The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host virtual public meetings at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15, and Thursday, Feb. 17, to solicit input from residents concerning the future of Holding Park, 133 W. Owen Ave. You can join the session of your choice from your computer or smartphone at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88304427476?pwd=NzZZaTVGY0RWakZaVDEvVHR1bzV0QT09. Each interactive session will include a brief presentation, followed by an open discussion where attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and share suggestions. Town staff and representatives from Barrs Recreation, playground designer, will be on hand to answer questions and gather public input. Discussions will focus on reconstructing the Holding Park playground and how to achieve the appropriate balance between the renovation and maintaining the park’s historical character. Information gathered during the sessions will help identify and develop the future park redesign. In the meantime, residents are invited to complete a brief “Picture Holding

Throughout February – Black History Month Walking Tours Led by staff from Historic Preservation Planning and the Wake Forest Historical Museum, the tours will include Olive Branch Baptist Church, Alston-Massenburg Center, the newly restored Ailey Young House, the African American Cemetery, and more. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who shaped the Northeast Community. Tours are outside only and will not include the inside of individual homes or buildings. Each tour is approximately 90 minutes and will begin at Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor St., proceed south to East Spring Street, west to North White Street, north to East Juniper Avenue and east back to Taylor Street Park. To register for the tour, go to https://www.cognitoforms.com/TownOfWakeForest3/BlackHistoryMonthWalkingToursFebruary2022 * * * * Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. “The Untold History About Our Traditions” will be

East Coast Drilling & Blasting is performing periodic blasting operations daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the vicinity of Averette Road and Mill Dam Road. The work is related to site grading for the future Rosedale Subdivision. The blasting operations produce construction-related noise and sounds associated with demolition activities, but residents should not be alarmed. Residents are advised of the following alerts both prior to and following a blast: One-Minute Warning: Three long horn blasts, separated by short pauses. All Clear Signal: A prolonged horn blast following inspection of the blast. For more information, contact Construction Inspections Supervisor Lamar Minter at 919-830-5070 or lminter@wakeforestnc.gov. #

Updated February 9, 2022 Plans under review at the Wake Forest Planning Department The January issue of the Monthly Report is listed below. *White Street Townhomes is a plan for 82 multifamily units and 30 townhouse lots on two lots owned by David Smoot at the intersection of South White Street and East Holding Avenue. This is a major change from the original plan for 79 townhouse lots. *Wake Union Church Road is the name for this proposed project but it is the former Parker-Hannifin (Schrader) site with a federal brownfield designation because of the trichloroethene (TCE) and other chemical and petroleum contamination in the groundwater, a contamination which has spread. Parker-Hannifin has committed to remedy the problem. The plan submitted by Kimley-Horn is for 193,000 square feet of commercial space, 300 apartments and 89 townhouses along with streets and parking areas which cover almost all of the 50 acres.

RenCen welcomes ‘Sons of Mystro’ March 24 The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 South Brooks Street will welcome the “Sons of Mystro” on Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. Born in South Florida to a Jamaican father and Barbadian mother, brothers Malcolm and Umoja learned to play violin through South Florida’s public school system and later attended Dillard High School for the Performing Arts. Together, they form the “Sons of Mystro.” Accompanied by a DJ and a drummer, the dynamic duo play over 10 different genres of popular music, using the violin instead of their voices to express a song’s lyrics. Reflecting their Caribbean roots, the Sons of Mystro have graced the same stage with reggae and dancehall veterans such as Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Dobby Dobson, Freddie McGregor, Frankie Paul, Barrington Levy, and artists from the now generation such as Mr. Vegas, Beenie Man, Romain Virgo, Etana.