These three members of the Arnn family have
been together in
operating the nursing
center over the past two
decades: Nathan (left)
as CEO; his mother Carol
as director of
compliance; and son
David as chief financial
officer. A registered
nurse, Carol has been
serving patients there
for 42 years.
Smithfield
Manor sold to New
Jersey-based chain
It
opened 50 years ago as
our first "skilled
nursing home"
"The
sale of Smithfield Manor
Nursing and Rehab after 42
years of service to the
community is indeed a
bittersweet one," wrote
Carol Arnn as she
announced last week's
transfer of the business
from her family to Venza
Care of Lakewood, N.J.
which operates a chain of
nursing homes in the
Southeast. "Knowing
that for everything under
the heavens, there is a
season," Mrs. Arnn
continued. "The time had
come for us."
The business opened here
at its present location on
North Smithfield's
Berkshire Road in late
December 1974 as Johnston
Memorial Nursing Center
(unaffiliated with what
was then Johnston Memorial
Hospital). Gilmer Parrish,
who operated Charles
Parrish Memorial Nursing
Center in Dunn at the
time, was recruited by Jim
White and other Johnston
County realtors to extend
the business to
Smithfield.
In 1983 Mr. Parrish
brought in David Arnn Sr.,
manager of the Falcon
Children's Home south of
Dunn, to run the
Smithfield center as its
first full-time, on-site
administrator. Along with
Mr. Arnn came his wife,
Carol, a registered nurse
with nursing-home
experience.
Following Mr. Parrish's
death, ownership of the
business underwent a
couple of changes. Then,
in 2006, the Arnns teamed
up with several other
investors to make what
became known as Smithfield
Manor a locally owned
enterprise.
Meanwhile, two of David
and Carol's sons came on
board, turning it into a
bona fide family
operation. David Jr.
arrived 22 years ago,
followed several years
later by his younger
brother Nathan, who was
elevated to the position
of CEO (chief executive
officer) following the
untimely death of his
father after a motorcycle
accident in 2013.
"We saw it as a ministry,"
said Carol Arnn as she
reflected on the family's
many years of caring,
mostly for the elderly.
"We were respectful of all
– the haves and the
haves-not," she said.
That "ministry," as she
termed it, carried over
into the couple's
volunteer service,
highlighted by their trip
to India in 2003 to help
distribute vaccines to
children under Rotary
International's Polio Plus
campaign. (She made a
second such trip in 2019 –
that time to Pakistan,
without her late husband.)
"There was never a day I
didn't want to come to
work," said Carol, adding
that Smithfield Manor "in
our industry was known for
the longevity of our
employees." Nathan said it
was "not uncommon at all"
for employees to remain
with the nursing home
30-40 years.
Johnston Memorial Nursing
Center opened with a staff
of 100. Smithfield Manor's
staff has grown to 170
following construction of
a new wing in 1990. Mrs.
Arnn said all personnel
are remaining in place
following last week's sale
– except for her and the
two sons. "We are
expecting a seamless
transition," she wrote in
her announcement about the
transfer of ownership.
The nursing home's new
owners are operating as Venza Care.
Its website lists 21
rehabilitation and
health-care centers in
seven states: 13 in
Alabama, three in
Louisiana, one in
Delaware, one in Maryland,
one in Tennessee, one in
South Carolina, and one in
N.C. (at Concord, not
counting the Smithfield
addition).
The six-acre Smithfield
Manor tract was deeded
last week by Arnn
Investment Properties, LLC
to Smithfield SNF Realty
LLC of Lakewood, N.J. for
a purchase price of
$23,947,000 (based on
state excise tax paid on
the transaction). Terms of
the sale of the business
itself are not made
public.
BELOW:
Three generations of the
Arnn family gathered in
2015 for the unveiling
of a portrait of David
Arnn Sr., who died
following a motorcycle
accident in 2013.
Town
budget moves a big step
closer to completion
"Revenue
neutral" property-tax
rate of 42 cents is on
the table
The
Smithfield Town Council
insisted, and Town Manager
Mike Scott reluctantly
agreed Monday night to
disclose what he figures
to be the coming year's
"revenue neutral"
property-tax rate in the
wake of countywide
real-estate revaluation.
It's 42 cents per $100
valuation – a sizeable
reduction from the past
year's 57-cent rate – yet
still high enough to
produce sizeable jumps in
the town's portion of
property-tax bills going
out to Smithfield's
residents and businesses
this summer.
