Inside High Point - August 2023

INSIDE HIGH POINT

HIGH POINT'S NEW BRAND GOES LIVE

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 BRAND LAUNCH

See what happened at the downtown event.

12/ 19/ 06/ ELECTRIC CREWS HEAD TO TENNESSEE

Learn how crews helped after storms.

PUBLIC SERVICES GETS NEW APPRENTICE

Find out all about this exciting program.

Mayor - Jay Wagner

Member at Large - Britt Moore

Member at Large - Tyrone E. Johnson

CITY COUNCIL

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

Jay.Wagner@highpointnc.gov

336.883.3305

Britt.Moore@highpointnc.gov

336.687.2200

Tyrone.Johnson@highpointnc.gov

336.307.8261

Ward 1 - Cyril Jefferson

Ward 2 - Chris Williams

Ward 3 - Monica Peters

Ward 4 - Wesley Hudson, Mayor Pro Tem

Ward 5 - Victor Jones

Ward 6 - Michael Holmes

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 HALL SELFIE DAY

On Aug. 15, City of High Point employees celebrated #CityHallSelfie Day! #CityHallSelfie Day is a celebration of public service when government employees, elected officials, members of the media and community members showcase their pride for local government institutions by taking a selfie at their City Hall or other local government building.

Employees showed their local gov love by taking pictures of in front of or inside local government buildings and posting them to social media with the hashtag #CityHallSelfie.

CITY CELEBRATES BRAND LAUNCH WITH COMMUNITY EVENT

The City of High Point hosted a brand launch event on Aug. 5, 2023, at the Plaza at Truist Point to celebrate the introduction of High Point's new brand after a year-long community branding project.

Approximately 2,000 people came downtown to the Social District to learn about the new brand, view the new City logo and flag and celebrate the brand identity that is reflective and inclusive of all residents. Attendees also received a free t-shirt and City flag.

The event featured live music, food, beverages, craft beer, a 360-degree photo booth, creative stations for kids and adults and photo and art opportunities to showcase the creativity within the community.

Local artist Brian Davis (BrianStudio) painted a mural on a large display with one side devoted to a community mural. Additionally, the intersection of Church Avenue and Elm Street was painted with the new brand pattern.

The launch coincided with the August Social District Saturday, a monthly community event with entertainment, retail, food, and drink to highlight the Catalyst Social District. After the event, many headed to the High Point Rockers game and hung around downtown.

The High Point community branding project was approved by City Council as part of its strategic plan to develop a community-wide brand that supports and elevates all city organizations, entities, businesses and residents.

The City's new branding reflects High Point's position as a diverse community of creatives and makers who collaborate and combine things in new ways and solve problems with new ideas.

In High Point, creativity is celebrated in all its forms and its ability to transform the world.

ONE HIGH POINT COMMISSION HOSTS PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION

The One High Point Commission hosted an information session for community members on Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the High Point Theatre to present the commission’s final report to the community, including restorative policy recommendations designed to address education, economic opportunity and health disparities.

Over 200 community members attended the event, which featured a panel discussion with commissioners, subject matter experts and the project manager.

Following the panel, attendees were invited to engage with content area experts, commissioners and other stakeholders at information tables that focused on housing & and recommendations for further consideration, health & education, economic areas of opportunity & transportation and history.

The evening concluded with the screening of a video featuring One High Point commissioners, subject matter experts and community members.

The final One High Point Commission report, including the findings and recommendations from the National Institute for Minority Economic Development, was approved by the commission for Council consideration at the final commission meeting after a public comment period and will be presented to City Council on Sept. 18, 2023.

HIGH POINT ELECTRIC CREWS HELP OUT IN KNOXVILLE

On Aug. 7, the City of High Point Electric Utilities Department received a call from an American Public Power Association partner, Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB). KUB serves most of eastern Tennessee with 216,906 customers. They got hit hard by storms and had large amounts of damage. High Point, along with Greenville & Wilson Energy, headed out to assist. Two crews, a total of 10 line workers, went to Tennessee to help restore power. Thank you to these crews for making the trip and for their hard work!

PUBLIC SERVICES TAKES CHARGE OF STORM CLEANUP

On Aug. 15, a fast-moving storm swept through High Point that produced straight-line winds greater than 80 mph, heavy rain and damaging hail.

Streets and Stormwater Administrative Staff worked hard to process over 75 calls and work orders Tuesday afternoon and night following the storm.

