Forsyth County Commissioners voted on several items on May 10 related to the national opioid epidemic, including declaring it a local public nuisance.

The overuse of legal prescription opioids is being widely blamed for the current crisis of opioid addiction that is taxing first responders, jails and numerous other services across the nation. Forsyth County already approved joining many government entities nationwide, including the City of Winston-Salem, in suing opioid distributors and manufacturers. To help with the lawsuit, commissioners approved a resolution last week declaring the opioids crisis a local public nuisance that must be abated.

“Considering the 456 opioid-related deaths in the county from 1999 to 2016, there is a known record of evidence of this epidemic to support the declaration of a public nuisance,” said Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt.

Both the city and the county’s lawsuits are part of multi-district litigation overseen by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Ohio. The lawsuits say that manufacturers overstated benefits and downplayed the risks of opioids while distributors failed to properly monitor and report suspicious orders of prescription painkillers.

Also during the meeting, commissioners approved several grant applications related to opioids. This included two grants applications by the Emergency Services Department’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Program for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare’s Community Reinvestment funds. One is a $137,000 grant to purchase a year’s supply of the opioid withdraw drug Buprenorphine, which would be first administered to patients on the scene, and to hire a Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Case Manager to link the patients to a Medication-Assisted-Treatment provider so they can continue to receive the drug while in treatment. The other is a $120,000 grant for continued reimbursement for ambulance trips in the hospital diversion program.

Commissioners approved an MIH application for a $150,000 state grant for peer support specialists to work with MIH paramedics as part of post-overdose reversal response. They also approved an application for a grant of up to $20,000 from the UNC School of Government to participate in its intensive two-year collaborative learning model that’ll provide direct response and support to ten counties on the opioid crisis.

In other business, Ashleigh Sloop was appointed to replace County Clerk Carla Holt when she retires at the end of May.

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The City of Winston-Salem’s proposed budget features $7.3 million to enhance transportation to mitigate the congestion expected from the upcoming closure of Business 40.

This was just one of the things in the $530 million budget for 2018-19 that was presented to the City Council in a special meeting last Thursday, May 31. The City Council will hold a public hearing on the budget at City Hall tonight, June 7, at 4 p.m. and will vote on the budget on June 18.

The budget keeps current service levels without raising taxes and raises the minimum pay for city workers to $12.50 an hour. The city remains committed to reaching a $15 minimum wage for its employees, according to City Manager Lee Garrity.

“It is very doable to get to $15 by 2021,” said Garrity.

The extra $7.3 million comes from a N.C. Department of Transportation grant to increase public transportation when a portion of Business 40 is scheduled to close this fall for construction. The closure is expected to last 20 months and will greatly increase traffic congestion on other roads.

The money is planned to be used to extend the hours and increase the frequency of service on eight bus routes that would be used to avoid the Business 40 closure. It will also be used for park and ride lots the city will lease to let drivers park their cars and take the bus. In addition, there’ll be a guaranteed ride home program that’ll transport people home who miss the last run of their bus.

Resident Phillip Summers made a public comment during the hearing with a suggestion for a free bus route combining Routes 87 and 107 to help with the Business 40 traffic concerns.

The budget also implements the recommendations of the pay plan study to get the city’s positions at market rate starting in April 2019. The plan proposes a minimum 2 percent increase to get the 307 positions below market up to that level with a 2 percent compression increase for the 364 positions in market range. This includes administrative, professional/technical, supervisory and managerial positions.

For public safety positions, the study proposed new pay grades that would result in a third of positions seeing increases, and new starting salaries of $41,443 for police officers and $39,470 for firefighters. The budget also continues the annual 2 percent public safety retention bonus.

There are some cost saving measures in the budget, such as freezing long vacant positions, and some positions that become vacant in the future, for $473,000 in savings and freezing some grant-funded police positions that were never filled, which’ll save $128,000. The elimination of commercial dumpster service starting next year is expected to save $309,000 and greater use of automated side loader garbage trucks will save $210,000 a year. Sanitation workers affected by those two changes will be relocated to other positions.

Under the proposed budget, city property tax rate will remain 59.74 cents for every $100 of property value.

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For over a decade, children and residents in the Southeast Ward have known about the beauty of the 200-acre quarry neatly tucked away in the woods off Reynolds Park Road. 

Many have taken the nearly one mile hike through dirt and rough terrain as children just to admire the beauty of the natural wonder. 

“For me and other people from my neighborhood, the quarry has always been a part of the city,” said Brian Williams, a longtime city resident. “We would walk through the woods and spend the whole day at the quarry in the summer. It was part of our childhood.” 

While the quarry may not have been a secret to Williams and others, it’s safe to say the secret is out.

On Saturday, June 30, thousands of residents grabbed their lawn chairs and beach towels and made their way to the quarry.  Estimates are more than 3,000 people attended the event.

The event that brought people together from all parts of city was Rock Out the Quarry. Sponsored by the Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks Department, the community development department and the local police department. The event featured live music, food trucks, and fireworks. 

Rock Out the Quarry also provided a view of the city’s skyline that can’t be seen from anywhere else. 

While enjoying the soulful sounds of Darryl Little and Friends, several residents said they were happy to see so many people having good wholesome fun. One resident said, “I think it’s wonderful what the city has done here today. With so much going on in the world today, it’s always good to see people come together like this.” 

Several elected officials were on hand for the fun and festivities as well, including City Council member James Taylor, who represents the Southeast Ward. Taylor, who is the publisher of The Chronicle, said when he joined the city council nine years ago he envisioned a “destination location” that people from all over the city would want to come and relax.

