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FIRST LOCAL OBSERVANCE OF U.S.A's 250th BIRTHDAY

A group of prominent Johnstonians met in Smithfield on August 12, 1774 to adopt resolutions defying British rule and to choose delegates to represent the county at North Carolina's first Provincial Congress, which planted seeds that grew into the American Revolution. To commemorate the local event, four re-enactors portraying personalities linked to adoption of the "Johnston Resolves" and the war that followed shared their stories with a gathering at the Johnston County Museum on Monday: (left to right) Carolyn Beckwith, who portrayed Mary Powell Artis, a free person of color whose husband and brother perished in the Revolutionary War; Ben Chapman, who portrayed Benjamin Williams, a local political leader who later served as North Carolina's Governor; Heritage Center Director Todd Johnson, who portrayed John Smith Jr., Smithfield's founder; and Allison Elsee, who portrayed Martha Temperance (Mattie) Pou, a descendant of those early revolutionaries whose family stories about encounters with British soldiers were published in The Smithfield Herald a century ago. Monday's event was the first of several to be held over the next couple of years as Johnston County participates in celebration of the nation's 250th birthday coming up in 2026.
 

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TIME TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL . . .
already for some; for everyone else August 26

For most students enrolled in Johnston County's public schools, the 2024-25 academic year begins Monday, August 26. Yet classes are already in session for high-school students attending the school system's Career & Technical Leadership Academy and its Early College Academy, both housed at Johnston Community College where the fall semester began this past week.

Classes have also begun at the area's two charter schools: American Leadership Academy Johnston, now in its third year, and Neuse Charter School, which first opened in 2007.

Meanwhile, two additional traditional public schools are now under construction in central Johnston County: Swift Creek Elementary on Cleveland Road, scheduled for completion by this time next year, and a new Wilson's Mills High, two years away.

NEW WILSON'S MILLS HIGH IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Alumni of original Wilson's Mills High including the town's mayor, Fleta Byrd (left), took part in Tuesday morning's groundbreaking at the new school's campus on the east side of town. Below is the architect's rendering of what's being built.

The new Wilson's Mills High will relieve overcrowding at several high schools, including Smithfield-Selma, and is being built to accommodate about 2,300 students, Brooks Moore, the school system's chief of facilities design and construction, told the gathering at Tuesday's groundbreaking.

He pointed out that the high school and its athletic facilities will occupy 90 of the 200 or so acres purchased by the county, leaving plenty of a room for a middle school in years to come. (Taking note of the revived "Green Wave" nickname for the new high school's athletic teams, he humorously suggested "Green Ripples" as a nickname for the future middle school's teams.)

The school board in May approved a contract with Barnhill Contracting Company that caps the maximum construction price of the new high school at $99,816,808. At the time, Mr. Moore said that would bring the school's total cost to $113,122,636. That's being financed by school bonds approved by Johnston's voters in 2022.

Landis Bullock, who heads Friends of Johnston County Public Schools, put in a plug at the end of Tuesday's celebration for approval of another school-bond issue going before voters in this November's General Election. Taking note of circuitous road access to the Wilson's Mills construction site because of US 70's reconstruction, he exclaimed: "OnStar will not get you here!"

WATCH the architect's "virtual tour" inside the new Wilson's Mills High School>

Later on Tuesday, Johnston's Board of Education during its monthly meeting took final action to name the new high school's media center in memory of Herberta and Jim Uzzle as requested by the school's alumni. For many years, Ms. Uzzle taught English and served as librarian, yearbook sponsor, and drama director while her husband served as principal, math teacher, and basketball and baseball coach.

Good news regarding school personnel
Also at Tuesday's meeting, Board Chair Lyn Andrews reported that Johnston's public schools are heading into the new year with significantly fewer staff vacancies than the situation a year ago: 65.75 certified positions (teachers) – down from 214 – and 52.5 classified openings (teacher assistants, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, office personnel) – down from 120 vacancies last August.

Meanwhile, Town Manager Mike Scott reported to the Smithfield Town Council Tuesday evening that all six Police Department positions have been filled to provide SROs at public-school campuses within the town's borders. The school system is providing most of the funding for those officers as part of its goal of assigning at least one full-time School Resource Officer to each of its campuses this year.

