Stadium project still alive despite objections
Split Town Council mulls options behind closed doors

With two of its members absent, the Smithfield Town Council Tuesday night came close to putting a halt on construction of the stadium being built for the former Wilson Tobs summer-league baseball team.

An impasse on approving budgetary and financing documents for the project resulted in a closed session that continued until 11:30 p.m. A decision was postponed to the council's next scheduled meeting September 15.

Once again it was Councilor Travis Scott who led objections to continuing with the project because of its revised cost, which has ballooned from $6 million to almost $16.3 million. He was joined last month by councilors Gettys Cohen and Doris Wallace against continuing the project. Mayor Andy Moore broke a 3-3 tie vote in favor of moving forward.

Steve Rabil, who was among the three council members who supported continuation last month, was absent on Tuesday, leaving John Dunn and Sloan Stevens the only council supporters present (Roger Wood remains on medical leave until November). A 3-2 vote of councilors present would not have required the mayor to break the tie.

"We need to renegotiate the contract," Councilor Scott declared during Tuesday's discussion. "I still think we can make this work," he said, but "it's absolutely too expensive" as things now stand.

"I hope we haven't come this far to squash the project," responded Mayor Moore. "My fear is if we don't move forward we will lose funding" from sources beyond the town's contribution "and future funding for parks and recreation," he added. (Grants for the stadium currently include $2 million from the County of Johnston, $1 million from the state, and $500,000 from Johnston's Tourism Authority.)

Responding to the council's concerns about lawsuits if contracts related to the stadium are canceled, Mr. Moore predicted: "If we get sued it will cost us much more than this (the current project) and we don't have anything to show for it."

The Town Council approved a contract with Muter Construction of Zebulon last November that set a "guaranteed maximum price" of $6 million for the stadium's first phase. That was based on construction on a portion of Community Park beside Buffalo Road.

A revised construction estimate of $10,772,752 came to light last month after the council moved the stadium site to undeveloped woodland adjacent to Community Park behind Smithfield-Selma High School that had recently been donated to the town as a trade-off for approval of a 170-lot residential subdivision nearby that's presently under construction.

A second phase providing stadium amenities is estimated to cost $5,525,999.

Before the council Tuesday were two items related to the project's financing:
• A budget amendment to appropriate $3,272,752 from the town's General Fund Balance to help cover the additional expense of the project's first phase.
• An amendment to the town's Capital Project Ordinance accounting for the Fund Balance contribution plus a $1-million state grant to cover the $4,272,752 addition to the original $6-million construction budget.

Councilor Scott made a motion not to approve either of those items; Councilor Wallace seconded. During the discussion that followed the motion was withdrawn when council members agreed to hash out the town's options in closed session. No decisions were forthcoming, leaving the matter unsettled until the council's September 15 meeting.

2% electric-rate increase likely next month
The council received a report Tuesday from a consultant who recommended 2% increases in the town's electric rates over the next three years followed by increases of 3% over the following two years to meet rising costs of providing power service. As a result, the council will consider raising the town's rates following a public hearing October 6. More details in a story published by the JoCo Report>

Developers required to pay for power hook-ups
The council amended its Electric Connection Policy to require real-estate developers to front the cost of extending the town's electrical service to new subdivisions. Utilities Director Ted Credle said that has been the town's policy in recent years but recommended it be formalized in the town's Code of Ordinances.

Employee meal-reimbursements increased
The council amended the town's travel policy for employees regarding authorizations and meal reimbursements. From now on, the mayor rather than the finance director will approve out-of-state travel for the town manager while travel by council members must be approved by vote of the council rather than the town manager. Reimbursements for meals are being increased in line with federal rates: for breakfast – $16, up from $8; lunch – $19, up from $11; dinner – $28, up from $18.

Street to be shut down for new restaurant work
The council authorized the temporary closing of a portion of Johnston Street between Third Street and the Courthouse from 6 a.m. till 2 p.m. this Saturday so new heating and air-conditioning units may be installed by crane on the roof of the Victory Steak House nearing completion across from the former Howell Theatre.
 

Under construction at the south end of the main campus of Johnston Community College beside I-95 at Smithfield is a project to expand and renovate Public Safety and Health Care training facilities (shown here in an architect's rendering).

$30-million county bond issue boosting
Public Safety and Health training at JCC

Story from Johnston Community College

Johnston Community College is moving forward with three major campus projects funded by the $30-million bond issue approved by Johnston County voters in 2024.

The projects include a significant expansion of JCC’s Public Safety training facilities, renovations and an addition to the Elsee Building, and renovations to the Britt Building. Together, these improvements will expand hands-on training opportunities, modernize instructional spaces, and help JCC respond to the educational and workforce needs of a rapidly growing county.

“The work made possible by this historic bond referendum represents a tremendous investment in Johnston County’s students, workforce, and future,” said JCC President Vern Lindquist. “We are deeply grateful to the voters of Johnston County, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners, and our community partners for recognizing the essential role the College plays in preparing our students for the regional workforce.”

The largest portion of the bond funding, approximately $23 million, is supporting a multi-phase expansion of JCC’s Public Safety training facilities.

Phase One, which began June 1, includes the replacement and expansion of the Public Safety Building parking lot and a 600-by-600-foot concrete driver-training pad for emergency-vehicle operation and scenario-based training exercises. It will provide a controlled environment in which students and public-safety professionals can develop and strengthen critical emergency-driving and response skills.

Additional components of the Public Safety project include new apparatus and a classroom building with bays for storing fire equipment, instructional space and areas for maintenance training, and a three-story “burn” building designed to support realistic, hands-on emergency-response exercises.

Approximately $4.5 million dollars in bond funding is supporting renovations and a new front addition to the Elsee Building, which houses JCC’s Nurse Aide and other programs. The project is expected to be completed by this December.