“As I look over the audience, I can say we have accomplished that goal,” continued Taylor. “This was a secret no one knew about it, but today culminates the idea of opening this up to the community.”

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The City of Winston-Salem is one of only six cities in the country to receive a $115,500 CHAMPS grant from the National League of Cities to combat hunger.

The funds will be focused on feeding children and expanding participation in federal SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits as part of a new “Think Orange” campaign against hunger. The color orange is associated with Hunger Action Month, which is September. That campaign was announced on Friday, Aug. 17,  at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

“Today we are announcing a major city-wide initiative campaign to discuss the issues of food scarcity and food insecurity in our community,” said Mayor Allen Joines. “This campaign will bring together so many different organizations, including government, the religious community and nonprofits in our area to address these two very important issues.”

Joines credited City Council Member Denise “DD” Adams, who is on the League of Cities’ Board of Directors, for pushing the city to apply for the grant. This new initiative is aligned with the recommendations of the Mayor’s Poverty Thought Force, which Joines said has found funding to hire staff through various grants and will soon start searching for a director to help implement those recommendations.

The CHAMPS grant will be used to enhance current efforts to fight hunger. For instance, there were more than 65,000 breakfasts, lunches or snacks served by Ezekiel A.M.E.  Zion Church through summer feeding programs at 28 sites in June and July. But that’s only a fraction of the need, with only 16 percent of eligible children in Forsyth County participating in those programs. Grant money will be used for a direct mail and targeted digital advertising campaign to encourage families to take advantage of summer feeding programs.

It’ll also be used to explore a pilot program with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC that would deliver hot meals to lower-income youth, seniors and individuals with disabilities.  This program serves about 1,000 people.

To help increase participation in SNAP, which was formerly known as food stamps, the city will partner with the Winston-Salem Urban League for four quarterly enrollment fairs starting this fall. The local nonprofit has participated for the last three years in the SNAP Out Senior Hunger program, through which the Urban League signed up 1,350 seniors for SNAP benefits in the last 18 months.

Part of the grant will finance matching funds for SNAP users at the Fairgrounds Famers Market to increase their buying power.

The Fairgrounds market will also partner with Cobblestone Farmers Market for a new mid-week famers market held in an area with a high concentration of SNAP-eligible households.

The grant will also be used to purchase $100 in fresh produce from the Fairground Farmers Market that will be distributed in food deserts by the nonprofit H.O.P.E. (Help Our People Eat) using its signature green trucks.

Other parts of the initiative include:

*A food resources website listing things like food pantries, feeding programs and other hunger resources.

*A mayor’s lunch and learn roundtable with the city’s corporate leaders to enlist their support in the campaign.

*A childhood hunger summit with leaders from programs that deal with that issue.

*Hunger awareness initiatives that include a Think Orange Day in Winston-Salem.

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The City of Winston-Salem held its fourth annual Winston-Salem Forsyth County 9/11 Public Safety Challenge at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds & Annex on Saturday, Sept. 8.

The Public Safety Challenge combines the city’s 9/11 commemoration with a competition for high school Junior ROTC units. More than 200 JROTC cadets from 10 high schools competed in several areas.

Congratulations to the Ronald Reagan High School JROTC program on winning the competition for the second consecutive year, city government said on its Facebook page. As the winning unit, the unit will take home the Public Safety Challenge Cup, a perpetual trophy that is passed to the winner from one year to the next.

The program opened at 9:11 a.m. with the city’s annual 9/11 commemoration. Afterward, JROTC cadets from high schools in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County competed in marksmanship, close-order drill and a “raider” (obstacle) course that combines elements of the police physical abilities test and the fire agility test.

Forsyth County Commission Chairman Dave Plyler and Mayor Pro Temp Vivian Burke thank the school system’s JROTC staff, who display a strong commitment to the students, and wish all the programs a successful 2018-2019 school year, city government said on Facebook.

In four years, the partnership between the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office, Winston-Salem Police Department, Winston-Salem Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services have contributed $20,000 to the school system’s JROTC program by each year providing a $5,000 sponsorship to the Military Science program of the city-county schools, which oversees the high school JROTC units.

The event serves as an opportunity for the partner agency’s Explorer programs to recruit cadets to start a path of public service in the public safety field.

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TROSA– a comprehensive, multi-year residential rehab program for substance abusers located in Durham – is looking to open a location in the Triad.

The City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County are both considering amending their zoning ordinances to allow for a group care facility of up to 250 residents so TROSA can open a local facility. Currently, zoning in the county only allows a group care facility of up to 40 residents. The matter was initially briefed before county commissioners last week. The City’s General Government Committee heard from TROSA on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt said she welcomes TROSA and felt it is needed locally.

“I’ve met with this group several times and I think they have an outstanding program,” she said.

“I think it’s a missing link of help that we have here in Forsyth County.”

TROSA COO Keith Artin said the rehab program serves people from around the state at its Durham facility. Forsyth and Guilford were among the top five counties its clients come from and TROSA would like to put its new facility in one of those counties

“Durham is helping a lot of people from throughout the state, but we don’t think it’s feasible to help more people out of the Durham location, so this next step of a satellite location is what we think is the right way to help more people,” he said.

Artin said TROSA is unique in several ways. It offers comprehensive treatment, work-based vocational training and education in a program that lasts two years.

“There are a lot of studies that show there’s a correlation between length of stay in residential treatment and successful outcomes for people who need residential treatment as their approach for their addiction,” he said.

TROSA offers its services at no cost to clients, 88 percent of whom are uninsured and don’t qualify for Medicaid.

