City and County helping clean up litter

The City of Lenoir City Council approved a resolution Tuesday night supporting litter cleanup in Lenoir and supporting Caldwell County's first annual "Clean Caldwell Day."

Mayor Joe Gibbons presented the resolution to Caldwell County Commissioner Donnie Potter during the City Council meeting. City staff will pick up litter during the annual City of Lenoir Employee Spring Litter Sweep Day, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Staff ha...

Single family homes going up in Lenoir

Contractors are building several new single-family homes in subdivisions across the City of Lenoir, and one local company is building new spec homes for the first time in more than a decade.

Single-family home permits have increased in Lenoir over the past few years. Owners and developers are currently building new homes in Georgetown Estates, Parkview, Powell Park, and Summerhill subdivisions in Lenoir. These are four of nine subdivisions in...

City staff participating in NC Litter Sweep next month

No one likes a litter bug, and no one likes trash in their community. City staff plans to get out and help clean up Lenoir during the North Carolina Litter Sweep next month.

The 2021 Spring Litter Sweep is taking place April 10-24. Normally scheduled in April and September, Litter Sweep is the N.C. Department of Transportation’s biannual statewide roadside litter removal initiative. Residents throughout the state participate ...

Jesse Plaster named Main Street Champion

Local preservation architect Jesse Plaster was named the City of Lenoir Main Street Champion during the recent North Carolina Main Street Conference.

Plaster has invested a lot during the past several years to renovate and improve several buildings in Downtown Lenoir. His business, J B Plaster Architect, is located at 626 Harper Ave. in downtown - a building that Plaster owns. In addition to being a do...

Downtown Lenoir wins award for building rescue project

The City of Lenoir Main Street Department, architect David Maurer, and his wife Allison Gray recently received a North Carolina Main Street Award for saving the old Stine’s Ice Cream Parlor building in Downtown Lenoir.

Stine’s Ice Cream Parlor was located at 818 Harper Ave. The ice cream shop shut down sometime before the 1960s. The property was used for various purposes during the following decades. 

The Brakefield family owned the building. Their fat...

HPC members tour historic renovation project

Developer Yorke Lawson recently gave a tour of the Blue Bell apartment project to a few members of the City's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).

"This is a historic project in more ways than one," Planning Director Jenny Wheelock said. "It's preserving a piece of history, and it’s the first project to be developed under the City’s new preservation ordinance as a local landmark."...

Downtown Lenoir creates digital scavenger hunt with big prizes

Downtown Lenoir's digital scavenger hunt starts next week, and the prizes are no small potatoes.

Sponsored by Smoking in the Foothills BBQ, the goal of the scavenger hunt is to bring people to Downtown Lenoir to explore local businesses and shops. Players will have to read clues and explore downtown to find the answers. Players win points by completi...

Council sets priorities for 2021

The City of Lenoir City Council set a vision for Lenoir in 2021 during a two-part, virtual retreat last week. Council's top priorities focused on employees, housing, infrastructure, and cleaning up the city.

City Council held their annual retreat during two Zoom meetings. The first session was Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, at 8:30 am and the second session was Thursday Feb. 25, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. The agenda for the sessions is available online at www.cityoflenoir.c...

City receives $250K Recreational Trails Program grant

The City of Lenoir recently received a $250,000 Recreational Trails Program grant to design and build three street crossings along the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) that runs through downtown.

The total project cost to design and build the crossings is $312,000. The grant is $250,000 and the City is matching the grant with $62,500 in local in-kind funding. 

Part of the OVNHT runs along the old railroad bed through the City of Lenoir fro...

City Council honors Todd Laws and Scott Kanupp

The City of Lenoir City Council honored retiring employees Todd Laws and Scott Kanupp during the Feb. 16, 2021, City Council meeting.

Mayor Joe Gibbons read and presented to both men resolutions honoring their years of service to the City of Lenoir.

Battalion Chief Laws began his career as a firefighter with the City of Lenoir Fire Department in March 1991. He was promoted to 2nd Lieuten...

City Council honors the life of Gary Everhardt

The City of Lenoir City Council recognized the life and accomplishments Gary E. Everhardt Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, during the City Council meeting.

Mr. Everhardt was a Lenoir native. He served as the Director of the National Park Service and Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and he was a strong advocate of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, which runs through Lenoir and Caldwel...

City Hall opening on delay

Due to possible inclement weather, City of Lenoir City Hall will operate on a delay tomorrow. City offices will open at 10:00 am Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

If the weather disrupts Thursday's garbage collection route, staff will pick up trash later in the day or possibly Friday.

