Inside High Point - September 2022

INSIDE HIGH POINT

PRO SOCCER IS COMING!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DOWNTOWN'S NEXT BIG MOVE

CONTENTS

Welcome to Inside High Point, the newsletter that covers everything going on within the City of High Point and its various departments. If you have news, photos, questions or suggestions for what you would like to see featured, please email us at PIO@highpointnc.gov.

CITY COUNCIL

City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month. You can find their meeting schedule HERE.

Mayor - Jay Wagner

Member at Large - Britt Moore

08/ 14/ 04/

SOCCER AT THE STADIUM

Read about the next major tranformation in Downtown High Point.

Jay.Wagner@highpointnc.gov

336.883.3305

Britt.Moore@highpointnc.gov

336.687.2200

Member at Large - Tyrone E. Johnson

Ward 1 - Cyril Jefferson

Ward 2 - Chris Williams

Ward 3 - Monica Peters, Mayor Pro Tem

Ward 4 - Wesley Hudson

Ward 5 - Victor Jones

Ward 6 - Michael Holmes

Tyrone.Johnson@highpointnc.gov

336.307.8261

Cyril.Jefferson@highpointnc.gov

Chris.Williams@highpointnc.gov

336.883.1736

Monica.Peters@highpointnc.gov

336.906.7328

Wesley.Hudson@highpointnc.gov

336.655.5880

Victor.Jones@highpointnc.gov

336.899.7777

Michael.Holmes@highpointnc.gov

City of High Point is Bringing Pro Soccer to Downtown

On Sept. 7, the City of High Point announced plans to take the next step to bring more sports offerings downtown. The City will move forward with upgrades to Truist Point with the goal of bringing a professional men's soccer team to the stadium. Opened in 2019, the $36.1 million stadium holds 5,000 fans and will be enhanced for soccer matches prior to the inaugural season in 2024. This move highlights efforts to continue to make the venue a multi-use, multipurpose destination, providing even more entertainment options for the Triad area based on the 2017 strategic goal.

In 2017, High Point City Council established a strategic goal to create a downtown catalyst project to increase the commercial tax base and create a public gathering space, drawing residents and visitors year-round. The anchor of the activity within the redevelopment area is the City's $36.1 million multi-use stadium, home of the High Point Rockers baseball team and designed to accommodate soccer, football and lacrosse.

The plan had an original target of $100 million in tax base growth around the stadium over a ten-year period following the completion of construction. The target has been surpassed ahead of schedule and is projected to hit $300 million within a ten-year window.

The Triad is an ideal soccer market with a local population of 1.6 million within 12 cities. It is home to multiple club and recreational teams that will create a dynamic ecosystem of players, soccer enthusiasts, and a diverse community of fans. The soon-to-be-announced professional soccer team will begin playing in the spring of 2024.

The team's ownership group is led by Megan Oglesby, Matt Penley and Mark Penley of Carolina Soccer Ventures, LLC

and includes local entrepreneurs Alex Moore and Ryan Burkett of Stratagon, Mike Kren and David Bennett of Benchmade Ventures, Melissa and Pablo Webster and Leah and Chase Hazelwood.

"By bringing the world's game to the Triad, we will create countless opportunities for those who want to access the sport and lift up the community both on and off the field," said Megan Oglesby, principal investor of NC Pro Soccer.

"The Triad's soccer community has a rich history and a bright future. This is far more than a financial investment for our group; this will be a long-term investment into individuals and communities with untapped potential and a major driver of economic development in the region."

Mayor Jay Wagner supports the renovations and is excited to bring additional economic development to High Point through professional soccer.

"The partnership with NC Pro Soccer is another opportunity for the City of High Point to position Truist Point stadium as a destination for all to come and enjoy," said Wagner.

"Our community has embraced baseball, and we are thrilled to welcome soccer fans in the near future. Investing in this next phase of stadium improvements is consistent with the original vision of a multi-use stadium. The City has exceeded the initial private 10-year investment goal in the Catalyst Influence Area, and Council intends to build on this successful momentum."