The nonprofit mostly funds itself in Durham through a variety of social enterprises, including thrift stores, a lawn care business, a moving service and seasonal Christmas tree lots that sold 11,000 trees last year.  Artin said it probably won’t have the moving company at first in the Triad, but expects TROSA to open up the other enterprises locally.

TROSA operates a facility with 275 beds and another with 192 beds. Artin said the large size helps create a sense of community. It also means there’s enough residents to do things like cook meals for those staying there, maintain the property and work in the social enterprises.

Artin expects the Triad facility to start with up to 125 beds and will eventually hold up to 225 beds.

Ninety percent of those who make it through the two-year program maintain sobriety, employment, stable housing and have no additional arrests a year after they graduate. Two-thirds of the 70-member staff at TROSA are graduates from its program.

The new zoning use that’s being considered is called “Group Care Facility C” and would be in General Business districts with Special Use District Rezoning that are approved by either the City Council or County Commissioners. TROSA has yet to narrow down particular sites to look at for the new facility.

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The following city events for Saturday, Sept. 15, are being canceled or postponed due to Hurricane Florence:

*Apple Festival at Historic Bethabara Park is being postponed. A new date in October will be announced.

*International Village has been postponed to Saturday, Sept. 22, and will be held in conjunction with Fiesta 2018. Shuttles will be available to take attendees between the two festivals.

*Movie Night at BB&T Ballpark, sponsored by the Winston-Salem Police Foundation, has been postponed until Oct. 28.

*The pier catfish tournament at Salem Lake has been canceled.

*The community yard sale scheduled for South Fork Park has been postponed until Oct. 20.

*With the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools closed on Thursday and Friday, the Old Town, Miller Park, Georgia Taylor and Sedge Garden recreation centers will be open both days as WePLAY Day Camps from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The fee will be $10 per child each day. A registration form is available on WePLAY.ws.

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The Forsyth County Democratic Party announced today, Sept. 20, when it will conduct the process of filling the East Ward City Council seat that will be vacated by Derwin Montgomery.

At the request of City of Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and the Winston-Salem City Council, the Forsyth County Democratic Party has scheduled an election on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 4 p.m. at the Forsyth County Democratic Headquarters to fill the seat. Any Democrat residing in the East Ward is eligible to submit his or her name for consideration and to be placed on the ballot, the Party says in a press release.

In order to fully vet and learn the views of all candidates, the Forsyth County Democratic Party will host an East Ward City Council Candidate Forum on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2400 Dellabrook Road in Winston-Salem. All members of the community are welcome to attend this event.

All interested persons should submit his or her name, residential address, and letter of interest to Chairperson Eric S. Ellison at ellisonlaw@nullearthlink.net. The deadline for submitting the candidate’s letter of interest is Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 5 p.m.

All members of the Forsyth County Democratic Party County Executive Committee who reside in the East Ward will be eligible to vote in the Oct.7 election, which will be held at the Forsyth County Democratic Headquarters. All precinct leaders of the East Ward are strongly encouraged to speak to each and every Democrat of their respective precincts to inform them of the upcoming election and survey their views of what the residents of the East Ward want in City Council leadership.

Chairman Eric Ellison said today: “We thank the City Council for bestowing upon the Democratic Party the responsibility of filling the vacant seat. In addition to current work of preparing voters for the upcoming mid – term election, the Party will work hard to have an open and fair election process, a process that ensures that all East Ward residents have an opportunity to be heard in selecting their next City Council representative.”

The Forsyth County Democratic Party selected Montgomery, who is a co-owner of The Chronicle, to succeed Ed Hanes as the representative for the 72nd District in the N.C. General Assembly. The governor approved the party’s selection of Montgomery. Montgomery will continue to represent the East Ward until he resigns from City Council.

Forsyth County Democratic Party County website is www.fcdpnc.org

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The City of Winston-Salem is considering buying a downtown lot near Business 40 from Salem College for $450,850.

The .45 acre vacant lot is just south of Business 40 and is bordered by Liberty, Cemetery and Main streets and an off ramp from the highway that leads to Main and Liberty streets. That Main Street Exit ramp there will be removed when Business 40 renovations are completed, which is expected to happen in late 2020. The right-of-way land where the ramp is located is expected to be conveyed to the city, which could expand that property if the city did purchase it. The money to buy it would come from 2014 general obligation bonds for economic development sites and infrastructure.

The land for sale was purchased by Salem College for $625,000 in 2012. It’s located across Main Street from the college’s McHugh Sisters Flats, which opened in 2015. This summer, it was reported that Salem College owes about $26 million and was put on probation by an accreditation agency, which said the college is still in good standing but needs to eliminate the debt to be taken off probation. The college is working to raise money to pay the debt without raising tuition.

During the City Council Finance Committee meeting on Monday, the offer to buy the land at the appraised value of $450,850 got mixed reactions. The college put the lot on the open market and informed City Council John Larson of the opportunity. Larson said the land is strategically located between the heart of downtown and places like Old Salem. It’s also near The Strollway that connects those two areas.

City Council Member Jeff MacIntosh and Finance Chairman Robert Clark also saw potential in the land once it’s combined with the adjoining right of way.

“We don’t do this every day, but it’s not every day we get offered this type of arrangement,” said Clark.

City Council Member Derwin Montgomery, who is also co-owner of The Chronicle, said he didn’t object to the principle of buying the land, but asked if the city would be buying property in the inner city as well. He said land purchases should be part of a strategy and wanted a short list of properties the city might be interested in.

Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke questioned the sale and wanted a list of properties the city already owns.

City Council Member D.D. Adams said she couldn’t support the purchase when there were properties in the inner city that could be bought for businesses or affordable housing.

