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New classroom building to house elementary students

Neuse Charter's Superintendent Melissa Blackwell asked the County Commissioners Monday to consider an appropriation of $8 million in the coming year's county budget for construction of a building for the school's elementary grades, which are presently housed in two large mobile structures.

The proposed 25,354-square-foot building would house 20 classrooms on two floors – with "no bells or whistles," said Dr. Blackwell, since it would not include spaces for a library, cafeteria, or other support functions.

She said the requested appropriation would be a first in North Carolina after last year's General Assembly amended state law to enable counties to directly fund capital projects at public charter schools.

"We are the only home-grown, non-profit charter school in the area," Dr. Blackwell emphasized. She pointed out that Neuse Charter's students last year graded 67% academically proficient on state-tested subjects – better than the 55% score for Johnston's public schools and 54% statewide.

Current enrollment at Neuse Charter is 892, she said, with 32% coming from the Smithfield area, 28% from Clayton, and 18% from Selma (11% of the school's students come from outside Johnston County). Neuse Charter's staff of 80 includes 51 teachers, Dr. Blackwell noted.

Of $8,904,449 in total public funding for Neuse Charter last year, $1,924,030 came from local funds including county money channeled through Johnston's public-school system, $6,432,318 from the state in the form of per-pupil allotments, and $548,101 in federal aid, which Dr. Blackwell said was mostly for educating students with special needs.

Commissioners' Chairman Butch Lawter thanked Dr. Blackwell for the timeliness of her funding request as the board will hold its annual strategic planning retreat next week at the Clayton Center. (It will be live-streamed at 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday on the county's YouTube channel.)

Commissioner Fred Smith offered words of encouragement to the Neuse Charter delegation in attendance at Monday's morning session. Noting that "school choice" including charter schools is "exploding across the nation," Mr. Smith said "our job is to make the best use of our taxpayers' dollars" and "not be hampered by old thinking" when it comes to funding for education.

County committee to plan for nation's 250th birthday in '26

Commissioners adopted a resolution in support of a statewide campaign entitled "America250NC" that includes authorization of a Johnston County committee to start making plans for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding two years from now.

The Johnston County Heritage Commission will appoint the committee's members. Todd Johnson, director of the Johnston County Heritage Center, told commissioners the county is now eligible to receive a $10,000 grant from the state to plan Johnston's celebratory events.

Mr. Johnson also noted that Johnston County likely hosted one of North Carolina's first public meetings to discuss independence from Great Britain – in 1774, he said, two years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Commissioners get updates on projects ahead of retreat

Monday's evening session was almost entirely devoted to reports from heads of several county-supported departments and agencies regarding their upcoming capital-improvement needs:

Public Utilities – Director Chandra Farmer provided a rundown of water and sewer projects completed by the county since 2000, projects currently under way, and estimated project expenditures over the next 20 years. All told, projects costing almost $88 million have been completed over the past three years, with construction contracts now in place amounting to $274 million, she reported. By 2043, total expenditures will approach $1.2 billion, she added.

Much of that is being spent on a new sewage-treatment plant nearing completion beside the county's landfill off NC 210 west of Smithfield. The biggest expenditure in years to come will be construction of a second water-treatment plant on the Neuse River – in southeastern Johnston – along with piping to get that water back to the county's water customers upstream. (The county's existing water plant, which is being expanded, is located on the river at Wilson's Mills).

Responding to a question from commissioners about financing, Ms. Farmer said "all (projects) are based on our enterprise fund," which depends on customers' monthly water and sewer bills and system development fees assessed on new residential and commercial projects. The goal, she said, is to have "growth pay for growth."

Those rates and fees will be under scrutiny as commissioners put together the county's budget for fiscal 2024-25 this spring, starting with the board's planning retreat that will be live-streamed on the county's YouTube channel at 9 a.m. next Thursday and again on Friday.

