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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The City of Cherryville’s regular work session meeting was held on April 13th, 2026. After an invocation from Pastor Matt Thomas of Second Baptist, Mayor Wade Stroupe quickly moved to the water issues the city had been experiencing over the weekend before discussing the upcoming meeting at W.B. Beam Intermediate.
The next date to remember regarding W. Blaine Beam Intermediate is April 21st, 2026, at 7:00 PM. According to the school's PTO President, Jamie Sherrill, this meeting is required by law before a school can be closed. The community is invited to express its concerns. Mayor Stroupe mentioned that this could serve as a public hearing on the issues, but that a separate date could be set. The superintendent will be at the meeting, and the announcement says he will answer questions about the proposed closure. This will include what the increase in enrollment at John Chavis and Cherryville Elementary means. The meeting will be held at Starnes Auditorium, located at E 1st St, Cherryville, NC 28021.
The city has experienced several water line breaks in the previous two weeks. During these issues, all the water has come from the eastern water tank near Walmart, which has slightly compounded the problem. A six-inch line broke on Saturday, April 4th, 2026, on Elm Street, and was clamped and repaired. Then, later that night, the line broke multiple times on Bills Avenue. The following day, many citizens noticed pressure losses, with a break occurring in front of Farris Fab. The City Manager Brian Dalton estimates the Academy Street line is nearing 100 years old. It took multiple hours to get the water stopped for repairs. As a result, around 11:15 PM Sunday, they shut down the water tank near Walmart and finished repairing the line. This washed out the underside of the road and will need repair.
This had led to a boil-water advisory due to potential back-siphonage into the system. As of April 14th, 2026, the water has been tested for bacteria and found to be safe for human consumption. Mayor Stroupe congratulated the city crews on the many emergency jobs they have performed over the last two weeks regarding the water line issues. Due to these issues, Dalton believes it may be necessary to divert spending away from roads to ensure that Cherryville’s newly built and repaired infrastructure is not immediately harmed, as has happened with Academy Street.
Dell Garren, a former Cherryville Police Officer, spoke during the public hearing about his complaints directed at the Cherryville Police force and other citizens involved in his prior removal. Garren believes that Nicole Blaylock and several of her family members committed crimes that have gone unrecognized by the Cherryville Police Department. These allegations include false police reports, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Garren hopes to see the department press charges against Blaylock for these actions and presents statements made by Judge Clark as evidence. According to Garren, Clark stated that Blaylock laid no foundation of evidence of anything that has been done, and that he (Garren) has done anything to you or against you. Garren feels that the police failed to act on information regarding the case and violated the NC General Statutes. He plans to continue pressing the issue until something is done. Before leaving, Garren presented WNN with larceny charges against Blaylock and another case he had brought forth as the complainant against Carl Dellinger for misdemeanor stalking in relation to these issues.
Continuing from Cherryville’s previous work session, the motion to allow the ABC board to save $1000 a month for 6 months in order to fund the parking lot being repaved. The resolution was approved unanimously, and the meeting moved on to the City Manager's comments.
Dalton mentioned that the Diamonth Youth League had begun the same night as the meeting, with T-Ball and ages 9 through 12. He anticipates they’ll play teams from Tryon, Kings Mountain, Bessemer City, West Lincoln, and Dallas.
After this update, Council Member Gary Freeman felt he should quell a recent rumor he had heard: that the city had taken over the American Legion Baseball Program. The rumor likely began because Cherryville’s recreation director, Lance Hudson, has recently accepted the role of the commissioner of the Junior Legion. Despite the city’s close partnership with the American Legion regarding baseball, the position is separate, and the city will not annex control of these tournaments.
Previously, Beam construction had been awarded a contract as the contractor at risk for the renovations to Cherryville’s City Hall. Dalton hopes the remodel will begin soon and significantly improve the structure. For those who don't know, one of the main renovations soon to be underway at City Hall is the installation of an elevator, making both floors fully accessible to everyone. Currently, Beam Construction is still gathering subcontractors.
Other planned infrastructure improvements include the CIP Plan. Much of this plan aims to rejuvenate the city’s water infrastructure. This council meeting unanimously approved a resolution to prepare for an upcoming grant deadline. These grants will allocate funding for water line installations and improvements to needed wastewater projects.
The meeting wrapped up with the council deciding to move their next work session to a different location and time, outside the regular schedule. The meeting will now begin at 9 AM on April 28th, 2026, with a one-hour public hearing that is required for the aforementioned grants. Once this period ends, the April regular work session will begin, followed by the city's budget session for the 2026 - 2027 budget cycle.
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