Challengers
file for all four
seats up for election
Nov. 7
The
filing period for
candidates in this year's
Smithfield municipal
election closed at noon
last Friday with two
signed up for mayor and
six others for three
at-large seats on the Town
Council.
Councilman Marlon Lee,
whose East Smithfield seat
isn't up for election
again till 2025, is
challenging Mayor Ann
Moore's bid for
re-election to a fifth
two-year term.
Three incumbent members of
the Town Council – John
Dunn, Steve Rabil, and
Roger Wood – filed for
re-election along with
three challengers: Felicia
C. Baxter, Stuart Lee, and
Doris Wallace. The top
three vote-getters among
those six will win
election to four-year
terms.
Ms. Baxter is a resident
of Massey Street in East
Smithfield who lists no
occupation on forms filled
out for news media at the
Johnston County Board of
Elections office.
Mr. Lee is a resident of
South Second Street who
lists his occupation as a
civil servant employed by
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. He was an
unsuccessful candidate for
the Johnston County Board
of Education in the 2022
Primary Election.
Ms. Wallace is a resident
of Roderick Drive in West
Smithfield who lists her
present employment as a
substitute teacher with
Johnston County Public
Schools. She is a retired
social worker who was
unsuccessful as a
candidate for a Town
Council seat in last
year's delayed municipal
election and in 2018 for a
seat on the Board of
Supervisors of Johnston's
Soil & Water
Conservation District.
Councilmen Dunn and Rabil
are seeking re-election to
third consecutive
four-year terms while Mr.
Wood is seeking a third
term after rejoining the
council in 2019 following
a two-year break.
Besides Mr. Lee, the other
council members whose
seats aren't up for
election till 2025 are
David Barbour, Travis
Scott, and Sloan Stevens.
Town
to put up $1 million for
new I-95 interchange
The
Smithfield Town Council,
at its monthly meeting
held July 11, approved an
agreement with the N.C.
Department of
Transportation regarding
the town's share of the
cost of relocating water
lines for construction of
a new interchange for I-95
and US 70 Business.
Town Manager Mike Scott
said the town is
responsible for an
estimated $1,014,548,
which is 25% of the total
cost (NCDOT will cover the
rest). He said the town
has already allocated
$730,000 for the project,
with the remaining
obligation to be included
in next year's budget
since the town won't be
billed until the project's
completion no sooner than
the fall of 2025.
The rebuilding of the
interchange will cut off
the current Mallard Road
connection to the I-95
exit ramp, thereby
requiring construction of
a new road connecting
Mallard Road directly to
70 Business east of the
school administration
building.
What
should be additional
road priorities for
Smithfield?
Town
Planner Stephen Wensman
asked the council for
suggestions of road
projects to be added to
the town's list of
requests for an upcoming
update of the state's
Transportation Improvement
Program. A draft presented
to the council includes
projects to widen US 301
from Brogden Road
southward to the I-95
interchange beyond Holt
Lake, NC 210 from West
Market Street westward to
Black Creek Road, and
Wilson's Mills Road from
West Market to Durwood
Stephenson Parkway.
Mr. Wensman suggested two
more: widening Buffalo
Road to three lanes
between Durwood Stephenson
Parkway and the US 70
Business near the Selma
Oil Terminal and making
improvements to Brogden
Road between US 301 and
Wal-Pat Road where a large
industrial facility is
currently under
construction.
Councilman Steve Rabil
brought up widening East
Market Street between
Ninth Street and the
entrance to Johnston
Community College.
Councilman Travis Scott
said widening Buffalo Road
to the 70 Bypass
interchange should be a
priority as it's destined
to become a new "gateway
to Smithfield."
Council
urged to put a stop to
speeding on MLK Drive
Alyssa
Bizzell appeared before
the council with a plea
for action to stop
speeding along Martin
Luther King Drive entering
the residential
neighborhood north of
Brogden Road. "It's like
an open speedway," she
exclaimed.
"Somebody's going to get
seriously hurt," said Ms.
Bizzell, pointing out that
residents there are mostly
elderly – "and they're
afraid." To make matters
worse, she said she has
seen speeding by police
officers coming from other
towns to JCC for training.
"In response to the MLK
speeding compaints," Interim
Police Chief J.F. Grady said
this week, "we have
increased patrols in this
area and have done and will
continue to do speed
enforcement which includes
safety and education."