JCATS and QuickRide – Josh Jensen, director of Community & Senior Services of Johnston County, gave commissioners an update on QuickRide, the on-demand Uber-like service offered since last March by the Johnston County Area Transit System in the Smithfield-Selma area. Through December, he reported, QuickRide provided 11,872 rides to 458 unduplicated riders, and has expanded its initial weekday service to include Saturdays. (Riders pay $6 per trip.)

County funding will need to be renewed to continue the service in the new fiscal year starting July 1. Requested expansion of QuickRide into the Clayton area will require additional support. Commissioners Monday said they've received numerous positive reports from constituents about the service.

Johnston Regional Airport – Director Phil Lanier said the county's airport registered 101,198 aircraft operations in 2023 and is "leading the state as a general-aviation airport." Facilities continue to be expanded as space allows, he noted. JNX (the airport's federal designation) is home base for 146 aircraft, supports 1,110 jobs in the region, and generates $13.6 million in annual tax revenues, he said.

Mr. Lanier said potential projects in years to come that would require county funds to match federal grants are a tower staffed by air-traffic controllers and a lengthening and strengthening of the airport's 5,500-foot runway to 6,200 feet.

Johnston Community College – President Vern Lindquist presented highlights of a 10-year master plan currently under study that calls for a 150,000-square-foot building near the UNC Health Johnston hospital at Clayton. That would enable relocation and expansion of JCC's Health Sciences program, he said.

In turn, the Clayton building would free up space on the existing campus at Smithfield for expansion of other programs in response to a recent surge in enrollment. Dr. Lindquist said the state anticipates a 20% increase – about 800 students – in JCC's enrollment over the next decade. "We are way above that line already," he said, noting that recent enrollment is up 12% from a year ago.

While JCC is mostly supported by state funding, the county does contribute local dollars: $6,912,390 for operations and $1.2 million for capital projects in 2023-24.
 

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  FOR SALE: house & lots overlooking South Smithfield pond  
313 W. Wilson St.

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New fire engine for Smithfield may cost $889,788

And there's a chance that price could rise by the time the truck is delivered almost two years from now. The Smithfield Town Council Tuesday night approved the purchase as recommended by Fire Chief Jeremy Daughtry, whose staff chose to go with the higher of two bids because of safety features and time of delivery.

Atlantic Coast Fire Trucks of Murrells Inlet, S.C. will deliver the fully equipped vehicle with a Cummins diesel engine in 622 days for $889,788. Fire Connections, Inc. of Rocky Mount quoted a lower price of $883,951 but offered delivery in 850-875 days and could not meet the Smithfield Fire Department's specifications, especially regarding safety features, Chief Daughtry explained.

He advised the council that the ordered truck's cost could rise as much as $60,000 if the requested Cummins engine is not available by time of installation as the diesel manufacturer is working on upgrades to meet future federal emission rules.

The town is budgeting $300,000 over three fiscal years to come up with $900,000 available for the purchase by the time the vehicle is delivered.

Also at Tuesday's session, the council approved purchase of a new Breathing Air Compressor – for filling tanks used by firefighters – from low-bidder AEST Fire & Safety of Laurinburg for $53,333.

Annual audit shows town's fund balance still growing

The report delivered to the council Tuesday from the accounting firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. based in Whiteville shows another healthy increase in the town's General Fund balance during the fiscal year that ended last June 30 – to a new high of $19,195,688, which is $3 million more than the previous year's balance and almost $4.7 million on hand June 30, 2020.

The balance of unassigned money recorded at the end of fiscal 2022-23 was $13,899,006, which is 97% of General Fund expenditures for the year. That's well above the town's policy of maintaining a balance of 25% and the N.C. Local Government Commission's recommended floor of 8%.

Doubling of system development fees tabled for now

Public Utilities Director Ted Credle is recommending a doubling of up-front water and sewer fees assessed on new subdivisions within the town's jurisdiction, based on a consultant's analysis of anticipated capital costs to provide treatment and transmission utilities for new developments over the next 10 years.

