EDITOR’S NOTE: Glen Alpine Alderman Jim Frady delivered the following remarks at the town board meeting on Monday, April 14.
First, I want to say how appreciative I am to have been allowed to serve Glen Alpine for the past several months. It truly is an honor, and I don’t take my role lightly.
For full transparency, I currently sit on two other local boards of directors for private groups, but as a citizen of Glen Alpine, I feel the weight of these decisions directly. So again, I am honored.
Please do not think I have asked to address the board out of mere criticism, or to only offer opinion, but I do feel these topics need to be brought up for further discussion.
No discussion is requested tonight, and please know this is not meant to be a personal criticism made public toward any individuals that currently sit on the board, nor anyone that has had the privilege in the past.
If there is one thing you will learn about me, while speaking for the public, nothing is personal.
Recently, I reviewed five complete years of past minutes. Not looking for anything in particular but wanting to get an idea of any existing impediment that might have prevented the town from making decisions that could have put us much farther along in growth compared to other similar communities here in Burke County.
Glen Alpine is unique, but I am not sure we have fully acknowledged it just yet.
Although we have preserved it well, I believe that may be to our detriment and not the good that some believe it to be.
I grew up in the Salem community, but even without a governing board, they seem to have better public service, infrastructure and tax positive businesses than we do.
One troubling thing I did learn from the minutes, as a board we continue to discuss the same topics each week as we did for the last five years. That’s something we need to correct. The public is aware, we should be as well.
From the time I was seated on the board, we have been discussing the consideration of a park on Bridge Street. Between the legitimate safety concerns for children, and the ultimate passion behind something, anything, in any form, to be built at this location, emboldened by a time-limited grant and a persistent salespersons voice promoting a trail system as a nod to a coming political pursuit.
As a board, we ultimately approved a park that will allow church picnics, family gatherings and meals, a short walking trail and possible personal respite.
There is nothing inherently wrong about these usages, the reason I use the park as an example is it appears to some in the community that we spent tax money to appease a small group of people, connect a trail system that serves as a local political feather-in-the-cap to a couple individuals more than it serves as a benefit to our town. Again, from the five years of minutes I reviewed, that isn’t surprising.
My real surprise is the condemnation and ridicule several of us received when we brought up a park we already own — Simpson Field. A park we gave away the rights to because we couldn’t figure out a way to care for it but represents the greatest offering to families like mine with small children.
Discussions have been had with the county representatives regarding our possible town usage, and all they have asked is that we allow them to use a baseball field for seasonal teams.
But yet, I am aware that we are currently pursuing grants for the new land across from Fox Hole, some have even said yet another park, some have mentioned a public entertainment complex, some have said storm shelter, and I have concerningly heard new town hall.
But the rush to make a decision is what troubles me the most. When town expediency has rarely existed in the years past, why now??
The same grants exist to improve Simpson Field as a value-added reason to come to Glen Alpine. If there is something I am missing, please speak to me after the meeting and I will consider all aspects related.
But I will never understand the antagonism toward the largest piece of land we own as a town, something developers look at when promoting investment in a community, something to sell to prospective families.
The industrial park is heavily being solicited by the county, and we are poised to reap the benefits associated. Public safety, nearby retail and an attractive downtown are what investors look at. Which brings me to my next point!
Why are we not pursuing grants to assist our uptown/downtown businesses to modify their locations to attract patrons? After speaking with almost all of the current owners, I was informed that several years ago, we attempted.
We hired a consultant who designed a town rendering that represented what some wanted, but neither business owner agreed that it also represented who they are as individual entities.
In speaking with them now, they are barely existing and could use a grant and would welcome our assistance. But we need to better understand the written ordinances that allow a town to control the upkeep and safety of our existing buildings.
From what I saw of one location — we are one heavy rain away from either personal injury and/or loss of revenue of one individual.
The last thing we need is to put the proverbial lipstick on the pig or allow some owners to sit by while their buildings crumble. I would ask that we take a serious look at steps to take to improve our town image.
If we are willing to allow money to burn down a home that when asked everyone struggled to locate when mentioned based on image and primarily safety, we should readily be willing to do the same to our town businesses.
As someone who lives in the River Glen community, the talks of a sidewalk from the river access to our downtown might be a good idea eventually, once we have an investment worthy of the walk, and not a trailhead that promotes a stop point for the adventurous few and again my opinion, several persons’ political agenda.
But an investment from our town at this time would be foolish and a mere appeasement to those same voices. So ultimately, I would be a NO VOTE for this topic.
The only reason this is being proposed now is to complement other trail ventures, using a community sidewalk as bait.
I will go on record tonight to state that I will personally fight against this effort until the time is right. I sincerely hope that everyone carefully reads the proposal sent a month or so back.
In closing, I will relent that I am but one voice on this board. I am also well aware that my time is relative to an upcoming election this fall. I am prayerfully and conservatively weighing the decision to campaign to retain my seat.
As I stated previously, I feel that it is an honor to serve alongside each of you. But there is one thing I have come to realize when it comes to the “right” decisions and efforts to be made to improve our community, whether I am seated as an alderman representing the people of Glen Alpine, or as a talented and determined citizen, the constraints of the former are only emboldened by the latter.
I would be much more effective as a taxpayer citizen, but I haven’t relinquished my seat just yet. And from the support I already have received countywide, my decision might just be an easy one.
