STOKESDALE town council BOB RENTS

council voted to promote Wagoner from deputy clerk, effective July 1).

Public Safety

Fire District. Stokesdale fire chief Todd Gauldin reported the department responded to 79 calls in June; of those, eight were fire-related, 45 were medical-related and 26 were miscellaneous.

Gauldin said the district will hold its annual meeting on July 25, 7:30 p.m. at the fire station in downtown Stokesdale. A yearly report will be presented and the board of directors elected at this meeting.

As a safety tip, Gauldin advised those with fire extinguishers to periodically check them to make sure they are fully charged and to review instructions on how to use them.

Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Ryan Seals with the District 1 sheriff’s office reported in writing that officers responded to 197 calls for service in Stokesdale in June, resulting in 17 case reports. One of three theft-related incidents involved a skid steer being stolen from a construction site on Dock Ridge Road. Twenty-two of the calls for service last month were due to house/business alarms going off, two were for reports of residential burglaries, five were domestic incidents, one was for a report of rape and 129 were “other.”

Administrative

In his municipal water system report, Town Clerk Robbie Wagoner noted nine water meters were installed last month, there were 10 applications for transfer of water service, 15 water meters put on hold by builders and 764 water bills mailed out.

In his administrative report, Wagoner gave a rundown of annual and quarterly reports that had been submitted to various state

The clerk also reported a site plan had been received for the new outdoor basketball and pickleball courts in town park; Kallam Exterminators removed a hornets’ nest from trees next to the paved walking trail in the park; and a maintenance person to take care of town property repairs and maintenance on an as-needed basis has been vetted.

Before proceeding, Crawford paused to thank everyone who had expressed concern about him in recent months while he was experiencing health issues.

“I missed a few meetings, but I am back and feeling better,” the mayor said.

Committee Reports

Property. Councilman Jim Rigsbee, who serves on this committee along with Councilman Jimmy Landreth, said he recently repaired a sink in one of the park’s restrooms, worked on a jammed door and hung a soap dispenser back up on a restroom wall.

Park Improvement. Chair Tee Stephenson reported this committee is now meeting bi-weekly rather than weekly and reminded citizens the meetings are open to the public.

Stephenson also confirmed the new playground equipment geared toward older children (ages 5 to 12) has been ordered and will hopefully be installed by late September. Construction on the outdoor basketball and pickleball courts should get underway within the next few weeks and be completed by late fall.

“Next month, I hope you will be able to look out the window and see dirt piles,” Stephenson said.

The committee is also discussing surface material for the future nature trails in the town park.

“We hope it (the trail surface) will be either self-maintained or low maintenance, and we are hoping some civic groups may take them on as a project,” Stephenson said.

Stephenson said the soccer fields are so well used in the off seasons that the turf doesn’t have time to regenerate before fall soccer season gets underway, so the committee is considering fencing the fields for protection and control.

Financial

Finance officer Kim Thacker gave an overview of financial activity and balances in the town’s general fund and water enterprise accounts. As of June 30, total assets in the general fund were $3,792,252.94 and in the water enterprise account, $2,018,367.14.

Undesignated – or “unrestricted” –funds in the general fund totaled $3,069,109 as of June 30, with additional revenue of about $76,000 anticipated for the fourth quarter’s ABC profit sharing.

“I believe that’s the highest fund balance the town has seen, except for when we were receiving sales tax,” Derek Foy, mayor pro tem, noted. “It’s personally satisfying that the fund balance has grown this much.”

“That’s pretty good for a town with no taxes!” Councilman Jimmy Landreth added.

Citizen Comments

„ Bill Goebel, District 3’s new representative on the Guilford County School Board, introduced himself, briefly acknowledging the controversy surrounding his appointment last April to fill a vacant seat on the board. Goebel said his focus since being appointed has been on what can be done for students and their parents.

Speaking of those things under our control versus those that are not, Goebel shared an excerpt from Oswald Chambers’ devotional book, “My Utmost for His Highest,” in which Chambers relied on his trust in the Lord to such a degree that even during a very challenging time, he told his wife, “I trust the Lord and do the next thing,” and then rolled over and took a nap.

“So, I’m going to trust the Lord and do the next thing – work with you folks to improve our schools,” Goebel said.

