When
will Amazon begin
operations here?
Town
of Smithfield staff along
with members of the Town
Council recently toured
the Amazon distribution
center in West Smithfield
and found that
construction continues
inside the
620,000-square-foot
building. Town officials
weren't given a startup
date for operations there
as company officials
continue to cite
supply-chain issues as a
reason for delay (the
facility was originally
scheduled to go into
service by the end of
2022). Pictured in front
of the Amazon logo (left
to right) are
council members Sloan
Stevens, Travis Scott,
Roger Wood, Mayor Andy
Moore, David Barbour, and
Mayor Pro Tem John Dunn. (Photo
from Town of
Smithfield's Facebook
page)
Town
cuts duration of
Downtown administration
contract
Citing
"concerns" heard from
business operators as well
as citizens, the
Smithfield Town Council
Tuesday night approved a
three-year contract with
the Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation to
continue administration of
services within the
Downtown tax district.
That's shorter than the
five-year contract period
allowed by state law that
was previously granted by
the town to the non-profit
organization.
Town Manager Mike Scott
recommended the shorter
period (it's actually for
three years and three
months, expiring June 30,
2026) to give DSDC a
chance to address a number
of issues brought forth
during a public-comment
period prior to contract
renewal. DSDC has
administered Smithfield's
downtown-revitalization
program since 1985, and
was the only organization
to submit a contract
proposal.
"The feedback presented is
a big concern for me,"
said Councilman Travis
Scott during Tuesday's
consideration of the
matter.
A summary of that feedback
was provided to the
Weekly Sun. It
covers both written and
oral statements from
business owners and the
public regarding traffic
and parking issues,
complaints about
appearance and
cleanliness, and
suggestions for better
marketing and more social
events. VIEW the
complete list here>
Town Manager Scott told
the council he has begun
attending monthly meetings
of the DSDC Board of
Directors, and DSDC
Executive Director Sarah
Edwards said she and her
board would welcome
discussions with council
members. She also said
DSDC has hired a firm to
put together a Master Plan
for Downtown's future
development. It should be
finished in nine months,
she noted.
Town,
reluctantly, OKs aid for
high-school scoreboard
repair
Smithfield-Selma
High School has asked the
Town of Smithfield for
assistance in paying for
repairs to a scoreboard at
the football stadium. Town
Manager Scott recommended
a contribution of $3,100,
which is half the
estimated cost of repairs.
But several members of the
Town Council Tuesday night
said it should be the
school system's
responsibility, not the
town's, to get the
scoreboard fixed.
"Why isn't the county
taking care of it?" asked
Mayor Pro Tem John Dunn
(presiding in the absence
of Mayor Andy Moore). "It
shouldn't be the Town of
Smithfield," said
Councilman Marlon Lee. "It
rubs me raw," added
Councilman David Barbour.
"It's an issue that never
should have come to us."
But in the end, the
council voted 5-1, with
Mr. Lee dissenting, to
contribute $1,000 from a
budgeted line item for
local school assistance.
Town Manager Scott said
the "very large
scoreboard" was "twisted a
bit" by heavy winds last
fall. In response to a
question from the council,
Mr. Scott said he didn't
know if the Town of Selma
had been asked to help pay
for repairs.
Cost
of SRAC boiler
replacements twice what
was budgeted
Yet
another example of
spiraling costs of goods
and services following the
COVID pandemic came to
light when the Town
Council was asked to
double an appropriation to
cover half the cost of
replacing two large
boilers in service at the
Smithfield Recreation
& Aquatics Center
since its opening in 2009.
Parks & Recreation
Director Gary Johnson said
the lowest of five bids
came in at $290,804 from
SPC Mechanical of Wendell.
That's more than twice the
$140,000 estimate when the
current town budget was
adopted last summer. As a
result, the town's share
of the expense has
increased from $70,000 to
$145,152, he said.
(Johnston County Public
Schools is responsible for
half the cost since the
SRAC is jointly owned and
operated).
The council agreed to
increase the town's share,
taking the additional
$75,152 from the town's
Contingency Fund. Mr.
Johnson said the life
expectancy of boilers of
this magnitude is 15-20
years. They're used
year-round to heat the
SRAC's indoor swimming
pool and provide hot water
for showers and such.
Contracts
for Hastings House
renovations, manhole
fixes
The
council approved a $43,647
contract with Maurer
Architecture of Raleigh
for design and
administration of
renovations to the
historic Hastings House on
Front Street and a $32,385
contract with Dun-Right
Services of Florence, S.C.
to "rehabilitate" sewer
manholes throughout town
to reduce storm-water
infiltration.