Streets and Stormwater crews quickly responded to the many reports of fallen trees and limbs that blocked streets and caused about 5,500 citizens to be without power.

Streets, Stormwater and Environmental Services worked around the clock until Thursday afternoon to clear approximately 40 trees out of the roadways. More than 100 tons of storm debris were taken to the Ingleside Compost Facility by staff during that three-day period.

Thank you to all the employees that worked through the night and next several days to repair our city!

PUBLIC SERVICES TAKES CHARGE OF STORM CLEANUP

City of High Point yard waste crew of Daniel Hicks, Jerome Davis and Jeffrey Harris got two recognitions in one day from residents. A grandmother of a two-year-old reached out to thank the crew for honking and saying hello to her grandson.

“My two-year-old grandson lives in my home and is obsessed with trucks, specifically trash trucks. Each Thursday, he goes out to watch the trucks come collect. The team of men that work on the yard waste pick-up are incredible humans. Each of the men in this group waves at him, and they even beeped the horn today!

It made my grandson’s day, and he was so excited. If you could possibly thank them for us and ensure they are recognized for their kindness!”

Another resident sent in a video of this crew that she requested for her autistic child in which the crew loaded up the yard waste, waved and said hello to the young man for the video and waved as they drove away. This same crew also received a thank you call from an 80-year-old resident who felt they went above and beyond to clean up storm debris that he was unable to make fit the exact ordinance requirements due to physical limitations.

Hicks, Davis and Harris were not the only employees to receive a citizen shout-out. A resident called in on Aug. 15, 2023, to commend Ricky Meadows for getting out of the truck in the pouring rain to pick up the can and trash that had blown over during the storm.

Another resident emailed the department to thank Robbie Strickland.

“Is there a way to give a shout-out to one of the garbage truck drivers? This morning, I took a video of Robert Strickland picking up garbage on my street with his truck, and I asked him if he could say something for one of my students out in California who is obsessed with garbage trucks.

Not only did he agree to do that for me, but when I came inside and discovered that the camera turned itself back to photo and not video, and I popped into my car and tracked him down, he happily did it again for me. And I’m sure I slowed him down a little bit!

High Point is lucky to have public workers like Mr. Strickland. I know my student is absolutely going to love this!”

Thanks to these employees who go above and beyond for our residents!

OAKWOOD CEMETERY TAKES ON TREE CHALLENGES

The Oakwood Cemetery continues to work through the removal of dying or dead trees to make the cemetery a safe place for the public visiting their loved ones.

A large oak tree infested with bees was removed on Aug. 15, 2023. However, another large tree was struck by lightning during the storm, was split in half and fell over on the gravestones.

The contractor scheduled for the tree removal of the oak tree was able to cut up and remove all but the stump of the tree that was hit by lightning. Only two headstones fell off the pedestals, which will be fixed soon, and cemetery staff will work to remove the tree stump. The area has been blocked off to protect the public.

The Cemetery Division is grateful to have local contractors assisting in situations beyond their capabilities and to the cemetery staff for making this a safe and beautiful place for our family and friends to visit loved ones.

STREETS AND STORMWATER OFFICE GETS HISTORIC MAKEOVER

The Streets and Stormwater Division recently updated their hallways with historical photos of High Point’s Main Street.

A big thank you to the High Point Museum for all of their help in finding these photos.

You can now take a walk back in time to see Main Street filled with horses and buggies, trolly cars and original paving projects. Photos are on display in the hallways of the MOC for all to see.

KEEP HIGH POINT BEAUTIFUL TAKES

PART IN COMMUNITY EVENTS

Keep High Point Beautiful partnered with several wonderful City divisions and departments this month. On Tuesday, Aug. 1, we joined in with several neighborhood National Night Out events in partnership with the City’s Community and Development Department.

Gabi Fitts, City of High Point Stormwater Division, our new Recycling Programs Coordinator, Teresa Baker, and several KHPB board members shared information about our mission and the upcoming Summer Trash Smash.

The Saturday following National Night Out, KHPB joined the High Point Fire and Police Departments to award residents who were spotted taking care of their property and/or neighborhood by picking up litter, doing yard work or making exterior improvements to their home with gift cards from local businesses.

