Things to think about on Easter
Not an endorsement for or against anyone, just something to think about…
Development to reshape Cramerton
The new development called Villages at South Fork along with any earlier plan simply called Lakewood Village will bring 1,409 “upscale” housing units to the Town of Cramerton along with a combined 170,000 square feet of commercial space over the next 5 to 7 years.
Of course, this development impacts the whole area, and most importantly the school system and roads.
Hold on for this ride.
Belmont to get green this spring – Gaston towns tired of being brown
Bowing to the pressure of local small businesses dependent on public water for their livelihoods, the Belmont City Council water committee has put forth a motion to ease water restrictions in the area.
Residents would be able to hand water, drip irrigate trees, shrubs, and personal gardens. If approved, the watering could be done during the entire day on those three days. “I don’t mind the hand held watering,” said Councilman Charlie Flowers”.
This action is occurring while other Gaston county towns are also loosening restrictions.
It seems that the “squeaky” (re: “leaky”) wheel gets the grease. If City Council passes the recommendation, residents still will not be able to water their lawns.
Other communities throughout the state are still working on further restrictions and closely tracking water use, Belmont gets a bit a rain and Poof! – no more drought — in some eyes.
We admit there has been some improvement in the drought, but the area is still in what is considered exceptional drought conditions. Typically late February and the month of March are “catch up” months in regards to rain. Not this spring – so far.
A special meeting next Monday evening (6:30 PM) will have this discussion and vote. Interested people should attend this meeting and see how council members who have landscapers maintain their personal yards vote on this issue.
More information links: System Status for Belmont
| Basin | Pop | 2008-03-10 | 2008-03-03 | 2008-02-25 | 2008-02-18 | |
| Belmont | Catawba River | 8,974 | 1,676,143 | 1,605,571 | 1,668,286 |
Older table dates
| Basin | Pop | 08-02-04 | 08-01-28 | 08-01-21 | 08-01-14 | 08-01-07 | |
| Belmont | Catawba River | 8,974 | 1,545,286 | 1,672,429 | 1,685,857 | 1,568,714 | 1,744,143 |
Sure doesn’t look like water restrictions have affected Belmont’s use of water. Going back to an earlier article where the Belmont Front Porch reported on the growing practice of new wells being dug throughout the county, the County Health Department repudiated the charge that new wells were an issue with groundwater.
With this information, it seems that local “businesses” would not be affected — according to the County health department — just dig a well.
Good for business, keeps the businesses off the backs of elected “leaders”, and keeps the progeny of local councilmembers with their jobs.
It’s all good.
The Belmont Front Porch 