Fayetteville neighborhood gets a wall, second sign to cap off dispute with utility
A tall, brick enclosure emblazoned with the word, “Foxfire,” appears to put a cap on a dispute between neighbors in that subdivision off Yadkin Road and a public utility.
The light-colored wall and brown doors conceal a gas regulator station operated by Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy. Neighbors had been concerned about how the regulator’s location near the front entrance would affect appearance, among other concerns.
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But Foxfire resident Bobby Hill, who led the challenge to Piedmont, said on Tuesday his neighbors seem satisfied with the wall. They had had a hand in choosing how it would look, he said, echoing comments he had made before.
“The structure itself is most acceptable,” Hill said. “Aesthetically pleasing.”
He said all that remained to be done was some landscaping and shrubbery, which may need to wait until spring.
He noted that not only neighbors driving by, but Brenda Quick, who lives next door to the station, likes the look of the wall.
Hill added: “I’ve heard nothing but favorable comments.”
A surprise, then collaboration
Neighbors in Foxfire, a mostly Black subdivision full of veterans and retirees, were surprised last fall when they noticed an unsightly, silvery station in the works at the entrance on Brookfield Road.
For decades, members of the Foxfire Concerned Citizens Association had put a lot of care, flowers and landscaping into the front entrance and its sign, and the station seemed to fly in the face of their efforts. Additionally, some worried about negative health effects.
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While making it clear that it did not plan to move the project from land it owned, the utility listened.
Residents and utility representatives held meetings. Hill credits the involvement of Tammy Thurman, a Fayetteville resident who is Piedmont’s senior manager of community and government relations and who responded promptly to concerns.
A second Foxfire sign
Foxfire neighbors made recommendations on how the structure would look, Hill said. It was their decision, for example, to put the word “Foxfire” on the brick, he said. Neighbors did talk with the utility about possibly removing the existing sign, Hill said, but they decided to keep it.
Hill said he did have the impression from the rendering that the brick of the wall would be more reddish.
But: “Truth be told, this color is more acceptable — blends better with the neighborhood.”
Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-323-4848.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville subdivision Piedmont gas utility make peace. Here is how.