HIGH POINT EDC

COLDWELL BANKER ADVANTAGE CHOOSES DOWNTOWN HIGH POINT

Coldwell Banker Advantage (CBA) will relocate its current office from 2212 Eastchester Drive to The Bedrock building in The Outfields at 275 N. Elm St. This announcement fol-

lows the July 18 public hearing. The project brings 38 sales and management positions downtown with plans to add 21 new sales positions over three years – a projected growth of 15 percent per year. CBA expects to occupy its new space beginning in January 2023.

HIGH POINT EDC BOARD VISITS AMADA

The High Point EDC Board of Directors meeting took place on Sept. 7 at Amada. A past High Point EDC client, Amada is a Japanese manufacturer of sheet metal fabrication machines that located to north High Point in 2018. The board received a tour of the facility as well as updates from community members and EDC staff.

2021 ANNUAL REPORT RECEIVES

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has bestowed a Bronze award to the High Point EDC 2021 Annual Report: Recruit. Retain. Revitalize. Director Dunbeck accepted this award on Sept. 21 at IEDC's annual conference in Oklahoma City. View the award-winning report at highpointedc.com!

EDPNC EXPLORES HIGH POINT

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is the state agency for economic development and tourism. On Sept. 8, High Point EDC co-hosted the EDPNC Board of Directors with Visit High Point. To experience the city, the group received a showrooms tour, followed by a reception with community leaders at Congdon Yards and ended the night at Truist Point for a High Point Rockers game.

MARKETING

COMMUNITY BRANDING PROJECT SEES SUCCESS WITH POP-UP EVENTS

CivicBrand, the place-branding agency for the City's community branding initiative, returned to High Point for the second time from Aug. 31 – Sept. 3. The team hosted public engagement activation events at several locations throughout the city to interact with the public and gather feedback from residents for our community branding initiative.

The team visited D-UP, Inc., Goofy Foot Taproom, Lil's Coffee Bar at Congdon Yards, Paddled South Brewery, Visit High Point, 83 Custom Coffee, Stock + Grain Assembly and the John Coltrane Festival. Each pop-up event included branding activities, games and giveaways. These activation events also gave back over $1,000 to local businesses.

Since the activations, there has been a significant uptick in survey responses. We currently have 1,032 total responses, with 502 of those responses submitted during or after the visit.

At this time, CivicBrand has hit all equity requirements in the branding investigation. The team is now working on data compilation from the visit to use for design and messaging ideas.

After a final engagement and feedback collection effort, the project will move into the design phase, which will involve testing design and messaging samples with the branding committee, focus groups and stakeholders.

The goal of the community branding project is to develop a community-wide brand that supports and elevates all city organizations, entities, businesses and residents.

While there is a visual design component, the project also includes brand messaging, economic development strategies, brand experience and more. For more information on this initiative, CivicBrand and to hear our new podcast, visit brandinghighpoint.com.

HIGH POINT MUSEUM HIGH POINT LIBRARY

MUSEUM HOSTS BBQ BASH TO CELEBRATE EXHIBIT

The High Point Museum hosted a BBQ Bash program to celebrate the opening of its new exhibit, "The Story of BBQ in N.C." on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The free public event included many barbecue-related activities. Museum visitors got the chance to taste North Carolina barbecue after learning about its history. First, the High Point Historical Society hosted a discussion with Cecil Conrad of Bar-B-Que Center, the oldest barbecue establishment in downtown Lexington, N.C., that still cooks on pits. Conrad discussed the history of pit-cooked barbecue in Lexington.

After the discussion, D'z Butts BBQ food truck came to the museum parking lot, offering food for purchase. D'z Butts is an Oak Ridgebased barbecue team specializing in pork, chicken, beef and sides. Along with the food truck, visitors enjoyed live bluegrass music from Boyd Hulin. Hulin recently played at the museum with Donna Hughes at the July ArtSplash event.

Additionally, there was a paper barbecue grill-making in Little Red Schoolhouse. Visitors of all ages crafted their own paper barbecue grill to practice making their North Carolina barbecue.

SENSORY GARDEN PROJECT RECEIVES GIFT FROM THE LENNY PETERS FOUNDATION

The Sensory Garden at the High Point Public Library reaches its fundraising goal as The Lenny Peters Foundation makes a $90,000 gift. This generous gift will sponsor and name the central water feature, as well as the teaching niche of the garden.

"High Point is my home, where I raised my family and built my businesses," said founder Dr. Lenny Peters. "I want High Point to be a point of attraction for the entire Triad. This Sensory Garden is one of those points, and I am so happy to be a part of it."