2024-25 SCHOOL BUDGET FINALIZED

With the year's funding allocation from the State of North Carolina more or less settled, the county's Board of Education on Tuesday adopted its budget for operation and maintenance of Johnston County Public Schools during the fiscal year that began July 1. Listed as principal sources of revenue:
• Local funds (County of Johnston) – $104,300,000
  plus Fund Balance Appropriated – $3,282,372
• State appropriation – $286,638,160
• Federal aid – $47,789,579.
VIEW the complete Budget Resolution adopted by the Board of Education>
 

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The proposal before the Town Council Tuesday evening was removal of multi-family housing from the list of permitted land uses within the town's B-3 Highway Business zoning districts.

Realtors stood up at the public hearing to object on the grounds that such a move would discourage developers from bringing affordable housing to Smithfield in the form of apartments and townhouses.

"Middle-income families have fewer choices" nowadays, said Olita Boone, president of the Johnston County Association of Realtors. "Ease restrictions to allow more diverse housing types," she advised the council.

Developers "don't feel they're welcome to Smithfield," added local realtor Teresa Daughtry. "We're running them out of our town."

Councilman Sloan Stevens cited a report from the town's Planning Department that tells a different story. Over the past few years, the town has approved plans for 3,914 residential lots and housing units, and 70% of those have been for multi-family dwellings, he noted.

"Protecting our business property for business – that is what this is all about," declared Mayor Andy Moore, citing a consultant's recent warning that fast-growing towns like Smithfield have been losing land set aside for commercial purposes to developers of multi-family housing.

Councilman David Barbour said his neighbors in West Smithfield want a return of retail establishments that once flourished on that side of town. Several large housing developments recently started there may preclude that from happening if potential business properties are gone, he said.

Realtor Debbie Howard asked the council to delay a decision on removing multi-family housing from B-3 zoning until the town's Planning Board, on which she serves, could further examine the issue.

But Mayor Moore said "we're growing very fast and we must act now before it's too late." With that, the council voted to make the change in B-3's permitted uses.

Site on Bright Leaf rezoned to B-3; medical practice to follow?

With multi-family housing removed from B-3 zoning, the council approved without dissent David Dupree's request to rezone vacant property at the southeast corner of Bright Leaf Boulevard and Hancock Street from Office and Institutional and R-6 Residential to B-3 Highway Business. Mr. Dupree said a medical practice is interested in the site. (His rezoning request was tabled last month, awaiting the council's decision on multi-family housing in B-3 zones.)

Operating plan for alcohol social district OK'd – barely

Mayor Moore broke a 3-3 tie vote by the council to secure adoption of a Management and Maintenance Plan for the Downtown "social district" approved by the four council members present at a meeting on July 16 (three councilmen were absent). Adoption of the plan is a requirement for the town's application to the state's Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission for permission to operate the district, which will allow alcoholic beverages to be consumed and carried outdoors.

Tuesday's tie vote took place after Councilman John Dunn had been excused to take care of a personal matter. Councilmen Rabil, Stevens, and Wood voted in favor of the management plan; Councilmen Barbour, Lee, and Scott voted against it. That required the mayor to cast the tie-breaking vote.

The three who voted against the plan Tuesday have generally shown opposition to the social-district idea in past meetings. Prior to the vote on July 16, council members who were present agreed to restrict the district's boundaries and its hours of operation to 3-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday along Market Street from Front to Fourth plus the 100 block of South Third and portions of Front Street at the Neuse River Amphitheater and the Little Brown Jug.

Under the management plan adopted this week, the Town of Smithfield will be responsible for security and sanitation services as well as liability insurance while the Downtown Development Corporation will handle such things as drink containers and signage along with the marketing of special events.

The district's operation cannot begin until the ABC Commission grants its approval, which is expected soon.

Smithfield is the fourth Johnston County municipality to establish such a district. Already in operation are downtown social districts in Selma, Benson, and Clayton.