Mayor
appoints delegates to
water authority study
group
Mayor
Andy Moore appointed
Councilman Travis Scott to
serve as the town's
delegate to a Water and
Sewer Authority Steering
Committee that will
explore a merger of
Johnston County's public
utilities into a single
administrative unit. The
mayor appointed Councilman
Sloan Stevens as the
alternate delegate.
Representing the County of
Johnston on that committee
is Board of Commissioners
Chairman Butch Lawter.
Commissioner Dickie
Braswell is the alternate
delegate.
Final
bill for amphitheater's
rebuilding totals
$1,000,800
The
Town Council approved
$11,300 to cover add-ons
to the recently completed
rebuilding of the Neuse
River Amphitheater,
bringing the final bill to
$1,000,800. Parks and
Recreation Director Gary
Johnson requested the
extra appropriation to
cover "additional sod,
permitting fees,
unsuitable soils,
additional structural work
to the stage, additional
stage lighting, and
additional concrete work
for more accessibility."
The project's initial cost
of $989,500 was covered by
a state grant. The $11,300
will come from revenues
generated by the town's 2%
tax on hotel
accommodations.
Town's
fire chief hired just 21
months ago retires
Fire
Chief Mike Brown, employed
by the town in September
2021 after the retirement
of former Chief John
Blanton, retired July 5.
Town Manager Mike Scott
named Assistant Chief
Jeremey Daughtry interim
chief.
Mr. Scott issued the
following statement,
published in the JoCoReport:
"Chief Brown... asked that
there not be any fanfare
or recognition for his
retirement, and we honored
that request. Chief Brown
was the right guy for the
job at the right time.
Chief Brown guided the
department through its
last ISO Inspection,
maintaining the Town’s '3'
Insurance Rating. He
created the Fire Marshal
Position and increased the
Town’s fire inspections by
over 100 percent. This
included working with much
of the new development in
Town to assure subdivision
and construction plans met
Fire Code. A new Heavy
Rescue Truck was approved
by the Town Council, and
is expected to be
delivered in the Fall, as
well as a replacement fire
engine in the new budget
this year. He also created
additional training
programs and succession
plans prior to his
retirement. I very much
appreciated the work and
progress he made in the
fire department in the
short time he was here."
In his monthly report to
the Town Council July 11,
Mr. Scott noted:
"Applications are being
accepted for the fire
chief position. An
in-house promotional
process will be conducted
for the position."
FOR
SALE:
overlooking
pond
in South Smithfield
313
W. Wilson Street
4,612 sq. ft. brick veneer
home with 5 bedrooms, 5
full baths, 2-car garage,
0.64-acre landscaped lot.
$699,000
(MLS#
2509894)
SUSAN
LASSITER,
Broker
• Fonville
Morisey Realty
• 919-669-9235
Land
Use Plan endorsed by
handful at hearing
Last
week's final public
hearing on Envision
Johnston 2040, the
county's Comprehensive
Land Use Plan, drew about
30 citizens to the
auditorium of the
Agricultural Center, and
only half a dozen of them
stood up to speak, mostly
to encourage the County
Commissioners to adopt the
document and move on to
crafting new rules and
regulations to carry out
its goals.
"Land use is the No. 1
issue facing our county,"
said Jonathan Stovall of
Wilson's Mills who urged
commissioners to "follow
through" on the plan's
recommendations and
prevent Johnston from
becoming "a generic suburb
of Wake County."
Speaking as a real-estate
developer, Joe Padilla of
Smith Douglas Homes spoke
about "missing middle
housing" priced below
$300,000 and urged the
board to clear the way for
more of those affordable
dwellings including
townhouses, duplexes, and
"cottage homes" in
high-density subdivisions.
Adam Caldwell of Benson
reminded commissioners
that a recent survey
ranked North Carolina No.
2 in the nation, and
Johnston County No. 1 in
the state, for loss of
farmland to development.
Commissioners' Chairman
Butch Lawter wrapped up
the relatively brief
hearing by announcing that
the board will consider
adoption of Envision
Johnston 2040 at
its regularly scheduled
August 7 evening session.
Once the plan is adopted,
commissioners will face
the daunting task of
putting "teeth in the
ordinances" to follow, as
one of the speakers at
last week's hearing put
it.
Here are the primary
land-use goals as they're
stated in the plan:
1.
Direct future growth
toward the
municipalities.
2. Concentrate
commercial development
in activity nodes.
3. Consider re-inventing
or re-imagining
employment centers
(existing and planned)
to introduce a mix of
uses.