Mr. Credle said system development fees for typical residential service would rise from $650 to $1,358 per lot under the proposed new schedule. Meanwhile, he noted, the Town of Clayton's posted fees for similar service are presently about $8,000 while the County of Johnston's fees add up to more than $10,000.

Even so, council members questioned the justification for doubling Smithfield's fees, pointing out that both Clayton and the county are financing costly expansions of sewage-treatment facilities, especially, at the present time while Smithfield is not facing such major expenditures after recent expansion of its water plant.

Councilman Travis Scott moved to table consideration of higher development fees for Smithfield until upcoming budget discussions delve more deeply into the topic. The council voted without dissent to approve his motion.

(Council members pointed out that system development fees do not apply to construction of new dwellings on single lots. It was noted that the threshold for the fees are new subdivisions with at least four lots.)

Council authorizes salary study requested by manager

The council approved Town Manager Mike Scott's recommendation to employ Robertson Miller Management of Louisburg to undertake a "pay and classification study" of the town's employees. The negotiated price is $27,250. Mr. Scott said the study should be completed in four months, with its findings available for the council to consider before adopting next year's town budget prior to July 1. The new budget will determine adjustments to town employees' salaries during the year ahead.

"River Jam Concert Series" scheduled at the amphitheater

The council approved a request from the Parks & Recreation Department to schedule a series of concerts at the recently rebuilt Neuse River Amphitheater.

The series permit allows closing Front Street between Market and Johnston streets during the events and sales of alcoholic beverages.

Dates for what's being called the "River Jam Concert Series" are March 22, April 19, May 5, May 17, June 7, and June 21. Most of those dates are Fridays.

Pool-deck resurfacing to be done at the Aquatics Center

The council awarded a $22,776 contract to low-bidder Sundek of North Carolina, based in Wake Forest, to surface the pool deck at the town's Recreation & Aquatics Center, which opened in 2009. A second Parks & Recreation contract – for $7,529 – was awarded to low-bidder Leonard Aluminum and Utility Buildings of Selma for a new storage building.

Downtown Development Board gets two new members

The council appointed Carter Jones of the Narron Wenzel law firm and Bill Johnson of the Howell Theatre to the non-profit Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation's Board of Directors. Meanwhile, Town Manager Scott reported that the board has narrowed the list of applicants to three to be interviewed for the vacant position of executive director.

"Miss Smithfield's Teen" presents fund-raising project

Chloe Joyner appeared before the Town Council Tuesday evening to talk about her charitable fund-raising project, "Tabs for Time," as she prepares for statewide "Miss NC Teen" competition in June.

Her goal is to collect discarded tabs from drink cans and other containers that can be sold to recycling concerns for revenue benefiting the Ronald McDonald House program that assists parents of children undergoing medical treatments requiring overnight hospital stays.

Miss Joyner asked council members for their support and advice in that endeavor and said she's also planning a fund-raising "rock-a-thon" at this year's Ham & Yam Festival. Miss Joyner is "dual enrolled" at Johnston Community College and Princeton High School where she's a member of the junior class.
 

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All-District Honors Band members selected from SSS

Sixteen members of the Smithfield-Selma High School band have been selected to participate in the 2024 Southeastern District Honors Band. Eight of them also qualified to audition for the North Carolina All-State Honors Band (indicated by the asterisk* beside their names): front row (left to right) – Emily Buffey, Noemi Luna, Erick Jaramillo Piedra*, Haley Casper, Jilly Casey, Sophia Klisiewecz, Lilly McDonald*, Alison Vega-Salinas; back row – Brendan Rayworth, Isaac Sevigny*, Rory Martin*, Aaron Dailey, Davis Schmidt*, Padraig Farrell*, Parker Allen*, Hector Jaramillo Piedra.* (Photo from SSS Facebook post)
 

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WHAT'S COMING UP

Martin Luther King Parade Downtown this Saturday
The Johnston County Branch of the NAACP will present its 12th annual Martin Luther King Parade at 3 p.m. this Saturday. The parade will proceed along Downtown Smithfield's Market Street from Sixth Street to Second Street.

