NW Animal Hospital plans expansion

OAK RIDGE – Northwest Animal Hospital, which was purchased by Oak Ridge resident Dr. Wendy Camp in October 2019, received approval last month for a site plan that will allow construction of a 5,441-square-foot professional building. The building will be constructed on an outparcel at 1694 N.C. 68 North, beside

COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION the veterinarian practice’s current location and directly behind Starbucks.

Besides providing routine veterinary care for small animals including dogs, cats and pocket pets, Northwest Animal Hospital can perform a broad range of surgeries in-house, as well as laser therapy, dentistry and grooming.

Realtor Jason Smith, senior vice president and co-owner of Smith Marketing Inc.

“Basically, this is a burden that is being forced onto four rural areas in the state of North Carolina to make up for a budget shortfall,” Walker said. “This proposed legislation has been problematic from the very beginning. It seems those who are against this legislation are making progress, and we will continue to keep up the fight.” this,” she said. “Please continue to stand with us, continue to help us fight this battle, and keep us in your prayers as we continue to try to convince our commissioners that they do in fact have a choice – they just have to use it.”

Southeast of Greensboro, Toyota has begun hiring the first of the 2,100 workers for its facility in Liberty that will produce batteries for hybrid electric and electric vehicles.

“With all the new business growth, this area will continue to need new homes,” Dumas said.

When the final phase of the Riverside subdivision in Oak Ridge gets underway this fall, houses on more than 20 lots will start at around $1 million, according to

“Sometimes I wonder myself where all of the money is coming from,” Smith said. “But it’s not one buyer profile. Some are multi-generations of the same families living in homes. Some are young professionals. Some are rich, retired or pre-retired.”

Citing a quote routinely attributed to Edmond Burke, an Irish statesman and philosopher, Walker said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

“The ‘worst-kept secret’ in Rockingham County is that this proposed property rezoning for 193 acres is just about land use,” Walker said. “One of the things that disturbs me the most is that you would have a Class III casino adjacent to a camp that for 36 years has been ministering to children with disabilities.”

Rhonda Rodenbough, a Camp Carefree board member, spoke next after Walker and said, “While we do not have all the money that a lot of other states do, what we do have is goodhearted people. Good-hearted people with servant hearts who want to do good things for their children, for their community.”

Rodenbough expressed appreciation for the community’s support of Camp Carefree, which provides a free week of camp to children with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and relies on donations to cover its operating costs.

“Camp Carefree cannot be picked up and moved. Camp Carefree cannot be remade. That place holds memories and it is cherished by the people who come there,” Rodenbough said.

She implored the council to stand with Rockingham citizens who oppose the casino.

“This is not what Stokesdale needs, and even though you are not in Rockingham County, you all are a part of

Following the period for citizen comments, council members shared their concerns about the proposed casino before unanimously passing a resolution opposing “the development of a gaming casino in Rockingham County adjacent to the town of Stokesdale without a vote of approval by the voters of Rockingham County by local referendum.”

The resolution cited Earl Ginols and David Mustard’s “Casinos, Crime and Community Costs,” in which the authors pointed to FBI statistics showing that an average county with a population of 100,000 experiences significant increases in major crimes where casino and gaming operations are present.

“Despite potential short-term and unsustainable positive socio-economic benefits to host economies, the longterm costs to the area have not been fully captured,” the resolution reads. Citing a study from the National Association of Realtors performed for Springfield, Massachusetts, the resolution said the study showed home values within 10 miles or less of the casino were expected to decline by 4 to 10%.

“Additionally, the study references that pathological gambling could result in social costs of $8.4 million per year and additional foreclosures in the area could produce costs of $5 million per year. These items do not include increased direct governmental costs such as additional police, fire, and medical presence due to the gaming operation,” the resolution reads.

In conclusion, the resolution expressed Stokesdale’s opposition to a “large casino gaming operation less than 4 miles from the Town of Stokesdale.”

See more coverage of Stokesdale Town Council’s Aug. 10 meeting in our next issue.