Valdese Council to Tackle Town Manager Search, Old Rock School Renovations, and Comprehensive Plan in Upcoming Special Session

The Valdese Town Council will meet in special session on Friday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. to consider a number of issues including committee appointments, updates on the search for a Town Manager and project renovations.

Items on the agenda for the special session include:

Old Rock School Renovations 

Director of Community Affairs & Tourism Morrissa Angi previously presented to the council an update on the project and a proposed contract with Houck Contracting, LLC. 

After the presentation, the council was concerned with the exact costs of the project before moving forward with any action. 

Angi said that she would have the exact total costs for the special meeting. She did warn council members that they would need to take action at this meeting due to the project timeline. 

Continued Town Manager Hunt

As the search for a new town manager continues, Interim Town Manager Bryan Steen and the council are making headway on hiring an executive search firm to help recruit candidates for the position. 

Proposals from professional recruitment firms have been steadily coming in and the council has been spending its time reviewing them. 

Steen has drafted a job advertisement and description which can be found on the town’s website from the Feb. 5 meeting’s reading materials. 

Updated 10-Year Comprehensive Plan

With the need to renew the 10-Year Comprehensive Plan for Parks and Recreation, Councilman Paul Mears made a motion during the Feb. 5 meeting to move forward with funding the plan. A renewed plan will help with securing grants during the application process.

Based on the last written plan in 2013, the estimated cost is $20,000 and would be drafted by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. Funding and completing the Comprehensive Plan would help secure funding for the needed changes at the Valdese Pool, said Mears. 

The council will consider approval of funding for the Comprehensive Plan. 

Festival Ordinance for Road Closures 

To prepare for the upcoming Town of Valdese 2024 annual events, the council is taking another look at the ordinance for what roads will be closed after hearing concerns from business owners. 

Depending on where the declared closures are, certain businesses are forced to close for the festivities due to parking constraints. 

Council members will be discussing with the Main Street Committee on a game plan for this year. 

Appointments to New Committees

After the amendment of town rules and procedures regarding appointing committees, the council will discuss potential appointments to the new AD HOC Committees. 

The approved amendments were applied to the Valdese Town Council Rules 31 and 32(a) of the Rules of Procedure and Section 2-1021 of the Town of Valdese Code of Ordinances. 

Search of Town-Owned Properties 

Following an offer by Brian Shuping of $8,500 to purchase the Fat. Ave. town-owned property, the offer has sparked a search for other properties that the town could utilize for selling to realtors. 

Assistant Manager Bo Weichel presented to the council the offer, but Councilman Glenn Harvey proposed taking a look around the town for these underutilized properties. 

Planning Director Larry Johnson will be presenting to the council these properties and discussing the council’s actions for the properties. 

The council will also consider the approval of Shuping's offer and the property will be advertised for an upset bid.

Saydie Bean is a general assignment reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or via email at saydie@thepaper.media.