"We could not be more thrilled with this incredible show of support from the Lenny Peters Family and look forward to having their name prominently displayed on two of the major sections of the garden", said Wil Elder, chairman of the High Point Public Library Foundation.

"With this gift, we have met our fundraising goal and anticipate breaking ground on the garden in the coming months. The Lenny Peters Foundation joins The Rotary Club of High Point and The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation as the three largest contributors to this project that will mean so much to so many in our community."

The Rotary Club of High Point's Sensory Garden at the High Point Public Library will be a 7,000-square-foot, self-contained garden area that allows visitors to enjoy a wide range of sensory experiences. It will offer a plethora of educational and recreational applications for those with autism, dementia, Alzheimer's, physical or mental disabilities, as well as a positive outdoor experience for all populations.

The library has a long history of offering extensive health and wellness programming for the entire community and the Sensory Garden will complement existing library programs like the Teaching Garden, High Point Farmer's Market and the Arts and Education Plaza.

HIGH POINT POLICE

RETIREMENTS, PROMOTIONS AND MOVES

With the upcoming retirements of Captain Patrick O'Toole and Major Marc Kun, promotions are in order. These two retirements have triggered significant personnel movement that will take place over the next few months. The department is in the process of determining the timeline for the transitions outlined below.

• Major Marc Kun, hired in 1994, will retire Dec. 31, 2022. Kun has served in many capacities, including patrol officer, vice/narcotics detective, task force officer, violent crimes detective and as a supervisor of several specialty units during his time as Lieutenant and Captain.

• Captain Patrick O'Toole, hired in 1995, will retire Oct. 1, 2022. Known for his motor that never stops, O'Toole has served as a patrol officer, motor traffic officer, recruiter and supervisor in both patrol and specialty units.

• Captain Curtis Cheeks III will be promoted to Assistant Chief upon Marc Kun's retirement. Upon his promotion to Assistant Chief, Cheeks will move from Investigations Division Captain to Support Services Division Captain.

• Captain Matt Truitt will be moved from Charlie Team to assume the role vacated by Captain O'Toole in the Community Division.

• Captain Pete Abernethy will be moved from Adam Team to assume the role vacated by Captain Curtis Cheeks in the Investigations Division.

• Deputy Chief Anthro Gamble will be moved from Support Services and will take over the Patrol Division.

• Major Kevin Ray will be moved from patrol to the Investigations Division.

• Lt. Gary Rene will be moved from Charlie Team to Street Crimes.

• Lieutenant Zach Trotter will be promoted to Captain and assume command of Charlie Team.

• Lieutenant Rachel Juren will be promoted to Captain and assume command of Adam Team.

• MPO III Kyle Teschke will be promoted to Lieutenant and moved to Edward Team as a patrol supervisor.

• MPO III John R Tatro will be promoted to Lieutenant and moved to Charlie Team as a patrol supervisor.

Major Marc Kun Captain Patrick O’Toole Captain Curtis Cheeks III

Captain Matt Truitt Captain Pete Abernethy Deputy Chief Anthro Gamble

Major Kevin Ray Lieutenant Zach Trotter Lieutenant Gary Rene

Lieutenant Rachel Juren MPO III Kyle Teschke MPO III John R Tatro

HPPD HOSTS COMMUNITY DAY

The rain didn't keep people away from the High Point Police Department's Community Day. Nearly 250 people attended the event on Sept. 10 at Washington Terrace Park. The new location provided additional space for games, activities, health screenings, food and community partners. HPPD officers and employees competed in a doughnut-eating contest, judged a dance contest and played games with the children.

"Community Day is an opportunity for law enforcement officers to establish more trust with people in the community," said Lt. Derek Bostic with HPPD's Community Engagement Division. "It is a way for them to get to know the men and women behind the badge."

The High Point Police Department partnered with many organizations for Community Day, including the High Point Police Alumni Association, United Way of Greater High Point, The Salvation Army of High Point, Boys & Girls Clubs of High Point, Cone Health of High Point, YWCA, High Point Parks & Recreation and other key local agencies.