Rigsbee asked if any northwest-area schools would soon be in a beginning construction phase. Goebel answered the school board is looking at land for one northwest-area school, and promised to provide the council with more details if/when the purchase is finalized.

Goebel also said GCS (Guilford County Schools) is installing over 8,000 state-of-the-art cameras in schools, with automatic alerts going to administrators and the sheriff’s office in the event of an emergency; new body scanners are also being installed in the schools.

Mayor Crawford said the town would like to have an officer at Stokesdale Elementary the first week of school to direct traffic in the peak morning and afternoon hours. Goebel said he visited with the school’s principal recently and that was one of the things she requested. She also requested mental health counseling for students and staff, and Goebel said the county received an almost $15 million federal grant earlier this year to expand its mental health services.

Foy asked Goebel to expand on the body scanners that will be installed and Goebel said they would scan for metal, knives, guns, etc.

“Will kids have to take bookbags off and put them to the side?” Foy asked, to which Goebel said he would have to come back with more details.

Rigsbee then asked why the SRO (School Resource Officer) at Northwest High School couldn’t direct traffic in front of the school for about 15 minutes in the afternoons, and Goebel said he would check into this.

Councilman Tim Jones asked Goebel if he supports “multiple pathways to a good education,” i.e., charter schools, private schools and vouchers. Goebel said he went to a private allboys Catholic school and some of his siblings went to traditional public and charter schools, so he recognizes that different schools work for different students. His concern about charter schools and vouchers, he said, is their level of required accountability is less than with traditional public schools. enjoyed fixing things, including light fixtures, furniture assembly, light electrical, plumbing, and small engine repair.

Jones then asked how Goebel plans to bring northwest Guilford County’s portion of school funding back to the area, to which Goebel responded that since being appointed April 4 he has been working to get up to speed with the northwest area’s school needs, and would come back with more information. He then promised to return in September.

„ Gordon Morrison, whom Mayor Crawford has recommended to be the town’s new maintenance man, introduced himself and said he was very impressed to see how the local council conducts business.

Council made no commitment, but agreed having someone to do minor repairs to town property would be an asset.

„ Mark Nadel read an excerpt from the June council meeting minutes and said that, based on Robert’s Rules of Order, the council had not followed proper procedure. He was referring to Jones calling for “a point of order” during that meeting after Nadel brought his dog into the council meeting room and positioned him on the floor beside Nadel’s chair.

“He had no right to call for that based on the way Robert’s Rules of Order are set up, because no rules were violated,” Nadel said.

Old Business

Describing himself to the council, Morrison said, “I tend to do exactly what I’m going to do, I get paid reasonably and make sure everyone is happy before I go home.”

When asked about his experience, the retiree said he was a licensed airplane mechanic and has always

Water line extension. Aaron Babson, an engineer with Hazen & Sawyer, presented an alternatives analysis of two options to reinforce the single water main supplying the Town. The alternatives included running an 8-inch pipe down Coldwater Creek Road and extending it along N.C. 65 before tying it to the water system on Oak Level Church Road; or installing an 8-inch pipe along Happy Hill Road, beginning at the end of the section to be installed by a developer, to Warner Road, then Haw River Road before eventually tying into pipe at the Kings Crossing shopping center entrance.

Estimated cost for two alternatives to the Coldwater Creek Road loop is between $3.6 to $4.3 million and for the Happy Hill loop, $5.8 million.

Crawford asked Thacker how much grant money had been allocated for water system projects, and she answered “$4.3 million.”

Babson said it would take about 12 months to design the project, three months to let it out to bid, and then 12 to 18 months for the delivery of raw materials and construction – so, 27 to 33 months from start of design to end of construction.

Council members agreed this project is a priority, with Foy saying he would also like to see the replacement of a control valve, which was included in a plan Hazen & Sawyer presented in 2019.

“We keep pushing this thing down the road. The longer we wait, the more costs go up,” Rigsbee said.

 5  0 to approve Jones’s motion to enter into a contract with Hazen & Sawyer to design the Coldwater Road loop, at a cost not to exceed $366,400 for engineering design services.

New Business

Rigsbee suggested using grant money to re-stain the picnic shelters in the park and inspect the shelter roofs to ensure they’re in good repair.