PUBLIC SERVICES WELCOMES NEW APPRENTICE

The Public Services Department had the opportunity to sign our fourth apprentice since entering the Guilford Apprenticeship Partners (GAP) program. Shamar Williams, a senior at Northwest Guilford High School, has joined the Water & Sewer Maintenance Division to pursue a mechatronics engineering tract.

Apprentices are able to earn money on the job as soon as they start the apprenticeship program while also taking college classes at no cost. In fact, students actually get paid for time spent in class. Program benefits include:

• Payment for 8,000 hours of on-the-job and classroom training during the four-year program

• An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) from Guilford Technical Community College

• All tuition, books, and fees for the associate’s degree program covered, so students graduate debt-free

• Options after apprenticeship graduation to transfer degree credits to most state four-year universities in order to earn a bachelor’s degree

• Specialized certification and experience that is recognized and sought by employers

• Health insurance, retirement and paid-time-off benefits to apprentices by many employers

The value of college classes plus pay received for training on the job and in the classroom is the equivalent of a $125,000 scholarship.

Welcome Shamar to our CHP team!

PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION WELCOMES NEW COMMISSIONER

High Point Parks & Recreation is happy to welcome Vickie McLean McKiver to the Parks & Recreation Commission. McKiver grew up in High Point and worked for the City of Thomasville for 35 years, retiring as director of its Parks and Recreation Department in December 2020. She is a graduate of High Point College, now High Point University, which she attended on a scholarship for basketball and volleyball and where she received a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She was part of the team that won the AIAW National Women's Basketball Championship in 1978 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at HPU.

Vickie and her husband Abraham have three daughters and one grandson, with whom she loves to spend time. She is active in her church and the community and is excited to serve on the High Point Parks & Recreation Commission because she still loves sports and working with people of all ages. We are equally excited to have her join us! Welcome, Vickie!

HIGH POINT PARK RANGER EARNS ADVANCED LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFICATE

High Point Park Ranger Thomas Roehm has earned the prestigious North Carolina Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate. Thomas has over six years of law enforcement experience, holds a bachelor's degree from UNC Charlotte and has completed over 699 hours of advanced professional training.

MUSEUM HOSTS NATIONAL NIGHT

OUT

The Museum had a great turnout for National Night Out this year, with over 100 visitors! The High Point Police and Fire Departments came, and everyone enjoyed some popcorn and lemonade. Kids were able to mine bars for “gold” in Little Red Schoolhouse. The night ended with a screening of the “Road to El Dorado.”

PROMOTIONS & NEW HIRES

CONGRATULATIONS:

ROBERT BAKER - Operations Analyst to Stormwater Superintendent

DEAN BENBOW JR - Rec Center Assistant Supervisor to Rec Center Supervisor

RACHEL HURT - Lifeguard to Assistant Pool Manager

STEPHEN HAWRYLUK - Budget & Performance Manager to Budget & Performance Director

MARCOS ROQUE - Groundskeeper I to Parks Maintenance Crew Supervisor

WELCOME:

BRITTANY BURKE - Erosion Control Inspector I

JEREMIAH JOHNSON - Construction Inspector Supervisor

ERIC BATES - Police Officer Trainee

HYDEIA COLLINGTON - Police Officer I

MATTHEW HOBSON - Police Officer Trainee

JAMAL JAMES - Police Officer Trainee

MATTHEW MASON - POLICE OFFICER TRAINEE

KILIK SMITH - POLICE OFFICER TRAINEE

KANDICE MCDANIELS - Police Information Tech I

METZ - Firefighter

BENJAMIN WARR - Firefighter

PAUL HALL - Lifeguard

COOPER KORSON - Seasonal Park Attendant

PILHAR MCDOW - Lifeguard

PROMOTIONS & NEW HIRES

WELCOME:

ZACORA MCKNIGHT - Seasonal Park Attendant

RACHEL SEO - Lifeguard

TONY PRICE - Groundskeeper I

BENJAMIN KNIGHT III - Groundskeeper I

JESSI BOWMAN - Librarian II

KIMBERLY OLDAKER - Librarian II

MARVIN HESTER - Transit Operator I

MICHAEL BURGER - Storm Water GPS Technician

LAUREN FRITZSCHE - Storm Water GPS Technician

AHMAD BANKS - MRF Worker I

SAJJAD KHAN - MRF WORKER TRAINEE

EBONY TAYLOR - MRF Worker I

TERESA BAKER - Recycling Program Coordinator

CHAD GIBSON - Residuals Operator I