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Council fills vacancy with Dr. Gettys Cohen Jr.
He faces opposition as a candidate in November's election

The Smithfield Town Council Tuesday evening appointed the retired dentist to fill out the remaining three months of the term left vacant in May by the death of Councilman Marlon Lee.

Dr. Cohen (shown in this Town of Smithfield photo as he began his new duties) was one of three who applied for the appointment. One of the other two – Felicia Baxter – has filed along with Dr. Cohen for election in November to a full term as the council's East Smithfield representative. The third – Nariman Jeff Jaminia – did not file for election.

After each of the candidates had a chance to address the council Tuesday, paper ballots produced the following result: four votes for Dr. Cohen by John Dunn, Steve Rabil, Travis Scott, and Sloan Stevens; one vote for Ms. Baxter by David Barbour. (Councilman Roger Wood was absent.) A subsequent motion to appoint Dr. Cohen was adopted 5-0.

Dr. Cohen immediately took the oath of office to fill the vacant seat until December 2, when candidates winning election November 4 will begin new four-year terms.

Industrial zoning OK'd for site near St. Ann Church
And church leaders didn't object because the developer has secured a commitment from NCDOT to install a traffic light in the vicinity, the council was told. Furthermore, the developer has increased the size of a "thickly wooded" buffer from a width of 30 feet to 100 feet between a proposed four-building warehouse park and a nearby residential neighborhood subdivision, Planning Director Stephen Wensman noted.

The council without dissent approved Light Industrial zoning for the 75.6-acre tract, located on the northeast side of US 70 Business diagonally across from the church.

Several of the nearby residents voiced objections during a public hearing continued from the council's July 15 session. Their concerns included truck noise and rainstorm runoff. Rodney Mitchell said he was "strongly opposed" to the project because it would take away farmland and woodlands. "Preserve what we grew up in," he urged.

Craig Dannegger of Chicago-based Clarius Partners, LLC told the council the project would create new jobs "probably in the 150 range." He termed his company's work "high-quality industrial development."

The site lies outside of Smithfield's corporate limits yet within the town's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction. That prompted West Smithfield's Councilman Barbour to point out that the development will pay county property taxes and buy county water and sewer services without direct financial benefit to the town. That's OK, he added, "because we're good partners with the county" when it comes to attracting new jobs.

Second SRO approved for Smithfield-Selma High
The council approved Police Chief Pete Hedrick's request to help fund employment of a second School Resource Officer to monitor SSS as well as related activities at the adjacent Recreation & Aquatics Center. Johnston County Public Schools will provide 80% of the cost including salary, benefits, and equipment. The town's share of the expense totals $71,053 over five years, the chief noted.

Four Ford Ranger trucks purchased for three departments
The council approved a $138,700 expenditure to purchase four new "Ranger-style work trucks" from Deacon Jones Ford of Clinton: two for Public Works, one for Planning, and one for Utilities. "The availability of these trucks is scare... difficult to find," noted Town Manager Mike Scott in a memo to the council. The purchases are "within budget," he added.

New connector east of town named Polecat Branch Road
The council approved the naming of a new connector from US 70 Business East to Mallard Road as "Polecat Branch Road" (the Planning staff came up with that since it parallels a stream with that name). The new road was built as part of NCDOT's massive project to reconfigure the interchange of I-95 and 70 Business. It provides a circuitous route to reach a couple of motels built 60 years ago in the southeast quadrant of the interchange, which no longer provides access directly off I-95.

 

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New year starts Monday for most of our schools
Breakfast & lunch are still free of charge for all students

With the late-August opening, Johnston County's public schools will wind up a shortened first semester before the Christmas holidays under a calendar similar to what was used this past year. As a result, the last day of school will be May 27.

And despite the threat of major federal cuts in public-school funding, Johnston County Public Schools continue to offer free breakfast and lunch for any and all students at all of its campuses. That came about last year when the U.S. Department of Agriculture decreased the threshold for its Community Eligibility Provision from 40% to 25% of a school district's total enrollment that's certified to receive free meals due to household participation in federal anti-poverty programs.

Here are some final enrollment numbers recorded by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for the 2024-25 school year:

• Johnston County Public Schools – 36,519 including 1,482 at Smithfield-Selma High, 586 at Smithfield Middle, 468 at South Smithfield Elementary, 908 at West Smithfield Elementary (where enrollment is expected to drop significantly with the opening of Swift Creek Elementary), and 521 at Wilson's Mills Elementary.

• Charter schools – 3,511 including 1,918 at American Leadership Academy Johnston, 889 at Neuse Charter School, and 704 at Clayton's Johnston Charter Academy (with grades K-8). Those schools have already begun their new year.
 

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2025-26?

• A new principal at Smithfield-Selma High: Ryan Ewell has moved from Cleveland Elementary where he has served as principal the past four years to replace Joy Bryant, who has been assigned as principal of the new Wilson's Mills High School being built to open next year.

