HUNTERSVILLE – Former town commissioner, Santa Claus extraordinaire and active community member Ron Tucker died at his home May 3.

Tucker served on the Huntersville town board from 1995 to 1997. One of his highest priorities as commissioner was Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville.

“He fought long and hard to get Presbyterian Hospital here,” Huntersville Commissioner and friend Charles Guignard said. “Can you imagine us not having Presbyterian Hospital here?”

As a commissioner, Guignard said, Tucker did his best to be fair and look at all sides of decisions affecting the town.

Tucker donned his top-to-bottom Santa Claus suit for many years and many activities, not just in town. He was even known to rearrange his schedule so Boy Scouts wouldn’t have to go without a visit from Santa.

Tucker’s town involvement didn’t end after his tenure as commissioner.

“He was a big advocate of Angels of ’97 and all that means to the community,” Guignard said.

Angles of ’97 Memorial Scholarship Organization has provided nearly $450,000 to local high school students for higher education in honor of five students from the North Mecklenburg High class of ’97 who died before graduating.

Former Mayor Kim Phillips asked Tucker to keep Memorial Day celebrations at Birkdale active when she stepped down in 2007. Tucker served as master of ceremonies and helped keep the event growing ever since.

“He loved this town as much as anyone,” Guignard said.

His local loyalty also manifested in an interest in a sport with strong regional ties.

“He had a lot of friends that he talked to about their NASCAR favorites that will sorely miss him,” Guignard said.

Tucker, who police say took his own life, was born June 21, 1951, in Forsythe County.

His father, the Rev. Roger Tucker, moved the family every four to five years as a Methodist minister, leaving Tucker with friends in many towns and states.

Survivors include Tucker’s wife Winnie Tucker; sister, Jenny McClary and husband, Earl, of Mooresville; sister-in-law Kathy Davis; nieces Diane and Mary Katherine; and nephews, Kevin and Everett.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 12, at 11 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church with the Rev. Wade Ogle officiating.

Memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 6320 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte NC 28216.

To pay repects

Trinity United Methodist Church, 6320 Beatties Ford Road

Saturday, May 12, 11 a.m.

HUNTERSVILLE – Someone once said that the primary function of local government is to remember that water flows downhill. Managing storm water and runoff is a fundamental role for local government, one that plays a large role in shaping most communities’ development regulations.

On Monday, May 7, Huntersville commissioners tweaked one of those regulations, making it easier for homeowners whose lots exceed the maximum impervious coverage allowed by law to come back into conformity.

Impervious coverage generally refers to areas that don’t absorb water and includes homes, driveways, patios and outbuildings such as sheds. Areas that are not built, such as lawns, gardens and wooden decks, which allow water to drain to the ground, and the water areas of swimming pools and uncovered hot tubs, which prevent water from running off, are considered pervious.

Under the existing law, homeowners with too much impervious coverage had a few options to comply with the law. Homeowners could remove the center portion of a concrete driveway and fill it in with gravel. They could acquire an impervious coverage allowance from another property in the subdivision, essentially trading off for an acceptable amount of pervious land in the vicinity. This generally involves begging a neighbor or neighbors to donate some of their pervious area, which lowers their own allowable impervious coverage. Or landowners could get a variance from the town, arguably the most difficult of the three remedies.

Most residents don’t know what level of impervious coverage they have or are restricted to. Developers have to comply with local regulations, and if a new house passes inspection, it can be safely assumed that it’s in compliance. But developers also have an incentive to build the biggest house allowable on a lot, meaning that in most subdivisions, each lot is pretty close to the allowable limit of impervious coverage. So relatively small projects, like the widening of a driveway or construction of a patio, can put homeowners over their limit. They may not discover that fact until they attempt to sell their home and must resolve the issue before the sale can go through.

Huntersville resident Rich Zitnick shared his own experience of this issue at the town board’s meeting April 2. When Zitnick tried to sell his home in Birkdale to move to another house in the same neighborhood, he discovered he was 2,100 square feet over his impervious coverage limit. It took six months and the generosity of five different neighbors for him to assemble enough impervious coverage allowances to bring his property into compliance. The delay nearly caused the sale to fall through.

The amended law now allows homeowners to acquire an impervious coverage allowance from anywhere within the watershed, including undeveloped land. Property owners, however, still can’t acquire an impervious coverage allowance from a less-restricted area within the watershed, and the two parcels also should be in the same drainage area of the watershed. But it is much less daunting to acquire an impervious coverage allowance from a property owner who is not approaching their own impervious coverage limit.

Such arrangements will be subject to approval by the Board of Adjustment.

Board of Adjustment

To acquire an impervious coverage allowance, call Town Hall at 704-875-6541 or find contact information for your Board of Adjustment member at Huntersville.org under Town Government, Boards & Commissions, Board of Adjustment.

Former Lake Norman Regional Economic Development CEO Mark Heath stands beside the site where Prairie Packaging built its Huntersville plant. (Herald file photo)

In 2006, former Lake Norman Regional Economic Development Corporation (LNREDC) CEO Mark Heath was named The Herald’s first Person of the Year. He was mortified.

“You guys should really reconsider,” he said at the time.

Not much has changed. When he was told in a recent phone interview that he would be the focus of a Herald 10th anniversary feature aimed at catching up with former newsmakers, Heath responded with an awkward silence, followed by a sigh.

“Must be a slow news week,” he finally said.

Heath isn’t a shy person, but he does prefer to do his work outside of the limelight. It was in fact his ability to operate behind the scenes that led to Heath being awarded that unwanted honor in 2006. After the towns of Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville realized that diversifying their tax base through economic development was essential for their future prosperity, the towns created the LNREDC in 2003, hiring Heath as its first CEO. The investment paid off quickly, as the LNREDC played a role in bringing the Newell Rubbermaid headquarters to Huntersville the following year.

