Town
Council gets Downtown
traffic suggestions
Less
parking along Market,
one-way streets are
options
The
Smithfield Town Council
and citizens in attendance
at Monday night's meeting
got their first look at
several ideas for making
the central business
district more "pedestrian
friendly" with enhanced
safety for both motorists
and pedestrians.
Among
options presented by
consultants are three
shown on the right:
• The first would
eliminate all parking
along Market Street in the
heart of Downtown and add
a fifth turning lane for
vehicles.
• The second would also
eliminate parking on both
sides of Market, widen the
existing four lanes for
motor vehicles, and widen
the sidewalks on both
sides of the street.
• The third would keep and
widen parking spaces only
on the south side of
Market and widen the four
lanes for vehicular
traffic.
Candice Andre of VHP
Consulting said "critical
crash rates" have been
recorded for Downtown's
Market Street: 514
incidents in five years.
She said half of those
involve sideswiping of
parked vehicles, and more
than 100 collisions have
occurred at each of the
intersections at Second
and Third streets.
The other major
recommendation presented
Monday is to "pair" one
block of Second and Third
streets between Market and
Johnston as one-way
streets: Second
southbound, Third
northbound. That would
allow angled parking along
one side of those one-way
passages.
Ms. Andre said surveys
involving persons
attending a couple of
Downtown events this past
year found one-way streets
"were popular" along with
"strong opinions about
removing all the parking"
along Market Street.
But Councilman Travis
Scott said one-way streets
should be "least on the
list" of proposals, and
Councilman David Barbour
said "no one has come to
me in favor of one-way
streets."
Pam Lampe, who resides on
North Second Street near
Downtown, came forward to
add her voice in
opposition to one-way
streets, contending that
two-way streets "slow down
traffic."
She also advocated
construction of a parking
deck Downtown. "I have
heard from merchants that
parking is a problem," she
said. The consultants
reported earlier in the
evening that a midday
count by consultants found
vehicles parked in 52% of
available Downtown spaces:
594 in 1,138 surveyed.
Wrapping up the
discussion, Mayor Andy
Moore said it's urgent the
council make decisions on
what should be done to
make Downtown safer. "It's
a matter of time" till
pedestrians are seriously
injured, he exclaimed.
Concluded Councilman
Barbour: "Our citizens
want to see something
soon."
Fire
and police departments
to be "fully staffed"
Town
Manager Mike Scott
reported to the council
Monday that two new
firefighters have been
hired, "bringing the Fire
Department to full staff."
In addition, the Police
Department will complete
its climb to full staffing
with the scheduled hiring
of a new officer next
week, Mr. Scott noted.
Two
new members join
Downtown Development
board
The
council added Joelina
Landa and Natasha
Armstrong to the Board of
Directors of the Downtown
Smithfield Development
Corporation. Ms. Landa is
branch manager at United
Community Bank. Ms.
Armstrong is a nurse
associated with 1st Choice
Homecare & Infusion
Service. Also, the council
reappointed Carmen Zepp to
the Smithfield Appearance
Commission.
Sewer-system
clean-out truck to cost
$547,632
Utilities
Director Ted Credle asked
the council to authorize
an order for a
Freightliner Vacall truck
to replace an older model
used for cleaning out the
town's sewerage. He said
delivery of the vehicle
can be made by October
with "significant savings"
if the order is placed
immediately. Normally,
delivery of such equipment
takes 12-15 months, Mr.
Credle noted. The council
unanimously agreed to
authorize a "letter of
intent" to buy the truck
from Rodders & Jets
Supply Company of Sumter,
S.C. for $547,632. The
payment will be made after
July 1, covered by
appropriations in this
year's and next year's
town budgets.
First
budget session scheduled
for next Thursday
The
council recessed Monday
night's meeting until 6:30
p.m. March 13 to begin
deliberations leading
toward adoption of the
town's budget for fiscal
year 2025-26, which begins
July 1.
About one inch of rain fell here within an
hour early Wednesday
afternoon, filling up
retention ponds like the
one behind the Food Lion
store in South
Smithfield.
