Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The City of Cherryville held its regular work session. The meeting was held by Mayor Pro Tem Janice Hovis, with Mayor Wade Stroupe and Councilmember Jill Puett unable to attend the meeting. Cherryville City Attorney Yansea Taylor confirmed that 3 council members constituted a quorum, and the meeting began as usual.
After adoption of the agenda, the council heard the request from the Cherryville ABC board. Previously, they had asked to save funds in order to repave the parking lot at the location. However, since then, a new offer has come in, and the ABC Board has unanimously voted to move forward with the repair. The new resolution saved the ABC store roughly $18,000, with the new paving offer totaling $18,500. The motion was made to approve this expenditure and to rescind the earlier resolution to save for the project’s future completion.
City Attorney Yansea Taylor - City Of Cherryville Work Session - Cherryville, NC - September 29, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
City Manager Brian Dalton led the discussion on the leasing contract for Top Gun to rent the Little League and Dixie Youth fields 35 weekends a year. He urged the council to move forward on this matter to ensure construction starts while the weather conditions are still acceptable. Taylor then asked Don Mason for clarification on which company held the insurance for Top Gun. The company Carolina Travel Sports LLC currently holds the insurance for Top Gun Sports and has already listed the City of Cherryville as insured. The responsible party for the 35 yearly payments totaling $210,000 would be Don Mason, DBA Top Gun Sports. The contract was also changed to be a one-year rental period. Had this not been done, the council would’ve needed a public hearing to approve the lease period. This will still occur if the lease is renewed for a longer term next year, but it was seen as a necessary step to expedite the current process. The council ultimately voted to give the city manager and city attorney the rights to continue revising/ negotiating the draft and to ultimately sign and approve a final contract.
However, signing this contract raises another point from the previous meeting. This deal is contingent upon Cherryville having the four fields at Ballard Park turfed. With this in mind, Dalton and Recreation Director Lance Hudson spoke with Butler’s Outdoor Design LLC, the current lowest bidder. They had decided they would like higher-quality turf than the original estimate. They feel the better turf will be softer for the children participating in these events. Due to this, there was a price increase, so the previous vote on signing the contract, only if the Top Gun lease agreement was finalized, needed to be rescinded. The original $490,000 price to complete all four fields had been raised to $526,480 to account for higher-quality turf. This may also include a longer warranty period for the turf; Dalton was unsure whether it was 20 years or shorter.
Regarding Gaston County’s consideration of Project LEGACY, the Cherryville Council has set a public hearing for October 12, 2026. Currently it has not been disclosed what business may be coming to Gaston County. The only known information is that the investment will be between $70 and 75 million, and it is expected to bring around 150 jobs to the county. At the commissioners' meeting, Parrish Williams, the Gaston County EDC, was seeking an EDC Level 4 Grant for the project. For the first five years, the company will receive an 85% reimbursement of eligible property taxes, followed by a 70% reimbursement for the remaining five years.
In addition to the ABC parking lot, currently, Cherokee Paving is also going to be doing work in downtown. The recent completion of the new Cherryville Police Station leaves the parking lot between them and City Hall ready to be redone. As a result, the council voted to approve a $100,000 budget amendment for paving this lot. This is to be completed at the same time that they return to pave the ABC parking lot. The station will also soon host a ribbon-cutting for the new building, though it is not yet scheduled.
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