But Heath wanted the three towns to work as co-developers for an industrial business park to be located in Huntersville, on the 126-acre site of a newly closed nursing home. The towns would share the costs of development and subsequently share the tax revenue generated by the park that would one day be known as Commerce Station.

Pretty much everyone agreed it was a good idea, but hardly anyone thought he could pull it off, as it would entail convincing three town boards to simultaneously agree to spend a lot of money and relinquish a degree of control.

But then Prairie Packaging, a company that makes plastic cups and utensils, emerged as a potential anchor tenant to the industrial park. Heath went from trying to sell a vision to selling something much more tangible.

And he pulled it off. Prairie Packaging (which has since become a subsidiary of Pactiv) agreed in 2005 to build a manufacturing facility in what is now known as Commerce Station and began operating the following year, creating roughly 350 jobs. A second tenant, ABB, a Swiss energy company, is currently constructing a facility to manufacture high-voltage cable. The new facility is expected to open this fall, bringing 100 new jobs to the region.

For Heath, putting the Commerce Station deal together ended up being an emphatic exclamation point at the end of his career with the LNREDC. In 2006, he accepted a job as the CEO of the Martinsville (Va.) Henry County Economic Development Corporation, a position he continues to hold. He commuted from Huntersville for a year to allow his youngest son, Ben, to graduate from North Mecklenburg High School, then moved with his wife, Debbie, to Virginia in 2007.

Heath said his family still has strong ties to the area and visits frequently. His oldest son, Brad, remains in the Charlotte area and works in construction, installing granite countertops, and Debbie’s father lives in Lincoln County. His middle son, Matt, also a North Mecklenburg High graduate, is a Captain in the U.S. Army currently stationed Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where he is a Ranger School instructor. After starring in baseball at Penn State Ben was drafted by the Houston Astros. A catcher, Ben is now playing in the minors with the Lancaster Jethawks in the California League.

HUNTERSVILLE – Money that will be spent this year isn’t dominating Huntersville budget discussions, but rather money that might be spent in the future. The board will decide during its budget process about putting a major bond referendum on the ballot in November to fund large capital projects over the next seven years and likely raise property taxes.

Huntersville voters last passed a bond referendum in 2003. That $20 million package was used to fund such projects as the widening of N.C. 73, Bradford Park, the Eastfield Road fire station and the Huntersville Town Center (Discovery Place KIDS!) building. That bond package is nearly tapped out – about $2.4 million remains – while the town’s capital needs have only increased.

The latest Capital Improvement Program (CIP) lists more than $42 million worth of projects for the next five years. Most of those projects would need funding from new bonds that may be passed by referendum.

This bond referendum would almost certainly require a property tax increase.

Huntersville Town Manager Greg Ferguson presented his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year to the board at its Monday, May 7, meeting.

“The real question when you net it out is, do you believe there’s a willingness for the citizens to pay an increased tax rate amount to have some of these projects delivered,” Ferguson said. “There is no capacity to move big numbers of projects forward under current operating revenues. The growth is not there.”

The board is considering a $30 million bond referendum.

Ferguson said to get a bond resolution on the ballot in November, the board will have to approve the language to appear on the ballot by mid-June.

The board will discuss the operating budget in more depth at a special meeting Monday, May 14, at 10 a.m. Ferguson noted that revenues are  increasing slowly as the economy continues to recover. His proposed budget without the bond referendum would leave the property tax rate unchanged, and funding for most departments will be fairly flat.

Cookies 4 a Cause promotes the health, development and care of children. This year, the nonprofit is collecting cookies for Barium Springs Home for Children.

The Timmerman family brought kids who helped raise $500 for the charity on a Hummer-limo tour of downtown Charlotte. The triplets turned 7 years old.

The package includes a hot air balloon ride over the lake for two by Balloons Over Charlotte, two NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race tickets, a $25 gift card to Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse, two Lake Norman Comedy Zone tickets, a $20 gift card to Northcross Lanes and two Our Towns Cinemas tickets.

Proceeds from raffle tickets, $5 each or five for $20, will go to Big Day at the Lake, Big Brothers/Big Sisters’ annual event. Tickets are available at Visit Lake Norman, 19900 W. Catawba Ave.

For more information, visit www.visitlakenorman.com/national-tourism-week or www.bigdayatthelake-lkn.com.

Specialty printed grocery bags have been distributed by the AARP since Wednesday, May 9. Residents may fill the grocery bag with non-perishable food items and leave the bag in the mail box on Saturday.

Donated items will go to Loaves & Fishes and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.

For more information, visit www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive.

Davidson-Cornelius Center 5K and Farm-to-Fork Taste-nic will take place May 19 at the Davidson Town Green at 8:30 a.m. A one-mile fun run will be followed by the 5K through historic Davidson. Winners will receive prizes.

The Davidson Farmers’ Market, Know Your Farms and the Rotary Club of Davidson are presenting the event to benefit the Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center. Local chefs will sell dishes created with ingredients from local farms.

For sponsorship information, contact Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center Director Courtenay O’Neil at davidsondaycare@gmail.com or 704-892-1288. Register to run and purchase advance taste-nic tickets at www.davidsontiming.com.

The club meets the third Thursday of each month at LoneStar Steakhouse, 668 River Hwy. Singles older than 50 are invited to meet new people, do new things and have fun.

For more information, call 704-677-2331 or email pscats44@hotmail.com.

Kiwanis clubs seek to serve children through volunteering. Anyone interested in getting involved may come to the event. For more information contact Robin Noud at 704-351-5644.