Fontana council back at full strength
Fontana Dam – A large monthly payment will keep Fontana Village Resort on track to become current with the Town of Fontana Dam by June.
During the town’s monthly council meeting on Dec. 18, Mayor Rob Hardy discussed the resort’s plan to catch up on back payments. The first step was a $17,000 payment for June 2019 fees made three weeks ago, and the resort will pay $23,000 a month – which equates to roughly $5,750 per week – to the town until becoming current. Present and future fees will be rolled into the past-due balance, which sits at $78,258.
“We’re happy about that,” Hardy said of the plan. “We were working toward that. Going into the off season, it’s ambitious, but we’ve got a plan in place. I’m really happy.”
“It’s always been our intention to work with the resort,” Fontana Dam Town Administrator Zelerie Rogers added. “It’s a close relationship. Their success is our success and vice versa.”
Other news and notes from the meeting include:
* Sabrina Garrison and Jon Hodgson were both sworn in as new Fontana Dam council members, bringing the board back to a full five-member panel. The council consists of Garrison, Hodgson, Hardy, Jordan Hedrick and Tracy Williams.
* The town unanimously agreed to sign the Graham County Comprehensive Transportation Plan amendment, as it pertains to the ever-evolving plans for Corridor K. Rogers added that every other council in Graham County – the towns of Robbinsville and Lake Santeetlah, plus the Graham County Board of Commissioners – have already signed the amendment.
The county’s support of the plan – which calls for climbing passing lanes to be added along the four highways affected (U.S. 74, U.S. 129, N.C. 143 and N.C. 28) – need to be unanimous in order for the project teams involved with the improvements to apply for additional federal funds.