Northwest Observer l June 20-26, 2019

June 20 - 26, 2019

bringing the local news home to northwest Guilford County since 1996

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Roundabouts or traffic signals for Oak Ridge?

NCDOT asks Oak Ridge Town Council to endorse one of two options for improvements at three intersections, including N.C. 68 and 150

by CHRIS BURRITT OAK RIDGE – Oak Ridge Town Council faces a choice that Town Manager Bill Bruce said will influ-

IN THIS ISSUE News in brief................................ 2 Your Questions ............................ 4

ence “the look of the town for a generation.”

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) asked the town to endorse one of two alternatives for improving traffic flow and safety at N.C. 68 and 150 and two other intersections in the town’s commercial district.

The town council will consider adopting a resolution of support for one of NCDOT’s alternatives, probably at its regular monthly meeting July 11, Bruce said in an interview Wednesday, June 19. He

spoke after he, Mayor Spencer Sullivan and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman heard an analysis of the options during a meeting with NCDOT officials and engineering firm Stewart.

“It is important enough that the council needs and wants to have a voice,” Bruce said. “The DOT wants to be on the same page with the town.”

After evaluating the two alternatives in recent months, NCDOT recommended one of the op-

...continued on p. 9

Supporters hope mural will instill pride in downtown, appreciation for town’s history

Calendar Events ....................... 27

At its June 13 meeting, Stokesdale Town Council voted 3-1 to fund a mural to be painted on the side of a privately owned building in downtown Stokesdale

NWHS Valedictorian ................. 28

by PATTI STOKES

Oak Ridge Town Council ........... 6 Summerfield Town Council ...... 10 NWO Business & Real Estate .....13 Real Estate Briefs........................14 This Old Barn ..............................16 Henson Village ......................... 24 Crime/Incident Report ............. 26

NWHS Salutatorian.................... 29 Northern Valedictorian ............ 30 Northern Salutatorian ................31 Grins and Gripes ...................... 32 Facebook Comments .............. 35 Classifieds ................................. 36 Index of Advertisers ................. 39 NWO on the Go! ....................... 40

This sketch of a mural, which will measure 12 feet high by 18 feet wide, will be painted this summer on the side of a privately owned building in downtown Stokesdale. Friends of Stokesdale, who proposed the idea for the mural, hope it will be the first step in preserving and creating a greater appreciation for the town’s rich history.

STOKESDALE – Friends of Stokesdale, a group of citizens working to revive downtown Stokesdale and preserve the town’s rich history, hopes a mural drawn by a local resident and artist will be the first step in bringing new life to downtown Stokesdale and attracting local residents to an area that many

...continued on p. 3

NEWS in brief

Board will consider rezoning request for commercial site SUMMERFIELD – The Town of Summerfield’s Zoning Board will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 24, 7 p.m. to review and hear public com-

ments on a request to rezone 6.71 acres on Oak Ridge Road (N.C. 150) from AG (Agricultural) and RS-40 (Residential) to CU-GB (Conditional

Use General Business District). The 6.71 acres, comprised of three separate tracts, adjoins about 80 acres already zoned CU-GB. Developer David Couch of Blue Ridge Companies

wants to combine the properties into one tract and develop it as a shopping center named Henson Village.

See more details in article on p. 24 of this issue.

Open house set for airport noise study NW GUILFORD – The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority has scheduled an open house for Thursday, June 27, for

the public to learn about a new study of airplane noise around the airport. The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at

...continued on p. 4

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of them seldom, if ever visit.

Originally known as Green Pond for a swampy area in the vicinity of N.C. 65 and Ellisboro Road, Stokesdale’s original name was later shortened to Pond.

In 1886, the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad was built from Greensboro to Mount Airy and a train depot was built at Pond to service the area.

In 1887, the town’s name was changed to Stokesdale. In those days farmers gathered at the post office and general store, no doubt having to stop in mid-conversation due to the welcoming noise of the trains approaching.

The railroad’s influence on the town was great, and a small business district sprung up around the train depot. Several of the buildings along the town’s main street which were built around 1900 still exist.

But with the advent of large shopping centers and malls, “mom and pop” businesses in many cities and towns began to suffer, and Stokesdale was no different. Although many businesses operate in downtown today, much of Stokesdale’s population never ventures there. Friends of Stokesdale hope to change that.

“We’re hoping this mural instills a sense of local pride in our town,” Kathryn Bunthoff, a member of Friends of Stokesdale, told the Northwest Observer this week. “We’re also hoping that this appreciation of the town’s history encourages people to recognize ways we can support this town and its residents with a long-term and sustain-

able vision, for individuals, families and the Stokesdale community as a whole.

At the request of Friends of Stokesdale, the Stokesdale Town Council voted 3-1 (with council member Tim Jones opposed) at its June 13 monthly meeting to spend $4,636 for Stokesdale resident Beth Herrick, an art teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, to paint a mural on a building in downtown Stokesdale owned by John Pait. The mural will be painted on the side of the building that runs parallel to Stokesdale Pharmacy and will be 12 feet high and 18 feet wide.

month to discuss possibilities for the mural.

“During our meeting with Beth we shared our ideas, which began with some pictures of murals in other small towns nearby,” Bunthoff said. “We talked about images that evoked our town’s history. Beth developed several ideas for the mural, which she sketched and shared with us. We unanimously decided on the one that Beth also thought captured best what we are hoping to convey. The images – the train, the rural farm landscape, the town seal, a church, crops growing – together provide a glimpse of our town that we hope evokes a pride in this place.”

Herrick hopes to have the mural completed before school starts back in late August.

want to learn more?

Friends of Stokesdale invites anyone interested in learning more about the group or in joining its efforts to revive downtown Stokesdale and preserve the town’s history to contact Kathryn Bunthoff at k.bunthoff@gmail.com or (336) 655-9781 (mobile), or Joe Thacker at (336) 708-0334.

“Right now it’s just a blank wall,” Friends of Stokesdale member Joe Thacker told the council at its meeting last Thursday.

“We think it would mean a lot to Stokesdale to have a mural on that wall.”

“Our group truly appreciates the town council’s investment in this project,” Bunthoff told the Northwest Observer after the council’s vote to fund the mural. “It signals a growing recognition that our histories, our livelihoods, and our communities all depend upon our sense of place. This town is small, but its unique character is worthy of our stewardship, and we thank the town council for its generous support of this aim.”

Bunthoff said Herrick was invited to a Friends of Stokesdale meeting last

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

Adobe Stock photo

Guilford County residents who suspect a violation of the open burning rule should call the Department of Environmental Quality’s office in Winston-Salem at (336) 776-9800; ask to speak to someone in the Division of Air Quality for Guilford County.

I have neighbors who, now that nights are pleasant and warm, seem to burn things most nights. It is very obvious by the smell that not just wood, but also often household trash including plastics is being burned. Not only does the horrible smell prevent me from opening windows on nice evenings, but the toxic fumes are really bad for the environment.

Isn’t burning trash illegal?

Whom should I call to report this?

Open burn laws are regulated by North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The section of the DEQ’s website pertaining to open burning reads as follows: “The Open Burning

NEWS in brief

...continued from p. 2 the Greensboro-High Point Marriott Airport at 1 Marriott Drive adjacent to the airport, the authority said in a newsletter mailed to residents around the airport.

The study will determine whether

Rule … prohibits much outdoor burning and sets conditions for allowable fires. Under the rule, it is always illegal to burn garbage, household trash and other nonvegetative materials.”

Violators of the open burning permit laws can be fined up to $25,000 or more.

Residents in Guilford County who believe someone may be violating the open burning rule should call the DEQ’s office on Hanes Mill Road in Winston-Salem at (336) 776-9800 and ask to speak to someone in the Division of Air Quality for Guilford County. email your questions to: questions@nwobserver.com or submit at nwobserver.com

noise has shifted since the Federal Aviation Administration accepted the findings of a similar study in 2008 as the basis for maps identifying various levels of noise in the vicinity of the airport.

The study underway now will develop new maps for aircraft operations in 2020 and 2025, the newsletter said.

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OAK RIDGE town council

June 6 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS as reported by CHRIS BURRITT Mayor Spencer Sullivan called the monthly meeting to order, with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman and council members Ann Schneider, George McClellan and Doug Nodine present.

Rev. Andy Lambert, senior pastor of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, read the prayer offered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on D-Day 75 years earlier when Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, to liberate France from Nazi Germany.

The prayer was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, after which the council approved the meeting agenda and the May 2 meeting minutes.

During the meeting, several council members and speakers from the floor praised the contributions of soldiers during D-Day.

REPORTS Public safety: Sheriff’s Office. Capt.

Brian Hall of the sheriff’s District 1 office reported the office responded to 76 calls for service in Oak Ridge in

May; of those, there were two burglaries and in early June officers responded to an early-morning break-in at Bill’s Pizza.

Fire Department. Chief Steve Simmons reported the Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to 78 calls in May; 36 were medical in nature and 42 were fire- or service-related. Firefighters obtained 242 hours of training.

Simmons urged parents to keep an especially careful watch over their children when around water. “Lifeguards aren’t babysitters,” he said.

Simmons then presented a $1,500 check to Amber Grace Long, a senior at McMichael High School in Mayodan and recipient of the Strength and Honor Scholarship in memory of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Andrew David Russoli, killed in combat in Iraq.

The scholarship fund recognizes Russoli’s desire to serve the community. He was a graduate of Northwest

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2019-20 budget. The council unanimously approved the town’s budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 following a second public hearing on the proposed spending plan. (See previous article in our May 9-15 issue.)

The property tax rate remains unchanged at 8 cents per $100 of property valuation.

The $2.2 million budget takes $503,476 from the town’s fund balance, or savings, to help fund $764,475 in capital improvements and a payment of $277,200 on the town’s purchase of the Whitaker property behind Town Hall on Linville Road.

During public comments, Finance Committee Chairman John Jenkins said the budget proposal was “reasonable” and the town has enough money in the fund balance to cover next year’s appropriation.

Martha Pittman, co-chair of the Oak Ridge Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) Committee, said the budget shows a commitment by the town to provide “social, cultural and recreational opportunities for everyone.”

She cited capital projects including the MST, the town park and additional sidewalks.

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Long plans to attend Appalachian State University. In an earlier presentation, NWHS senior Haley Hill received a $2,500 Strength and Honor scholarship. Hill will attend Western Carolina University this fall. Both she and Long plan to become nurses.

NEXT MEETING

Sullivan said the budget set priorities for spending based on many requests from residents and “looks well

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

beyond” next fiscal year.

The budget “meets the needs of our citizens without raising taxes,” McClellan said. Kinneman said capital improvements budgeted for next year are “building for the future.”

The budget follows the goals of the town’s strategic plan for promoting growth while preserving its history, Schneider noted.

Nodine suggested that those who work on the budget in future years should “look at cutting our taxes.”

Voluntary annexations. The council voted to expand the town limits following voluntary annexation requests submitted by property owners in Oak Ridge’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

Town Manager Bill Bruce reported the town received 39 petitions for voluntary annexations and from those, town staff was able to validate eight of the requests.

No one spoke during a public hearing giving residents the opportunity to offer input on the annexations, which becomes effective June 30, Bruce said.

Newly annexed homeowners will start paying town property taxes and will be eligible to vote in Oak Ridge’s municipal election Nov. 5.

MANAGER’S REPORT Water system update. Bruce reported that Sullivan, McClellan and town staff met with representatives of water ...continued on p. 8

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TOWN COUNCIL

PUBLIC HEARING

system operator Envirolink to discuss operations and rates for a possible municipal water system. If the council decides to proceed with a system, it would initially serve new subdivisions with at least 30 houses. Following a second meeting next month, Envirolink plans to present an analysis for a water system operated by the town, Bruce said.

“There is a lot of confusion,” she said, noting the ordinance would require users to pay for service. It would also require users to connect to service. She suggested the council change its ordinances before pursuing a water system.

...continued from p. 6

NCDOT meeting. Bruce said North Carolina Department of Transportation officials plan to meet with Sullivan, Kinneman and town staff June 19 to provide an update on traffic improvements being considered for the intersection of N.C. 68 and 150. NCDOT is evaluating construction of roundabouts at three intersections, including at N.C. 68 and 150, as well as more conventional improvements including new stoplights at the intersections.