4. Support more intense
residential development
and a broader range of
housing types.
5. Discourage intense
residential development
in the rural,
unincorporated areas of
the county.
6. Protect viable
agriculture.
All the
elements of Envision
Johnston 2040 may
be accessed through the
Johnston County Planning
Department's website>
33
deaths among Johnston's
children last year
At
their July 17 morning
session, the County
Commissioners received the
annual report of the
county's Child Fatality
Prevention Team from its
leader, R.N. Wendy Wilkins
of the Health Department.
Of 33 child deaths
reported here during 2022,
she reported, two were
homicides, two were
suicides, five involved
infants in "unsafe sleep
environments," two were
caused by motor-vehicle
crashes, two by dog bites,
and the rest attributed to
illnesses in the newborn,
premature births, or
prenatal conditions.
117 acres east of Novo Nordisk rezoned for
industry
Following
a public hearing that drew
no opposition,
commissioners rezoned the
undeveloped acreage along
Powhatan Road from the
Agricultural Residential
category to Industrial-1.
Novo Nordisk
Pharmaceutical Industries
requested the zoning
change for the property it
has purchased from Eric
and Amanda Gordon.
Other zoning
changes adopted by
commissioners included
in the clerk's
summary>
New
appointments made to
several county boards
Commissioners
approved the following new
appointments last week:
• Board of Equalization
and Review – Joe David
Austin.
• Board of Social Services
– Angelique Legette.
• Veterans Service
Advisory Board – Kevin J.
Wilson and Jorge C.
Mejias-Diaz.
Reappointments
approved by
commissioners are listed
in the clerk's
summary>
Project
Access has extended health
care to 6,700+
From
UNC Health Johnston
Johnston
County Commissioners have
given $100,000 to UNC Health
Johnston’s Project Access to
make health care available
to the county’s most
vulnerable residents. The
physician-led initiative
serves low-income patients
ages 19 to 65 who lack
health insurance. About 14
percent of Johnston
residents have no health 
insurance.
"We’re so grateful for the
county’s support," said Dr.
Charles Williams, a Clayton
family physician who helped
launch Project Access in
Johnston County 15 years
ago.
Among other things, Project
Access will spend county
funds to provide patients
with diabetic education and
supplies and to ensure
access to insulin and other
needed medicines. "Our focus
on this chronic disease has
led to an impressive 92%
improvement in diabetes
management for enrolled
patients,” said Georgia
Anthony, director of the
program.
Project Access last year
helped arrange nearly 10,000
annual primary and specialty
care visits and filled 5,076
prescriptions. The value of
hospital and outpatient
services was about $14
million.
Since its start in 2008,
Project Access has served
more than 6,700 residents.
Today, more than 60
family-care physicians and
720 specialists across UNC
Health volunteer through the
network to treat patients.
To be eligible for the
program, residents must live
in Johnston or Harnett
counties, have no source of
health insurance, and earn
no more than 250% of the
federal poverty level, which
is $33,975 for a single
person or $57,575 for a
family of three.
Project Access receives
financial support from The
Duke Endowment, UNC Health
Johnston, and donations to
the Johnston Health
Foundation.
To learn more about the
program, phone Ms. Anthony
at 919-938-7391 or e-mail
her at georgia.anthony@unchealth.unc.edu.
"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840
S. Bright Leaf Blvd. • 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
JCC is bringing back its auditorium
concert series
Story
& photo from
Johnston Community
College
After
a five-year closure for
renovations, Johnston
Community College’s Paul
A. Johnston Auditorium is
back and better than ever
with its 2023-24 Donnie E.
and Linda Vann Lassiter
Performing
Art Series.
The season will reopen
with 15-time Grammy Award
winner Ricky
Skaggs and his
band Kentucky
Thunder on
September 15. Following
that, English rock band Modern
English, famous
for their songs “Melt With
You” and “Hands Across the
Sea,” will perform on
September 29. On November
11, JCC will welcome
American blues, R&B,
and rock 'n’ roll band The
Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Celtic Angels
Christmas will
perform on December 4 to
help Johnston County ring
in the holiday season.
Ring in the new year with
laughter
from award-winning
comedian George
Wallace on
January 20 followed by the
“must-see” canine cabaret
Mutts Gone Nuts
on February 2. The season
will close with
contemporary Christian pop
icon Amy Grant on
April 14.
