Founders’ Day, May 19 & 20

Annual event offers something for everyone, from young to old

by PATTI STOKES

SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield’s Founders’ Day Committee has been working since last fall to plan the annual Founders’ Day celebration on Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20, and Cheryl Gore, the town’s events planner and assistant to the town manager, aptly describes it as two big events rolled into one.

Besides the parade – which we’ll get to in just a minute – there’s “everything else.” And it’s a lot! Founders’ Day kicks off Friday evening with carnival rides, inflatables, a rock climbing wall, food and craft vendors and performances by local students.

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Summerfield’s Trails and Open Space Committee was well represented in last year’s Founders’ Day parade. Carnival rides, inflatables, craftspeople, food trucks, rock climbing, dance, theater and music performances – and a parade will once again be part of the two-day Founders’ Day celebration this Friday and Saturday, May 19-20.

The fun continues on Saturday morning and throughout the afternoon with more of the same – and then more beyond that, including a caricaturist, face painting, balloon twisting, and live music, theater and dance performances.

Oak Ridge’s ‘year of large projects’

The Town Council is reviewing a draft of next fiscal year’s budget that funds Heritage Farm Park and an elevated water tank by CHRIS

BURRITT

OAK RIDGE – After years of planning, Oak Ridge Town Council is preparing to develop Heritage Farm Park and erect an elevated water tank in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

A draft of next year’s budget appropriates $5.36 million for development of the 62-acre park. Another $2.92 million is earmarked for erecting an elevated water tank, along with engineering of the tank and a future 3.5-mile water line from Forsyth County to Oak Ridge.

The draft budget that Town Manager Bill Bruce presented to the Town Council May 4 leaves the property tax rate unchanged at 8 cents per $100 of property valuation. The spending will consist of state and federal grants, a $3 million bank loan for the park and town funding.

Capital spending is expected to leave Oak Ridge with “adequate reserves’’ in excess of $2 million on June 30, 2024, the end of next fiscal year, according to Bruce. As of this past April 30, the town’s unassigned fund balance totaled $7.74 million, including proceeds from the $3 million

Food, DIY workshops on tap for historic Martin House

If Summerfield’s Town Council rezones the property next month, Lauren Cox hopes to buy the property, renovate the house and open for business next spring

HEAVY DUT

by CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Next year, the historic Martin house in Summerfield may be serving food and hosting do-it-yourself workshops, if plans by the prospective buyer of the property work out.

“I love the idea of taking something old and turning it into a place where people can gather,” Lauren Cox said this past Monday, May 15, during a public informational meeting about her request for a rezoning of the property.

Cox is seeking rezoning from singlefamily residential (RS-30) to the conditional zoning neighborhood business district (CZ-NB) to accommodate her plans for the house at 4118 Oak Ridge Road (N.C. 150).

She envisions creating a destination for locals and out-of-towners, similar to the drawing power of the Table, a popular bakery and bistro in downtown Asheboro.

If the Town Council approves the rezoning request during its meeting next month, Cox said she plans to purchase the nearly half-acre lot at the corner of Oak Ridge Road (N.C. 150) and Summerfield Road. The property is owned by the town of Summerfield, which hired Preservation North Carolina last year to find a buyer. The Raleighbased nonprofit organization is also trying to sell the historic Gordon Hardware building across Summerfield Road from the Martin house.

In March, the council reduced the town’s asking price for the Martin house from $100,000 to $75,000 to accommodate a potential bid for the property. At that time, Town Manager Scott Whitaker said the bidder was seeking a lower price to offset costs for improving the septic system and replacing the water well.

Earlier this week, Cox provided more details about her plans.

Eventually, she said, she plans to prepare baked goods and to-go foods and serve breakfast, brunch and lunch.

However, she said, the extent of her food service will depend upon the availability of water from the well she plans to drill on the property.