"It's very fluid," Town
Manager Scott said,
referring to the new total
valuation of properties in
Smithfield, as the
county's process for
individual appeals isn't
finished. Especially
uncertain at this point
are final values assigned
to large corporate
entities like Amazon, he
noted.
Revaluation raised
assessed values of real
estate within the Town of
Smithfield's borders about
70% overall. Here's a
hypothetical example of
how that plays out with a
new tax rate: If your
residence was valued by
the county at $200,000
last year, it could now be
assessed at a value of
$340,000. The town's
portion of its tax bill at
last year's 57-cent rate
would have been $1,140.
This year, with a 42-cent
rate and a higher property
valuation, that bill would
rise to $1,428 – an
increase of 25%.
And that's likely less
than half of what the
total property-tax bill
would be. The County
Commissioners have not yet
shown where they're going
with the county's rate.
This past year it was 67
cents per $100 – 10 cents
above the town's rate.
Back to Monday's budget
session held by the
Smithfield Town Council:
Town Manager Scott said
the proposed town budget
for the year ahead as it
now stands is being built
with a tax rate of 45
cents, and he suggested a
rate of 47 cents if the
council would be willing
to forego borrowing large
amounts of money for major
purchases including a new
fire truck and a
"knuckleboom" truck for
Sanitation.
Instead, council members
suggested drawing cash out
of the town's
$17.6-million General Fund
Balance to allow a lower
tax rate. Mr. Scott
advised against that
option, warning that
taking large amounts of
cash from the reserve fund
could simply postpone
significant tax hikes till
next year and beyond to
meet ongoing budgetary
obligations.
Tourism
dollars to manage two
Downtown operations
One
of the manager's
recommendations brought
forth Monday would cut two
General Fund obligations
out of the proposed
budget, thereby relieving
some of the pressure for a
tax rate higher than what
council members would like
to see. Mr. Scott
recommended shifts in
funding for operating
expenses (including
salaries) of the Downtown
Development office
($80,000) and the Ava
Gardner Museum ($60,000)
to an outside-the-budget
account where money is
being stored from
Smithfield's hotel-room
occupancy tax.
The town manager said the
town's tourism fund
presently holds "about a
million dollars," which he
said has been building up
to help pay for a proposed
soccer park off NC 210.
That evoked ire from West
Smihfield's Councilman
David Barbour: "It's going
to cost more than a
million dollars to build
that park," he exclaimed.
Even so, the manager's
proposal remained intact
as Monday's discussion
moved on to other items.
Besides a General Fund tax
rate somewhere between 42
and 47 cents, Mr. Scott is
recommending a cut in the
Downtown service
district's tax rate from
19 to 16 cents. That led
to a discussion initiated
by Councilman Travis Scott
on whether the Downtown
district and its extra tax
should be continued. "Some
businesses don't feel
they're getting their
money's worth," he said.
Councilman Barbour
suggested the time to
consider that option would
be a year from now when
the current three-year
contract between the town
and the Downtown
Development Corporation
expires.
Meanwhile, council members
said they are pleased with
recent efforts by
Downtown's Executive
Director Heidi Gilmond,
who's been on the job
since last July. "It's in
a better spot than
before," Councilman Roger
Wood said of the
revitalization program
dating back to the 1980s.
What
to expect regarding
utility-rate adjustments
While
the new town budget will
be balanced with cuts in
property-tax rates, some
of the town's monthly
charges for utilities are
scheduled for increases.
One piece of good news:
Electric rates will go up
3.5% July 1 rather than 6%
anticipated earlier, the
town manager reported.
That's because
ElectriCitiies, the town's
wholesale supplier, has
reduced the size of its
pending rate hike, he
noted.
On the other hand, the
town is expecting a 9.5%
increase in
sewage-treatment rates the
county charges the town,
Mr. Scott said. That will
be passed along to the
town's sewer customers
starting September 1.
Mr. Scott said he's also
expecting an increase in
the county's landfill
"tipping" fees which will
prompt an upward
adjustment in the town's
monthly garbage and trash
collection charges. The
county has yet to
announced its new landfill
fees.
The town will be able to
keep its water rates
unchanged, said the
manager.
Two
proposals for raising
town employees' pay
Regarding
salary adjustments for
employees, Mr. Scott
offered the council two
options: a 4%
across-the-board increase
July 1 or a 5% increase
September 1. The manager
said the council's
decision needs to keep
Smithfield's pay schedule
competitive with
surrounding employers. At
this point, he said, "I
have no read on what other
cities are doing."
Winding up Monday's
discussion about the
property-tax rate, Mr.