Annual street resurfacing to cover less than a mile

The council approved a $246,305 contract with Daniels Inc. of Garner to resurface the following street sections: 1300-1400 blocks of South First Street, 900 block of North Avenue, 100-200 blocks of Dr. CJ Allen Drive, Cherry Street, Dail Street entryway, 300 and 900-1000 blocks of North Fourth, 500 block of Church Street, 200-400 blocks of South Fifth, and 1100 block of Forbes Drive – a total of 0.749 of a mile. The money comes from the town's annual allocation of state Powell Bill funds designated for local street maintenance.

Spring Branch culverts to be enlarged at two streets

The council approved a $262,500 contract with WhithersRavenel of Cary to add new culverts where Spring Branch passes beneath Second and Fourth streets. An additional 36-inch culvert will be installed at Second, a 48-inch bypass at Fourth. A state grant is covering the cost.

Contract awarded to locate lead water-service lines

The council awarded a second contract to WithersRavenel – this one for $498,800 – for an inventory of lead water-service lines and a plan for replacing them. Ted Credle, the town's public utilities director, said most of the identified lead lines will likely be linked to residences built in the 1950s and 1960s. The federal Environmental Protection has ordered all water systems in the nation to complete lead-pipeline inventories by this October, Mr. Credle noted. A combination of a state grant and interest-free loan will cover the contract's cost.

Six Town Hall HVAC units to be replaced at once

The council approved a $59,500 contract with Starling & Hines Heating and Air of Selma to replace six HVAC units at Town Hall. Public Works Director Lawrence Davis said the contractor agreed to reduce the price from an original bid of $65,430 when it found that all of the units can be delivered in time for a single replacement project.
 

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County collected 99.91% of the past year's tax levy

Tax Administrator Jocelyn Andrews reported to the Johnston County Board of Commissioners last week that it's the second highest collection rate in the county's history. From a total property-tax levy of $169,480,266.74 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, $169,333,174.11 was collected, $147,092.63 not yet collected, Ms. Andrews noted.

She emphasized that property-tax bills for the new fiscal year which were mailed to taxpayers earlier this month "do not reflect" the upcoming revaluation of all of Johnston's real estate. The results of that will show up in property-tax bills going out a year from now. Ms. Andrews said results of revaluation for 2025 should be made known around the first of the calendar year ahead.

Water and sewer projects will cost more than $91 million

Commissioners approved budgets for several major projects, along with a couple of construction contracts, that will be financed primarily with $75 million in county revenue bonds authorized by the N.C. Local Government Commission last week:

• $47,188,681 is budgeted for expansion of the new sewage-treatment plant off NC 210 near the landfill – from an initial capacity of 4-million gallons per day to 8-million gallons. Adams Robinson Enterprises, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio won the basic construction contract with a bid of $39,951,000.

• $20,438,990 is budgeted for expanding capacity of the Selma Wastewater Pump Station & Equalization Facility. T.A. Loving Company of Goldsboro won the construction contract with a bid of $17,678,500.

• $15,959,140 is budgeted for acquisition of "nitrogen credits" to clear the way for the state's approval of an increase in effluent discharged from the county's new sewage plant and its older plant on the Neuse River at Smithfield – to a new total of 18-million gallons per day "to meet future growth demands."

• $4,449,946 is budgeted for replacement of the instrumentation and control system at the older sewage plant.

• $3,356,406 is budgeted to purchase additional water from the City of Wilson's Buckhorn Reservoir. The county presently has a contract to buy up to 1.5-million gallons a day; the revised contract will raise that to just under 2-million gallons. Another $1,458,817 is budgeted for an upgraded water main along NC 42 to handle the higher volume of water the county may purchase under the new agreement.

Commissioner Bill Stovall asked how the $75 million in additional revenue bonds will affect water and sewer rates paid by the county's customers. Utilities Director Chandra Farmer said the county in recent years has averaged rate increases of about 6%, which she said is projected to cover the bond financing as well as ongoing maintenance of the county's water and sewer systems.

Besides the new $75-million revenue-bond issue, federal grants totaling $4.9 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (COVID relief) coupled with $8 million from previous revenue-bond issues and system development fees collected and reserved from new residential subdivisions will cover the water and sewer project budgets approved last week, which add up to more than $91 million.

