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News Briefs
Council accepts voluntary annexation petitions
by CHRIS BURRITT
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OAK RIDGE – Oak Ridge Town Council decided earlier this week to accept 62 voluntary annexation petitions by property owners south of town limits.
The council voted unanimously during a special called meeting this past Tuesday, June 29, to adopt an ordinance annexing the property. The annexation became effective Wednesday, June 30.
Oak Ridge received 87 voluntary annexation petitions; after review, town staff declared 62 of them to be valid, Town Manager Bill Bruce told the council.
No one spoke for or against the annexation petitions during a public hearing.
Newly annexed property owners will pay property taxes to Oak Ridge, with payment of their first tax bill due Dec. 31, Mayor Ann Schneider wrote in a March 26 letter announcing plans to accept voluntary annexations. The state legislature doesn’t allow municipalities to seek involuntary annexations of property, Schneider noted.
Newly annexed property owners will be allowed to vote in town elections and run for elected office in Oak Ridge, according to Town Clerk Sandra Smith. They are governed by the town’s planning and zoning regulations, and they will get the same garbage and recycling rates as other residents because the town contracts for those services.
Candidate fi ling period begins July 2, closes July 16
by PATTI STOKES
NW GUILFORD – The period for town council candidates to file for Nov. 2 elections in Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale will open Friday, July 2, at 12 noon and close Friday, July 16, at 12 noon. The filing fee for candidates in each of the towns is $5.
In Oak Ridge, two of five town council seats will be open – those of Ann Schneider, who currently serves as mayor, and of Jim Kinneman. Schneider and Kinneman have both confirmed they will run for another four-year term.
In Oak Ridge, the five council members elect the mayor from among themselves every two years at the December meeting following the municipal election.
Stokesdale Town Council has four members who are elected to four-year terms on a staggered schedule and the mayor, who is also elected directly by the citizens and serves a four-year term; ...continued on p. 4
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Independently owned & published by in Stokesdale the mayor votes on all matters that come before the council. The mayor’s seat, currently held by John Flynt, and the council seat currently held by Thearon Hooks will both be on the ballot this November. Hooks said he will “absolutely not” be running for re-election; Flynt has not announced whether he will run for re-election.
And in Summerfield, the mayor is elected directly by the citizens and serves a two-year term; the mayor’s seat will be open this fall as well as two seats on the five-member town council. Mayor BJ Barnes has not announced whether he will run for re-election.
Summerfield town council members serve four-year terms; the two open council seats on the ballot this November are currently held by Teresa W. Perryman and Tim Sessoms; Perryman has confirmed she will run for a second fouryear-term on the council, but Sessoms has not announced his decision.
Municipal elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 2. For more details about the municipal elections, voter registration information, polling places and other election-related information, visit www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/ board-of-elections.
Preview: July 1 Oak Ridge Town Council meeting
by CHRIS BURRITT
OAK RIDGE – Oak Ridge Town Council will consider paying Carolina Mulching Co. $35,000 to remove 32 pine trees, a dead oak and several other dead and dying trees from Old Union Cemetery on E. Harrell Road.
The contractor said it would use a crane to remove the trees to minimize possible damage to the cemetery grounds, and would also haul the trees away.
In other business, the council will ...continued on p. 31
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Mike Matzinger – Serving
others is part of his ‘character DNA’
by ANNETTE JOYCE OAK RIDGE – Oak Ridge resident Mike Matzinger grew up in Raleigh, where he said he was active in a Methodist church-sponsored scouting program.
“Servant leadership was the expectation starting at a very young age,” said Matzinger, who is president of Burlington Chemical. “By the time I headed off to Emory University to earn a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, serving others had become part of my ‘character DNA.’”
While he is involved in numerous worthwhile causes, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is a long-term commitment for Matzinger.
“I started when I was a kid and that was over 50 years ago,” he said.
After earning all his badges and his Eagle Scout rank, Matzinger took the next logical step, which was to become a Scoutmaster. Today he works with three of the most active units in the northwest Guilford County area. As a Scoutmaster, Matzinger said it’s his job “to coach and counsel the senior youth leaders. I’m here to just help them run their troop and make sure they’re safe.”
Matzinger has two troops between the ages of 11 and 18 – one group of 80 boys and the other a group of 31 girls – who meet at Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church every Monday night. Both troops are heavily involved in community service.
Some of their most recent projects include: placing flags at local cemeteries to honor veterans; playing “Taps” at funerals; hosting a flag retirement event with a Gold Star mom in honor of her son; cleaning up a local waterfall; participating in a quarterly Adopt-A-Highway program; and collecting over 2,000 pounds of food for families in need.
