High Point council approves contracts, park upgrades, transit fare card and K9 sale in consent actions

The High Point City Council voted Jan. 31 to approve multiple agenda items covering procurement, infrastructure and interlocal agreements.

Items approved included a purchase of warehouse meter stock (Itron meters, vendor Tantalus); a contract extension for security services at the Municipal Operations Center (816 East Green Drive); a goods-and-services agreement for police drone and real-time-crime-center equipment with Axon Enterprises; a resolution authorizing the sale of retired police K9 Kira to her handler; a construction contract to install emergency backup power at the Oak Hollow Raw Water Pump Station; a second amendment with Alta Engineering for landscape, lighting and property appraisal work tied to railroad negotiations; an interlocal agreement to implement a single stored-value transit fare card usable across regional systems; and the purchase and relocation of playground equipment at North Overlook Park with a budget amendment reflecting a contribution from the Declan Donahue Foundation.

Several items included brief staff presentations and limited council discussion. Noted details from the meeting record: • Meters: staff said roughly "36,000-ish" meters have been changed out under the city's meter program; the presentation described the purchase as warehouse stock for future neighborhoods and the meter changeout program. • Security services: staff said the security services benefit multiple departments, and council approved the request to add the remaining contract terms previously discussed in Sept. 2024. • Oak Hollow pump station: staff pre-purchased a Cat generator and transfer switches in May 2024; Jay Cumbie Construction was identified as the lowest responsive bidder and staff recommended awarding the construction contract (staff cited a 270-day contract period but said work may finish sooner). • Alta Engineering amendment: transportation staff said the fee for the second amendment would be $308,609.38 and that funds were available in the FY 25-26 budget; Venable said the design work was about 90% complete. • Transit fare media: transportation staff said the program creates a single stored-value card to be accepted across multiple regional systems; each agency must ratify the interlocal agreement before full implementation. • Parks: Parks & Recreation Director Lee Tillery said the Declan Donahue Foundation will contribute approximately half the playground cost; the recommended vendor was Cunningham Recreation and the project follows the adopted 2024 Festival Park site master plan. • Congdon property: staff requested an extension of the inspection period in a purchase-and-sale agreement with the David and Helen Congdon Family Foundation to allow time for NCDEQ Brownfields review; staff requested an extension to July 16, 2026.

Each motion was made, seconded and approved by voice vote during the meeting; the meeting record shows "Aye" for approved items and no roll-call tallies were provided.

What’s next: staff will proceed with contract awards and implementation steps identified in the meeting; several items carry follow-ups (procurement, construction schedules, interlocal ratifications and the Brownfields review) that council or staff must track.

Votes at a glance (approved during the meeting): item 20 26-11 (meter purchase); 20 26-14 (security services); 20 26-20 (Axon contract); 20 26-12 (sale of retired K9 Kira); 20 26-15 (Oak Hollow emergency power construction); 20 26-16 (Alta Engineering amendment); 20 26-18 (stored-value transit fare media interlocal); 20 26-19 (playground equipment and budget amendment); 20 26-21 (inspection period extension).