Inside High Point - March

INSIDE HIGH POINT

HERE COMES THE SUN! THERE'S NO TIME LIKE SPRINGTIME

MARCH 2022

CONTENTS Welcome to Inside High Point, the newsletter that covers everything going on within the City of High Point and its various departments. If you have news, photos, questions or suggestions for what you would like to see featured, please email us at PIO@highpointnc.gov.

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09/

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HPFD LIFESAVING RESCUES

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS CLEAN UP STREAM

LIBRARY PROGRAM GIVES BACK

Read how fire crews' heroic actions prevented tradegies in two residential fires.

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See which school is taking care of the stream behind their building.

Find out how this new initiative is helping those less fortunate.

CITY COUNCIL City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month. You can find their meeting schedule HERE. Mayor - Jay Wagner

Jay.Wagner@highpointnc.gov 336.883.3305

Member at Large - Britt Moore

Britt.Moore@highpointnc.gov 336.687.2200

Member at Large - Tyrone E. Johnson

Tyrone.Johnson@highpointnc.gov 336.307.8261

Ward 1 - Cyril Jefferson

Cyril.Jefferson@highpointnc.gov

Ward 2 - Chris Williams

Chris.Williams@highpointnc.gov 336.883.1736

Ward 3 - Monica Peters, Mayor Pro Tem

Monica.Peters@highpointnc.gov 336.906.7328

Ward 4 - Wesley Hudson

Wesley.Hudson@highpointnc.gov 336.655.5880

Ward 5 - Victor Jones

Victor.Jones@highpointnc.gov 336.899.7777

Ward 6 - Michael Holmes

Michael.Holmes@highpointnc.gov

www.highpointnc.gov

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HPFD CREWS MAKE HEROIC RESCUES The past few weeks have been busy for our High Point Fire Department, and several crews’ saved lives by pulling victims from the flames of working fires.

Here are the details of their heroic actions.

On March 4, 2022, at 12:17 a.m., High Point Fire Department crews were dispatched to a house fire at 1616 W. Lexington Ave to assist county units. While in route, they received a notice that the homeowner might still be inside.

When units arrived, there was smoke coming from the house and the doors were locked. Truck Two was assigned to force the door to gain entry. When the door was open, T2 went in with the attack line that Engine Three provided to perform a search.

They found the victim unconscious on the floor with heavy smoke in the structure. Engine One went in and assisted T2 and removed the victim from the structure. Outside the structure, E1 began administering life-saving measures to a 71-year-old male. The patient had a pulse but was unconscious. They began ventilating with high flow O2 and a bag valve mask until transferring patient care to Davidson County EMS. Congratulations to both crews for a great job in saving a life.

E1A- Captain Orlando Craven, Firefighter Jamie Caulder, Firefighter Joseph Rathbone

T2A- Captain Gray George, Firefighter Ben Forrest, Firefighter Jake Dykhoff

Just days before the W. Lexington Avenue fire, crews preformed a rescue at an apartment complex on Copperstone Drive. On Feb. 28, first arriving units found heavy fire in the stairwells of the three-story apartment complex at 2315 Copperstone Drive, trapping the occupants from exiting the burning structure. Victims were hanging out of second and third-story windows screaming for help, threatening to jump.

Credit: WFMY

Due to the heavy fire and smoke conditions, Firefighter John Gough, along with Firefighter Zack Powers, Captain Jordan, FEO Chuck Wilson and FEO Nathan Zebron, began throwing ladders, climbing and removing the victims from the windows to safety. They brought down a total of five occupants and a dog to safety.

This fire grew and went to two alarms before being extinguished. Without their quick actions, the occupants would have been trapped or had to jump to escape the heavy fire.

Congratulations on a job well done saving lives and limiting the heavy fire spread.

Firefighter Zack Powers, Firefighter John Gough, FEO Chuck Wilson, FEO Nathan Zebron, Captain Chip Jordan www.highpointnc.gov

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TRANSPORTATION Mark McDonald to Retire When Mark McDonald started his career as a traffic engineer, the industry standard was centered around building bigger roads to move more cars.

That philosophy has changed over the nearly two decades that he’s helped shape the City of High Point’s transportation system.

“Now we have to focus more on all users — bikes, pedestrians.

Not that we didn’t before, but it’s becoming more of a priority to do so,” he said.

“We’re finding that more of the roads that were constructed decades ago are oversized for their need and purpose, and as it’s possible, we look to retrofit those roads to where they are more accommodating. It’s a transition that everyone is going through.”

McDonald will retire as the city’s director of transportation at the end of March.

He oversees a department with about 90 employees across several divisions that operate the city’s bus system, control, monitor and maintain traffic signals and signs, and approve the transportation design aspects of zoning and construction plans for development projects.

