It's
the third large
residential development
along Buffalo Road
approved over the past six
months by the Smithfield
Town Council. This one's
for 117 subdivision lots
between Holland Drive and
Smithfield Middle School.
Rezoning for Village on
the Neuse won approval by
a 3-2 vote of council
members attending Tuesday
night's meeting (three
members were absent).
Planning Director Stephen
Wensman told the council
the petitioner, an LLC
(Limited Liability
Company) with a Raleigh
address, had original
sought simple rezoning of
the 42 acres to R-8, a
residential category with
lots at least 8,000 square
feet in size, but the
town's Planning Board
insisted the request be
made as Conditional Zoning
to require only
single-family detached
houses, excluding
multi-family units.
Councilman Sloan Stevens
asked that another
condition of approval
include architectural
standards based on those
recently approved for
Buffalo Ridge, a proposed
subdivision south of
Holland Drive. Planning
Director Wensman's
recommendation for
approval included another
condition: completion of a
Buffalo Road
traffic-impact study prior
to submission of a
preliminary plat for the
project.
Those two conditions along
with a third barring
townhouses and apartments
were included in a motion
for approval offered by
Councilman Roger Wood and
seconded by Mr. Stevens.
When Councilmen Steve
Rabil and Travis Scott
voted against the motion,
Mayor Andy Moore broke the
tie with an affirmative
vote in the absence of
Councilmen David Barbour,
John Dunn, and Marlon Lee.
Besides approval of
Tuesday's rezoning for
Village on the Neuse and
September's approval of
the 210-lot Buffalo Ridge
project by a vote of 4-3,
the council in July had
approved a 170-lot
subdivision adjacent to
the Bradford Park
subdivision, also by a 4-3
vote. Councilmen Lee,
Rabil, and Scott voted no
on both of the earlier
petitions.
Plan
for 18-lot subdivision
on Swift Creek Road
rejected
The
council voted 3-1 to deny
preliminary-plat approval
of an 18-lot single-family
residential subdivision
proposed by Lan
Development, LLC on 11
acres beside Swift Creek
Road north of its
intersection with
Cleveland Road. Three
nearby residents voiced
opposition to the plan
during a public hearing.
Suzanne Coates said size
of the proposed lots is
"not in keeping" with the
area's rural residences on
large tracts.
Angie McClure bemoaned
Johnston County's
"disappearance of
farmland... at alarming
rates," adding that "my
husband and I plan to keep
our farm."
Husband Bill McClure cited
speeding motorists on
Swift Creek Road as a
hazard made worse by the
proposed subdivision's
entrance near a major
curve. "That road is
dangerous, I'm telling you
folks," he exclaimed.
"Somebody's going to get
killed."
Councilman Scott made the
motion to deny the
developer's petition.
"These people aren't
coming here to make the
community better; they're
here to make money," he
stated. He was joined in
opposition by Councilmen
Rabil and Sloan.
Councilman Wood cast the
only affirmative vote.
Planning Director
Wensman's staff had
recommended approval of
the project, with
conditions including no
lateral street connections
and a homeowners'
association or restrictive
covenants for maintaining
a sidewalk, mailbox kiosk,
and landscaping.
The site in question is
located outside the town's
boundaries but within
Smithfield's two-mile
extraterritorial
jurisdiction. As a result,
the residents who opposed
the project are unable to
vote for members of the
Town Council, including
the mayor.
Traffic
study authorized for
West Smithfield park
site
The
council approved a $25,790
contract with McAdams, an
engineering firm with an
office in Raleigh, to
conduct a traffic-impact
analysis and design for a
possible signalized
entrance to the site of a
proposed 20-acre soccer
park on the south side of
NC 210 in West Smithfield.
Plans for the access drive
are complicated by its
proximity to the entrance
of Marin Woods, a
residential subdivision
under development on the
opposite side of NC 210.
County Commissioners welcome two new
members
Joining
the board for their first
meeting on Monday were Michelle
Pace Davis (seated,
left) and Mike
Rose (standing,
second from left).
She was just elected to a
four-year term while Mr.
