Badin’s plans to participate in the next 10 Days of Uwharrie Festival are falling into place.

The Badin Town Council discussed plans during its meeting Tuesday evening. The festival is North Carolina’s official outdoor festival. During the inaugural one last year, Badin had a few events including a Mayor’s Walk offered by Mayor Anne Harwood.

This year, the town has more time to plan its events, Town Manager Jay Almond said.

Possible ideas include a kayaking event on Falls Reservoir, pontoon tours on Badin Lake and a run. One idea is to resurrect the powwow the town had for its centennial celebration in 2013.

The Historic Badin Hardaway Annual Powwow was somewhat misnamed, as, despite town hopes, it was only conducted once for the centennial event. While Almond cautioned that the event may prove too difficult and expensive to host again in October, he said it is possible the event will be brought back for the festival.

The 10 Days of Uwharrie Festival is designed to showcase the outdoor recreational opportunities in the Uwharrie. Last year, a variety of events throughout the region included hiking, biking, boating and other activities.
Almond said the festival also highlights the outdoor recreation available in the Piedmont in addition to the mountains and coast, adding that it’s “not just the area between the other two.”

Visit ncoutdoorfestival.com to learn more about the festival.

Code enforcement
Almond said he is waiting for paperwork to document that there are court orders concerning two of the properties going through the code enforcement process.

Once the paperwork is complete, the town can hire a contractor to take care of the issues. A lien will then be placed on the properties.

Police Chief Bryan Lambert said too often an individual dies and leaves behind property that is not cared for or removed by the owner’s heirs.

Other business

CPA William R. Huneycutt provided the town with its audit report. Huneycutt highlighted portions of the report for the council, noting while the state has towns maintain at least 8 percent of its budget as unrestricted fund balance, the council has exceeded that, coming in at almost 17 percent.

During the time for public comment, a resident asked whether trees would be cut down on Falls Road.

The trees were discussed during the February meeting. Almond said during that meeting, DOT representative Jeff Littlefield had spoken to the council about removing the trees.

Pat Leonard and Nancy Vasser, both residents of Dogwood Lane Extension, complained to the council about the state of the former golf course. Vasser also said she believes the road has come into disrepair and regular maintenance has been neglected by the town.

The council went into closed session before holding a general discussion, largely focused on the golf course and road issue, before adjourning.

The council agreed to visit Dogwood Lane to see what could be done, but noted changes will need to be made to prevent the road from washing out during heavy rains.

Imari Scarbrough is a freelance contributor for The Stanly News and Press.