By Imari Scarbrough, for the SNAP

Badin may compete for roadwork funding following a presentation from a North Carolina Department of Transportation representative.

J.S. Miller with the N.C. DOT and Lee Snuggs, with the Rocky River Rural Planning Organization, approached the council Tuesday about the possibility of getting money to complete necessary upgrades and repairs.

Miller said he and Snuggs are preparing a list of high-priority projects to turn into the state.

He invited the council to provide a list of potential projects to himself and Snuggs, but cautioned the council to choose projects the state would likely pick.

Projects will be more likely to be chosen according to a variety of factors, including safety concerns and congestion. He warned there will be “stiff competition” for the funding from other areas of the state.

Miller requested the council provide the list by September.

Snuggs encouraged the council to split larger projects into smaller pieces, submitting requests for the segments most likely to receive approval.

Councilman Larry Milano asked for the criteria needed to approve widening a road, saying the town has wanted to widen roads for more than 10 years but has not had it happen. Other areas in the county are receiving wider roads, he added.

Miller said to send a list of suggestions to him, but noted road widening would likely be designated as modernization rather than fixing a high-priority safety issue.

Milano also suggested the road curb issue at the intersection of N.C. Highway 740 and Falls Road be added to the list. The councilman said when the DOT has previously worked on the road, asphalt has been added on top of the existing road, raising the road to the point that the curb is nearly non-existent on a portion of the road.
Miller said that he and Snuggs would look into the areas Milano mentioned.

10 Days of Uwharrie Festival

Councilman Gary Lowder said that Better Badin has been planning events for the 10 Days of Uwharrie Festival. The second annual festival will be in October.

The festival, designated as North Carolina’s official outdoor festival, will include events in multiple areas in the Uwharries. Lowder said Badin is planning to have 14 events during the festival. Town Manager Jay Almond noted that Better Badin is also planning one or two other events in October that will be just outside the festival dates.

Badin events will include the Yadkin Bass tournaments, Badin Volunteer Fire Department barbecue, Badin Historic Museum tours and more.

Lowder said some events will be free to attend and will have vendors with food for sale, while other events will have a ticket fee.

To learn more about the festival, visit ncoutdoorfestival.com.

Resident comments

Multiple residents made complaints to the council. Jody Hopper criticized the council, saying it does not answer resident questions.

Sherrill Mullis said clogged drainage ditches on Alcoa property are causing issues. Mullis said he spoke with an Alcoa representative, who said the town could get into contact with the business to receive permission to clean drainage pipes on its property.

Mullis said repairing drainage issues could make the town more appealing to potential residents and businesses.

Mullis also asked the town to find a solution for water flow on Spruce Street. Lowder said the town has looked into the issue.

Dale Ward asked the town to reinstall the Dead Man concrete post in the new median. When residents made the same request last month, the town said a main reason the post had been removed was because it has been damaged by car and truck hits, which Ward acknowledged.

He said when the post is bumped, it can be repainted and stood back up.

“Just put it back where it belongs and let’s get over this,” Ward said.

Other business

Almond said he has looked into the process for petitioning the state to rename a portion of N.C. Highway 740 in Badin the Lou Donaldson Boulevard.

Almond and others on the council noted they wanted to expedite the process due to Donaldson’s advancing age. The town manager plans to provide an update on the process during the September meeting.

Almond told the board that a representative of Keep Stanly Beautiful visited the town hall to request that a council member attend the monthly Keep Stanly Beautiful meetings.

Mayor Anne Harwood said the town has been awarded grant money from Keep Stanly Beautiful and that the council should check that a town board member would not create a conflict of interest that could prevent the town from receiving funding. Harwood also noted the organization will reopen its grant cycle soon.

The next regular council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at Badin Town Hall.

Imari Scarbrough is a freelance contributor for The Stanly News and Press.