April 6, 2016
Two Sections – 16 Pages
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Vol. 38 No. 16
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Vietnam veterans honored at special event
Jamestown chose to honor its area Vietnam era veterans on that day in 2016 at a special ceremony Like all veterans during at Wrenn Miller Park. The times of war or conflict, event was sponsored by the those in the United States Rachel Caldwell Chapter military during the Vietnam of the Daughters of the (Photos/Norma B. Dennis) era sacrificed much, disAmerican Revolution Dana Hughes, Jerry Snyder and Gerald Peek display the commemorative tancing themselves from of Greensboro and the Vietnam Veterans flag before raising it to fly above the Jamestown Veterans family and friends to serve Jamestown Veterans Memorial for the day. their country. Many who Committee. returned home from com“I think the 50th anniver- Volz; Kathy Fair, execu“We try to participate in and Greensboro, and bat were maimed in body as many patriotic events as always get proclamations sary of the war reminded tive assistant to the presior spirit, often to find hoswe can in both Jamestown from both mayors,” said the Defense Department dent of Guilford Technical Jane Thomas, commemo- of Vietnam Veterans Day Community College; rative events chairman for and it urged the nation to Jamestown Veterans Rachel Caldwell, DAR. celebrate,” Thomas said. Committee officers; The first Vietnam “North Carolina state rep- Ron Allred, commander Veterans Day was held on resentatives first made a of Chapter 4 Disabled March 29, 1974. President resolution in 2012 pro- American Veterans; Fran Richard Nixon chose that claiming March 29 as McCandless, vice regent date for the occasion to Vietnam Veterans Day. At of Rachel Caldwell, DAR; acknowledge its signifi- last count, 38 states now and Barbara Guest, Gold cance as the day the last have made proclamations Star wife and Rachel troops left Vietnam the to that effect.” Caldwell member. year before. For Tuesday’s event, In an official proclamaFor the past three veterans from throughout tion, Mayor Volz noted the years, DAR chap- the area were invited to service and sacrifice of all ters across the country attend, including those who had served in the milihave partnered with the from Marine Corps League tary during that time. Dana Hughes, Jerry Department of Defense’s Detachment 260 and 50th Anniversary of the Guilford County Veterans Snyder and Gerald Peek, members of the Jamestown Some of the Vietnam-era veterans recognized at a special flag raising ceremony Vietnam War Commission Commission. Committee, Thomas welcomed Veterans on March 29 included, left to right, front – Dana Hughes, Gerald Peek, Ron Allred to conduct events celebratraised a commemorative ing that anniversary of the special guests including and Jack Masarie; back – Jerry Snyder, Jim Dore, David Layton, Bill Spence and Vietnam War. Jamestown Mayor Keith See EVENT, page A7 Wray Hodgin. By NORMA B. DENNIS Staff Writer
tility toward them for their valiant efforts. Over 50 years have passed and attitudes have changed toward these men and women who fought in a war not of their choosing, but for what they considered a patriotic duty. March 29 has been designated as Vietnam Veterans Day, selected because that date in 1973 was when the last United States troops left Vietnam.
Koury asks for rezoning for Grandover Village By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer It looks like the area around Jamestown Parkway/Gate City Boulevard/Guilford College Road has some life in it. The Koury Corporation will ask the Jamestown Planning Board on April 11 to consider rezoning two parcels of land for upcoming development of Grandover Village. Koury is also requesting approval of signage for the property. The area was part of a land swap with Greensboro in 2011 and is within Jamestown’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). At the time, the section at 6029 W. Gate City Blvd. was zoned Conditional ZoningBypass. A separate section at 6115 Jamestown Parkway was zoned Bypass. The request changes both properties – 37.65+ acres – to CZ-B, noting that conditions have changed since the initial zoning. Koury’s plans submitted to Town Planner Carrie Spencer include residential, of-
fice, commercial and fast food restaurants. A link to the Koury request can be found at http://jamestown-nc.us/downloads/zoning/ Rezoning_Public_Hearing_2016-01.pdf. “The property has not yet been annexed but is in our ETJ,” Spencer said. “Annexation has to happen before we provide any utilities, but they can still rezone meanwhile.” The largest portion of the area is between the now-abandoned section of High Point Road beside the YMCA and the new Jamestown Parkway. The Planning Board will meet in the Council Chambers at Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. April 11. The public is invited to attend. Carol Brooks can be reached at 336841-4933 or jamestownnews@northstate. net. Koury Corporation has requested the four areas in pink in Jamestown’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction be rezoned CZB.
(Graphic/Courtesy Town of Jamestown)
Corridor study would aid business, vehicle issues By CAROL BROOKS Staff Writer Jamestown likes to bill itself as a walking community. The existing brick sidewalk system, the East Main Street sidewalks to
be constructed this year, the East Fork Pedestrian Bridge over Koonce City Lake also slated for this year, crosswalks and the future continuation of the Oakdale Road sidewalks speak to the town’s efforts to reach the town’s walking population. The town’s 114-page Comprehensive Pedestrian Transportation Plan, created in 2010 by the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments and adopted by the town that year, helped push many town initiatives forward. But is it just the local residents who walk? Do the many visitors to the town’s dining and entertainment venues along Main Street
feel the town offers good walking opportunities? Several obstacles stand in the way of the town’s central business district becoming a true walking community – it is vehiclecentered with drivers appearing to go above the posted speed limit, parking availability, safety at night, high-traffic businesses like banks and post office, the hill and, perhaps most importantly, traffic that will use the Jamestown Bypass. NCDOT already determined that the speed limit is appropriate for the business district in Jamestown but congestion is an issue. “Several successful businesses make it popular to people in and out of James-
town,” said Carrie Spencer, Jamestown town planner. “These have created congestion and transportation issues. “I think it needs to be better. The Bypass – with a proposed construction start of 2019 – will alleviate some of the traffic from Main Street. “Main Street is part of a major thoroughfare that is the only east-west connection between Greensboro and High Point,” Spencer said in a memo to the Jamestown Planning Board in February. “NCDOT Project 2412A (remainder of the Jamestown Bypass) will create a new connector between the cities and
divert a lot of traffic that currently brings business to our downtown. “It will be extremely important for us to plan and take action that will enhance our downtown,” she continued. “If not maintained and strengthened as a strong anchor, even the current strengths of our Main Street could be diluted or lost with the loss of traffic to the bypass.” In the past, Jamestown has looked into the Complete Streets and Safe Routes to Schools program, elements of which are similar to a corridor study. Spencer has proposed having a corridor study done for all or part of Jamestown’s Main Street
to learn what the town’s problems actually are and what can be done to alleviate them. She said that the study is important even without the bypass. “I wanted to do the study anyway because I felt like there were still those issues,” Spencer said, “and the congestion wouldn’t go away without the bypass. “The bypass gives us an advantage in that it doesn’t have to be engineered as a thoroughfare. “Any consultant doing this would be very familiar with Complete Streets and Safe Routes to Schools (programs),” Spencer said. She believes Main Street is a good candidate for the See STUDY, page A3