Locust Council Discusses Many Issues

the Locust city council meeting Thursday to discuss a franchise agreement for Piedmont Natural Gas, a conditional use application for Chicago Tube and Iron and a rezoning request.• Lori Elswick with Piedmont Natural Gas presented information to the board regarding where the gas line would be located, as well as an approximate timeframe of when it would be completed.“If the agreement passes, we could have it completed as early as February,” Elswick said.• Robert Van Geons, executive director of Stanly County Economic Develop-ment Commission, explain-ed to the board that Chicago Tube and Iron intended to file for a conditional use permit.The request for the permit reached a unanimously favorable vote at the city of Locust Planning and Zoning Board meeting.Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Chicago Tube and Iron Michael S. DiNanno provided the board with a background of the company, and he explained the need to expand to Locust.“The company expanded to Oakboro in 2000 with the purchase of American Boiler Company,” DiNanno said.“It began with 25 employees with a $2 million profit annually, but this year we had 76 employees and a $19 million profit.“We’re constrained in Oakboro and we’re looking to expand.”The company has two options to expand. The first is to grow their corporate facility in Illinois by 90,000 square feet, or they could build a 127,000-square-foot facility in Locust.The growth in Locust would provide approximately 118 jobs by 2011, and it would replace the Oakboro facility.The facility that would move to Locust primarily bends, builds and fabricates pressure parts for electric generating plants.DiNanno ensured the board there would not be the need for smokestacks due to the nature of the business and the paint used on the products is not flammable in either liquid or powder form.If the expansion is approved, DiNanno would like to have the facility completed for operation during the opening months of 2009.• David Almond, owner of a house at 819 N. Central Ave., requested the lot be rezoned to light highway commercial so he could rent the house for a business.As the meeting continued, the board tabled the franchise agreement pending written documents stating the timeframe for completion and the areas where the gas lines will run.The board approved the conditional use permit for Chicago Tube and Iron and the council members agreed to attend a joint meeting with the Stanly County board of commissioners at 7 p.m. Jan. 7. The rezoning of 819 N. Central Ave. was also approved.• Mayor Harold Greene introduced George Serrano and John Willis, who spoke to the board about a parking ordinance regarding their tractor trailers.Serrano has parked his tractor trailer in his driveway at 201 Dogwood St. since September 2006, and he said he was unaware of an ordinance that this was not allowed.Willis has parked his trailer at 215 N. Sumter for two years without incident until recently.“The ordinance was not enforced because we did not have an enforcement officer,” Council member Harry Fletcher said.“But the police department has taken over the ordinance enforcements.”Renee Owens also spoke about the ordinance prohibiting parking of commercial vehicles with more than two axles at a private residence.Owens’ husband, Charles, has parked his truck at their home since the 1970s.Serrano, Willis and Owens requested their residencies be grandfathered into the oridinance, but the board did not approve this.• Gerald Friedman spoke to the board about an update to the Villages at Red Bridge subdivision. Currently, he has been unable to obtain building permits with Cabarrus County.Cabarrus County officials are saying the approval for the subdivision was not done correctly, but it was completed correctly per city of Locust planning and zoning standards.“The standards are different for Cabarrrus,” said Council member David Walker.Friedman announced to the board that if the situation did not change by Monday, he would be suing Cabarrus County.The board also discussed:• The city will have three leaf pick-ups, scheduled for Dec. 15, Jan. 5 and 19• Jim Rustinae presented a parking concern in Meadow Creek Village to the board. Currently, residents are not able to park along the streets because the streets are too narrow.Emergency vehicles and school buses would be unable to travel the streets if cars are parked along them. Rustinae presented a parking plan to the board. This issue was tabled for further information.• After a short recess, the board reconveined to swear-in Mayor Greene and Councilmen Larry Baucom, Joel Huneycutt, Mike Hinson and J.C. Burris.“We are becoming a very diverse area,” said Greene.“We need to consider our diversity as we move forward, and we need to be an open and honest government.”Hinson was appointed as mayor pro-tem, and each of the City Council deparments were assigned.“I was appointed to the first city council,” said Huneycutt, “and hasn’t Locust changed since then?”Parks Director Chris Webb presented the board with a plan for a Locust summer camp. The camp would run from June 9-Aug. 22.“We’re hoping for 35 to 40 kids,” said Webb, “which would make the camp self sufficient.”Parents can register their children early beginning Jan. 9 through March 1 and receive a 10 percent discount.They also have the option to pay half of the summer up front, and pay the other half if they choose at a later date. Or they could pay week by week.The only stipulation is that payment must be made each week to ensure the child has a spot in the camp. This means even for those weeks that a vacation is planned and the child will not be attending.There will be three chaperones of at least 17-years-old or older, and each chaperone will have 12 to 15 children.A supervisor, who will be at least college age, will be available as well.Webb suggested the idea that some local college students could receive college credit for assisting with the camp.The next council meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3.