Following
a public hearing that drew
no opposition, the
Smithfield Town Council
Tuesday evening voted
without dissent to rezone
the former Hotel Gabriel
Johnston building and
adjacent parking lot
specifically for interior
renovation that will
provide nine two-bedroom
apartments.
Planning Director Stephen
Wensman recommended
approval of the requested
Office and Institutional
Conditional Zoning that
includes requirements for
repairs to adjacent
sidewalks and street curbs
and gutters and exterior
fix-ups "in keeping with
the historic architecture"
of the building, which was
constructed in the
mid-1930s.
Mayor Andy Moore insisted
that the developer be
prohibiting from painting
the building's bricks
without the town's
approval. That condition
was added to the
rezoning's approval,
although the project's
architect said "we're not
going to paint it."
Ginger Summer of
Raleigh-based W.S.
Architects said an area
beside the building is
being reserved for a
possible future expansion.
In response to questions
from the council, she said
there are no plans to
include retail shops in
the building because of
its restrictive ceiling
heights. She also said the
building's structural
make-up would not support
rooftop gathering spaces.
"We are excited about
bringing this building
back into its rightful
place in this town," she
declared. Noviomagnus LLC,
the project's developer,
is based in Durham.
The
Hotel Gabriel Johnston
opened for business in 1937
and included a popular
restaurant and banquet hall.
From
1962 until 1998 it was the
Town of Smithfield's
Municipal Building. The town
sold the property to a group
of local investors in 1999
after constructing the
present-day Town Hall
nearby.
Hearing
on Swift Creek Road
subdivision plan
postponed
A
second public hearing
scheduled for Tuesday's
council session was
postponed at the request
of the developer until the
May 20 meeting. Lan
Development LLC is seeking
preliminary plat approval
for a 20-lot single-family
subdivision on 21.24 acres
beside Swift Creek Road
just north of Cleveland
Road.
Downtown
restaurant to close for
major expansion
Town
Manager Mike Scott
announced at Tuesday's
Town Council meeting that
SoDoSoPa will be closing
temporarily at the end of
this month for extensive
renovations including
expansion into the
adjacent Davis Building.
"It's going to be a really
nice set-up," he said.
Mr. Scott said the
restaurant's owners plan
to revamp their menu as
the "Victory Steak House"
– a name inspired by the
old Victory Theater that
operated on the site in
the mid-20th Century
before it was demolished
to make way for a clothing
store which was replaced
over the years by several
restaurants including Cafe
Monet.
SoDoDoPa opened in 2016
featuring "Southern
comfort food." Pork dishes
have been a specialty on
the menu. Mike O'Dowd is
the restaurant's owner.
This photo, taken at
dusk Tuesday evening,
shows SoDoSoPa's present
quarters on the corner
and the larger, mostly
vacant, Davis Building
next door. Both are
across Third Street from
the Howell Theatre,
which may be sold this
spring for conversion
into something other
than a movie house.
NC 210 Middle Creek bridge open ahead
of schedule
The
$3.2-million replacement
has been completed by the
S.T. Wooten company more
than two months earlier
than planned. NC 210
traffic had been detoured
circuitously since last
June, when the old bridge
was demolished.
Much of the
traffic had been diverted
onto Galilee Road and US
301, which is next in line
for a bridge replacement –
at the Neuse River. A
wider bridge will be built
before the existing
structure is replaced,
enabling 301 to remain
open during construction.
Bryant Spivey (right),
director of Johnston
County's Cooperative
Extension Service, was so
elated by the bridge's
completion providing
easier access to the
Agricultural Center on NC
210 that he appeared in a
video making the
announcement. You may
watch it on the
county's Facebook
page>
Johnston's
Young Democrats N.C.
