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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:27 |
By JIM GENARO
BLACK MOUNTAIN ó Stormwater runoff was the subject of much debate at the April 16 meeting of the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen, as the board heard an update on efforts by the townís planning staff to implement new state-mandated standards for runoff control.
Elizabeth Teague of the Planning Board presented the aldermen with a draft version of the ordinance being developed in order to meet new state guidelines by June ó the deadline set by the General Assembly for municipalities to do so.
Vice Mayor C. Michael Sobol voiced concerns about the size of the
document ó and whether the planning board was doing more than necessary.
ìIf we were to continually pass this many ordinances, weíd need to
build a new Town Hall just to handle the paperwork,î he said. He asked
whether the draft document reflected the legal minimum, or if
additional elements had been incorporated.
ìWhat you have before you is what the state requires,î Town Manager
Tony Caudle told him. The document, Caudle noted, was based on a model
that was drafted by the state.
Pressing the point, Sobol asked, ìSo is this the minimum weíre required to do, or is it, as you say, a model?î
Teague replied that the state requires that municipalities ìcontrol runoff from a post-construction perspective.î
This varies, she noted, from previous regulations, which mandated that
controls be implemented during construction of new developments, but
not afterward.
The rules will only apply to developments larger than one acre, she added.
Teague noted that, despite the documentís size, several sections had
been eliminated by the planning board from the state model.
For instance, she said, passages that would require pet owners to clean
up their animalsí waste were eliminated because Black Mountain already
offers bags at its parks for this purpose and, furthermore, the
suggested rules would be difficult to enforce.
Other passages were deleted from the stateís model, she said, but not
much more could be cut if the legal requirements are to be met.
ìThereís a good bit of wording in there that may not seem necessary,î
Teague told the board. ìHowever, Iíd be hesitant to go too much
further.î
Sobol asked how the new rules would affect The Settings, a large Black Mountain development currently under construction.
Caudle replied that The Settings is already meeting the guidelines of the planned second phase of the townís stormwater plan.
ìTheyíre already meeting requirements that we donít have in place yet,î he said.
ìThe reality of where we live is that itís more complicated when
thereís a narrow valley surrounded by mountains,î Alderman Mary Leonard
White said.
Black Mountain, she added, is ìtopologically challenged.î
White noted that the ordinance would likely need to be revised over time.
ìThe minutia is kind of aggravating, but thatís just how it is,î she said.
Sobol then explained that one of his primary objections to the
ordinance is that it holds Black Mountain responsible for cleanup of
stormwater runoff caused by the North Carolina Department of
Transportation, which he called ìthe biggest polluter in the state.
ìIf weíre responsible to clean up their mess, then I donít think itís responsible to the citizens of our town.î
In other action, the board:
ï Passed a resolution supporting a joint initiative with Swannanoa to
bring affordable broadband Internet access to the eastern part of
Buncombe County.
ìItís a very important issue,î Caudle said, ìbecause the businesses in
our area need to be as competitive as the businesses theyíre competing
with.î
ï Endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, a commitment
by hundreds of U.S. mayors to combat the effects of global warming.
ï Heard a report by Caudle on the efforts of the townís fire and public
works departments to clean up the damage caused by recent wind storms.
The fire department, Caudle noted, answered 37 calls within a 24-hour period, mostly related to fallen trees.
He praised the efforts of the town staff and added, jokingly, that one
of the first trees removed was one blocking the road to Mayor Carl
Bartlettís house.
ìI will note that there are pictures showing the mayor helping pull the
tree out of the road,î Caudle said, prompting laughter in the room.
Earlier, Bartlett had commended the Public Works Department and said,
ìIím 67 years old and Iíve never seen winds like weíve had in this town
in the past 48 hours.î
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