Here's a rendering of the mural to be mounted on a wall at 134 South Third Street.

Smithfield to honor its Tuscarora Indian roots

With a $10,000 state grant to Johnston County's Committee for America 250NC, the Greensboro artist who painted the mural on an outside wall at the Ava Gardner Museum will create a large mural honoring this region's Tuscarora Indian heritage on a wall next to the Courthouse on South Third Street.

Todd Johnson, director of the Johnston County Heritage Center, provided the historical justification for the work at Tuesday's meeting of the Smithfield Town Council, which granted its official approval of the project.

Mr. Johnson read from a book published in 1805 that included "blurbs" about every town in the U.S.A. in existence at the time. It described Smithfield as "handsomely situated on the Neuse River at the head of boat navigation... built on the site of a considerable Indian village called Neuse."

The book went on to note that an "Indian burial place" originally 16 feet high in the center of Smithfield "contains large quantities of human bones but people have so often dug into it in search of shells, beads, pipes, etc. that its height is now reduced to about five feet."

Mr. Johnson said the mural will be painted on canvas attached to the north-facing wall of a building at 134 South Third Street that's owned by David Johnson (no relation to Todd), who has given permission for the artwork to be done there.

A rendering of the mural was displayed during Tuesday's presentation, but it's not the final product. Todd Johnson said a bear and a turtle will be added to the items depicted. "Our Tuscarora friends say those were two elements that were very important to Tuscarora culture," he explained.

Brian Lewis, the muralist, is tentatively scheduled to start his work September 18 and finish up in about a week, Mr. Johnson said.

The project is linked to next year's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that was adopted on the Fourth of July in 1776. The Town of Smithfield was chartered by the newly established N.C. General Assembly just one year later – on May 9, 1777.


Town to get bids on 23 street-resurfacing projects

The council authorized staff to solicit bids from contractors for the repaving of 23 segments of town-maintained streets. The town has budgeted $2 million from its General Fund Balance in addition to its usual annual allocation of about $400,000 from the state for street maintenance.

Here's the list of streets to be considered for the resurfacing contract:
Blocks 399 to 100 of N. Fourth Street to Market Street.
Blocks 499 to 199 of N. Fifth Street to Market Street.
Blocks 100 to 399 of E. Johnston Street to Fourth Street.
Blocks 100 to 399 of S. Second Street to Riverside Drive.
Blocks 500 to 799 of S. Fifth Street to US 301.
Blocks 800 to 1999 of S. Fifth Street to Brogden Road.
Block 100 of Wellons Street to Second Street.
Blocks 200 to 499 of Sanders Street to Vermont Street.
Blocks 900 to 1200 of S. First Street to Sanders Street.
Blocks 900 to 1200 of Vermont Street to Sanders Street.
All of Underwood Avenue to the end.
All of Carolina Avenue to the end.
Blocks of Blount Street to Midway Street or to 301 (sic).
Blocks 800 to 899 of Midway Street to West Avenue.
Blocks 800 to 1000 of Third Avenue to West Avenue.
Blocks 800 to 999 of West Street to North Avenue.
Block 400 of MLK Drive to College Road or to Brogden Road.
E. Lee Street to MLK Drive.
Blocks of Afton Lane to Brookwood Drive.
All of N. Roderick Drive.
All of Milton Drive.
All of N. Rogers Drive.
Block 300 of S. Fourth Street (Church to Woodall).


New speed bumps in place at Smith-Collins Park
Their installation at a crosswalk on Martin Luther King Drive between the park and the Eva Ennis Splash Pad fulfills one of the last requests of the late Councilman Marlon Lee, who passed away in May. Based on the tire skid, it appears at last one motorist wasn't paying much attention to the warning signs in place there.

New street sweeper and knuckleboom truck purchased
The Town Council Tuesday approved $289,500 for a 2025 Bucher Municipal City Cat street sweeper from Southern Vac and $215,007 for a 2026 Lilley International knuckleboom loader truck from Carolina Environmental Systems, Inc. Both are for the Public Works Department's Sanitation Division, and both purchases are within the town's budgeted amounts for the equipment.

Two more annexations on the northwest side of town
The council approved voluntary annexation of 18.1 undeveloped acres next to Poplar Creek north of Barbour Road and scheduled a September 16 public hearing on a request from E&F Properties, Inc. for voluntary annexation of 498 acres on Wilson's Mills Road at Lee-Youngblood Road where a subdivision with 1,147 dwelling units is being planned.
 

County delays new stormwater rules till January 1
Timing linked to adoption of Unified Development Ordinance

Heeding a last-minute request from real-estate developers, Johnston's County Commissioners have delayed the effective date of a revised Stormwater Management Ordinance from November 1 until January 1.

Proposed new rules have been publicized since the first of the year, and commissioners conducted a public hearing on the revisions last month that produced no objections. However, over the past week or so commissioners and staff have been asked to delay the effective date.