Rose was appointed to fill
a vacancy until the 2026
election. Bill Stovall (standing,
left) began his
first full term Monday. He
was appointed this past
year to fill a vacancy and
ran unopposed in last
month's election. Chairman
Butch Lawter (seated)
along with Ted Godwin (standing,
right) and April
Stephens (seated,
right) began new
terms after winning
re-election. Vice Chairman
Patrick Harris (standing,
second from right)
is in the middle of his
current four-year term on
the board. Both he and Mr.
Lawter were unanimously
re-elected to their
leadership posts at
Monday's annual
organizational meeting of
the board.
(Photo from Johnston
County Public
Information Office)
VIEW the
county's story with
photos from Monday's
swearing-in ceremony>
Commissioners
get proposal for
Smithfield-to-Benson
trail
The
East Coast Greenway
Feasibility Study
presented to commissioners
Monday by McAdams, a
county-employed
engineering consultant,
favors a route that begins
on streets in residential
South Smithfield, follows
US 301 and Thunder Road
into Four Oaks, and
reaches Benson on a
network of less traveled
rural roads.
A map of the
preferred route is
posted on the county's
website>
Adrian O'Neal, the
county's parks and
recreation coordinator,
said adoption of the study
is essential to gain
cooperation with the N.C.
Department of
Transportation to include
"greenway side paths" in
upcoming road projects
such as replacement of the
US 301 bridge over the
Neuse River.
Mr. O'Neal said the plan
will now go before the
governing boards of
Smithfield, Four Oaks, and
Benson for their
acceptance. Commissioners'
Chairman Lawter said the
county's board will
consider adoption at its
January 6 meeting.
The Smithfield-to-Benson
proposal would be the
first link to be
constructed in this area
as part of a 3,000-mile
trail winding from Maine
to Florida. A cost
estimate for the local
project has not yet been
shown.
9-1-1 to upgrade emergency radio system at
cost of $917,111
Brett
Renfrow, the county's
director of 9-1-1
Communications, asked
commissioners to add
$761,188 to $150,000
already in this year's
budget to pay for an
upgrade in the countywide
paging system for
emergency responders.
The current VHF radio
system is based on
technology from the 1960s
and '70s, Mr. Renfrow
noted, and ought to be
replaced with new devices
that operate "much
quicker" while eliminating
an annual operating
expense of $150,000.
By unanimous vote,
commissioners approved the
extra appropriation
requested.
Two
fire departments to
purchase million-dollar
fire engines
The
Brogden Rural Fire
Department got approval
from commissioners to buy
a new tanker/pumper to
replace a fire engine in
service since 2000. The
$1-million estimated price
tag will be covered by a
loan coupled with
capital-outlay funds
already on hand.
The 50-210 Community Fire
Department got approval to
buy a $1.2-million rig to
replace a 1996 model.
County Fire Marshal Ryan
Parker said the difference
between the cost of the
two similar purchases is
related to extra equipment
the 50-210 Department
needs to serve a more
densely populated area of
Johnston.
Board
OKs $5.9 million in
COVID-relief funds for
utility works
Commissioners
approved revised budgets
for three water and sewer
projects, primarily to
account for appropriations
of federal funds allotted
the county under the
American Rescue Plan Act
adopted by Congress in
2021 for COVID-19 pandemic
relief. (Local decisions
on spending that money
must be made by the end of
2024.)
The three projects
addressed by commissioners
Monday:
• Upgrades, including an
"emergency repair" to the
main "influent" line, at
the Central Johnston
County sewage-treatment
plant below Smithfield –
funded with a revised
budget of $11,028,200
including $3,533,200 from
ARPA.
• Pipelines diverting
wastewater to the new
sewage plant off NC. 210
near the Johnston County
Landfill – funded with a
revised budget of
$6,863,655 including
$871,130 from ARPA.
• Technical services for
planning a Lower Neuse
River Water Supply system
to be built on the river
at Richardson's Bridge
with additional facilities
near Princeton – funded
with a revised budget of
$5,217,000 including
$1,503,000 from ARPA.