Scott predicted his
suggested 47-cent rate, if
the council accepts that,
"would be as low as
anybody's in the county"
and would therefore not be
a disincentive for folks
looking to move here.
Regarding what "revenue
neutral" actually means
for calculating a new tax
rate in light of
revaluation, Mr. Scott
explained to the
Weekly Sun that
it's defined by state
statute as the total of
the past year's General
Fund expenditures plus an
allowance for growth based
on average gains in total
real-estate values over
the past five years. For
this year's statutory
determination of "revenue
neutral," Smithfield's
average growth rate works
out to 7.76%.
The Town Council recessed
this week's budget session
until 6:30 p.m. Monday.
The goal is to agree on a
tax rate and make spending
adjustments so Mr. Scott
may produce a balanced by
next Wednesday to meet a
state-mandated deadline.
The council must adopt the
final version before July
1, the start of fiscal
2025-26.
School
board sends its budget
to commissioners
Requested
increase from the
county exceeds $10
million
The
Johnston County Board of
Education adopted
Superintendent Eric
Bracy's proposed budget by
a vote of 6-1 Tuesday. It
asks the Johnston County
Board of Commissioners to
increase the county's
contribution for the
school system's operating
expenses from exactly $104
million this year to
$114,082,706 in the year
ahead – an increase of
9.7%.
Michelle Antoine voted
against the
superintendent's proposal.
In addition to the
appropriation for "current
expense," the schools'
budget request to the
county includes
$10,938,560 for capital
improvements including
large outlays for HVAC
replacements and
parking-lot upgrades at
several schools and
cameras for school buses.
This year's budget for
schools includes a county
appropriation of $3.5
million for capital
outlay. In addition to
that, commissioners agreed
to come up with another
$11.3 million for a
classroom addition at
Cleveland High School
that's nearing completion.
More recently,
commissioners approved
borrowing $5 million as
the first installment
toward construction of a
new Clayton High School.
The Cleveland and Clayton
construction projects are
being financed by the
county beyond recent bond
issues approved by
Johnston's voters and
outside the normal
budgeting process.
Meanwhile, the County
Commissioners are
expecting a budget
proposal for fiscal
2025-26 from County
Manager Rick Hester next
week. Their adoption of a
new budget is expected in
June, before the start of
the new fiscal year July
1.
Superintendent
Bracy a finalist for
South Carolina job
Reports
surfaced on Wednesday that
Johnston's Superintendent
of Schools Eric Bracy is
one of three finalists for
the school
superintendent's position
at Rock Hill, S.C. just
over the state line south
of Charlotte. Dr. Bracy
has served as Johnston's
superintendent since July
1, 2020.
Two SSS seniors awarded JoCo TEACH
scholarships
The
scholarships are worth
$30,000 each for the pair
to continue their
education beyond high
school in order to teach
in Johnston County's
public schools. Pictured
with Smithfield-Selma High
School faculty advisor
Suzanne Sweat are
scholarship recipients
Mariah Mendez Redmon and
Nathan Shaub. JoCo TEACH
("Teaching Educators And
Coming Home") was
established in 2019 to
recruit students to pursue
certification as educators
by providing them a means
to earn associate degrees
at Johnston Community
College while attending
high school. This is the
third year JoCo TEACH has
awarded scholarships for
collegiate bachelor's
degrees. (Photo from
SSS Facebook page)
UNC HEALTH JOHNSTON THANKS 139
VOLUNTEERS
Receiving
special awards at a recent
luncheon honoring hospital
volunteers were (pictured
above, left to right)
Anita Liverman, Hospice
Angel Award "for lifting
spirits and quietly
touching lives"; Myrtle
and Tom Toole in
Smithfield and Gale Cass
in Clayton, Sue
Archambeault Award "for
exemplary volunteerism."
Chaplain Paula Hansard (absent
when the picture was
taken) received the
Overa S. Stevens Award
"for faithful service."
UNC Health put the value
of all its volunteers'
24,762 hours of service
this past year at
$829,276. (UNC Health
photo)
WHAT'S COMING UP
Former
Chief Justice to talk
about death penalty's
history
The
Johnston County Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority will screen
a short film about the
history of North
Carolina's death penalty
entitled "Racist Roots"
followed by a moderated
discussion featuring Cheri
Beasley, former Chief
Justice of the N.C.
Supreme Court. The program
is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Friday at the Public
Library in Downtown
Smithfield.