Clark decided to table the item until next month to give staff time to answer the council members’ question.

The post Winston-Salem considering buying downtown lot from Salem College appeared first on WS Chronicle.

The City of Winston-Salem is considering buying a downtown lot near Business 40 from Salem College for $450,850.

The .45 acre vacant lot is just south of Business 40 and is bordered by Liberty, Cemetery and Main streets and an off ramp from the highway that leads to Main and Liberty streets. That Main Street Exit ramp there will be removed when Business 40 renovations are completed, which is expected to happen in late 2020. The right-of-way land where the ramp is located is expected to be conveyed to the city, which could expand that property if the city did purchase it.  The money to buy it would come from 2014 general obligation bonds for economic development sites and infrastructure.

The land for sale was purchased by Salem College for $625,000 in 2012. It’s located across Main Street from the college’s McHugh Sisters Flats, which opened in 2015. This summer, it was reported that Salem College owes about $26 million and was put on probation by an accreditation agency, which said the college is still in good standing but needs to eliminate the debt to be taken off probation. The college is working to raise money to pay the debt without raising tuition.

During the City Council Finance Committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 8, the offer to buy the land at the appraised value of $450,850 got mixed reactions. The college put the lot on the open market and informed City Council John Larson of the opportunity. Larson said the land is strategically located between the heart of downtown and places like Old Salem. It’s also near The Strollway that connects those two areas.

City Council Member Jeff MacIntosh and Finance Chairman Robert Clark also saw potential in the land once it’s combined with the adjoining right of way.

“We don’t do this every day, but it’s not every day we get offered this type of arrangement,” said Clark.

City Council Member Derwin Montgomery, who is also co-owner of The Chronicle, said he didn’t object to the principle of buying the land, but asked if the city would be buying property in the inner city as well. He said land purchases should be part of a strategy and wanted a short list of properties the city might be interested in.

Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke questioned the sale and wanted a list of properties the city already owns.

City Council Member D.D. Adams said she couldn’t support the purchase when there were properties in the inner city that could be bought for businesses or affordable housing.

Clark decided to table the item until next month to give staff time to answer the council members’ question.

The post W-S considering buying lot from Salem College appeared first on WS Chronicle.

The City of Winston-Salem has issued announcements on leaf collection and City Council meetings.

Leaf collection begins Nov. 5

City crews will start collecting leaves on Monday, Nov. 5, in the northern quadrant of the city (quadrant 4), which is the area roughly bounded by New Walkertown Road on the east, Business 40 on the south, and Reynolda and Yadkinville roads on the west.

Collection will proceed clockwise by quadrant and continue until the leaf trucks have made three passes through each neighborhood.

Once leaf collection begins, citizens can go to CityofWS.org/LeafRoutes to enter their address for an estimate of when the leaf trucks will be in their neighborhood, and track the progress of leaf collection. Estimated collection dates may be revised frequently, based on weather conditions, equipment problems and the volume of leaves placed out for collection. 

Residents who do not have access to a computer can call CityLink at 311 and a CityLink agent will look up the estimated collection date.

For leaf collection follow these guidelines:

*Rake leaves to the edge of the yard, behind the curb, and not in the street.

*Sticks, rocks, and other debris may damage our equipment. Please, leaves only.

*Do not park vehicles on, in front of, or near leaves.

*Do not put leaves on a tarp or over a storm drain.

*Leaf collection is provided to single-family houses only.

*Remember, residents MAY NOT burn leaves inside the city limits.

For year-round leaf collection, put leaves in a city yard-waste cart. Call CityLink 311 for information about how to get a yard cart.

Revised City Council meetings

At its meeting on Aug. 20, City Council voted to change its November meeting schedule based on the fact that the Veterans Day holiday falls on a scheduled meeting day.  Below is the revised November City Council Meeting schedule:

*November 5 – City Council Zoning Meeting

*November 12/13 – No Meetings

*November 19/20 – Committee Meetings

*November 26 – City Council General Business Meeting

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The city is accepting applications for the next class of City of Winston-Salem University, to be held for 12 weeks starting Jan. 31, 2019. This free program gives citizens a better understanding of city government, including the responsibilities of various city departments and the city’s role in the community. Classes meet Thursday evenings for three hours. Topics will include city governance and finance, sanitation, utilities operations, transportation, public safety, planning and economic development, housing and recreation. Class size is limited to 20 participants who will be selected through an application process. Applications will be evaluated based on the reason for participating, leadership potential, diversity and residency (city residents receive first priority, then Forsyth County residents). Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 28. Applications are available at the Marketing & Communications Department in City Hall, 101 N. Main St. Suite 336, or by calling CityLink 311. The application is also posted online at CityofWS.org/CWSU and can be printed and mailed in, or filled out and submitted online. For more information, call CityLink 311.

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Bowman Gray Stadium would remain in city hands and receive $9 million in improvements and renovations to better accommodate Winston-Salem State University football and Bowman Gray racing under a proposal officials announced Nov. 14.The comprehensive package of improvements would address the stadium’s aging infrastructure and make improvements to the field and the race track. The improvements plan also envisions adaptable signs and other features that would “brand” the stadium for Rams football in the fall and for Bowman Gray racing in the spring and summer. The field would be renamed “Rams Field at Bowman Gray.” The proposed improvements must be approved by the City Council.

WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson said, “This will create a win-win-win for the university, the city and for Bowman Gray racing. The enhancements will create a home stadium atmosphere for our student-athletes, alumni and fans. Further, this will be accomplished without committing student funds.”

