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Independently owned & published by Several weeks ago, diamondshaped signs covered in black plastic appeared along N.C. 150 West in Oak Ridge, and are located along either side of the highway all the way to the Forsyth County line.
What are the signs for – and if this is for an upcoming road project, wouldn’t it have made more sense to do it before school started back this year?
Bobby Norris, a district engineer with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)’s Division 7 in Greensboro, told us the signs you see covered in plastic will be used to alert drivers that a road repaving and widening project is scheduled for a 3.17-mile segment of N.C. 150 that runs from the Forsyth County line to 962 feet east of Linville Road.
However, the project is not expected to get underway until late next spring, and especially in the area closest to Oak Ridge Elementary School, not before the current school
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Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO Although these diamond-shaped signs were covered in plastic and placed along N.C. 150 in Oak Ridge several weeks ago, they won’t be used to alert drivers of an upcoming road project until later next year, when a 3.17-mile segment of the highway is scheduled to be repaved and widened.
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year has ended next June. Norris estimates the road widening and repaving project will take about two to three weeks to complete, pending the weather, and the contractor has until July 7, 2022, to complete it.
When evaluating the need for this project, Norris said NCDOT personnel determined that while one end of this highway segment is in better shape than the other, it made more economical sense to pave the whole segment at one time. Besides being repaved, the 3.17-mile segment will also be widened by 2 feet where curb and gutter are not present.
OPERATION HOMEWORK FREE Afterschool Program
Rising K-5th graders
At right, Rob Midkiff puts down vinyl fl ooring earlier this week as part of the nearly $100,000 renovation of Summerfi eld Community Center (above) on Centerfi eld Road (behind Summerfi eld Elementary School). Town Manager Scott Whitaker expects the project to be completed before the council’s next meeting Oct. 12.
File photo / Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO
Monday - Friday, 2:30 - 6pm Now enrolling at operationxcel.org
25 slots at each site for social distancing
Oak Springs Baptist Church, 9070 Highway 158, Stokesdale (Free transportation from Stokesdale Elementary)
Stokesdale United Methodist Church, 8305 Loyola Drive, Stokesdale
(Free transportation from Huntsville Elementary)
Snack provided
What’s the status of Summerfi eld Community Center’s renovations – and when can citizens start renting the facility again?
In late December 2020, Summerfield Community Center Inc. transferred ownership of Summerfield Community Center on Centerfield Road to the Operation Homework engages students in homework help, tutoring, and enrichment town of Summerfield. The transfer also activities to advance their understanding in reading math, science, and social skills. included 16.8 acres containing the We also strive to provide students with opportunities to develop character, learn core of the town’s park, a lake and valuable life skills, make new friends, and discover new interests. As a three-stranded parking lots. program, your youth will eXcel to new levels, academically, socially, and emotionally. Summerfield Town Council voted last February to allocate $30,000 www.operationxcel.org to replace the roof and make other needed repairs to the community The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 ...continued on p. 14 SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2021 5
Please vote for
Oak Ridge Town Council
Respecting the past, planning for the future. Oak Ridge is at a crossroads; decisions made today will either haunt us or benefit us in the years ahead. We can make the easy popular choices today or the ones that will stand the test of time.
• Jim makes choices that benefit the entire town for the long run. • Jim doesn’t just show up for the vote and take credit, he takes the lead to get things done. • Jim took the lead on adding sidewalks, controlling cell towers, preventing big box stores, and Tree City designation. • Jim supports fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, safety, land use plan, open space preservation, and the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail. • Jim is a software consultant who has worked for large and small companies and runs his own business. • Jim was chairman of the
Planning and Zoning Board,
Board of Adjustment and
Ordinance Review Committee. • Jim was an alternate on the Historic Preservation Commission. • Jim is an Air Force veteran. • Jim is a member of the Oak
Ridge Lions Club. • Jim is a volunteer and bubble machine operator at Music in the Park. • Jim is the town representative on the ORYA Board. • Jim has been married to
Carol for 34 years. • Jim is a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for children in foster care. • Jim works hard to keep Oak
Ridge a great place to live for all.
Please remember to vote for Jim Kinneman on November 2. Keep Jim working for you.
