Sinkhole and sinking morale discussed by Glen Alpine Board of Aldermen

The potted philodendrons in the window sills at Glen Alpine Town Hall are fake but the tension at the latest Board of Aldermen meeting was real.

Unlike municipalities that seat elected leaders in a line atop a dais, the four men and two women elected to represent Glen Alpine residents sit at tables arranged in the shape of the letter U. The formation enables everyone to better see each other.

As Mayor Bob Benfield announced the second action item – Approval of Department Reports – several aldermen glanced in the direction of Alderman Reid Scott.

As he did last month, Scott expressed his disapproval of the monthly report submitted by the Glen Alpine Police Department.

“I still got a problem with the Police Department Report,” he said. “There’s no information in it.”

Police Chief Rodney Cox stood against the wall at the back of the room. The vote went forward with Scott dissenting, although he would use an opportunity later in the meeting to revisit the subject.

A Potential New Park

The conversation took a more positive note when Beth Heile, executive director of the Burke River Trail Association, told the board members the association will soon receive a $125,000 directed state grant made possible by N.C. Rep. Hugh Blackwell. These funds are earmarked to create a park at 401 Bridge St. 

In addition to this money allocated in the state budget, Heile advised the aldermen during their Feb. 5 meeting that she would assist them if they want to apply for a matching grant through the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to bring the total available park construction funds to $250,000.

Applications for the grant are due in May and awards announced in August. The park could potentially open next summer.

The community park can be a standalone park or built to also serve as a trailhead on the Fonta Flora Trail or connect to the recently opened 652-acre Oak Hill Community Park and Forest, located at 820 Hwy. 126, Morganton. The board will decide next steps at a future meeting. 

Police Wellness Program

One of the last new business discussion items was a presentation by Glen Alpine Police reserve officers Greg Snider and Lara Corinne Dopp.

The duo partnered with Appalachian State University and the Burke County Health Department to design a wellness program that satisfies the requirements of Senate Bill 300 (Criminal Justice Reform), which was signed into law in September 2021. The multifaceted law requires local law enforcement agencies to implement training programs that include officer mental wellness. 

When the officers opened the floor to questions about the presentation, Scott took the opportunity to question the officers about the department report, but Snider politely replied, “It’s not in my lane.”

Scott continued. “The Fire Department chief is a part-time employee and he can do it (detailed reports) so why can’t a full-time employee?” he asked, referring to Cox’s full-time employment status.

Officer Dopp returned the subject to the wellness program, ironically talking about the new program’s goal of creating an “environment conducive to open dialogue.” 

Glen Alpine Sinkhole

Another new business item was the sinkhole that became apparent a few weeks ago after a torrential downpour. The ground in a section of Mode Street, which runs beside the old mill between Hwy. 70 and Mill Street, has given way and the pavement is crumbling. The road has been barricaded to prevent its use.

“Fire uses it, we use it, people at the mill use it,” Benfield said. “We should fix it and fix it right.”

He then added that Powell Bill funds could potentially pay for the repairs to which town attorney Rob Denton agreed that was a possibility.

For about 10 minutes, everyone at the table discussed three bids to repair the sinkhole. The problem was that no one was certain exactly what caused the issue in the first place. They feared paying someone to repair the hole could be a waste of money if the fix was only a temporary solution. Should they accept one of the bids? How would they define fixed? Should an engineer look at it first? If so, who should they call?

Scott moved to table the bid decision and instead directed town personnel to call the state Department of Transportation to see if one of its engineers would assess the growing chasm. The board agreed.

Sinking Morale

The last item discussed that night dealt with the possibility of outfitting all town-owned vehicles with GPS tracking devices. This conversation began in the January meeting. Not much had changed in a month.

Alderman Jason Miller said he wasn’t against the idea outright, but questioned whether town vehicles being used improperly was a widespread problem. Alderman Luke Boone expressed the same sentiment in January.

Lewis and Alderman Sheila Perkins questioned who would be tasked with monitoring the movement of the vehicles. The mayor was clearly against the idea. He added that Scott had made campaign promises last year to outsource policing services.

The two men began to raise their voices and talk over each other as about a dozen residents watched from their chairs placed about 15 feet away.

“Employee morale is already low,” Benfield remarked, adding that monitoring their movements would only make matters worse. 

Attorney Denton then suggested a compromise: Create a policy that outlines proper and improper use of town vehicles. The idea got traction and the board unanimously decided they would draft bullet points that could be crafted into a policy for their consideration.

Once that vote was official, Miller quickly moved to adjourn the meeting. Soon everyone was heading for the doors. 

Angela Kuper Copeland is managing editor of The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or via email at angela@thepaper.media.