Trash can rebranding. Trash cans and trash trucks are going to get a new look in a rebranding following the merger of Waste Industries, the town’s garbage service, and GFL Environmental, according to Bruce. He said the company plans to alert customers about the changes.

Water ordinance. Rita Lewandowski told the council she was concerned about the town’s ordinance for establishing a municipal water system.

If the council decides to proceed with a water system, Kinneman confirmed the ordinance would be updated. The water ordinance was enacted several years ago as part of the town’s contract with Aqua America to build and operate a municipal water system, Mayor Sullivan noted. Although that contract fell through, the initial ordinance has remained unchanged.

“Our ordinance is out of date, ineffective and needs to be changed,” said Kinneman, explaining that state law prevents municipalities from forcing users to connect to water systems if they have functioning wells.

Citizen’s award. Van Tanner suggested the council consider establishing a citizen’s award to recognize residents for contributions to Oak Ridge’s development. As an example, he said, Randy

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TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS

Spencer Sullivan

Jim Kinneman

mayor

mayor pro-tem

George McClellan

Ann Schneider

Floss would be a worthy recipient as the organizer of RidgeFest, which has grown into the town’s biggest festival.

“It would help foster altruism and volunteerism here in Oak Ridge,” Tanner, who has announced his candidacy for a town council seat in November, said.

FINANCE REPORT

At the recommendation of Finance Officer Sam Anders, the council voted to renew the town’s contract with Dixon Hughes Goodman to conduct the town’s annual audit.

Anders said he’s finalized the town’s agreement with BB&T for a machine for town staff to collect debit/ credit card payments for expenses such as rental of shelters at Town Park.

BB&T agreed to drop upfront processing fees for the service as part of negotiations with the town, he said.

COMMUNITY UPDATES Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Oak Ridge MST Committee is holding a contest for the creation of an “Oak Ridge Trails” logo, Co-Chair Bill Royal said. The committee plans to use the logo on trail markers and signage throughout town.

Historic Preservation Commission.

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

Doug Nodine

Committee member Brian Hall said the three homeowners who each received $2,000 historic preservation grants plan to spend an additional $17,105 on exterior improvements to their houses.

Special Events Committee. The route of the town’s first Thanksgiving parade is going to start on Lisa Drive at the northern end of Town Park and then turn right on Linville Road before ending at the western side of the park, Chair Patti Dmuchowski told the council. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23, with a rain date of Saturday, Dec. 7.

Oak Ridge Youth Association. President Tom Collins said the association has launched its new logo, with a Vikings image on it that replaces the Colts image.

CLOSED SESSION

The council entered a closed session to discuss a personnel matter. After reconvening, the council had no discussion and took no action related to the matter.

Council members praised all those who volunteered and worked to make RidgeFest a success. Following their comments, the meeting was adjourned.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR ROUNDABOUTS FOR OAK RIDGE? tions during Wednesday’s meeting, said Brian Ketner, a NCDOT project engineer. He declined to discuss the agency’s recommendation until council members consider how they want to proceed.

“We’re waiting for a resolution from them to agree or disagree,” Ketner said in an interview.

Earlier this year, NCDOT told Oak Ridge officials it was evaluating options for improvements at three intersections. They’re at N.C. 68 and 150 – the town’s major intersection – at N.C. 68 and Linville Road near the Bojangles’ fast food restaurant, and at N.C. 150 and at Marketplace Drive near Sherwin-Williams.

The first option proposes construction of roundabouts at each of the three intersections. Under the second alternative, stoplights would be added at N.C. 68 and Linville Road and at N.C. 150 and Marketplace Drive. New lights and pedestrian crosswalks would be added at the N.C. 68 and 150 intersection.

A combination of the options would also be possible, Ketner said in February.

According to estimates by NCDOT earlier this year, it would cost an estimated $5.4 million to replace the stoplight at Highways 68 and 150 with a traffic circle and add two more roundabouts at 68 and Linville Road and at Marketplace Drive near the Sherwin-Williams store.

Upgrading the 68/150 intersection with pedestrian crossing signals and other improvements and installing stoplights at the other two intersections would cost an estimated $7 million, Ketner said in February.

Remaking the intersections has been widely debated in Oak Ridge.

More than 120 people with differing views crowded Town Hall in March to scrutinize maps and quiz engineers and designers working on the proposals. In the two weeks since Bruce informed the council about Wednesday’s NCDOT meeting, about 150 people have posted their opinions on the Northwest Observer’s Facebook page.

About half of those who attended the March meeting at Town Hall favored the idea of roundabouts and the other half did not. By rough count, opponents of roundabouts outnumber supporters on the Northwest Observer’s Facebook page, with one person saying installing traffic circles in Oak Ridge would be “the dumbest thing they’ve ever thought of doing.”

...continued from p. 1

Some said traffic congestion – even at rush hour in the morning and evening – doesn’t warrant construction of roundabouts. One opponent of traffic circles posted that she’s “not sure who our Town Council is listening to but not to the people who live here and pay taxes.”

Some people who are opposed to roundabouts don’t want to change their driving habits, according to roundabout supporters, including people who’ve driven on them elsewhere in the U.S., Europe and Great Britain. People wary of roundabouts “will get used to them,” one person wrote in their Facebook post.

In the next week or two, Bruce said he plans to update council members Ann Schneider, George McClellan and Doug Nodine, who weren’t at the meeting on Wednesday, about

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NCDOT’s analysis of the two options.

“We will most likely have a path forward at the July council meeting,” Bruce said. NCDOT “isn’t going to want to move forward with a project that the town doesn’t support.”

If the council and NCDOT disagreed on how to proceed, Bruce said, “There would need to be a process of coming to the table and working out differences if that is what it came to.”

Mayor Sullivan and Mayor Pro Tem Kinneman declined to comment after the meeting, saying Bruce was speaking on their behalf.

In a recent Northwest Observer Facebook post, Kinneman wrote, “Roundabouts get a lot of gut reactions. While I like roundabouts in general, which plan gets my support will depend on which one will do the best in handling traffic in the near term and out in the future.”

Schneider posted on Facebook that the council should base its recommendation “on facts re/ safety and workability – which NCDOT will provide – while also considering local input.

“But we all need to keep in mind that it could be difficult (or even impossible) for us to go against NCDOT’s recommendation, since they own the roads and will pay the full cost of installing the intersection improvements,” Schneider added.

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

9

SUMMERFIELD town council

TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS

Tuesday, JUNE 11 / MEETING HIGHLIGHTS as reported by CHRIS BURRITT Mayor Gail Dunham called the monthly meeting at the Summerfield Community Center to order. Mayor Pro Tem Dena Barnes and council members Teresa Pegram, John O’Day and Reece Walker were present. Dianne Laughlin was absent. Of the town staff members, Town Manager Scott Whitaker, Finance Officer Dee Hall and Clerk Lance Heater were also present.

Rev. Tae Sun Kim, pastor of The Lord’s Church of Greater Greensboro located off U.S. 220 in Summerfield, offered the invocation. It was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the introduction of council members and town staff.

for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 22, for a historic marker for the Charles H. Willson House at 4109 Oak Ridge Road. The house, built in 1858, is the residence of Linda Southard. People attending are urged to park at Summerfield Town Hall.

Tower dedication. Mayor Gail Dunham said she attended the June 5 groundbreaking for the new air traffic control tower at Piedmont Triad International Airport. Slated for completion in 2022, the $61 million tower will replace a 45-year-old tower, she said.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

The council approved by consent (or single vote) four items: the meeting agenda and the open- and closedsession minutes for the May 14 meeting and open-session minutes for the special called meeting May 30. The council set the filing fee for town council candidates running in the Nov. 5 election to be $5 per candidate. It also voted to again hire Gibson & Co. to conduct the town’s annual audit.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Historic marker. A dedication is planned

Fire District. Assistant chief Jenna Daniels reported Summerfield Fire District responded to 31 fire-related calls, 43 EMS-related calls and 26 other calls in May. Firefighters also installed 28 car seats.

Daniels thanked town staff and volunteers for their efforts to make Founders’ Day a success. The annual two-day event was held last month on the grounds of the fire department on Summerfield Road and on an adjacent lot owned by the town.

On a safety note, Daniels urged motorists to refrain from using cell phones while driving and reminded

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

Gail Dunham,

mayor

John O’Day

Dena Barnes,

www.summerfieldnc.gov

Teresa Pegram

mayor pro tem

Dianne Laughlin

Reece Walker

NEXT MEETING

CONTACT YOUR TOWN

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(336) 643-8655 clerk@summerfieldnc.gov

drivers never to leave children unattended in their vehicles, “not even for a few minutes.”

Pegram said she understood there were some safety incidents at Founders’ Day and asked whether emergency workers prepared incident reports.

Daniels said two medical-related incidents were reported during the event, and Whitaker said workers wrote an incident report about one of them, which involved a girl who fell on the platform of an amusement ride and scraped her hands.

Sheriff’s Office. First Lt. Jeremy Fuller said the District 1 office of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office responded to 146 calls in Summerfield last month.

They included a home burglary, two property thefts and the theft of a motor vehicle.

Saying there has been a countywide increase in car break-ins, Fuller stressed that motorists should lock

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

their vehicles to protect their property.

COMMITTEE REPORTS Historical. Chair Gary Brown said the committee plans to schedule a work day for cleaning up the Bruce Cemetery before turning it over to the neighborhood’s homeowners association to maintain.

Trails and Open Space. Dunham asked Chair Jane Doggett whether the town council could view the latest version of the committee’s trails and open space map at the council’s meeting in August.

“We’re not ready for that just now,” Doggett replied.

Doggett said the committee is very excited about the town’s decision to hire Bar Construction Co. to build a sidewalk from the pedestrian tunnel underneath U.S. 220 to Summerfield Road. The sidewalk, which is expected to be completed this fall, will allow for

opening of the tunnel where the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway trail, which extends from downtown Greensboro to just inside the Town of Summerfield limits, currently dead-ends. (See related article in the June 13-19 issue.)

Founders’ Day. Council members said Founders’ Day went well and commended the efforts of the town’s event planner, Cheryl Gore, and other town staff members and volunteers.

During public comments, Beth Kaplan said, “Founders’ Day was fantastic” and “really showed off the wonderful, talented diverse town we have.”

Zoning. Barnes, Walker and O’Day urged Dunham to refrain from offering input during Unified Development Ordinance workshops held by the Zoning Board. The board is in its final stages of reviewing the UDO, a set of rules governing development in town, and when it completes a draft of the revised ordinance, it will pass the document along to the town council for review before the council votes on whether to approve it, Walker said.

“We have our shot at it when they get done with it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Walker said, the council had agreed to respect the board’s request that it be allowed to proceed with its work independently.

“I thought we said we were going to let that group operate unmolested,” he said.

“They definitely are,” Dunham said. “They are definitely an independent group.

They are public meetings, and I can attend public meetings and listen, and that is what I usually do.” She urged other residents to attend the Zoning Board’s UDO workshops as well.

Pegram said she attends the meetings “to observe” discussion among board members.

PUBLIC COMMENTS  Cheryl Baisey said she was disappointed to learn three citizens had filed a lawsuit last month claiming that the town, Barnes, Laughlin, O’Day and Walker unlawfully appropriated town funds to pay for Laughlin’s legal defense against a suit filed by former councilman Todd Rotruck in January.

“I think to myself, ‘What is the purpose of this lawsuit?

Why another silly lawsuit from Summerfield?’” Baisey said. “How do the people of Summerfield benefit from this lawsuit?”

She asked who would pay the legal costs for the town’s defense and how much it would cost.

Baisey also suggested that a forum or debate be scheduled before the Nov. 5 election to allow new candidates for town council to discuss their experience, qualifications and thoughts about development. Giving residents the opportunity to learn about new candidates would be helpful, she said, because “as we know, many people will be gone in November.”

Hill said a group or party other than the town would be required to organize a candidates’ forum.  The next speaker was Dwayne Crawford, who filed the May 31 lawsuit with Don Wendelken and Danny Nelson. Among his requests, he asked the town to provide the state statute which gives it immunity to the law that makes it unlawful for the council to pay Laughlin’s legal fees.

BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING The council held a public hearing for residents to offer their views about

the proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Whitaker proposed a spending plan of $1.72 million, which is 10.2 percent lower than the current year’s budget of nearly $1.9 million. He recommended appropriating $413,066 from the town’s fund balance, or savings, to cover the difference between total expenditures and projected revenue. The budget calls for the tax rate to remain unchanged at 2.75 cents per $100 of property valuation.

Wendelken asked for the total cost of ongoing and future town projects and wanted to know how the town would pay for them and how much would be drawn from the fund balance, which totaled $6.9 million as of June 30, 2018.

Dunham asked Whitaker about staff pay and recommended the town adopt a capital improvement plan to

...continued on p. 12

Later in the meeting, the council voted to set aside an additional $10,000 for legal expenses through the fiscal year ending June 30. The budget for next fiscal year, which was approved by the council during this meeting, includes $85,000 for contract legal services to cover fees charged by Town Attorney Hill and Gray Wilson of Nelson Mullins, hired by the town to represent it in the Rotruck litigation.

The town has already spent $100,587.37 since July 1 of last year on lawsuits related to Rotruck, according to Finance Officer Hall. In May 2018, Rotruck sued the town in an attempt to regain his seat on the council after the Guilford County Board of Elections voted he had not established permanent residency in Summerfield, making him ineligible to serve on the council four months after taking office.

(See related article in the June 13-19 issue.)

CFCO 166 CASS NWObserver 4.86x4.5 6-20.indd 1 The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

11

6/12/19 8:05 PM

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING lay out major spending plans.

“We are trying to be as diligent as possible,” she said.

The council voted 3-1 to approve the budget, with Pegram voting against it.

O’Day said the budget reflects that “we have money in the bank. We have really low taxes. We have no debt and are still able to do some things that are important for the citizens of the town.”

BUSINESS FROM MANAGER Committee appointments. The council made several reappointments to the Finance, Historical and Trails and Open Space and Trails committees and the Zoning Board.

Picnic shelter. Construction of the new

...continued from p. 11

picnic shelter at Summerfield Athletic Park should be complete by June 30, Whitaker told the council.

BUSINESS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL Town attorney applications. The council instructed Whitaker to advertise a request for qualifications from lawyers interested in replacing Town Attorney Hill, who resigned last month.

Hill remains under contract until the town hires a new lawyer.

The document explains the town’s legal needs. Applicants need to respond by July 31.

Among the requirements, the document said candidates “should be geographically located within a 60-minute commute of Summerfield Town Hall.” Dunham suggested short-

ening the length of travel to 30 minutes. After discussion, the council decided to stay with the 60-minute travel time.

CLOSED SESSION The council went into closed session to discuss a legal matter. After reconvening, the council voted to hire lawyer Gray Wilson of Nelson Mullins to represent the town against the May 31 lawsuit filed by Crawford, Wendelken and Nelson. Wilson’s hiring is contingent on whether the town’s insurance policy through the North Carolina League of Municipalities will cover the town’s legal costs.

Following the vote, Dunham asked O’Day why he had not yet released his town-related emails in response to a public records request 10 months ago.

O’Day said he’s still working to fulfill the request. In April of this year Dunham released over 765 pages of town business-related emails that had been sent to and from her personal email addresses, after adding personal commentary to her original emails. Dunham’s email release was in response to several public records requests submitted by citizens, the first of which dated back to April 2018.

The meeting was adjourned about 9:55 p.m.

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Summerfield Zoning Board will hold a public hearing for a rezoning application for three tracts totalling 6.7 acres on Oak Ridge Road, near the I-73 interchange. The hearing will be held June 24, 7 p.m., at Summerfield Community Center. The tracts adjoin an 80-acre site zoned for commercial use, and developer David Couch hopes to combine the properties for a future shopping center.

24

14 Real Estate Briefs

Phase 1 of Henson Village master plan may be ready by year-end

15 Real Estate Q&A 16 This Old Barn

Odd-shaped alleyway distinguishes structure in Summerfield

22 Ask the Builder

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

13

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO

The restoration of Ai Methodist Church, located at the corner of N.C. 68 and Alcorn Road in Oak Ridge, has progressed in recent weeks with construction of a new driveway and sidewalk – and, as shown here, a building that will house restrooms and a small kitchen.

Volunteers will return pews to the sanctuary in coming months as part of a plan for the church to eventually host community meetings, weddings and other events, said Doug Nodine, an Oak Ridge Town councilman and leader of Preservation Oak Ridge Foundation, which took on the church’s restoration project a decade ago. A church has existed on the hilltop since the early 1800s, according to a state historical marker on N.C. 68. The church’s name refers to a hilltop Canaanite royal city in the Old Testament. Nodine estimated Preservation Oak Ridge has raised $300,000 to $400,000 for the restoration, which includes foundation and structural repairs, insulation, painting, a new HVAC system and roof.

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An excavator digs a trench for sewer lines this week for the Reserve at Owl’s Roost, a development of 16 houses near Bur-Mil Park in northwest Greensboro. Oak Ridge developer Robin Yaun said he and his partners purchased the 27-acre tract on Owl’s Roost Road in 2017 and plan to build homes priced in the $600,000s on roughly halfacre lots. A team of builders plans to start construction in the fall, with about 10 acres to be set aside for common area, Yaun said. Smith Marketing is handling marketing of the lots and homes. A house on the back of the property is being sold separately. The project is across the road from Woodrose, a development with several completed houses and others under construction.

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

REAL ESTATE Q&A

What are those buildings?

What are those unique-looking buildings being constructed on Stanley Huff Road (in Summerfield)? I heard one of them will have a landing pad for the owner’s helicopter – is that true?

“We both just love the modern design,” Caffey said. That design is consistent with the other two structures on the property – the middle one of the three was built as a guest house; Caffey, pres-

Exceptional craftsmanship. ident and CEO of Carolina Premium Beverage and Caffey Distributing, one of the 40 largest beer distributors in the country, said the building shown below will be used for his home office.

As for a helicopter landing pad, Caffey said no, there will be no landing pad – but there is a hangar to keep his helicopter in.

Caffey said he plans to continue living on his Summerfield property long after he retires.

Photos by Patti Stokes/NWO

Greensboro resident Chris Caffey told the Northwest Observer he and his wife purchased the 27-acre tract on Stanley Huff Road, near its dead end at Pleasant Ridge Road, last year because “we loved the property!” They didn’t love the house that came with the property, however – so they tore it down and started over. Their new house is under construction (top photo) and Caffey said he and his wife hope to move into it this August.

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

15

This Old Barn

Odd-shaped alleyway distinguishes structure in Summerfield

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Ron Vandergrift pushed back the overgrowth of brush and vines and spotted the rotting old barn.

Photos by Chris Burritt/NWO

This barn owned by Linda and Ron Vandergrift (left) has given their family a place for storage, card games and making memories. The barn, built in the 1800s, was in such disrepair and so covered in vines that Ron Vandergrift’s first thought after buying his Summerfield Road property was to tear it down.

“My first thought was to tear it down,” he said.

Thirty-six years later, the barn sits back from Summerfield Road, salvaged

by Vandergrift with the help of a retired carpenter. They replaced siding with oak planks and put on a new tin roof.

Otherwise the barn was sturdy.

Vandergrift admired the foundation made from hand-hewn oak beams resting on dry stacks of stone. Back in the mid-1980s, he learned from a Summerfield resident (he doesn’t remember his name) that the barn was old, possibly built a century and a half earlier.

And Vandergrift noticed, of course, what’s obvious to many who

drive past the barn.

“It has a funny shape,” he said.

An alleyway running through the center of the barn is wider at the bottom than at the top. It was built that way to accommodate wagons hauling corn, Vandergrift said. A room is located on each side of the alleyway. One

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or possibly both of them served as corn cribs where workers in the back of the wagon tossed corn that would be stored for feeding of livestock.

The slant of the walls created more space for storage inside of the corn cribs, Vandergrift said.

The barn is roughly square – 26 feet long by 24 feet wide. A few feet above the ground, the alleyway is eight feet wide, the same width as the walls on either side of the opening.

Vandergrift found an old, handoperated corn sheller in the barn. He donated it to the Greensboro History Museum. Since then, he and his wife, Linda, have parked lawn equipment in the alleyway and used the old corn cribs for storage.

When the couple’s three sons were teenagers, Linda suspected that they smoked cigarettes in the loft.

“Every time they went up there, we were afraid they were going to burn the place down,” she said.

The barn had been deteriorating

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

for decades, increasingly hard to see from the road because of runaway poison oak and vines. In the 66 years that she’s lived across from the barn, Frances Welborn, 92, said she’s never seen any farming activity on the property.

The Vandergrifts moved to North Carolina from Dallas, Texas, in the early 1980s when Ron, an airline pilot, took a job with Piedmont Airlines.

Housing was in short supply at the time so Ron felt lucky that he spotted the house for sale when driving through Summerfield.

The couple bought the property in 1982 from Kate Hoskins, a spinster and school teacher known around Summerfield as “Miss Kate.” A few years later, Linda painted a picture of the barn. It hangs in their home with her other artwork.

On the back of the picture frame she wrote a few lines expressing how the barn has enriched three generations of her family.

“This barn was built in the 1800s,” Linda wrote. “My children and especially my grandchildren love to go in this old barn. The loft has seen many card games and long talks.”

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Step into a Ray Bullins home and leave the outside world behind.

The homes’ exterior and interior design features, color choices, carefully chosen materials, and detailed workmanship give them a subtle charm that draws people in and makes them feel – well, right at home.

They have “a very unique feel,” Bullins said of the homes he builds, which he strives to accent with a ‘simple elegance.’

“When people walk into our homes they can relax. They think: ‘I could see myself living here. I could see this being home.’

They make you feel good.”

Bullins has been in home construction since the 1970s, when he was a 12-yearold boy helping his father with remodels, renovations and restorations around Kernersville.

“I made cement, brick and mortar mix, drove nails, just whatever he told me to do around the site,” Bullins said. “My father often told me, ‘Come on, let’s go learn how to do something.’”

Bullins learned a lot, and said he has done every job you can possibly do on a construction site.

“At this point it’s not just a business, it’s part of who I am. It’s my passion,” he said.

In 1993, Bullins and his wife, Lisa, started Ray Bullins Construction Co. They sold their first house in 1994 for $83,000.

Bullins figures he’s built more than 200 homes since then, most now ranging from $350,000 to $750,000 and even some up to $1 million. The homes average 2,500 to 5,000 square feet.

Bullins feels that part of what has enabled his company to be so successful is his ability to work and collaborate so closely with his clients. This emphasis placed on customer service and communication is only possible thanks to the hard work done by his wife and partner, Lisa Bullins, whom

File photo

Ray and Lisa Bullins have created beautiful custom homes since 1993. he credits as being a vital part of making Ray Bullins Construction Co. into the successful business it is today.

The couple believes building a custom home should be “an exciting event filled with hope and expectation for the entire family,” and they are committed to making sure this happens for all their clients. Their approach to home design is to offer living spaces that are both elegant and comfortable – without sacrificing quality.

Sandy Clark, who lives with her husband in Summerfield’s Birkhaven community, thinks of her home as a comfy lodge.

“It has that mountain feel to it,” she said. “The design for this house has been perfect for us as a retired couple. Ray is an awesome builder and he’s very passionate about his profession.”

William Dixon, who bought a Ray Bullins’ home in Stokesdale’s North Ridge community, is also enjoying his new surroundings – as do many who pass by it.

“Some of the things Ray did in this house are a little bit different than what most people are doing. We’ve had people drive by, look at our house and ask: ‘Who’s your builder?’ We’ve had lots of compliments!”

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Ray Bullins Construction, in business since 1993, builds custom homes and does “high-end” home remodels, additions, renovations and restorations.

Guilford use custom features,” Bullins acknowledged, referring to, for example, the use of high-end tile, coffered ceilings and other such features. “The way we incorporate features into the final design and look of the house is what really stands out to our clients.”