Season-ticket
subscriptions are on sale
now at www.johnstoncc.edu/performingarts
and start at $210.
Subscribers get 10% off
the individual ticket cost
as well as early access to
seat selections and
subscriber-exclusive
events. Individual tickets
are also on sale now and
range from $15 to
$125.
Said series sponsor Donnie
Lassiter: "We are blessed
to have the Paul A.
Johnston Auditorium in
Johnston County. It
has been a long time since
we have experienced the
performances that once lit
the stage. I am
excited to see the lineup
of talent the team at JCC
have worked so diligently
to offer for the coming
year and I encourage
everyone in the community
to purchase tickets and
come experience some great
entertainment."
Since 1989, the auditorium
has been known as a venue
for world-class performing
arts. Before the concert
series was paused in 2015,
it brought a diverse and
talented array of
performers to Smithfield,
including Doc Watson, Tim
Hawkins, 3 Dog Night,
Jerry Reed, and David
Allen Coe. It was also the
home of the much-loved
Country Music Showcase,
which highlighted local
and up-and-coming country
performers.
For more information about
the Concert Series, visit
www.johnstoncc.edu/performingarts
or call the Box Office at
919-209-2099.
Rainfall in June & July brings
year's total to 30.01
inches
Through
this morning (Thursday),
with four more days till
this month's end, June and
July have brought us 10.63
inches of
rainfall – as measured by
Cornell Cox's Backyard
Weather Station in South
Smithfield. That pushes
the total since the first
of 2023 to 30.1 inches,
which is slightly above
our seven-month average of
29.16 inches, according to U.S.
Climate Data. No
wonder everything looks
especially green around
here this summer.
Power
outage was for scheduled
repairs at substation
Last
Sunday morning's power
outage for most of
Smithfield was scheduled
several weeks in advance
by Duke Energy Progress,
which delivers electricity
to the town's system. It
was not an "emergency" as
the town's announcement
about the interruption
stated last week.
The confusion apparently
arose from a June 28
e-mail from the power
company to the town,
shared this week by Town
Manager Mike Scott: "Duke
Energy Progress (DEP) staff
has observed structural
issues within POD #1 that
DEP desires to repair during
an emergent planned outage
as soon as reasonably
possible."
That was a reference to Duke's
equipment at the town's
substation near the
intersection of Buffalo and
Hospital roads. The power was
shut off just after midnight
Sunday and was back on in less
than three hours. The e-mail
from Duke also said "there
may be additional
maintenance items DEP can
perform at a later date,
possibly this Fall."
Launched
in 1985, this year's MUSIC
FOR THE LUNCH BUNCH
summertime series is
already under way, with
weekly noontime Wednesday
performances continuing
through August. VIEW a
larger version of the
poster>
HERE'S WHAT ELSE
IS COMING UP
Town
Council's monthly
meeting put off till
August 8
To
avoid conflicting with
National Night Out event
August 1
The
Smithfield Town Council's
regular meeting, usually
held on the first Tuesday
of the month, has been
postponed till August 8 to
avoid conflicting with the
town's National Night Out
observance – part of an
annual nationwide event
promoting better relations
between local police
departments and the
communities they serve.
VIEW the
Town Council's agenda
for the August 8 session
once it's posted>
County
Commissioners meet
Monday, Aug. 7 &
Aug. 21
The
County Commissioners are
scheduled to meet three
times before the Sun's
next scheduled edition in
late August – at 10 a.m.
and 6 p.m. Monday, August
7 and at 6 p.m. Monday,
August 21. Here's where
to find the agendas once
they're posted>
School
board's monthly meeting
slated Tuesday, Aug. 8
The
Johnston County Board of
Education's next regularly
scheduled meeting will be
held at 4 p.m. Tuesday,
August 8. VIEW the
meeting's agenda once
it's posted>
River
Rat Regatta on the Neuse
on Saturday, Aug. 12
The
4th edition of
Smithfield's River Rat
Regatta – a short race for
homemade cardboard boats –
is scheduled for August 12
at the Town Commons boat
ramp on the Neuse River.
Starting at 5 p.m.,
entries will take off one
at a time to see who's
fastest in reaching the
finish line beneath the
nearby Market Street
bridge. For more
information call the Parks
& Recreation
Department at
919-934-2148.
