September 30, 2021
Dear Blowing Rock Homeowners:
Recently a group of citizens have formed a committee to request the Blowing Rock Town Council to address ongoing noise and traffic concerns on Highway 321.
We need your help to express your concern to the Town Council. So far 238 residents have signed the petition. Please consider signing the petition if you haven’t already.
The group intends to present the petition to the Town Council at the October meeting to request a written response to document an action plan to address all of the recommendations. Enforcement of the actual 35 MPH speed limit is foremost.
The issues are more pronounced around the Green Park and Gideon Ridge areas but are also affecting South Main Street and the neighborhoods overlooking or located on 321 between the Country Club and North Main Street.
The committee asked the Blowing Rock Civic Association to share the information and petition and request that you consider signing the petition on Change.org. Change.org is a nonprofit organization that offers a software platform for organizations to use in obtaining petitions to invoke change.
The link is https://chng.it/VNCNfjxQ
The content of the petition is repeated below.
Regards,
Tim Gupton
President
Petition on Change.org
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Blowing Rock Town Council use every tool at its disposal, and take substantial, active measures to alleviate the noise, and speeding (contributory to the noise) along Rt. 321. Various suggestion have previously been made to the Council. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Painting large (i.e. 10 ft. high) “35 MPH” lettering on the roadway entering Blowing Rock on Rt. 321, in both directions, and at intervals throughout the bypass.
2. Posting “Speed Radar Enforced” signs at the entrance to town on Rt. 321 as well as along the bypass.
3. Purchasing multiple, additional speed monitoring units that flash red and blue when the traveling speed exceeds the posted limit (35 MPH).
4. Training the town police officers to pull over tractor trailers, with the support of the State Police, if necessary, and making active efforts to pull over and to ticket speed violating tractor trailers.
5. Purchasing decibel meters, and training the Blowing Rock Police to correctly utilize this equipment in order to support adherence to NC Statute 20-128, and to step up enforcement actions in this regard.
6. Installing signage “Vehicles generating excessive noise violate NC statute 20-128 and will be ticketed”
7. Requesting that the DOT authorize “Entering Green Park Historic District” BROWN SIGNS at both entrances to the Historic District, and posting “speed radar enforced” signs proximate to these signs.
8. Communicating with the local judicial authorities (involving the State government, if necessary) regarding the urgency of the situation and requesting that they no longer take the position that up to 10 MPH over the speed limit is not speeding.
9. Hiring additional law enforcement personnel dedicated to patrolling the bypass (recruiting part time, off duty personnel from other localities if necessary).
Numerous property owners do not currently enjoy the peaceful use of their properties, and there is strong evidence to suggest that property values have declined in many areas of our community due to the issues outlined here. Numerous business along 321 are also struggling with guest and customer complaints because of this worsening problem. And, every resident of the Town of Blowing Rock is aware that US Hwy 321 through Blowing Rock has become nothing more than a commuters corridor, traversed, daily, by vehicles with little to no connection to our beautiful town, nor with any intention to “stop and smell the roses” that Blowing Rock, the Crown of the Blue Ridge offers.
It is past time for the Council to actively engage in resolving these problems. Numerous property and business owners stand ready to support the Council in these actions by offering examples of towns wherein each and every one of our stated recommendations have been implemented. In short, simply responding that “we’re doing everything we can” is no longer an acceptable position. More has to be done, and more can be done.