• A new Superintendent of Schools: David Pearce is a former Johnston County principal and "jack of all trades" in his recent role as an assistant superintendent. Many others who held key administrative slots under former Superintendent Eric Bracy remain in place, including Chief Financial Officer Stephen Britt and Chief Academic Officer Anna Kuykendal.

• A brand-new school – Swift Creek Elementary: It's ready to go, bringing to 48 the number of campuses maintained by Johnston County Public Schools, including eight high schools, 13 middle schools, 25 elementary schools, and two "specialty" schools – Choice Plus Academy and Innovation Academy. In addition, two of the county's programs – the Career & Technical Leadership Academy and the Early College Academy – are operated on the campus of Johnston Community College.

Johnston's elementary schools have "mascots" even though they don't field interscholastic athletic teams. The new Swift Creek school, appropriately, has adopted "Salamanders." Others in our area are South Smithfield's "Dolphins," West Smithfield's "Eagles," and "Mustangs" at Wilson's Mills Elementary. (Dolphins in Smithfield – where did that come from?)

This year the school system has posted on its website a "Back To School Basics" portal providing all sorts of information including the 2025-26 school calendar and the recently toughened policy on students' use of cell phones and other wireless communication devices. HERE'S THE LINK>
 

Another double-digit jump in JCC enrollment

News release from Johnston Community College

JCC has once again set a new enrollment record, achieving its highest-ever curriculum headcount.

On the first day of fall-semester classes (August 11), JCC welcomed 6,513 degree-seeking students. That is a 15% increase over last fall and a 61% growth in curriculum enrollment since 2021. This marks the college’s sixth straight semester of double-digit percentage increases.

The momentum extends to high-school partnerships, with 2,038 dually enrolled students taking JCC courses this fall — a record high that reflects the college’s expanding role in preparing students for both higher education and the workforce.

"We are thrilled to welcome the largest class of new and returning students JCC has ever seen," said President Vern Lindquist. "These numbers reflect the trust our community places in us, the value of our programs, and the determination of students who are shaping their futures right here in Johnston County."

JCC’s growth is fueled by a combination of factors, including strategic investments in marketing and technology, innovative approaches to student engagement, and the continued impact of the Johnston County Commissioners’ Promise, a last-dollar scholarship program for recent high-school graduates.

"As we continue to grow and expand our services, JCC is shaping not only the futures of our students but also the future of our community," Dr. Lindquist said. "That is the true power of a community college. It’s a responsibility we proudly embrace every day."

JCC’s record enrollment highlights its mission of preparing graduates for in-demand careers while providing a strong academic foundation for university transfer.
LEARN MORE at www.johnstoncc.edu>
 

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County hikes development and wastewater fees
Smithfield's residents will see 3% increase in sewer bills

The Johnston County Board of Commissioners Monday evening adopted a higher System Development Fee for new residential subdivisions, bypassing the Utilities Department's recommendation for phasing in the increase.

Effective October 1, a developer's fee for each new house to be constructed will rise from $4,750 to $8,980. That will add 1% to the cost of a new house, said Commissioner April Stephens, a realtor who cast the only vote against the change. She preferred a phasing in of the higher fee over three years as the staff had recommended.

Commissioner Bill Stovall championed an immediate jump to the maximum fee consulting engineers have determined will be needed for water and sewer infrastructure required for new development. Mr. Stovall noted that $8 million in revenue could be "lost" by phasing in the new fee.

And that, he said, means passing on part of the cost of that new infrastructure to Johnston's current residents – counter to the board's oft-repeated pledge that "growth pays for growth."

Lurking in the background is an $800-million estimate for expanding the county's water-producing capacity for Johnston's rapidly expanding population over the next couple of decades.

Earlier during Monday's meeting, CEO Bonnie White of the Johnston County Association of Realtors said housing costs here are already "out of reach for young families" while the inventory of homes for sale in Johnston is at "a crisis-level low."

Raising the start-up System Development Fee by thousands of dollars now, she said, is especially hard on teachers, first responders, and others like them "who are forced to live in surrounding counties" where housing is more affordable.

The board's approval Monday of new utility rates includes a 3% hike in what the county charges for treating sewage from the Town of Smithfield as well as the towns of Selma, PIne Level, and Four Oaks. Effective November 1, that increase will be passed along to Smithfield's utility customers.

$506,510 spent to purchase new devices for elections
Commissioners approved purchasing 59 newer-model voting scanners and calculators from Election Systems & Software based in Omaha, Nebraska. It's an expenditure covered in this year's budget for the Johnston County Board of Elections. Director of Elections Leigh Anne Price told the Weekly Sun that the devices will replace equipment that's more than 13 years old. "It is recommended that you replace voting equipment after 10 years," she noted.

Proclamation addresses "chronically absent" students
Requested by the Partnership for Children of Johnston County, a resolution proclaiming September as "Attendance Awareness Month" was adopted by the board after commissioners got some numbers about absenteeism among elementary-school students. The Partnership's Heather Machia said recent efforts to address the issue have reduced "chronic" absenteeism at South Smithfield Elementary from 31.71% to 24.95% this past year and from 32.9% to 30.59% at West Smithfield Elementary. "Chronic" absenteeism is missing 10% or more days of school "for any reason," she explained.

