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FedEx, HAECO adding more than 500 jobs at airport
by CHRIS BURRITT
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NW GREENSBORO – FedEx Express and HAECO Americas, two major employers at Piedmont Triad International (PTI) Airport, are adding more than 500 new jobs as demand for cargo shipments surges.
The FedEx Express mid-Atlantic hub recently hired about 350 new employees to support an expanded schedule of daytime flights, according to Tom Maxwell, the hub’s managing director.
HAECO, which maintains and repairs airplanes, plans to hire about 150 to 200 people to fill a need for aircraft mechanics, said Bill Collins, president of airframe services at HAECO.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, cargo traffic at PTI climbed nearly 30 percent in February compared to a year earlier, translating into a need for more workers, according to a March 29 statement from PTI Airport Authority.
The hiring “appears to be driven by the increasing demand for expedited delivery service,” said Paul Mengert, the authority’s chairman. Employment at PTI totals about 8,600 jobs.
In addition, as passenger service is starting to recover, HAECO needs more mechanics to handle the additional workload, Collins said.
“Cargo is one of the sectors where we expect to see a good amount of job growth in the coming years,” said Kevin Baker, PTI Airport Authority’s executive director.
PTI leads the state in cargo service, processing 303,500 tons of freight annually, said Baker, citing a recent report by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
FedEx is responsible for a majority of the cargo service at the airport, where UPS and Kalitta Air also have operations.
Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO A truck departs FedEx’s mid-Atlantic hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport, where FedEx and HAECO Americas are adding more than 500 jobs in response to rising demand for cargo shipments.
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by CHRIS BURRITT
SUMMERFIELD – Over the years, the brick and glass building at 7211 Summerfield Road has housed the town’s post office and a day care center. It’s now at the center of a zoning dispute between the town and its current occupant, a used car lot run by Ronnie Hedrick.
The property is zoned for conditional use – general business, which allows two vehicles to be stored on the premises at night. Earlier this week, the parking lot contained nine cars and trucks, typical of the inventory that’s for sale, according to Hedrick.
Chris York, Summerfield’s planning manager, said he recently told the property’s owners, A.J. and Dora Rose, the car lot is operating in violation of zoning rules. Unless the Town Council changes the regulations,
Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO Ronnie Hedrick said he may be forced to close his used car lot on Summerfi eld Road unless the Town Council amends the zoning of the property to allow him to store more cars on the premises.
Hedrick is required to reduce to two the number of vehicles parked there overnight.
As a result, the Roses are seeking to amend the property’s zoning to allow the storage of as many as 15 vehicles at night. The town has scheduled an open house next Tuesday, April 20, to gather feedback about the rezoning request.
The 5:30 p.m. open house will take place at Summerfield Community Center on Centerfield Road. Afterward, the request goes to the Planning and Zoning Board April 26 and the Town Council May 11.
If the council denies the request, Hedrick said “we might as well close down” because it’s not financially practical for him to move the vehicles elsewhere at night and bring them back the next morning.
Hedrick’s business has occupied the property for more than 10 years. He and his salesman, Ed Arrington, said they’re puzzled by the town’s periodic efforts to crack down on the zoning rules.
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Council to vote on park name at May 6 meeting
‘Heritage Farm Park’ heads the list of name suggestions
File photo Oak Ridge Town Council will vote on a name for the 58-acre Whitaker property that abuts Oak Ridge Town Hall on Linville Road at its May 6 meeting.
by PATTI STOKES
Redesign of new Summerfi eld town hall aims to reduce costs
Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sessoms says original design was too expensive as Mayor BJ Barnes spars with former mayor Gail Dunham over the project
by CHRIS BURRITT
SUMMERFIELD – Town staff unveiled a redesign of the new town hall this past Tuesday, April 13, after the original design for the 9,000-square-foot building proved too expensive.
“Having it come in at budget is really a challenge,” Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sessoms told the council during its monthly meeting.
Estimated costs for the new design are within $200,000 of the $3.5 million the council budgeted for the project, Sessoms said in an interview after the meeting. He and council members Lynne Williams DeVaney and John O’Day are representing the council in negotiations with architectural firm Creech & Associates and construction manager Samet Corp. to bring costs within the budget.
The new design is about 1,000 square feet smaller than the original 9,000-square-foot layout and is “more classical in design and layout,” according to a description on Summerfield’s website.
OAK RIDGE – “Heritage Farm Park” is the No. 1 name suggestion for Oak Ridge’s future town park. Purchased in 2018 from longtime Oak Ridge residents Frank and Claudia Whitaker, the 58-acre tract will be developed as an expansion of Oak Ridge Town Park off Linville Road and Lisa Drive.
John Garrett, co-chairman of Oak Ridge’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, presented the board’s three top name suggestions for the Whitaker property park at the town council’s meeting April 1. “Oak Ridge Veterans Park” and “Oak Ridge Community Park” also received high votes after the board reached out to local organizations and conducted an online survey seeking name suggestions for the park.
Council members told Garrett they were impressed with the process the board had undertaken to seek input from citizens. The council plans to vote on the park name at its Thursday, May 6 meeting.
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Rendering courtesy of Creech & Associates A rendering of the redesigned town hall shows a single-level brick building with arches over the front door and adjacent windows. Located in the center of the building, the council chambers are surrounded on all four sides by staff offi ces, conference rooms, restrooms and space for storage and other uses. The new design is “more classical in design and layout,” according to a description on the Town of Summerfi eld’s website.
Sessoms declined to say how much the original design, presented by Creech in February, exceeded the budget.
Earlier in Tuesday’s council meeting, former mayor Gail Dunham spoke during the Public Comments period and criticized what she described as the “extravagant town hall.”
Dunham said she believes the project will cost $5 or $6 million; that amount includes what she estimated as the $1 million value of the town-owned property at U.S. 220 and N.C. 150 where the town hall will be built.
After Dunham finished speaking, Town Manager Scott Whitaker said “all of that was not accurate.”
Dunham then returned to the microphone, saying to Whitaker, “please tell me what wasn’t accurate.”
At that, Major BJ Barnes struck his gavel on the table three times, telling Dunham that “you know the rules” about speaking during public comments. When she spoke initially, she exceeded the three-minute limit for comments.
“Oh, you, oh, you, oh, you!” Dunham said, pointing her nger at Barnes before she walked away from the microphone.
Afterwards, Barnes said Dunham and other critics of the new town hall have exaggerated the projected expenses. Sessoms said it’s misleading when the former mayor boosts the price tag by $1 million, her estimate for the amount for which the town could sell the 13.4 acres where the facility will be located.
Sessoms said the council has no intention of selling the property after buying it and the historic Gordon Hardware building at the corner of N.C. 150 and Summerfield Road for $400,000 in 2014.
“If it would give the town $1 million, would you want a gas station on that corner?” he asked.
A rendering of the redesigned town hall shows a single-level brick building with arches over the front door and adjacent windows. Located in the center of the building, the council chambers are surrounded on all four sides by staff offices, conference rooms, restrooms and space for storage and other uses.
to learn more
To view the latest rendering of the new town hall, visit www.summerfieldnc.org. Under News & Notices on the homepage, click the “Development of New Town Hall” link, then look for the link on the lower left for the architect’s working concept as of April 13.
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