SMITHFIELD CANDIDATES LIST THEIR PRIORITIES

The thrill of
a youngster's
first catch !

The Smithfield Town Council Monday night postponed approval of a contract with low-bidder Coastline Contracting of Wilmington to give staff more time for "due diligence" regarding the company's performance for other local governments. Coastline was one of five bidders on the project. Most of the others have done previous paving for the town.

Coastline Contracting bid $1,384,572.77 to repave portions of 23 streets. The other bids ranged as high as $1.9 million. Awarding the contract will likely take place at the council's next scheduled meeting on November 18 (the council won't hold its normal first-Tuesday-of-the-month meeting since November 4 is Municipal Election Day.)

This project is the third in a recent series of major street repairs, with most of the expense being covered by appropriations from the town's General Fund surplus. Previously completed was repaving of Outlet Center Drive and South Third Street. Those two projects cost the town about $1.1 million.

Streets scheduled for repaving under the proposed contract are listed on page 149 of the agenda for the council's September 2 meeting. Town Manager said this week a portion of South Fourth Street at Spring Branch has been added to that list. 


In addition to the pending project for resurfacing numerous streets, the town's Public Works Department has been rebuilding bumpy gutters at several intersections, including this latest fix where First Street meets Riverside Drive.

State grant will fund additional officer for traffic safety

The council approved acceptance of a grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Program to cover most of the cost of adding an officer to the town's Police Department who will concentrate on enforcement of traffic-safety laws.

Police Chief Pete Hedrick said the town had sought funding for two officers. He noted in a memo to the council that the grant accepted this week will provide most of an estimated expense of $494,000 over a three-year period, with the town's share about $135,000. Included are the officer's salary and benefits, vehicle equipment, radios, and video cameras, the chief noted.

Equipment purchases for Parks & Recreation Department

The council approved bids submitted by vendors for two items:
• Ventrac boom mower and loader bucket/pallet fork attachments for $28,010 from Blade Equipment Inc. of Rock Pillar Road, Clayton.
• SCAG 61-inch mower for $14,299 from W. Landis Bullock Industrial and Contractor Supply of Smithfield.

Proclamation issued for World Pancreatic Day on Nov. 20

Mayor Andy Moore read the town's proclamation, which notes that pancreatic cancer has the "lowest five-year survival rate" among cancer cases across the nation. It states that an estimated 1,910 deaths will occur in North Carolina in 2025.
 

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During a shorter-than-usual meeting Monday evening, Johnston's County Commissioners approved an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to set up a flow-monitoring station on the Neuse River at Richardson's Bridge near the Wayne County line. That's close to the proposed site of an additional intake and treatment plant for the county's fast-growing water-delivery system.

Kim Rineer, the county's Public Utilities engineering manager, said the USGS facility will be "an incredibly important management tool" in planning and operating the envisioned Lower Neuse plant. (When it will be built hasn't been determined.)

The county will pay USGS $108,000 over five years to install, operate, and maintain the Richardson's Bridge station. Ms. Rineer said a subsequent agreement for continued operation will be required at the end of the five-year contract.

USGS currently operates monitoring stations on the Neuse River at Smithfield and Clayton, on Swift and Middle creeks in western Johnston, and on the Little River near Princeton. The county does not fund those facilities.

County's drinking water earns high marks from state

Announcement from JoCo Public Information Office

Johnston County Public Utilities has once again been recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality drinking water, earning the prestigious Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) Award from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources.

The state honored 63 water-treatment plants across North Carolina for surpassing federal and state drinking-water standards in 2024. Johnston County’s East and West treatment plants were among the select few recognized for their outstanding performance and dedication to public-health protection.

Johnston County also achieved Gold Star status, a distinction reserved for systems that have earned the AWOP Award for 10 or more consecutive years. Only 20 facilities statewide received this high honor in 2024, placing Johnston County among North Carolina’s top-performing public utilities.

It's Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Caregivers Month

The County Commissioners Monday adopted a resolution proclaiming the observance in response to an annual request from Johnston County's Register of Deeds Craig Olive, whose family includes victims of the disease. The proclamation notes that one in three senior citizens across the nation suffers from Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia, costing Americans an estimated $360 billion in 2025.
 

The Executive Committee of the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has promoted long-time Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kelly Wallace to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer.

She succeeds Mareen McGuinness, who was dismissed as CEO last week after serving in that position since April 2022.

"Kelly is uniquely positioned to lead the Chamber into its next chapter," said Board Chair Lamar Armstrong III. "As our long-time Vice President and COO – and truly a 'jack of all trades' – Kelly brings a deep understanding of our organization, our members, and our mission. With her experience and vision, we are confident she will continue to guide the Chamber’s growth and success for years to come."

