That
includes Smithfield's
property-tax rate as well
as the town's electricity
and water rates. Uncertain
at this point are sewer
rates, which may rise if
the County of Johnston
increases what it charges
municipalities for
wastewater treatment.
Town Manager Mike Scott
presented a 2022-23
"draft" budget at the Town
Council's first budget
session of the 
season
Monday evening. The
council is required to
adopt a new spending plan
before July 1, the start
of the next fiscal year.
The proposed budget now
under consideration
includes 2% pay raises for
all town employees in July
with individual merit
raises up to 3% in
January. It also includes
funding to re-instate
"longevity pay," which was
suspended several years
ago. That extra
compensation would be $100
for each year of service,
starting at five years
with a benefit cap of 25
years, for all full-time
town employees.
No additional personnel
positions are included in
the budget at this point,
the town manager told the
council Monday. He said
requests have been
submitted for six
additional firefighters, a
"line locator" for the
Water and Sewer staff, and
an assistant town manager.
More than a million
dollars would be taken
from the town's reserves
for a "fire rescue" truck
and a replacement
sanitation truck, but the
General Fund balance would
remain well above
requirements of the N.C.
Local Government
Commission, Mr. Scott
noted.
The council made no
decisions Monday on the
new budget but did approve
an expenditure of $39,875
from the current year's
contingency fund to
purchase a used pump for
transferring water from
the Neuse River to a
reservoir at the Water
Treatment Plant. Utilities
Director Ted Credle said
the purchase will provide
an extra layer of backup
if both of two pumps
already in service were to
fail.
An "increase in sand" in
the river over the past
couple of years has been
impeding operation of the
pumps, Mr. Credle noted.
Terri and John Bilott
have moved their antique
pew-storing operation to
a storefront on Third
Street that also
features a variety of
other
historical collectibles.
Two
home-based startups
choose Downtown
Both
started out in rural
residences in western
Johnston County – one
focused on collecting and
restoring discarded church
pews, the other on trendy
women's clothing and
accessories – and chose to
relocate in larger, more
visible quarters in the
heart of Downtown
Smithfield.
The Twisted Willow at 119
South Third Street and the
Dragonfly Boutique at 228
East Market held grand
openings last weekend.
Terri and John Bilott
initially made their mark
scouring the Eastern
Seaboard for church pews
they refinish for sale to
anyone looking for unique
old furniture with some
history behind it. That
work got the attention of
WRAL-TV's "Tar Heel
Traveler" Scott Mason who
featured the couple in a
telecast earlier this year
that's still archived
online for viewing>
The
Bilotts have purchased the
spacious old building they
occupy and have plans to
create an outdoor beer and
wine garden in the rear
portion where only the
exterior walls still stand
(without a roof). That
structure is perhaps best
remembered as the mid-20th
Century home of
Smithfield's Western Auto
store.
Brittany
Lucas began selling
women's clothing online
from her residence before
moving into leased space
on Market Street next to
Gotham's Deli.
"The Dragonfly Boutique
was a dream I've had since
a young child," she writes
on her website. "Each
product has been hand
picked by me, adding... my
own style and flare into
each item."
MORE about her merchandise
is posted on the
shop's website>
Downtown Development
Director pointed out that
Dragonfly is the fourth
women's boutique to open
in recent months in
Smithfield's central
business district. The
others are Boutique 12/20
at 129 North Second
Street, Classy C's at 331
East Market, and Urban
Misfits at 109 South
Third.
Number
of employed Johnstonians
rose to 102,278 in March
That
an increase of 1,452 from
February's estimate,
producing a jobless rate
of 3.1% for March – down
from 3.2% a month earlier.
The N.C. Department of
Commerce's monthly report
shows 3,236 Johnstonians
filing for unemployment
insurance last month –
down from 3,325 in
February. Johnston's 3.1%
jobless rate in March was
below the statewide rate
of 3.6%, which was also
the rate nationwide.
