With the help of an appreciative audience, Mayor Vivian Jones on Monday night celebrated the accomplishments of town employees, the enthusiasm of town residents, and the town’s recognition across the nation.
“You know you really have it made when NerdWallet ranks you one of the top five in anything!”
All the tables were full – just over 200 people bought tickets – in the town’s new cultural arts center, the Renaissance Centre, for a dinner and entertainment by the Heritage High School Jazz Ensemble.
One of those tables held some politicians: Betty Jo Shepheard representing U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, N.C. Sen. Chad Barefoot, and N.C. House Members Marilyn Avila and Chris Malone. Jones spoke directly to Barefoot and Malone when she talked about the efforts to repair Smith Creek’s impaired status and obtain state grants to do the work. “We hope the legislature will restore the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to its former numbers as soon as they possibly can. Senator Barefoot has told me that he supports urban conservation efforts and I am sure Representative Malone is also supportive. We can take the opportunity this evening to ask for their help with this issue.”
Jones thanked both long-time residents and the “newbies” for their support and enthusiasm. The attitude in town has changed over the last ten years. “Everyone talks about how much they love living here.”
She remembered many residents who died this year beginning with Jon Ray, a town employee who died of cancer. “He was a model employee, always giving valuable service and helping citizens and co-workers.” He was named 2013 Employee of the Year posthumously and now the award will be named the Jon A. Ray Award.
She mentioned Hope Newsom, a town commissioner and one of many who worked to build the Northern Wake Senior Center. The town also lost John Wooten, Lib Bartholomew, Dorothy Arrington, Jenny Brewer, Bob O’Neal, Steve Tarangelo, and Juanita Dent Dore Hopkins, the granddaughter of slaves who lived to be almost 110.
Barbara Brown was also noted. Brown, a Wake Forest College graduate, had winning teams in volleyball and track and field at Wake Forest High School for 17 years. After retiring, she served on the town recreation board and help create many of the current parks, facilities and programs.
“One of our town engineers, Holly Miller, has been quietly but aggressively focusing on water quality and erosion issues over the last few years,” Jones said. Miller is trying to rectify Smith Creek’s current status as impaired and narrowly lost out on funding for two grants recently. She also began an Adopt-A-Stream program which is now very successful with 20 groups monitoring local streams once a month. “Kids love this program.” Children also loved the Children’s Science Program held at town hall with the help of the N.C. Museum of Science.
Jones noted that Sig Hutchinson was in the room and thanked him for all his help in obtaining an open space grant to purchase and develop E. Carroll Joyner Park.
The town’s urban forester, Evan Keto, was singled out because he has begun a tree nursery to save money and developed a Tree Steward program. Those 40 people plant and maintain town-owned trees in the parks, greenways and along streets. Keto also began a Kids-in-Parks TRACK Trails program at Joyner Park that encourages children to explore nature in a fun-filled way.
The mayor went on to talk about the downtown’s accreditation by the National Main Street Program, the new public art commission and its first project, decorative seating along refurbished South White Street, Wake Forest Downtown (the old DRC) and its events like the Classic Car Event, an expanded Meet in the Street, and many other events that enliven our public life and often raise money for causes.
There was applause when she talked about the town employees’ response to last week’s snow/ice/snow/rain event. “Our public works guys went out quickly and did a superb job making our streets safe, and communications kept everyone informed about what was happening. What a great job they did!”
She ended by updating the group on the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, which the supported in its early days with a capital grant and an operational loan. “. . . and they started paying back the loan this year. She spoke of its several projects including the commercialization center, an incubator/innovative entity.
Finally, she said the town will ask voters to approve about $25 million in bonds later this year to spend on streets, sidewalks, parks and recreation facilities that will actually cost about $56 million. The difference will be in the grants the town anticipates receiving.
Her speech will be televised daily on Channel 10 through the month of March.