Authorized and paid for by Committee to Elect Jim Kinneman jkinneman@triad.rr.com
from wearing masks, Sauer said. Rules governing masking exemptions help explain the difference. “We have a procedure and guidelines to follow which include medical information,” Swofford said. On the other hand, Revolution Academy follows Guilford County’s regulations, which don’t require medical and other documentation for masking exemptions. In an order adopted by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in August, masking requirements exempt people citing First Amendment rights, such as attending worship and religious gatherings. People who cite such reasons for not wearing a mask “should not be required to produce documentation or any other proof of a condition,” the county’s order said. It goes on to say that “everyone is asked to tell the truth and – if they are healthy and able to wear a mask – to wear a face covering so that they do not put other people at risk of serious illness and death.” “We are following the Guilford County mask mandate, which allows exceptions,” Sauer said. “Everyone who told us they have an exception under the Guilford County mask mandate, we honor those exceptions. We take the parents’ word for it that they have an exception.” Parents debated Revolution Academy’s masking exceptions in August when more than two dozen positive COVID-19 tests shut down the school temporarily after just one day of classes. After imposing a two-week quarantine, the school reopened Sept. 2. Citing their disagreement with Revolution Academy’s mask exception policy, the parents of fewer than 10 children withdrew from Revolution Academy, according to Sauer. The school’s enrollment is 686 students. “We have a lot of parents who want their kids here and appreciate what we do,” the principal said. “We have a few who withdrew because of our mask exception policy.” Masking requirements by Guilford 6 SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2021 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 County Schools (GCS) are more stringent than the county’s rules, helping
explain the low number of student exemptions in the district’s schools.
Earlier this week, the principals of Northern Guilford Elementary School and Northwest Guilford and Northern Guilford high schools said no students at their schools had mask exemptions. The principals of other schools in the northwestern and northern areas didn’t reply to requests for information.
“Due to the significant health and safety risks associated with COVID-19, masks are required to be worn by all students while indoors at this time,” GCS said on its website. “Religious exemptions or accommodations are not available for masking.”
The district said it does “provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities based on the individual needs of the child.”
Parents who seek a disability-related exception for their children must provide their schools with a medical documentation form completed by their doctors and supplemented with medical records, according to GCS.
Adobe Stock photo The policy on granting mask exemptions varies among area schools. Revolution Academy, a charter school in Summerfi eld, follows Guilford County’s regulations, which don’t require medical and other documentation for masking exemptions. Schools operating within the Guilford County Schools system, however, adhere to a more stringent mask exemption policy, with very few students and staff members being granted exemptions.
LIFE SAFETY
Summerfield Fire District
Station 9
7400 Summerfield Road (336) 643-4341
Station 29
1800 Scalesville Road (336) 643-5950
Station 39
6214 Lake Brandt Road (336) 643-2253
summerfieldfire.com facebook.com/SummerfieldFireDistrict
EMERGENCY DIAL 911
5th
Saturday, Oct. 2
Sparky’s Dash starts at 8:45am 5K starts at 9am
Enjoy a free bowl of chili from Summerfield Fire Department after the run
Summerfield Fire Department 7400 Summerfield Road
Have questions about operations of Summerfield Fire District? Please feel free to contact us at (336) 643-4341. We love to hear from our citizens!
October is Fire Prevention Month!
National Fire Prevention Week is always observed the week in which Oct. 9 falls
Fire Prevention Month (and week, Oct. 3-9), our busiest time of the year for community education and outreach programs, is almost here! National Fire Prevention Week, which is observed in the United States and Canada during the week in which Oct. 9 falls, commemorates the Great Chicago Fire that started Oct. 8, 1871, with the majority of the devastating damage occurring the following day, on Oct. 9. The fire was finally brought under control Oct. 10, but not before leaving about 300 people dead and 100,000 others homeless, and destroying more than 17,000 structures. The purpose of Fire Prevention Month is to raise fire safety awareness to ensure your home and family are protected. While our focus will mainly be on the week of Oct. 3-9, the entire month of October is busy for our staff and Little Sparky as we visit various schools and daycares, and host station tours. The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety,” and we’ll be focusing on the importance of working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and the different sounds they make. The smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have distinct sounds if there is an emergency or if they need maintenance, like changing the batteries. Smoke alarms should be tested every month by pressing the test button, and batteries should be changed at least once a year. An easy way to remember to do this is to change the batteries twice a year when you change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time. When we visit schools, we teach a variety of topics such as looking for potential hazards in the kitchen to make it fire safe and what a firefighter in firefighting gear looks like. We even have a Spray House where the kids can “put out the fire.” When we have groups visit the fire station, we offer them a a tour and let them check out the trucks, too. If you would like to schedule a visit for your group, call Station 9 at (336) 643-4341 or email us at jdaniels@summerfieldfire.com.
Volunteers Needed
It takes a special person to fill the boots of a volunteer firefighter.
No experience necessary • Free training