Formerly the Smithfield-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce, the Triangle East Chamber emerged in 2018 when the organization's leadership decided to expand the Chamber's focus to include several of Johnston's smaller towns: Archer Lodge, Kenly, Micro, Pine Level, Princeton, and Wilson’s Mills as well as unincorporated Cleveland Township and Flowers Plantation communities.

MORE INFORMATION on the Triangle East Chamber's website>
 

Last Friday's results for Johnston County's teams:
(season's records in parenthesis)
FUQUAY-VARINA  51, SMITHFIELD-SELMA 0 (1-8)
CLEVELAND 28 (8-0), SOUTHEAST RALEIGH 10
LEESVILLE ROAD 48, CORINTH HOLDERS 10 (4-4)
PRINCETON 49 (5-3), GOLDSBORO 21
SOUTH JOHNSTON 35 (5-3), WESTERN HARNETT 0
SOUTHERN LEE 28, WEST JOHNSTON 23 (3-5)
DID NOT PLAY LAST WEEK: AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (4-4), CLAYTON (6-2), NORTH JOHNSTON (4-4)

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Halloween coming early with several public events

• "Boo Bash" at Sarah Yard Community Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. this Friday (Oct. 24), featuring food and games, a live DJ, crafts, and a costume contest. The center is located at 909 East Lee Street beside Smith-Collins Park. Admission is free of charge.

• "Trunk or Treat" at Community Park from 10:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. this Saturday (Oct. 25). The park is located off Durwood Stephenson Parkway beside the SRAC. If you want to take part by offering individually wrapped candy for 1,000 kids, call Smithfield Parks & Recreation at 919-934-2148 or e-mail tiffany.pearson@smithfield-nc.com>

• Heritage Center's "Ghost Walk" at Riverside Cemetery next Thursday (October 30) from 6 to 8 p.m. This year's performers includes a Tuscarora Bear Clan Elder portrayed by Timothy Jacobs; Dr. Calvin Jones, pioneer physician portrayed by Larry Grey; Mattie Pou, socialite and activist portrayed by Theressa Rose; Dr. Eula Powell Kyle, pioneer preservationist portrayed by Kaye Brimmage; and Myrtle Thompson Cagle, aviatrix and astronaut trainee portrayed by Darcy Dean. Aluthor James Parker will be inside the Hastings House to sign copies of his book, Ghostly North Carolina. Organists Kelley Garris, Mark Wildcherry, and Todd Johnson will offer organ music inside St. Paul’s Church, where the Brotherhood of St. Andrew will sell barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs. Admission to the guided cemetery tour is $5 for adults, $3 for students, payable at the event or online via the Heritage Center's website>
 

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

MARGOT HESTER ALLSBROOK, 86 – died October 21

MIGUEL MARTINEZ, 55 – died October 12

 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

What about those Market Street parking options?

Almost six months have gone by since NCDOT engineers presented Market Street safety-improvement options to the Town Council. A key point in those options is what to do about on-street parking: keep it on just one side of the street, or abolish it altogether. We're still awaiting a decision on what, if anything, will be done.

A post on Facebook this week by Heritage Center volunteer Lynn Johnson reminds us of a big piece of the issue: "We have such a good town. However, we also have mirror-eating events regularly on Market Street.... (where) the lanes are narrow and the 18-wheelers barrelling through get larger every year....

"We could and should post warning signs on Market Street to warn folks that side mirrors should be turned in. Perhaps the signs could be a bit humorous to attract attention – something like "Caution: mirror-eating monsters (18-wheelers) remove car mirrors regularly. Please turn your side-view mirror toward the car.”

Wrote one respondent to her post: "Perhaps be proactive and responsible for yourself? Such as pulling up on the sidewalk like the rest of the sensible people that don't want their car damaged." (That's a no-no.)

The better solution is obvious: Remove the parking along Market Street in the heart of Downtown. There's ample parking around the corner, and there could be more if a DOT suggestion to make Second and Third streets one-way for a block south of Market were put into place.

P.S. Pulling up on the curb to park along Market Street is one of Mayor Andy Moore's pet peeves. He has instructed the police chief to step up enforcement of such illegal parking, especially after recent reconstruction of decorative sidewalk borders behind the curbs that had sunk beneath the weight of parked vehicles.

EDITOR'S ADDENDUM: My pet peeve is the length of green signals for Market Street's traffic that encourage speeding despite the electronic warning signs.
 

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