Good morning, Hickory.

Lowes Foods City Park in downtown Hickory will close beginning Tuesday, Oct.

13, for new playground surfacing installation; the project is expected to take up to two weeks (restrooms remain open for public use) as the City works to improve safety.

Nominations remain open until Nov.

20 for Hickory’s annual Beautification Awards, which honor efforts in landscaping, renovation, and restoration to improve local properties using native or drought-tolerant plants. Entries must include at least one photo and come from any eligible Hickory property.

Hefner Reels LLC will expand operations after the Alexander County Board of Commissioners approved an economic development grant — the grant is valued up to $9,360 in two installments — to upgrade its warehouse and equipment.

The expansion is expected to add jobs and boost competitiveness.

Hickory City Schools has submitted a response opposing the proposed three-district merger due to legal, financial, and educational concerns as the State Board of Education reviews the plan (board decision pending).

A Catawba River management group presented a 50-year plan for interbasin transfers as Hickory and Catawba County communities pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose Charlotte Water's request to boost water transfers + safeguard local supplies.