FOR
SALE: Cherished
4-bedroom brick ranch on
half-acre landscaped lot
at 707 Crescent Drive in
South Smithfield.
Includes office, all
appliances, stair lifts,
wired workshop, 2-car
carport, greenhouse.
2,936 square feet:
$399,000
SUSAN
LASSITER, Broker •
FONVILLE MORISEY
REALTY • 919-669-9235
CORONAVIRUS REPORT
A
pause, if not the end,
for these weekly reports
With
reports of new cases on
the decline and cutbacks
in statistical reporting,
especially at the county
level, the Sun
elects to forego these
weekly updates for the
time being. We'll keep
monitoring reports from
the state (the county no
longer posts weekly
reports). And if there's a
resurgence of infections
we'll resume publishing
the table below along with
any advisories from county
and state officials.
Meanwhile, if you want to
keep track of things on
your own, follow the links
below to the latest
reports posted by the N.C.
Department of Health and
Human Services and Johns
Hopkins University as well
as Johnston County Public
Schools (JCPS).
This
morning's report from
Johnston's school system
showed 8 active COVID-19
cases among students and 3
among staffs – none of those
cases at schools in the
Smithfield area. VIEW the
JCPS dashboard with the
latest data for all
schools>
CORONAVIRUS
weekly
measurements |
Case total
since 3-20
(prev. week) |
Deaths
since 3-20
(prev. week) |
Hospital
patients***
(prev. week) |
Fully vaccinated *
[got boosters] |
| JOHNSTON COUNTY |
59,725
( 59, 537) |
439
(439) |
N/A
(N/A) |
113,288: 54%**
[54,095] |
| NORTH CAROLINA |
2,659,255
(2,647,650) |
23,405
(23,363) |
356
(351) |
6,489,215: 62%**
[3,436,716] |
| UNITED STATES |
81,131,710
(80,773,277) |
992,162
(989,706) |
|
219,423,356
66.6%** |
| WORLDWIDE |
511,428,864
(506,587,543) |
6,227,099
(6,206,070) |
|
11,318,232,487
total doses |
* 2 doses
Moderna or Pfizer
vaccines or 1 dose
Johnson &
Johnson vaccine
** Percentage of
total population
(all ages)
*** Weekly average
through last
Friday (numbers
for counties not
reported)
Data from N.C.
Department of
Health and Human
Services at
12:15 p.m. April
27
and Johns
Hopkins
University at
2:20 p.m. April 27 |
Community
College names interim
president
Kenneth
Boham will begin serving
as interim president of
Johnston Community College
May 16.
"Dr. Boham was chosen to
serve in this role based
on his stellar career,"
stated Lyn Austin, chair
of the JCC Board of
Trustees. "He has over 40
years of experience
serving North Carolina
community colleges, both
as a sitting president and
in the interim capacity.
The board feels confident
he is the best leader for
JCC during this time of
transition."
JCC President David
Johnson announced his
resignation April 15,
effective May 15. He has
been the school's leader
for 13 years.
Dr. Boham served as
president of Caldwell
Community College and
Technical Institute for
more than 20 years. He was
named North Carolina's
Community College System
President of the Year in
2003 and received the I.E.
Ready Distinguished
Graduate Award from N.C.
State in 1998.
Ruffin Johnson shares life-long
interest in Native
American lore
He
grew up exploring
Smithfield's Neuse River
and the woods around it,
expanded his horizons
during a tour of duty at
Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and
today enjoys sharing his
Indian artifacts and
knowledge of Native
American history with
anyone who's willing to
listen, including Gary
Ridout, a
regular contributor to the
literature of the
Smithfield Weekly Sun.
READ Gary's
recent interview with
Ruffin on the FEATURE
PAGE>
Elect
us now &
you'll be
cool & comfortable
when
things really get hot.
