Council OKs test for Downtown farmers market

The owners of two Downtown retail shops asked the Smithfield Town Council Tuesday night for permission to host a farmers market twice monthly along South Third Street between Market and Johnston streets. That's in front of their stores and would require the block to be closed to vehicular traffic.

The owners of Oak City Collection and Twisted Willow asked for a permit to stage the farmers market every other Saturday starting April 29 and continuing through October 14.

Council members, while calling it "a great idea," voiced concerns about the street closing's impact on other Downtown businesses and the logistics of managing vendors, who would not be charged for participating, the shop owners said.

"Give it a try," responded Oak City Collection's Jud Patterson. "We want it to be a draw for Downtown Smithfield."

In the end, the council voted without dissent to allow the market to operate on a trial basis on three Saturdays every other week April 29 through May 27. The council will decide at its June 6 meeting whether the market may continue and if so, whether the 100 block of South Third is a suitable location.

Council gets a new Parks & Recreation master plan

The council received the draft of a new Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan prepared under a contract with McAdams, a Raleigh engineering firm. It identifies five priority projects identified by a household survey as well as a focus group of citizens and the town's staff: (1) Farmers Market Pavilion; (2) Fishing Access; (3) Environmental Education Facility; (4) Expanded Spash Pad (currently under construction); (5) Downtown Multifunctional Space. Among the plan's recommendations: adding two more positions to the Parks and Recreation maintenance staff: acquiring additional parkland, especially in "underserved areas like West Smithfield"; completing the Mountains-to-Sea Trail link through Smithfield by 2032. Mayor Andy Moore suggested postponing the plan's adoption to give council members time to recommend any changes or additions.

Pedestrian component added to Smithfield Town Plan

The council approved the addition of a recently completed Pedestrian Plan to the overall Town Plan. It envisions future sidewalks and "multi-use trails" along alternate sides of Smithfield's major thoroughfares, including Bright Leaf Boulevard, Buffalo Road, Wilson's Mills Road, Angier Road (NC 210), western and eastern extensions of Market Street (US 70 Business), and Brogden Road. It also envisions additional pedestrian and bicycling trails along the western side of the Neuse River through most of Smithfield and along the eastern side north of Stephenson Parkway.
The complete plan is posted on the town's website>

Another police officer sworn in; vacancies persist

Lance Wheeler, who formerly worked as a policeman in Wake Forest and Wilson's Mills, took an oath of office at Tuesday's council meeting to join the Smithfield Police Department. Interim Chief of Police J.D. Gentry, in his monthly written report to the council, noted that the department has nine patrol-officer vacancies, with two officers on "light duty" and another on sick leave.

East Smithfield residents concerned about shootings

Councilman Marlon Lee reported that residents of his East Smithfield district are "scared" after recent incidents involving gunfire. "Some of those bullets hit some houses they weren't aiming for," he said. "We need a plan so everybody feels safe."

Interim Chief of Police J.F. Grady said "a lot of the problems are coming from a very few people who don't live here." The Police Department has an anonymous tip line, and officers will step up efforts to distribute business cards about it, the chief said.

Councilman Lee said another response will be reactivation of the East Smithfield Improvement Organization to give residents a voice and reassurances that the problem is being addressed.

In a follow-up report to the Weekly Sun, Chief Grady cited three gunfire incidents in recent months: January 25th on Third Avenue, March 4th on West Street, and March 25th on East Street. "There were no injuries; however, stray bullets did hit a residence and we are currently working on these cases," he wrote.

Two "accessory structures" OK'd for all residential lots

The council approved an amendment to the town's Unified Development Ordinance that permits two "accessory structures" on residential lots in all zoning districts. Up till now, two such structures were permitted only in R-20A zoning districts on lots at least half an acre in size. "I think you will see a lot of people very happy with this," Planning Director Stephen Wensman told the council.

Permits approved for a variety of special events

The council approved permits for the following special events:
• Partnership for Children's Stage Grand Opening at Community Park on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.
• Bulldog Harley-Davidson First Anniversary Party at 1043 Outlet Center Drive Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.
• Department of Social Services Healthy Families Fair at Smith-Collins Park Thursday, April 20 from 4:30 till 6:30 p.m.
• Direct Tool Factory Outlet Tent Sale at 1025 Outlet Center Drive Friday through Sunday, April 21-23 from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m. each day.
• Father's Day Cookout by Omar McKnight at Smith-Collins Park Sunday, June 18 from 11 a.m. till 9 p.m.
• A Sudan Shriners parade in Downtown Smithfield scheduled more than a year from now – on Saturday, May 18, 2024 – was also given approval.

