Issues dealing with streets will be addressed during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners Thursday night.

One of those matters concerns a proposal to make Park Drive a one-way street, from Reeves Drive to Forrest Drive, as a response to greater numbers of vehicles on that route since the opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in September.

“The volume of traffic has increased significantly,” Police Chief Dale Watson said Monday in outlining the need for the change.

While the new Chick-fil-A outlet fronts U.S. 601 (Rockford Street), motorists are using the portion of Park Drive in question — which runs parallel to Rockford behind the restaurant — as a cut-through to access Chick-fil-A from the rear.

“It can’t accommodate two-way traffic,” the police said of the narrow stretch that wasn’t designed for such busy conditions. Along with the safety hazard posed, damage is being caused to the roadsides due to drivers moving onto the shoulder when meeting oncoming vehicles.

Making Park Drive one-way from Reeves Drive to Forrest Drive will alleviate those problems, Watson believes.

“The proposal is to make it run southerly only, back up toward Forrest Drive,” the police chief explained.

No public hearing is required for the change, just the passage of a resolution — which the board of commissioners will consider during its meeting beginning Thursday at 7 p.m.

However, Watson said residents of the area were canvassed regarding the proposal and generally expressed support for the change.

Street Renaming

In an unrelated matter Thursday night, Mount Airy officials are expected to endorse the naming of a street in honor of a county commissioner who recently died.

The proposal concerns a small road that extends from Forrest Drive to the Surry Emergency Medical Service headquarters, which officials want to name Scearce Way, for Garry Scearce. He died during the summer from cancer at age 51.

Before serving as a commissioner, Scearce had worked for the EMS and retired from that agency after 30 years.

Surry County’s board of commissioners approved the street-naming plan at a meeting last week.

It is viewed as a way to keep Scearce’s memory alive, Mayor Deborah Cochran has said.

Other Matters

Also Thursday night, Mount Airy officials are scheduled to:

• Hear a report on city recycling from Jeff Boyles, Mount Airy’s public services director.

• Receive the results of an audit of the municipality’s books by Martin Starnes & Associates, a Hickory accounting firm.

• Reschedule a public hearing. A hearing originally was set for Thursday night regarding a rezoning request for property at 251 Old Ridge Road. However, the agenda for this week’s meeting does not list that hearing, which relates to a proposal to alter the zoning of the one-acre site from a residential classification to B-2 (General Business). The request is tied to plans for an expanded auto body repair and paint shop there.

No explanation was readily available Monday regarding the rescheduling of the public hearing.

• Give special recognition to The Derby Restaurant.

• Conduct a public forum during which citizens may speak on any city government topic.

• Hold a closed session to discuss economic-development matters.

Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@heartlandpublications.com.