By Mark Wineka

mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — The Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen ticked off several major items Monday night, including a five-year contract extension for Waste Management of Carolinas Inc.

The company will continue to pick up residential garbage in Granite Quarry at a baseline cost of $7.74 per household. The new contract starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2021.

Waste Management is permitted to increase its annual fees based on the Consumer Price Index, but no single annual increase can exceed 3 percent.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Brinkley took issue with one section of the Waste Management contract under the heading “service inquiries.” It says “all complaints shall be made directly to the contractor,” and that “the contractor shall give all complaints prompt and courteous attention.”

“You call up there and no one answers the phone,” Brinkley said, asking Town Manager Phil Conrad to relay his complaint to the company.

“… Just ask them to answer the phone.”

In another matter Monday night, aldermen agreed to pay $3,250 in penalties to the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health for violations cited during an inspection of the town in March.

The $3,250 is half the $6,500 originally levied by the state for four “serious” and one “non-serious’ violations. The town had 10 infractions in all, but five carried no monetary penalties.

The state offered a settlement with the $3,250 total after Conrad and Mayor Bill Feather met with District Supervisor Paul Sullivan of the state.

The board approved the settlement agreement 3-1. Aldermen Jim LaFevers, Jim Costantino and Arin Wilhelm voted for it; Mayor Pro Tem Mike Brinkley, against it.

The town board also approved a service agreement with Duke Energy in which the town will pay Duke $334.46  a month for street lighting on the recently constructed Chamandy Drive, which will serve the Granite Quarry Industrial Park off Heilig Road.

The initial terms of the service agreement with Duke Energy is for three years. Rowan County, owner of the industrial park land, will make a one-time payment to Duke Energy of $20,215 for installation of the street lighting.

Town Engineer Jeff Moody reported the final inspection of Chamandy Drive occurred last Friday. Aldermen approved accepting the road as a town street, which will make it eligible for state Powell Bill funding starting July 1.

The new water line installed in this industrial park area is not, however, ready for a final signing off, Moody reported. Where the water line crosses Crane Creek, it is 2 feet too high and essentially right at the bottom of the creek, Moody said.

He has contacted the Corps of Engineers office in Raleigh, which plans an on-site inspection May 17. The Corps of Engineers could decide that section of the line must be reinstalled deeper, or it could say it’s OK the way it is.

In other business Monday, the Granite Quarry board:

• Approved $8,000 in fees to architect Bill Burgin for the drawing of a floor plan and outside elevations related to a possible $500,000 renovation of Town Hall. Feather said the town is looking at a total of $40,000 in architectural fees if the Town Hall project costs $500,000.

• Approved Ken Miller’s proposal to tear down and remove the old freight depot, its foundation and footing at no expense to the town, as long as Miller is allowed to keep all salvageable materials.

The board received a similar proposal from Anthony Fisher, but Fisher wanted the town to provide dumpsters for the materials that were not salvageable.

• Approved a $3,600 contract with Benchmark, a planning company which will work on updating the town’s Unified Development Ordinance.

• Approved a contract with Eddie Carrick, CPA, of Lexington to conduct the town’s audit for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Carrick will be paid $7,500 for the audit and $1,500 for preparing annual financial statements.

• Agreed to pay Moody, the town engineer, $3,243 for services he provided in connection to Chamandy Drive.

• Approved $1,000 as a United Way Day of Caring contribution to Granite Quarry Elementary School.

• Learned the Duck Derby, sponsored by the Merchants Association, will be held at Granite Lake Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21. Ducks are on sale at about 10 participating Granite Quarry businesses.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.