September 20, 2017 - The Wake Forest Gazette - Local News & Events in Wake Forest, NC

Board approves industrial zoning on Ligon Mill

September 20, 2017 5 Comments

With some misgivings but emphasizing how rare it is that Wake Forest has a chance to designate a large property for light industrial use, the town commissioners voted four to one, with Commissioner Greg Harrington voting no, to rezone 72 acres between Ligon Mill Road and the CSX rail line for that use. Several neighbors at the joint public hearing on the case on Sept. 5 strongly objected to the use and to an entrance on Ligon Mill Road, citing the current morning traffic jams. Commissioner Brian Pate asked town attorney Eric Vernon if they could put a condition on the rezoning that there be no connection directly to Ligon Mill Road, and Vernon said, “Conditions are not permitted.” Pate continued to pursue the idea, asking if in the future when a site plan is submitted for approval the board could add a condition at that time. Vernon said any

NC 98 to see changes soon, four lanes later

September 20, 2017 3 Comments

The second of what will be three public meetings with extended comment periods about the future of N.C. 98 between Durham and its intersection with U.S. 401 was held in Wake Forest Town Hall Tuesday afternoon, and several people came to look at the maps, diagrams, photographs and flow charts. They asked a lot of questions. Currently, the plan forward for the heavily-traveled two-lane road is for some changes at intersections to increase safety and traffic flow and then, in an unspecified year, construct two additional lanes with a median and other improvements. People were asked their opinions about the intersection changes and the public response will be used to guide the designs in the future. Traffic engineers say the road is at or over its capacity. (The editor believes N.C. 98 was originally planned to be a four-lane road and is not sure why only two lanes were built

Historical board to receive Anthemion award

September 20, 2017 1 Comment

On Monday, Sept. 25, the Wake Forest Historical Association will receive a coveted Anthemion Award from Capital Area Preservation during a reception at the Irregardless Café in Raleigh for its work in preserving and mapping – using ground-penetrating radar – the 19th century cemetery belonging to Friendship Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. Dianne Laws and Roger Shackleford, who led the committee which worked on the project, will accept the award. Both are members of the historical association’s board and Friendship Chapel. The idea for the project was inspired by board member Carol Paulonis, who researched the cemetery, photographed it and provided an interactive exhibit at the Wake Forest Historical Museum on North Main Street. She was a committee member along with board members Beverly Whisnant and Mandi Keith and Jennifer Smart, the assistant director at the museum. The ground-penetrating survey was conducted by archeologist Sarah Lowry and historian Ellen Turco, both

Town clarifies how webcams will work

September 20, 2017 2 Comments

Last Wednesday Town of Wake Forest officials happily announced the town was partnering with WRAL-TV to install two cameras downtown, cameras they anticipated would spotlight the events in Centennial Plaza in front of town hall and along historic South White Street, events such as the Wake Forest Christmas Parade, the Lighting of Wake Forest, Friday Night on White and Meet in the Street. Within hours, town officials including Communications and Public Affairs Director Bill Crabtree were faced with a rush of inquiries about the cameras and what they would show to the WRAL audience. Many of the concerns centered on a fear that their privacy would be invaded. “I think that was the initial concern,” Crabtree said Monday. “We needed to provide additional clarification about how the cameras were going to be utilized,” Crabtree said, and that led to several hours of conversation with WRAL to understand how the cameras