Mayor Allen Joines said that the improvements would give the stadium a new lease on life. “It is important to note that this was a joint decision among the city, Winston-Salem State University and Bowman Gray racing,” Joines said. “Bowman Gray Stadium is part of our city’s heritage and an important asset. These improvements will keep it viable for decades to come.”

The proposed package of improvements includes new restrooms and concession stands; a new high-capacity Wi-Fi system to serve fans, journalists and event staff; and parking, seating, landscaping and irrigation improvements. Also, the football field would be regraded; the race track would be resurfaced; the field house, ticket booths and press boxes would be refurbished; and utilities upgrades would improve the water pressure in stadium facilities.

To minimize disruptions of operations, work would be conducted in phases over three years, during the four months from December to March between football and racing seasons. As much as possible, existing facilities, such a concession stands and restrooms, would remain in place while the replacement facilities are under construction.

The city agreed to sell Bowman Gray Stadium to WSSU in 2013, but that sale has been subject to a lengthy process of approval by the UNC System, the General Assembly and several other state agencies and was still pending. In recent discussions, university and city officials agreed to pursue a new approach whereby the university would remain a tenant, and the city would upgrade the stadium.

Earlier this year, the university adopted a 20-year master plan that included a 6,000 seat on-campus football stadium. Robinson said WSSU has hundreds of millions in construction and improvement needs that would take priority over a football stadium and does not envision constructing a stadium before the conclusion of the lease agreement with the city, which runs through June 2037.

Bowman Gray Stadium was built during the Great Depression under the Works Progress Administration. Nathalie L. Gray, the widow of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco President Bowman Gray Sr., donated the $30,000 of the required $100,000 local match to the federal grant to build the stadium. The stadium opened in 1938 and hosted high school and college football games, and other open-air events. NASCAR racing started at the stadium in 1949, and in 1956 it became the home field for Winston-Salem State.

The stadium is one of the most unique in the country, and recently ranked as one of the 13 most scenic stadiums in NCAA Division II football. On Oct. 29, Bowman Gray racing and Winston-Salem received national exposure with the premiere of “Race Night at Bowman Gray,” a new show on the Discovery Channel.

The new plan was announced at a news conference inside the field house at Bowman Gray Stadium attended by Joines, Robinson and officials from Winston-Salem Speedway Inc.

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Just a few months after they landed on street corners across the city, on Monday, Nov. 19, the Public Safety Committee voted 3-1 to remove all Bird Scooters from public sidewalks until city officials can come up with a method to regulate use.

Shortly before Labor Day, Bird, an electric scooter rental service with the mission to make cities more livable by reducing car usage, traffic, and congestion, dropped 100 scooters in various locations across the city. While the scooters have grown in popularity among teens and young adults, safety concerns have dominated the conversation since the scooters arrived in the Twin City.

According to Cpl. J.A. Henry with the Winston-Salem Police Department there have been at least three accidents in the downtown area caused by someone riding a scooter. Henry said although no one has been seriously harmed, its only a matter of time before it happens.

“When you’re riding with a Bird in comparison to a car, there is going to be potential for serious injury. We’re also getting repeated calls from the community about them riding on the sidewalks,” said Henry. “We get at least two to three calls every day, and it seems like we’re getting more calls about people doing things on scooters they probably shouldn’t.”

Although there is an ordinance in place that prohibits the use of the scooters on sidewalks, there isn’t any law that allows the scooters to be used in the streets, which can be confusing for riders because they don’t know where they can and cannot ride the scooters.

During the committee meeting, City Council Member James Taylor, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said it is important that they find a way to balance where everyone in the community is happy. Taylor, who is a co-owner of The Chronicle, said, “Some people believe them to be a public nuisance, others, a viable form of transportation. There must be a healthy balance between the two.

“…We want all parties involved to be safe.”

Before making a motion to vote, Taylor went around the table and asked each City Council member to share his or her thoughts on what they should do. Mayor Tempore Vivian Burke said she feels the scooters should be picked up immediately.

“I’ve talked to the city manager about those Bird Scooters, and I think something needs to be done to keep citizens safe. Not only downtown, but when you’re riding down New Walkertown Road and you have someone on a scooter when its dark, anybody could get killed, and its going to cause a lot of problems, so I feel we need to look at getting those scooters off the streets tonight if we could,” Burke said.

City Council Member John Larson, who has voiced his issues with Bird in the past, said for the past three months Bird has operated in the city without license or control. He said ultimately they have to rely on the individual riders to operate within the law, and that has not happened.

“We have to find a way immediately to bring this under control. I’ve had numerous complaints about this. I know it’s all anecdotal, but I have to respond to that,” continued Larson. “I hope Bird would use the opportunity to try to control them a little better, but I don’t know if they have the capacity to do that and I certainly didn’t see the willingness when they first came to this city to aggressively address the problems they knew they were going to have with us.

“So here we are, three months later, now or whatever it has been and the problem only seems to get worse by the day.”

City Council Member and representative for the North Ward, DD Adams, said although she is acceptable to change, she didn’t like the way Bird came into the city unannounced. She said she also raised issues with the scooters being used in the streets.

“I’m with Ms. Burke because over the past two months, I’ve probably had 10 situations where I almost lost my life or I almost ended someone’s else life because of a child on a scooter coming down University Parkway or a major intersection like Northwest Boulevard, Reynolda Road, Polo Road,” said Adams. “… I think we need to remove them from the street and come up with a plan to implement them back into the system that we all can live by. Because the last thing I would want is somebody being hurt or injured or dying from these scooters.”

