May 9, 2008
Bus Service Public Meeting May 13
The Town of Wake Forest, Triangle Transit, and the City of Raleigh have proposed two new weekday bus routes serving Wake Forest in Summer 2008.
Two services are being studied. The first is an express route between Wake Forest, Triangle Town Center, and downtown Raleigh at peak commute times. During the mid-day, the route will only serve Wake Forest and Triangle Town Center. Passengers who wish to continue to downtown Raleigh during the mid-day can transfer to CAT Route 1 at Triangle Town Center. Fares for the express service would be $2.50 per one-way trip during peak periods (5-9 a.m., 4-8 p.m.) and $2.00 per one-way trip during the mid-day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.).
The second service is a local bus route within Wake Forest itself. The route is proposed as a loop through much of Wake Forest and into a portion of Wakefield. The initial proposal is to serve the route in a clockwise fashion all day. The proposed fare is $1.00 each way. A timed transfer between the two routes will be provided throughout the day at the proposed Park and Ride location in downtown Wake Forest.
Citizens wishing to provide input on the proposed routes are encouraged to attend a public meeting at the Wake Forest Town Hall on Tuesday, May 13 from 6-8 p.m. A comment line is available at (919) 485-7507 to leave a message for the planning staff at Triangle Transit.
For more information, visit www.triangletransit.org/bus/planning/wakeforest. Visitors to the site can leave comments on-line to assist Triangle Transit and their partners in finalizing schedules, routing, and bus stop locations for the two routes. The web site will be updated with new feedback opportunities and changes to the proposed routes that result from citizen input.
For more information, contact Eric Keravuori, Engineering Director, at (919) 554-6122.
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New Town Hall Groundbreaking May 22
We will break ground on the new Wake Forest Town Hall on Thursday, May 22 at 10 a.m. Area residents are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony set to take place at the corner of Brooks Street and Owen Avenue, across from the Wake Forest Planning Department, 221 S. Brooks St. Parking for the event will be available in the current town hall parking lot, as well as along Brooks Street and Owen Avenue.
Construction for the new four-story, 44,000 square foot facility is expected to begin later in May. We are moving forward with the project now that the bid for construction of the building was awarded to Heaton Construction. The estimated date for completion of the new town hall is October 2009.
Speakers at the groundbreaking event will include our Mayor Vivian Jones and yours truly. Renderings of the building will be on display and the ceremonial shoveling of dirt will occur. A reception with light refreshments will follow the brief ceremony.
For more information, contact Susan Simpson, Parks & Recreation Director,
at (919) 554-6182.
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More Renovations at the Alston-Massenburg Center
If you’ve ever attended a meeting or some other event inside the Alston-Massenburg Center, then you know the high ceilings cause the acoustics inside the building to be somewhat less than desirable.
Well, not anymore.
Late last month our Parks & Recreation Department contracted with St. John Construction to install a dropped ceiling with acoustical tiles. Additionally, we asked the company to remove the old light fixtures and install new florescent lighting.
I am pleased to report that the work has been completed and the difference in both the look and sound is incredible. Note the before and after pictures on the right.
These recent renovations to the Alston-Massenburg Center are a part of the Northeast Neighborhood Plan that was adopted by the Town in July 2007. The acoustical and lighting improvements are the latest in a series of upgrades to the facility we have initiated over the last several years.
Since 2005 we have replaced the tile flooring and completely renovated the kitchen area by installing new cabinets and countertops, a new refrigerator, cooking range, refrigerator, and microwave oven. Additionally, we have re-painted the inside walls as well as the exterior doors and casings.
But we’re not done.
During the summer and fall, we will also be renovating Taylor Street Park. Following a number of consultations with the East End Neighborhood Association, we are considering adding a picnic shelter, playground with swings, and a garden area.
Mark Robinson & Associates, a landscape architect, is already working on a design for the park.
I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the progress of this latest project.
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K9 Teams Receive NCPDA Certification
I want to take a moment to offer my congratulations to our police department’s entire K9 unit. All four Wake Forest Police K9 teams received North Carolina Police Dog Association (NCPDA) certification recently following a weeklong training exercise at Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC.
Officer M.J. Pender and K9 Kyra, Officer J.K. Myers and K9 Sixx, Officer D.L. Hess and K9 Maverick, and
Officer L.N. Collie and K9 Lagos, participated in the nationally recognized certification program April 21-25.
The NCPDA’s certification program is designed to ensure that police dogs and their handlers are trained properly to protect the lives and property of citizens. The program also provides a standard measure in which all trained police dogs must maintain in the performance of their duties, ensures that the handlers have adequate knowledge of state laws regarding the use of canines, prevents the malicious use of partially trained police dogs, and offers a means of attaining certification on a timely basis.
Canines trained according to NCPDA standards are required to achieve the following certifications:
- Vehicle and Building Narcotics Detection
- Tracking/Trailing
- Control/Obedience
- Evidence Search
- Area Search
- Building Search
- Vehicle Stops
- Criminal Apprehension
- Recall from Apprehension
- Suspect Apprehension
- Suspect Approach
These certifications are awarded on a pass/fail basis and are valid for one year.
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Centennial Celebration Volunteers Needed
If you haven’t been downtown and seen the new centennial celebration banners, then you might want to make a special trip and check them out. The banners, which are hung on practically every street light along South White Street, not only add color to our downtown, but they also do a wonderful job of announcing next year’s centennial celebration.
The banners were designed by area graphic artist Laura Brogden and ably depict the centennial celebration logo as well as the years of Wake Forest's existence as a town 1909-2009.
In other centennial celebration news, the First Light Wake Forest Committee is looking for volunteers to help plan and implement the town’s inaugural “First Light Wake Forest” event scheduled to take place December 31, 2008. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Brian Pate, First Light Wake Forest Committee Chair, via email at djbrianpate@nc.rr.com or by calling (919) 562-7935.
The next meeting of the First Light committee will be held on Wednesday, June 4, at 7:00 p.m. at the Wake Forest Town Hall.
Additionally, the Centennial Celebration Committee is looking for volunteers to help plan and implement "The Party of the Century," scheduled to be held February 20, 2009 at the Ledford Center, located on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Anyone interested in volunteering for this event should contact Kara Louise at kmlouise3@yahoo.com or (919) 521-4499. The next meeting of the Party of the Century Committee is set for Wednesday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Town Hall.
Click here to learn more about the 2009 Wake Forest Centennial Celebration.
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Six Sundays in Spring Update
This Sunday is Mother’s Day and Six Sundays in Spring is offering something any mom would enjoy – a relaxing, good time outdoors on the lawn of the Wake Forest College Birthplace. Thad Cockrell, a Wake Forest native who now lives in Nashville, TN, will deliver his unique brand of alternative country.
Now in its 16th year, Six Sundays in Spring has become so popular that in 2009 the WFCAA will move the concert series to a new 1,000 lawn seat amphitheatre at Joyner Park.
For more information about Six Sundays in Spring, call (919) 453-0121.
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