Town Council hears grant requests from non-profits

And they add up, so far, to an increase of almost $80,000 over what the town granted in its budget for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

Representatives from seven agencies requesting either first-time grants or increases in current amounts appeared before the Town Council Monday during a work session on what's to be included in the town's budget for fiscal 2023-24, which begins July 1. Here's what they want:

Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation
Director Sarah Edwards is asking for an increase of $47,235 in the town's General Fund contribution – to bring the organization's budget up to $198,695 (with much of that coming from a supplemental property-tax levy inside the Downtown service district). Ms. Edwards said the funding increase would go to new "programming" initiatives including events and beautification projects. A new master plan that's in the works "will give us our marching orders," she said.

Ava Gardner Museum
Director Lynell Seabold wants the town to increase its annual contribution by $5,000 – to $27,000 – for personnel expenses including her salary. She said the museum has seen a 56% increase in attendance this past year.

Triangle East Chamber of Commerce
CEO Maureen McGuinness asked the council for $1,000 to help sponsor JOCOWORKS, a career-exploration program targeting eighth graders that's a collaborative effort of Johnston County Public Schools, Johnston Community College, and the county's chambers of commerce.

Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield
Director Johnnie Pippin wants the town to increase its annual contribution by $15,000 – to $285,000 – to help pay for interior repainting, new furniture, new landscaping, and other exterior improvements.

Smithfield Firefighters Association
Volunteer fireman Tim Johnson asked the council to restore $3,600 budgeted by the town in the past for the association's emergency assistance to firefighters who encounter personal difficulties related to their service. Nowadays, "it's difficult to get volunteers," he noted.

Partnership for Children of Johnston County
Heather Machia, the agency's literacy coordinator, asked for $3,000 to help fund the Partnership's "Read to Grow" and "Safe Kids" programs. She said the agency targets four schools with literacy efforts, including South Smithfield Elementary, where just 27.5% of students are "reading proficiently," and West Smithfield Elementary, where the number is 19%.

Recovery Alive Inc.
Tisha Temple asked the council to budget $5,000 to help the agency set up a second home here, this one for men recovering from substance abuse (the agency presently operates a home for women only). She said plans are to open the second facility this summer.

Yet to be heard by Town Council are funding requests from Smithfield-area schools, the staffs of which were out on Spring Break this week. They received grants of either $1,000 or $2,000 this fiscal year, and several have indicated they'll ask for increases. The council will resume its work on the new budget at 6 p.m. next Tuesday (April 11) at Town Hall.

An Easter-season scene repeated at numerous spots throughout town is this colorful array of azaleas and dogwoods beside Woodlawn Drive.

March produced 2.79 inches of rainfall at Smithfield

That's the report from Cornell Cox's Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield, and it brings our year-to-date total to 9.84 inches. That's above the year-to-date total of 8.78 inches at this point a year ago but well below the 17.55 inches recorded here during the first quarter two years ago.

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<Call Pernell today.
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Hearing on county's new Land Use Plan in mid-May

The chairman of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners announced near the end of Monday's evening session that a public hearing on the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan under study for more than a year will be scheduled during the week of May 15, mostly likely in the auditorium of Johnston's Agricultural Center.

Butch Lawter made the announcement after postponing continued discussion of the proposed plan since two of the seven commissioners were not present for Monday's evening session (Dickie Braswell and Fred Smith).

The commissioners normally meet on the first and third Mondays of each month. May 15 is the scheduled date for the next mid-month session. Chairman Lawter said the board could have "a full and robust discussion" about the proposed Land Use Plan at one of its first-Monday meetings on May 1.

Sewer Allocation Policy awaits further feedback

The board received a draft of a new Sewer Allocation Policy at Monday's morning session but deferred discussion on it until more feedback could be received from "stakeholders," including municipalities and developers who would be impacted by the the proposed policy's details.

Included in the draft are three dividing points for the county's currently available sewage-treatment capacity of 2,000,000 gallons per day (GPD): 200,000 GPD for county Economic Development projects yet to be identified, 1,280,000 GPD for several municipalities (including Smithfield) that depend on the county for sewage disposal, with the remaining 720,000 GPD available for other future commercial and residential projects that could be served as customers of the county's system.

A bunch of proclamations for this month and next

The County Commissioners adopted half a dozen proclamations Monday that designate various observances and activities, including:
• National Public Health Week April 3-9. Dr. Marilyn Pearson said the county's Public Health Department, which she heads, currently has 157 employees.
• National Telecommunicator's Week April 9-15. Brett Renfrow, director of 9-1-1 Communications, noted that his staff plus the sheriff's telecommunicators total 55.
• N.C. Litter Sweep April 15-29. This is the 35th anniversary of the N.C. Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway Program.
• Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. Johnston's Social Services Director Scott Sabatino said his department handled 2,057 calls reporting child abuse last year.
• Mental Health Awareness Month in May. This observance was requested by the Johnston County Consumers and Family Advisory Committee. Commissioner Tony Braswell said Johnston's "lack of adolescent care... is unacceptable."
• Older Americans Month in May. Director Neal Davis said the "one overriding goal" of Community & Senior Services of Johnston County is "to enable seniors to live independently... at home."

