YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
WEEKLY EDITION
JAN 16-22, 2019 Vol. 41 No. 3 | 1 Section | 8 Pages
P&R committee looks to Jamestown Park upgrades BY CAROL BROOKS FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com Agendas for first-of-theyear meetings often include election of officers and a look to future projects. The Jamestown Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting on Jan. 7 was no exception. All committee members were present and unanimously elected Bob Wilson as chairman and Paul Craft as vice chairman. Following the elections, Planning Director Matthew Johnson led a discussion on the progress of the Strategic Plan for the Jamestown Park and Athletic Facility. Johnson said the area of focus is from the entrance to the park through the maintenance facility, both along East Fork Road. The section includes the playground, shelter area, two ball fields, the golf chipping area located where the tennis courts used to be, parking lots and three main-
BY NORMA B. DENNIS FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com
Photo Courtesy Town of Jamestown
This aerial view indicates the portion in red of Jamestown Park under consideration by the steering committee. The entrance to the park is on the left and the maintenance facility is at the bottom, just right of center. The clubhouse is at the top center and the first three holes of the golf course are on the right. tenance buildings. A portion of the area of interest runs along the first hole of the golf course. “The Town issued a request for qualifications for firms to respond to, which outlined their particular approach to this project and highlighted their success in helping jurisdictions obtain grant funding through the Parks & Recreation
Trust Fund grant,” Johnson said, noting that the Town received eight responses, which have been narrowed to three firms. “During discussions with responding firms, it became clear that this strategic plan will be one component of an overall Parks & Recreation Master Plan effort that will take place over the next oneto-two years,” Johnson said.
He added that the Town will apply for the PARTF grant in 2020. Johnson wants to put together a steering committee to help interview the three firms. Members of this seven-person committee would come from the Town Council, YMCA, Jamestown Youth League, a person SEE PARK, PAGE 2
Council learns about government, themselves in workshop BY CAROL BROOKS FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com There was a lot of backand-forth conversation among Jamestown Town Council members during a special all-day Saturday meeting/workshop Jan. 12. The group met to learn how to be better leaders in the community, as well as how to work better among themselves and with others. Led by consultant Donna Warner, formerly with the UNC School of Government, the Council, mayor, town manager, planning director, public services director and finance director, along with the clerk, met at the Piedmont Triad Regional Council office in Kernersville. The event was under the threat of snow and ice all day, ironic because it originally had been scheduled for Sept. 13, but was canceled due to Hurricane Florence. “I’m here today because your leadership makes a difference,” Warner said to start the meeting. “We’ll
Club members band to focus on women’s health
Photo by Carol Brooks
Donna Warner, standing, listens as Councilmember John Capes makes a point during the Jan. 12 Council workshop. find out what it means to govern and what you expect from each other.” She added that the workshop was designed to help them explore who they are. “You’re not expected to agree,” Warner said. Mayor Lynn Montgomery said one of her hopes for
the town was inclusion of all its citizenry and Councilmember Rebecca Rayborn seconded that by saying she wished more people were involved, not just a select few. She added, “Older people ask, ‘What are you trying to do to us?’ Younger people aren’t plugged into govern-
ment. They question why things are done.” Councilmembers agreed they hoped more people would attend the Council meetings. Several members stated that residents had SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2
For years, members of Sedgefield Woman’s Club have focused their attention on helping others. They raise and disburse thousands of dollars annually to schools and charitable organizations throughout the community. Beginning in July 2018 and continuing until July of 2020, they are stepping outside the box just a bit to focus on women’s health – more specially, the health of club members as individuals. “Women don’t always take care of themselves,” said Sara Collins, SWC president. “But if we don’t keep healthy, we cannot help others.” So far approximately 10 percent of SWC members have signed on to participate in a program called “Walk to the Moon.” It is a special project of Ann Landis, president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina and includes all the clubs in the state. Areas of interest are yearly checkups such as mammograms, general physicals and gynecological exams, along with regular dentist visits and daily activities including drinking 32 ounces of water, eating a rainbow of food and walking. “Cindy Baggett (president elect) and I will be tracking what club members do and turning in reports to GFWC-NC that could help us win an award.” Last fall, Collins attended a meeting about the project for GFWC-NC’s District IV and, although she was already trying to live a healthy lifestyle, she noted that she has learned more from her participation in Walk to the Moon. Eating healthy includes having a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables from the five main color groups – red, orange, yellow, green and blue/purple. Water not only hydrates the body, but also helps improve the immune system, relieves fatigue, combats bad breath, helps with digestion and constipation, improves the skin, aids in weight loss, helps eliminate headaches and migraines and improves mood. Yearly checkups could catch a problem and allow for treatment in its early stages. Walking to and over the moon will be a team effort going from a waxing crescent moon with 75,000 miles or 150,000,000 steps to over a full moon with 300,000 miles or 600,000,000 steps. The first report to be submitted to GFWC-NC is due Feb. 1 and others will be required at intervals throughout the project. “A lot of our members already try to live healthy lifestyles, but reporting on it is a way to be held accountable,” Collins said. “Having participated in the project will make us more aware in the future. “The more who participate in the project, the better. But SWC doesn’t always do things to get awards. Our focus is helping others. We are volunteers in service.” Next year, SWC members will continue their tradition of participating in a bi-annual project selected by the past, current and president elect that will help the local community. Meanwhile they will focus on the Walk to the Moon health initiative. Whatever the results for the club as a whole, at the end of the project the real winners are sure to be the ones who actively participated and the community they “healthfully” serve.
Third Thursday featuring Diali Cissokho Cissokho, originally from Senegal, now lovingly calls North Carolina home. The kora that Diali performs on is a 21 string African harp that truly captures the sound and soul of West African music. Coming from a long line of griot musicians, a griot is a member of a village who tells tales of births, deaths, marriages, battles, hunts, and other historical events. Griots serve as walking history books, preserving and sharing the stories and traditions of their culture through song. Diali crosses cultural boundaries with his wide range of sounds, from
dancing rhythms to smooth melodies, that ultimately bring listeners to a greater understanding of the stories and traditional art forms he continues to preserve and celebrate. All proceeds from Third Thursday concerts go back to the artists. The Centennial Station Arts Center is located at 121 S. Centennial Street in downtown High Point. For more information or to purchased tickets, contact the High Point Arts Council at programs@highpointarts.org or at 336-8892787 ext. 26.
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The High Point Arts Council is excited to welcome Diali Cissokho to the Centennial Station Arts Center for the first Third Thursday concert of 2019 on January 17 at 7:00 p.m. Performing music from his native home of West Africa, Diali Cissokho will be performing solo for this special performance. Tickets for this event will be $5 per person and may be purchased in advance online at HighPointArts.org/events or at the door on the night of the event. Referred to as a griot and master kora player, Diali