Of course, it’s not all work and no play. Whitewater rafting, backpacking, caving, snow skiing, climbing and rapelling are only a few of the adventures Matzinger and the Scouts have enjoyed.
Matzinger also leads a BSA Sea Scouts ship composed of a coed group of 20 young people who focus on development and personal growth through water activities such as scuba diving and boating.
Related to his scouting activities, Matzinger is the board chair for the Black Suit Initiative (blacksuit.org), a Greensboro-based organization associated with BSA. “The Black Suit Initiative is a leadership and community engagement program providing 40 African American middle and high school males opportunities to improve academic performance, explore career interests and participate in team-building exercises,” Matzinger explained. “Completion of program modules allows these young men the opportunity to earn a black suit.”
Along with serving on the frontlines of BSA, Matzinger is a member of the National Service Team and supports 20 southern councils in providing quality programs. He recently received the Special Needs Scouting Service Award for including and advocating for Scouts with unique needs.
Matzinger is also a member of Rotary International and leads the Membership Committee for his local club. Earlier in his career, he served part-time as a youth pastor in an Atlanta-based Methodist church and was involved with Safehouse International, a program to find and rescue children who were victims of human trafficking.
“I moved to Oak Ridge 20 years ago and raised three kids. As a single dad with sole custody, the community was very supportive in making sure my children prospered,” Matzinger said. “Serving other youth is a small way for me to say thank you. The best legacy we can leave behind is having made the lives of those around us better.”
Photo by Annette Joyce/NWO
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Thanks to Tire Max for sponsoring this monthly feature in which we recognize “ordinary” people in our readership area who make an extraordinary impact on others. To nominate an “ordinary” person for this feature, email editor@nwobserver.com with their name, a detailed description of how they positively impact others, and your contact info.
in a vehicle accident on Williard Road in Oak Ridge just before 7 p.m. last Friday.
Jones graduated from Southwest High School in the Class of 2020 and was a student at West Virginia University. Williamson graduated from Northwest High School (NWHS) in 2020 and was a student at Guilford College, where he played lacrosse.
Tavis Williamson, 19, also a NWHS graduate in 2020, was a passenger in the vehicle and sustained serious injuries but has since been released from the hospital. With one arm in a cast, another in a sling and his upper body in a brace, he attended the gathering, often tearfully standing with groups of his friends on the amphitheater stage in Oak Ridge Town Park as they spoke.
Absent from the gathering was Jacob Stevens, 18, driver of the vehicle; he also graduated from NWHS in 2020. Stevens sustained serious injuries in the crash but has been released from the hospital. He faces numerous charges including two counts of felony death by motor vehicle and one count of felony serious injury by motor vehicle, misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, provisional driving while impaired, underage consumption and reckless driving, according to the N.C. State Highway Patrol. Stevens also faces charges filed by the state Alcohol Law Enforcement Division for underage possession of a malt beverage and obtaining alcohol with a fake ID.
In Jeff’s obituary, his family wrote that he was very ambitious, participated in four varsity sports in high school, and won multiple awards. The night before his death he received his Eagle Scout Award.
“When not participating in a sporting event, Jeff was chosen by his peers to lead the student spirit section. He was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, DECA Club, Student Counsel, Young Republicans and FBLA,” the obituary read.
Jeff’s father, Bob Jones, spoke at the gathering on June 28. “Somehow, for some reason, God picked Jeff and Zach… and it’s a little confusing, but he grabbed two great young men…” he said. “The other day Jeff started with a friend at City Lake Park, in a kayak, where they saw a deer, etc. Later that day, Jeff came to Oak Ridge to be with Zach and they went into the heavens together.
Kylie Jones, one of Jeff’s two older sisters, looked out at the crowd and said she had never seen “so much support and love from this community.” She then shared a story of how earlier in the day her brother had given her a sign to let her know he was “okay.”
“As we got home earlier today from saying our last goodbyes to him… I looked on the ground and there was this penny that has a cross punched through the middle of it, and it came out of Jeffrey’s stuff,” Kylie said. “So, I know that he’s okay and he is wrapping his arms around all of us.
“But let me tell you another thing,” she continued. “I buried my boyfriend four years ago for the same situation. Same thing. I need you all to promise me that you will never drink and drive. You will not get in the car with anybody who has been drinking and driving. You call someone. You call your parents. I don’t care if they’re mad at you. They will forgive you because they will still have you on this earth.
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