PUBLISHED
ONLINE JANUARY 26,
2023
• VOL.
5, NO. 4 |
Stories
and photos by WINGATE
LASSITER unless
credited otherwise
(Click
on highlighted link to
e-mail the editor)

ANOTHER
LONG-STANDING FAMILY
BUSINESS ENDURES
It's
Coor Farm Supply, now in its
seventh decade among
home-grown Smithfield
enterprises. Shown here are
second and third-generation
operators led by Ozzie Coor
(center) alongside
his sister, Robin Coor
Wilson, and his son, Clay. "I
have always loved
agriculture and
horticulture and never
really considered another
field of work," Ozzie said
to Gary Ridout during an
interview for the
Weekly Sun.
Gary's transcript appears
on today's
FEATURE PAGE
Latest
from Amazon: hiring goal
put off till summer
Chris
Johnson, the County of
Johnston's director of
economic development,
provides this report
following a contact with
Amazon this week regarding
the status of its new
distribution center in
West Smithfield: "They are
still committed to the
site with the goal of
beginning hiring in the
3rd/4th quarter of
this year."
The Weekly Sun
asked for an update in
light of recent news about
major cutbacks in
employment by Amazon
across the nation. Late
last summer, Amazon said
the West Smithfield center
would begin operations
this spring rather than
the end of 2022, its
original start-up target.
In announcing plans for
the plant in May 2021, the
company said it would
employ as many as 500
workers by the end of
2023.
Mr. Johnson said his
office "feels confident in
the property due to the
purpose of the building,"
which appears finished,
with traffic lights
already in operation at
the main entrance on US 70
Business West. "It is not
like other 'last mile"
distribution centers such
as the one in Garner and
the one that is in
Fayetteville. This
facility is a cross-dock
building where product
comes in and then is to
the final distribution
centers. Our
facility makes the
others more efficient."
Mr. Johnson provided a link
to an article explaining
"cross-docking" – the
logistical concept to be
used by Amazon here:
https://www.shipbob.com/blog/cross-docking/>
Here's
an evening aerial view
of the well-lighted
Smithfield facility as
it now stands (from the
Johnston County Economic
Development Office):


"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840
S. Bright Leaf
Blvd. • 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
New
"infill" houses popping
up throughout town
"Urban
infill' is the terminology
for new structures being
built in the midst of
older ones, especially in
long-established
residential neighborhoods.
Smithfield is beginning to
see more of that as we
recover from the
coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a sample of the
most recent construction
of brand-new dwelling
places next door to houses
built at least half a
century ago:

A matching pair on East
Massey Street in the
Belmont neighborhood.

A duplex on Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive
near College Road.

A stand-alone on
Hancock Street in the
North Smithfield
Historic District.

A duplex (already
occupied) across from
the police station on
South Fifth Street.
In addition to new
construction, Smithfield
is also seeing stepped-up
renovation of older
houses. It appears much of
that is being done for the
rising rental market,
which is growing by leaps
and bounds across the
nation just now.
Reports the home-finding
website, RentalSource.com:
"As of January 2023 the
median rental rate in
Johnston County is $1,327
which is $22 (2%) more than
the median of $1,305 for
North Carolina and $232
(15%) less than the median
of $1,559 for the United
States."
A check of other real-estate
websites found current
listings for single-family
rental housing in Smithfield
ranging from $1,200 a month
for a two-bedroom dwelling
to as much as $1,475 for a
three-bedroom house.
HOME
FOR SALE IN SOUTH
SMITHFIELD: 2,427
sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2.5
baths, 2-car garage. 811
Baker Street (MLS#
2478008). SOLD!
SUSAN
LASSITER, Broker
• FONVILLE
MORISEY
REALTY • 919-669-9235
 
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