Town leaders say they'll close Church St. if Methodists pay for upgrades to Cowan

By Lynn Hotaling

Sylva board members voted unanimously Thursday (Jan. 3) to close Church Street provided Sylva First Methodist Church agrees to bear the cost of needed upgrades to Cowan Street.

"It's possible to close Church Street without doing anything to Cowan Street, but I don't recommend it," said town clerk Tommy Thompson.

"(Closing Church without fixing Cowan) would create an unsafe situation," said board member Maurice Moody because the section of Cowan between Church and Morris streets is one lane with a high bank.

"If two cars meet in that section, one of them has to back up," Moody said.

"If the church wants to bear the expense of fixing Cowan Street, I'd be willing to close Church," said board member Eldridge Painter, who chairs the town's street committee. "I don't think the town should bear the expense for the church's benefit, and it would be a detriment to close Church Street the way Cowan Street is now."

Painter moved to close Church Street as Methodist officials have requested if the church will pay the estimated $250,000 cost of upgrading Cowan Street.

Street committee discussions in October seemed to be heading toward a sharing of that cost by the church and the town; however, action was postponed when it was learned that the church's zoning classification had to be changed before its expansion plans could move forward.

The church property was rezoned from R-1 to R-1A, which allows churches and bed and breakfasts, during the Sylva board's December session.

Two members of the town's street committee who favored dividing the cost of Cowan Street repairs between the town and the church - Lynda Sossamon and Norma Lee, both members of the Methodist Church - left the town board in December. Painter and Danny Allen replaced them both on the board and on the street committee.

Church Street, which bisects the Methodist church campus, serves as an alternate route to an unimproved, one-lane portion of Cowan. Methodist officials and town leaders split the $1,000 cost of an engineering study to determine the price tag of upgrading Cowan Street.

In other action Jan. 3:

- Board members tabled a rezoning request from Darla Mathews concerning property she owns on Fortune Lane. The tract is currently zoned R-1, which allows only single-family homes, despite the fact that the property has a duplex and is located near several apartment complexes. Mathews has requested the property's zoning classification be changed to R-2, which allows duplexes and apartments.

During a public hearing prior to the meeting, adjacent property owners Karl and Veronica Nicholas asked town board members to delay action until the matter can be studied further.

Karl Nicholas said he and his wife purchased an adjoining tract 10 years ago to prevent construction of apartments.

"We feel we have a stake in keeping the area single family," he said.

Another concern, Veronica Nicholas said, is the potential water damage from the possible construction of additional duplexes on the 1.5-acre site.

The present zoning of the Mathews property is not "its highest and best use," said Sylva zoning administrator Jim Aust, who said the town planning board will undertake a thorough examination of Sylva's zoning map during the coming year.

"We're talking about 1.5 acres in the center of a large residential area," Moody said. "I sympathize with Ms. Mathews, but (rezoning that tract) might be a bad precedent."

- Board members approved a taxicab license for Charles Allen, bringing the total licensed to operate taxis inside the city limits to seven. The cap on taxi operators in Sylva was removed during the board's December meeting.

Board members approved a request from two longtime Sylva taxi operators - Ernest Burch and Willie Woodring - to restore designated downtown taxi parking on Spring Street.

When the cap on taxi licenses was removed last month, Moody included in his motion that the town not be responsible for providing each licensed taxi operator a parking place.

"I have no problem with reserving those three places for taxis," Moody said. "We did not agree to provide everyone a parking place so those will be on a first-come, first-serve basis."

Woodring and Burch also expressed concern about the possibility of the town requiring taxi operators to carry additional insurance. The two said they are already paying some $1,700 per year and can't afford an increase.

The taxi drivers also told board members they are considering increasing their fares to be more in line with fees in other towns.

- Board members agreed to let their finance committee determine the size ad Sylva will have in a color magazine to be published this spring by Journal Communications under the sponsorship of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

The magazine will include a chamber directory, said company representative Erin Snow, and will contain information on education and health care options aimed at assisting area newcomers. Chamber member businesses are being invited to participate by purchasing ads, Snow said.

Original photography and feature articles will make the magazine attractive to readers, Snow said, and some 7,000 copies will be printed.

Board members agreed they would like as large an ad as they could afford, but said they needed to check their budget before giving Snow an answer. Ad costs mentioned ranged from $920 for one-third page to $2,050 for a full page for black-and-white ads.

- Board members approved contracting with the N.C. Department of Transportation for required inspections of the three town bridges.

Under the agreement, the state pays 80 percent, and the town pays 20 percent of the inspection cost. Should any repairs be required, the town must bear the entire cost.

Sylva's three bridges are located on Allen Street, Harold Street and Race Lane.

- Mayor Oliver announced that Hoyt Roberson has resigned from the Greenways Commission. Jim Corbin and Max Browning were suggested as possible members, but action was tabled until the board's next meeting.

- Thompson told board members that the sidewalk project on N.C. 107 from Sunrise Park to N.C. 116 is still being held up by Tricor Corp. of Maitland, Fla., owners of Video Update in the Wal-Mart Plaza.

Town attorney Eric Ridenour said he had sent a letter to Tricor's Mark Hagle but had received no response.

DOT officials did not approve plans for the section of sidewalk in front of Video Update; engineers need to discuss the matter with Tricor before preparing an alternate plan that would turn the sidewalk onto Tricor's property.

- Thompson reported that most segments of the N.C. 107 sewer line are complete and have been certified. A change order must be developed for the remaining segment, he said, before the contractor can proceed.

- Mayor Oliver asked the town street committee to make a recommendation about Plum Street at the town's next meeting. Residents of the street have asked the town to accept the street from the DOT so it can be paved. The street doesn't have a wide enough right of way to meet DOT requirements, Thompson said.

"I talked to the DOT, and they would give (Plum Street) to us," Thompson said. "It has never had a dedicated right of way."

Claude Mills, a resident of Plum Street, indicated that dust problems have increased since construction of the new REACH facility on Plum Street.

Back to Archive: 01/10/02.