Blue Ridge City Council held a special meeting on Thursday, March 24^th to finalize details of a Community Block Development Grant.  This grant will provide the city with money to begin modernizing water lines in the Ridge Ave./ Orchard Blvd. area.  Another grant that they worked on was details for renovating restrooms and building a welcome center next to the train depot.  Specifics about a new sidewalk ordinance and sewer rate increase were also discussed.

In early April, Blue Ridge will submit a grant to obtain money to update water infrastructure within the city.  The first area up for modernization is the Ridge Ave/ Orchard Blvd. area where there are narrow, galvanized water lines.  The new water lines will be PVC and will be wide enough to have sufficient water pressure for fire service.  Later modernizations will include sewer lines. Carter & Sloope, an engineering firm out of Canton, will oversee the project.  The company engineers many infrastructure projects for both the City of Blue Ridge and Fannin County.

The city is looking to the Appalachian Regional Commission to provide grant money to assist in building a welcome center with restrooms next to the train depot.  R Design Works out of Morganton, GA will be the architect.  When finished, the building will have retail space that businesses can rent, a small welcome center and public restrooms.

The City Council is discussing ways to enforce a national five foot obstacle free zone required on municipal sidewalks throughout the United States.  The five foot zone is from the American with Disabilities Act and is to ensure that wheelchairs, walkers and strollers can move down sidewalks without having to go out into the street to clear obstacles.  The new ordinance will also affect what businesses can put on the sidewalks.  Things like benches, advertising boards and flowerpots will be okay; items for sale or clothes racks will not.  Obstacle free sidewalks have been a rule in Blue Ridge for some time but some businesses do not follow it.  So, the City Council is looking to increase penalties for violations.  Proposed penalties include first violation – warning; second violation – fine; third violation – revocation of business license.

The City Council voted to increase sewer rates in Blue Ridge.  Current sewer rates are so low that the city operates in the red to pay for sewage treatment.  The new rates will bring the city up to equalization between what it costs to treat sewage and how much customers pay.  The first increase of $1 will be in June and the second increase of $1 will be in January 2017.

Waste Away garbage service which has been operating in Blue Ridge since last fall hasn’t paid for a business license nor given the city a percentage of profits that by law they must to be able to offer garbage services in Blue Ridge.  And, now, Waste Away has decided that it wants a business license and to be one of the three garbage companies allowed in Blue Ridge.  Mayor Whitener will talk with them about their shirking their responsibility to the city before any decision is made.

See Related Posts:  Overcoming Obstacles on Blue Ridge Sidewalks

Better Water Coming to Orchard Blvd./Ridge Ave. Area