The proposed rule changes will only apply to properties located outside the jurisdiction of Johnston's municipalities.

During Tuesday morning's board meeting, Adam Kingsley of the Johnston County Building Industry Association told commissioners his organization "didn't get the word out" and, as a result, "not a lot of feedback" has been heard from developers about the new rules.

James Lipscomb, a Clayton-based developer, complained that more stringent stormwater control measures for large new subdivisions could add $8,000 to $25,000 to the cost of a lot. Furthermore, maintenance expenses associated with those controls, he said, could "easily" lead to a doubling of fees charged by homeowners' associations (commonly known as HOAs).

Commissioners' Chairman Butch Lawter suggested delaying the new rules until the county adopts its new Unified Development Ordinance, which has been in the making for several years now with a goal of adoption by January 1.

At the end of Tuesday's discussion, commissioners voted 4-3 to make January 1 the effective date of the new stormwater ordinance. Chairman Lawter joined Patrick Harris and April Stephens in opposition after Ms. Stephens wondered if an effective date so soon after the year-end holidays would put an undue burden on county staff as developers rush to file subdivision plans under the expiring rules.

Commissioner Ted Godwin's motion in favor of the January effective date was supported by Michelle Pace Davis, Mike Rose, and Bill Stovall.

Chandra Farmer, the county's utilities director, said the new stormwater ordinance was crafted to bring the county into compliance with the state's rules for the Neuse River Basin as well as standards set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

She said new residential subdivisions with fewer than 20 lots are basically exempt from the new rules, and rural property owners in most cases will be able to have as much as 6,000 square feet of "built upon area" before stormwater control measures are required.

With more stringent stormwater rules for large developments, Ms. Farmer said the new ordinance eliminates the county's Land Dedication Program where developers have reserved acreage as open space or paid into a fund in lieu of such set-asides. That money has largely gone to land-preservation trusts like the Triangle Land Conservancy, she said. About $200,000 presently remains in that fund, she added.

Several commissioners expressed concerns about HOAs that are less than diligent in maintaining required stormwater ponds and other control measures. "HOAs are not doing what they're supposed to be doing," observed Commissioner Harris.

Ms. Farmer said the county has recently added a staff inspector who will focus on policing property owners' compliance with the new rules.
 

County Transportation Plan's adoption postponed

The county's updated Comprehensive Transportation Plan was ready for adoption Tuesday but commissioners postponed action to give the public one last chance to register their opinions regarding proposed improvements to roads, bicycle and walking trails, rail and public transit, and aviation.

That decision followed a public hearing Monday evening that brought forward only a couple of citizens to comment. One of them was Jeff Holland, a developer with plans for a 10-unit subdivision for disabled residents on a site across from West Smithfield's Amazon distribution center.

"They're typically not a driving population," he said of the project's potential residents, and therefore would be in need of transit services that receive minimal mention in the county's new plan.

The plan includes project recommendations without timelines or cost estimates. "Funding for this plan is a big question mark," observed Commissioner Bill Stovall.

Chairman Butch Lawter pointed out that the plan's adoption will put the county in a more competitive position for winning state and federal approval of funding for specific construction projects.

Here's a rundown of Smithfield-area projects listed in the county's plan:

Road recommendations:
• Buffalo Road "modernization" from Smithfield northward to US 70.
• US 70 Business center-turn lane from I-95 eastward to US. 70.
• "West Smithfield Connector" – new roadway from US 70 Business to NC 210.
• NC 210 "modernization" from Smithfield westward to Lassiter Pond Road.
• Cleveland Road/Swift Creek Road roundabout.
• US 301 widening from Smithfield southward to I-95.
• US 301/701/NC96/I-95 intersection realignment with roundabouts.
• Swift Creek Road/Strickland Road roundabout.
• Galilee Road/Packing Plant Road roundabout.

Bicycle/pedestrian recommendations:
• Neuse River Trail from Smithfield to Clayton (tentative routing).
• East Coast Greenway from Smithfield to Benson (tentative routing).

Johnston Regional Airport Master Plan projects, with years and cost estimates:
• New location for maintenance facility – 2025; $2,280,000.
• Access road and parking lot expansion – 2025; $2,297,100.
• Self-service fuel farm – 2029; $513,000.
• Runway extension to 6,200 feet – 2032; $29,070,000.
• Expansion of north parking lots – 2037; $570,000.
• New access road east side of airport – 2040; $1,824,000.
• Air traffic-control tower – TBD; TBD (To Be Determined).

Link to county's website for the Comprehensive Transportation Plan>

Larger water pipe OK'd for Neuse bridge replacement
Commissioners approved spending $2,148,681 to replace a 16-inch pipeline with a line of 36-inch diameter as part of the NCDOT project to replace the US 301 bridge over the Neuse River. Utilities Director Farmer recommended the larger line connecting Four Oaks to Smithfield funded by county System Development Fees collected from builders of new residential subdivisions.