N.C. association salutes county's
environmental health director

Todd Ramsey, director of environmental health for the Johnston County Health Department since 2017, has been named "Environmental Supervisor of the Year" by the N.C. Environmental Health Association.

An employee with Johnston's department for more than 17 years, he was honored at Monday's morning session of the County Commissioners. "It's absolutely a pleasure to work for this county," he told the board.
(Screenshot from county's YouTube broadcast)

READ the clerk's summary of all matters before the County Commissioners Monday:
• For the morning session> • For evening session>

Community & Senior Services has a new director

Josh Jensen (on the left in this screenshot) was introduced to the County Commissioners Monday morning as the new executive director of Johnston County Community & Senior Services by retiring director Neal Davis (right).

Mr. Jensen comes to Johnston after five years managing a similar program in Brevard County, Florida (along the Atlantic coast east of Orlando). He previously headed a program for seniors in Minnesota.

Mr. Davis told commissioners the change is being made "to lighten my load a little bit." He'll continue to work part-time as mobility manager at JCATS, the Johnston County Area Transit System that operates under the umbrella of Community & Senior Services. Mr. Davis has served as executive director since December 2010 when the agency was operated as the Johnston County Council on Aging.

JCATS this past month launched a new Uber-style "microtransit" service named QuickRide that may be called upon by anyone within bounds of a Smithfield-Selma zone. Mr. Davis told commissioners the service had more than 400 riders during March and expects that number to continue upward in months to come.

More information about QuickRide is available on the JCATS website>

WHAT'S COMING UP?

Good Friday a holiday for state and local governments

But it's not a federal holiday, so most banks as well as the U.S. Postal Service will be open for business. Town of Smithfield, County of Johnston, and State of North Carolina offices will be closed Friday, and the town's recycling collection station at Buffalo and Hospital roads will be closed Saturday as well. Johnston's public schools have been closed all this week. "Easter Monday" is no longer a government holiday.

Easter egg hunt at Smith-Collins Park this Saturday

The Town of Smithfield along with the Sinno Law Office and Town Councilman Marlon Lee will host an Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday at Smith-Collins Park.

Easter Sunrise Service at Riverside Cemetery Sunday

An interdenominational Easter sunrise service will be held at Smithfield's Riverside Cemetery at 6:30 a.m. this Sunday.

Board of Education's monthly meeting next Tuesday

The Johnston County Board of Education will meet Tuesday in 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>

DEATHS & FUNERALS

Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home

JULIA MAE PIPER, 92 – died April 3

WILLARD BRAXTON (TOM) HINNANT, 97 – died April 2

LEROY BAKER, 72 – died April 1

GLORIA COOKE STEPHENSON, 81 – died April 1

DONNIE JOSEPH RHODES, 76 – died March 29

WILLIS CALVIN SLAUGHTER, 84 – died March 29

A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR

Another case of child neglect: mental-health services

County Commissioner Tony Braswell has repeatedly spoken out about the lack of mental-health care for Johnston County's adolescents, and he did it again at Monday's board meeting when he called the current situation "unacceptable."

He got reinforcement for his concern with Tuesday's release of a North Carolina Child Health Report Card, which gives the state a grade of "F" in its efforts to meet the mental-health needs of children.

Issued by N.C. Child, a non-profit organization founded in 2014 as "The Voice for North Carolina's Children," the 2023 Report Card presents these alarming statistics:
• An unprecedented 67 children ages 0-18 died by suicide in North Carolina in 2020.
• One in five North Carolina high-school students reported seriously considering suicide in 2021, up from 16% in 2017.
▪ One in 10 North Carolina high-school students reported making a suicide attempt.
▪ LGBTQ+ students are more than three times likely to consider or attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.
• More than one in 10 children ages 3-17 in North Carolina had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety in 2020. That’s a 49% increase from 2016.
• Child deaths involving a firearm rose more than 40% from 2019 to 2021. The rate is increasing more in North Carolina than nationally.

The Child Health Report Card offers these recommendations for change:
• Remove barriers to mental health care.
• Enhance the availability of mental-health care and crisis intervention in public schools, particularly in rural areas where specialty care is less available.
• Make it harder for children and youth to get access to lethal means of self-harm, with emphasis on safe storage of firearms and prescription drugs.

It's up to the State of North Carolina to address these needs. Let's hope the leaders of the N.C. General Assembly, in adopting a new state budget, care as much about children as they do about more cutting of taxes.

VIEW the complete to North Carolina Child Health Report Card>

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