« October 2005 | Main | December 2005 »
November 25, 2005
Moving faster
So in case you missed it, the speed limit on US 311 Bypass is about to go up, up, up. Well, maybe only one up. It's moving to 60 mph, which is the speed limit for which the road was designed.
It should happen within the next few weeks, it's just a matter of when the DOT can put the signs up.
And I've wanted to post this on the blog for a few days, but had to wait until the story actually ran in the paper.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:15 PM | Comments (3)
November 21, 2005
This just in...
... actually it was a couple of hours ago. (Sorry, I had to write a story first).
Longtime Jamestown Town Manager John Frezell announced his retirement Monday night at the end of a special council meeting. The retirement is effective May 31, 2006.
Frezell, who has held the job for 25 years, said he's ready to spend more time with his wife, and wanted to leave while he's still relatively healthy.
Keep reading to see his retirement letter
Dear Mayor and Town Council:
Over the past 25 years, it has been with much pride that I have been able to participate in the growth and prosperity of the Town of Jamestown and its citizens. But with all great journeys, they also come to an end.
So it is with sorrow and trepidation that I have decided to end this journey so that I can start a new one. Therefore, I am announcing that I plan to retire effective May 31, 2006.
Sincerely, John J. Frezell
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)
A reminder for you Jamestowners...
... there is a special meeting of the town council tonight.
The council is holding a public hearing on the 44 acre development at the corner of Oakdale Road and Harvey Road. The hearing was originally scheduled for Nov. 15, but had to be postponed for lack of a quorum.
What: Jamestown Council
When: 6 p.m. tonight (Nov. 21)
Where: Jamestown Town Hall
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
November 18, 2005
Tex & Shirley's ...
We all know it's coming. Hard to miss that big sign off Wendover Ave. But the burning question is when, right?
Gilbert Jones, general manager of the Greensboro store, says it should be open the first week of December, if everything goes according to plan. The menu will be identical to the one at the Friendly Center although the store is a little bit larger.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 4:43 PM | Comments (7)
November 14, 2005
The Jamestown Taxicab saga, continued
For those of you waiting with bated breath to find out if Jamestown will grant a taxi franchise, well, you'll have to wait.
The reason: A quorum is not expected at tomorrow's council meeting.
There's actually two public hearings affected. The taxicab license and ordinance update hearings have been moved to Dec. 20. A hearing on a planned unit development for 44 acres at the intersection of Oakdale Road and Harvey Road has been postponed to a special town meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 21.
Council will still have a meeting tomorrow, but only information items will be presented.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 2:36 PM | Comments (0)
More north High Point developments...
The Planning and Zoning Commission will be taking a look at two developments tomorrow that affect north High Point. Each are the far ends of "North High Point" though.
The first is an annexation and zoning request up on Sandy Ridge Road that would allow River Landing to add 43 new cottages and assisted living apartments. Seven more beds would be added to its nursing and convalescent care facility.
The other is just south of the mall on Eastchester Drive and involves rezoning almost an entire city block so Vann York Auto Mall can add a Toyota dealership.
If you want to go:
What Planning and Zoning Commission
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: City Council Chambers
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 9:59 AM | Comments (3)
November 10, 2005
The High Point City Council voted 6-2 Thursday to annex 41 acres on Westover Drive for a development.
The development will be built in phases, ending in 2012 with a total of 247 townhouses and condominiums.
Councilmen Bill Bencini and Chris Whitley voted against it. Both said they think developments on Westover Drive should be prevented until the Hartley Drive Extension is completed.
Bencini said the development will just aggravate the traffic problem on Westover Drive between Shadow Valley Road and Main Street.
The Hartley Drive Extension should relieve the traffic problem but it's not expected to be completed until 2011. Bencini said he doubted it will be done by then.
What do you think? Is the traffic out of hand? Do you think there should be moratorium on building until the extension is completed?
Posted by at 7:21 PM | Comments (1)
November 9, 2005
Ward 6 appointment
Congratulations Ward 6 residents - you finally have the representation you have been longing for.
I'm Kory Dodd the N&R High Point Bureau's new city council and courts reporter. In the last few weeks I've seen many residents complain about decisions being made by the council in your ward despite the lack of a ward representative.
After Owen Strickland resigned in July the council said they would not appoint anyone to fill the Ward 6 seat.
But with Lisa Stahlmann's election to the Ward 6 seat by a clear majority, Mayor Becky Smothers said Tuesday night that the city council will appoint her to finish the term.
I just received notice that the city council will appoint Stahlmann to the Ward 6 seat at 9 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 10) morning.
Do you think that's a good idea or is it too little too late? If appointed, Stahlmann would only attend two city council meetings before the term ends (that includes the meeting in which she is sworn in). Any other comments?
Posted by at 2:26 PM | Comments (14)
November 8, 2005
More Deep River shops on the way
So the folks at Blue Ridge Cos. announced some new tenants today for Palladium at Deep River and Palladium Commons.
Drum-roll please, here you go:
Triad Day Spa -- expected to open Dec. 1
PJ's Coffee and Wine Bar -- Late November
Moe's Southwest Grill -- By the end of the year.
Moe's is the only one I've ever been too. There are two stores in Greensboro, one on West Wendover and one on Battleground, but the one I visited was in Durham a while back. If you've never been, it's a quick burrito counter kind of place, similar to Chipotle or Qdoba's.
Triad Day Spa will offer massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing and artificial nails, according to Blue Ridge Cos.
PJ's Coffee and Wine Bar has a variety of coffees, wines, pastries and desserts. This is its first Triad location and its parent company is the same one that handles Moe's franchising.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 2:32 PM | Comments (9)
November 6, 2005
FedEx noise
For those of you who've been following the FedEx noise mitigation study, I hope you didn't miss this in Friday's paper. It didn't make the web, so I'll put it up here.
FedEx noise study to be delayed
The final draft of a noise mitigation study on the future FedEx hub will be delayed by six weeks so consultants can have more time to finish it.
The study was to be presented to the public in early December.
“We realized we had more to get done than we had time to do it in,” said Andrew S. Harris, the lead consultant on the noise study.
The document should be ready by Jan. 24, when three committees formed to help with the study will review it. The study will then be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval.
The $1.3 million study began in June 2004 and is intended to address noise problems before the $516 million FedEx hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport opens in 2009. The hub is expected to handle as many as 63 takeoffs and 63 landings a day at the airport.
Early drafts of the study have addressed such issues as flight paths, home soundproofing and which corridors planes use when they fly over the region.
Harris said the delay is needed to answer several questions raised by committee members and to update maps and complete the report’s recommendations.
Contact Jonathan Jones at 883-4422, Ext. 228, or
jjones@news-record.com
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:00 PM | Comments (6)
Jamestown Election
There is a Jamestown election on Tuesday. Mayor Ragsdale is running unopposed again. But there is one challenger, Brock Thomas, opposing the four sitting council members: Emily Ragsdale, Mickey Peeler, Charles Dowdy and Keith Volz. (All of Jamestown's seats are at-large).
From reading in our archives, it seems pretty similar to the 2003 election when only Larry Lain challenged the same four council members.
Anyway you can find a short preview of the election here. If that's not enough for ya, The Jamestown News also did an election preview this week.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)