Ray Bullins Construction is currently building homes within the Birkhaven community in Summerfield, the North Ridge and Dawn Acres communities in Stokesdale, and the Knight’s Landing community in Oak Ridge. In addition to building in some of the area’s newest communities, the company regularly enjoys working with future homeowners who’ve purchased their own lots in many of the most popular areas throughout the Triad.

Bullins’ company has participated in The Greensboro Builders Association’s Pa-

rade of Homes since 2013 and values the opportunity to show off its home designs, craftsmanship and unique features.

“We’ve already had two deals on private property thanks to the Parade,” Bullins said of the spring Parade of Homes exhibition. The company takes great pride in their craftsmanship and Bullins believes its “best form of advertising” comes from prospective homeowners being able to walk through a home and see for themselves the care that goes into its design and construction.

“We’re a small-volume company,” Bullins said. “Our process is very personaland service-oriented.”

Besides building custom homes, Ray Bullins Construction also does “high-end” home remodels, additions, renovations and restorations.

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BUILDER

compiled by CHRIS BURRITT/NWO

Designing a custom home requires imagination and creativity.

Have you ever designed a home revolving around a single design or element?

Friddle and Co. Friddle & Co. incorporates a popular Texas feature in some of the homes it builds, said Paige Friddle, who owns the company with her husband, Michael.

The style incorporates an “outdoor courtyard in the center of the home,” she said. “If you took an aerial shot, the center of the home would be open to this courtyard with rooflines surrounding the master bedroom, dining room, kitchen and covered outdoor patio with a fireplace.”

There’s a view of the courtyard from all areas of the house, Friddle noted.

The homebuilding company also designs houses around the needs of the people living there – from aging adults to families with children and pets.

“As far as overall design, the focus has been around aging in place for some of our customers” who want functional yet stylish features such as grab bars and wider doorways for wheelchairs and zero-threshold showers, Friddle said.

R&K Custom Homes R&K Custom Homes designed the farmhouse that Kristen Dumas and her parents, Rich and Kathy, showed during the recent Greensboro Kristen Dumas Builders Association’s Parade of Homes around a granite countertop.

“We had pre-purchased that beautiful granite a year in advance from Amanzi Marble and Granite and had been waiting for the right house to use

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The black-and-white base color theme in this house built by R&K Custom Homes stemmed from the unique kitchen granite the company purchased over a year ago.

it in,” Kristen Dumas said. The home R&K built in the Woodrose development on Owl’s Roost Road “was the perfect choice,” she said.

“The kitchen granite was a gorgeous black with white and gray sandy veining running through it. Black was the most prominent color.

“The idea revolved around a base black-and-white color theme so that the furniture, rugs, artwork, etc., could bring in the accent colors.”

The kitchen is “‘the heart of the home,’ so we always start with cabinet selections,” Dumas said. “That sets the tone for the interior of the

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home and we run with the colors from there.”

In the Woodrose home, the kitchen cabinets are white with black hardware. “We pulled the rest of the house together with a black finish in the lighting and some of the plumbing fixtures,” Dumas continued. “We added warm gray walls and a few wood-colored and gray cabinets throughout the house to keep it neutral, allowing the buyer to accent with pretty much any color palette.

“With each of our homes, we pick a design theme to start, whether it be traditional, contemporary, modern

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BUILDER farmhouse, eastern European, etc. We then select a color theme for throughout the house, being careful not to mix white and creams or cool and warm colors together.

“This helps keeps the flow of the house and makes a smooth transition from room to room. It is always a ton of fun to make selections and then see them come to life as the process moves along.”

Photo courtesy of Johnson & Lee

This home on Linville Road in Oak Ridge, replicating a circa 1900 farmhouse, was built to match other farmhouses in Oak Ridge.

Don Mills Builders Annette Mills said she spotted a light that was “bold and gold and beautiful,” and she liked it so much she installed Annette Mills two of them in the house she and her husband, Don, recently built in Charles Place in Arbor Run in Kernersville.

To match the pair of lights, Mills said she “had to brown the floor rather than use a gray wash.”

“Something has to drive the design of the home, whether it be lighting or a fireplace or a color or that couch you can’t live without,” Mills said. “If it’s the couch, everything needs to go with that couch.

“For the color scheme and cabinet scheme, I generally tell people to start with the main surface in your house.

That is often going to be the big granite-top island in the kitchen.”

The couple showed their Charles Place house in the Parade of Homes.

One of the benefits of showing homes during the Parade is talking to prospective home buyers about what they like, Mills said.

“There is no one thing for everybody, so we listen to what people say they want.”

Johnson & Lee Johnson & Lee recently sold a home on Linville Road in Oak Ridge replicating a circa 1900 farmhouse, said Casey Johnson, who owns the comCasey Johnson pany with his father, Commie, and another father-and-son team, Rick and Mike Lee.

“Instead of using stacked stone, we used old-style field stone from Tennessee. ... That old-style field stone is what you would have found back in the day of building farmhouses instead of stacked stone.

“I wouldn’t say building the home was harder,” Johnson noted. “It was just something different than I’m used to every day. I enjoyed building a home that was different from the standard home we build.”

“The house was designed to look like an old-style farmhouse built to modern standards,” Johnson said.

“It included the old-style window grids to match other farmhouses in Oak Ridge’s historic district, and included the old-fashioned roof shakes to look like fish scales. It also included shiplap, which is a very popular farm feature right now, and tapered columns which were real popular back in the day.

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SUMMERFIELD – Wedged between the intersection of I-73 and N.C. 150, the 87-acre future site of Henson Village looks more like a triangle than a doughnut.

“We’re here to fill the doughnut hole to create a much better plan,” Couch, Blue Ridge’s chief executive officer, said during an open house at Summerfield Town Hall last week held to give residents an opportunity to learn more about his plans. “The idea is to integrate all of the parcels.”

Skepticism by some, including Mayor Gail Dunham, offered a glimpse of concerns that may reemerge in coming weeks. At the top of the list were traffic congestion and uncertainty about the appearance of Henson Village.

Couch’s master plan for 80-acre Henson Village won approval from the Summerfield Town Council almost three years ago. Since then, he’s acquired three parcels totaling 6.7 acres near the southwestern corner of the

The public will get two more opportunities to learn about the project and express their opinions. Public hearings are scheduled during the town’s Zoning Board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 24, and during the council’s

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24

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

HENSON FOREST

site of proposed Henson Village shopping center

Couch, Jim Grdich, Blue Ridge’s director of development, and Doug Stimmel, a Winston-Salem landscape architect, fielded questions from residents who came to find out more about Henson Village.

Regardless of its actual shape, developer David Couch of Blue Ridge Cos. said he is focused on plugging “the doughnut hole” in the property where he plans to build a shopping center.

DeDe’s

AD RO

by CHRIS BURRITT

80 acres. He’s asking the council to rezone the 6.7 acres for general business, matching the zoning of the larger tract.

E BO DE

Developer David Couch is seeking to rezone 6.7 acres he calls “the doughnut hole” in the middle of 80 acres already zoned for Henson Village, a proposed shopping center between Summerfield and Oak Ridge

5320-A Northwest School Road 19+ Acres Zoned RS-40 Oak Ridge/Northwest Schools – $350,000

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I-7 3

Phase 1 of Henson Village master plan may be ready by year-end

OA K RIDGE ROAD

HENSON FARMS

Map by Yvonne Truhon/NWO

meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13. Both meetings will be held at the Summerfield Community Center at 5404 Centerfield Road.

The Henson Village site is located at the northeastern corner of I-73 and N.C. 150 (Oak Ridge Road). Deboe Road forms the eastern boundary.

Across N.C. 150 from the property, on either side of Brookbank Road, is the Henson Farms subdivision. Rick and Patty Ringler are homeowners there and they were among a small

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

group of Summerfield residents who attended the open house.

“The land isn’t going to sit there forever,” Rick Ringler said in an interview. “We want to make sure that whatever goes in there is properly planned. It needs to be smart development.”

Pam Tocornal, who lives on Brookbank Road across N.C. 150 from the site, said she would like to see trees planted in the parking lots and un-

...continued on p. 26

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CRIME / INCIDENT report

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ASSAULT June 18 | A resident in the 3400 block of Edgefield Road in northwest Greensboro reported that two days earlier a known suspect had slammed a door on her, causing minor injuries. No medical treatment was required.

BURGLARY June 13 | A resident in the 8500 block of Belews Creek Road in Stokesdale reported that sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 6:16 p.m., an unknown suspect broke into the home and incurred about $500 of damage to a door and window.

FRAUD June 18 | A resident of Chestershire

Road in Oak Ridge reported that between September 2018 and June 18, 2019, a known suspect used a debt consolidation scam to convince him to turn over all of his debt information. After providing credit card information, the consolidation company then maxed out the victim’s credit cards with purchases.

The total amount of loss had not been confirmed at the time of the report, but the amount exceeded $50,000.

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

...continued from p. 24

obtrusive signs for the center and its tenants.

Couch said he envisions Henson Village as an updated version of Oak Ridge Commons in Oak Ridge and the Palladium in High Point, two shopping centers that Blue Ridge was involved in developing. Amid the retail establishments and offices he hopes to secure for Henson Village, Couch said he hopes to create a community hub that integrates trails running between Summerfield and Oak Ridge.

“We start with the table of permitted uses,” Couch said during the open house. “We do a plan. Here’s where we think the gas station should go.

Here’s where we think the restaurant should go. Here’s where we think the food store should go.”

“So you’re doing a gas station?” asked Dunham, who lives in Henson Farms.

“Yes, we will be pursuing that,” he said. “That’s an excellent spot for a gas station – a zoned corner on an interstate.”

Dunham questioned whether there would be sufficient demand by shoppers to justify building Henson Village.

“We have empty space now,” she said, referring to vacancies in some of the town’s other shopping centers.

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HENSON VILLAGE

Couch made a point of asking residents attending the open house for suggestions for the types of tenants they’d like to see and said he’ll be seeking more input in the coming months. A Facebook post by the Northwest Observer last week asking the same question generated sugges-

tions from more than 100 people.

Several people who posted on Facebook said they’d welcome Chickfil-A and Starbucks in Henson Village, while others said they’d prefer restaurants and a coffee house unaffiliated with national chains. Publix, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods were suggested as a possible grocery store/anchor tenant.

As for restaurants, suggestions included a steak house, a diner or breakfast place, family-style and casual restaurants and a place to eat burgers and wings.

Local artisans, a bar/tap room and a farmers market would help the center create a village feel, according to some posts. Some people recommended Sheetz for gasoline while others said a locally owned gas station would be better.

Henson Village will attract local shoppers from Summerfield and Oak Ridge, Couch said. The opening of I-73 last year will also create a regional draw of people living in Rockingham and Randolph counties.

“There are a lot of people coming in here,” he said.

If Summerfield’s Town Council approves the rezoning request in August, Blue Ridge will create a new master plan for the combined 87 acres. It will be planned in phases, with plans for the first phase possibly completed by year’s end and plans for the second phase completed in the first quarter of 2020, Couch said.

It’s premature to say when construction might begin, he noted. Each phase will be financed separately, based upon Blue Ridge’s ability to secure enough tenants to start building the first phase, he said.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 20

your friends! More info: (336) 298-4194 or amy.loflin@ show. There will be an ice cream truck with free treats thesummitchurch.net. for those who bring 10 items or more of non-perishable foods for people or pets.

JUNE 21, 22 & 23

 Shrek the Musical | Kernersville Little Theatre presents its final performances of “Shrek the Musical!,” an award-winning fairy tale adventure based on the DreamWorks Animation motion picture and the book by William Steig, on June 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and June 23 at 2 p.m. at James Fitzpatrick Auditorium, 512 West Mountain St., Kernersville. Adult tickets are $15, students / seniors $13, and children $8. More info: (336) 993-6556 or office@kltheatre.com.

