Gazette asks about traffic

When we talk about traffic in Wake Forest we are really talking about roads, and all the major roads in town are owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. And when we talk about NCDOT we have to consider how it has operated in town in recent years. The long-planned and much-needed traffic bridge over the CSX rail line on Rogers Road still has not materialized. See the Wake Forest Gazette’s April 19, 2023 issue for the full story about the five –now six – year delay. Somehow NCDOT lost the funding for all but the first section of the change to a limited-access road for Capital Boulevard. Given their record it seems very likely that they will not succeed in purchasing the needed property for that first section – I-540 to Durant Road — during 2024 as planned. If DOT cannot even begin projects years in the planning,

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Chamber, town cooperate on DC visit

Brian Pate, chairman of the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s government Affairs Committee, started off the town board’s work session Tuesday, October 3, by telling the board about the fly-in trip the chamber is planning on October 24-25 to meet with members of North Carolina’s congressional officials – Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis and Representative Deborah Ross. The main purpose of the trip, Pate said, is to establish relationships with those officials and with members of their staffs so that, when the time comes the town needs federal money or other help for a project our officials know who to call. The town and the chamber need to have a united front on the projects for the town. The four commissioners – Commissioner Chad Sary was absent because of illness – agreed to send Town Manager Kip Padgett and Commissioner Adam Wright at a cost of $1,500 each.

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Two 401 intersections to be changed

(This article was published on September 29, 2023 in The News & Observer and written by Richard Stradling. It is being republished here because so many Wake Forest residents use U.S. 401 daily.) As northern Wake County’s population has boomed in recent years, Louisburg Road has grown more congested north of Interstate 540. It’s especially bad at the intersections of Perry Creek Road and Ligon Mill/Mitchell Mill roads. Next month, N.C. Department of Transportation contractors will get started on a multiyear effort to overhaul those two intersections. The goal in both cases is to improve safety and the flow of cars, by reducing left turns and the amount of time through traffic is stopped at red lights. The biggest changes will come where Mitchell Mill and Ligon Mill roads now meet Louisburg Road, which is also U.S. 401. NCDOT engineers considered 10 different options here and finally settled on turning

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Garden Club’s Autumn Art & Plant Sale

The Wake Forest Garden Club, the town’s oldest civic club which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year, is happy to announce that its third annual Autumn Art & Plant Festival will be held this year on Saturday, October 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Wake Forest Historical Museum at 414 North Main Street. The museum grounds will be transformed into a fun-filled Art and Plant Festival. It will showcase 24 vintage cars, 34 vendors, including Art vendors, Birding and Honey Farmers, a Flower Arranging Demonstration, and live music by “My Cousin Skinny” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Wake Forest Garden Club will be selling plants and spring blooming bulbs. Additional plant vendors include Macon Gardens, Country Heritage Nursery, Sorrell’s Plants, and Neuse River Hawks. You can take a lunch break at the VFW chuck wagon where they will be selling freshly

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Community Celebration of the Arts at RenCen Saturday

The Wake Forest Public Art Commission, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department, and ARTS Wake Forest are inviting residents to a special Community Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks Streeet. Free and open to the public, this family-friendly event will include food, music, and a variety of arts activities for children of all ages. The occasion will also highlight the public art murals and sculptures installed throughout Wake Forest and included in the Virtual Public Art Tour available on the Town website. The PAC is promoting the Community Celebration of the Arts and raising awareness about Wake Forest’s array of public art by hosting a “Public Art Selfie Contest.” Through Thursday, Oct. 5, Wake Forest residents and families are invited to take selfies in front of works of public art, then share their photos through the online

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Club sponsors Scholarship Poinsettia Sale

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club is sponsoring its third Scholarship Poinsettia Fundraiser during the month of October. Proceeds will support a Continuing Education Scholarship awarded to a graduating Wake Forest area student. The beautiful red poinsettias with red foil container covers are locally grown by Homewood Nursery and will be available for pickup in Wake Forest on November 30 from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Wake Forest Baptist Church Sanctuary, 10 E South Avenue. Only preordered plants will be available at pickup. No sales that day. The plants are 6 1/2” pots, 16-20” tall with six to eight blooms per plant and are offered for sale at $17.50 each. For more information about the club and to order and pay for your poinsettia, please visit www.wake-Forest-womans-club.com. ###

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Martin Luther King Celebration to be Jan. 18

The Wake Forest MLK Celebration will be held Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 6:30 PM at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church, 237 Friendship Chapel Road, Wake Forest, North Carolina. The 2024 theme is: “Be the peace you wish to see in the world”.  The students in the Wake Forest/Rolesville schools will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in a contest for creative performance, art and writing based on the theme.  The contest winners will be recognized on the program. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Sarah Phelps, the pastor at St. John Episcopal Church in Wake Forest. Additional information about the Wake Forest MLK Committee and contest details can be found on the website:  https://www.wakeforestmlkcelebration.com. ###

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Free events at Public Power Week Oct. 1-7

The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Power are joining more than 2,000 not-for-profit utilities in celebrating Public Power Week October 1-7. As part of the annual week-long celebration, the Town and Wake Forest Power will offer the following free events and activities: Customer AppreciationPublic Power Week is also Customer Appreciation Week. As our way of saying “thank you” to our valued customers, Town staff will serve popcorn each day in the lobby of Town Hall and give away a variety of special prizes. Staff will also be available to share information and answer questions about WFP’s array of customer programs and services. For more information, contact Administrative Specialist Jenna Gonzales at 919-435-9573 or jgonzales@wakeforestnc.gov. Daytime & Afternoon Energy ExpoOn Thursday, Oct. 5, the Town Hall lobby will be the scene of a daytime and afternoon Energy Savings & Electric Safety Expo. Featuring hands-on demonstrations and representatives from Wake Forest Power, ElectriCities,

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Its time for WFPD Turkey Drive

The Wake Forest Police Department is accepting monetary donations through Saturday, Nov. 18, as part of its 17th Annual Turkey Drive. Area residents can support this worthy cause by submitting online donations at http://bit.ly/WFPDTurkeyDrive. Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Officer K. Abshire at kabshire@wakeforestnc.gov. All monetary donations will be used to purchase additional turkeys. On Saturday, Nov. 18, the Police Department will accept monetary donations and donations of frozen turkeys at the WFPD Main Station, 225 S. Taylor St., from 9 a.m. until noon. Police officers and staff will then distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 20, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry, 149 E. Holding Avenue. The WFPD organized its first Turkey Drive in 2007. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 11,000

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Teens invited to serve on town boards

The Town of Wake Forest is accepting applications from local 11th and 12th graders interested in serving on the following advisory boards: Each board has at least one seat designated for a youth representative. To qualify, the youth member must be a Wake Forest resident enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade. The online advisory board application is available through Friday, Oct. 6, on the Town website at http://bit.ly/TOWFAdvBoardApplication All candidates will be expected to attend the October meeting of the advisory board to which they applied to introduce themselves to the current members and explain why they wish to serve. Following these interviews, each advisory board will review its slate of candidates before submitting its recommendations to the BOC. The BOC will announce the advisory board appointments during its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19. New terms will commence in January 2024.  For more information, contact Deputy Town Clerk Ella Dowtin at 919-435-9436

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