Prior to joining the city as assistant transportation director in 2003, McDonald worked in traffic engineering in the private sector and for the cities of Rocky Mount and Virginia Beach, mostly in the same capacity.

He was named transportation director here in January 2008.

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McDonald said one of the things from his tenure he’s most proud of is the city’s collaboration with the N.C. Department of Transportation on projects like the newly rebuilt Eastchester Drive/Interstate 74 interchange.

Even though major projects like these are administered by the DOT, the city has a role to play in pushing to get them funded in the state’s Transportation Improvement Program and in relocating and upgrading its utilities to accommodate them.

The Skeet Club Road widening, the upcoming S. Main Street interchange overhaul on Interstate 85 Business and the future widening of Johnson Street and Sandy Ridge Road are other DOT projects in High Point that have entailed close coordination with the city.

Local road projects have also been a highlight, he said, including those approved in a 2004 bond referendum, such as Barrow, Oakview and Old Winston road upgrades, the extension of Hartley Drive and several intersection improvements.

A new round of bond projects approved in 2019 are moving through the planning stages as McDonald and other city officials prepare them for construction.

As the city has grown, sidewalks have become a major part of transportation planning. The city requires them in new developments, but many major roads like Eastchester Drive were built without them, and retrofitting them for sidewalks is expensive, according to the city.

“We’ve done as much as we can with the funding we’ve had to improve and extend sidewalks all over the city,” he said.

While he won’t be able to finish all the projects he’d like before he retires, McDonald said he has complete confidence in handing them off to his staff.

He said he and his wife plan to travel and visit their daughters out west, but he doesn’t have definite plans beyond this.

“You get to a point where you know it’s the right thing to do for yourself and to focus on other things,” he said.

Atricle Courtesy of Pat Kimbrough, The High Point Enterprse

www.highpointnc.gov

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PUBLIC SERVICES Robby Stone Named Director Robby Stone has accepted the position of Public Services Director with the City of High Point and will begin his new role effective immediately.

As Public Services Director, Stone will oversee the Public Services Department, which includes Streets, Water and Sewer Utilities, Environmental Services (including garbage collection, landfill, the compost facility and the material recovery and recycling facility), Stormwater Maintenance and Cemeteries Divisions. The Public Services Department is the largest department in the City of High Point, with over 300 full-time positions.

"Mr. Stone is a thoughtful leader with a solid understanding of both the technical aspects of the job and the interpersonal skills required to work collaboratively," said City Manager Tasha Logan Ford. "He understands the value each Public Service employee brings to this community by the way they approach their work, and I'm confident the commitment to excellence will continue. I'm extremely excited Robby has chosen to serve in this new capacity with the City."

Stone has been with the City of High Point since 2013 and has served as the Water/Sewer Mains Superintendent, the Assistant Public Services Director and, most recently, the Deputy Public Services Director. Prior to High Point, he was with the City of Winston Salem in various roles in the Public Services Department from 2001-2013.

"I am honored to accept this position to lead the Public Services Department," said Stone. "Over the years, there have been several great leaders that have molded and shaped who we are. This promotion is another life accomplishment goal for me while continuing to serve others within this great city. I look forward to future opportunities to provide essential services to our customers while serving with an outstanding Public Services and Management team."

Students Adopt a Stream On March 22, 2022, the Middle Schoolers of High Point Friends School performed a stream cleanup as part of the Stormwater Division’s Adopt-a-Stream Program. They have adopted the stream behind their school (a tributary to Payne Creek) since August of 2016.

Each year since they began adopting the stream, they have performed multiple cleanups and continue to take care of not only the creek but the surrounding school grounds and park that border the stream banks. This session included 29 students and five teachers. They removed seven bags of trash, four bags of recycling and one shopping cart from the stream. Thank you, High Point Friends School!

www.highpointnc.gov

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Winter Wipeout Success Keep High Point Beautiful completed the sixth annual Winter Wipeout litter cleanup campaign. KHPB operates under the City’s Public Services Department, Environmental Services Division. The campaign resulted in volunteers filling 199 bags with trash and recyclables. Large items such as TVs, shopping carts and tires were picked up as well. Overall, 28 different locations across the city were positively impacted by the effort, and we greatly appreciate all our volunteers!

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT Extreme Makeover: Warehouse Edition The High Point Purchasing Department got an office upgrade after the warehouse renovation. In addition to the new purchasing offices inside the warehouse, the counter area was also a part of the project.

Take a look at the before and after photos.