JUNE 23-27  VBS | Bethel United Methodist Church, 8424 Haw River Road in Oak Ridge, invites children to its Vacation Bible School on Sunday, June 23, through Thursday, June 27, 5:45 to 8:30 p.m., with dinner served each evening. More info: (336) 508-1172 or kdmewilley@hotmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

 Preservation Oak Ridge | Preservation Oak Ridge, a non-profit dedicated to preserving historic strucfarmers market, featuring over 40 vendors selling locally  Open House | Greensboro Montessori School will host tures, will meet June 26, 6 p.m. at Oak Ridge Town grown vegetables and flowers, jams, handcrafted items an open house on June 22 at 9 a.m. to offer a glimpse Hall, 8315 Linville Road. More info: Doug Nodine, including jewelry and soaps, essential oils – and much of what happens on the school’s 10-acre campus on any (336) 209-1999. more – and food trucks, takes place this summer every given day. Parents and prospective students will have Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to around 8 p.m. in the parkan opportunity to visit classrooms, meet educators, talk ing lot beside the Quality Mart convenience store/gas to alumni and watch current students engage in their station on N.C. 68, south of N.C. 150 in Oak Ridge. work. Register to attend by visiting gms.org. More info: (336) 668-0119 or rhea.egbert@thegms.org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 21  People/Pet Food Drive | Join Do Work That Mat Movie Night | The community is invited to a free Individual & Small ters for the second annual “Make it Happin” (Help A movie night at Oak Ridge Town Park on Friday, Business Bookkeeping & Payroll Person/Pet In Need) food drive on June 22, 10 a.m. to June 21, featuring “Mary Poppins Returns.” Food Individual & Corporate Tax Returns vendors and fun starts at 6:30 p.m. and movie begins 2 p.m. at Harmon Park, Harmon Lane in Kernersville.

8400 Hwy 158 • PO Box 469 (336) 644-2741 office Sponsored by Amanzi Marble & Granite and Northwest at dark. Sponsored by The Summit Church, admisStokesdale, NC 27357 (336) 644-2743 fax Animal Hospital, this event will be broadcast live with sion to the movie is free and free concessions will be kim@kimberlythacker.com (336) 508-4671 cell offered prior to the movie. Bring chairs or blankets and Jared from KZL 107.5’s Katie & Jared in the morning  Farmers Market | The weekly “From the Earth”

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NORTHWEST GUILFORD HIGH SCHOOL Congratulations!

Class of 2019

Lauren Howard, valedictorian When you began high school four years ago, was it your goal to be at the top of your class?

Entering high school, it was never my goal to be valedictorian. I definitely Lauren Howard understood that class rank mattered somewhat for college admissions, but I didn’t focus on my rank. I took classes that interested me and that I thought would challenge me and from there, focused on doing well in them.

On average, how much time did you spend each week during high school focusing on your schoolwork?

Other than the school day itself, I probably spent between 3 and 5 hours doing homework and studying per night.

It honestly wasn’t too bad because I didn’t let myself have distractions during the time when I was doing work.

Do you ever get anxious before a test?

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

Almost everyone gets some level of anxiety before a test, and I am certainly no exception, but my anxiety was usually pretty limited because I overprepared for tests. If you feel underprepared, I would say to just let it go; it’s just one grade. Do your best and vow to prepare more for the next test.

Besides focusing on academics, what other activities were you involved in during high school, and what did you enjoy about and learn from those experiences?

I was involved in a lot of activities outside of school, but my two favorites were Kids First, and Connections Club. Kids First is a program where kids (aged 5 to 10) from low-income families could get a meal and tutoring. I served as a tutor and mentor for the kids. The experience taught me so much about patience and the importance of encouragement for kids who often feel left behind.

I also served as president of Connections, which was a club where we volunteered with Alzheimer’s patients at a local retirement home. This club taught me about the importance of human

connection for those who are lonely and experiencing mental debilitation.

Who are some of the teachers who made the most lasting impact on you in elementary, middle and/or high school, and what was it about them that impacted you?

It is so hard to pick just a few teachers who have impacted me, but I would say Ms. Huynh-Duc and Mr. Bennett influenced me the most.

I had both of them twice during my years in high school. Ms. Huynh-Duc was the kindest and most engaging teacher I’ve ever had and Mr. Bennett taught me so much, not only about economics, but about empathy and compassion, which was so inspiring. I also want to give a shout-out to Ms. Hudson, Ms. Haywood and Ms. Kersting, all of whom are so awesome. I learned a lot from all of them.

Do you have any role models?

My parents definitely serve as role models for me because they always encouraged me to work hard, live honestly and help others. Other than them, I really look up to Leonardo Dicaprio. When someone is in a position of privilege, it is easy to become apathetic about the world’s problems,

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

but his environmental activism shows that he uses his immense influence to make a lasting impact.

What is some advice you would give to underclassmen?

This sounds cheesy, but I would tell underclassmen to follow their own path. Work hard, find your own passion, and be yourself. Surround yourself with people who will push you, who will celebrate your triumphs and support you in your endeavors.

If you could interview someone living or dead, who would it be, and what are some of the questions you would ask them?

I would probably interview the late Stephen Hawking; he proved that no limitation should stand in the way of accomplishing great things. I also love astronomy and his research on time and the universe fascinates me, so I would ask him about that.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?

I enjoy spending time with friends, listening to music, working on learning how to play guitar, and doing anything outdoors (hiking, biking, stargazing, etc.).

...continued on p. 34

Rami Bikdash, salutatorian When you began high school four years ago, was it your goal to be at the top of your class?

I would not say that being at the top of my class was the goal. I did have to work hard because I was very aware of the competitive nature of Northwest Guilford High School and the high quality of students and teachers. But I tried to look at is as a good way to stay motivated and to show universities how I perform under pressure and in a competitive environment. It was more of a means to an end.

What are some favorite memories from your time at Northwest High School?

The time I spent with Coach Jason Allred and my teammates on the varsity soccer team was a huge part of my high school experience. We had to learn to think together every year.

I think our success in winning the last three conference championships and breaking numerous records came from how well we understood each other.

The beach trips were so much fun.

The experiences have made us family, and I will always hold tight to those memories.

On average, how much time did you spend each week during high school focusing on your schoolwork?

I would say maybe 15 hours per week of solid work outside of school.

How efficiently I worked varied based on my internet connection, the time of night, the due date of the assignment, and the presence of Netflix. But I try to make everything I am studying applicable to my everyday life, which motivates me to keep accumulating knowledge, so I can understand more about myself and the people around me.

Do you ever get anxious before a test?

I use music to meditate a bit and sort the thoughts in my head. It is extremely therapeutic.

In general, I am cool under pressure, and I just do not feel the need to stress out about Who are some of one test or one moment. I try the teachers who to work hard from the beginmade the most ning, so I do not have to worry lasting impact on about make-or-break moyou in elemenments in school. Also, I have tary, middle and/ Photo courtesy of Kaylen Ayers always performed better with or high school, Rami Bikdash, 2019 salutatorian a clear head, which I learned and what was it from athletics. So, when I feel about them that impacted you? anxious, I just breathe for a moment, I think the teachers who made the find my peace, and then I just do my most significant and lasting impacts in best. Things tend to work out. And if I my life were my parents. I get a lot of am unhappy with my results, I just try my personality from them. Both of my to refocus and to fix my study habits parents are university professors, so I before I try again, and do better on the have learned many tangible facts from next one. them, but their wise lessons will stay Besides focusing on academics, what with me forever. Both of my parents activities were you involved in during are generous, good-spirited and afhigh school, and what did you learn fectionate. Their lives and stories have from those experiences? shown me how capable I can be with My freshman year, I began what tenacity and passion. would be my final year of gymnasDo you have a role model? tics. I had been burning out a bit and My brother is an excellent role when I had a wrist injury at the start model. He works very hard for his acaof the year, I finally decided to let go. demic future but knows what he enjoys Gymnastics taught me grace under and is not afraid to pursue dreams pressure, dedication and personal triapart from his engineering in the world umph. In leaving the sport, I learned of music. He is thoughtful and witty. the value of versatility. The balance and strength I learned from gymnastics proved extremely useful when I decided to rededicate myself to soccer. I love soccer for the brotherhood that I experience with my teammates.

Soccer has taught me how to connect with people I have trouble relating to and also how to lose well.

What is some advice you would give to underclassmen?

I would advise underclassmen to find out who they are and what they want as soon as possible. I think that is a great challenge for many students. Once you know who you, you just try your best to act within your character and be happy. Once you figure out what you want, you just try your best to take steps to make it happen and ignore distractions that don’t help your dream.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?

I try to spend as much time with my family and close friends as possible. I genuinely enjoy interacting with people outside of that circle as well, so I try to go places where I can talk to people, maybe even strangers.

I spend lots of time at the piano and at the soccer fields. My friends and I are very active and spontaneous, so I just fill my free time with new experiences and things that relax me.

Where will you attend college, and what are you most looking forward to when you get there?

I will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I am really looking forward to playing on their varsity soccer team.

...continued on p. 34

compassionate

personal caring responsive

Music is also a big part of my life. I have played piano for 13 years. I play music to relax. From practice, I have learned a good deal about patience.

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

29

NORTHERN GUILFORD HIGH SCHOOL Congratulations!

Ellie Duquaine, valedictorian When you began high school four years ago, was it your goal to be at the top of your class?

No, but I certainly Ellie Duquaine wanted to be somewhat near the top. My sister Emily was Northern’s valedictorian in 2015, and I noticed the amount of stress it put on her to maintain a numeric class rank. Because of that, the number never mattered at all, but I knew that I wanted to do my best and hopefully be near the top.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at Northern High School?

The sporting events! In the fall, I loved attending football games because the student section was so

exciting and loud. I also loved to play volleyball and soccer games because I got to have fun with teammates both on the field and on the sidelines cheering for them.

On average, how much time did you spend each week during high school focusing on your schoolwork?

On average, I spent about five hours each night on a variety of homework and projects, with more time spent on homework during the weekends. In my freshman year, I had fairly easy classes, but I had no clue how to study properly back then, so I wasted a lot of time. In my junior and senior years, I had the most variation in study time. Some nights I had little to no homework, and sometimes I had over eight or nine hours due to projects and essays.

Do you ever get anxious before a test?

As long as I really dedicated myself to learning the material in class, I nev-

9 1 0 2 f o C lass

er became overly anxious on a test. I used a systematic way of studying that included rewriting notes and watching online tutorials in order to prepare.

Besides focusing on academics, what other activities were you involved in during high school, and what did you learn/gain from those experiences?

My three biggest extracurricular activities throughout high school were my sports (soccer and volleyball), piano and volunteering through my church. For both sports, I played from a very young age and fell in love with the teamwork and camaraderie that existed between my teams.

Unfortunately, I stopped playing both at the end of my junior year due to a number of concussions. However, in senior year, the extra time I gained from not participating in sports allowed me to start dedicating more to piano. I’ve played for 14 years and I listen to classical music almost every day. I mostly play classical music from the romantic period, but I’ve been trying to learn some of the more recent

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The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

famous pieces such as “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. As for volunteering, I went on a service trip with my youth group for a week each summer and some of my most cherished memories were made at those camps.

Who are some of the teachers who made the most lasting impact on you in elementary, middle and/or high school, and what was it about them that impacted you?

My favorite teacher in elementary school was my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Carden, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was my first teacher to really teach me to be excited about learning. For middle school, Mrs. Parham introduced me to the specifics of chemistry and biology. In high school, my favorite teachers such as Mrs. Buck, Dr. Strubinger, Dr. Branyon, Mr. Cheek, and Mrs. Knight all taught me at the AP level and instilled proper study skills and a passion for a variety of subjects. While I don’t have an absolute favorite teacher, all of my

...continued on p. 34

Aly Hamilton, salutatorian When you began high school four years ago, was it your goal to be at the top of your class?

It was never my goal to be at the top of my class; I just took the classes that seemed interesting to me.

On average, how much time did you spend each week during high school focusing on your schoolwork?

The amount of time I spent on schoolwork varied from week to week – I had some weeks where I hardly had anything to do and others when it felt like everything was due at once.

I probably spent an average of about 5 hours a week on schoolwork.

Do you ever get anxious before a test?

I don’t normally get too anxious before a typical test, but I do get nervous for tests if I don’t feel as confident with the material or if it is a particularly important test.

Besides focusing on academics, what other activities were you involved in during high school, and what did you enjoy about and learn from those experiences?