Representative for the Southwest Ward, Council Member Dan Besse, said, “There is a serious public safety issue with the way scooters are being used now. Hopefully we can address that with a reasonable regulation scheme, but at this point, it’s not self managing.”

The only ‘No’ vote came from Council Member Jeff MacIntosh, who represents the Northwest Ward. MacIntosh said although he has spoken out in favor of the scooters in the past, he has grown frustrated with Bird and their lack of communication. He mentioned the reason he voted against removing the scooters is because he was worried about the process for getting them back.

“The only reason I’m going to vote against taking them off the streets immediately is because I’m not sure what the process will be for us getting them back,” said MacIntosh. “I think they’re invaluable to the community, especially during the shut down period [of Business 40]. Anything we can do to take cars off the streets, we should do.”

Although a date has not been set on when the regulations will be in place, residents shouldn’t expect to see Bird Scooters back on the street before the new year.

The post No fly zone: City panel votes to remove Bird scooters appeared first on WS Chronicle.

Earlier this month the Winston-Salem City Council voted unanimously to rezone more than 20 acres of land located on the east and west sides of North Patterson Avenue between Tenth Street and Northwest Boulevard to accommodate entertainment-related uses. 

The petition submitted by The Liberty Group, LLC/Castle Rock Holdings requested that the council change the zoning of the property from LI (Limited Industrial), GI (General Industrial), and GB-S (General Business-special use) to E for Entertainment. The E District is intended to accommodate a mixture of retail, office, residential, and entertainment uses. 

The Discussion of an entertainment district began in 2012 when the City Council voted to change property near Trade Street between Seventh Street and Ninth Street from Unified Development Ordinance to Entertainment. And in 2015 Council voted to rezone nine acres of land to E-L (Entertainment Limited) in the same area. 

The property in question this time has a long history of industrial use, but for nearly a decade many of the factories and large building spaces on the land have been vacant. Current businesses in the area include the Bethesda Center for the Homeless, Crisis Control Ministry, the Alexander Beaty Public Safety Training and Support Center and The Ramkat, a music and performance space at the corner of W. Ninth Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

When asked about the rezoning last week, Robert Pettice, a local entertainment promoter, told The Chronicle that the expansion of the entertainment district will attract more students and visitors to the area.

He said, “From my experience in the entertainment industry, this area definitely attracts college students from the apartments around, and it draws visitors and hotel guests, and they love it. Since [Business] 40 shut down, it seems like business has increased … This is now the focal point for people as they maneuver through the city.”

During the City Council meeting on Dec. 3, City-County Planning Director Aaron King said the rezoning is consistent with the Legacy 2030 Plan, which calls for entertainment venues along the northern edge of downtown. 

“It could spur redevelopment in an area that has been underutilized for quite some time and where we have public infrastructure currently available,” King said. 

King mentioned the rezoning could also call for the installation of additional lighting and crosswalks. 

Before making a motion to approve rezoning, Mayor Tempore Vivian Burke, who represents the Northeast Ward, asked for a brief presentation for those who haven’t had the opportunity to see exactly where rezoning will take place. Burke also echoed King’s statement about redeveloping the underutilized area.

“It has been a very dead area for quite some time and bringing that alive may do more to make the area look better. Those warehouse buildings have been there for ages.”

The post City Council rezones property for entertainment use appeared first on WS Chronicle.

For over a week now the corner of Fourth and Liberty Streets has been the topic of discussions across the state following the vandalization of a Confederate statue outside the old Forsyth County Courthouse and the city’s decision to allow the owners of the statue until the end of the month to have it removed from the corner downtown.

Although the clock to have the monument removed is set at less than 30 days, it seems as if the feud between the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the City of Winston Salem is just getting started.

Here’s what we know; the series of events began on Christmas day. Just before 6 p.m. officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) responded to a call that the monument had been defaced. Upon arrival, officers found the words “Cowards & Traitors” written in permanent marker.

In response to the most recent case defacing, on the last day of 2018, City Attorney Angela Carmon issued a letter demanding that the statue erected in 1905 be removed by Jan. 31 or face legal action from the city. The city also offered to move the statue to Salem Cemetery where more than 30 Confederate graves are located, but the Daughters of the Confederacy declined.

During the city’s annual Emancipation Proclamation ceremony, Mayor Allen Joines said, in its current place downtown, the statue is creating a public nuisance. Over the years the statue has been at the center of controversy several times. In August of 2017, shortly after white supremacist marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, two sides of the statue were painted and the motto on the statue, “Our Confederate Dead” was covered. Less than 24-hours after that, men armed with shotguns and rifles spent hours protecting the statue from other vandals.

One of the men protecting the statue who didn’t want to give his full name said they were just trying to protect a piece of history. He said, “We just don’t see the point in taking these statues down. That’s our stance: preserving history no matter good or bad. That’s how you learn from it.”

In the letter issued by Attorney Angela Carmon, she explains the removal of the statue is about public safety. She also mentioned incidents in Charlottesville, Durham and Chapel Hill over Confederate monuments that led to civil unrest.

She wrote, “…vandals defaced the Confederate statue with the inflammatory words “Cowards & Traitors” thereby invoking significant concern about the safety of the statue and the potential for confrontation, breaches of the peace and other nuisance type conduct similar to that endured by other cities.

“It is clear that the tenor of the vandal’s message has escalated and the intensity of the same is not likely to wane with the passage of time. The city is not in a position to provide constant security checks necessary for the protection of the statue and to mitigate the recurring acts of vandalism.”

In a statement released on Thursday, Jan. 4, the North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy say they plan to do everything in their power to make sure the statue stays put.