New
police officer;
Appearance &
Adjustment appointments
Amara
Miller took the oath of
office from Mayor Pro Tem
John Dunn as the newest
addition to the Smithfield
Police Department. She's a
recent graduate of Basic
Law Enforcement Training
at Johnston Community
College. Her employment
leaves eight vacancies
among the department's
patrol-officer ranks.
The council
appointed Sharon Lynch to
the town's Appearance
Commission and Thomas Bell
to the Board of
Adjustment.
Permits
approved for three
special events during
March
The
council approved permits
for three outdoor events:
• Discover
Construction Day,
hosted by the Johnston
County Building Industry
Association in the 300
block of Bridge Street 8
a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday,
March 16.
• Day of
Awesomeness,
hosted by the Innovation
Academy from noon till
2:30 p.m. Friday, March 24
at Smith-Collins Park.
• SkyFest 2023,
hosted by Johnston
Regional Airport from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Saturday, March 25.
WEST
SMITHFIELD
LAND FOR SALE
2.4-acre vacant lot at 1558 W. Market Street, US 70
Business.
Mostly level
ground with
323-foot road
frontage. It's
less than 3
miles from
Johnston
Regional
Airport and
about 5 miles
from I-95:
$525,000
(MLS#2447472)
SUSAN LASSITER, Broker • FONVILLE MORISEY
REALTY • 919-669-9235
County plans to buy another 47 acres
east of town
The Option To Purchase Agreement was approved
by the
Johnston
County Board
of
Commissioners
among several
items on the
Consent Agenda
for Monday's
morning
session, but
wasn't
discussed
until Patrick
Harris brought
it up later
on.
Commissioner
Harris asked
that staff
seek proposals
right away
"for design
services for
the DSS
project and an
administrative
building at
that
property." He
was referring
to a proposed
new office
building for
the county's
Department of
Social
Services,
presently
housed in
cramped
quarters in
three
buildings
between
Smithfield's
Hancock and
North streets.
Mr. Harris,
who serves on
the county's
Board of
Social
Services, said
the
department's
director,
Scott
Sabatino, "has
got to find
space for
another 40
employees"
because of
Medicaid
expansion
about to be
approved by
the N.C.
General
Assembly.
(County
Manager Rick
Hester told the
Weekly Sun
that DSS
currently
employs 304 at
its Smithfield
"campus.")
The site under consideration adjoins other properties recently purchased by the county near the
intersection
of US 70
Business East
and Yelverton
Grove Road.
It's south of
70 Business,
within sight
of the new
Public Safety
and Detention
centers on the
north side of
70 Business.
The option to
purchase
includes "a
minimum of 47
acres" at
$40,000 per
acre (that
works out to
be
$1,880,000).
John Timothy
Hughes is the
property's
owner. (Map
made from
county's GIS
website)
Last spring
the
commissioners
received a
consultant's
report on
options for
relocating
Social
Services in
larger
quarters and
also for
removing some
county
administrative
offices from
the Courthouse
to either a
new building
at an
unspecified
location or to
the current
Social
Services
complex.
All that's
part of a
long-range
plan to move
several
agencies out
of the
Courthouse in
Downtown
Smithfield to
make way for
expansion of
judicial
services
there. The
first step in
that process
is
construction
of the
Detention and
Public Safety
centers
nearing
completion
east of town.
Extra subsidies approved for five
rural fire
departments
The County Commissioners accepted a
recommendation
from a
committee
headed by
Cleveland Fire
Chief Chris
Ellington to
transfer a
total of
$608,977 to
five of
Johnston's
rural fire
departments
with annual
revenues under
$300,000.
The county's
23 departments
had earlier
agreed to
contribute
$300,000 from
all
fire-district
taxes
collected by
the county to
help
struggling
departments.
Chief
Ellington
asked Monday
for an
additional
$308,977 from
the county's
General Fund
to get five
departments up
to the
$300,000
revenue level
plus a $25,000
supplement for
each.
Commissioners
approved the
request.
Departments
receiving the
extra funds
are
Bentonville,
Bethany,
Blackman's
Crossroads,
Micro, and
Strickland's
Crossroads.
Two other
departments –
Antioch and
Micro – also
report annual
revenues under
$300,000 but
were passed
over for
assistance
because their
property-tax
rates are
below 12 cents
per $100
valuation.
Upgraded classification sought for
9-1-1
dispatchers
Commissioners adopted a resolution in support
of a
nationwide
campaign
seeking a
change in
federal
classification
for 9-1-1
emergency
dispatchers
from "Office
and Support
Staff" to
"Protective
Service
Occupation."