Cox, who lives in northwestern Greensboro, said the renovation of the house would be extensive. Dating back to the 1830s, the two-story house doesn’t have a bathroom and lacks electricity and heating and air conditioning, she said. A contractor would drill a well.

“It’s basically a shell,” said Cox, who hopes to purchase the property in June. On that schedule, she envisions opening for business next spring.

The town’s Planning Board plans to hear the rezoning request during its meeting next Monday, May 22, and forward its recommendation to the council for a final decision during its June 13 meeting.

Public hearings are scheduled for both meetings to gather the view of residents.

Amanda Hodierne, a lawyer representing Guilford County Schools, said a K-8 school proposed for Colfax would offer a STEM curriculum for students in the area assigned to the school. It would not serve as a STEM hub for field trips for public school students from across the county, she said in an interview May 4 after she and district Superintendent Whitney Oakley provided an update of plans for the proposed school at South Bunker Hill and Boylston roads in southwestern Guilford County. Citing traffic and safety, half a dozen residents of the rural area said they oppose construction of the school.

Council members invite citizens to meet one-on-one

OAK RIDGE – Citizens who want to discuss projects and issues with Oak Ridge leaders can now do so once a month on Thursday morning, the week before each Town Council meeting. Two Council members will be available on Thursday, May 25, between 8:30 and 10 a.m. at Oak Ridge Town Hall. (Participating Council members will rotate each month.)

“This first session will be a great opportunity to learn more about the town’s budget, which will be voted on at our June 1 meeting,” Oak Ridge Mayor Ann Schneider said. “And if you can’t attend this month’s meeting, feel free to contact me or any Council member at your convenience. Our contact information is available on the Town website (www.oakridgenc.com). We’re always happy to talk to residents.”

want to go?

Two council members will be available to meet one-on-one with citizens on Thursday, May 25, 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Oak Ridge Town Hall, 8315 Linville Road, Oak Ridge.

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When will the Verizon service on the new cell phone tower at Oak Ridge Military Academy be activated? Our Verizon service in Oak Ridge is terrible, and seems to have gotten even worse after construction on the cell tower started.

We’ve been asked this question a lot, and efforts over the past several weeks to get an answer from the Verizon store in Oak Ridge and Communications Tower Group (CTG), the Charlotte-based builder of the new cell phone tower on property owned by

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A 180-foot-tall communications tower disguised (somewhat) as a pine tree was erected behind Oak Ridge Military Academy’s gymnasium last December. The new cell phone tower can accommodate as many as four carriers, with Verizon being the first to lease space for installing its antennas and other equipment. After several attempts to get an update on when Verizon will complete installation and activate its service, the Northwest Observer was told this week it will be “later this year.”

Oak Ridge Military Academy, proved unsuccessful. Last week, Steve Wilson, the academy’s president, said he tried to get an update on the tower but was also unsuccessful. Two rounds of emails to Verizon’s media relations officers and we finally got a reply – but if you’re a Verizon user, you may not like it.

DID YOU KNOW LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE CAN PAY FOR YOUR LOVED ONE TO RECEIVE IN-HOME CARE?

DID YOU KNOW LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE CAN PAY FOR YOUR LOVED ONE TO RECEIVE IN-HOME CARE?

“As Verizon continues to expand our network to serve even more customers in Oak Ridge and beyond, construction on the cell site located at Oak Ridge Military Academy is expected to be completed later this year,” Verizon spokesman Andy Choi said in an email earlier this week.

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Is someone you love confused by the Long-Term Care Insurance Claims process?

Is someone you love confused by the Long-Term Care Insurance Claims process?

Erected late last year, the 180-foot tower is disguised as a pine tree. It sits down a slope behind the school’s gymnasium and is enclosed by a locked fence.

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This past February, Glenn Pennington, program manager for CTG, told us the new cell phone tower can accommodate as many as four carriers, with Verizon being the first to lease space for installing its antennas and other equipment. At that time, he said Verizon’s service might become available in two or three months. Choi didn’t reply to a subsequent email this week asking about the delay.