The statement reads, “The North Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, wished to register our dismay at recent actions and statements of the city Winston-Salem regarding the Confederate memorial on the old courthouse grounds. The heavy-handed tactics of the city and its threat of legal action against us are as shocking as they are dishonorable. When so many real problems are facing Winston-Salem and its citizens, city officials would rather engage in a cheap political stunt and distraction.

“We wish for the memorial to remain in its place, where is has stood since it was dedicated in 1905, and will do everything in our power to see that it continues to remain.”

The post Daughters of Confederacy vow to fight following order to remove statue appeared first on WS Chronicle.

TROSA– a comprehensive, multi-year residential rehab program for substance abusers located in Durham – is looking to open a location in the Triad.

The City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County are both considering amending their zoning ordinances to allow for a group care facility of up to 250 residents so TROSA can open a local facility. Currently, zoning in the county only allows a group care facility of up to 40 residents. The matter was initially briefed before county commissioners last week. The City’s General Government Committee heard from TROSA on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt said she welcomes TROSA and felt it is needed locally.

“I’ve met with this group several times and I think they have an outstanding program,” she said.

“I think it’s a missing link of help that we have here in Forsyth County.”

TROSA COO Keith Artin said the rehab program serves people from around the state at its Durham facility. Forsyth and Guilford were among the top five counties its clients come from and TROSA would like to put its new facility in one of those counties

“Durham is helping a lot of people from throughout the state, but we don’t think it’s feasible to help more people out of the Durham location, so this next step of a satellite location is what we think is the right way to help more people,” he said.

Artin said TROSA is unique in several ways. It offers comprehensive treatment, work-based vocational training and education in a program that lasts two years.

“There are a lot of studies that show there’s a correlation between length of stay in residential treatment and successful outcomes for people who need residential treatment as their approach for their addiction,” he said.

TROSA offers its services at no cost to clients, 88 percent of whom are uninsured and don’t qualify for Medicaid.

The nonprofit mostly funds itself in Durham through a variety of social enterprises, including thrift stores, a lawn care business, a moving service and seasonal Christmas tree lots that sold 11,000 trees last year.  Artin said it probably won’t have the moving company at first in the Triad, but expects TROSA to open up the other enterprises locally.

TROSA operates a facility with 275 beds and another with 192 beds. Artin said the large size helps create a sense of community. It also means there’s enough residents to do things like cook meals for those staying there, maintain the property and work in the social enterprises.

Artin expects the Triad facility to start with up to 125 beds and will eventually hold up to 225 beds.

Ninety percent of those who make it through the two-year program maintain sobriety, employment, stable housing and have no additional arrests a year after they graduate. Two-thirds of the 70-member staff at TROSA are graduates from its program.

The new zoning use that’s being considered is called “Group Care Facility C” and would be in General Business districts with Special Use District Rezoning that are approved by either the City Council or County Commissioners. TROSA has yet to narrow down particular sites to look at for the new facility.

The post Long-term rehab program looking to expand to Triad appeared first on WS Chronicle.

Thanks to a $60,000 grant from the city, Positive Image Performing Arts (P.I.P.A.) will be calling a new place home in the near future.

Founded by city native Courtney Porter in 2005, P.I.P.A. started with less than 20 members and has grown into a national award-winning performance studio. From humble beginnings in a small studio on Fourth Street, over the years the P.I.P.A family outgrew their original home and had to move several times before settling in at the former site of Samaritan Ministries, 1243 Patterson Ave., in 2015.

And now with more than 100 members, P.I.P.A. has outgrown their space again and is preparing to move.

According to Porter, the grant from the City of Winston-Salem will allow P.I.P.A to purchase a new space in the downtown area that she plans to have renovated to accommodate the growth of the program. Although the building may be changing, Porter said the P.I.P.A. mission remains the same. She said she wants to set an example for every child that walks through the door.

“…I picked a hard name to live up to because I wanted to make sure that I live my life in a way kids can see as an example.” Porter said.

Porter said the process to receive the grant was long but in the end it was worth it. In order to receive the grant, Porter had to get references, make a presentation to a committee of city officials and fill out loads of paperwork. She said, “It took a long time but it is something I am grateful for. It’s something I had to do from start to finish and for that I’m proud of myself for going through the process.”

She said although they didn’t plan on the move, when the opportunity came, she jumped at the opportunity. She said in order to sustain a presence in the community, sometimes change is inevitable.

“My future thoughts and hopes is that we can always sustain and always remain what our name is. I want to sustain for a number of years and continue to have kids who start with our program and stick with our program,” she said.

While finishing up renovations at the new studio, P.I.P.A. is currently housed at the Winston Lake YMCA. For more information on Positive Image Performing Arts, visit on Facebook or stop by the Winston Lake YMCA, 901 Waterworks Road.

The post P.I.P.A. receives grant from city, planning move appeared first on WS Chronicle.

Earlier this month city officials began discussions on how to regulate use for the scooters that landed on street corners around the city last fall.

Shortly after Labor Day, Bird, an electric scooter rental service based in California, with the mission to make cities more livable by reducing car usage and congestion, left more than 100 scooters in various locations across Winston-Salem. Less than three months after the scooters arrived, during a public meeting in November, the Public Safety Committee voted 3-1 to remove all Bird scooters from public sidewalks until they come up with a method to regulate use, citing safety concerns for pedestrians and those riding the scooters.

According to members of the Winston-Salem Police Department, there were at least three accidents in the downtown area caused by someone riding a scooter. Cpl. J.A. Henry, who works in the downtown area, said when the scooters were most active they received at least two calls a day from people complaining about the scooters.

