Manager's report: hires, mural walk, winter sports uptick, smoke testing and public hearings for interbasin transfer

Town Manager Adam Mitchell and department directors used the Nov. 8 meeting to update the Fuquay Varina Board on personnel, events and infrastructure matters that will affect residents in the coming weeks.

Mitchell announced the hire of Delaney Konetschka as the town's newest telecommunicator and noted the police explorers' recent recognition at a South Carolina competition. The art center has launched a new mural-walk web page highlighting 14 downtown murals, and the parks department reported winter youth sports registrations up 22% compared with last year.

Mitchell also said a draft interbasin transfer certificate is out for public comment and that three public hearings are scheduled in Pittsboro, Raleigh and Fayetteville in early December as part of that process. He mentioned a partnership to obtain up to 6,000,000 gallons per day of water identified in the application materials.

Public utilities staff warned of planned downtown smoke testing to detect inflow and infiltration in the sewer system and urged residents not to flush grease or wipes during the holiday season to avoid blockages. On property enforcement, staff said the owner of 498 Longfellow has pulled a demolition permit and has until Dec. 8 to demolish and clean the property, or the town will proceed with demolition and place a lien.

What happens next: The town will publish interbasin transfer hearing dates and continue outreach about smoke testing; staff will report back on any resulting repair needs or policy decisions.

Attribution notes: Direct quotes and numerical details appear in staff presentations; some place names and partner names in the transcript are ambiguous and are reported here as they appear in meeting remarks.