The Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is coordinating a comprehensive lighting system upgrade at several Town facilities resulting in better lighting with less energy consumption at a lower cost.  A 2022 Wake Forest Bond Referendum initiative, the Relamp Project includes replacing metal halide light fixtures with more energy efficient and effective LED light fixtures at the following locations: *Flaherty Park pickleball/tennis courts, 1226 N. White St. *Flaherty Park fields 1, 2, and 3, 1100 N. White St. *Heritage High Park baseball/softball fields and tennis courts, 1150 Forestville Road.  The initiative also includes the installation of a new LED lighting system at Tyler Run Park, 830 Pineview Dr. The work has been completed at the Flaherty Park tennis/pickleball courts and baseball/softball fields, is underway at Tyler Run Park, and will begin later this year at the Heritage High Park baseball/softball fields and tennis courts.  The LED lights produce significantly greater

The Town of Wake Forest will accept applications for the 2025 session of Wake Forest Planning 101 (formerly known as the Citizens Planning Academy) Monday, Feb. 10, through 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24. Wake Forest Planning 101 is designed to educate residents of Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) on fundamental topics in planning and development in Wake Forest, with an emphasis on hands-on learning. Participants will explore a variety of topics pertaining to planning and zoning, including the framework for local regulations established by state law, trends in growth and land development in Wake Forest, adopted Town plans, land development considerations and processes, the Town’s development regulations, public hearings, and more. Participants will be expected to attend four sessions on consecutive Wednesdays from April 30-May 21 (April 30, May 7, May 14, and May 21). Each session is scheduled from 5:45-8:15 p.m. at Wake Forest Town Hall, 301

Tickets are on sale and going fast for two performances of TheaterWorks USA’s “Pete the Cat” on Saturday, April 26, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. The morning show begins at 11 a.m., while the afternoon show gets underway at 3 p.m. TheaterWorks USA has been delighting audiences young and old for nearly 60 years. In this New York City-based touring production, the groovy blue cat, Pete, meets The Biddles and has the whole family rocking, except for young Jimmy. Jimmy is the most organized second grader on planet earth. Before long Pete and Jimmy team up on an adventure of friendship that helps Jimmy conquer second grade art. Advance tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 16 and under and can be purchased online at https://bit.ly/WFRenCenTix, in person at the WFRC Box Office, or by calling 919-435-9458. Recommended for Pre-K to third graders, this

The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Historical Museum are partnering to offer free Black History Month Walking Tours of the Northeast Community every Friday in February at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required by completing the online sign-up form at https://bit.ly/BHMWalkingTours. Space is limited to the first 15 participants to sign up for each tour. Please note: The February 7 walking tour is full. 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

Happy February! We are excited to announce our partnership with the American Heart Association by providing blood pressure monitor kits that check out from the library! Stop by the desk to check one out today. Besides our normal programs at the library, we offer very active virtual book clubs & events. Please see the attached flyers and share as you’d like. Here’s a quick overview of what’s happening for adults this month! We look forward to seeing you soon. Wake Forest Library Stitchers Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 12-3 Join us for an afternoon of creativity and community. Bring your latest project and connect with fellow makers who share your passion for all things handmade. Creativity is always more fun when shared with others. Any stitchers welcome!  Free Money to Start or Expand Your Business Wednesday, February 12 at 6:30 There are government grants to assist businesses but rarely any to

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host an online Esports gaming tournament featuring the game “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on Saturday, Feb. 22. Open to players ages 10 and older, Battle in the Forest is free to play and will be live streamed on Twitch.tv.  Registration is open through Wednesday, Feb. 19, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. Please note: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is rated e10+.  Participants will compete in a one-on-one, single-day, double-elimination tournament to run in conjunction with “Bull City Gaming.” The matches will be best of three, while the championship match will be best of five.  In the event more than 32 participants register, the tournament will expand to two days with the qualifying rounds taking place on February 22 and the top eight participants battling it out in the finals on Sunday, Feb. 23.  As an added incentive, the first 25 people to register will

There was little development activity in December. The Inspections Department issued permits for 15 single-family homes and seven townhouses. The department also performed pre-occupancy inspections for the following businesses: American Laundromat LLC at 12213 Capital Boulevard Navadhaanya LLC at 12223 Hampton Way Drive, Suite 100 St. John Properties at 1725 Heritage Center Drive, Suite 201 Visible Motorsports LLC at 745 Merritt Capital Drive, Suite 120 ###

Based on the December 2024 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated February 5, 2025  The town keeps a running tally of approved projects with counts of those completed. The best inspections current estimate is that between seven and eight people move to town each day, moving into newly-built houses, townhouses or apartments and a few existing houses that were for sale. Projects under review 1. 418 Jones Dairy Road SP-23-11 is a request by David Williams Sr. to rezone 5.61 acres on the south side of Jones Dairy Road from RH rural holding and LI light industrial to NB-CD conditional neighborhood business to allow construction of two 24,502 square foot buildings side by side, one restaurant and one an office. The plans call for space for a public art statue and seven handicapped parking spaces. The Town Board voted unanimously to approve at their October 15, 2024 meeting. 2. Hawthorne

The Town of Wake Forest is pleased to announce Julius Jefferson has been named its Interim Police Chief. Jefferson, who had served as captain since 2020, succeeds Jeff Leonard who retired February 1. A Warren County native, Jefferson began his career with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office in 1996 as a Detention Officer. In 1999 he was promoted to Detention Sergeant, a position he held until starting Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) at Vance-Granvile Community College in January 2006. He graduated from BLET later that year. In September 2006, Jefferson began working with the Wake Forest Police Department as a Patrol Officer. Since then, he has worked as a Patrol Sergeant, Impact Sergeant, Traffic Sergeant, Impact Lieutenant, and Impact Captain. He has also served on the Wake County Traffic Safety Task Force. Jefferson earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Vance-Granville Community College in 1996 and a Bachelor’s Degree

After a brief hiatus, Wake Forest Police Department Victim Advocate Carly Reavis is again hosting her weekly podcast, “Victims Vibe – Tales of Trials & Triumphs.” Available on Spotify and the Town website at https://bit.ly/WFPDVictimsVibe, each episode of Victims Vibe explores domestic violence, sexual assault, and other family-related issues Carly encounters in support of victims and witnesses in her role as Victim Advocate. Offering insight into the issues and challenges facing victims and witnesses of crime, the podcast also highlights resources available to them and their families. During her podcast, Carly often interviews experts in public safety, law enforcement, and criminal justice issues. She also devotes time to answering questions submitted by community members. Questions and topics to be considered for future episodes may be submitted anonymously online at https://bit.ly/WFPDVictimsVibe. In her latest podcast, Carly discusses the basics of domestic violence, explains different kinds of abuse, and shares recent statistics. For more