Sept. 7. By Dave Vieser

The Cornelius Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $38,880 contract with Viz LLC to perform landscaping work at the Exit 28 intersection with I-77 at its first September meeting. Under the plan, a final design would be presented to the town by December, and all work would be completed by the end of June 2017.

“This contract with Viz, whose principal owner is Gary Fankhauser, a Cornelius resident, is for design, bid services, and construction administration services for landscaping elements in the four quadrants of Exit 28,” said Assistant Town Manager Andrew Grant. “The scope of services includes developing sketch design alternatives, schematic design, construction drawings, and technical specifications, working with NCDOT for permitting, bidding services, and construction administration services.”

Grant noted that the landscape contract was separate from plans to improve the cables that already hang above the exit.

Fankhauser said he plans to carefully listen to, and then incorporate, preferences of town residents within the development process dictated by the state Department of Transportation, which he labeled as “rather arduous.”

“Also, the different viewpoints that you are going to get at this interchange will be very interesting,” Fankhauser added. “ It’s going to be a great sort of canvas.”