Cherryville PD Aids in 400+ County Calls; Other Topics Discussed

By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network

CHERRYVILLE, NC (WNN) – January was a busy month for the City of Cherryville. With the New Year ushering in change, the City Council has taken time to reflect on 2023 while planning. Much of these discussions occurred at the January 30, 2024, work session. 

Rezoning for Terrace Estates

The conversation regarding the zoning of Terrace Estates continued at the work session. At the last City Council meeting, the Council entered into a public hearing to discuss rezoning. 

Terrace Estates is intended for R-9, 6000 square feet plots, but the current zoning is R-12, 12,000 square feet plots. The land must be rezoned for the project to commence. 

However, debate has sparked regarding the rezoning, with many residents expressing their concern. The City Council did not conclude the public hearing and continued it until February’s council meeting. 

Another reason for the continuation is that the Planning and Zoning Board did not agree with the rezoning proposal. The City Council requested the attendance of the Planning and Zoning Board at the work session to help with the decision-making process. 

The City Council asked members of the Planning and Zoning Board why they did not vote in favor of the rezoning. The consensus among the group was that going from 12,000 square feet plots to 6000 square feet would be a significant change. 

“It was, to me, the egregious nature of the reduction.” said Wade Stroupe, a member of the Planning and Zoning Board. 

The Chairman of the board, Ed Yount, said the board denied the rezoning request because it disagrees with the rezoning as a whole.

“The board wants to deny the request for rezoning. Plain and simple.” said Yount. 

Stroupe said that the land in question has been owned by the developers for 20 years and has been R-12 the entire time. There is concern that the 6000-square-foot plots would be too small, but there are other options for rezoning. 

The Council can vote to rezone the 12,000 square foot plots to 8,000-10,000 square feet. However, not voting for the developer’s recommendations could hurt the project. Rezoning to anything above 6000 square feet could cut into a vital tree canopy. 

The canopy would protect the area from harmful runoff. The bigger the plots of land, the more trees the developers will have to cut down. Additionally, the plans will go from 100 homes to 75-85 homes, depending on the plot size.

Craig Upshaw represented the developers at the work session. He said that not agreeing with the developer’s recommendation for rezoning could jeopardize the project. 

“We would have to go back and have it redrawn, reprice the grading, see what the lots will cost and then go back to the homebuilder and see their thoughts on it and what the numbers would say. So it would take three to six months to do all of that.” said Upshaw. 

The City Council is concerned that not voting by the developers would be a deal breaker for the project.

The public hearing will continue during February’s City Council meeting, on February 12, 2024.

Police Department Annual Report

The Chief of Police for the Cherryville Police Department (CPD), Brandon Hunsucker, presented his annual report before the City Council. 

Chief Hunsucker has been the chief for a year. He has overseen several momentous changes for CPD. 

Specifically, he has encouraged his officers to interact with other agencies more often. As a part of this initiative, two Cherryville officers currently serve on a fugitive-finding committee for the county. There are also officers serving on a drone team. 

In total, CPD is responsible for 429 assists with other agencies in 2023.

Aside from the collaborative efforts, Hunsucker’s report consisted of crime-based statistics. In 2023, CPD answered approximately 13,000 calls. 

The department saw an increase in reports in several different categories. Primarily, motor vehicle crashes, gun incidents and drug-related crimes have increased significantly. 

CPD’s incident recording system contributes to inflated numbers; for instance, any presence of a gun, regardless of discharge, is categorized as a gun-related report.

Regarding drug-related crimes, Chief Hunsucker has started reporting drug overdoses. CPD dispatched officers to 35 overdoses, but the number of deaths is unknown. The most commonly found drugs were opioids like fentanyl and heroin. 

CPD said hello to some new officers and goodbye to some longtime veterans. Chief Hunsucker hired a new detective in 2023, bringing the total number of detectives on the squad to three. However, with the retirement of two officers the PD lost 58 years of experience. 

As CPD grows and takes on more cases the department will have more room for change. Chief Hunsucker continues to make decisions to improve the department. 

Fire Department Annual Report

Jason Wofford, the Chief of the Cherryville Fire Department (CFD), presented his annual report before the City Council as well. 

Chief Wofford began his report by praising Chief Hunsucker. He said he has never seen the police department and fire department work closer. The symbiotic relationship between the two departments has been vital for the growth of both. 

Chief Wofford reported that the average response times are well within the national average. It takes the department approximately four minutes to answer a medical call and approximately three minutes to answer a fire-related call. 

Service calls dropped as fire officers stopped assisting in unlocking vehicles. They ceased doing so because of the illegality of unlocking a vehicle unless it’s an emergency.

The volume of calls is steadily increasing and the CFD has assisted several surrounding areas with other calls. Wofford has spearheaded the initiative to make mutual aid for other departments more accessible. 

The CFD has assisted in providing aid nine times and has accepted aid six times. 

2023 was a good year for training. CFD held over 5000 training hours and helped many people obtain certifications. The 2023 Insurance Services Office (ISO) score was two on a scale of 10.

To reach an ISO of one, CFD needs to fix its ladder truck and acquire more volunteers. Fixing the ladder truck would cost roughly $42,000. 

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Overall, CFD experienced significant growth this year. The trajectory looks steady as Chief Wofford continues to create positive changes in the department. 

As the first month of 2024 is left in the past, February holds the potential for more change. The next City Council Meeting is on Monday, February 12, 2024, where the public hearing regarding Terrace Estates will continue. Much more is in store for Cherryville, so stay tuned for upcoming news.

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