Commissioner
Patrick Harris
pointed out
that Johnston
County's 9-1-1
staff is the
only one in
the state that
gets "a
perfect score
every time"
from the
state's
insurance-rating
agency and was
first in the
state and
third in the
nation to
achieve "all
three
international
accreditations"
– for
emergency
medical, fire,
and police
dispatching
services.
Mr. Harris
said
legislation to
upgrade the
status of
dispatchers
stalled in the
last session
of Congress
but is
expected to
come up again
during the
current
session.
In this
screenshot
from Monday
morning's
meeting of the
County
Commissioners,
9-1-1
Communications
Director Brett
Renfrow stands
with a portion
of his staff.
County asked to adopt a
non-discrimination
ordinance
Ben Chapman, an archivist employed by the
county's
Heritage
Center, stood
before the
County
Commissioners
during Monday
evening's
Public
Comments
segment to
request
adoption of
"an inclusive
non-discrimination
ordinance" as
22 other
communities
across the
state have
done.
"Discrimination
is treating
someone
differently
because of who
they are," Mr.
Chapman said.
"What I
propose is
that Johnston
County
prohibit
discrimination
in public
accommodations,
employment,
and housing."
"I want to
emphasize that
this is a
non-partisan
campaign, he
said, adding
that he has
met with
leaders of
both the Young
Republicans
and the Young
Democrats of
Johnston
County who
"seemed to
understand my
strong desire
to ensure that
this doesn't
become a
dividing
issue."
"It wasn't
always easy
growing up gay
in North
Carolina," he
told the
board. "When I
was in the Boy
Scouts of
America they
had a national
discriminatory
ban on openly
gay scouts,"
he said, and
that prompted
him to keep
his status
secret. But
after Scouting
reversed the
ban in 2015,
he noted, "I
am now a proud
gay Eagle
Scout."
READ
about other
items before
the County
Commissioners
during
Monday's
sessions,
including five
rezoning
requests, in
the board
clerk's online
summaries>
Teachers
Diana Penuela (left) and
Talitha Crawford (right)
are among 20 Flame for
Learning Award
semi-finalists. They're
shown with their
principals: Susan Jones of
South Smithfield
Elementary School, Darrick
McNeill of West Smithfield
Elementary. (Photos posted
by Johnston County Public
Schools on Twitter)
Johnston
"Teacher of the Year"
semi-finalists chosen
Two
teachers at Smithfield's
elementary schools are
among 20 semi-finalists
for Johnston County's
"Teacher of the Year": Talitha
Crawford, a
second-grade teacher at
West Smithfield, and Diana
Penuela, a
kindergarten teacher at
South Smithfield.
The other semi-finalists:
Colleen
Bonner (West
Johnston High), Paul
Bradford (West
Johnston High), Cheryl
Brown (River
Dell Elementary), Brooke
Daughtry (North
Johnston High), Kimberly
Drown (West
Johnston High),
Dorothy Holley (West
Johnston High), Jennifer
Johnson (Swift
Creek Middle), Lynda
Martin (Thanksgiving
Elementary), Erin
McGowen (Four
Oaks Elementary), Jennifer
Medlin (Riverwood
Elementary), Shearon
Miller(Cleveland
High), Kathryn
Moore (East
Clayton Elementary), Melissa
Pearce (Cleveland
High), CourtneyRenfrow
(Cleveland
Elementary), Nick
Rotenberry (Polenta
Elementary),
Natalie Torres-Urzua
(Cooper Elementary), Amy
Wellbrook (Riverwood
Middle), Brandy
Williams (Selma
Elementary).
Recipient of this year's
Triangle East Chamber of
Commerce Flame for
Learning Award will be
named at an event
scheduled April 29 and go
on to regional competition
leading to selection of
North Carolina's "Teacher
of the Year."
SSS
Unified
Champions take
case to Congress
Smithfield-Selma
High School students Savanah
Allen and Nathaniel Beliveau
spoke to members of Congress
about the impact of the
Unified Champions School
Program on their high-school
experience at the annual
Capitol Hill Day event
organized by Special
Olympics. Savanah and
Nathaniel represented North
Carolina in requesting
additional funding for UCS
and Inclusive Health. They
were accompanied to
Washington by Bethany Jones,
Unified Spartan club
advisor, and other officials
of N.C. Special Olympics. (Photo
from SSS)
LOVE
THE SPACE YOU'RE IN!