February's rainfall unlike January's
abnormal low
February
brought 3.41 inches of
precipitation to Cornell
Cox's unofficial Backyard
Weather Station in South
Smithfield, bringing our
total for the first two
months of the year to 4.73
after just 1.32 inches in
January. The year-to-date
total is a couple of
inches below Smithfield's
normal rainfall of 6.94
during January and
February, according to U.S. Climate
Data.
5,676
revaluation appeals filed
before deadline
Tax
Administrator Jocelyn
Andrews told Johnston's
County Commissioners
Monday the number of
informal appeals currently
under review by the County
Tax Office involves 4.7%
of Johnston's real-estate
parcels, and the goal for
sending out letters with
her staff's rulings
remains the last week of
this month.
February 10 was the
deadline for Johnston's
taxpayers to file informal
appeals of recently
announced real-estate
revaluations for 2025 tax
bills. Formal appeals will
be heard by the county's
Board of Equalization and
Review starting April 8.
Overall, total valuation
of properties throughout
Johnston went up 70.6%
over market values
measured six years ago.
(Going forward,
revaluations will be
conducted every four
years; prior to 2019 they
were done every eight
years.)
Unknown at this point are
property-tax rates to be
set by the governing
boards of County
Government and Johnston's
municipalities before July
1, the start of the
upcoming fiscal year.
Those rates will determine
amounts on tax bills due
for payment without
penalty early next
January.
Rezoning
OK'd for future Stevens
Sausage expansion
Following
a hearing at the board's
evening session Monday
that drew no public
opposition, commissioners
approved conditional-use
industrial zoning for 25.9
acres around the Stevens
Sausage plant off Brogden
Road east of Smithfield.
The site lies in the
middle of an
agricultural-residential
district, making the
processing plant a
non-conforming yet
permitted use since it was
in place many years before
countywide land-use zoning
arrived in 1991.
"We want to get the family
business into conformity,"
Sloan Stevens told
commissioners. "We don't
have any immediate plans
to do a large expansion,"
he said, "but we're
fortunately very busy" and
"we're not far from doing
an expansion."
Under the board's
unanimous approval of the
zoning change, conditions
attached to future use of
the property include "an
intense landscaping
screen," manufacturing
restricted to indoor
production, and "down
lighting" that doesn't
shine on adjacent
properties. A "detailed
site plan" must be brought
before the county before
any new construction can
be done there.
Interim
county funding granted
for 3 positions at JCC
The
commissioners without
dissent approved a county
appropriation of $292,956
to front the cost of
adding three instructors
to Public Safety training
at Johnston Community
College through the end of
the current fiscal year,
with the expectation that
state funding eventually
will cover the expense.
JCC's President Vern
Lindquist explained that
the state's yearly
allocations to community
colleges are initially
based on last year's
enrollment, with upward
adjustments expected for
growing schools like JCC,
which has seen a 36% jump
in its Continuing
Education numbers this
year.
Commissioner Patrick
Harris brought the funding
shortfall to light during
the board's February 17
meeting, pointing out that
JCC currently lacks a
sufficient number of
Public Safety teachers to
provide timely
certification and
re-certification of
emergency-service
personnel.
Commissioner Bill Stovall
asked Monday what would
happen if the additional
state funding doesn't come
through as expected. "That
will present us with a
massive challenge," Dr.
Lindquist sighed. "If we
get state cutbacks or they
don't give us our
enrollment-increase money,
it will be a very
challenging budget year
for us."
Two
key county officers
planning to retire April
1
Commissioners
acknowledged the upcoming
retirement of Emergency
Services Director Kevin
Hubbard and Deputy Finance
Director Martha Lasater.
Both will leave their
posts at the end of this
month.
Mr. Hubbard has worked as
director of the county's
Emergency Services
Department since March
2018. He was employed as a
fire inspector in 2016,
having previously worked
for the county in another
capacity. His department
has three divisions:
Emergency Management, Fire
Marshal, and Emergency
Medical Services.
Ms.
