March 24 - 30, 2017
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Bryan Boulevard closing postponed by four weeks Originally scheduled to close for 60 days beginning April 1, the new closure period is April 29 through May 28 by PATTI STOKES NORTHWEST GUILFORD – Signs posted along Bryan Boulevard last weekend indicating the road would close to traffic just west of Airport Boulevard on April 1 are being updated to reflect a new closure date of April 29. The closure will allow the contractor to complete the tie-in between the existing and future I-73/Bryan Boulevard corridor. NCDOT construction engineer Patty
Eason said the decision to postpone the road closure was largely in response to concerns expressed by people associated with the PTI airport and the High Point Furniture Market, which will take place April 22-26. The good news – although it will come at a cost – is the duration of the scheduled road closure has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days; to complete the project in half the time, Eason said the contractor will use more resources – i.e., extra crews and equipment – and work seven days a week if necessary. Also, using alterna-
tive construction methods such as mixing stone versus cement with soil during the soil stabilization process will make the project move faster. NCDOT notes there will be at least one lane open for access to the airport from N.C. 68 at all times during the 30-day closure. All other Bryan Boulevard traffic will follow detour routes. Access to Old Oak Ridge Road will not change during the 30-day closure. While the tie-ins are being completed, the traffic signals at Pleasant Ridge Road and N.C. 68 will be reset
Revised PD text amendment on hold Revised PD text amendment that was scheduled to go before Planning & Zoning Board on March 27 will undergo more changes by PATTI STOKES SUMMERFIELD – Revisions to a proposed text amendment which would create a PD (planned development) zoning district were initially scheduled to go back to the Planning & Zoning
Board for review/discussion at its upcoming meeting on March 27. However, the amendment will instead be held back“for further editing to address concerns raised by citizens,” Town Manager Scott Whitaker said on March 22. The text amendment was on the agenda for the Feb. 16 town council meeting, but in response to citizen opposition, the council agreed to delay a vote on it. The council still heard from 60 citizens that evening during the Public Comments period, the majority of whom voiced opposition to the amend-
ment as written. Some urged the council to do away with it completely while others asked that it be revised to incorporate “more teeth” and decisively prohibit apartment complexes, establish a cap on maximum allowed density and address concerns about water and traffic. “The town is still working on the best way to address these concerns and changes,” Whitaker said. “The Zoning Board has other agenda topics to address March 27 and citizens should not attend expecting any PD decisions or presentation of revisions.”
to accommodate more traffic, especially at peak hours of the day, Eason said. Acknowledging the signals at this location have not always functioned as they should while traffic has shifted during the construction of I-73, she said NCDOT will monitor the timing of the traffic signals at this location and adjust it as needed. “The good news is, when the project is completed, we will be in our new pattern for how we get to the airport using I-73,” Eason said. To view Google maps of detour routes, visit tims.ncdot.gov/TIMS/ IncidentDetail.aspx?id=502370.
IN THIS ISSUE News in Brief .................................3 Your Questions .............................4 Stokesdale Town Council ...........6 Summerfield Town Council .........8 Youth Sync ................................13 Student Profiles ..........................14 Scholarship recipients .................. 14 Business Notes .......................... 20 Bits & Pieces ...............................21 Crime/Incident Report ..............22 Community Calendar ...............23 Letters/Opinions ........................24 Grins & Gripes ............................25 Classifieds ..................................27 Index of Advertisers ..................31 NWO on the Go! ........................32