Statesville City Manager February 2026 Update to City Council

At the February 2, 2026, Virtual City Council Meeting, City Manager Ron Smith shared updates on City operations, major capital projects, infrastructure improvements, and staffing highlights across multiple departments.

🎥 Watch the full City Council Meeting or review a summary of updates from Ron below:

City Operations

The City Manager opened the update by thanking City staff who worked over the past two weekends in response to winter weather conditions and related operations.

Airport Projects

Statesville Regional Airport Terminal Building

• A ribbon cutting for the new terminal building is scheduled for February 9 at 2:00 PM. (Now rescheduled to Thursday, March 26, 2026)

Other Airport Projects

• Airport apron expansion design is 90% complete.
• Airport corporate development efforts are underway with CBL.
• A $3 million grant has been awarded for the WestStar apron expansion.

Statesville Public Power

Circuit 63 (Valley Stream) Undergrounding Project

• This reliability project will serve approximately 30 homes and includes a 4kV to 23kV conversion.
• Boring work is ongoing, with limitations and delays related to a creek crossing.
• Work will continue once customers sign up.
• Project completion is expected in March 2026.

Public Safety & Facilities

Police Department Expansion & Parking Deck

• Parking deck construction continues, with weather impacting progress. Substantial completion is anticipated by the end of March.
• Interior and exterior work on the Police Department expansion is ongoing, with substantial completion expected by the end of August, weather dependent.

Fire Station 5

• The roof has been completed.
• The grading contract has been awarded.
• Interior work is scheduled to begin in March 2026.
• Hiring has taken place for the station.

Recreation Projects

• Site planning is underway for Newtonville upgrades.
• A complete audio-visual replacement project at the Event Center has been awarded. This includes new mounted projectors and screens for each great hall room. Installation is scheduled to begin in March and conclude by the end of April, following backorder delays.

Public Utilities & Infrastructure

Waterline Spline Project

• Paving on Brookdale Drive has been completed to Stockton Street.
• Paving will continue along Stockton Street as weather permits.
• Construction will begin on South Meeting Street and along US 21 from the Amity Hill Road intersection within the next two weeks.
• Overall project completion is currently at 53%.

South Yadkin Pump Station

• The pump station repair project has reached substantial completion.
• Final project cost totaled $2,885,714.
• A dedication and plaque unveiling ceremony is forthcoming.

Key Dates

• Airport Terminal Ribbon Cutting: February 9 at 2:00 PM. (Rescheduled to March 26, 2026)
• City Council Retreat: February 19–20 (meeting at the Civic Center at 8:30 AM on February 19).

City Employment

Open Positions

• Assistant Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
• Planning Intern
• MEO I, Streets
• Police Officer
• Transportation Planner.

Staff Highlights

Promotions & Transfers

Promotions were announced across the Fire Department, Police Department, Public Utilities, and Public Power, including leadership advancements and officer promotions.

Career Development

Several employees earned professional certifications and career advancements, including fire service rank advancements, police officer classifications, and planning certification achievements.

New Employees

The City welcomed new team members across the Fire Department, Police Department, Finance, Public Utilities, and Public Power departments.

Employee Rehire

Logan Hutchinson was rehired as a full-time Firefighter Recruit, highlighted as a “boomerang” employee returning to the City workforce.

View the full presentation here

Read all City Manager updates to City Council here