CallPernell.com
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Downtown
Wine Walk this Friday
will benefit Harbor
The
Spring fund-raiser to
benefit the non-profit
agency that helps victims
of domestic violence and
sexual assault continues
from 6 to 9 p.m. and
includes stops at 11
Downtown locations. Details are
posted on the Town of
Smithfield website>
A
chance to meet a West
Smithfield council
candidate
Doris
Louise Wallace is
challenging Town
Councilman David Barbour's
bid for re-election this
year. She will "meet and
greet" potential voters
from 10 to 11 a.m.
Saturday at Democratic
Party headquarters at 1302
West Market Street
(although contests for
municipal offices here are
nonpartisan). The two
candidates seek to
represent District 4 (West
Smithfield) on the Town
Council. Only one other
race for council seats is
being contested in the May
17 election. Sloan Stevens
and Elizabeth Anne Temple
are seeking the District 2
(South Smithfield) seat.
Only residents of those
districts may participate
in electing their council
representative.
County
Commissioners to set
size of school-bond
issue
On
the agenda for Monday's 10
a.m. meeting at the
Courthouse are resolutions
authorizing a county
school-bond issue that
would go before Johnston's
voters this November. The
amount of the issue will
be determined at Monday's
session. Johnston's Board
of Education has requested
$253 million.
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
10 a.m. meeting>
At Monday's 6 p.m.
session, the board will
consider requests from two
more companies – AT&T
and CloudWyze – seeking
the county's endorsement
of their applications for
state grants to expand
Internet Broadband into
under-served areas of
Johnston. Four other
companies have previously
received the
commissioners' backing.
Two requests for
conditional zoning of
properties in Pleasant
Grove Township are also on
the evening agenda.
VIEW the
complete agenda for the
6 p.m. meeting>
Town
Council to get
amphitheater proposal
Tuesday
On
the agenda for Tuesday's 7
p.m. regular monthly
meeting at Town Hall is a
request from the Parks and
Recreation Department for
the council's approval of
a design-build contract
with Balbour Beatty
Construction of Raleigh
for reconstructing the
Town Commons amphitheater
at a cost not to exceed
$989,500, the amount of a
grant from the N.C.
General Assembly for the
project. A public hearing
is also scheduled on a
request to rezone 0.35 of
an acre near the
intersection of Edgerton
Street and North Bright
Leaf Boulevard from B-3
Business to R-8
Residential.
VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday's meeting>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JAMES CLAUDE
EASON JR., 76 – died
April 26
THELMA GRAYE
HUNTER, 84 – died
April 26
JORGE
ADALBERTO DIAZ CASTRON,
40 – died April 23
WILLIAM
RICHARD TURNER, 92 –
died April 20
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Downtown
restaurants' remarkable
resiliency
Predictions
of widespread
small-business failures
accompanied the arrival of
the COVID-19 pandemic two
years ago. Restaurants,
especially, appeared
vulnerable to the
shutdowns that were
ordered to stem the rising
tide of infections.
So look what happened to
Downtown Smithfield's
established and emerging
eateries: They've all
survived! How did that
happen?
First of all, credit
customer loyalty. Many
folks realized early on
what these businesses were
up against and continued
to patronize them as best
they could.
The Town of
Smithfield helped by
designating on-street
parking spaces in front of
all the eating places for
customer pickups (marked
by signs like those
pictured here). And
the Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation
(DSDC) provided a boost
with its "Third StrEATery"
dining-on-the-street event
that returned for a second
season this past Friday
(to continue monthly
through September).
Perhaps proprietors also
took advantage of grants
and loans from federal and
state governments to stay
afloat till things got
better. Have we forgotten
how important that
taxpayer-financed aid was
in keeping the
pandemic-burdened U.S.
economy out of another
Great Depression?
Because of all those
efforts, we've got a
vibrant Downtown ready and
eager to receive this
spring's revival of
Smithfield's Ham & Yam
Festival – coming up
Saturday, May 7 after a
three-year break because
of COVID. That in itself
is cause for a
celebration.
Posted on
the DSDC website is a
list of Downtown's
restaurants and bars>
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