Related: Be prepared for severe weather, Feb. 17, 2021

Be prepared for severe weather

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning for 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, through 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

Read the storm warning details on the NWS website at https://www.weather.gov/gsp/winter. Rain, freezing rain, and ice have the potential to take down trees and power lines and cut off electricity.

Ready.gov has a lot of tips on emergency preparation and ho...

Find your way in the City of Lenoir

City staff revealed a new wayfinding plan and city-wide brand to City Council earlier this week. The goal is to install signs around Lenoir that promote city amenities and call residents and new comers to "Create With Us."

Staff and Council have been discussing wayfinding for a few years, but one frequent concern was, "What will the signs look like?" In 2019, the Lenoir Tourism Development Authority (LTDA) agreed to fund the wayfinding/brand project. The mission o...

City starts cleanup of old industrial site

The City of Lenoir started cleaning up an old industrial site located at the corner of Virginia Street and College Avenue near downtown. The cleanup is the first step in putting the property back into productive use.

The City contracted with RCI Demolition (RCI) to start removing possible Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) from the Virginia Street site. RCI is working to separate old brick and concrete from the debris piles. Once the materials are separated, RCI will...

Rohr reappointed to 2021 NLC FAIR Committee

City of Lenoir Attorney T.J. Rohr has been reappointed to serve on the National League of Cities (NLC) 2021 Finance, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations (FAIR) federal advocacy committee.

The FAIR Committee is responsible for developing policy positions and leading NLC’s advocacy on issues involving intergovernmental relations including Federalism and unfunded mandates, Census, municipal pensions, municipal bonds and capital finance, tax r...

City gem getting renovations thanks to generous donation

The City of Lenoir will be making some renovations to the T.H. Broyhill Walking Park this year thanks to a generous donation from the Broyhill Family Foundation.

The Broyhill Family Foundation donated $100,000 to replace the wood on the observation deck on the north end of the park and to convert the park restrooms into three, single-unit restrooms, similar to the units at J.E. Broyhill Park. Known as the Walking ...

More multifamily housing on the horizon

Construction is underway on two multifamily housing projects that will add more than 100 new apartments to the City of Lenoir.

Yorke Lawson and Tom Niemann, owners of Blue Bell Lenoir, LLC, are building 46 market-rate apartments in the old Lenoir Cotton Mill/Blue Bell, Inc. plant on College Avenue in downtown. Mark Morgan, owner of MC Morgan & Associates, INC, has broken grou...

City trims trees in downtown

A professional contractor recently finished trimming dozens of trees in Downtown Lenoir.

"Over the past couple of years, we’ve had some concerns with streetscape trees limiting signal visibility at intersections," Public Works Director Jared Wright said. "By hiring a professional tree trimming contractor, we were able to perfor...

Police K9 Axel passes

After providing six years of exemplary service to the City of Lenoir Police Department, and providing his handler and family six years of love and companionship, Police K9 Axel passed away yesterday, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, due to cancer.

Axel was born June 30, 2013, in the Czech Republic and was purchased by the City of Lenoir Police Department in August 2014. Sgt. Zachery Poythress trained Axel from start to finish while the sergeant earned certification as a Comprehensive Polic...

Don't forget about curb-side Christmas tree pickup

The City of Lenoir offers lots of sanitation services for customers, including picking up Christmas trees. Residents can request many of those services on the City website.

The Sanitation Division provides weekly garbage collection, bulk and white goods pickup, yard waste collection, limbs and trimmings pickup, leaf collection, and Christmas tree pickup. The division also manages the City's Recycling Center, located at 1121 ...

New year, new homes in Downtown Lenoir

The new year will bring new places to live in Downtown Lenoir as developers finish up work on two new housing projects in the heart of the city.

Jesse Plaster and Angela Postigo are building five apartments at 1001 West Ave. in downtown, and Steven and Jamie Stewart are working on converting 819 Harper Ave. into a mixed-used building with office space on the first floor and an apartment on the sec...

Luminary display starts tonight

City of Lenoir employees set out roughly 8,000 luminaries Friday morning at Blue Ridge Memorial Park.

The annual Luminary Display at Blue Ridge Memorial Park starts tonight at 6:00 p.m., Friday, Dec. 11, 2020.Every December, City staff and volunteers place thousands luminaries on the graves at Blue Ridge Memorial Park to honor families whose loved ones ar...

Holiday safety tips from the City of Lenoir

Keep your Christmas merry and your New Year happy with a few holiday safety tips.

City of Lenoir Fire Chief Ken Hair said the holidays are always a good time to remind everyone of important fire safety tips.