The bond also provided approximately $2.5-million for renovations to the Britt Building, which is home to the JCC’s growing Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology program and will allow Emergency Medical Services and a new Respiratory Therapy program to expand into the same building.

“These improvements are about more than buildings,” President Lindquist said. “They will help JCC serve a growing county and growing student enrollment, which has increased 72 percent in the last five years.”

That enrollment growth has added approximately $42 million in state funding to Johnston Community College’s budget.
 

The Partnership for Children of Johnston County has helped provide 21,000 free books to pre-school children through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Since its establishment in 1995, the Imagination Library has mailed more than a million books each month to children in five countries.

The State of North Carolina invests $7 million annually to help families access free books and early literacy support through non-profits like the Partnership for Children of Johnston County. LEARN MORE about the local campaign>

Johnston native to autograph new children's book

The Johnston County Museum at 329 East Market Street in Downtown Smithfield will host children's author Emma L. Price from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday to introduce her latest work, The Perfect Gift – Something Special, a children's coloring and activity book (the first five children to arrive will receive a free copy). Ms. Price is a local native who has spent many years as an educator and advocate for literacy and reading in Los Angeles. The late Lucy Penny Washington, a Heritage Center docent, was her cousin.
 

Public Library encouraging card sign-ups this month

This September the Public Library of Johnston County & Smithfield (PLJCS) joins libraries nationwide in celebrating "Library Card Sign-Up Month." An initiative of the American Library Association, this year’s theme – “A Library Card Hits All the Right Notes” – is a reminder that libraries offer something for everyone no matter what age, background, or goals.

While a library card is not required to attend the library’s programs or classes, registered card holders gain free access to an extensive list of resources, including:
• Books, movies on DVD, audiobooks on CD, and Wonderbooks.
• E-books and audiobooks through the Libby app.
• NC LIVE digital resources, including research databases, language learning, career development tools, genealogy resources, and more.
• Technology lending, including hotspots and e-readers.
• Nature-themed backpacks, pickleball sets, and book-club kits.
 

Cornell Cox recorded 5.1 inches of rain during August at his unofficial Backyard Weather Station in South Smithfield. That's in line with normal rainfall for the month
but we're still 4.17 inches below average for the first eight months of the year. According to U.S. Climate Data, rainfall at Smithfield usually amounts to 34.26 inches January-August; this year 30.09 inches has been recorded by Mr. Cox.
 

Johnston's jobless rate below state, national rates

The N.C. Department of Commerce reports that 126,140 Johnstonians were on the job in July while 4,155 were unemployed, producing a jobless rate of 3.2% for the month. The statewide jobless rate in July was 3.6%; the national rate 4.1%. For March, the state's report showed 126,517 Johnstonians held jobs – a record number – with an unemployment rate of 3.0% for the month.
 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Labor Day Monday; County Commissioners meet Tuesday
Because of Monday's Labor Day holiday for all government agencies and services, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners will meet twice on Tuesday instead of its regular first-Monday sessions:
• During its 10 a.m. session the board will confer its second "Cypress Legacy Award" upon retired Army Colonel Rudy Baker and consider a request for $330,000 to help the Triangle Land Conservancy acquire 48 acres for a future segment of the Neuse River Trail near the Portofino subdivision between Wilson's Mills and Clayton.
VIEW details of the agenda for the morning session>
• During its 6 p.m. session the board will hold a public hearing on a single rezoning request involving acreage on Cornwallis Road in Cleveland Township.
VIEW details of the agenda for the evening session>

School board's monthly session next Tuesday evening
The Johnston County Board of Education will convene at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the schools' headquarters on US 70 Business east of I-95. The meeting normally begins with a closed session followed by the open business session about an hour later. VIEW the agenda once it's posted>

County to host first of two UDO public sessions next week
The first of two drop-in sessions on Johnston County’s proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is scheduled for next Wednesday (Sept. 9), at the Johnston County Agricultural Center at 2736 N.C. 210, Smithfield. Johnston County residents may drop in any time between 6 and 8 p.m. to learn about the latest UDO revisions. County staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions. A second drop-in session will be held Wednesday, September 23 in the lobby of the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium at Johnston Community College. The latest draft of the UDO was posted this week at johnstonnc.gov/planning>

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

BRONNIE EDWARDS, 71 – died August 27

JOHN B. CROCKER, 78– died August 24

EVERETT LEROY SMITH, 92 – died August 21

JAMES TAYLOR JOLLIFF III, 72 – died August 17
 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR

A history lesson about the Neuse River's behavior

Have you taken a walk lately along the greenway trail beside the Neuse River at Smithfield? If not, you should check out the artistic addition shown above that features a graphic illustrating the river's "Rising Crests" over the years.

Artist Magen Pike has turned "Smithfield's flood history into art, using colorful lines to show the historical water levels of the Neuse River during 13 significant flood events," notes a Facebook post from the Downtown Development office.

Three of the river's record-setting floods occurred over the past quarter century – from hurricanes Fran (September 1996), Floyd (September 1999), and Matthew (October 2016) which produced the all-time record at 29.09 feet measured by the NOAA gauging device near the Market Street bridge (the normal river depth here is between 4 and 5 feet).

The interesting thing about our river flooding is that it's a direct result of runoff from rainstorms upstream. The river collects water in a basin that extends beyond Raleigh to the northwest, and much of that runoff enters the river from streams below Falls Lake, which often gets blamed for rising river levels here. (The Corps of Engineers controls the volume of water released by the Falls Lake dam but has no control over downstream contributors.)

There's a website with real-time river readings at Smithfield plus historical flood information that's provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Here's the link to it>
 

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You'll find it in the Weekly Sun archives>