More public input sought for transportation plan update

Will Letchworth of McAdams, the design and engineering firm employed to update Johnston County's Comprehensive Transportation Plan, reported to the County Commissioners last week that he's disappointed only 161 citizens have participated in a survey to register their priorities and suggestions for the update. "Honestly, that's not quite good enough," he said, "so we're going to leave that survey open" for a while longer.

"Safety is the No. 1 concern," Mr. Letchworth said in summarizing survey results to date. And there's "a lot of interest in greenways" for recreational use by bicyclists and pedestrians, he added.

Commissioner Bill Stovall voiced particular concerns about traffic backing up at times on US 70 Business at the Amazon distribution center and the American Leadership Academy's charter-school campus and "bigger and bigger" farming equipment that's impeding motorists on two-lane rural roads.

Mr. Letchworth assured commissioners that issues like those will be addressed in the updated plan and suggested one answer to the farm-equipment problem could be adding a couple of feet of pavement to the roadways.

The consultant said McAdams intends to finish up its work on the updated plan, including recommendations for action, by the end of this calendar year.

OPEN the online survey for Johnston County's transportation plan update>

Appointments to Hospital, Health, Library, ABC boards

Commissioners renominated David F. Mills of Smithfield and Dr. Marilyn Pearson, the county's director of public health, to continue their service on the Hospital Authority Board of Commissioners; reappointed Tim Little of Princeton to the Johnston County Board of Health; reappointed Gary Underwood of Smithfield to the Board of Trustees of the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield; and reappointed Craig Williams of Smithfield to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Newly appointed to the county's Juvenile Crime Prevention Council are Arica Brown and Bobby Foreman, both of Clayton.
 

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Johnston's farm income hit $257 million in 2022
Our N.C. ranking: 7th in cash crops – but no tobacco specifics

Local farmers reported cash income of $117,564,837 from crops in 2022, ranking us 7th among the state's 100 counties, according to the latest report from the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

We ranked 5th in production of sweet potatoes, but no numbers or rankings are provided for tobacco any longer "to avoid disclosure of individual farming operations," the report notes. (Prior to the elimination of auction sales, Johnston ranked No. 2 in the state for flue-cured tobacco, right behind behind Pitt County.)

In 2022, we ranked 16th in soybeans, 19th in wheat, and 26th in cotton.

Total 2022 cash receipts from livestock, poultry, and dairy in Johnston amounted to $133,687,014 – a number higher than the total for crops. We ranked 12th in the state in numbers of hogs, pigs, and turkeys and 21st in cattle.

Adding government payments to Johnston farmers of $5.8 million brought total agricultural income here to $257,069,266 in 2022.

VIEW the latest report covering all of North Carolina's counties>

Colorized postcard of typical tobacco-auction scene in the 1930s

Such sales of tobacco are long gone as farmers nowadays deal directly with the cigarette manufacturers in marketing their crops. As a result, the N.C. Department of Agriculture no longer breaks down county-by-county income from tobacco – to keep farmer-manufacturer contracts confidential. (Heritage Center Postcard Collection)
 

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July-August rain with Debby puts us above normal

On the heels of an unusually dry June, the past couple of months have been among the wettest we've seen around here in quite some time. Cornell Cox's Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield recorded just 0.51 inches of rain in June, followed by a whopping 11.51 inches in July and 6.44 inches so far this month, including 4.89 inches produced by Tropical Storm Debby.

Normal annual rainfall for Johnston County adds up to 34.26 inches through the month of August, according to U.S. Climate Data, and already we've had a total of 39.43 inches through the first half of this month.

Debby's passage through the region raised alarms about local flooding, yet the Neuse River at Smithfield crested just under 20 feet – enough to flood a few sections of the Buffalo Creek Greenway but not enough to threaten private properties. Hurricane Matthew's flood in 2016 pushed the Neuse to a record-high 29.09 feet.

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Realtor Susan Lassiter has what it takes to sell Smithfield.