 5  0 for the town clerk to finalize a job description, then advertise for a full-time (32 hours/week) deputy clerk at an hourly salary of $18 to $22, based on experience, with the same benefit package as is offered to other full-time town employees.

 5  0 to authorize the town clerk to approve the completion of minor repairs and maintenance of town property, with a spending limit of $500. Before proceeding, the clerk will notify the council of the repair or maintenance need and get a cost estimate.

Closed Session

Council recessed the open meeting at 9:37 p.m. to go into a closed session, and reconvened at 10:07 p.m.

Council Comments

„ Rigsbee expressed the importance of small, local government, and announced he has filed to run for reelection this November.

„ Foy thanked Goebel for coming to the meeting and congratulated Rigsbee for his decision, adding he hoped Landreth would follow suit. As for himself (running for re-election), Foy said he was “keeping it in thoughtful prayer. I do enjoy it. I often feel the wagon is full and I need to take a load off the wagon. I truly don’t know … I’ll continue to give it good thought.”

„ Landreth said he grew up in Stokesdale and loves the town.

To his fellow council members he said, “I have enjoyed being on the council with you guys. I feel comfortable we will have at least three people to carry on some of the projects (referring to Jones and Crawford, who are not up for re-election, and Rigsbee).”

„ Addressing comments made by Mark Nadel during the period for Citizen Comments earlier in the meeting, Jones said when making decisions he relies on his Bible and the U.S. Constitution.

“I will try to do the right thing and use my best judgment,” he said. “...I hope the council members elected this fall have a heart for this town and not this government, which is just a necessary evil.”

„ Crawford thanked Rigsbee for filing for re-election.

“I think we have had a very good council,” he said. “I pray Mr. Foy will reconsider – we could use him another four years. Mr. Landreth, you too. You are a valuable additive to this…I never expected to be a politician but I have enjoyed it and hope I’ve added something.”

Landreth told Crawford it was good to have him back, and that he hoped his health issues go uphill from this point.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.

PS Communications welcomes Kellen Holtzman

As associate editor, Holtzman will cover a variety of local news and human interest topics and head up Youth Link, the company’s newest publication on the horizon

PS Communications, publisher of the Northwest Observer, annual northwestFINDER, spring and fall editions of At Home in northwest Guilford County – and coming this fall, Youth Link – is pleased to announce Kellen Holtzman has joined our staff as a full-time associate editor/community journalist.

Holtzman has over 15 years as a community journalist and for the last almost two years has served as editor of his hometown newspaper, the Henderson Daily Dispatch. His individual work has received distinction from the North Carolina or Virginia Press associations a total of 14 times across varying categories within writing, photography and video.

You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough. – Lionel Messi

Six of the state press association awards he has received were in feature writing categories. In his reporter and editor roles, Holtzman has reported extensively on local government, crime, business, education, human interest and youth sports.

“I take a lot of pride in presenting multiple viewpoints while also aiming to provide objective reporting,” Holtzman said. “I believe the common denominator in my work is accurately and thoughtfully capturing the big picture, offering perspective, acting as a documentarian, and relaying the stories of smaller communities.”

In his new role as PS Communications’ associate editor/community journalist, Holtzman will cover a wide range of local news as well as human interest topics while also focusing on the company’s newest publication set to launch this fall, Youth Link. The

Linda Atkins Pearman

April 6, 1942 – July 7, 2023

KERNERSVILLE – Linda Atkins Pearman, 81, passed away Friday, July 7, at Forsyth Medical Center. Linda was born on April 6, 1942, to James Atkins Sr. and Vernon Lucille Atchison Atkins.

Linda grew up in Guilford County as a farm girl and graduated from Colfax School in 1960. She loved sports, especially basketball, making High School All County for three years. Coach Roger Nelson had a great influence on Linda.

Linda loved life and kept a happy outlook at all times. She would do anything for anybody. She enjoyed her job as a supervisor at Lorillard Tobacco Company for 30-plus years.

In addition to her parents, Linda was preceded in death by her daughter, Joyce Shannon, and one brother, Cecil “Bill” Atkins.

She is survived by two brothers, Williard Atkins and James Atkins, Jr.; and one sister, Elizabeth “Libby” Parker. She is also survived by other family and friends who loved her.

No formal services are scheduled at this time. Hayworth-Miller, Kernersville Chapel is assisting the family.