The
Embers in concert at the
Neuse Amphitheater
Friday
The
free performance by the
famed Beach Music band
featuring Craig Woolard
begins at 7 p.m. It's part
of the Smithfield Parks
& Recreation
Department's 2025 River Jam
Concert Series.
Smithfield
Art Pottery exhibit and
book-signing Saturday
The
Johnston County Museum will
host a book-signing and
one-day exhibition of pottery
made here from 1927 to 1942.
Stephen Compton of Raleigh
will bring a sampling of his
collection of Herman Cole’s
Smithfield Art Pottery and
sign copies of his book about
that business. Located just
south of the Neuse River
beside Highway 301, Mr. Cole’s
roadside operation shipped as
many as 2,000 pieces each week
and did a booming business
with passing motorists. The
Johnston County Museum in the
former Roses store building at
320 East Market Street
Downtown is open free of
charge 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.
Monday-Saturday.
Free
"Bend & Blaze
Spectacular" at
amphitheater Saturday
Two
performances by "Ember Fire
Arts" performer Amber
Kornegay and contortionist
Jared Rydelek are scheduled
for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at
the Neuse River Amphitheater
on South Front Street. The
Smithfield Parks &
Recreation Department is
host for what it bills as "a
family friendly event."
Annual
Relay for Life cancer
event at SSS field
Saturday
Johnston
County’s annual Relay for Life
event for cancer awareness
begins with the opening
ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday on
the football field at
Smithfield-Selma High School.
Throughout the afternoon,
Relay team booths will offer
food and other items for sale.
Entertainment activities
include a Fun Zone for all
ages. Vintage cars and
tractors will be on display in
the parking lot. Food trucks
will be on site 4-9 p.m. A
Luminaria Ceremony will take
place at dusk followed by a
Silent Walk in memory of
persons lost to cancer.
County
Commissioners scheduled
to meet Monday evening
The
Johnston County Board of
Commissioners meets at 6
p.m. Monday for its second
regularly scheduled evening
session of the month.
VIEW the
agenda once it's posted on
the county's website>
Town
Council to review plans
for two subdivisions
Tuesday
The
Smithfield Town Council will
conduct public hearings on
preliminary plats for a
20-lot residential
subdivision on Swift Creek
Road and a 17-unit townhouse
project on Waddell Drive
when it meets at 7 p.m.
Tuesday at Town Hall. Also
on the agenda is a request
to extend the developer's
deadline to start
construction of "Harvest
Run," a single-family and
townhouse subdivision beside
NC 210 in West Smithfield
that was approved by the
council two years ago.
Another item to be
considered Tuesday is a
Memorandum of Understanding
with all of Johnston's towns
and the county "to explore
and establish a regional
utility authority for water
and sewer."
VIEW the
complete agenda for
Tuesday's council
session>
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM
THE EDITOR
"Technical
difficulties" blocked
school-board telecast
We've
gotten dependent on the
live-streaming of meetings
of our local governing
boards. It's a positive
product of the COVID-19
pandemic. But the new
service comes with risks,
as we experienced again
this week when Tuesday's
monthly meeting of the
Board of Education didn't
show up on the schools'
YouTube channel "due to
technical difficulties."
This reporter, as others,
has been relying on the
telecasts for a couple of
reasons:
(1) The school board's
meeting room is small.
Tables along the side
walls are now occupied by
staff. A table for us
"media" folks sits at the
back of the room where
visibility and listening
are less than ideal.
(2) Watching the
proceedings remotely gives
us much better audio and
enables us to rewind
segments of the meeting to
verify our understanding
of what's going on. (All
the board's regular
meetings are archived for
viewing later on.)
Those reasons also apply
to meetings of the County
Commissioners, who also
meet in cramped quarters
inside the Courthouse.
By the way, numbers posted
on the schools' YouTube
site show that the board's
meeting on April 8 got
1,445 views while the
March 11 session drew an
astounding 3,179. Wonder
how many of those were
school employees,
especially teachers, who
aren't able to attend
board sessions in person.
The Town of Smithfield,
meanwhile, ought to step
up and start
live-streaming its council
meetings but continues to
record them for re-playing
on the town's YouTube
channel after the fact. As
a result, this reporter
plans on attending council
meetings in person. (And
that remains the preferred
method for covering local
government in all
circumstances.)
This week's announcement
that the school board's
meeting would not be
televised included the
statement that "minutes
will be available online
once approved by the Board
of Education" – a process
that won't be finished
till next month's meeting
on the 10th of June.
This board, especially,
needs a back-up plan to
keep the public out of the
dark.
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