Aug. 2 - 8, 2013
bringing the local news home to northwest Guilford County since 1996 • nwobserver.com •
Pedestrian plan takes next step Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on July 25 by MIKE SHAW OAK RIDGE – How will the community be connected in 2035? Though that time is 22 years away, a group of volunteers has been soliciting feedback from fellow citizens for more than three years, with the goal of developing a clearer vision of their town’s future.
businesses and parks within the town core, as well as to connect with regional greenways and trails. The overall objective of the plan is to help create a stronger sense of community, improve public health and attract new businesses. The plan’s priorities are based on several criteria including public feedback, proximity to school zones and parks and recreational facilities, traffic and accident
statistics, and location. The seeds of the 115-page draft plan were planted almost three years ago when the town’s walkability subcommittee was formed. Oak Ridge resident Ellen Langlois, who volunteered to chair the subcommittee, said there was a lot of enthusiasm and interest in the beginning. “But as months went on, we found out how difficult it was to actually build new sidewalks and trails without
...continued on p. 30
The town’s Pedestrian Steering Committee recently completed a draft comprehensive pedestrian transportation plan. The plan, committee members stress, is not binding and does not commit the town to any funding.
News in Brief ................................. 3 Your Questions ............................. 4 Tablets come to classroom ....... 8 Bits & Pieces ............................... 10 Pets & Critters ..............................11 SciQuarium makes a splash .... 12 Pet Adoptions..............................14 Community Calendar............... 18 Crime/Incident Report .............. 22 Around Town Photos .................. 23 Letters/Opinions ....................... 24 Grins & Gripes ............................ 25 Classifieds .................................. 26 Index of Advertisers ...................31 NWO On The Go! ....................... 32
J’s for Jaiden and Melissa Britt Charity basketball game expected to pack NWHS gym
“It’s a long-range comprehensive plan that’s conceptual in nature,” Jesse Day, project manager for the Piedmont Regional Triad Council, told planning and zoning board members on July 25, when the board held a public hearing to review the plan. “It’s not a master-type plan. It is not fiscally-constraining nor is it regulatory or binding.” The vision, Day said, would provide paths for Oak Ridge residents and visitors to safely walk between schools,
IN THIS ISSUE
by PATTI STOKES
Jaiden Britt and his mother, Melissa, died in a boating accident on May 25. The two will be honored with a charity basketball game at Northwest High School on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m.
NORTHWEST GUILFORD – As news has spread of “J’s for Jaiden and Melissa Britt,” a charity basketball game to honor the memory of Jaiden Britt, a 3-year-old who died in a boating accident on High Rock Lake over Memorial
Day along with his mother, Melissa, the game’s lineup of former ACC basketball players becomes more impressive by the moment. With commitments still coming in as of this writing,
...continued on p. 6