WATCH a
Downtown Smithfield
Development Corp. video
of previous action>
Third
StrEATery's next
installment set for
Friday, Aug. 18
That's
when Downtown Smithfield's
monthly outdoor dining and
entertainment returns to
the 100 block of South
Third Street, featuring a
band called The Antique
Outlaws. The event
continues from 6 to 9 p.m.
SSS
opens football season at
South Garner on Aug. 18
With
a new coach at the helm,
Smithfield-Selma High
School's football team
opens its season at South
Garner High on Friday,
August 18. Hansel Phipps
has taken over as head
coach after Deron Donald
moved on to take charge of
the football program at
Garner Magnet High School.
Coach Donald this past
year led the Spartans to
their best record in more
than two decades by
winning 9 of 11 games.
Coach Phipps is coming out
of retirement after a
10-year stint as offensive
coordinator at Wake Forest
High, which won three
state 4-A championships
during his time there.
Next
edition of the
Monthly Sun
scheduled August 24
One
more month to go for the
summertime publication
schedule. The next edition
of the Monthly Sun
will be e-mailed to
subscribers Thursday,
August 24 – just before
Johnston County Public
Schools begin the fall
semester August 28.
Following the
end-of-summer Labor Day
holiday, the Weekly
Sun returns
Thursday, September 7.
SHERRON ROOFING AND SHEETMETAL
Call
TOM SHERRON to
learn
how
his crew can help you!
919-631-2695 (cell)
919-934-1160 (office)
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
NOTE:
What follows is a
listing of obituaries
with Smithfield
connections that have
been posted online since
the Sun's edition of
June 29.
Click on the name to
read an obituary,
usually posted by the
funeral home.
ROSE SHARON
HITCH, 75
– died July 24
EDWARD
LANGSTON JR., 69
– died July 22
BARBARA
JANET KORNEGAY CREECH,
90 – died
July 21
MARSHA ANN
FIELDS FARELLO, 72
– died July 19
ELSIE ELLEN
McINTOSH COLLINS, 101
– died July 17
MARY HELEN
RAGSDALE WYATT, 80
– died July 14
SISOUPHANH
(PON) PHOMMACHIENG, 58
– died July 11
RONALD EVAN
WHITTINGTON, 75 –
died July 11
HILTON
DAVIDIAN BYRD SR., 89
– died July 10
LINDA LEE
LYNCH, 85 –
died July 9
MAYNARD
WILLIAM GIBSON, 87
– died July 6
MAGGIE LEE
LEWIS MOORE, 89
– died July 5
DONALD BILLY
JOHNSON, 88 –
died July 4
CHARLES
EDWARD HAMILTON, 75–
died June 29
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
A
big "thank you" to SSS
Principal David Allen
He
took over embattled
Smithfield-Selma High
School six years ago and
with his effervescent,
positive attitude restored
the school's
respectability in this
community and beyond.
It wasn't
just about the comeback of
the Spartans' football
team (although that was a
large part of his recipe
for raising the school's
standing). Adding the
International
Baccalaureate Program (IB)
and other uplifting
academic programs
contributed to the rising
of SSS out of those
proverbial ashes. And
let's not overlook the
importance of recruiting
and retaining capable
staff that's essential in
climbing those ladders to
success.
A moving testimonial to
Principal Allen's
leadership was voiced by
Student Body President
Courtney Lassiter at last
month's graduation
ceremony: "A
false, misplaced reputation
does not define us," she
declared. "We know the truth
of our school: that it is an
incredible place to learn
and to live."
Addressing
her fellow graduates, she
added this congratulatory
note: "We
students have been
re-writing the narrative and
flipping the stereotyped
script.... You're actively
creating a new reputation
for Johnston County and
beyond to see: one of
respect, of stature, and of
success."
Let's
hope that "re-writing the
narrative" about
Smithfield-Selma High
School continues long
after Principal Allen's
departure.
NO
SUCH ADDRESS
The
Bob Wallace Jaycee Kiddie
Park beside South Second
Street is a full block
away from the southern end
of S. Front Street, which
doesn't extend beyond
Church Street and
therefore has no 300 block
as the sign indicates. The
same erroneous address
appears on a newer sign at
the Rachel May Mattox Girl
Scout Hut at the far end
of the parking lot beside
the Kiddie Park. The
town's Parks &
Recreation website lists
the correct address: 306
S. Second Street.
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,448
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the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
|
Superintendent
of Schools Eric Bracy has
moved Crystal Gregory into
the principal's chair at
Smithfield-Selma High
School, succeeding David
Allen who has served as
the school's leader the
past six years.