Brief Bits

Marla Akridge had a great announcement to start the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Forum this morning. She announced that “Whole Foods is coming to town!” Pause, pause. April Fool!

But she went on to say – and Moss Withers with NAI Carolantic Realty, one of the speakers, later echoed her – that grocers such as Publix, Trader Joe, Whole Foods, Sprout all know Wake Forest has a growing market for their brands and we will see one or some of them, though there is certainly no time frame.

Along with talking about the chamber’s new economic development model – which she will introduce to the town and the town board at its work session Tuesday, April 7 – Akridge said that at a recent conference she heard an executive from Silicon Valley say that Wake Forest has a great reputation for technology development and that, for the first time, “I did not have to explain where I work.”

She might want to get one of those new T-shirts the folks at the Wake Forest Historical Museum are selling that says: “Wake Forest. Where the college used to be.” Only $22 with all proceeds going to the museum.

Akridge and the second speaker, Pat Riley with the Allen Tate Company, also stressed the importance of downtowns and areas that combine live, work and play. Akridge said 40 percent of current college graduates “move to an area because of the quality of life and then find a job.” Riley said they move and are willing to tend bar for a while as they look for a job.

On a different subject, Akridge said there is high interest in the Body Works building next to the South Forest Business Park, and the building will not be empty long after Body Works leaves later this year.

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RST Fiber’s plans for Wake Forest are hazy at best currently.

Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell replied in an email this week to questions about the Shelby-based firm, saying “RST has not been in communication with us for some time. It is my understanding that they are still drilling towards Henderson.

“What the plans are from here on, I don’t know. There are rumors that RST is looking for a buyer. If it finds one, I hope that it will be bought by a company which wishes to continue to provide fiber to the home in Wake Forest. RST has invested approximately $5 million in the Wake Forest area; I’m sure an Internet service provider such as Google or another carrier would be interested in that infrastructure.”

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We hate to report this, but vandals have been attacking equipment used to construct the new sewer line along Smith Creek. They broke several windows out of an excavator.

In addition, many people have been seen walking and biking in the construction zone during times when crews are digging and blasting for the new line. No trespassing signs are prominently posted in the work zone, and officials are again urging area residents to obey the signs and stay out of the construction zone which stretches from the Smith Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant to Lagerfeld Road. The part of the Smith Creek Greenway from Burlington Mills Road to the Neuse River Bridge and the Dunn Creek Greenway near Heritage Lake Road will be impacted by the construction and will be closed during construction.

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The town board’s work session with information about economic development will be interesting next Tuesday, but the planning board meeting will be short. The only agenda item is a proposed text amendment to appendix B of the towns Manual of Specifications, Standards and Design of the Unified Development Ordinance and perhaps a mention of the next project needing quasi-judicial review, the site master plan for Nexus Global, which is building a new office building and moving its training center out of rented space in the South Forest Business Park. The worldwide company offers asset performance consulting, training, coaching and technology solutions for companies. The town board meets at 5:30 and the planning board at 7:30 p.m.