“According to the National Fire Protection Association, 44% of holiday home fires start when decorations are placed too close to a...

New section of greenway completed at Wilson Park

Public Works finished paving a new section of greenway at Wilson Park, and Parks & Recreation recently sowed the shoulders.

The gate between the parking lot and the new section at Wilson Park will remain closed until staff can install new bollards, however, the public is welcome to use the new section, just mind the shoulders.

Wilson Athletic Park is located at 1010 Powell Rd N...

City Council honors Donald Hall

The City of Lenoir City Council honored retiring employee Donald Hall Tuesday night, Dec. 1, 2020, during the City Council meeting.

Hall started working for the City of Lenoir on Aug. 1, 1980, as a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator I. In 1987, Hall obtained additional certification to Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II and further certification in 2000 to Wastewater Treatment Pl...

Main Street America puts spotlight on City businesses

Last month, Main Street America interviewed three Downtown Lenoir business owners as part of the Business Spotlight: Women-Owned Businesses on Main Street series.

Main Street America talked with Jennifer Sime, owner of Doodle Bugs; Iris Bender, owner of Taste of Havana; and Heather Bryant, owner of High Country Herbs. Doodle Bugs, located at 106 Main St. NW, is a boutique specializing in children's clothing and gif...

City expanding greenway at Wilson Park

Public Works staff have prepped a new section of greenway at T.H. Wilson Park. Workers plan to pave the new section Monday, weather permitting.

Public Works Street Division staff have already graded the new section and put down stone base. The section will add about 700 feet to the greenway and create a loop around the park. The loop will be just over 3,000 feet or about .56 miles long.

Parks and ...

Warren Harper, City's first African American firefighter, passes

The City of Lenoir extends our condolences to the family of Mr. Warren Harper, who passed away Saturday Nov. 14, 2020. Mr. Harper served as the City of Lenoir's first African American firefighter.

Mr. Harper retired from the City of Lenoir Fire Department in 1999 after 30 years of dedicated service. Fire Department Chief Ken Hair, then an engineer, worked with Mr. Harper for the last seven years of Mr. Harper's career with the City.

"On behalf ...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

How lovely are your branches!

City of Lenoir staff from several departments put up and decorated the City's 20-foot-tall, 1,000-light, supersize Christmas tree Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2020. 

Public Works delivered and placed the tree on the southwest corner of the square ...

Bright lights, big savings

City Building Maintenance staff have spent the last few months installing more than 900 new, LED lights in several City facilities. The LED lights are brighter, more energy efficient, and they are already returning savings.

Public Works Director Jared Wright said the lighting upgrade was a project waiting for the right time and the right price. 

"Earlier this year, we were buying new lights for a couple parks, so we decided to check on prices and possible incent...

Turkey Tuesday canceled this year

Below is a joint statement from Mayor Pro Tem Crissy Thomas and Councilmember Ike Perkins regarding Turkey Tuesday.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with all the City of Lenoir facilities closed, Turkey Tuesday, which is hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center has been cancelled. We pray and look forward to giving out Turkeys next year, 2021. Everyone contin...

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

The CDC as well as NCDHHS suggest alternative Halloween activities instead of traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating. If residents do choose to trick-or-treat or hand out candy, they should follow the NCDHHS and CDC guidelines below.

Click here to read information from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Click here to read the CDC Holiday Guidelines.

Happy Halloween from the City of Lenoir!

Photo by Daisy Anderson from Pexels

Leaf collection starts in November

The Public Works Department has started collecting leaves in hot spots across the City of Lenoir. All residents will get at least three leaf pickups between November and January.

Residents should rake or blow leaves into piles behind the curb or ditch line. Be sure to remove all bricks, rocks, sticks, or glass. Those items can injure employees and damage equipment.

Residents will get three leaf pickups - one pickup in November, one...

Paving on Mulberry Street starts Monday

Workers will start paving Mulberry Street Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, weather permitting. On-street parking will not be permitted on Mulberry Street during paving. Drivers should expect delays.

Earlier this week, contractors paved Greenhaven Drive from Blowing Rock Boulevard to Arlington Circle and Industrial Court from Morganton Boulevard to Polychem Court. Workers will restripe the lanes on the streets once paving is complete for all three roa...

City Council honors Jeff Hayes and Roger Barlow

The City of Lenoir City Council honored retired employees Jeff Hayes and Roger Barlow Tuesday night, Oct.20, 2020, during the City Council meeting.

