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By Jim Buice
For the Clemmons Courier

One of the objectives of Bermuda Run’s Comprehensive Plan has been providing connectivity from neighborhoods to important points of interest, and the Town Council helped take another step in that endeavor by approving the Yadkin Valley Road sidewalk project in last Tuesday night’s meeting.

“One of those areas is Davie Medical Center, where they already have walking trails and a walking path,” Town Manager Lee Rollins said. “So this project puts a sidewalk within DOT right-of-way from Old Town Drive on Yadkin Valley Road down to the N.C. 801 intersection, and then from that point, there has to be a signalized crosswalk across 801 so that people can safely walk across.”

The council unanimously approved what it listed as one of the capital project priorities for the 2019-20 budget year by approving the lowest responsible bid of $167,000 from Fuller Contracting LLC for the general construction portion of the project and $30,403 from Fulcher Electric for the signalization — for a total contract price of $197,403.

“Moving forward on the Yadkin Valley sidewalk to connect Kinderton Village to the hospital is a great next step,” councilman Rick Cross said. “I know we’ve got some other things we’re going to be rolling out in the near future. I continue to talk to people that say being able to get around our town is something that is very important.”

In another business item, the council unanimously approved a rezoning request on the second try from RM (residential mixed) to CM (commercial mixed) by applicant Bob Hodges for a 2.55-acre tract located to the north of 169 Yadkin Valley Road.

After a public hearing in the August meeting, the council voted 3-2 to defer taking action to get more information, including any restrictions and the “conditional use” aspect, after adjoining neighbor Steve Sexton expressed concerns about what the use of the property might be.

Rollins told the council that since that meeting, there had been conversations from the Sextons with him, planning staff and Hodges, and that “they were pleased with what has transpired.”

Most of the property to the north is zoned residential mixed while all the other surrounding property is zoned commercial mixed. The staff findings were found to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, and the Planning Board voted in favor 5-0.

Also in last Tuesday night’s meeting, John Guglielmi, who was appointed mayor at the Aug. 27 council agenda meeting, was sworn in to position.

He replaces Ken Rethmeier, who was closing in on completing his second four-year term but left office earlier than anticipated to relocate closer to his children and grandchildren after his home unexpectedly sold within days of being put on the market.

Council members praised Guglielmi’s work on the board and thanked him for “stepping up” to fill the vacated spot.

Guglielmi, who has served as Bermuda Run’s mayor pro tem since 2013, resigned his seat on the council to accept the position as mayor. As Guglielmi’s seat is up for election in November and there two others joining him in seeking two seats, the council took no action to appoint someone to fill the now empty spot.

In other highlights from last Tuesday night’s meeting, the council:

• Heard from councilman Mike Ernst and Cross regarding the Sept. 7 concert by the On the Border — The Ultimate Eagles Tribute, which is part of the town’s concert series and played to an overflow crowd at Town Center on Kinderton Boulevard.

“For those who didn’t come to the concert, you really missed a great event,” Ernst said. “It was a huge crowd, very orderly crowd, the music was great. People really enjoy our concert series. If you look around, there were a lot of people that weren’t from the Town of Bermuda Run, which is what we want — to get exposure for the town.”

Cross added, “If you weren’t there, you were only of the three people in the 100-mile radius that weren’t. There were somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 people there. It was quite an event. We had our own little Woodstock there on Saturday night.”

• Approved a Bermuda Run West Common Area Maintenance Contract for annual maintenance starting Jan. 1, 2020, with Chamblain Landscaping & Lawn Care for a cost of $551.96 per month.

• Proclaimed September 2019 as National Senior Center Month.