GRANITE QUARRY — Granite Quarry candidates touched on issues such as growth, grocery stores, a proposed U.S. 52 bypass and planning at a Tuesday night election forum sponsored by the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce.

Of the five candidates participating, three were incumbents — Mayor Bill Feather and Aldermen Mike Brinkley and Arin Wilhelm. They emphasized the town board’s accomplishments over the past four years and initiatives they want to continue.

“The town has been very proactive,” Brinkley said.

Meanwhile, John Linker and Doug Shelton represented challengers for the Board of Aldermen seats now held by Brinkley and Wilhelm. Linker said he has a wealth of experience that will allow him to hit the ground running.

“I think I would be a real asset to the town,” said Linker, who is a former mayor and alderman and past chairman of the Rowan County Planning Board.

Shelton, chairman of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, said he could bring a fresh set of eyes looking toward the future. He touted his experience in strategic thinking and planning. He has been a frequent visitor to town board meetings.

“I am interested,” Shelton said. “I have been paying attention.”

Board of Aldermen candidates Kim Cress and Wes Rhinier did not attend the forum.

Feather is unopposed for mayor on the official ballot. Granite Quarry’s municipal election will be held Nov. 7.

“I don’t think there’s a bad person in the bunch,” Feather said at the end of the forum, and he described all the candidates as having the town’s improvement at heart.

The candidates fielded eight questions posed by moderator Frank Goodnight of the Chamber of Commerce. They also were allowed two-minute statements at the beginning and 90-second closings.

The forum went quickly, staying well within the hour planned for it. About 20 people attended.

Brinkley said he had planned to review all the things the town board had accomplished in the past four years for his two-minute opening. But when he first timed himself, his introduction was going to take 8 minutes and 43 seconds.

With some editing, Brinkley trimmed his practice introduction to six minutes, then four minutes before he gave up, he said.

Three things Brinkley ended up mentioning were the town board’s efforts with Rowan County to develop an industrial park off Heilig Road, prospects for a 235-home residential development off Faith Road and continuing efforts to lure a grocery store to Granite Quarry.

At the back of the room, Feather had furnished a campaign sheet listing more than 20 accomplishments the board could claim over the four years he has served as mayor.

Besides the industrial park, housing development and grocery store recruitment efforts, Feather noted $235,000 worth of street paving this year — the first street resurfacing since 2000; the expected construction of a State Employees’ Credit Union; a new Family Dollar store; a new Novant Health facility; the purchase of land for youth athletic fields; a new firetruck; a property tax reduction; and cleaning up confusion on Granite Quarry mailing addresses.

Feather’s sheet also stated new home construction in Granite Quarry is at a 17-year high, that the town’s office software and computer equipment have been updated, that town maintenance equipment is on schedule for replacement, that the town has a redesigned website and that a remodeling of Town Hall is set to begin in 2018.

Several of these things were mentioned by Feather and the other two incumbents during the forum.

Feather said town officials “have talked to about every grocery chain possible.” At present, they have been in discussions with IGA, and a representative has made a visit looking at two possible locations — the shopping center that once included a Winn-Dixie store and the corner of U.S. 52 and Church Street, according to Feather.

Wilhelm said the potential addition of a 235-home subdivision will represent growth, adding to the town’s diversity and helping with population numbers needed to land a grocery store. A drawback Granite Quarry often hears from grocery chains is that “we don’t have the population,” Wilhelm noted.

Shelton said the town should do things “within reason” to attract a grocery store.

Linker said he is an advocate of good growth in the right places, but he warned that town leaders might be wasting their time trying to recruit a grocery store.

“I’d love to see one,” Linker said, “but the demographics aren’t there until Granite Quarry has a much bigger customer base. I’m not sure it’s going to happen.”

On the N.C. Department of Transportation’s plans for a U.S. 52 bypass — currently U.S. 52 passes through the middle of both Granite Quarry and Rockwell — Linker said a bypass could end up being a positive, allowing the town to make significant street and landscaping improvements in the downtown and finding ways to slow down traffic.

Shelton and Brinkley suggested a bypass might not come to fruition for at least 10 years. Meanwhile, Shelton said, the town could address other more pressing things.

If a bypass is built, Brinkley said, it could be a positive in opening up new areas for economic development. The town should be proactive in looking to provide water-sewer extensions to those areas, Brinkley said.

Wilhelm said the town will have plenty of time to receive input from residents about a U.S. 52 bypass and plan for its impacts. Feather listed the bypass and what it will mean to Granite Quarry as a critical issue facing the town.

Feather said questions will include how the town plans for it and how does Granite Quarry keep its downtown viable.

On growth, Linker said with the new State Employees’ Credit Union branch coming, the area around it could become a critical spot for development, affecting what happens in the central business district.

Linker said he supports any quality building project in town but warned against putting all the town’s eggs in one basket at the risk of neglecting other needs and areas of town.

Shelton said the top challenge for Granite Quarry will be sustaining its quality of life with the right kinds of growth. He said it is important to work with other entities, while also laying out a vision for what the town wants in terms of industrial, commercial and residential development.

Brinkley said the critical issues facing Granite Quarry are growth and the need for adequate planning to go with that growth. Making sure Granite Quarry has low taxes, a good quality of life and a trained workforce will be important, he said.

Wilhelm also cited the need for good schools, an increased online presence and a vision that can be adjusted as needed.

Feather said JHI’s planned 235-home subdivision along Faith Road represents the first major builder to come to Rowan County in a long time.

As a whole, the candidates said they support relationships with other governments and groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization and Centralina Council of Governments.

Feather noted that if he is re-elected, he would be in line to become chairman of COG. He is now vice chairman of the COG board.)

Linker said the town can’t afford to operate as an island. Brinkley said he has had problems with the EDC in the past because he didn’t think Granite Quarry was getting its money’s worth.

Shelton said working relationships with other groups are important and the town must “make sure we have a voice and that it’s heard.”

On a few other matters:

• Wilhelm said he wants to continue economic development efforts at a measured pace, improve services without tax increases and offer more recreational opportunities for youths and adults.

• Wilhelm said the opioid crisis may be the town’s next big issue. While it hasn’t affected the town dramatically to date, Wilhelm said, “We need to get ahead of it.”

• Linker said a lot of good things are happening in Granite Quarry, but he pointed to “an excessive employee turnover” in key positions at Town Hall. The town could take the first step in promoting a downtown makeover with a renovation of Town Hall, Linker said, “but not to the tune of $1.6 million.”

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.