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By Jim Buice
For the Clemmons Courier

A former chancellor at Appalachian State University has been appointed to the Bermuda Run Town Council.

Ken Peacock, who served as chancellor at Appalachian from 2004 to 2014, was a unanimous selection by the council after being nominated by Mike Ernst, mayor pro tempore, in last Tuesday night’s meeting to fill the vacant seat created when former councilman Rick Cross was elected as mayor in November.

Peacock will be sworn in prior to the Jan. 28 town council planning session, which will begin at 9 a.m. He will fill the unexpired term of Cross, which ends in December 2021, and he will no longer be a member of the Bermuda Run Planning Board.

Cross said he was excited to have Peacock join the council along with two other newcomers, Curtis Capps and Heather Coleman, who were elected in November and sworn in during the December meeting.

“I’m thrilled that the council in their wisdom has appointed Ken Peacock to fill this slot,” said Cross, who worked previously with Peacock on the planning board. “He’s a broad thinker, and I think he will add tremendous value to this very strong council.”

In other business in the Jan. 14 meeting, the town council voted to extend the corporate limits of the town following a public hearing on the question of voluntary annexation.

In the November meeting, the council adopted a resolution to direct the town clerk to investigate a petition for contiguous annexation for property associated with Comet Bermuda Run apartments.

At the time, Town Manager Lee Rollins said representatives of Comet, which received approval for a zoning permit of 224 units at 159 W. Kinderton Way, agreed to purchase additional acreage to meet the town’s density requirement for its zoning ordinance. The property is about four acres and located just below WinMock down the hill and near Twins Drive.

“So this voluntary annexation actually sort of fills a little doughnut hole in that area because the soccer complex was voluntarily annexed in a few years ago,” Rollins said.

After certification from the clerk, a public hearing was held on the question of voluntary annexation in last Tuesday night’s meeting, and no one spoke at the hearing prior to the council unanimously approving extending the town’s corporate limits.

In another agenda item, the council approved a resolution for the town’s commitment to partner with Davie County to ensure every resident in counted for the 2020 Census.

“Our county manager, John Eller, and Andrew Meadwell with the Davie County Government have been very good in keeping us abreast of the upcoming census,” Rollins said, “and I think it’s certainly in the town’s best interests to work with the county to make sure that we get an accurate count, not only for Bermuda Run but for the county as a whole.”

Cross added that this is going to be a historical census as this is the first one where citizens have an opportunity to submit their information online.

The new mayor also mentioned the work being done along U.S. 158 for the East Davie sewer project.

“This will be good for all of us in East Davie County for sure,” Cross said.