BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Troutman Town Council on Thursday will consider adoption of a resolution to accept a proposal from U.S. Bank to finance the purchase and installation of lighting at ESC Park. At its December meeting, the council approved moving forward with the project, which will cost $2,069,000.
Musco, a leader in sports and large area lighting and facility solutions, will install the lighting plan for the entire park, along with the infrastructure for future expansion.
The original December quote for the lighting design was $1,649,000, but the council requested a revised quote removing entertainment lighting in the proposed amphitheater area and adding lighting for the playground and proposed amphitheater areas. The revised bid came in at $2,069,000.
The proposed zoned lighting system would be monitored by Musco 24/7 to detect any malfunctions or problems and also to turn the lights on and off as programmed by the town’s parks and recreation administrator or as necessary in the moment for rain delays, cancellations, or other needs.
The light packages come with a 25-year warranty for everything from the concrete pole base, the poles, and all the lighting fixtures and accompanying infrastructure. The company also ensures that all lighting is kept inside the property lines of the field or facility to avoid light disturbing nearby neighbors.
The installation process, from manufacturing the custom fixtures and working on permitting to installation, takes anywhere from 12 to 14 weeks, weather permitting.
To move forward, the town must secure approval from the Local Government Commission to arrange the financing and related transactions and provide all necessary documentation as required by the LGC since this lighting project will be an improvement on the town’s real property.
Upon LGC approval, Town Manager Justin Longino can proceed in developing and executing an installment financing agreement with U.S. Bank for the lighting project.
The town received three financing proposals, with the U.S. Bank proposal coming in at the lowest rate of 3.87 percent with an annual payment of $470,062 through fiscal year 2030.
The council is pursing the U.S. Bank financing option because capital reserve fund for ESC Park ($843,000) does not have enough balance to cover the park lighting cost.
In addition, the anticipated LGC approval of funding of $20 million for the Keystone facility renovation project ($8.7 million), and some park lighting costs, has been put on hold because the town did not have the three bids required by the LGC.
This option would avoid the town dipping into the fund balance and would free up the $843,000 ESC Park fund toward construction of the concession stand and bathrooms near the baseball fields.
ABC Store Capital Improvement fund
Troutman ABC Board Chair Layton Getsinger asked the council to approve raising the cap for the store’s capital improvement fund, which the council gave the board permission to establish in July 2021.
The board wanted the current $500,000 limit raised to $1.5 million in anticipation of building a second 7,000-square-foot location on Highway 21 near the southern entrance of Flower House Loop.
Getsinger explained that the second store, which would be built on property already owned and paid for by the ABC Board, will cost an estimated $3.5 million at today’s cost. Getsinger estimated that building the second location is 30 months out and added that construction costs continue to rise rapidly.
The second store will only utilize one acre of the parcel, and Getsinger said adjoining property developers have expressed interest in the remainder of the board’s 7.57-acre property.
The original store location is already paid for, so the Troutman ABC Board has no current debt.
The store’s working capital fund, made up of cash and the value of store’s inventory, is at the state ABC Commission’s allowed maximum amount of $682,242. The board’s capital improvement fund is near the $500,000 mark previously approved by the council, thus spurring Getsinger’s request to raise the capital fund’s cap.
“We figured we would need to be doing $4 to $5 million (in sales) before we built the second store. If we pay cash, we would not have to do that,” said Getsinger.
Sales of alcohol continues to trend downward nationally, but Getsinger said the current store is holding its own and would have opportunity for sales growth by tapping into new areas to the south with the new location.
Getsinger noted that Troutman ranks fourth out of 168 ABC Boards in the state for profitability percentage.
“We are running the store very efficiently, and we are not spending money that we do not need to spend,” he said.
The council voted 4 to 1 to approve raising the capital improvement fund cap, with council member Nicholas Jaroszynski dissenting after questioning the need for a second store.
Jim Lauderdale Mural Request
Mural painter Scott Nurkin reached out to the town about a potential mural featuring musician Jim Lauderdale in Troutman. Nurkin has done a number of musicians’ murals around the state and is looking at Troutman as a potential location.
Lauderdale is an award-winning singer-songwriter with 31 studio albums, and Nurkin said Lauderdale’s contributions to country, bluegrass, and Americana music are profound.
In 2020, Nurkin launched the North Carolina Musician Murals Trail (NCMM), a statewide project dedicated to creating large-scale tribute murals of renowned musicians born in North Carolina.
To date, he have completed 28 murals with support from the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the N.C. Musician’s Hall of Fame.
He plans to complete an additional 20 murals over the next two years and hopes Jim Lauderdale’s hometown will be included.
The council told Longino to continue dialogue with Nurkin and scout out possible locations. Longino said two of the muralist’s works are located in Shelby and have held up well.
SHINN FARMS
Shinn Farms will receive water service provided by Iredell Water and sewer service from the Town of Troutman. Previously, The town and developers discussed a dual meter setup so that both parties can control the flow of water or sewer in the event that one bill is paid and the other not.
However, the developer and contractor have learned that residents may see a reduction in their water pressure, and fielding calls about “which meter is the issue” may arise. Meters have a useful life of 15 to 20 years, and the town would incur that expense at some point down the road.
An alternative setup with one meter and a “curb stop valve” has been proposed, which would allow both Iredell Water to track water usage and the town to “cut off” (i.e. close and lock the valve) the flow of water in the event that a water bill is paid and a sewer bill is not.
This option provides less long-term maintenance for the town and requires fewer meters to read by employees while still allowing the town full control.
Longino said the staff has determined this alternative to be an acceptable setup with an agreement in place that formalizes how Iredell Water would read the meters and send the billing information to the town to determine sewer billing.
The council told Longino to proceed with this meter and valve setup and to develop the specifics of an agreement for future council consideration.
THURSDAY NIGHT AGENDA
At Thursday night’s regular meeting, the council will hear the ABC Store Quarterly Report and will consider:
♦ Changing the council meeting schedule for May and August council meetings to the second week of the month.
♦ Setting a public hearing date of March 12 for consideration of annexation of 4.31 acres at 125 State Park Road and the adjacent property located at the intersection of Perth and State Park Roads and for .61 acres at 414 Old Mountain Road.
♦ Amending the Town of Troutman Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2026.
♦ Adoption of a Cash and Investment Policy.
♦ A proclamation in Recognition of America’s 250th Birthday and of the Founding of the United States and the Signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
♦ The appointment of a Town Council Non-Voting Ex-Officio Member to the Design Review Board.
♦ Consider appointment of a Town Council Member to the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
♦ A resolution to accept Miracle Lane as a town maintained street.