Heritage Center closed next week for work on collections
The Johnston County Heritage Center’s research facility at 241 E. Market Street in Downtown Smithfield will be closed next Monday through Friday (Feb. 12-16) while staff complete inventory and reorganization of the center’s collections. The Johnston County Museum in the former Rose's building at 329 E. Market Street will remain open all next week (Monday-Saturday).

School board's regular monthly meeting next Tuesday
The Johnston County Board of Education will convene its monthly session at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Simpson Building on US 70 Business east of town. The board normally spends the first hour in closed session with the open business session to follow around 5 p.m. VIEW the agenda once it's posted online>

Neuse Little Theatre's "Lion in Winter" opens next week
The Lion in Winter will be staged at The Hut on Smithfield's Front Street by the river at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Feb. 16-17), at 3 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 18), and 8 p.m. the following Thursday and Friday (Feb. 23-24). For ticket and reservation information call 919-934-1873 or follow this link to the NLT's website>
 

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DEATHS & FUNERALS

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A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR

Are we on the right track for regional transportation?

The County Commissioners got briefings this week's regarding the region's transportation future that make one wonder if we're heading in the right direction.

Division Engineer Keith Eason of the N.C. Department of Transportation had encouraging words to say about future bicycle and pedestrian greeway trails coming to Johnston County but offered a disturbing forecast of what's ahead in the conversion of US 70 through the region into Interstate 42.

The "big elephant in the room" is a federal requirement for a full-fledged interchange between what's now the 70 Bypass and I-95. There's simply no room for that where 70 crosses over 95 between Smithfield and Selma. The only practical solution, it appears, is moving 95 to the east where there's presently undeveloped land.

Even then, it's going to be an expensive proposition. And what if development gobbles up that territory before the project is funded? The massive Eastfield project east of Selma comes to mind as a candidate for making that happen.

Beyond that, Commissioner Tony Braswell, who resides in that area, voiced concerns about creating Interstate-standard interchanges between 95 and Princeton that could disrupt access to numerous residences.

So the question is whether converting US 70 into a full-fledged Interstate is worth all that trouble and expense. What's wrong with simply upgrading choke points along that highway with more bridging projects like those now going on at Wilson's Mills?

Another discouraging report to commissioners this week came from Scott Saylor, retired president of the North Carolina Railroad who has been advising the county on prospects for more passenger-train service from Raleigh into Johnston. "Commuter rail," he said, "is on hold if not dead" because of skepticism related to the cost of such service coupled with its marginal impact on highway congestion.

On a brighter note, Mr. Saylor said expansion of inter-city Amtrak service could have a positive effect on Johnston County. One of the favored new routes under consideration, he noted, would take passenger trains from Raleigh to Wilmington on existing rail corridors by way of Selma and Goldsboro. That could open the opportunitiy for a station in the Clayton area, he said.

That's not as beneficial as commuter rail with frequent service, but it would be a start toward using the infrastructure already in place to avoid at least some of the expense of taking more land for what appears to be an endless appetite for more and more lanes of travel on superhighways.

("Selma-Smithfield Station," by the way, is presently served by four Amtrak trains daily: two running between New York City and Charlotte by way of Raleigh and Greensboro, the other two traveling between NYC and Savannah through Fayetteville and Charleston, S.C.)

THIRSTY ROBINS AN EARLY SIGN OF SPRING?

Not necessarily – because it's still cold outside, especially in the morning when this flock found fresh (not frozen) water in our backyard birdbath this week. Meanwhile, I'm still hoping for at least one measurable snowfall before this winter is done.
 

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