Lake Santeetlah – A lengthy lawsuit has come to an end, to the tune of a $40,000 settlement.
The Town of Lake Santeetlah reached a settlement in the suit, which involved attempts to seek property from homeowners on Santeetlah Trail. The news comes after a nearly seven-hour hearing on the matter held in Superior Court in Swain County in May.
The settlement was reached at the town council’s July 8 meeting.
The board also discussed a request from Thunder Island Drive homeowner Richard Nash to cut under the road and tap into the nearby Zito Media internet box to get faster internet. According to the council, Nash had spoken with several providers before seeking permission to tap into the Zito system. The plan would strictly be for a line to Nash’s home, not for any other customers in the vicinity. Councilman Keith Predmore asked why the council was as involved in the project as it was, stressing that no one was an engineer or otherwise possessed the technical knowledge to determine whether the project should be undertaken.
“It’s up to the individual to tell us how he’s going to do the project, not for us to tell him how to suck eggs,” Predmore said.
The council plans to revisit the project in its August meeting, with the homeowner providing a more detailed plan for the project and commitment that any damage done to town property would be repaired. The board also set the date of July 20 at 1 p.m. for a workshop on the town’s new zoning ordinances, with a hearing on the same set for Aug. 10 at 10 a.m.