"Chapter of the Year"
The
honor came at the recent
annual convention of Young
Democrats of North
Carolina. "We’re proud to
be recognized for our work
in engaging young voters
and building grassroots
power right here in
Johnston County," said the
chapter's president,
Adrian Brakeley. He's
pictured above with the
chapter's other officers:
(left to right):
Secretary Ben Sanderford,
Treasurer Abby Durham,
President Brakeley, and
Vice President Ben
Chapman. (Young
Democrats photo)
GREAT SELECTION OF GIFTS, CARDS,
JEWELRY & OTHER
UNIQUE ITEMS
Library
adds a new batch of
"Wonderbooks"
A
monetary donation from
Friends of the Public
Library of Johnston County
and Smithfield has brought
113 new children’s
"Wonderbooks" and 13 adult
titles to the library's
collection. "Wonderbooks"
are interactive read-along
books that combine a
traditional print format
with a ready-to-play
audiobook player permanently
attached inside the front
cover. Holding examples of
these unique books for
children are Friends of the
Library leaders (left to
right) Kate Shirley,
Billie Lawson, and Shellie
Kolesar. GET MORE
information about the
Friends and the library's
services>
(Public Library photo)
This year they're in sync
Smithfield's
blooming of azaleas don't
always line up with
Easter, so it's worth
noting this year's
outburst as we approach a
late-April observance of
the Christian holy day.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Good
Friday is a holiday for
state and local
governments
Employees
of North Carolina's
municipal, county, and
state governments will be
off Friday to begin a
three-day weekend
observance of Easter. Good
Friday is not a federal
holiday, so banks and post
offices will be open.
Meanwhile, the Public
Library in Smithfield will
be closed both Friday and
Saturday, re-opening on
Easter Monday, which is no
longer recognized as an
official holiday in N.C.
River Jam Concert Series continues at
amphitheater Friday
The
second in a monthly series
of free-admission concerts
at the Neuse River
Amphitheater features
Country Music artist R.T.
Johnson. The show begins
at 7 p.m. this Friday. The
series has been put
together by the Smithfield
Parks & Recreation
Department. Next on the
schedule are the Embers of
Beach Music fame on May 16
and a "summer-time fun
band" named Liquid
Pleasure on June 20.
Easter Egg Hunt at Smith-Collins Park
this Saturday
The
event will continue from
11 a.m. till 2 p.m. on the
day before Easter, and
there's no admission fee
to participate. Sponsoring
the event along with the
Town of Smithfield are the
Law Office of Antoan
Whidbee and Town
Councilman Marlon Lee.
Churches to unite for Easter sunrise
service at Riverside
A
joint service hosted by
Smithfield's Centenary
United Methodist, First
Baptist, First Christian,
First Presbyterian, and
St. Paul's Episcopal
churches is scheduled for
6:30 a.m. this Sunday in
the new section of
Riverside Cemetery at the
corner of South Front and
Church streets.
County
Commissioners to get
JCC, TLC reports Monday
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners during its 6
p.m. third-Monday session
at the Courthouse will
hear reports from Johnston
Community College students
regarding the
Commissioners Promise
Program and from the
Triangle Land Conservancy
updating its activities in
Johnston. Also on the
agenda are several budget
requests from Public
Utilities for water and
sewer upgrades.
VIEW the
complete agenda posted
on the county's
website>
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM
THE EDITOR
Another
beloved leader of young
people passes on
Georgianna
McLean, affectionately
known by her high-school
choral students as "Ms.
Mac" or simply "Mom," has
passed into history at age
98. She made her indelible
mark on scores of
teenagers, first at
Smithfield High School in
the late 1960s and then at
consolidated
Smithfield-Selma High from
the time it opened in 1969
until she retired from
teaching in 1986.
Beyond that, she
distinguished herself as
one of the pioneers of
racial integration here,
assigned to previously
all-white Smithfield High
School in 1966 by
Superintendent of Schools
Evander Simpson as one of
several African-American
teachers sent there to
open doors of racial
acceptance in preparation
for the coming of SSS.
That moved proved highly
successful as the new
school opened without the
nastiness that disrupted
the arrival of racial
integration elsewhere
across the land.
When the auditorium at
Smithfield-Selma High was
renovated several years
ago, it was named in honor
of the woman who led a
multitude of choral
performances by her
students there.
The funeral home's
obituary page for
Georgianna McLean is
overflowing with tributes
paid to her, mostly by her
former students, white and
black. What they have
written is much more than
what can be expressed in
this space. Here's the
link>
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