NO-PARKING SIGNS INSTALLED ALONG MARKET

County to acquire 300 acres for multi-use park
at former Rose Dairy site off Devil's Racetrack Road

And it's already paid for, thanks to the Triangle Land Conservancy, which purchased the property a year ago for $3.3 million. TLC intends to donate the 300 acres to the County of Johnston in the near future. In return, the county has plans to turn the site into a public park suitable for a variety of activities.

Adrian O'Neal, the county's parks and open-space coordinator, points out that the county can take credit for about $1 million of the purchase expense. Johnston's County Commissioners have approved budgeted contributions to TLC totaling $1,895,000 over the past two years. Much of that money is being used by TLC for farmland preservation.

Commissioners last week approved a short-term lease agreement with TLC so it can begin making improvements to the future park site. That includes converting a vacated residence on the property into temporary headquarters for the county's emerging parks and recreation program.

The former Rose Dairy barn pictured below is likely to be renovated into the department's permanent headquarters, which would include a visitors center, Mr. O'Neal told the Weekly Sun during a tour of the premises last week.

PHOTOS showing other potential uses of the property on the FEATURE PAGE>


Rose Dairy was one of several small milk producers operating in Johnston County during the middle part of the 20th Century. It was set up on the farm that had been purchased by H.V. (Hershel) Rose in 1939.
 

The Johnston County Board of Education received two upbeat financial reports during Tuesday's monthly meeting – one from an independent auditor, the other from the school's chief of finance. 

CPA Adam Scepurek of the accounting firm Anderson Smith & Wike told the board his annual report is "pretty boring" yet "what you wanted to hear" since his firm's review detected "no budget violations" as Johnston County Public Schools ended its fiscal year last June 30 with a General Fund Balance just over $14 million – an increase of $987,000 over the previous year.

Mr. Scepurek said that's "about as close to break even as you can get" for an overall financial statement of about $567 million. "That's exactly what you expected," and also "what the county expects," he told the board.

One thing that needs watching, the auditor emphasized, is the Child Nutrition Fund. Johnston's schools as a whole are operating in the red when it comes to providing free breakfast and lunch for all students, he noted. Fortunately, because of increased federal aid resulting from the COVID pandemic, Johnston's Child Nutrition Fund still has "a little bit of a safety net for a handful of years," he added.

Later on during Tuesday's meeting, Chief of Finance Stephen Britt presented by video a mid-year report on the schools' 2025-26 budget. "Current trends show we're going to break even overall," he said – a projection in line with last year's "break even" performance.

Mr. Britt said the financial condition of Johnston's school system remains better than most others across the state. One factor contributing to that, he said, is Johnston's "modest" growth in student enrollment despite a statewide decline (previously reported in the Weekly Sun). Another factor, he added, has been "strong support" from Johnston's County Commissioners regarding local funding of schools.

Mr. Britt also credited staff for Johnston's sound financial position. "Last year we didn't have a single school or department that went over budget," he reported.
 

Stephen Wensman, the Town of Smithfield's director of planning since 2017, began work this week as the Town of Rolesville's planning director. Rolesville, north of Johnston County, is one of Wake County's fast-growing suburban municipalities.

Rolesville's Facebook page cited Mr. Wensman's role in Smithfield's "efforts to position the town for sustainable growth while enhancing community engagement." Last Friday was his last day on the job here. (No mention of his leaving was noted during last week's meeting of the Smithfield Town Council.)

Town Manager Mike Scott said one of Mr. Wensman's assistants, Micah Woodard, is filling the vacancy while the town considers naming the next planning director. "Micah is well respected and has been providing information at Planning Board meetings for a while now," Mr. Scott told the Weekly Sun.

Meanwhile, the town's Finance Director Andrew Harris has left his post "to take another position with another organization," Mr. Scott reported. Former Finance Director Greg Siler, who retired last year, "has returned to assist us until we have a permanent solution," the town manager noted.

Vacancies remain on several advisory boards

The town is advertising for candidates to fill the following positions:
• Planning Board – one in-town member.
• Appearance Commission – two vacancies.
• Historic Preservation Commission – two vacancies.
• Recreation Advisory Committee – three vacancies and one high-school liaison.
Interested citizens can download an "Application for Board Appointment" on the town's website or call Town Clerk Elaine Andrews at 919-934-2116 to request an application form by mail.