Jeff Hayes retired Sept. 1, after 36 years of service with the City. Mr. Hayes started his career with the City of Lenoir in 1984 as a Water Plant Operator. He was promoted to Chief Water Plant Operator in 1989.

Roger Barlow retired Aug. 1, after 30 years ...

Paving project started this week

Workers started a paving project this week, and the first street to be resurfaced was Greenhaven Drive. Greenhaven Drive now offers a smooth ride from from Blowing Rock Boulevard to Arlington Circle.

Industrial Court should be paved this week from Morganton Boulevard to Polychem Court, and Mulberry Street will be paved next week from Morganton Boulevard to College Avenue, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen issues. On-street parking on Mulbe...

City moving forward with some events, canceling others

The City of Lenoir plans to hold some holiday events this year and cancel some others based on Centers for Disease Control and State guidelines.

The City is moving forward with the Downtown holiday light show. Staff plans to place a massive Christmas Tree in Downtown, and the City will also hold the Luminary Display at Blue Ridge Memorial Park in December.

"Due to state and federal guidelines,...

City Council honors Richard Hedrick

The City of Lenoir City Council honored long-time Planning Board member Richard Hedrick Tuesday night, Oct. 6, 2020, during the City Council meeting.

Mr. Hedrick served 23 years on the Planning Board, first as the Extraterritorial representative, then as a regular member. He also was an inaugural member of the Lenoir Historic Preservation Commission. Mr. Hedrick retired off the Planning Board in August...

Like online services? We have a few.

The City of Lenoir has several online services available through the City website. We also have plenty of ways to get in touch with City staff.

Pay Online

Our most popular online service is Pay Online. Customers can pay their City utility bills and tax bills via our payment portal. Residents can also set up an automatic bank draft to pay bills. That way, customers don’t have to bother wi...

City paving streets

A couple key thoroughfares in the City of Lenoir will get a fresh layer of asphalt during the next few weeks.

Sections of Greenhaven Street, Industrial Court, and Mulberry Street should be paved by the end of October, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen issues.

Mulberry Street will be paved from Morganton Boulevard to College Avenue. Greenhaven Street wi...

Want backyard chickens? There are a few rules.

City of Lenoir residents can keep backyard chickens as long has they apply for and receive a permit, but backyard roosters aren't very welcome.

City of Lenoir Code allows for up to four backyard chicken hens. Roosters are not allowed under the Backyard Chicken Permit. Residents must apply for a permit and follow the rules outlined in Sec. 3-2 of the City Code:

• Hens must be kept within an enclosed ...

City opening playgrounds and picnic shelters tomorrow

In response to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's Executive Order 163 (EO163), the City of Lenoir is opening City playgrounds and picnic shelters at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020.

The City’s outdoor basketball court, tennis courts, and skate park will be open as well.

Governor Cooper recently announced that the state will move into Phase 2.5 starting tomorrow. Mask mandates and other prevention methods remain in effect and...

City offering payment plans for some utility customers

The City of Lenoir recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has created financial hardships for some of our residential utility customers.

In an effort to provide a way for customers to bring their balances up to date, the City will offer payment plans for customers who were unable to pay their utility bills since March, April, May, June, and July this year. Customers will have to meet the f...

Utility bill help available for City residents

The City of Lenoir and Caldwell County Yokefellow, Inc., are partnering to provide utility bill assistance for City water, sewer, and solid waste fees.

The help only applies to City of Lenoir bills, not any other type of bill such as power, phone, or internet.

Funds are available to residents who live inside the city limits of the City of Lenoir and meet the income requirements. To qualify, gross househol...

Post 29 recognizes Firefighter and Police Officer of the Year

American Legion Post 29 Commander Wayne Mihelich honored and recognized a City of Lenoir Firefighter and Police Officer Tuesday night Aug. 4, 2020, during the City Council meeting.

Mihelich recognized James Greer as Firefighter of the Year and Chris Maher as Police Officer of the Year for the City of Lenoir.

"Lt. Greer is an integral part of the Fire Department’s success internally and externally," Fire Chief Ken ...

Barlow retires, several firefighters being promoted this month

With the retirement of Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Roger Barlow, several opportunities for promotion within the Fire Department opened up.

Fire Chief Ken Hair has made the following promotions from within the department that will be effective later this month.

Chris Jacobs has been promoted to Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal effective Aug. 24.  Jacobs has served the department since Sep...

High-tech sludge dryer coming to wastewater treatment plant

One of the foundations of modern civilization is indoor plumbing. Running water and flushing toilets make life better. In a city, everything flushed down a toilet doesn't magically disappear. It all gets treated at a sewer plant.

