Blowing Rock

council OKs new

swimming pool
By Jeff Eason
eason@mountaintimes.com

In a board of commissioners meeting filled with different topics, some people heard the news they were hoping to hear while others walked away disappointed.

The Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners met Tuesday evening and weighed in on a variety of projects, several of them concerning new building projects in or near the downtown area.

The council voted unanimously to approve a request from the Town of Blowing Rock for significant construction to the Grover C. Robbins Memorial Pool. The new swimming pool would be built on the site of the existing pool and would include pool, pool house, showers, new public restrooms, a picnic pavilion, additional parking and a playground. According to town manager Scott Hildebran construction on the new pool is slated to begin after Labor Day this summer and the project should be finished in time for the 2009 swimming season.

The Robbins Pool project is estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $1 million. The town has already secured much of that funding from a variety of sources including $200,000 that the town has saved from the existing pool’s budget. Other contributions toward the new pool include $500,000 from the state of North Carolina, $100,000 from the Broyhill Family Foundation, $140,000 from the Blowing Rock ABC Store, $50,000 from Watauga County, $30,000 from the Family Foundation and $10,000 from the Blowing Rock Rotary Club.

Plans for the pool project were discussed at length at Tuesday’s meeting including the number of trees that would have to be cut down for the construction of the picnic area (two, possibly three), the aesthetics of the security fence to go around the pool, and the planting of new shade trees.

Blowing Rock resident Louise Absher, who lives next door to the existing pool, requested that the town build a chain link fence or dense hedge on the town’s side of the property to buffer her house from the commotion of the new pool. After some discussion of what kind of buffer to place between Absher’s property and the pool, it was proposed that a split rail fence and hedge be used.

“That would be okay as long as they know that I’m not part of the pool,” Absher said.

The motion for supporting the Robbins Pool project, along with Absher’s request, passed unanimously.

The town council also considered a request from the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM), to enter in a joint venture agreement regarding the design and construction of the proposed museum building and its adjoining parking lot. According to BRAHM spokesperson Joann Mitchell, the organization has already spent over $100,000 of its own money on architectural designs and other pre-construction costs involved with the project.

“I agree that this is the right way to go,” said council member Keith Tester about the joint venture proposal, “but I have questions with the contract. We bought this property with the idea of putting a parking facility there. The agreement we signed with BRAHM would designate parking but Blowing Rock would have the option of building that parking facility or not. If we sign this joint venture agreement, are we not obligating the town to build it?”

Blowing Rock town attorney Allen Moseley said he believed that the joint venture contract was “really more like a letter of intent with BRAHM” and called it a cost effective way to begin the construction process.

After some discussion from the council, Mitchell withdrew BRAHM’s request for a joint venture contract with the town.

In other matters...
The Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners’ monthly meeting also decided the fate of several other proposed construction projects. The board unanimously approved a motion to amend CUP 93-08 and allow Chetola Resort to construct two condominium buildings just above and behind the Tanger Shoppes on the Parkway.

The proposed construction project would erect a one 4-unit building and one 6-unit building for a total of ten 3-bedroom units.

After the council discussed the possible viewshed implications of the new condos, Chetola Resort owner and manager Kent Tarbutton showed the council photographs he had taken that day from a variety of roads and parking lots in Blowing Rock to demonstrate how the new buildings would be buffered by tall trees.

After discussion of watershed, parking and construction issues regarding the proposed project, the construction proposal at Chetola was approved unanimously.

The council also approved to consider initial zoning of the Gideon Ridge area including the visitor attraction he Blowing Rock and the Green Park Inn. The properties will be annexed into the town of Blowing Rock corporate limits beginning on June 30, 2008. The properties included in the annexation are currently zoned under the jurisdiction of Caldwell County. Blowing Rock Town staff recommended that the board zone all of the properties in the area as R-15, or single-family dwellings. The new zoning will not effect existing commercial properties such as the Blowing Rock or the Green Park Inn.

After deciding that the move would not be considered illegal “spot zoning,” the board approved the motion unanimously.