"With my knowledge about the community and my experience in real estate, I know this is a good time to sell your property. Call me to discuss your listing plans."
• Licensed real estate agent since 1992
• Real estate broker since 2001
• Served on the Smithfield Town Council for 8 years
• Past president, Smithfield-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce
• Past president, Downtown Smithfield Development Corp.
• Past president, Rotary Club of Smithfield

SUSAN LASSITER, Broker, Fonville Morisey Realty 919-669-9235

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Junior Women’s League year was record-setting

The Junior Women’s League of Smithfield (JWL) reports donations of more than $8,400 to community organizations and student scholarships and a record 2,552 service hours by volunteers during its 2023-24 club year.

JWL has awarded over $146,000 in Community Impact Grants since its inception to many Johnston County non-profit organizations – funded by its signature fundraisers: Big Night Out and Touch-A-Truck. This past year that included a $1,900 grant to My Kid’s Club for its "Empowering Youth Through Technology: MKC Laptop Enhancement” initiative, $2,000 to First in Families Johnston County for its "Feeding and Clothing Johnston County Families with Dignity” initiative, $1,500 raised from JWL’s "Letters from Santa” for winter coats for children served by My Kid's Club and the Partnership for Children of Johnston County, and $3,000 in scholarships to females pursuing higher education.

JWL members this past year volunteered in many different ways: serving as baseball buddies for Miracle League players, stocking the 10 Blessing Boxes at local fire stations where needy residents may pick up non-perishable food items and toiletries, assisting with food and clothing distribution at With Love from Jesus, shopping with police to fulfill the holiday needs of local children, baking lasagnas with Lasagna Love, ringing the bells with the Salvation Army, helping with events and galas hosted by JWL's partner organizations, providing meals for teenage girls at House of Hope, providing snacks and desserts for clients and visitors at the SECU Hospice House, and transporting Backpack Buddies items for distribution to needy school children.

Lisa Bland led the Junior Women’s League as President in 2023-24; Amanda Johnson served as Vice President of Fund Development; Dawn Genna as VP of Community Outreach & Engagement.

For more information about joining the Junior Women’s League of Smithfield or establishing a partnership with the League, visit www.jwlsmithfield.com>
 

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WHAT'S COMING UP

JCC Performing Arts Series opens Aug. 22 with Diamond Rio
Johnston Community College will open the second annual Don E. and Linda Vann Lassiter Performing Arts Series inside the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium at 7 p.m. next Thursday (August 22) with Country Music's Diamond Rio, renowned for their Grammy Award-winning hits. VIEW the full series lineup with ticket information>

Fridays on Third Night Market will try again on August 23
Downtown Smithfield's re-packaged event was canceled once more on August 9 – this time by Tropical Storm Debby – with one summertime slot left: Friday, August 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. along the 100 block of South Third Street. A replacement for previous farmers markets and other evening activities, the Night Market will feature local vendors including farmers, artisans, and local breweries, plus live music.

River Rat Regatta postponed by Debby till Saturday, Aug. 24
Tropical Storm Debby's flooding on the Neuse River prompted the Town of Smithfield to delay the 5th annual River Rat Regatta (the zany cardboard-boat race) till Saturday, August 24. VIEW more details along with the entry form>

County Commissioners scheduled to meet this Monday
The board's regularly scheduled third-Monday-of-the-month session is set for 6 p.m. Monday at the Courthouse. VIEW the agenda once it's posted>
Commissioners are also scheduled to meet Tuesday, Sept. 3 – prior to the next edition of the Weekly Sun. Here's where to find that agenda once it's posted>

Town Council to get three more housing plans Tuesday
The Smithfield Town Council will hold hearings on three proposed housing developments during its regularly scheduled third-Tuesday-of-the-month meeting next week. Adams & Hodge Engineering wants 0.38 of an acre on Massey Street between South Sixth and Seventh streets rezoned to allow construction of three detached single-family houses. TerraEden Landscape & Design seeks a special-use permit for a 94-unit townhouse project on 9.611 acres northwest of the intersection of Hartley Drive and Coats Street. Samuel O'Brien (Shovel Ready Johnson, Inc.) seeks a special-use permit for a 16-unit townhouse project on Waddell Drive north of Bright Leaf Boulevard. VIEW details of the agenda for next Tuesday's meeting>
The Town Council is also scheduled to meet Tuesday, Sept. 3 – prior to the next edition of the Weekly Sun. Here's where to find that agenda once it's posted>

Here's an opportunity for public feedback on school issues
Latinos Activate JOCO, in partnership with Down Home NC’s Public School Strong Committee, will host two listening sessions for students, parents, and teachers to share their thoughts on public-school issues in Johnston County: on Saturday, August 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. at My Kid's Club in Selma and a week later on Saturday, August 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Public Library in Downtown Smithfield. Both sessions will include child care and food, and school supplies will be available for attendees while supplies last.
 

