| PUBLISHED
ONLINE SEPTEMBER 19,
2024
• VOL.
6, NO. 31 |
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Smithfield
welcomes 10 new police
officers
They
were sworn at the start of
Tuesday's meeting of the
Town Council, reducing
Police Department
vacancies to seven. That
number had grown to 15 in
May, prompting the council
to approve $10,000 pay
raises for all of
Smithfield's police
officers, effective July
1. Apparently that move is
paying off.
Six of the new Police
Department employees are
SROs (school resource
officers) who will staff
all public-school campuses
in Smithfield under an
agreement with Johnston
County Public Schools,
which is covering 82% of
the expense ($526,372)
with Town Government
funding the remaining 18%.
ABOVE: Recruits alongside their chiefs
Standing in front (left
to right) are Chief
of Police Pete Hedrick with
Kevin Johnson (SRO at
Smithfield-Selma High),
Aubrey Banks (SRO at
Innovation Academy), Kayla
Taylor (SRO at South
Smithfield Elementary),
Stephanie Archino (SRO at
Choice Plus), and Deputy
Chief Tim Short; in back –
Brandon Thornton, Steven
Gibson, Thomas McKay (SRO at
Smithfield Middle), Brandin
Bass, Austin Vojtko, and SRO
Sergeant Matthew Parrish. (Town
of Smithfield photo by
Brian Eaves)
Rest
of town employees get 2%
raises next week
Following
a closed session at the end
of Tuesday's meeting, the
Town Council unanimously
approved pay raises of 2%
for all town employees who
didn't get the $10,000 raise
received by Police
Department employees July 1.
The raise for everyone else
takes effect this coming
Monday.
Town
Clerk Shannan Parrish
reported in an e-mail to the
Weekly Sun that the
council "had a discussion
about the pay plan study"
during its closed session
Tuesday. Added Town
Manager Mike Scott in a
follow-up e-mail: "The
council is reviewing the
draft pay plan to make a
determination as to its
market validity and its
affordability for the
current and future fiscal
years."
The
council earlier this year
authorized the study to
see how Town of Smithfield
salaries match up with
those of other local
governments in the region.
When the council adopted
the town's 2024-25 budget
in June, Town Manager
Scott noted in his summary
message that he had
included "the equivalent
of a 5% salary
adjustment... for all
departments except
police."
Yellow lines show
boundaries of 140 acres
that will accommodate
210 single-family houses
on elevated portions
closest to Buffalo Road
(on the right). Nearly
93 acres beside the
Neuse River (left) and
Buffalo Creek (bottom)
will remain undeveloped.
Town
OKs another large
Buffalo Road subdivision
Three
months ago – on June 18 –
the Smithfield Town
Council voted 4-3 to
reject plans for Buffalo
Ridge, a 210-lot
residential subdivision
proposed for cleared
acreage on the west side
of Buffalo Road just north
of Buffalo Creek.
This week the council
voted 4-3 to reverse that
decision after the
developer – Rhetson
Companies, Inc. of West
End – brought back revised
plans including larger lot
sizes averaging 6,850
rather than 5,500 square
feet, opaque fencing
behind lots near Holland
Drive, and additional
architectural standards
for the houses to be
built.
Town Councilman Travis
Scott questioned why the
rezoning request could be
brought back before the
council so soon after its
rejection. Planning
Director Stephen Wensman
said developers had made
sufficient changes to
their plans since June to
warrant the project's
reconsideration.
Among project highlights
noted by Mr. Wensman are
plans for two aerated
holding ponds to address
stormwater drainage and
raising the elevations of
64 lots within the Neuse
River floodplain. Of the
140-acre Buffalo Ridge
tract, nearly 93 acres on
its backside will be left
undeveloped as open space,
he said.
Mr. Scott was joined once
again by Councilmen Marlon
Lee and Steve Rabil in
voting against the plan
following Tuesday's public
hearing. Roger Wood had
voted against it in June
but changed his vote this
time. Councilmen David
Barbour, John Dunn, and
Sloan Stevens also voted
in the affirmative as they
had done before.
Emma Gimmell was one of
several citizens who arose
to speak in opposition to
the proposed subdivision.
"Traffic should be a big
deal for this town," she
said. "No more projects in
that area!" she exclaimed,
referring to other "high
density" residential
developments recently
approved on the north side
of town.
One of the conditions
attached to Tuesday's
approval of Buffalo Ridge
is that a traffic study in
accord with N.C.
Department of
Transportation
requirements must be
conducted before the
subdivision's detailed
construction plans are
brought back before the
council for final
approval.
Mayor Andy Moore said the
town should insist that
NCDOT add turn lanes on
Buffalo Road at two
proposed entrances to the
subdivision.
Holt
Lake townhouse hearing
postponed till November
At
the developer's request,
the council allowed
postponement of an
advertised public hearing
on a proposed 60-unit
townhouse project beside
Holt Lake at the
intersection of US 301 and
Country Club Road. Brian
Leonard (BRL Engineering)
asked that the hearing be
delayed until the
council's November 19
meeting.