Despite concerns from the WSPD and City Council about where the scooters should be allowed, proper lighting,  and an age limit, several members of the community let it be known that they wanted the scooters to stay. Many attended city council meetings to make sure their voices were heard.

Before the motion was made to remove the scooters, City Council Member James Taylor, chairman of the Public Safety Committee and publisher of The Chronicle, said it was important that they find a balance where everyone in the community is happy.

Assistant City Manager Damon Dequenne said the city’s attorney’s office has worked diligently to create a draft ordinance for review. He said since the scooters made their appearance, the city attorney’s office has worked diligently with the Department of Transportation to come up with a reasonable solution to the issues with the scooters.

“…There’s been copious amounts of research done,” Dequenne said.

During the Public Safety Committee meeting on Jan. 14, the city attorney’s office presented an 18-page draft ordinance to regulate use of electric scooters, dockless bicycles, and other types of shared transportation vehicles. Although not yet finalized, the ordinance includes several new regulations, including a valid operating permit for the company that owns the scooter, a helmet requirement, the development of a micro-mobility selection committee, an age limit, and civil penalties if traffic laws aren’t followed, just to name a few.

Assistant City Attorney Marilena Guthold said the ordinance is a combination of similar ordinances from cities like Santa Monica, the home of Bird Scooter, Durham, Greensboro, and Raleigh.

After a brief overview of the ordinance, members of the Public Safety Committee had the opportunity to ask questions and make suggested changes to the ordinance. Chairman Taylor suggested lowering the age limit from 18 to 15 or 16.

“… I think if at 15 or 16 our young men and women can operate vehicles, it would be reasonable to believe they can operate a scooter,” said Taylor. “But other than that, I think we have a good plan.”

Council Member John Larson said he needed more time to look over the ordinance. He then raised questions about enforcement, cost, and the possibility implementing a daytime operation-only rule.

“How is this being staffed, because I see enforcement issues coming into play very quickly. I also see a lot of legal review initially for the first couple of years until we can train these operators,” said Larson. “So I’m trying to understand the cost to the city and how we plan to recover those costs. Before I approve anything that’s going to be on city streets, I want to know how we’re going to pay for it.” 

Council Members D.D. Adams, Annette Scippio, Jeff MacIntosh and Dan Besse also made suggested changes to the ordinance. In the end, Chairman Taylor suggested that staff go back and take a look at the many suggestions made by the committee.

Although he didn’t provide a timetable on when the committee would discuss the ordinance again, Taylor said he expects to have the scooters back on the streets soon.

“I think we have provided many details for staff to go back and look at. But as it’s presented, they have already put in a lot of hard work and we appreciate that and we look forward to when it comes back to committee.”

The post Bird Talk: Public Safety Committee begins discussion to regulate scooters appeared first on WS Chronicle.

Last Friday members of Get Hate Out of Winston-Salem, a local organization formed to show support of the decision to remove the Confederate statue from downtown Winston-Salem, gathered at the corner of Fourth and Liberty to keep pressure on city officials to remove the statue that depicts a Confederate solider holding a rifle.

Talks about the removal of the statue began late last year after the statue was vandalized. In response to the second case of vandalism in less than two years, city attorney Angela Caron issued a letter to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the owners of the statue, demanding the statue be removed by Jan. 31.

Less than 24-hours after the Jan. 31 deadline, more than two-dozen supporters of Get Hate Out of Winston-Salem gathered for a press conference to let city officials know they are waiting.

While standing at the foot of the statue that was erected in 1905, local activist Lillian Podlog said the statue was a symptom of hatred and white supremacy. Podlog also urged city officials to take serious strides to create more opportunities for African-Americans throughout the community.

“We are here today to keep the pressure on the city to make sure that this statue comes down. This statue is a symptom of white supremacy. White supremacy is the disease that erected it. White supremacy has kept the statue standing. And when the statue comes down, we will have dealt with a nasty side effect to this disease,” said Podlog. “‘But the systems of white supremacy will still be churning. The city and the community cannot rest until our schools are no longing failing, until we have affordable housing, until our curriculum teaches black history year-round, and until investment in black communities takes the future of those communities into account.”

Miranda Jones, another organizer for Get Hate Out of Winston-Salem, said they will remain vigilant in their pursuit to rid Winston-Salem of all forms of racism and hate.

“We plan to make it our quest to ensure that all citizens of our city receive utilization of their taxation. We plan to work to make sure the Poverty Thought Force does more than thinking. We make no claims to be the only voice of the marginalized and oppressed. We merely use our voice as a tool to tackle injustice,” Jones said.

While citizens made their point clear that they wanted the statue removed, a handful of supporters of the statue gathered at the adjacent corner armed with flags and insulting chants. Jenna Bernstein, who traveled from Florida to ensure her voice was heard, told demonstrators the statue was a war memorial and should stay.

“This is a U.S. veterans war memorial. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have never desecrated an American war memorial like this with your ignorance and your socialism. This is America, a constitutional republic,” Bernstein said.

For more than an hour protestors and supporters shouted insults across the busy street.

Although arguments did get heated at times, protests remained peaceful.

Despite a lawsuit filed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy the week it was scheduled to be removed trying to stop the city from removing the statue, Forsyth County Superior Court Judge Stanley Allen rejected the request granting the city permission to move forward with the removal process.

Although the city officials haven’t set a date or time to remove the statue, it is expected to be removed sometime this week. It is unclear if the statue will be moved to the Salem Cemetery where several Confederate soldiers are buried or placed in storage for safe keeping.

The post Get Hate Out of W-S promises to keep the heat on city officials appeared first on WS Chronicle.