The Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners met for its monthly meeting on Thursday, July 16. Commissioners Jim Tate and Bill Grubb were not present. The board began initial discussions on data centers, heard updates on the Mirror Lake dredging project and staff moves, and approved several amendments.
Data centers
Mayor Patrick Taylor asked the board to begin discussing data centers, noting that Franklin recently passed a moratorium on new data centers and Macon County has begun reviewing its High Impact Ordinance as it relates to the topic.
“My first reaction to this would be, we have expensive land and small areas,” said Taylor. “There could be no way that a data center could come here. But, never say never.”
Taylor said he was concerned about the potential strain data centers could place on the town’s power and water infrastructure. He asked the board to review the topic within the context of the town ordinance and work with Town Attorney Nick Tosco to develop a plan.
“They’re putting a data center in uptown Charlotte, so just because you’ve got small, expensive land, you can’t just count on the fact that you don’t have prime real estate for data centers,” said Tosco. “They’re going everywhere.”
Commissioner Amy Patterson said the town has an advantage because of its existing natural zoning ordinances, with the exception of a parcel owned by Haywood EMC. She added that it will be important to urge Macon County to take action beyond its High Impact Ordinance because it only allows the country to regulate data centers after they are built.
“You have to be careful about NC General Statute Chapter 160D, the downzoning legislation, but there’s ways to do it,” said Tosco. “If you can do things that create more uses and put in a data center use that didn’t exist, but is heavily regulated, then it’s not looked at as downzoning.”
The board unanimously approved the decision to have Tosco draft a 12-month moratorium, which will be reviewed at the Aug. 20 regular meeting. The board also proposed holding a special meeting prior to Macon County’s next board meeting to draft a resolution in favor of a moratorium to send to the county.
Mirror Lake dredging update
Joel Storrow and Michael Hanson of McGill Associates returned before the board to provide updates on the Mirror Lake dredging project.
According to the latest cost estimates, using Roger Lee Wilson’s alternate disposal site would cost about $750,000, while using the original disposal site at Highlands Transfer Station would cost about $1,701,060. McGill’s engineering work is estimated at $976,500.
“How much additional engineering, permitting and contracting cost there is to actually implement disposal at the original site, versus the cost to pay at Roger Lee Wilson’s site for disposal, but you’re not paying any of those additional costs that are associated with the transfer stuff,” said Storrow. “So, that’s the difference there and the reason for the primary savings.”
McGill estimates Mirror Lake holds about 119,300 cubic yards of sediment. Based on the town’s budget for the project, an estimated 80,000 CY could be disposed of at Wilson’s site, compared with 61,000 cubic yards at Highlands Transfer Station.
“Identifying the Wilson site is actually going to work in the town’s favor because we’re going to be able to maximize the amount of material dredged from the lake,” said Storrow.
The town’s next steps were to select a disposal site and authorize completion of design and permitting. McGill is still waiting on Wilson to determine whether he has the necessary permitting for the site.
Hanson said he anticipates phase 2 of the project will require a nationwide permit, which is a shorter process, while phase three will require an individual permit.
The board unanimously approved a motion authorizing the design and permitting for both . Commissioners also approved a separate motion to bring back an addendum to the contract to review before committing to Wilson’s alternate site. A later vote would be required to finalize a contract with Wilson.
Staff updates
Town Manager Josh Ward announced that Finance Director Rebecca Shuler has accepted a position with the Town of Maggie Valley. Her last day was Wednesday, July 22. Ward also announced that IT director Matt Shuler will retire after 30 years of service.
“We wish both Rebecca and Matt well,” said Taylor. “We will look at filling those positions as soon as possible.”
Plan and amendment approvals
The board unanimously approved the Clay Macon Hazard Mitigation Plan by resolution after the town’s current plan expired on July 15. Both counties and all municipalities in the region must adopt the hazard mitigation plan through a resolution,
Hazard mitigation planning identifies hazards, assesses risks and develops strategies to reduce long-term vulnerabilities. The Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) serves as the groundwork for the mitigation strategy by analyzing natural and technological hazards based on their frequency, severity and exposure.
Commissioner Jeff Weller, on behalf of Brian Stiehler, proposed an addendum to the new playground contract. After the playground fundraising campaign hit its target of $1.6 million, further donations continued to roll in.
The addendum restored original elements to the playground design that were originally removed. The board unanimously approved it.
Mitch Stone is a reporter at The Highlander and can be reached at reporter@highlandsnews.com