On another land-use matter
at Tuesday's meeting, the
council unanimously
rejected Syed Rizvi's
request to rezone a lot
with a house at 606 South
Third Street from R-8
Residential to
Office-Institutional.
Planning Director Wensman
said the lot is too small
for O-I zoning standards
but could be reconsidered
if the applicant is
willing to apply for
Conditional Zoning with
specific plans for its
use.
Appointments
to Public Library board
and several others
The
council chose Mary Aker,
Heidi Harris, and Meagan
Parrish from among four
applicants for three seats
available for Smithfield
representatives on the
Board of Trustees of the
Public Library of Johnston
County and Smithfield.
Town Clerk Shannan
Parrish, recently promoted
as the town's
human-services director,
recommended their
appointment.
Other appointments
confirmed as part of
Tuesday's Consent Agenda:
• Historic Properties
Commission – Monique
Austin (first term), Jan
Branch (sixth term), Mary
Nell Ferguson (fourth
term).
• Planning Board – Ashley
Spain (fifth term as an
extraterritorial member).
• Board of Adjustment –
Monique Austin (second
term).
• Recreation Advisory
Commission – C. Andrew
Byrd (second term).
School calendar, attendance district
proposals
awaiting public input
through online surveys
The
Johnston County Board of
Education is scheduled to
make decisions soon on
both the school system's
future calendar and
revised student-assignment
districts.
Three options for opening
and closing dates for both
the 2025-26 and 2026-27
school terms have been
posted on the Johnston
County Public Schools
website in the form of a
public survey for which
responses are due by
noon next Monday (September
23). Here's the
link to the online
survey>
Here are the calendar
options under
consideration:
• TRADITIONAL
– first day of school in
late August, mid-term
exams in January, last day
of school in early June.
• MODIFIED
– first day of school in
early August, mid-term
exams before Christmas,
last day of school in May
before Memorial Day. This
plan includes three
two-week breaks between
nine-week grading periods:
the first one in October,
the second covering
Christmas holidays, the
third in March (untied to
the Easter holiday which
varies from year to year).
• CONDENSED
– first day of school in
late August, mid-term
exams before Christmas
with a shortened first
semester, last day of
school in May before
Memorial Day. (This is the
schedule in effect for the
current school year.)
The "Modified" plan was
developed by Johnston's
school administrators to
exempt Johnston County
from a state law that
requires schools to open
no earlier than the Monday
closest to August 26. It's
classified as a
"year-round" option but
it's unlike Wake County's
plan that operates with
four elementary and
middle-school "tracks" in
session three at a time
under alternating
schedules. Johnston's plan
would apply uniformly to
all grades.
Johnston's Board of
Education agreed last week
to have the
calendar-survey results
compiled and distributed
in time for a decision at
its October 8 meeting.
The school board also
agreed last week to work
toward a decision on new
attendance districts at
its November 12 meeting.
Proposed maps are now
posted on the JCPS website
(a reduced sample
shown here) along
with a link for public
input, with six "community
engagement" sessions
tentatively scheduled
during the second week of
October at locations yet
to be announced. Here's the
link to the maps>
Mike
Miller of N.C. State
University's Operations
Research and Education
Laboratory (OREd), which
advises Johnston's school
system on long-range
planning, presented the
student-assignment
options at last week's
school-board meeting. It's
a two-phase plan, with
some of the changes to
take effect with next
year's opening of the new
Swift Creek Elementary
School and the rest to
coincide with the
following year's opening
of a new Wilson's Mills
High School (both are now
under construction).
The proposed maps also
account for classroom
additions in the works for
Benson Elementary School
and Cooper Academy (one of
Clayton's elementary
schools).
Mr. Miller noted that the
proposed changes will also
affect middle-school
attendance boundaries,
including the district for
Smithfield Middle.
Smithfield-Selma High's
district will be modified
as well as districts for
West Smithfield and
Wilson's Mills elementary
schools. South Smithfield
Elementary's district will
not be affected.
The consultant emphasized
that rising 5th-graders
assigned next year to the
new Swift Creek Elementary
campus may remain at their
present school, along with
their siblings in lower
grades. Two years from
now, rising 11th and
12th-graders and siblings
assigned to the new
Wilson's Mills High may
remain at their present
school.
The JCPS
Student Assignment web
page with the new
district maps also
contains additional
information related to
the changes proposed by
NOREd>
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Veetee
Foods will occupy this
building beside West
Blanche Street Extension
between Pine Level and
Selma. It's part of the
Eastfield Crossing
development that includes
both industrial and retail
components. (County of
Johnston photo)
County,
Selma OK incentives for
another industry
This
one will fill a recently
constructed speculative
building previously chosen
by a food processor that
pulled out before starting
up. The newly named
occupant is Veetee Foods,
Inc. – a British company
that produces
"heat-and-eat" rice meals.
According to an agreement
approved Monday by both
the Johnston County Board
of Commissioners and the
Selma Town Council, Veetee
Founds will receive 70%
property-tax rebates over
a seven-year period
provided the company meets
goals of at least 200
permanent jobs paying
wages averaging at least
$59,698 and a capital
investment of at least
$34.25 million in
equipping the Selma
operation.