Several new appointments confirmed by written ballots
Commissioners appointed new members to a couple of administrative bodies by written ballots because there were more applicants than positions available:
• Voluntary Agricultural District Advisory Board – Paul H. (Sonny) Howard Jr. of Smithfield and Kim LeQuire of Worley Road, Princeton.
• I-95 I-40 Economic Development Alliance – Bryan E. Parker of Benson.
 

August brought 7.30 inches of rainfall to Cornell Cox's Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield – the third month in a row of above-average precipitation here. June produced 7.79 inches, July 6.47. Adding the August total, we've had 38.55 inches since the first of 2025. Average rainfall for Smithfield during the first eight months of the year is 34.26 inches, according to U.S. Climate Data>
 

 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL REPORT 

Last week's results for Johnston County teams
(Season's record in parenthesis)
WEST JOHNSTON 26 (1-1), SMITHFIELD-SELMA 0 (0-2)
AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 54 (2-0), BARTLETT YANCEY 46
CLAYTON 49 (2-0), SOUTHERN NASH 14
CLEVELAND 52 (2-0), CORINTH HOLDERS 13 (1-1)
NORTH JOHNSTON 35 (2-0), HOLMES 34
EAST DUPLIN 42, PRINCETON 20 (1-1)
FIKE 20, SOUTH JOHNSTON 17 (1-1)
For game summaries and schedules, visit JoCoSports.com>
 

FOR SALE AT 806 SOUTH FIRST STREET, SMITHFIELD

Lovely custom-built home on large landscaped lot.
4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, huge kitchen, two-car garage, brick exterior, big back deck with hot tub. 3,640 sq. ft. plus bonus room.  $559,900  MLS#10086983  (Photo by ShowSpaces Photography)

SUSAN LASSITER • Long & Foster Real Estate • 919-669-9235

"Fall Fridays" concert series offered at amphitheater
An all-female "tribute to AC/DC" band named Shoot To Thrill is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. this Friday in the first of a monthly free-admission concert series. Next up are the Catalinas on October 3 and Love Tribe on November 7. Smithfield Parks & Recreation is hosting the series at the Neuse River Amphitheater on Front Street.

Board of Education's monthly meeting this Tuesday
The Johnston County Board of Education will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the school system's headquarters on US 70 Business east of Smithfield.
VIEW the agenda once it's posted (usually on Friday afternoon)>

Annual 9/11 observance at SSS next Thursday morning
Smithfield-Selma High School's annual tradition is staged in honor of "the bravery and sacrifice of first responders" and in memory of "all those who perished from the attacks of September 11, 2001." The school's ROTC program along with the Fire Science Academy and Choral / Music Program are hosting the event in the SSS bus-parking lot at 7:35 a.m. next Thursday.
 

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

MAUDE ADAMS DAUGHTRY, 90 – died September 2

SUE WOOD FERGUSON, 86 – died September 1

NORMAN DOUGLAS COE, 86– died August 29

MARY ANN STALLINGS FARRIOR, 85 – died August 23
 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Looks like a baseball "transfer portal" in play

Smithfield may be the beneficiary of a baseball "domino effect" that began with the coming year's move of the Carolina Mudcats professional team from Five County Stadium near Zebulon to a brand-new stadium in Downtown Wilson.

The Johnstonian-News (part of a Wilson-based newspaper chain) reported this week that Smithfield is one of several places under consideration for relocation of the Wilson Tobs, a collegiate summer-league team that apparently isn't too keen about sharing the baseball spotlight with the Mudcats, to be re-branded in Wilson as the "Warbirds." (The new stadium, by the way, is across the street from Wilson's Vollis Simpson Whirlygig Park.)

The newspaper report about the potential moving of the Tobs discloses negotiations involving the Town of Smithfield and the County of Johnston over financial commitments that could amount to $3 million from each. Obviously, those discussions have taken place behind closed doors as neither the Town Council nor the County Commissioners have discussed the deal during their open meetings.

Where might the team play in Smithfield? The former American Legion field off North Bright Leaf Boulevard is a logical choice, although it hasn't been used for baseball since Smithfield's Post 132 gave up running a Legion baseball team some years ago. That field is presently owned by the Johnston Community College Foundation.

Smithfield's Legion Field has been a home for more than Legion baseball. Back in the late 1940s it hosted the Smithfield-Selma Leafs, a professional baseball team that competed in the Class D Tobacco State League. Also during that era, Legion Field was the site of the annual rivalry game between the football teams from the separate all-white high schools at Smithfield and Selma – a spectacle that drew large crowds as it was played on Thanksgiving Day!

If Smithfield does land Wilson's collegiate-level team with a tobacco-themed nickname, wouldn't it be appropriate to resurrect the Leafs? That's a name inspired by "bright leaf tobacco," which is also the basis for the name of the US 301 boulevard that runs near the old ballpark.

The big question is whether this venture is worth a multi-million-dollar investment by the town as well as the county in light of other pressing capital needs facing both of our local governments.
 

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