ORDERED TWO YEARS AGO, NEW FIRE TRUCK HERE AT LAST

The Smithfield Fire Department took delivery of an $890,000 fire engine last week after a two-year delay related to a national manufacturing production backlog. The town had set aside funding for the purchase over three budget years, noted Town Manager Mike Scott. The new engine is equipped with a 1,000-gallon water tank and a 1,500-gallons-per-minute pump. It replaces a 1992 model that had experienced mechanical issues as it neared the end of its service life, noted Fire Chief Jeremey Daughtry. (JoCo Report photo)
 

The Smithfield-based Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign collected $91,968.94 prior to Christmas last month, but after expenses the amount left for helping folks in need was $71,752.11 – down from $72,006.66 a year ago.

"We had more volunteers this year but giving was down across the board," reports Lieutenant Christopher Rawls.

The campaign's main expense is the hiring of bell ringers when volunteers aren't available. Mr. Rawls said hiring ringers "gives them hope throughout the season as they are allowed to pay bills, buy Christmas gifts, and become independent."

"It's my deepest joy to see my bell ringers succeed. They are a big reason we can raise as much money as we do," he continued. "I don't think the average person could do what they do during the bell-ringing season."


Among volunteer bell ringers during the recent campaign were Carol Massenburg Spence (left) and Lynn Ragsdale of Delta Kappa Gamma's Johnston County chapter made up of both active and retired women educators. (Photo from Sonya Kiser)
 

• This week – start of mailing of absentee ballots to voters who've requested them.
• February 6 – voter registration deadline (except for military and overseas voters).
• February 12 – in-person early voting begins, along with same-day voter registration.
• February 17 – last day for absentee ballot requests.
• February 28 – early voting ends at 3 p.m.
• March 3 – absentee-ballot return deadline at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
MORE information on Johnston County Board of Elections website>
 

Johnston Community College has released the names of students who qualified for the fall semester's President's List and Honor Roll. VIEW complete announcement>
 

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 WHAT'S COMING UP 

This Monday is Martin Luther King government holiday
While it is an official federal holiday on the third Monday in January, in North Carolina state, county, and municipal offices will also be closed for the day. The Johnston County NAACP's annual MLK Jr. Parade in Smithfield is scheduled for the following Saturday, January 24 starting at 11 a.m. on Market Street.

County Commissioners to conduct UDO hearing Tuesday
Because of the MLK holiday, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners will hold its monthly third-Monday session at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Courthouse. The agenda includes a public hearing on the final version of a revised Unified Development Ordinance. VIEW complete agenda>

Town Council to hear businesses' special-use requests
At its regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Smithfield's Town Council will hold public hearings on two requests for special-use permits: (1) Adrenaline Designs wants to operate a tattoo establishment at 1247 North Bright Leaf Boulevard in the Centre Pointe Plaza shopping center; (2) Aruza Pest Control, Inc. wants to base its exterminating business at 1338-A North Bright Leaf Boulevard. Also, the council will be asked to appoint Assistant Town Manager Kim Pickett as Interim Town Manager following the retirement of Mike Scott at month's end. VIEW complete agenda>
 

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

 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

Here's what our schools' calendar should look like

Our Board of Education this week adopted the 2026-27 calendar for high-school programs based at Johnston Community College. It's the framework that ought to be in place for all of the county's public schools yet remains blocked by a state law that puts profits above students.

The calendar approved Tuesday for Johnston's Early College Academy (ECA) and Career & Technical Leadership Academy (CTLA) starts the coming year's classes on August 10 – two weeks sooner than the starting date for Johnston's traditional public schools. While both calendars finish the first semester before Christmas, the version for our traditional schools cuts two weeks off the fall semester.

The earlier starting date for the ECA and CTLA programs is permitted as an exception to the state law so their class schedules can align with JCC's calendar.

Meanwhile, public-school systems across North Carolina have been screaming for "local control" of their schedules for two decades now, yet the leadership of our General Assembly refuses to allow it as they protect the interests of coastal tourism, which insists on keeping students out of school through most of August.

I don't get the logic when you figure that earlier school openings guarantee earlier school closings, in effect allowing the same number of weeks for summer vacations.

But then, it's what we should expect from a political system that too often stacks the deck in favor of special interests over what's best for the public as a whole.
 

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