In addition, the State of
North Carolina on Monday
approved a Job Development
Investment Grant up to
$996,750 spread over 12
years provided Veetee
meets its contractural
job-creation and
investment targets.
County Attorney Jennifer
Slusser noted during
Monday's joint meeting of
County Commissioners and
the Town Council that the
incentive grants won
Veetee's choosing Selma in
competition "with several
locations, including South
Carolina."
READ the
county's official
announcement with more
details about the
project>
QuickRide
transit continues to
increase its patronage
Josh
Jensen, executive director
of Community & Senior
Services, reported to
Johnston's commissioners
Monday that the agency's
QuickRide transit service
continues to grow,
carrying 13,000 riders
January-August this year –
up from 12,000 for all of
2023. He said 40% of the
rides are work-related.
Asked if QuickRide is
expanding beyond the
Smithfield-Selma area, Mr.
Jensen said the service
has been extended to
include Wilson's Mills and
an area toward Kenly.
Funding for service in the
Clayton area is pending,
he added.
At Mr. Jensen's request,
the board approved a
commitment of $244,978 to
be added to next year's
county budget to match
anticipated federal and
state grants for JCATS,
the Johnston County Area
Transit System that
includes QuickRide as well
as its long-standing
service to needy
Johnstonians who lack
transportation to medical
appointments and other
life-sustaining
necessities.
County
to expand Barber Mill
Road convenience center
The
commissioners approved a
combination purchase and
gift to acquire more than
eight acres around the
county's household-waste
convenience center on
Barber Mill Road. The
county is paying $275,000
to buy two acres of the
property from Frank S. and
Jeanne Barber Wilson, who
in turn are donating
six-plus acres.
Chad McLamb, the county's
finance director, said
plans are to use the
additional land to expand
the facility and also
provide safer vehicular
access. Up to now the
county has leased the site
for $18,000 annually, he
noted.
Appointments
made to Emergency
Planning Committee
Commissioners
appointed four applicants
to the Local Emergency
Planning Committee: Chief
Sheriff's Deputy Bengie
Gaddis, former committee
chairman Kenneth E. Creech
Jr., Johnston County
Public Schools safety
officer Chase Ferrell, and
Tim Turner of UNC Health
Johnston. Three committee
seats remain vacant.
WHAT'S COMING
UP
 Truck Driver Training School at JCC
to mark its 75th
anniversary Saturday
Johnston
Community College will
welcome a hundred or so
truck drivers to its
Smithfield campus this
Saturday who'll compete in
the Mid-Atlantic
Professional Truck Drivers
Association's 23rd Annual
Charity FunDrive. It's being
held here in celebration of
the 75th anniversary of
the nation’s oldest
truck-driver training
school, which was started in
1949 at N.C. State in
Raleigh and moved to JCC in
1983. Saturday's event,
which starts at 8:30 a.m.,
will benefit the Make-A-Wish
Foundation.
Smithfield High School alumni reunion
set for October 26
The
one-day event that Saturday
begins with tours of the
A.G. Glenn Building, the
school's former home filled
with lots of photos and
memorabilia, from 11 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. followed by a
homecoming reception from 1
to 5 p.m. in the fellowship
hall at Centenary United
Methodist Church where heavy
hors oeuvres will be served.
Registration is required at
a cost of $25. To get that
done, contact either Warren
Grimes at wgrimes1@nc.rr.com
or Jim Crayton at jecrayton@gmail.com.
AUTUMN'S
ARRIVAL: Sunday,
September 22 @ 8:44
a.m.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Back-to-back
scares at
Smithfield-Selma High
To
say that Americans are "on
edge" these days is an
understatement. The
killing of two students
and two teachers by a
teen-aged gunman at a
Georgia high school week
before last followed by a
second Donald Trump
assassination attempt this
past Sunday are but the
latest in a seemingly
endless series of assaults
on our collective security
and peace of mind.
Two incidents at
Smithfield-Selma High
School last week weren't
worthy of national
attention, thank goodness,
but they were closer to
home and thereby
unsettling even as they
turned out to be
relatively minor
disruptions.
A student inadvertently
released some pepper spray
in a classroom on
Wednesday, September 11,
prompting four students to
seek medical attention.
SSS Principal Crystal
Gregory reminded the
community in a Facebook
post that Johnston County
rules "expressly forbid
pepper spray and other
weapons on school
grounds."
A more frightening
incident took place at SSS
the following day – last
Thursday – when 60 or so
police officers responded
to a report of a student
seen carrying a gun on
campus. Police detained
and questioned a suspect
but no gun was found.
What a relief. And what
reassurance we got from
the Smithfield Police
Department that officers
will take no chances
whenever a credible report
about potential gun
violence is received. That
lesson was learned with
the tragic killings at a
rural Texas school two
years ago when police
hesitated for more than an
hour to storm the building
where the young gunman was
terrorizing children and
teachers.
As the old adage goes:
Better safe than sorry.
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