WEDNESDAY
February 3, 2016
vINDEX
Groomer creates handsome hounds at her home
Calendar Classifieds Features Here & There
©2016WOMACK NEWSPAPERS, INC.
A2 B2-8 A3 A5
v HOW TO REACH US
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Vol. 38 No. 7
Two Sections – 16 Pages
NEWS ROOM – CAROL BROOKS, 841-4933 FEATURES – NORMA B. DENNIS, 841-4933 DISPLAY ADVERTISING – 316-1231
Jamestown, North Carolina
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Students offer Oakdale Mill project report By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer
(Photo/Norma B. Dennis)
Pictures on display at the recent Sedgefield Woman’s Club Art Festival.
No lead pipe worries for Jamestown residents By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer Jamestown residents need have no fear that their drinking water could turn into the debacle that has occurred recently in Flint, Mich. “The Town of Jamestown does not have any lead pipes that I know of,” said Paul Blanchard, public services director. Flint’s problem stemmed from a costcutting change in the water source in April 2014 from Lake Huron to the corrosive Flint River. When the switch was made, state environmental regulators did not check to see if chemicals had been added to prevent pipe corrosion as well as leaching of lead and other dangerous metals. As it turns out, the water was not treated with these chemicals. “Our water (from the Randleman Reservoir) is treated by the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, High Point and Greensboro which all use inhibitors to prevent the attack due to corrosiveness,” Blanchard said. “We test for lead and cop-
per in the service lines most susceptible for lead and copper contamination at least every three years. By most susceptible, I mean the test pool consists of houses with plumbing installed prior to current regulations. “The key issue is using an appropriate corrosion inhibitor and verifying its effectiveness through testing,” Blanchard continued. “Jamestown has not had any results nearing maximum contaminant levels that I know of. “We are blessed to have good, adequate water supplies readily available in this region, and water treatment plants that keep up with environmental regulations.” He added that until recently, some brass fittings could have some lead content, but current rules require the use of lead free brass fittings. The federal government has taken steps within the past 30 years to reduce contaminants in tap water. Carol Brooks can be reached at 336841-4933 or jamestownnews@northstate. net.
Supporters and fans of Jamestown’s Oakdale Mill area will want to attend the town’s Planning Board meeting on Feb. 8 to hear ideas for the site. Seniors in the N.C. A&T Landscape Architecture Program visited the town last August as a class project to study the 150-acre area along Deep River. The class is led by adjunct professor Paul Kron, who is also a planner with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC). Kron’s students conducted research on a variety of topics pertinent to the area, including historic preservation, the assessment and clean-up of brownfields (industrial sites with potential environmental issues), stormwater management best practices, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood design, greenway trail design and mixed use development. The students analyzed existing site conditions to identify the best places for open space conservation along the river, the best places for potential future development and the most appropriate types of potential uses for the area. In October, the students returned to the town’s Civic Center for a Community Design Workshop with
town staff and other interested parties. The students asked participants to list what need they thought was most important to the area. Once the ideas were compiled, the class returned to campus to identify potential uses and design ideas to maintain the historic and environmental integrity of the area in the event of future development. The students then selected a topic of interest or small portion of the river corridor to study in greater detail. As the final step, the students will present their findings to the town this month. Jamestown is one of six municipalities in three counties participating in PTRC’s Regional Brownfields Redevelopment Program. Kron said the PTRC is working with communities along the Business-85 corridor to identify and assess top-priority redevelopment sites. The work was made possible by a $600,000 EPA Brownfield Assessment Coalition Grant. “We are focusing our efforts on sites with the greatest potential for preservation and redevelopment,” Kron said in October. “Oakdale Mill and Mill Village property was identified as a top-priority site for multiple reasons, including its likelihood of containing some environmental contamination challenges;
its location along the Deep River; its historical significance both nationally as one of the longest-running mills in North America and locally, as a key part of Jamestown’s heritage; and its relatively good condition and prospects for reuse.” The owners of the mill and other properties involved were contacted and have given permission for the site assessment studies. Town officials stress that ideas generated from NCA&T’s study do not mean residents will begin to see any work going on in coming months, or even in the future. The students’ reports are just assessment studies for the PTRC. In other business, the board will hear an update on the second phase of the Jamestown Bypass and consideration of a Main Street study. The board will also hear a discussion of the town’s proposed Mission and Vision Statement and appoint a new chair and vice chair. The Jamestown Planning Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. The public is invited to attend.
Carol Brooks can be reached at 336-841-4933 or jamestownnews@north state.net.
Mending Mendenhall Historic Society surpasses goal for chimney work By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer The Historic Jamestown Society received a large piece of good news to start off the new year. The organization not only met their target for needed funds for repairs to the Mendenhall Homeplace, but also surpassed its goal. The funds will be used to repair holes in the chimneys as well as fix a crack in the plaster on an interior wall. When the problem with the chimney stacks was first noticed, Mendenhall Homeplace Director Shawn Rogers contacted experts in the field to provide estimates for the re-
pairs. Those figures came in over $16,000, a hefty sum for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Historic Jamestown Society. Rogers then was able to secure a Federal Historic Preservation Fund pass-through grant of approximately $9,800, meaning HJS would need to come up with the balance of the funds. The grant was the first of its kind awarded through the Guilford County Certified Local Government. Through a poster resembling a chimney, HJS was able to show visitors the progress of their “Mending Mendenhall” brick sale fundraiser. For every $25 donation, individuals could purchase symbolic “bricks.” Many were purchased in honor or memory of someone. Through bake sales, donations and a raffle, the society was able to raise an average of $278 a month from July to November. Things began to pick up in December following a plea to the HJS membership by then-President Shirley Haworth during her annual membership drive letter.
(Photo/Courtesy of the Mendenhall Homeplace)
(Photo/Carol Brooks)
Shawn Rogers, director of the Mendenhall Homeplace, peeks over the symbolic chimney made up of individual bricks purchased for $25 each by those wanting to help repair the chimneys on the house. “Within a couple of days after the letter went out, brick buying began and it hasn’t stopped,” Haworth said. “Some of the local donors who are not members of HJS mentioned the news articles when they contributed. (Articles ran in the Jamestown News and News and Record.) Visitors from out of state, the Mendenhall Family Association, community members and our membership have re-
sponded most generously. We have received contributions ranging from $1,000 to $300 to $25 – all greatly appreciated.” “This is an important project for the house – to preserve it,” Rogers said. Other members of the HJS board of directors are very pleased with the response. “The response from the membership was terrific,” Rogers said, noting that
Shirley Haworth, left, past president of the Historic Jamestown Society, accepts a check for $2,000 from Sedgefield Colony Garden Club Homes Tour coordinator Carolyn Gorda. many people renewing their membership included a donation. “We didn’t anticipate bringing in more money than our target!” Several people purchased “bricks” for Christmas presents and at least one family decided to do the “bricks” in lieu of gift exchanges. The biggest donation came from the Sedgefield Colony Garden Club as a result of their successful Christmas Home Tour. At a luncheon Jan. 13, Haworth accepted a check for $2,000, officially putting HJS over the top for its portion of the chimney work.
“The Sedgefield Colony Garden Club was pleased to be a part of the most recent campaign by HJS,” said Carolyn Gorga, chair of the SCGC Holiday Home Tour. “The club members think of Mendenhall as a special place that adds to the uniqueness of our area – it is not just a beautiful old home, but an important piece of the history of our state and country. “Mendenhall is a neighbor to the Sedgefield Community and, as such, the club wanted to help with their efforts in its See MENDING, page A3