BR board talks about sports complex

Published 3:22 pm Tuesday, January 23, 2018

BERMUDA RUN – Although the town hasn’t received a formal site plan package for a proposed mega sports complex, Town Manager Lee Rollins indicated last week that he is anticipating a submittal by the end of the month.

The ownership group for Carolina Athletic Performance unveiled plans for a 120,000 square-foot indoor athletic space at BB&T Sports Park – which could be the largest such center in the eastern United States – the previous week before the county commissioners, including approval of a sewer allocation.

During this month’s town council meeting, councilman Rick Cross commented that is “the right first step. They would not come to us before they went to Davie County to get sewer access.”

Rollins said that the town has always encouraged developers to secure sewer allocation first, and that the group had “come to us twice to look at some very preliminary sketch work on the building, design and all that. We’ve walked through our zoning ordinance with them, and the property is already zoned for that use. They’ve told us they are anticipating a submittal at some point by the end of the month.”

Jason Tutterow, one of the partners for Carolina Athletic Performance, said in a statement that some of the group’s plans were still in the conceptual phase, and he addressed some earlier comments regarding questions about access points to the facility:

“Some of the comments made about access points have not been confirmed, nor are they part of our current plans, specifically an emergency access point into Kinderton, and a northern connection to Yadkin Valley Road. We will, however, be working together with BB&T Sports Park through Twins Way and collaborate on many of our efforts.”

The group is purchasing 22 acres from Twin City Youth Sports, which will include eight full-size, indoor basketball courts that can be converted into 16 volleyball courts, along with space for physical therapy, batting cages, nine meeting rooms, a 4,000 square foot multi-purposed room, 10,000 square feet for a rehab facility and other open space.

Meanwhile, the Twin City Sports Association has moved forward with a phased expansion, including the installation of artificial-turf fields, and has scheduled a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 11 a.m.

In other business, the council:

• Again appointed Mayor Ken Rethmeier to be the town’s representative on the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Councilman Jerry West was appointed as the alternate.

• Appointed Cross to be the town’s representative on the Piedmont Triad Regional Council. He will replace Rethmeier, whose schedule in 2018 did not permit full attendance.

• Heard from councilman John Guglielmi during council comments, saying he was pleased to see light poles going up at the US 158 roundabout. “Maybe by the end of January, we might see some light on that situation,” he said.

• Heard from Rethmeier, who said he had received more feedback, most of it positive, regarding lowering the speed limit on US 158 and added he had asked Division 9 engineer Pat Ivey to go back and review the traffic study on NC 801 to see if there is an opportunity to do the same on that busy road. Rethmeier and councilman Mike Ernst reported continuing to get favorable reviews on the town’s new community officer.

• Heard from Rollins that the stretch of road on US 158 from Lewisville-Clemmons Road to Baltimore Road had been placed on the NCDOT State Transportation Improvement Program but that right-of-way acquisition would not begin until 2026. He added that he would like to work with the council, perhaps by this spring, to see about discussing with DOT about any possible intersection improvements at US 158 and NC 801 well in advance of that date.

• Heard from Roger Williams, who lives on Parkview Lane in Kinderton Village, regarding an ongoing problem with street parking in the single-family developments. Williams, who is president of master board for the HOA, said that most citizens comply, but there are concerns over safety for children playing and providing easier access for emergency vehicles. He added the homes have two-car garages and a driveway pad that can accommodate two additional cars. Williams said he would return in the spring with an update.

• Announced that council agenda meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23, would be the annual planning session.