MUSEUM CELEBRATES NATIONAL QUILTING DAY The High Point Museum will hosted three quilting programs on Saturday, March 19, in the museum’s lecture gallery and Historical Park to celebrate National Quilting Day. The National Quilting Society declared the third Saturday in March National Quilting Day in 1991 to encourage people from all over the world to celebrate, build and maintain the global heritage of quilting. In honor of this day and the museum’s latest exhibition, “Domestic Art,” the museum and High Point Historical Society welcomed Lynn Lancaster Gorges, a Quilt Consultant at Historic Textiles Studio in New Bern, N.C. The morning of March 19, the High Point Historical Society hosted “Coffee with a Quilt Consultant.” Gorges spoke on her work with quilts, provided preservation recommendations and brought a few of her own quilts for visitors to see in person.

Later, Gorges offered 20-minute consultations in the museum’s lecture gallery. Visitors brought in their own quilts for Gorges to offer more information about their designs, time periods and other interesting details.

The museum’s costumed interpreters also took part in the celebration in Hoggatt House, guiding visitors through quilting styles in Early America and teaching them about the agricultural and economic history of quilting.

“Our current exhibition, “Domestic Art,” highlights the artistic quality of the quilts made and used in High Point,” said High Point Museum Director Edith Brady. “These programs offer our community a chance to more deeply explore the history of quilting while also getting to answer some questions they might have about their own quilts.”

CITY PROJECTS RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING The City of High Point has received two Federal earmarks for a total of $4.5 million thanks to the help of Congresswoman Kathy Manning.

“This funding will help bolster projects that will make our communities safer, help students combat learning loss, strengthen workforce development efforts and much more,” said Manning. “As we make a historic economic recovery from the pandemic, it’s crucial that we invest in our communities and build back stronger and more equitably than before.”

Of the $4.5 million High Point received, $1.5 million will support the High Point Multi-Modal Connector Greenway and $3 million will go to the High Point Shelter and Day Center for the Homeless project.

This funding is part of the total $16,513,000 received for community projects throughout North Carolina’s Sixth District.

www.example.com

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LIBRARY SEES SUCCESS WITH NEW PROJECT Gail Simpson of the High Point Public Library has created a new charitable initiative, “Lending a Helping Hand.” Each month, there will be a different “Poster of the Month” with specific items that will be collected from library and High Point Museum staff in an effort to make a difference to those less fortunate.

On the third Thursday of each month, staff will organize the collected items, and on the fourth Tuesday of each month, we will donate collected items to Dan Hodgson’s Acts Ministries (which feeds the homeless in the library café’ every Tuesday morning).

On the first day of the project, the donation box at the library was filled, and by day three, it was overflowing.

“It all started with a vision, that turned into a goal, that started taking life when my son created the theme poster and the Posters of the Month from March to December for 2022,” said project creator Gail Simpson. “With the support of Mary Sizemore, Lorrie Russell and my peers/co-workers, the pictures I’ve shared with you show how powerful cohesiveness confirms that we’re better together.”

Hodgson made his first collection, which consisted of 99 bottles of water, 80 packs of crackers and four bags of mints after only one week of donations.

On March 17, the Organizing Committee met to organize, label boxes, bag up 80 bags of specific items for Acts MinistrieS. “March was a total success thanks to the generous souls and the caring hearts of the library staff,” said Simpson.

Simpson is preparing for April’s theme and the continuation of this project.

Electric Utilities Launches Streetlight Outage App City of High Point Electric Utilities department launched a streetlight outage app this month. The application allows residents to see a map of the city’s 26,989 streetlights and report a problem with a specific light in need of repair.

Tyler Berrier, assistant director of electric utilities for the city, said the goal is to make it easier for customers to get information about burned out lights to the right people.

The app will also take some of the call load off the City’s customer-service center, he said.

“It benefits the city and the public by cutting down on the time it takes to enter the request, so we can respond quicker and with no processing time,” Berrier said.

In the first week, the department received 27 notices of streetlights in need of repair. These repairs are typically made within three to five days, however, since launching the app repairs have averaged about two days.

HUMAN RESOURCES EMPLOYEE WELLNESS APRIL EMPLOYEE WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES April

PERSONAL FINANCIAL CHECK-UP

April 15

FINANCIAL SEMINAR: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF CREDIT

8 A.M. - 6 P.M.

- Schedule Appointment here: PERSONAL FINANCIAL CHECK-UP 9 A.M.

- Link: FINANCIAL SEMINAR: SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF CREDIT

NUTRITION SEMINAR: NUTRITION MANAGEMENT

April 28

STRATEGIES DURING & AFTER COVID-19

10 A.M.

- Link: NUTRITION SEMINAR: NUTRITION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES DURING & AFTER COVID-19

ONGOING EMPLOYEE WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES LUNCHTIME WALKING GROUP

Monday, Wednesday, Friday from City Hall

NOON

Contact Betzy Hardin or Allan Hicks for details.