Lasater, formerly a senior
financial analyst with the
state's Local Government
Commission, joined the
county's staff as a debt
and grant management
analyst in January 2008
and in 2022 was promoted
to her present position as
Deputy Finance Director of
Compliance/Debt. She
oversees the county's debt
portfolio and
capital-project funds and
coordinates preparation of
the county's Annual
Comprehensive Financial
Report.
County
attorney gets
publication's award
Jennifer
Slusser accepted an
Excellence in Law Award
last week from North
Carolina Lawyers Weekly, a
Charlotte-based
publication for legal
professionals, and was
recognized for the honor
at Monday morning's county
board meeting. Ms. Slusser
was employed as the
county's first full-time
attorney in November 2014.
She was joined in the
office last spring by
Deputy County Attorney
Marie Mobley.
Annual
report on institutional
care of the elderly
Chairman
James Coleman of the
county's Nursing
Home/Adult Care Home
Community Advisory Board
presented an annual report
on inspections conducted
by the board's volunteer
members. During 2024 they
spent more than 700 hours
visiting five nursing
homes, 11 adult-care
homes, and 19 family-care
homes and heard complaints
"you might expect"
regarding staff shortages,
leadership turnover, food,
insufficient activities
for residents, and
inadequate funding, he
said. But, "for the most
part our senior citizens
are being cared for by
dedicated, committed,
compassionate fellow
citizens," Mr. Coleman
declared. And "if you want
to brighten someone's day,
join one of our churches
or other civic groups who
visit those who may not be
able to receive other
visitors," he concluded.
Appointments
confirmed for three
advisory boards
Commissioners
reappointed Randy Jones as
Pine Level's
representative on the
county's Economic
Development Advisory
Board, and they appointed
Bennett Jones of the
Clayton area to the
county's Board of
Adjustment and Jennie
Harless of the Selma area
to fill an unexpired term
on the Board of
Equalization and Review.
SSS
joins Clayton,
Cleveland in new
sports league
The
N.C. High School Athletic
Association has finalized
conference realignments
that change periodically
to reflect fluctuating
school enrollments. This
year's adjustment
increases the number of
statewide divisions from
four to eight.
Smithfield-Selma High
School joins Clayton High,
Cleveland High, and four
Wake County schools –
Fuquay-Varina, Garner,
South Garner, and
Southeast Raleigh – in a
new 7A conference
effective with the 2025-26
school year.
Currently, SSS is included
in a 3A league – the Quad
County Conference – along
with South Johnston, West
Johnston, and five schools
in neighboring counties.
Rising enrollment at
Smithfield-Selma pushed
the school this year into
a higher enrollment
category for determining
conference affiliations.
The new alignments remain
in place through 2028-29.
Neuse Charter School,
classified 1A, has been
assigned to a new
conference along with
seven 2A schools – East
Wake Academy, Franklin
Academy, Raleigh Charter,
Research Triangle, Roxboro
Community, Triangle Math
and Science, Voyager
Academy – plus one 3A
school: N.C. School of
Science and Mathematics
(Durham). Currently, Neuse
Charter is included in the
Carolina 1A Conference
along with five
traditional high schools
in counties south and east
of Johnston.
VIEW the
complete list of new
alignments on the NCHSAA
website>
WHAT'S COMING UP
Listed
here are community
events open to the
public free of admission
charge:
Churches' weekly Lenten Luncheons
start next Wednesday
Five
Smithfield churches will
provide the speakers and
take turns hosting the
noontime services followed
by lunch. Here's the
schedule:
March 12 – at First
Presbyterian, led by Rev.
Beth Burton-Williams of
First Christian.
March 19 – at Centenary
Methodist, led by Rev.
Kate Byrd of St. Paul's
Episcopal.
March 26 – at First
Christian, led by Rev.
Kristen Tucker of First
Baptist.
April 2 – at First
Baptist, led by Rev. John
Fawcett of First
Presbyterian.
April 9 – at St. Paul's
Episcopal, led by Rev.
Steve McElroy of Centenary
Methodist.
An Easter Sunrise service
led by Centenary's Rev.
Meagan Matthews is
scheduled for Sunday,
April 20.
