Beer and Food Trucks in Cleveland, North Carolina? Maybe.

Cleveland, NC town board members voted last night to send a request to the zoning committee for beer and food trucks within town limits.

Current zoning laws in Cleveland disallow the sale of alcohol at restaurants and also for having food trucks in for events. As Mayor Patrick Phifer pointed out, the old ice cream trucks with the loud, clanging bells that senior members of the community may recall were not legal. Of course, things were much different years ago.

Linda Dillard, on behalf of Frankie's (new Cleveland chicken restaurant), asked the board to go over the process for getting the sale of beer in town. She noted that patrons of Frankie's would like to have a Michelob with chicken. She said that food sales would remain the bulk of sales and that the restaurant planned to limit beers to "one or two." This may sound odd to people outside the area, but another restaurant in the zip code area does have a policy of not more than two beers per patron which has worked out well for that establishment.

"I'm against it," noted town commissioner Gerald Osborne. He said that a change in zoning would impact on everyone. He noted that he was concerned about people driving drunk with resulting deaths. He stated that he believed a change to zoning would just cause more problems.

Commissioner Travis Summitt asked, "Why don't we just go back to prohibition?" He said that the decision to purchase a drink with a meal was an individual decision. His concerns were that businesses would not be inclined to come to Cleveland with such restrictive rules on the book. Other area towns are zoned for the sale of beer and wine with meals, so Cleveland is not competitive at this point. The recent community survey also supported a desire on the part of participants to see the availability of alcohol at restaurants.

Summitt, Richard Taylor, and Bryan Little voted to send the request for a zoning change to committee. Osborne and John Bradford voted against the motion. So, the motion passed and is just part of a process that could potentially lead to new regulations regarding drinks at sit down restaurants in town.

Allowing food trucks in town was added to the conversation by Phifer. He noted that it would nice to have food trucks at town concerts and other special events. Other local towns have had successful food truck events - a popular trend these days. Phifer would like to see Cleveland have that option.

The board decided to vote separately on sending a request for food trucks to the zoning committee. That motion passed by four to one with only Osborne voting no.

Beer and food truck zoning changes would go through a process before any changes would be made. After new regulations are written by zoning, the board will consider the issues. Then, a public hearing would be held to get local input on any changes.

New Water System Approved

Another big issue for this month was the replacement of the current water SCADA system. The old system which reads water levels and shifts between two town water towers to ensure water in all homes in town is old and outdated. Also of concern is the fact that AT&T continues to raise the price of services two times per year.  Cleveland paid $40/month back in the 1990s and $400 plus now and rising.

Osborne had researched the issue and recommended that the town invest $24,825 to put in the new system which would then not require monthly payments to AT&T. He felt that a radio or analog system would be functional and cost effective when compared to a cell system.

The new system would pay for itself within five years noted Osborne and with the increasing charges for service factored in, the time to get return on investment could be as little as three years.

Town board members voted unanimously to purchase the new system.

Other Considerations Water/Sewer

Osborne noted that it was important for town representatives to think long term on water/sewer. He suggested a twenty year plan with five year evaluations and updates starting with the March environmental evaluation.

Bradford said that another water tower was needed on the "other side of town." That would equalize water pressures which are inconsistent in some areas as highlighted by Phifer. Phifer said that his sprinkler system was quite low in the evening when everyone was home and taking showers and such but would spray water to the center of the road during times when there was not much water usage.

Children Playing Signs and Speed Bumps

Per request of Ms. Avery of Cleveland, Richard Taylor asked about the possibility of putting up a children playing sign and/or speed bumps/humps on Clement and Crider streets. These are the streets at the town park entrance and streets where a good number of children live.

Taylor had done research on speed bumps and humps. Speed humps would be a better solution but are more expensive. He gave local examples of both types of speed reduction road additions so that board members and residents would understand the options.

Town board members agreed to consider a policy regarding speed humps so that members of the community would know where and why any were put in. Osborne had noted that other residents may want speed bumps if they are put in on the requested roads. So, this issue will be revisited in the future.

Park Bathrooms

One building at the town park does not currently have bathrooms, and board members discussed if and how bathroom facilities might be added.

A concern was brought up about the lack of paved areas in and around the park that would accommodate visitors with disabilities and particularly those using wheelchairs.

A type of Port-o-john was discussed. The board members were not talking about the type that will likely come to mind - the small and shabby ones of past years. They noted that Hurley Park has some of the new portable bathrooms and that they are large and nice. They would be less costly than adding stick built facilities so might be a reasonable alternative for adding bathrooms. The main requirement as far as building would be to put in a concrete slab.

Board members will look at this issue more and make proposals at future meetings.

Summer Break Concerts

Summer concerts last year were successful, so they will be continued for this coming year noted Phifer. Dates will be May 30, June 27, Aug 29, and Sept 26, 2020.

Local residents have asked about adding gospel music to the line up. Phifer suggested that the portable truck stage might be returned later on Sunday, opening options up for Sunday afternoon concerts following the Saturday night music street dances.

Churches and businesses in the area seem interested in the concerts and may want to work with and sponsor such events this year or in coming years.

Advertising the concerts will be a focus this year. Last year was a test year and rather small, but the program seems to have solid potential and could be a really nice break for residents.