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT INSTITUTE WINS GRANT

On Sept. 15, Women in Motion held their Grants Celebration and awarded $5,000 to the High Point Police Department's Women's Empowerment Institute (WEI). WEI aims to provide female employees with building blocks for success in both the workplace and in their personal lives.

This grant was funded solely by Women in Motion members, as a portion of membership dues goes towards supporting the grant program. This grant is an exceptional contribution to the success of women in our community.

PARKS & RECREATION

PARKS HIRES NEW ASPIRE RECREATION ATTENDANT

Please join us in welcoming Kaylee Mayhew, Recreation Attendant, to the High Point Parks & Recreation team!

Kaylee, who will work primarily as part of our ASPIRE staff, grew up in Charlotte and recently graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a degree in parks and recreation management with a concentration in recreation therapy. She loves animals, yoga, food, coffee, interacting with people and learning new skills and hobbies.

When asked what drew her to choosing a career in parks and recreation, Kaylee said, "I have a younger sister who is in high school and has cerebral palsy. When she was born, I immediately became invested in helping my mom provide the best quality of life for her. Eventually, it became my passion to do the same for others through recreation."

ASPIRE provides the Adaptive Sports, Programs & Inclusive Recreation programs offered by High Point Parks & Recreation for people with disabilities and their families. For more information on ASPIRE, including volunteer opportunities, please visit www.highpointnc.gov/pr or call 336.88.3477.

R.E.D. ZONE FOOTBALL OPENS SEASON WITH WINS

Opening days are always special, and it was definitely one to remember as all three of High Point Parks & Recreation's youth football teams opened the 2022 season in the win column while the R.E.D. Zone cheerleaders kept the players and fans energized and entertained!

This season, we are representing One High Point, and we have the Broncos' nickname carrying the torch. For

more information on youth athletics, please call 336.883.3480 or email quante.speight@highpointnc.gov.

PARKS PARTAKES IN UNITY FESTIVAL

Live music, games, vendors and friends were all part of the UNITY Fest experience at Washington Terrace Park on Saturday, Sept. 24. (Photos courtesy of High Point Parks & Recreation).

HUMAN RELATIONS

OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WITH HUMAN RELATIONS

This month, the Human Relations Division collaborated on the 12th Annual Washington Street Unity Fest. In addition to outstanding local vendors, musical acts and outdoor games, this year's festival, held at Washington Terrace Park, benefitted from a new focus on local food through a partnership with Growing High Point.

Unity Fest successfully completes the Human Relations Division's summer outreach plan, having previously attended the Juneteenth Festival, Disability Advocacy Center's Fiery Fest, and the Black Luxe Expo. Through this public outreach, the division shared information about the Human Relations Commission, fair housing and its upcoming Youth Advisory Council with over 600 residents.

Additionally, in July, the division held its Fourth Annual Summer Jubilee, an international back-to-school event developed in partnership with the High Point Public Library and BaSiC, a local nonprofit organization. Volunteers gave away a new record of 504 backpacks full of school supplies and resources provided by departments across the City. In addition to providing materials students need for academic success, the Jubilee also brought many families to the High Point Farmers Market for the first time.

CHP PROMOTIONS & NEW HIRES

Congratulations:

Joseph Petree - Fire Captain to Fire Battalion Chief

Zachary Medlin - Fire Captain to Fire Battalion Chief

Joshua Comer - Fire Captain to Fire Battalion Chief

Kelly Baker - Fire Equipment Operator II to Fire Captain

Dustin T. Reid - Fire Captain to Fire Battalion Chief

Christopher Downey - Communicator to Telecommunications Supervisor

Alexander Andreyev - Fire Equipment Operator II to Fire Captain

Ashanti Burns - Camp Ann Counselor to Recreation Attendant

Welcome:

Clint Brown - Planning & Development Administrative Specialist I

Joseph Carden - Parks & Recreation Groundskeeper I

Jacob Danser - Police Officer Trainee

Erica Deans - Human Resources Recruitment Specialist

James Garrett - Transportation Services Transportation Technician

Candy Harmon - Financial Services Contracts Administrator

Dawn Holowka – Police Crime Scene Technician I

James Hyler - Fire Inspector II

Melinda King - Public Services Assistant Public Services Director

Kaylee Mayhew - Parks & Recreation Recreation Attendant

Kell Palacios Gomez - IT Telecommunicator I