MURPHY, NC – The county commission approved changing the name of the road running through Konehete Park in Murphy to Veterans Memorial Lane at their Oct. 7 meeting, pending the input of the property owners on the road.

Commissioner Dr. Dan Eichenbaum brought up the issue during comments.

The measure was approved earlier in the evening by the Murphy Town Council and also required the approval of the commission.

According to County Manager Randy Wiggins, there are seven land owners on the street. Those include four private residences, Cherokee County, the Town of Murphy, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Because they would have to change their legal addresses, those land owners are those who have the chance to offer input on the name change.

County Manager Randy Wiggins said he would see if there was any concern with the home owners on the current Konehete Street.

Wiggins said the TVA property was just a substation and would not be an issue.

As to the private owners, “I will get in touch and see if there is an issue,” Wiggins said.

County ordinance requires that such matters be open to a public hearing.

The board approved immediate steps for a public hearing to take place at the Nov. 4 meeting.

Chairman Gary Westmoreland pointed out that, even if there was opposition, the board still had the final approval in the matter.

At Westmoreland’s urging, the board also approved making the new road signs to be placed once the public hearing period was completed.

He cited the Veterans parade scheduled for Nov. 9 as the reason for the expedited process.

OTHER MEETING NOTES:

• The commission board approved spending $1,400 on a metes-and-bounds survey for the new EMS station on Jackson Street. The measure was approved 3-2, with Eichenbaum and McKinnon opposed.
• The liner has been fully installed in the new cells of the county landfill in Marble, according to Wiggins. He is still hopeful that the new cells can begin receiving household trash by Thanksgiving.
• The board voted 3-2 to allow the town of Murphy to install a manual bar screen at the sewer connection between the sewer system and the Cherokee County Detention Center. The bar will cost the county nothing, and will prevent contraband from inside the detention center from entering the town’s water system, according to Murphy Town Manager Chad Simons. Once installed, the bar becomes the property of the county, who will have to see to its maintenance. Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer said it would be no problem to have inmates perform the maintenance.
• The board approved a budget revision to pay $2,000 for the painting, striping, and sealing of the newly paved basketball court in Konehete Park. The court was paved using extra material the county already owned and paved by the volunteer services of Higdon Construction.

The next meeting of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners is set for Monday, Nov. 4, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in Multi-Purpose Room 342 of the county courthouse.