This week, workers started installing a new treatment system at the Lower Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Staff have nicknamed the new equipment "the poop dryer." The new system will replace the plant’s old treatment process, "t...

City of Lenoir wins Excellence in Communications Awards

The City of Lenoir was among 21 North Carolina governments to earn recognition in the North Carolina City & County Communicators’ (NC3C) 2020 Excellence in Communications Awards.

The City of Lenoir won First Place in Digital Technology - Audio, and Second Place in Digital Technology - Website.

Local government communicators from across North Carolina submitted 192 entries in the 2020 NC3C award program. All entries were judged by p...

Controlled burn on Sunset Street

The City of Lenoir Fire Department will perform a controlled burn at 213 Sunset St. tomorrow, June 24, 2020. Residents will see smoke in the area.

The house located at 213 Sunset St. caught fire a couple years ago and has been vacant since. Recently, the property owner asked if the City’s firefighters would use the structure for training purposes. The burn will allow the City’s f...

Statement from Mayor Joe Gibbons Regarding the Death of George Floyd

As the Mayor of the City of Lenoir, I wish to express my thoughts regarding the tragic and unnecessary death of Mr. George Floyd that occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I join many of our neighbors across our communities and our country who are hurting and angry regarding the senseless brutality that led to the death of Mr. Floyd. I am disturbed and saddened by these actions and the tragic loss of life. There are no excu...

Section of greenway near Days Inn closed

A small section of the City of Lenoir greenway near Days Inn on US 321 has been closed due to a sink hole.

City staff will repair the sinkhole as soon as possible. Until then, the public should avoid this section of the greenway.

More parking and access points are listed on the greenway page. Click here to visit the Greenway page.

Read on...

WPCC student donates plants to Community Garden

A Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC) horticulture student delivered nearly 1,000 plants to the Community Garden Friday, May 29, 2020. Community garden volunteers will tend the plants this summer and donate the harvest to local ministries.

Brandy Richthammer is a horticulture program student at WPCC. To help raise money for the program, students and staff hold an annual plant sale where they sell plants that have been raised by the spring semester students. Due to COVID-19 lock downs, the p...

City facilities remaining closed through Safer At Home Phase 2, July 4th Celebration canceled

City of Lenoir facilities, including the outdoor pool, will remain closed through Safer At Home Phase 2. Staff, with the approval of City Council, also canceled the July 4th celebration.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued his Safer At Home Phase 2 executive order Friday, May 22, 2020. Phase 2 limits mass gatherings to no more than 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors in most circumstances. Click here to read the press release. S...

No increase in taxes or fees in proposed 2020-2021 budget

City of Lenoir City Manager Scott Hildebran presented his 2020-2021 proposed budget to City Council Tuesday night, May 19, 2020. There is no increase in taxes or fees in the proposed budget.

The proposed budget and presentation are available online at www.cityoflenoir.com/budgetproposal. City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget during the June 2, 2020, regular meeting. After the public hearing, Council will vote on the b...

Finance Dept. receives award for CAFR

The City of Lenoir Finance Department has again received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award (PDF)

The GFOA presented the award to the City for its latest comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). A CAFR is a set of financial statements that contains a wide variety of infor...

Public Utilities encourages businesses to flush water lines before reopening

The City of Lenoir Public Utilities Department encourages any businesses that have been closed for more than 10 days to thoroughly flush all their water pipes before reopening.

Related: Governor Cooper Announces Modified Stay At Home Order and Transition to Phase 1 of Easing Restrictions, May 5, 2020

When water stays in pipes for too long, it can become stagnant. Over time, the disinfectant in the water, such as chlorine, will li...

City rolling out new garbage carts

The City of Lenoir is distributing new, roll-out garbage carts this week. The Sanitation Division plans to start automated garbage collection on the Monday route next week. The remaining routes will be phased in during the next two months.

Contractors are delivering the new carts this week. The carts are a warm gray and have the City of Lenoir seal impressed on the sides in white. There is also a link to the garbage collection page on the City website. The carts are bar coded so staff know ...

2021 Spring Litter Sweep

The 2021 Spring Litter Sweeps starts this Saturday. Are you going to help keep Lenoir and Caldwell County Litter Free? #LitterFreeLenorNC #CleanCaldwellNC

GET INVOLVED!

1. Organize a group of friends and family.
2. Pick a street.
3. Call the local NCDOT for supplies - 828-726-2512. Let the NCDOT staff know when and where you are cleaning.
4. Join the City and help clean up Lenoir and Caldwell County on April 14 (or any oth...