- betzy.hardin@highpointnc.gov or 336.883.3211 - carl.hicks@highpointnc.gov or 336.883.3829

DAILY WELLNESS TEXT

Text ‘DailyWellnessText’ to 833.744.0553 to opt-in

VIRTUAL 5-MIN WORK BREAKS & 30-MIN WORKOUTS

Access Here: Employee Wellness Channel

HEALTHY RECIPE SHAREPOINT

Access Here: Employee Wellness Channel

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HUMAN RELATIONS Human Relations Helps Homeless & Seniors

On Feb. 23, staff from the Human Relations division and the High Point Police Department joined agencies across Guilford County to complete the national 2022 Point in Time (PIT) Count, an annual program to determine how many individuals are experiencing homelessness in America.

In addition to using PIT Count data to determine eligibility for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program also helps City and County staff monitor local trends of homelessness, identify unmet needs and characteristics of the homeless and assist in the development or redistribution of programs and services.

Working alongside organizers from Partners Ending Homelessness and the Guilford County Continuum of Care, our High Point PIT Count team worked from dinner time until the early hours of the morning to survey our homeless population. As needed, they also passed out backpacks full of supplies and connected respondents with resources.

Two days later, on Feb. 25, the Human Relations team and Toni Jackson from the Community Development Department partnered with the High Point Housing Coalition to host a Senior Lunch & Learn.

This program featured presentations from local realtors on dramatic ways the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the housing industry over the past two years for both renters and homeowners. Presenters Amy Hedgecock and Sofia Crisp highlighted options for seniors seeking housing in addition to sharing information on housing assistance available through the City of High Point and Guilford County.

An extra special “Thank You!” to The Links, Incorporated for providing lunch for this event and to our parks and recreation team at the Roy B. Culler Senior Center for hosting this event! www.highpointnc.gov

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PARKS & RECREATION Parks Welcomes New Commissioner High Point Parks & Recreation is pleased to welcome Dr. Nate Morelli to the Parks & Recreation Commission. Morelli, who grew up in Hershey, Penn., works as a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Global Study Manager for Medtronic.

Prior to joining Medtronic, Morelli was an assistant professor of neuroscience in the Department of Physical Therapy at High Point University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University, DPT from Marshall University and his PhD from the University of Kentucky. He has also published a number of works on traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, sports medicine, neuroimaging and cognitive-motor theory. Morelli lives with his wife, Haley, in High Point and likes golfing, exercising, cooking, dining out and gathering with friends.

“Our parks & recreation department provides integral services to the citizens of High Point that foster community engagement, promote positive health behaviors and increase the quality of life for all,” said Morelli. “I’m glad to serve on the High Point Parks & Recreation Commission to ensure these principles are maintained and grow with each passing year.”

Groundskeeping Adds New Members High Point Parks & Recreation welcomes Justin Griffin and Marcos Roque, two new members of our Groundskeeping staff. Griffin grew up in the High Point area and enjoys sports and spending time with his family. Roque is originally from Canastota, N.Y. and now lives in High Point with his family; he enjoys sports and music. Welcome to the team, Justin and Marcos!

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Laura James Promoted to Park Supervisor High Point Parks & Recreation congratulates Laura James on her promotion to park supervisor at Oak Hollow Park. James has worked with the parks department since July 2015 and was previously the assistant park supervisor at High Point City Lake Park. She is also a proud graduate of East Carolina University with a degree in parks and recreation and is excited to serve our community in this new role.

Congratulations, Laura!

ASPIRE Hosts Inaugural Expo High Point Parks & Recreation ASPIRE (Adaptive Sports, Programs & Inclusive Recreation) held its first-ever ASPIRE Expo on Saturday, March 19. This event introduced the community to featured programming, adaptive equipment, program feedback stations and various games and activities. For more information about ASPIRE programs, activities and events, please visit the High Point Parks & Recreation webpage or call 336.883.3477.

Basketball League Featured at Swarm Game This year, as part of the Big Three Challenger Basketball League's partnership with the Greensboro Swarm, Big Three Challenger athletes were featured as the half-time performance at the Swarm game on Friday, March 18, and given a Swarm t-shirt and basketball. The Big Three Challenger League is a partnership between High Point Parks & Recreation, Greensboro Parks and Recreation and the Town of Kernersville Parks & Recreation, serving people with physical and intellectual disabilities through our ASPIRE programming. Play will return in January 2023. For more information about our Challenger programs, please visit the High Point Parks & Recreation webpage or call ASPIRE staff at 336.883.3483.

INSIDE HIGH POINT Brought to you by: City of High Point Communications and Public Engagement Department High Point, N.C. 27260 336.883.3288 Noelle.Miller@HighPointNC.gov