Commissioners
add funds to grant for
K-5 agriculture lessons
Johnston
County's Cooperative
Extension Service has
received a $40,000 from
the state's Tobacco Trust
Fund Commission to
establish a "JoCo Grows Ag
Literacy" program to
introduce agriculture to
elementary-school
children. When told that
the project actually needs
$79,900 to get off the
ground, commissioners
appropriated the
additional $39,900 to meet
that goal. Extension will
work with Johnston County
Homeschoolers and 4-H
clubs as well as the
public schools to provide
"Junior Extension Agents
Adventure Guide" booklets
and kits to K-5 students.
Two
Smithfield residents
appointed to Public
Library board
Commissioners
voted by written ballots
to appoint Smithfield
residents Donna Daughtry
of British Court and
Martha Mills of North
Lakeside Drive to fill two
vacant seats on the Board
of Trustees of the Public
Library of Johnston County
and Smithfield. Five
applicants sought
appointment to the terms,
which expire June 30.
"Trusted
by families since
1977"
840
S. Bright Leaf Blvd.
• 919-934-7164
• www.carrollpharmacy.com
MEDICARE
OPEN ENROLLMENT
DEADLINE THIS
SATURDAY!
Among surviving relatives of the four
activists remembered at
the historical marker's
unveiling were the wife
and three children of
the late Franklin J.
Matthews: (left to
right) Cynthia Mebane,
Mary Matthews, Kenneth
Matthews, and Pamela
Spates.
Remembering desegregation of
Smithfield's library
The
"Smithfield Four," who in
1957 successfully
challenged the racial
segregation of the town's
Public Library, are
remembered with a new
historical marker erected
at the library's original
site on Johnston Street
across from the Courthouse
complex. It's part of an
emerging North Carolina
Civil Rights Trail.
Ben Chapman, archivist at
the Johnston County
Heritage Center who sought
the designation, shared
the story with a gathering
at the marker's unveiling
on Sunday afternoon,
November 24:
The Smithfield Four were
the Rev. John H. Bryant,
the Rev. Franklin J.
Matthews, the Rev.
Beatrice Reaves Penny, and
Florene Penny Williams
(all are deceased).
"They went into the
Smithfield Public Library
one day in July of 1957,
and after they were
refused the right to check
out a book they went to
Raleigh to tell their
story to The
Carolinian (an
African-American
newspaper)," recounted Mr.
Chapman.
They also contacted a
Raleigh law firm about the
possibility of suing the
town and the library. "If
filed, this would have been
the first lawsuit filed to
desegregate library service
in North Carolina," Mr.
Chapman noted. But the
lawsuit wasn't needed after
the library's trustees
agreed to accept black
patrons.
"The Smithfield Four knew
that members of their
community were paying taxes
in Smithfield for an
institution that they were
denied access to, and they
were not satisfied with
separate and unequal public
library service," Mr.
Chapman concluded. "They
knew that this was wrong,
and they chose to do
something about it."
The Smithfield Public
Library was consolidated
with the Johnston County
Library in 1967 when the
present Downtown
headquarters opened its
doors.
The
Civil Rights Trail is a
project of the N.C.
African American Heritage
Commission, a division of
the N.C. Department of
Natural and Cultural
Resources.
VISIT the
commission's website for
more information>
Health
Department is
re-accredited "with
honors"
From Johnston County Public Information
Office
Johnston
County's Public Health
Department has been
awarded "Re-accreditation
with Honors" by North
Carolina's Local Health
Department Accreditation
Board.
"The site
visit team reviewed 147
activities, and I'm proud
to report that Johnston
County met all 147 – a
perfect score," Dr.
Marilyn Pearson, the
county's director of
public health, told the
County Commissioners at
their November 19 meeting.
(She's shown with
Assistant Director Steve
Strickland in a
screenshot from that
meeting).
"This is a testament to
the dedication of our
staff, particularly our
accreditation
coordinators, NarShira
Vann and Tracy
Hadjipetrou, who uploaded
more than a thousand
documents during this
process," Dr. Pearson
noted.
The re-accreditation
process evaluates a public
health department's
capacity to serve the
community, protect patient
confidentiality, maintain
safe facilities, and
collaborate effectively
with partners.
