In 2018 the Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) received international accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). The accreditation verifies that the WFPD meets CALEA’s industry best-practice standards and has attained public safety professional excellence. Now, as part of an effort to maintain its CALEA accreditation, the WFPD has opened a public portal for community comments at https://bit.ly/WFPDAccreditation. The online portal is designed to receive comments regarding WFPD’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for maintaining its accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns, but the overall intent is to provide WFPD with information to support continuous improvement and foster the pursuit of professional excellence. CALEA is not an investigatory body, so the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department and Page 158 Books are partnering to offer a free program throughout April that encourages families to read while enjoying the greenways at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. StoryWalk in the Park is an innovative and interactive way for readers of all ages to enjoy a story and the outdoors at the same time. It’s also an effective way for young readers to practice active reading skills. Throughout April, pages from the children’s picture book, “Sometimes It’s Hard to Be Nice,” by Maggie C. Rudd, will be displayed on posts along the Joyner Park trails. As you stroll along the path, you will be directed to the next page in the story. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned

Based on the March 2023 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated April 12, 2023 There were no changes between the February and March reports. There were no additions and no deletions. The updated Wake Forest population as of July 2022 is 54,274. In 2021 the population was 50,244. How rezoning and development requests are now heard Planning Director Courtney Tanner gave this response to a query: All legislative cases (rezonings) have a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting and a public comment session at the Planning Board. A special use permit has a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting. Administrative (correct zoning and comply with the UDO) cases are approved at the staff level. What town board approval means now Senior Planner Patrick Reidy explained what the town board’s approval of new subdivisions means under the new state and town requirements. “They approved the conditional rezoning/master plan. Both projects will

The Magic Pipers will kick off the 2023 Friday Night on White (FNOW) concert series on Friday, April 14. The free outdoor concert will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. along South White Street in historic downtown Wake Forest. Food & Refreshments Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at several downtown restaurants. Plus, a variety of food and dessert trucks will be on site in the Depot Parking Lot, 110 S. White St., and along East Owen Avenue. Food and dessert trucks scheduled to participate on April 14 include Fishin’ Shrimp, The Flat Drum, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Tacas Las Gringas, Lawrence & Perry BBQ, The Naked Empanada, VFW Chuck Wagon, Cousins Maine Lobster, Virgil’s Jamaica, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, Waves Shave Ice, and Cocoa Forte. Menus for these food trucks are now provided as a function of the Town app (see Friday Night on White, Food Truck Menus).

The Wake Forest Public Art Commission (PAC) is commemorating the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre’s 10-year anniversary by issuing a “Call for Artists” at https://bit.ly/WFPAC_CallforArtists for a permanent public art installation inside the Renaissance Centre lobby. The theme of the piece is open to the artist’s discretion, but artists are encouraged to use the Renaissance Centre’s 10-year anniversary logo as inspiration and incorporate the 10-year anniversary color palette. The piece must be free-standing or displayed on an independent stand. In addition, all standing/sculptural art must either have its own sturdy pedestal, provided by the selected artist, or be able to be safely displayed directly and free-standing on the floor in a public space. To be eligible, artists must reside in in one of the following counties: Granville, Franklin, Nash, Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Durham, or Wake. As part of this initiative, qualified applicants are invited to submit five to 10 images of