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DEATHS & FUNERALS

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A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR

The last year of unbalanced school calendars?

Johnston County's Board of Education hasn't joined the growing list of North Carolina school systems defying a misguided state law requiring the state's public schools to wait till late August before starting a new school year. According to a report published last week, 28 systems are now in defiance, including our neighbors in Harnett, Sampson, and Lee counties.

Johnson's school leaders decided earlier this year to comply with this year's mandatory August 26 opening date, choosing to shorten the fall semester by a couple of weeks so mid-year exams could be taken before the Christmas holidays.

Earlier this year, they almost adopted another option to get around the state's calendar rule yet backed off when school administrators as well as parents asked for more time to plan for a major realignment of the yearly school schedule.

That option was put back on the table at this week's school-board session, with a decision on whether to proceed to be made this October. The option under consideration is labeled "modified year-round calendar" – a scheme that would allow Johnston a legal exception to the state law.

Unlike Wake County's year-round calendar, where students in the elementary and middle grades alternate by groupings when they're in school and when they're out, Johnston's proposal would put all students on a schedule that starts each year's classes in mid-August with two-week breaks every nine weeks through mid-June (mid-term fall and spring breaks along with the usual Christmas break halfway through the academic year).

Of course, a much cleaner solution to this mess would be for the N.C. General Assembly to repeal its anti-local-control calendar law and let all our school districts that so choose start the first semester in mid-August in line with the schedules of our community colleges (which are hosting more and more academic programs linked to the high schools).

That solution would maintain the summer vacation break the tourist industry wants protected, shifting its start to late May from mid-June. Johnston's modified year-round plan, on the other hand, would shorten the summer vacation season for our folks.

Momentum appears to be building in support of the option before Johnston's education leaders. All it needs now is widespread public endorsement.

"Women's Equality Day": some local political firsts

Here's a slice of local history, written by SUSAN LASSITER, the editor's spouse:

August 26 is “Women’s Equality Day.” The day was designated by Congress in 1971 to celebrate passage of the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified on August 26, 1920. It prohibited the U.S. and all of its states from denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex.

Women’s suffrage – the women’s rights movement – began in the mid-19^th Century but the first suffrage amendment wasn’t introduced in Congress until 1878. Surprisingly, before 1776, women had the right to vote in some of the colonies but by 1807 every state constitution had denied women that right.

Although Johnston County was formed long ago, in 1746, and Smithfield was incorporated in 1777, the election of women here is recent history.

Johnston County never had a female county commissioner until 1992 when Eleanor Creech became our first. Glenda Hales was the first woman elected to the Johnston County Board of Education, in 1988. (Ten years later, in 1998, Dorothy Johnson was the first African-American elected to a countywide office when she won a seat on the school board.)

Donna White is the first woman elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from Johnston County. She first won election in 2016 and continues to serve today, representing the 26th House District that now encompasses northwestern Johnston including Clayton (but no longer a portion of Smithfield).

Cheryl Oliver was the fist woman to be elected mayor of Selma, in 2011, and served for 10 years. Smithfield has never had a female mayor and only one woman has ever been elected to the Town Council. That was in 1985 when yours truly won a seat and served eight years.

Southern states, especially, consistently opposed women's suffrage and the potential development of a powerful women’s voting bloc. The 19th Amendment, however, didn’t fully enfranchise minority women. Introduction of the “Equal Rights Amendment” in 1923 followed to strengthen voting rights but wasn't adopted by Congress until 1972. North Carolina has still not ratified it.
 

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A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

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