I played lacrosse during my freshman and sophomore years of high school, and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I volunteered through Reading Buddies and I was president of Fun Buddies, an orga-

nization that plans afterschool events to include special needs students.

In my free time, I love to play with my dogs and go to the beach with my family.

Is there anything unique or “quirky” about you that many people wouldn’t know?

Who are some of I don’t think there is anything the teachers who quirky about me that people made the most tend not to know. I do love roller lasting impact on Alyssa Hamilton coasters and I like to bake, but you, and what was it there is nothing too quirky. about them that impacted you?

Where are you going to college, and Dr. Branyon was my AP English what are you most looking forward to teacher junior year, and he taught me that writing is an important skill for any when you get there?

I will attend UNC Chapel Hill, career path and helped me develop where I will major in biology on a my writing skills so that I can be sucpre-med track. I’m looking forward to cessful in whatever path I choose to creating my own schedule and having take. Mrs. Buck was my AP Biology teacher and she helped me realize that more flexibility with course options next year.

I want to major in biology in college.

Do you have any role models?

My parents are my role models because they have always encouraged me to do whatever I want to do instead of doing what other people want me to do.

What is some advice you would give to underclassmen?

I would tell underclassmen to take classes they will enjoy instead of taking classes to boost their GPA (gradepoint average). Also, make connections with teachers so that you can easily ask for help if you need it.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?

Who will be the voice for these children?

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Where are some of the places you would like to go, and what do you hope to experience there?

I really want to travel to Africa, and in particular, Tanzania or Kenya.

I would like to gain a better appreciation for the privileges I have in my own life that I often take for granted.

I would also like to be able to help people in need.

Do you know what you’d like to do after college?

I hope to attend medical school after college. While I am not sure what career I will pursue within the medical field, I am interested in anesthesiology.

Hey kids!

Working? Sports? Mission trip? Traveling? Volunteering?

Share your summer activities with your community: email us at editor@nwobserver.com The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

(336) 412-7580 volunteerforgal.org

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

31

GRINS and GRIPES

Delighted or dismayed by something in your community?

Share your thoughts in

40

words or less

online: nwobserver.com e-mail: grinsandgripes@nwobserver.com Grins & Gripes are published based on available space and editor’s discretion.

GRINS to...  Stokesdale Town Council members Bruno, Hooks, and Mayor Flynt for realizing the importance of investing in Stokesdale. The new paved parking lot and walking path at the park look great! I can only assume it was a 3-1 vote.

Barbour & Williams Law 8004 Linville Road, Suite E-3, Oak Ridge

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Editor’s note: According to our July 12, 2018 Stokesdale Town Council meeting coverage, the council voted 5-0 at that time to accept a bid from Carolina Pavement of Cary to patch cracks and potholes in asphalt surfaces at Town Hall and in the town park and then reseal the parking lots at Town Hall, the town park and the walking trail and reapply lines in the parking lots.

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

GRIPES to...  The griper complaining about the residents at the intersection of Alcorn Road and Stafford Mill in Oak Ridge. You have no idea who lives there or what their situation is. Instead of complaining, how about helping them out?

Editor’s note: According to Oak Ridge Town Planner Sean Taylor, the property owners were given an opportunity to address complaints from neighbors before the Town took formal action.

When the issue wasn’t resolved, Taylor said a letter was sent out early in May 8004 Linville Road, Suite E-3, Oak Ridge notifying the owners their property The $22,192.80 contract included was in violation for: “having a conthe patching and two coats of sealant centration of combustible items such barbourwilliams.com over the entire area with a third coat as … refuse, brush, … or any other on high-traffic areas. combustible materials or objects of a  Town of Summerfield employees like nature, maintained other than for and council members who work so reasonable trash disposal or reasonhard, even when the mayor continues able business purpose.” to be an unhelpful thorn in their sides.

The owners were given 30 days

Barbour & Williams Law (336) 643-4623

 All of the Destination Arts staff for a wonderful recital weekend. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. It really was “The Greatest Show!”

Tracy Williams, attorney

 The Summit Church in Oak Ridge for welcoming me into their family.

 The Town of Summerfield for putting on the free concert in the park on Saturday. I’m sure there was a lot Tracy Williams, attorney of effort put into providing a fun night out for everybody. Kudos to Scott Whitaker and his great staff.

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

– until June 8 – to bring the property into compliance or pay for the cost of the Town doing so. As of when we last checked with Taylor on Friday, June 14, he said the issues had still not been resolved and the Town was considering its next step.  The person driving on Fleming Road who purposely crossed completely into my lane while I was on my

motorcycle. One more second and it would have been head on. I will put a camera on my helmet for next time.  Owners of the shopping center on U.S. 220 in Summerfield for thinking slapping up black paint and covering a broken-down overhang with plastic is a remodel. Lipstick on a pig!  Individuals who selfishly abuse ER privileges for personal gain. This idea costs hospitals thousands for unnecessary tests and makes others who need medical attention wait longer.

May God be with you if you think this is acceptable.  The publishers of the Northwest Observer. Northern did not receive a page (in last week’s issue) about their top students or pictures from their graduation. Only Northwest. I felt disappointed that Northwest would be favored over Northern. Shame on you for playing favorites.

Editor’s note: Huh? I’m absolutely baffled by this Gripe, and after emailing the person who submitted it three times without a response, I give up, assuming that facts are just a nuisance

in this case. For the record, the Northern valedictorian and salutatorian were on the front cover of last week’s issue – right beside Northwest’s valedictorian and salutatorian. And then on page 6, we had several photos from Northern’s graduation ceremony, and on page 7 we highlighted the Top 20 Northern scholars from the Class of 2019 by listing their names and photos. We did the same thing for Northwest’s Class of 2019, but it was farther back in the paper.  The person griping about the property owners at the corner of Alcorn/ Stafford Mill Road. Bless your heart. If you are so concerned, maybe out of the kindness of your heart you could lend a helping hand as a good neighbor.  Anyone dealing with drug activity, speeding or other neighborhood shenanigans. For solutions, research warranty of habitability. Landlords are responsible for protecting the neighborhood from public nuisance and criminal activity. Suing the landlord, tenants or both is a last resort.

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JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

33

NWHS Valedictorian

NORTHERN GUILFORD Valedictorian

What are you most looking forward to when you transition to college (and where will you attend college)?

best ones shared a common passion for teaching and helping each one of their students excel.

I will be attending Duke University next year and I am most looking forward to having the freedom and autonomy to direct the path of my own education. I’m also so excited to be surrounded by driven, passionate students who want to make an impact on the world.

My biggest role model is my dad, because he always has fun doing whatever must be done. From the hardest projects at work to washing the dishes, he always knows how to enjoy what he’s doing. It’s his positive mindset in all situations that really inspires me, and I hope that one day I can be just like him.

Where are some of the places you would like to go, and what do you hope to experience there?

What is some advice you would give to underclassmen?

Don’t strive to be the best out of everyone, but always do your best. Whatever happens after that, will happen.

...continued from p. 28

Purely for vacation purposes, I would love to go to Greece. It seems so beautiful and it would feel like stepping right into a Mamma Mia movie, which is always the dream. Other than that, I hope to visit parts of Africa or South America to work to improve the health and education of kids living there.

What are your plans for after college?

My career plans aren’t cemented, but I’m seriously considering becoming a medical doctor and working in impoverished areas with limited access to medical care, whether that is in rural areas of the United States or developing nations abroad.

NWHS Salutatorian ...continued from p. 29

...continued from p. 30

Do you have a role model?

If you could interview someone living or dead, who would it be, and what are some of the questions you would ask them?

What are your plans for after college?

I hope to graduate from MIT with a biological engineering degree. After college, I would like to go to medical school somewhere on the West Coast. As of now, I am interested in neurology, but we will see what happens.

34

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

I’ll be attending NC State’s College of Engineering – Go Pack! I’m most looking forward to involving myself wholeheartedly in the college experience. I’m excited to take classes I really will enjoy, but I’m most excited about having such a variety of activities at my fingertips. I plan on getting involved in youth group, service organizations, and the arts and crafts center because I’ve always wanted to learn to throw pottery or wood turn. I definitely want to join Adventure Club, the biggest outdoor recreation club on campus, because I love to hike, backpack and enjoy the outdoors.

Where are some of the places you would like to go, and what do you hope to experience there?

I would “interview” my two favorite composers, Frédéric Chopin or Franz Schubert, but I wouldn’t ask them any questions. I would just listen. Music is a language in itself, so by watching their styles and expressions, all my questions would already be answered.

I would absolutely love to go to Italy for their food and architecture, Austria for the music, and Iceland for the Northern Lights (one of my many “bucket list” items). I’ve always believed that with any type of travel, one aims to reach beyond their previous experiences and mindset. When I travel, I hope to deepen my existing passions in life and make as many new ones as possible. Who knows what I’ll be intrigued by next?

How do you enjoy spending your free time?

Do you know what you want to do as a career?

I love to hike and backpack with my two golden retrievers, Cooper and Dug, and I go to hiking trails around my house almost every week! I also spend about 1 to 2 hours each day playing piano for fun, and I like to paint with whatever time I have left!

Ever since taking AP Biology this year, I discovered that I really love research and genetics. With the hope of getting a biomedical engineering degree, I would like to pursue genetic research in regenerative medicine. But since I’m only just starting college, I’m definitely open to other options as well!

Where are you attending college, and what are you

Where are some of the places you would like to go, and what do you hope to experience there?

I would like to travel to Spain. I have heard it is beautiful, and I love the soccer culture. I would like to completely immerse myself, so that I can learn Spanish there. I also think it would be awesome to study abroad in Morocco. Much of my family is there, and the beaches are beautiful!

most looking forward to when you get there?

publisher of

PART-TIME WRITER/EDITORIAL ASSISTANT needed for youth/community news and photography PS Communications, publisher of the Northwest Observer, seeks a part-time writer/photographer to cover a wide range of youth-related and community news, including youth sports, student profiles, school events and feature articles, and assist editor with various editorial-related tasks.

Ideal candidate will have experience in writing for a community newspaper, be an above-average photographer and be knowledgeable in how to use social media to connect with people of all ages.

C0

M 100

Y 100

K5

C0

M 100

Y 100

K 100

C0

M0

Y0

K 60

Attention to detail, accuracy in writing/reporting and respect for deadlines are equally critical, as is comfort level with meeting new people and asking well-thought out interview questions.

Photography skills (sports/action, close-up, posed and candid, and photographing in all kinds of lighting) are a plus.

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

10 to 15 hours average per week. Times of day will vary, but will include some mornings and occasional late afternoons and evenings as well as Saturdays, so ability to work on a flexible schedule is a must. Also must have reliable transportation for driving to schools and athletic and other community venues in northwest Guilford County and northern Greensboro.

Hourly salary dependent upon experience and level of “clean” writing (requiring very little editing and correcting), photography skills and effective use of social media.

Email cover letter, resume, examples of your writing (preferably published articles), samples of your photography, references and hourly salary you think matches your skills/experience to Patti Stokes at editor@nwobserver.com.

Posted recently on facebook.com/NorthwestObserver Developer David Couch of Blue Ridge Companies wants feedback on what retail businesses and services residents would like to see in Henson Village, to be located on property near the N.C. 150 and I-73 interchange in Summerfield. Shown in photo, Couch (right) talks with Summerfield resident Pam Tocernal at an open house held at Summerfield Town Hall Thursday evening for residents to learn more about and to offer input on Couch’s proposal to rezone 6.71 acres adjoining the already 80-acre tract of commercial property he owns near the interchange. Some residents attending the open house expressed concerns about traffic and said they hope the center will be attractive.

Have questions you want us to ask the developer or town staff about this proposed development? Have input or suggestions for what you’d like to see there?

Posted Saturday, June 15, 6:44 a.m.

Sarah S. A Harris Teeter!

Jeff F. I would like to see a nice gym. Like a Planet Fitness or Golds, or equivalent.

Joy J. A big modern barn full of milk cows, with an adjoining field for beef cattle....large acres of fields for growing vegetables..

