Ultra-fast internet headed to Wake Forest

Wake Forest could become the first fiber-network ultra-fast internet town in the Triangle if negotiations underway between the town and RST Fiber are successful. “It looks like it’s going to happen,” Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell said Tuesday when asked about the negotiations and fast internet for town residents and businesses. Later Tuesday RST’s CEO and founder, Dan Limerick, who was on the West Coast, said, “Things are moving forward rapidly in Wake Forest and the city officials and RST should be finalizing a plan soon to bring ‘State of the Art’ broadband to your area. Stay tuned.” It is all happening as fast as the fiber network itself. Discussions about a fiber network for the town began in January, the town board appointed seven people to a task force in February, and last week Limerick, came to town with CTO Randy Revels for a lengthy meeting at the same

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Bridge replacement schedule changed

The aging Smith Creek bridge on Rogers Road will not be replaced until 2016, a year later than first planned, but the replacement will also include widening the road from the bridge to Forestville Road, relieving the serious congestion in the area. The Town of Wake Forest announced the change in the bridge replacement schedule this week. Senior Planner Candace Davis said widening Rogers Road from the bridge to Forestville Road has been on the town’s transportation plan for years and the state Department of Transportation planned to do the widening in the next 10 to 15 years. “Why not have the widening now?” Davis said the town staff asked and approached DOT about combining the two projects, cutting costs and reducing the total time the road will be closed. In March DOT told the town that because of the additional time needed to acquire the necessary right-of-way for the

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Closed session intriguing in board agenda

The most interesting items on the Wake Forest Town Board’s agenda for Tuesday, April 15, are a closed session to consult the town attorney followed by a return to the meeting room and possible action on a “resolution endorsing the negotiations between NCEMPA and Duke Energy Progress Inc.” Those negotiations could impact the town and its electric system customers and possibly lower rates for those customers. NCEMPA is the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency, and Wake Forest is a member. The agency has been negotiating with Duke Energy Progress since early this year about the potential sale of NCEMPA’s ownership in five Duke Energy Progress plants: Brunswick Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, Mayor Plant Unit 1, Roxboro Plant Unit 4, and Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant. Wake Forest owns a 0.7262 share in each of those five plants and owes about $1.5 million of the total NCEMPA debt of

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New stops for Art After Hours

The Downtown Wake Forest art scene and its monthly art stroll, Art After Hours, are experiencing some changes. Come see them Friday night during Art After Hours from 5 to 9 p.m. sponsored by Wake Forest Downtown, which also provides the horse and carriage rides along South White Street. Two local galleries have closed in the last month, Ginger Allen’s LEDE Studio and Mary Benejam’s Two Dog, and a new gallery, The Artists’ Loft & Gallery, has opened upstairs over the Wake Forest Coffee Company. That new gallery will welcome visitors, Maureen Seltzer, one of the artists and an organizer, said. You can find stairs to the gallery outside the coffee company and inside. Upstairs you will find five artists and their work spaces. Susan Espin specializes in watercolor batiks, pastels and acrylic. Andrew Thomasson paints still lifes. He leaves the objects set up and also has a box where

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Bunn will headline Trentini banquet

Graham Bunn, a standout basketball player for Coach Chuck Hess at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School who went on to play at Appalachian State and then professionally in Europe, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s 34th annual Trentini Foundation banquet on Saturday, April 12, at The Forks Cafeteria. In late 1997 he and two college friends launched “46,” an apparel company that designs, manufactures and markets its own line of clothing to raise money and awareness for causes that impact our global community.  The mission of 46 is “to unite 4 the 6 areas of need (abuse, poverty, disease, birth defects, educational disparities and unsafe drinking water).”  The aim is to take a basic necessity, like clothing, and use it to show friends, family members and people around the world that their needs have not been forgotten. 46NYC is dedicated to fighting disease, abuse, poverty, birth defects, malnutrition, inadequate education,

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Letter: Friends will continue to play a role

To the editor: We appreciate your concerns on the status of the Friends of the Wake Forest Library. However, reports on the disbanding of the Friends have been exaggerated. Recent conversations surrounding the mission of the Friends in relation to the Wake County Library system served to clarify our role and strengthen this partnership. Here are some recent positive impacts the Friends have had on the programs and facility of the Wake Forest Library: To mark the beautiful refurbishment of the branch last June, the Friends hosted a celebration which included take-away goodie bags for the kids, refreshments, magicians and face-painters. The Friends also enhanced the Wake Forest branch’s children’s reading program with the purchase of a large flat-screen TV, cart, and Apple TV on which to show books and presentations to the kids using an iPad. The connectivity and interactivity provided by this Apple TV configuration greatly enriches the

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Builders ready 29 new homes

A clubhouse for the Traditions subdivision was the only permit issued for a commercial building by the Wake Forest Inspections Department in March. The building at 401 Traditions Grande Boulevard will be constructed by D. Clugston Inc., which paid permits totaling $26,562.95. The building will have 3,692 square feet and an improvement value of $850,000. The department also issued 29 permits for new homes, 27 single-family homes and two townhouses. The townhouses will be built by Heritage Spring at 1114 and 1112 Golden Poppy Court in Wildflower at Heritage South.  The total fees were $9,049.13, the homes will have 2,185 and 2,492 sq. ft., and the improvement value is $140,000 and $142,000. The single-family permits are listed below with the applicant’s name, the address, the subdivision, the creek basin, the fees paid, square footage and improvement value listed by the applicant. *Homestead Building Company, 1409 Sterling Lake Road, The Reserve,

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Carnival for the Kids runs through Sunday

The Wake Forest Police Department’s annual Carnival for the Kids began Tuesday and runs through Sunday, April 13. The carnival is held in the parking lot of the Wake Forest Home Depot on Retail Drive The Carnival for the Kids promises fun and entertainment for the entire family, including rides, games and lots of food. Admission to the event is free and open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. Unlimited ride wristbands will be available for purchase at the carnival for $20 each. Coupons worth $2 off the wristbands are available in the lobby of Town Hall at 301 S. Brooks St. and the Police Department at 225 S. Taylor St. The coupons may only be used to purchase the wristbands on Tuesday evening, April 8, and Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13,

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Historic WF Cemetery Tour set for May 10

Wake Forest people began burying their loved ones in Wake Forest Cemetery before there was a town by that name, and it is still the chosen final resting place for many. Along with its history – the college presidents and professors buried there as well as town notables – the cemetery is a delight because of its specimen trees, its landscaping and its air of quiet reverence. You can experience it Saturday, May 10, when the town’s Cemetery Advisory Board hosts the annual cemetery tour from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The rain date is May 17. Once again family members and volunteers will be at many of the graves to talk about those buried there and sometimes exhibit photographs or other memorabilia. Frank Powell and other members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be on hand to talk about the local soldiers who served in the War Between

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Mad Hatter’s Garden Party May 10

Would you like some afternoon tea with your garden seminar? Do you want to shop for paintings, jewelry, fabric art and more created by local artists or buy locally grown plants and get free gardening information? Perhaps you like to look at and hear about classic cars? And everyone always enjoys a raffle when the prizes include garden art, jewelry and gift certificates. You can do all this on Saturday, May 10, when the Wake Forest Garden Club hosts its annual spring event, the Mad Hatter’s Garden Party on the lawn and inside the Wake Forest Historical Museum on North Main Street. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free except for the afternoon tea and seminars. Go to www.wfgardenclub.org for more information.

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