The Pinehurst Village Council is preparing to move forward with plans for several projects that are expected to enhance downtown.

After a discussion with Assistant Town Manager Jeff Batton, the council instructed Batton to move forward with all the projects except the planned work to be done to enhance the parking in front of the old department store building. Council members want that work ready to start in January.

Plans include streetscaping work along Chinquapin and near the Theater Building and the planned improvements for the sand parking lot and the Village Green.

Batton told the council he wouldn’t recommend doing work on the sand parking lot and the area in front of the old department store because it would adversely affect too many parking spaces.

The delay until January will allow the village’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to determine whether to appeal a recent order from the Board of Adjustment that allowed the sand parking lot and the Village Green projects to proceed.

In July the HPC rejected those proposals, but the village appealed the decision to the Board of Adjustment.

The HPC can appeal the ruling to Moore County Superior Court, which would further delay the project.

The village hopes to complete the planned improvements prior to June 2014 when Pinehurst hosts the U.S. Open and Women’s Open in consecutive weeks.

The HPC’s decision isn’t expected until mid-November at the earliest.

Batton said the $850,000 in the current budget for the proposed projects is more than enough to cover the estimated costs.

As part of the discussion on the downtown improvements, the council agreed that it would like to name the proposed park on the Village Green after the Tufts family.

The park has been referred to in plans as Tufts Memorial Park, but not until recent days had anyone contacted the family to discuss the naming of the park. Batton told the council that the Tufts family was “excited” about the naming opportunity.

During the meeting, the council also discussed with Batton possible options to improve the awkward intersection at McCaskill and Barrett roads and N.C. 5. Batton brought up the possibility of doing work there, because Barrett Road is planned to be resurfaced this coming year, and now would be the time for the council to factor in any changes.

The options included road realignments, installing a roundabout and closing the street with either a “T” ending or cul-de-sac.

Closing the road, Batton said, likely would affect three or four homes in the area.

The council, which seemed to favor the cul-de-sac idea as the most logical and cost-effective solution, asked Batton to come back at a future meeting with a sketched-out plan and a rough estimate on a cost.

In other action, the council also appointed Chris Burrows and Randy S. Murzyn to two-year terms on the Beautification Committee and Alfred C. Engelfried to a three-year term on the Planning and Zoning Board and the Board of Adjustment.

Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey@thepilot.com.