Town adopts game-day parking plan
The Boone Town Council welcomed a new face, okayed some new
revenue, as well as a new game-day parking plan at its Thursday
meeting.
The council appointed local accountant Jamie Leigh to fill
a term left vacant by the resignation of Liz Aycock. Aycock
left after moving to a house outside of town limits. Leigh
will serve until November and also filed to run for the seat.
Leigh received a 3-11 vote approval with council member Stephen
Phillips backing Boone tourism development director Mac Forehand,
who had also applied for the seat.
Following a required public hearing, the council approved
an increase to the town's occupancy tax from 3 to 6 percent.
"Most places in North Carolina already charge six,"
Forehand said during the public hearing, adding that the proposal
will bring in $100,000 extra in this fiscal year and that
Tourist contribute $190 million per year in Watauga County.
The council denied a zoning request by Charles Michael to
rezone a property on Delmar Street from residential to business.
Although the town planning commission had approved the request
by a narrow 5-4 vote, the council voted unanimously that the
move would not be "consistent with the town's Comprehensive
Plan."
Appalachian State football fans will have to pay to park in
some town-owned spaces on home-game days, under a plan unanimously
adopted by the council.
McLaurin Parking, the town's parking management contract,
presented a plan that would allocate 210 spaces in the town-hall
lot and on Queen Street and charge $15 per space to defray
the estimated cost of $3,150 per home-game week to pay four
parking ambassadors to help direct traffic.
McLaurin owner Steve McLaurin said the plan would also allow
for 40 or more spaces directly on King Street for non-game
visitors to use in visiting area merchants. Council member
Lynne Mason wondered if downtown merchants would not prefer
to have all King Street spaces available. McLaurin said the
plan could be tweak and that fans would also be directed to
park at Horn in the West after 1 p.m. following the Farmers
Market weekly closing.
"It's time to try this," council member Rennie
Brantz said, calling it an excellent pilot program.
McLaurin told the council that the same kind of plan had been
successfully used in Greenville, N.C. at Eastern Carolina
University games and at N.C. State games in Raleigh. He added,
that permitted town spaces for downtown workers would not
be affected.
The council also approved agreements with the Downtown Boone
Development Association and the Southern Appalachian Historical
Association.
Under the DBDA agreement, the town will pay one-half of municipal
service district taxes collected in the fiscal year (less
any collection expenses) to be used to promote and develop
downtown activities, festivals, business promotions and other
programs as well as to act as a clearing house for information
about downtown business. The current agreement will expire
in December but can be renewed at that time.
A new lease negotiated with SAHA will allow the Watauga County
Farmers Market to use the Horn in the West parking lot each
Saturday of its operation from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a cost
of $10,000 per year including parking spaces. SAHA may also
use the parking area as long as the use doesn't interfere
with the Farmers Market.
Look for more meeting coverage in future editions of The Mountain
Times and the Watauga Democrat.
Boone Public Meetings
Boone Area Planning Commission
Second Monday, 7 p.m.
Board of Adjustment
First Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
Town Council
Third Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Community Appearance Commission,
Varies
Boone Housing Authority
second Tuesday,6 p.m., quarterly
Tourism Development Association
Last Wednesday
January, March, May, September
and November, 3:30 p.m.
ABC Board
second Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Downtown Boone
Development Association
First Thursday, 9 a.m.
Watauga County Library
Greenway Committee
Fourth Tuesday, 7 p.m.
January, March, May, July, September and November
