Aug. 7. The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce will hold business briefings on I-77 tolls on two consecutive Tuesdays, Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm at The Galway Hooker in Kenton Place. Business owners and managers as well as the public are invited. Mecklenburg County Board Commissioner Jim Puckett and chamber leaders will discuss the business and economic implications of the toll lanes on the local economy.

Puckett has been a longtime opponent of the toll project. “I- 77 is the lifeline of North Mecklenburg and South Iredell County and the current design and tolling plans will have a devastating impact on the future of our region and economic development going forward.  With the current ill-conceived plan contracted to last 50 years, now is the time for the business community to push for a better solution,“ he said.

Former Chamber Chairman John Hettwer, the owner of Payroll Plus at Exit 28, said he, like many business owners in the last few years, was battling through the recession, and not focusing on the toll plans, which dates back at least five years. Local elected leadership was being given “misleading information by the NCDOT about the toll plan.

“We now find ourselves in a fight for the economic and business vitality of our region,” Hettwer said.

The Galway Hooker is located at 17044 Kenton Drive.