LDO amendments vote postponed

The longest presentation and discussion at the Aug. 22 Jamestown Town Council meeting was at a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Land Development Ordinance.

However, no vote was taken as Mayor Lynn Montgomery was absent due to illness and councilmembers wanted her to have input into the decision. The vote was continued until the Sept. 19 Council meeting.

The amendments to Chapter 17 of the LDO relates to signage within the town.

The purpose of the amendments is to make revisions to specific development standards and to provide consistency and clarity. Some changes were to minor grammatical errors while others removed duplications and moved several ordinances to a more proper location.

One area refers signage during election season. Chapter 17.6-2.7 is proposed to read: "In nonresidential or mixed use districts during 'election season,' snipe or yard signs, shall be permitted that contain no more than six square feet in area provided that such signs are erected no more than 30 days prior to the beginning of 'one-stop' early voting under G.S. § 163-227.2 and removed no later than seven days following the applicable primary or election."

Rules relating to digital signage received a lot of conversation at the Council meeting. They were previously allowed anywhere in the town, but now are restricted to Civic, Commercial and Bypass zoning districts. They are no longer allowed in residential areas. Additionally, the displayed message must show for 10 seconds, not the previous 5, to allow motorists time to read. The board also discussed extending the period when the signs must be turned off overnight.

Current digital signs do not have to meet the new restrictions due to being grandfathered under the old ordinance. However, if the signs need to be replaced, the new rules will be applied. If not, owners will be fined for non-compliance.

Another area of change covers signs at building projects. Chapter 17.6-2.6 now reads, "Development projects under active building permits are permitted one sign per property street frontage up to 36 square feet in area provided they are removed after the applicable permit is no longer active due to completion of permitted work or permit expiration."

The proposed amendments limit where other types of signage are allowed. Windblown signage like streamers, spinners, balloons and inflatables are prohibited. Pennant-style or feather flags also are prohibited.

Flags displayed on a permanent flagpole are allowed.

No one spoke during the public comment section of the hearing.

The full list of LDO amendments can be found in the June 12 Planning Board packet at www.jamestown-nc.gov/my-government/meeting-minutes-and-schedules. The YouTube video is available at www.youtube.com/@TownofJamestownNC/streams.

Chief Derek Carson of the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department announced that the ISO insurance rating has repeated its previous Class 2 in the town of Jamestown. In the rural area outside Jamestown, the rating rose from Class 3 to Class 2. Class 1 is the highest rating. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) rates fire departments and surrounding communities. The ratings calculate how well-equipped fire departments are to put out fires in that community.

For homeowners, this means better insurance rates when the number is low.

"Fire and lightning accounted for almost 25 percent of all homeowners insurance losses in 2021, according to Triple-I," states the website Bankrate. "Between 2017 and 2021, the average fire and lightning claim resulted in $83,519 in insured losses. The frequency and severity of fire losses is why insurers take ISO scores into account when determining premiums.

"If your fire department has a strong score from the ISO, this suggests to your insurance provider that the likelihood of your home being destroyed by a fire is low. It could still happen, of course, but the chances are not as high as they could be if you lived somewhere with a poor ISO score."

The new ratings will go into effect Sept. 1 and will be good for five years.

In other business, the Council supported an application for a T-Mobile Hometown Grant. The grant can fund adaptive uses of older and historic buildings into community gathering spaces, improvements to outdoor parks or trails, and technology projects for the public libraries. Jamestown is requesting the maximum $50,000 with no requirement to match by the Town.

The proposed grant project in Jamestown would allow the Town to purchase several items for the sports complex on East Fork Road: automatic line marker, portable benches for the youth teams and portable bleachers for the spectators of the youth games. The line marker can reduce staff time to mark the fields for games from four hours to 23 minutes. Providing seating to participants and spectators would enhance the game experience. The grant was presented to the Parks and Recreation Committee Aug. 7 and the committee voted in favor of support for the application.

In the manager's report, Matthew Johnson announced that renovations to Town Hall are nearly complete. New restrooms along the golf course are also close to completion. The Golf Maintenance Building will be completd soon with an estimated move-in date of late August or early September.

The Town received a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant last year that will be used to upgrade Jamestown Park. Construction on the park will begin in the coming weeks with the removal of the basketball courts and volleyball courts. Renovations will take several months and signs will be posted to notify patrons of coming improvements.

Following the regular session, councilmembers went into closed session to discuss matters related to attorney-client privilege relation to 301 Lee Street. The meeting lasted approximately 18 minutes and no business was conduced when the regular session reconvened.

The Aug. 22 Town Council meeting is available at www.youtube.com/c/TownofJamestownNC. Click on "live."