And
to make sure that's
the way it is in your
home...
<Call
PERNELL today.
Or visit
callpernell.com>
HIGH
SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT
Smithfield-Selma
beats Neuse Charter
twice
The
Spartans have opened the
boys' baseball season with
two wins versus their
neighbors across the
street – by a score of
13-3 on Tuesday, February
28 and 12-9 this past
Tuesday.
Connor O'Brien led the SSS
attack in the first game
with two hits. Luke
Woodall had four hits in
five at-bats in this
week's game while
teammates Chase Nguyen,
Dawson Gardner, and
Vincent Belcher had two
hits apiece.
For Neuse Charter, Blane
Barefoot collected two
hits in the first game
while Connor Phillips and
Jaedyn Teachey had two
hits apiece in this week's
contest.
In between those games, Neuse
Charter picked up a win
at Eastern Wayne last
Thursday by a score of
7-5. Blane Barefoot had
two hits for the Cougars.
Meanwhile, the
Smithfield-Selma girls'
softball team has lost its
first five games: 19-6 at
Rosewood, 58-40 at
home vs. Southeast
Raleigh, 26-1 at
Western Harnett, 21-7 at
Southeast Raleigh on
Monday of this week, and
29-0 at home vs. Western
Harnett on Wednesday. All
of those were
non-conference games.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Game
summaries based on the
schools' reports to MaxPreps>
WHAT'S
COMING UP?
Daylight Saving Time returns this
Sunday
It'll
be time to "spring
forward" when you re-set
your clocks and watches
ahead one hour Saturday
night or early Sunday
morning. Eastern Standard
Time won't return till
next November. And yes,
it's officially designated
as "Daylight
Saving Time,"
or DST, not "Daylight Savings
Time."
School
board's monthly meeting
next Tuesday
The
Johnston County Board of
Education will meet
Tuesday afternoon at the
Evander Simpson Building
on US 70 Business east of
Smithfield. The monthly
meeting usually begins
with a closed session at 4
p.m. followed by the open
business session that
usually starts around 5
p.m.
VIEW the
agenda once it's posted
on the schools'
website>
County
Commissioners' planning
session at Campbell
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners will meet
next Wednesday and
Thursday, both days
beginning at 9 a.m., in
Marshbanks Hall at
Campbell University, 143
Main Street in Buies
Creek, for a Strategic
Planning Session. Seating
for the public will be
limited; however, the
meetings will be
live-streamed via
YouTube>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home
JIMMY DARIUS
GREENE, 76 – died
March 7
JUDY CAROLYN
LEE MOORE, 78 – died
March 7
JOSEPH (JOE)
MICHAEL PRESTON, 44
– died March 5
RUTH GODWIN
LIPCSAK EDWARDS, 99
– died March 3
WILLIAM
(BILL) ALFRED SELLERS,
70 – died March 2
TYLER JORDAN
DAVIS, 30 – died
February 25
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
First
Citizens Bank celebrates
its Smithfield roots
The Bank of
Smithfield was established
in 1898 – 125 years ago
this month. By 1929 it had
evolved into First
Citizens Bank & Trust
Company in the structure
shown here in an old
colorized postcard – and
it still stands at the
corner of Market and Third
streets (after several
renovations) as the
Johnston County Heritage
Center.
It was nice
to see today's First
Citizens Bank acknowledge
the anniversary with a
posting on its website
that included the fact
that its present-day
leaders, like the company
itself, were born and
raised in Smithfield:
Board Chair and CEO Frank
Holding Jr. and his
sister, Vice Chair Hope
Holding Bryan.
First Citizens remains "the
largest family-controlled
bank in the
United States," according
to the company, which
moved its headquarters
from Smithfield to Raleigh
in 1974.
The
historical review
prepared by First
Citizens is posted on
the Triangle East
Chamber of Commerce
website>
Another
example of public
servants in need of more
pay
Our
County Commissioners
adopted a proclamation on
Monday that declares April
1-7 as the "Week of the
Young Child" in Johnston
County. Requested by the
local Partnership for
Children program, the
proclamation includes a
statement that "early
childhood educators need
the ability to earn a
family-sustaining wage
that is commensurate with
the required education and
skills they bring to the
complex and valuable work
they do."
We could apply that
statement to any number of
public-service
occupations, couldn't we?
No wonder we are
experiencing nationwide
shortages in the ranks of
school teachers, police
officers, nurses, and
more. In most of those
situations, it is our
failure to elect more
representatives in
government who would put
the well-being of all of
us above the narrower
interests of a favored
few.
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