VISIT the
Johnston department's
website for information
about its services>
November's rainfall of 2.53 inches closer to
normal
Cornell
Cox reports that
precipitation measured at
his Backyard Weather
Station in South
Smithfield totaled 2.53
inches in November – an
amount much closer to
normal than the measly
0.28 of an inch recorded
in October. November's
rainfall brings our total
for 2024 to 54.96 inches.
Normal annual rainfall for
Smithfield is 47.75
inches. November's normal
is 3.08, according
to U.S. Climate
Data>
October's jobless rate here inched upward to
3.1%
Johnston
County's unemployment rate
rose from 3.0% in
September to 3.1% in
October as the number of
employed Johnstonians
declined slightly – from
108,813 to 108,615. North
Carolina's jobless rate
rose from 3.2% in
September to 3.6% in
October while the national
rate held steady at 4.1%.
County-by-county monthly
employment data comes from the
N.C. Department of
Commerce>
WHAT'S COMING
UP
Santa's workshop "open for business"
through Dec. 21
Set
up at the South Third Street
entrance to the Courthouse,
here's the schedule:
Thursday, December 5: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December 6: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 7: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 12: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December 13: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 14: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 15: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 19: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December, 20: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 21: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
"Stink, Stank, Stunk" run and jog at
10 a.m. this Saturday
Smithfield
Parks & Recreation's
annual Grinch Stink,
Stank, Stunk 5K Toy Run
and Jingle Bell Jog is set
for 10 a.m. this Saturday
at Community Park. The
entry fee is an unwrapped
toy to be given to either
Harbor House or Social
Services' Angel Tree
project. Registration
opens at 9 a.m.
School
board to get a new
member at Tuesday's
meeting
The
Johnston County Board of
Education will convene at
4 p.m. Tuesday at the
school system's
headquarters on US 70
Business east of
Smithfield. Newly elected
board member April Lee
will fill a seat being
vacated by Mike Wooten,
who chose not to seek
re-election this year.
VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday's session once
it's posted online>
CLICK
HERE FOR MORE DETAILS>
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Click
on the name to read an
obituary, usually posted
by the funeral home.
JENNIFER
JEAN (JENNY) JOHNSON, 67
– died December 3
EVELYN HOBBS
GEORGE, 86 – died
December 2
LOIS ELSIE
BAILEY MOORE, 77 –
died December 1
JOYCE MARIE
FUTCH, 83 – died
November 29
EFRY CANALES
ALMENDAREZ, 48 –
died November 28
BILLY DAN
ALLEN, 87 – died
November 27
LURA LEE
LENNON GRIMES, 87 –
died November 27
CHARLES
DWIGHT EDWARDS, 63 –
died November 26
ROSSIE
MASSENGILL JR., 69 –
died November 25
JERRY
WILLIAMS, 64 – died
November 23
ALICIA PAIGE
EDWARDS, 57 – died
November 22
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
"Careful
growth" voices
apparently being heard
Coincidentally,
both the Smithfield Town
Council and the Johnston
County Board of
Commissioners denied
commercial land-use
requests this week for
properties in the midst of
areas presently zoned for
agricultural and
large-tract residential
uses.
Smithfield's council
rejected a plan for an
18-lot subdivision on 11
acres beside Swift Creek
Road. The County
Commissioners denied two
requests for General
Business zoning – both in
northern Johnston's
fast-growing Wilders
Township.
It appears pleas of
citizens alarmed by such
encroachments on their
rural neighborhoods are
being heard by our local
elected officials.
While it's not the same
situation, that sentiment
was also in play in last
month's Town Council
decision to deny approval
of a large townhouse
project next to an upscale
single-family neighborhood
at Holt Lake.
What's going on here is a
quest for compatibility as
our governing boards
consider proposed changes
in how particular parcels
of real estate are to be
developed. Those are often
tough decisions for
councilmen and
commissioners to make.
The good news regarding
such pressures of growth
is Johnston County's room
for continued development
on sites that don't
threaten settled
neighborhoods or the
valuable farmland folks
want to see protected for
continued cultivation.
Subscribers
to this edition: 1,576
MISS
A PREVIOUS EDITION?
You'll find
it in the Weekly
Sun archives>
the SMITHFIELD
WEEKLY SUN
|
