, Janelle Robinson, Reece Walker and John Doggett voted on the following items during the council’s March 8 meeting. Mayor Tim Sessoms was present, but in Summerfield the mayor votes only to break a tie.
5 0: Adopt the consent agenda, which included reducing the speed limit to 30 mph on three streets in the Armfield subdivision. 5 0: Approve a budget amendment related to spending for a land use plan and an update of a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a municipal water system 5 0: Adopt a Conflict of Interest policy, as required by the state of North Carolina 5 0: Approve an agreement between Summerfield and the North Carolina Department of Transportation for extending the A & Y Greenway 5 0: Authorize Stewart, a design and planning firm, to update its
2017 survey of threatened and endangered species along the route of the A&Y Greenway
5 0: Schedule a meeting for April 26 at 6 p.m. for owners of property southeast of town limits to learn about voluntary annexation into Summerfield
learn and ask questions about landowner and developer David Couch’s request for a text amendment to the town’s development rules. The meeting will be held in Summerfield First Baptist Church’s Family Life Center at 2300 Scalesville Road. Couch, owner of Summerfield Farms, is seeking approval of the text amendment as part of his plan for the commercial and residential development of 973 acres in Summerfield.
PUBLIC SAFETY Summerfield Fire District. The fire department reported it ran 115 calls in February, which include 30 firerelated calls, 60 EMS-related calls and 25 other calls. Firefighters installed 23 child safety seats during the month. On a safety note, the department urged people who plan to cook outside to make sure their grills are free of grease, birds’ nests, spider webs and other debris. People cooking with propane gas should also make sure the hose from the tank to their grill isn’t leaking.
The Northwest Observer •Sheriff’s Totally Office. local since 1996 District 1 The sheriff’s
office reported it responded to 110 calls in Summerfield in February; those calls included three accidents with personal injuries, an auto theft and 12 reports of suspicious activity.
PUBLIC COMMENTS Carolyn Williams criticized council and staff members who flew on Couch’s plane last month to visit two residential developments in coastal South Carolina. Calling the trips “undeniably unethical,” Williams said town leaders who took the trips “have jeopardized Summerfield residents’ trust and confidence in your ability to represent this town” in evaluating Couch’s request to amend the town’s development rules. In separate trips last month, Whitaker, Town Attorney Bob Hornik, planner Brad Rentz and all council members except Lynne Williams DeVaney flew with Couch to look at two planned developments in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The purpose of the trip was for Couch and designer Victor Dover to show Summerfield leaders design and construction techniques
...continued on p. 8