Board
of Education's monthly
meeting Tuesday evening
The
Johnston County Board of
Education is scheduled to
meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday at
the school system's
headquarters on US 70
Business east of
Smithfield. The meeting
usually begins with a
closed session lasting
about an hour followed by
the open business session,
which is live-streamed on the
schools' YouTube
channel>
VIEW the
agenda for Tuesday's
meeting once it's posted
online>
OTHER
TIMELY
ADVISORIES
Daylight
Saving Time returns for
eight-month run Sunday
The
political debate remains
unsettled on whether to
continue the present
set-up or adopt either
Daylight Saving Time or
Standard Time year-round.
But for now, DST takes
effect the second Sunday
in March and lasts until
the first Sunday in
November. That means you
should "spring forward"
your timepieces this
weekend.
Town's
annual
water-chlorination
"burnout" through April
14
The Town
of Smithfield's annual
"free chlorine burnout"
at its Water Filtration
Plant runs from March 1
through April 14. "This
temporary switch from
chloramines to free
chlorine helps maintain a
healthy water distribution
system," reads the town's
announcement. "During
this period, some
customers may notice
slight discoloration or a
change in taste and smell.
If this occurs, flushing
household plumbing
fixtures and water lines
should help clear the
issue. Please note:
The water remains safe
to drink, and no boiling
or additional
precautions are
necessary." For
more information, call the
Water Plant at
919-923-2661 during
regular business hours.
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM
THE EDITOR
His
style of music bridged
the 1960s racial divide
I'm
talking about the late
Billy Stewart, whose
unique way of making what
we called "soul music" was
as popular among us white
folks as it was among his
African-American brothers
and sisters. His life was
cut short at age 33 when
the Ford Thunderbird he
was driving hit a bridge
abutment on I-95 just
south of here and crashed
into the Neuse River. That
happened in January 1970.
The Johnston County
Heritage Center's annual
Black History Month
program last Thursday
evening celebrated the
musical legacy of Mr.
Stewart. It included a
showing of the PBS
documentary, "FAT BOY –
the Billy Stewart Story,"
followed by a panel
discussion among folks
with personal connections
to the legendary singer.
The comments that hit home
with me were made by the
only white man in the
group: Charles Stafford,
one of the guitarists who
played in Billy Stewart's
band for a while. Mr.
Stafford recalled how
their music appealed to
both black and white
audiences, and he cited a
couple of incidents – one
before a mostly-white
audience, the other before
a mostly-black audience –
when Mr. Stewart took on
hecklers to defend his
hiring of a couple of
white musicians in his
mostly-black band.
For those of us immersed
in the soul music of the
Sixties, the color of
one's skin was irrelevant.
I, for one, had the
privilege of playing in
the late 1960s in a band
we named the "Soul
Searchers," and I've told
many of my musical friends
over the years that we
were "an all-white band
that played all-black
music." Why? Because those
particular tunes were our
favorites.
Mr. Stafford, the
guitarist, was asked at
last week's program where
Billy Stewart's career
might have taken him had
he not been killed at such
a young age. "Jazz," Mr.
Stafford replied, noting
that the singer
appreciated the classics
in what we call "the Great
American Songbook" and
actually recorded an
entire album of some of
those tunes under the
title "Billy Stewart
Teaches Old Standards New
Tricks." One of his
greatest hits – a Big
Band, Rock 'n' Roll
rendition of George
Gershwin's "Summertime" –
came from that album.
Here are YouTube links to
that hit recording and two
others that demonstrate
Billy Stewart's unique
style: "Fat Boy," of
course, and another of my
favorites from that "Old
Standards" album, "Let's
Fall in Love" (you'll
likely need to endure or
else "skip" a commercial
at the beginning of each
playback):
• "SUMMERTIME">
• "FAT
BOY">
• "LET'S FALL
IN LOVE">
Pictured below are the
panelists at last week's
Black History Month
program: (left to right)
Charles Stafford;
Beverly Lindsay-Johnson,
producer of the PBS
documentary; and Dane
Riley, lone of Billy
Stewart's cousins.
(County of Johnston
photo)
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it in the Weekly
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