Jennifer R. Restaurants that are not fast food or too fancy. A steakhouse, Applebees, burgers & wing type or similar type of environment would be awesome!

Alison D. We could use a Japanese / hibachi or fast food there isn’t one around, by the time you get home from GSO it’s cold.

Sarah S. A Panera or similar fast casual place with some healthy options.

Jay C. Farmers Market. Indoor sports training facility for multiple sports. Nice resort style hotel. Small Airport.

Sean K. Chick Fil A, Starbucks and Target Joy A. I think local stuff would be great- a coffee house, something like a Core Life Susan W. No Target or large grocery. No Chick, Starbucks, Applebee’s-yuk. Local coffee, restaurants, smaller grocer (think Sprouts). You put a collection of big national chains there and you’ve basically created a transient interstate travel stop just like thousands of others, not a village gathering spot with services for your community.

Posted Friday, June 7, 2:30 p.m.

NCDOT is evaluating whether to construct roundabouts at three intersections, including one at Highways 68 and 150, or proceed with more conventional improvements such as new traffic lights at one or all of the intersections. I know we’ve asked this question before, but how do you feel about installing roundabouts at any - or all - of the three intersections in Oak Ridge?

Donna G. No no no!!

Stacey J. No roundabouts please. Putting 3 so close together would be a mess. There is not the traffic to warrant them. I’ve never waited more than a few minutes to turn out of any of these locations even at “rush hour”.

Angela A. I think it’s a waste of our taxpayers money...if i read it correctly our (Oak Ridge) share is $400,000 for these roundabouts...really putting in 73 has slow down the congestion

in Oak Ridge...let’s talk about them spending $250,000 on sidewalks to no where...for that mountain to sea trail...there is plenty of grass for people to walk on.,,,quit spending our hard earned money and give us a Tax Break!!!

Sue M. All for it!!! They were a huge improvement near my sister’s neighborhood.

Marianne S. Roundabouts are easy. People get used to them. And they improve the traffic issues greatly. (This coming from a person living with two much needed roundabouts within a mile of my neighborhood).

Amy S. It’s a no to roundabouts from me.

But town council will do what they want.

Unfortunately, it seems some minds are already made up.

Trevor M. How about enforcing the new speed limit. That might be a cheaper place to start.

Christine U. A big no on 68. I don’t mind roundabouts but I don’t feel that is a place they belong.

Max G. Do we have a 7m dollar traffic problem ?

See more responses and join the conversation:

facebook.com/NorthwestObserver

Christie P. High End Grocery Store!! Like Whole Foods or Fresh Market!

April T. How about an Aldi?

Priscilla O. If it must be developed, then David needs to raise the bar and create something innovative and unique that encompasses the charm of Summerfield which is NOT large chains. Local small businesses like restaurants, floral, coffee, child care, hardware, medical, gift shops, ice cream, etc.

See more responses to this post at facebook.com/NorthwestObserver

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

35

AUTO SALES & SERVICE

SAVE THE DATE

HOME SERVICES

1999 HONDA MAGNA 750cc motorcycle, black paint, 10K miles, second owner, excellent condition, serious buyers only. Includes two helmets, saddle bags, seat upgrade and more. Selling for $3,800. Call (336) 644-1625.

TOUCH-A-TRUCK EVENT, Sat., June 22, 9am-2pm, at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market in Colfax, to support National Assoc. of Women in Construction. $5 per perper son/$20 for family of 4 or more. Goodie bags for kids! Come climb on construction equipment, see demos, and have fun in the dirt! Come on down!

AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING

EUROPEAN AUTO SERVICE & REPAIR We specialize in factory-scheduled maintenance and repairs. Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Volvo, Mini and Porsche.

32 years experience. Knight Import Specialty Service, 4559 US Highway 220, Summerfield (across from Food Lion). (336) 337-0669.

Place online at

DEADLINE: Monday prior to each issue

NEED HELP? Call (336) 644-7035, ext. 10 Mon - Fri • 9am -12:30pm

INDEX

Auto Sales & Service ................... 36 Employment ............................... 36 Homecare Available ................... 36 Save the Date ............................. 36 Yard Sales ................................... 36 Home Services .......................36-38 Misc. for Sale .............................. 38 Misc. Services.............................. 38 Misc. Wanted .............................. 38 Pets & Animal Services ................ 38 Real Estate.................................. 38

36

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

EMPLOYMENT Town of Summerfield seeks CONTRACT ATTORNEY. Summerfield (Guilford Co.) is accepting proposals from qualified attor attorneys/firms exp. in local govt. law. All RFQ details available at www.summerfieldnc.gov.

Submittal deadline is 7/31 at 11am.

HELP WANTED, Affordable Home Repairs.

Call (336) 564-8256 or (336) 987-0350.

TIRE MAX TOTAL CAR CARE in Stokesdale and Summerfield is seeking top talent.

If you or someone you know has experience in the industry, we’d love to talk with you.

Call (336) 441-8066 in Stokesdale; (336) 793-5391 in Summerfield, or just stop by.

VENDORS WANTED. Stokesdale Marketplace is accepting new vendors. Booths are available now. Come pick yours! 341 Ram Loop, Stokesdale. (336) 949-9269.

We are growing fast.

ARBOR MASTERS TREE SERVICE. Help wanted. Call (336) 643-9157.

HOMECARE AVAILABLE CAREGIVERS WHO CARE Available 24/7. Light housework, cooking, errands, grocery & doctor visits. Also seeking workers. Call (336) 648-0270.

Are you a Caregiver?

Place your ad here to reach our readers!

JUMP INTO SUMMER with Lularoe, Paparazzi & Colorstreet, Saturday, June 22, from 10:30am-2:30pm, at the Oak Ridge Room, 2205 Oak Ridge Rd., Oak Ridge, beside Bistro 150 in the Oak Ridge Commons Shopping Center.

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION, Thursday, July 4, Liberty Wesleyan Church, 15303 US-158, Summerfield. 6pm Hot Dog Supper; 8pm Ice Cream Social; dark – Fireworks!

Something

?

going on

Tell northwest Guilford County Place your Save the Date online at

YARD SALES YARD SALE, Saturday, June 22, 8am-1pm, 1904 Ridge Oaks Court, Oak Ridge. Dishes, glassware, wooden collectibles, home decor and pillows, LPs, and more.

FIVE-FAMILY YARD SALE, Sat., June 22, 8am-1pm, 8417 W. Harrell Rd., Oak Ridge.

YARD SALE, Saturday, June 22, 7am-12n, 7689 Deboe Road, Summerfield. Lots of kids' stuff and other items. Our junk could be your treasure!

Place your yard sale ad at

The deadline is Monday!

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

A-ACTION AIR. Repair and service. Checkup special $39.95. Call (336) 382-3750.

CLEANING MAIDS OF HONOR HOME CLEANING $25 off! Locally owned, bonded staff. 40 years 708-2407 in service. BBB A+ rating. (336) 708-2407.

KOONTZ CLEANING SERVICE, serving Summerfield and surrounding areas since 1985. Quality carpet and upholstery cleaning, tile and grouted floors, leather furniture, Oriental rugs. Ask about our hardwood floor deep-cleaning system and finish application. Spring specials. Please call (336) 643-6323 or (336) 392-8802.

MAID-2-SHINE. Excellent service, 15 years experience. Free estimates, excellent references. (336) 338-0223.

CRYSTAL CLEAR WINDOW CLEANING Gutter cleaning, pressure washing. Fully ins. windowcleaningnc.com (336) 595-2873.

DECORATING EXPERIENCED INTERIOR DECORATOR & personal furniture shopper will help you with style, color, shopping & furniture placement. E-mail appeninc@gmail.com or call Ann Appenzeller, (336) 314-1411.

ELECTRICAL BALEX ELECTRICAL COMPANY, LLC. Got Power? Residential, commercial and solar electrical services. (336) 298-4192.

Need an electrician? Call BLACKMON ELECTRICAL, INC. Free estimates. Commercial & residential. Licensed & insured.

Call (336) 430-5018.

Do you have ELECTRICAL NEEDS? Call Coble Electric LLC at (336) 209-1486.

GENERAL REPAIR & SERVICES AFFORDABLE HOME REPAIRS. One call fixes all! A+ with BBB. For a free estimate, call (336) 643-1184 or (336) 987-0350.

HOME SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

GARY’S HANDYMAN HOME SERVICES “Providing value for the home-ownership experience.” Gary Gellert, serving NC’s Piedmont Triad area. Garygellert@gmail. com, (336) 423-8223.

BRAD'S BOBCAT & HAULING SVCS. LLC Debris removal, grading, gravel/dirt, driveways, concrete work. (336) 362-3647.

COLFAX LAWNCARE. Core aeration & seeding. Fertilizing, mowing, trimming, pine needles. Complete lawn care maintenance. Res./comm. Fully insured. Serving the Triad for 28 years. (336) 362-5860.

PAINTING & DRYWALL

MOWER DECKS WELDED & REPAIRED. Pickup and delivery available. Call or text Morris at (336) 880-7498.

ARBOR MASTERS TREE SERVICE Total tree removal, storm damage cleanup, shrub and tree pruning. Bobcat work and more. Free estimates. Licensed & insured.

Call Joe at 643-9157.

FAY'S LAWNCARE & LANDSCAPING Complete tree removal & trimming. Storm damage clean-up. Landscaping & hardscaping. Insured. Taylor, (336) 458-6491.

David & Judy Long, owners

APPLIANCE REPAIR – Call Mr. Appliance A step above the rest! (336) 609-5707.

GREENERTIMES SMALL ENGINE Sales & Service Center. All types sold and repaired; comm./res. 9428 NC Hwy. 65, Stokesdale.

(336) 548-9286 or (336) 312-3844.

FIX YOUR MOWER. Free pickup & delivery.

Call Rick, (336) 501-8681.

OLD SCHOOL

HOME REPAIR/IMPROVEMENTS “No Job Too Small”

Wood Rot Repairs • Bathroom Remodeling Painting • Decks and much more! • Insured

Contact us for a free estimate!

(336) 669-7252

oldschoolsjhr@triad.rr.com

L & T SMALL ENGINE SERVICE "We get you mowing!" Comm./res., all models.

2103 Oak Ridge Rd., Oak Ridge. Call (336) 298-4314, landtsmallengineservice.com.

GRADING / HAULING PEARMAN QUARRY HAULING Fill dirt, gravel, sand rock, mulch & more.

Joel Richardson, (336) 803-2195.

GAULDIN TRUCKING, grading & hauling, bobcat work, lot clearing, driveways, fill dirt, gravel, etc. (336) 362-1150.

ANTHONY’S GRADING & HAULING Excavating, land clearing, demolition, dirt. available. Zane Anthony, (336) 362-4035.

E&W HAULING & GRADING INC. Driveways, fill dirt, demolition, lot clearing, excavating, bobcat work, etc. (336) 451-1282.

LAWNCARE / LANDSCAPING

STOKESDALE LAWN. Mowing & weedeating. $45 minimum. (336) 423-2692.

GUZMAN LANDSCAPE & MAINTENANCE Pine needles, mulch, leaf removal, tree pruning, complete lawn maint. (336) 655-6490.

AQUA SYSTEMS IRRIGATION Quality irrigation systems. NC licensed contractor. We service all systems. Free est. (336) 644-1174 CAROLINA STUMP & TREE SERVICE workComplete tree service, $1 million liability, work man’s comp. Rick & Judy, (336) 643-9332. www.carolinaStumpAndTreeServices.com.

ATCHISON LAWN CARE. Dependable.

Honest. Local. Call (336) 486-9837.

AFFORDABLE LANDSCAPING for all your landscaping needs, including irrigation, installation and repair. Call Joe at J. Gibson Landscaping, an Americanowned and operated small business. Built on Capitalism, not Socialism. In God we trust. (336) 419-7236.

ALL-SEASON STUMP GRINDING. Owner Alan Winfree. Free est. Call (336) 382-9875.

(336) 931-0600

BEKPaintCompany.com • References Available • Licensed & Insured • All Work Guaranteed

CARLOS & SON PAINTING, interior and

SOUTHERN CUTS LAWN CARE, complete lawn maintenance services. 13 years experience. Nathan Adkins, (336) 430-6086.