New agreement for 4-H shooting range near county's landfill
The board adopted a revised agreement permitting Johnston County's 4-H program to expand its Shooting Sports Program to include archery, rifle, shotgun, and other firearms training under 4-H auspices on county property near the landfill off NC 210 west of Smithfield. The training will be scheduled for the first and third Saturdays of the month between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with additional dates for special-event practices. The program will be supervised by volunteers at no cost to the county, commissioners were told.

Two discarded ambulances donated to JCC's EMS program
The board approved donation of two of the county's older ambulances to the emergency-services program at Johnston Community College. Ryan Parker, the county's EMS director, said the vehicles – a 2017 Ford with mileage of 169,295 and a 2018 Ford with mileage of 200,272 – "do not meet current standards for emergency response" and cannot be reconditioned for service.

A second sewage "force main" to be built along Buffalo Road
Commissioners awarded a $3,270,778 contract to Sanford Contractors, Inc. to install a 16-inch sewage "force main" extending about 10,000 feet parallel to Buffalo Road from Kelly Drive southward toward Smithfield. Total cost of the project – for piping wastewater from Selma and Pine Level to the county's treatment plant on the Neuse below Smithfield – adds up to more than $4.3 million including technical services, easements, and contingencies. A 2023 state appropriation of more than $3,946,298 plus $416,906 from county revenue bonds will cover the cost.
 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

High water prompts cancellation of River Rat Regatta
Originally scheduled for August 9 because of high water in the Neuse and rescheduled for this Saturday, the 6th annual cardboard-boat won't be held this year. "With river levels currently around 13 feet and no significant drop projected before the weekend, safety must come first for all participants and spectators," the town's Parks & Recreation folks announced Wednesday afternoon. Normal depth of the Neuse as it flows by Smithfield is 4-5 feet. Hurricane Matthew's all-time record flood nine years ago reached a depth of 29.09 feet. "Flood stage" here starts at 15 feet.
Here's an updated link to real-time and historical river measurements at Smithfield>

High-school football season kicks off Friday night
Smithfield-Selma High School's football Spartans open their season at South Johnston High, but those long-time rivals are no longer in the same conference. Under this year's realignment, based on school enrollments, SSS has been bumped up into a new 7-A league that includes Clayton and Cleveland plus Fuquay-Varina, Garner, South Garner, and Southeast Raleigh. Friday's opener for SSS at South Johnston kicks off at 7 p.m. The Spartans' first home game is scheduled for September 5 versus Harnett Central.


A new online service covering high-school football

Announcement from JNOW Media

  DEATHS AND FUNERALS  
Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home:

BOBBIE KILLIAN MOONEYHAM, 94 – died August 18

WILLIAM CHAD OVERBY, 53 – died August 16

FREDDIE KEY DEVONE, 67 – died August 14

WILLIAM FLOYD HARPER SR., 73 – died August 14

MARY JEAN MOODY, 83 – died August 13

WANDA GRANT DAVIS, 72 – died August 10

 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

What's the reason for Public Comment's blackout?

More than a week has gone by and we've still not received an explanation for the blacking out of the "Public Comment" segment from the YouTube streaming of monthly meetings of the Johnston County Board of Education.

Board Chair Lyn Andrews announced at last week's meeting that the change was being made "with the advice of our legal counsel."

Although blacked out online, last week's Public Comment segment was conducted during a portion of the board's meeting that remained open to the public. In response to a follow-up e-mail from the Weekly Sun, Ms. Andrews noted: "There is no legal requirement to live-stream any portion of the meeting."

Members of the news media, including this reporter, choose to rely on the YouTube broadcast because the school board's relatively small meeting room is usually filled up with staff and citizens (who often take turns sharing the room). We media folks are assigned to a table in the back of the room where it's not easy to hear and see what's going on up front. (We do the same for meetings of the County Commissioners, who convene in an even smaller space in the Courthouse.)

Yes, we have the option to attend the school board's meetings, and now we'll have to do so in order to hear and record citizens' comments. Yet hundreds of folks are watching the board's proceedings online each month, and I suspect many of them are teachers and other school employees whose work schedules preclude their attendance in person.

What's more, those YouTube broadcasts are archived so any Internet user can watch the proceedings at their convenience. What a boost for government transparency!

Citizens who address the school board are given just three minutes to present their thoughts, and the board's chair can stop them at any point if they're getting out of line with slanderous comments – certainly a legal pitfall to be avoided.

Until this matter came up, I didn't know there's a state law requiring local governing boards to hold a Public Comment segment during their meetings at least once a month. Perhaps the N.C. Open Meetings Law needs another amendment to require live-streaming of all public sessions of our governing boards and their committees.

P.S. The archived YouTube videos carry up-to-date numbers of viewers. As of Wednesday of this week, more than 800 views have been registered for the school board's August 12 meeting. Viewings surpassed 2,400 for the board's July monthly meeting and the June meeting as well.
 

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