Canton board approves design contracts, updates police and procurement policies and OKs community projects

The Town of Canton Board of Aldermen approved several design contracts, policy updates and community requests during its April 25 meeting.

The board approved a phase‑two proposal from Creech & Associates for town-hall, police and fire designs and a phase‑two armory design from Craig, Gaulden & Davis. Nick Scheuer told the board the town-hall project would take about six months and the police facility about 18 months; he said funding for the fire department remains to be secured. Finance Officer Walker asked that contract language include a disclaimer about budget constraints; Town Attorney Morgan said he would provide the wording by email.

The board approved updates to multiple police policies, including ballistic-shield use, a written-directive system, appearance standards and a policy on tire-deflation devices. Alderman Hamlett asked whether appearance and haircut provisions could be sexist; Chief Scott Sluder responded that appearance standards are safety driven, saying it was "a safety issue with the ability to grab long hair." Chief Sluder said tattoos are permitted except for offensive tattoos and that they must be covered while on duty.

The board also approved an updated purchasing policy and a new ethics policy, and adopted budget amendments that move funds between accounts without increasing the overall budget. Other approvals included: allowing the Pigeon River Garden Club to add native landscaping to the dog park (with a planned three-day shutdown), granting a lease to allow cattle on land adjacent to the filter plant to assist with maintenance, approving a one-day Octoberfest event at the orchard, and donating six pool passes to Blue Ridge Health as patient incentives. The minutes record motions and seconds for each approval and indicate motions carried.