STILL PERFECTION PAINTING. Reli-

STEVE NEWMAN TREE SERVICE. Free est. Lic/Ins. 40 yrs. exp. Lots & natural area

exterior. 24 hours/7 days a week. Free estimates, licensed/insured. (336) 669-5210.

able, skilled, affordable. Painting, pressure washing, handyman services. Scott Still, (336) 462-3683, stillperfectionpainting.com.

thinning and cleanup. Large shrubbery

LAWSON'S PAINTING. Custom decks,

jobs, chipping. Oak Ridge, (336) 643-1119.

pressure washing, boat docks, block fill,

MASONRY COLONIAL MASONRY, MADISON NC 40 years experience. Call (828) 312-0090 or visit us online at www.colonialmasonry.com.

MASONRY CONCEPTS, brick, block, stone MASONR concrete & repairs. Free est. (336) 988-1022, www.masonryconceptsgso.com.

SOUTHERN STYLE concrete & landscapes.

How about a new patio or fire pit? We can

WILSON LANDSCAPING, INC. Lawn maint, landscaping. Irrigation/ landscape contractor. Hardscaping & landscape lighting. 26 years exp. (336) 399-7764.

landscape needs.

Place your ad at

Residential & Commercial

DELIMA LAWNCARE. 24 hours/7 days a week. Free estimates, licensed/insured.

Commercial & Residential. (336) 669-5210.

ORTIZ LANDSCAPING, complete lawn care. Trimming, cleaning, planting & mulch, gutter cleaning, patios & pavers, waterfalls, retaining walls, sidewalks, stonework. Residential and commercial. (336) 280-8981.

Your business should be here!

Let us introduce you to our readers.

BEK Paint Co.

wood repair, stain work, textured ceilings, sheetrock repair. Call (336) 253-9089.

PAINTING – INTERIOR & EXTERIOR 32 yrs. exp. Sheetrock repair. No job too small. Insured. Brad Rogers, (336) 314-3186.

Need something?

Find it here in the

help with all of your outdoor living and en-

classifieds

tertainment spaces! Fire pits, driveways & sidewalks, patios and more! Give us a call at (336) 399-6619 for all your concrete and

submit your ad at

nwobserver.com

MISC. SERVICES & PRODUCTS

PLUMBING

GRILLS, FIRE PITS, gas logs, heaters, gas inserts, tankless water heaters. General home repairs. Call Don Hill, (336) 643-7183.

WEBSTER & SONS PLUMBING, Inc.

COX POOL SERVICE. Openings, closings, routine maintenance, weekly service. No contracts, free estimates! (336) 327-5122.

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

(336) 992-2503. Licensed, insured, bonded.

24/7 service. Plumbing, drain cleaning, well pumps. Give us a call, we do it all! Go to www.webstersplumbing.com for more info.

continued on p. 38

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

37

HOME SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

MISC. SERVICES

REAL ESTATE

BRANSON PLUMBING & SOLAR No job too small! Experienced, guaranteed.

Lic. & insured. Call Mark, (336) 337-7924.

ROOFING

FIVE-ACRE STORAGE LOT. Convenient and clean. RVs, campers, boats, trailers.

(336) 486-9837.

HOMES FOR RENT

MISC. WANTED

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PRESSURE WASHING PRESSURE WASHING, gutter & window cleaning. Fully insured. Crystal Clear, www. windowcleaningnc.com (336) 595-2873.

HOUSE SOFT WASHING. Fully insured.

Rated 5 stars on Google. (919) 931-0856, MartinsPressureWashing.com.

REMODELING / CONSTRUCTION BELEWS CREEK CONSTRUCTION Kitchens/baths, custom decks, garages, dock work, siding, windows, roofing, rotted wood.

Sr. disc., 39 years exp. (336) 362-6343.

PREMIER CONSTRUCTION for all your remodeling/renovation needs. (336) 430-9507.

ORTIZ REMODELING – Total restoration & home improvement. Drywall, painting, kitchen cabinets, interior trim & more. Free estimates. (336) 280-8981.

RENOVATION WORKS, INC. New construction, remodeling, additions, kitchen, bath and decks. We are a locally owned, full-service design and build company, A+ accredited with the BBB. Visit www.myrenovationworks.com or call (336) 427-7391 to start your next project.

DOUGLAS CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING, LLC. Custom Builder, sunrooms, garages, additions, kitchens baths. Licensed & Insured, BBB A+ accredited. Free est. Visit www.douglascr.com or call (336) 413-5050.

KEITH SMITH CONSTRUCTION 30 years experience. Specializing in room additions, kitchens & baths, garages, vinyl siding and windows, painting, ceramic tile, laminate, hardwood and linoleum floors, and remodeling of all kinds. No job too small. Free est. Call (336) 362-7469.

JLB REMODELING, INC. Remodeling and additions. Fully insured.

NC GC license #69997. Free est. Call (336) 681-2902 or visit www.jlbremodeling.com.

Need

38

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

RED RHINO ROOFING, based in Oak Ridge, NC. Storm damage specialist experienced with all types of roofing. BBB accredited A and listed with Angie’s List. Call (336) 944-6118, or visit redrhinoroofing.com.

KEITH SMITH CONSTRUCTION 30 years experience. Residential shingle & metal roofing. Free est. (336) 362-7469.

PREMIER ROOFING, LOCALLY OWNED. Catering to all your roofing needs. Call (336) 430-9507 for free assessments.

BEST PRICES IN TOWN! Shingle and metal roofing. Top-notch quality. Res./comm., licensed & insured. Financing available.

Belews Creek Construction, (336) 362-6343.

CLINARD & SON ROOFING, LLC. Residential roofing, rubber flat roofs, roof coating, metal roofs. 30 years experience.

Call (336) 643-8191 or (336) 580-3245.

MISC. FOR SALE

Got stuff?

Sell it here in the

NWO classifieds submit your ad at

www.nwobserver.com

FREE PICK-UP of unwanted riding & push mowers, tillers, golf carts, ATVs, generators, power washers, chain saws, mini-bikes, gocarts, and most grills. (336) 689-4167.

Call for Buyer or Seller Representation

$$$ – WILL PAY CASH for your junk or wrecked vehicle. For quote, call (336) 552-0328.

Gil Vaughan, REALTOR®/Broker (336) 337-4780

NWO On The Go photos!

SUMMER SAT & ACT PREP CLASS, July 15-19 at Northwest HS. Experienced AP Teachers. www.NWHSPTSO.org.

FAT RABBIT FURNITURE REFURBISHING, LLC. Call us today for ALL of your furniture needs including repairs. Making old new again! (336) 816-3641 or (336) 408-3434.

JustCallGil.com gilvaughan@gmail.com

Where do you take your NWO? Share your vacation pics with our readers! Email your photos to photos@nwobserver.com.

PETS & ANIMAL SVCS. PET SITTING WENDY COLLINS PET SITTING. Registered & Insured. Follow me on Facebook! Call or text, (336) 339-6845.

REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR RENT STUDIO APARTMENT, Oak Ridge / Summerfield border, all open, like new, full kitchen, all appliances, Wi-Fi & digital cable TV, electric incl., $750/mo. No pets.

Available July 1. (336) 508-5232.

Selling or renting?

The Northwest Observer is delivered

MISC. SERVICES

CONVENIENT ONE-LEVEL TOWNHOUSE, no stairs, 2BR/1BA, $795, (336) 392-1454.

to EVERY HOME with an Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale zip!

Reach all of Northwest Guilford County right here!

LAND FOR SALE ACREAGE, Summerfield address in Southern Rockingham County. 15 mins. to Greensboro airport area. 5 to 25 acre tracts.

Gorgeous trees, creeks, pond and gentle terrain. No HOA or dues. Paved road frontage. Call (336) 430-9507 anytime.

45 +/- ACRES AVAILABLE in southern Rockingham County. Gorgeous property, call (336) 430-9507.

SUMMERFIELD, AWESOME LOCATION. Fantastic piece of property with open & properwooded acreage, creek on back of proper ty. Magnificent estate/horse farm site. Call (336) 430-9507 anytime!

1.36-ACRE HOME SITE in Gwynedd, off Bunch Road. $85,000. (336) 643-7071.

79.9 ACRES located in Stoneville, NC, with water and sewer. 56 acres +/- timber.

Plenty of road frontage with roads already cut in. $279,000 for total acres or can separate as needed. (336) 549-2158.

www.nwobserver.com.

NORTHERN SCHOOLS, wooded 1.5+/- acre lot. No HOA, no dues. Approved for 4BR septic. Priced to sell. Call (336) 430-9507.

1-BR APARTMENT APARTMENT, large walk-out basement, $750/mo. includes all utilities & wifi.

July 1 move-in. (336) 501-3222.

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ACCOUNTING

HOME PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Carlotta Lytton, CPA........................... 27

Budget Blinds ..................................... 12 Carpets by Direct ................................ 33 Culligan of the Triad ............................. 5 New Garden Landscaping & Nursery..32 Old School Home Repair .................... 37 Pest Management Systems................. 35 ProStone Inc. ........................................ 6 Stokesdale Heating & Air.................... 14

By the Book Accounting ....................... 2 Kimberly Thacker Accounting............. 24 Samuel K. Anders, CPA, MSA, PC...... 24

AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICE Vestal Buick / GMC Inc. ........................ 3

BUILDING / REMODELING Builders MD........................................ 15 Disney Custom Homes ....................... 18 Don Mills Builders ............................... 25 Friddle & Company, Inc. ..................... 17 Johnson & Lee, LLC............................ 20 Lansink Custom Homes...................... 23 Naylor Custom Homes ....................... 21 R&K Custom Homes .......................... 19 Ray Bullins Construction ..................... 18 RS Dezern Construction ..................... 22 Walraven Signature Homes ................ 18

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Guardian Ad Litem Program .............. 31

CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES Oak Ridge Chiropractic ........................ 8

INSURANCE Justin Fulp, Farm Bureau Insurance .... 27

LEGAL SERVICES Barbour & Williams Law ..................... 32 Scott Tippett – Hagan Barrett Law ..... 26

MEDICAL CARE LeBauer Healthcare ............................. 7

ORTHODONTICS

Bel-Aire Veterinary Hospital ................ 27 Northwest Animal Hospital ................. 29 Westergaard Kennels.......................... 10

REAL ESTATE

FUNERAL SERVICES

RETAIL

Forbis & Dick Stokesdale ...................... 2

Cass Jewelers ..................................... 11

HOME PRODUCTS & SERVICES

YOUTH SPORTS

BEK Paint Company ........................... 37

YMCA of Greensboro .........................30

DENTISTRY Borden Dentistry................................... 4

great fit

PET SERVICES & PRODUCTS

Summerfield Family Dentistry ............. 24

Central Baptist Church.......................... 9

could make a

Olmsted Orthodontics ........................ 28

A New Dawn Realty ............................. 2 Bob Brodie, Bob Brodie Real Estate .... 27 Dede Cunningham, Keller Williams .... 24 Gil Vaughan, Keller Williams ............... 38 Jason Smith, Smith Marketing ............ 18 Nicole Gillespie, RE/MAX ................... 16

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For marketing information, call Laura at (336) 644-7035, ext. 11 or e-mail advertising@nwobserver.com

The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996

JUNE 20 - 26, 2019

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(L-R) Anna Mullis of Greenville, Ashton Stull of Greensboro, Kathy Linville of Oak Ridge and Emerald Isle and Shelly Wilson of North Myrtle Beach all read the Northwest Observer while on vacation in Aruba.

ECRWSS

Suzanne Vandergrift of Summerfield shar ed this photo of a group of Greensboro Performing Arts students, members of REP336, the nonprofit arm of GPA . The students took their Northwe st FINDER along when they traveled to Illinois to take part in the CS (Classical Music) Competition in Chicago, where they earned first place in small ensemble and second plac e in large ensemble.

Family members Lois Tucker, Cindy Cole, Debbie Knight, Kay Myers and Dora Layne recently enjoyed a cruise to Turks and Caicos and Amber Cove.

The trip was a pre-birthday celebration for Cindy, a resident of Summerfield.

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