YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
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feB. 21-27, 2024 Vol 46 No 8 | 1 Section | 6 Pages
council approves tiger trot/fun run The bulk of the Feb. 13 Jamestown Town Council meeting was taken up with reports from the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. See related stories in this issue. But other business did take place. The Council unanimously approved an application from the Jamestown Elementary PTA to hold the second-annual 5K Tiger Trot and Fun Run fundraiser on April 27. PTA president Zaira Bullins said last year’s race through the streets of Jamestown raised over $10,000. “This year we were able to fund academic programs for all grade levels and assist teachers with classroom preparation,” Bullins said. “We also have some beauti-
fication projects planned.” The race will be two loops through Original Forestdale, beginning and ending at Jamestown Elementary School. A Fun Run for Pre-K to second grade will take place at the playground in front of the school. A second to third grade Fun Run will go north on Potter Drive, turn into the school grounds toward the gymnasium, and return to the starting point. Other activities include games and vendors, bounce houses, facepainting and food trucks. Quarterly golf course report Golf Professional Marcy Newton said the quarterly golf report was “pretty typical” even though nine holes were closed for six weeks while work was done on the dam. “Despite that, the rounds were still up 5 percent compared to 2022,” Newton said. “The driving
range was up 50 percent this quarter. The driving range is still a very popular place.” She added that the new credit card tee time reservation policy instituted in November has gone well. “It has made the golfers more accountable.” Newton ended by acknowledging this is the 50th anniversary of the golf course and special activities are planned.
approved the new rate, which will become effective July 1, 2024. It is good until 2029. Mayor Lynn Montgomery notes that the rate has not increased in many years. The previous agreement began July 1, 2016 to run through June 30, 2021, at which point it was extended for eight years through June 30, 2024.
Resolutions Two resolutions of appreciation were presented. The first to Kerry Miller for his service to the Planning Board and the second to Nancy Avery for her work as interim town clerk. No one signed up to speak during the two public comment sections of the meeting.
Interlocal tax agreement The Town has received an amendment extending the Interlocal Agreement on Tax Collection with Guilford County. The County provides tax collection for the Town of Jamestown. Currently the tax collection rate is 0.62 percent. The amended contract will increase the tax rate collection to 0.76 perManager’s report cent, a 0.13 percent increase. In his manager’s report, Town The Council unanimously Manager Matthew Johnson began
Sheriff’s Office offers annual report
fire department calls decreased in 2023
By CaROL BROOKs FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com
“PSFD responded to 3,798 calls last year [Jan.1-Dec. 31] district wide,” said Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department Chief Derek Carson. This figure is lower than the previous year’s 3,886 responses. Once again, Jamestown was the thirdbusiest station within the five-station department this year, with 731 responses, up from 710 calls the previous year. PSFD has an automatic aid arrangement with the High Point Fire Department, meaning whichever unit is closest will respond to a call. Often, multiple jurisdictions respond to the same event. At the Jamestown station No. 46, 393 calls were medical incidents, 53 were fire-related, 103 were fire alarms, 47 were motor vehicle accidents and 135 were service/good intent/false alarm. Inside the town, Jamestown has an insurance rating of Class 2 and Class 3 in the rural areas, the same as previous years. The lower the rating is, the better. Very few fire departments in the state have the Class 2 rating. Jamestown’s hydrants and water supply contribute to the good rating. Insurance ratings are used to determine insurance premiums for residents and commercial businesses. When PSFD took over fire protection in Jamestown in
By CaROL BROOKs FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com
Photo courtesy of Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department
Pinecroft sedgefield Fire department’s station #46 is located on Guilford Road behind the Jamestown Town Hall at 301 e. Main st. 2003, the ISO rating was 5. The ratings are conducted every five years and the latest was done in 2023. In Jamestown, property value exposed to fire was $39,111,590, compared to $55,000 the previous year. Property value lost from fire was $457,920, meaning property value saved from fire was $38,653,680. Carson is proud of the response time by Station No. 46. Engine turnout time, counted from the time the call comes to the station and the time the engine leaves,
is 1.54 minutes, below the benchmark of 2 minutes. Travel time from station to the site averages 4.01 minutes, only 1/100th of a second above the benchmark of 4 minutes. Combine the two figures and from the time the call comes in to the station to the time engines arrive at the scene is approximately 6 minutes. Fast arrival time is crucial when a severe medical emergency happens. Jamestown is fortunate to have Guilford see CaLLs, PAGe 2
Haynes-Inman named State School of Character By nORMa B. dennIs FreeLANCe WrIter ndworddesign@gmail.com On Jan. 26, Haynes-Inman Education Center in Jamestown was notified by Character.org that it had been named a 2024 State School of Character. Of 228 applications from schools and districts nationwide, 87 schools and one district received recognition. Haynes-Inman was the only school in North Carolina. It is the second time the school has been named a State School of Character having received that distinction in 2017. “Any school may apply and you can reapply after five years,” said Kevin Carr, principal at Haynes-Inman. “Our school has always focused on treating one another with dignity and respect. It is nice to be recognized; we put such emphasis on our climate and culture.” A State School of Character designation is not easy to
by announcing both the new Recreation Maintenance Building and the new bathrooms on the golf course have been approved for occupancy. These were in the Council’s Strategic Plan, goals 5.6 and 5.10. The Town has received the 16th consecutive Tree City USA designation thanks to work by Planning Director Anna Hawryluk. Tree City USA, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, provides communities with a four-step framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. It also gives them an avenue to celebrate their work, showing residents, visitors, and the entire country that they’re committed to the mission of environmental change. The Town Council will hold its second Budget Retreat at 9 a.m. March 19, followed by the March Town Council meeting at 6 p.m. Both meetings are in the Civic Center and the public is invited to attend.
obtain. A review team from Character.org, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to encourage people of all ages to practice good ethical values, uses 11 principles to evaluate applications from schools and districts that are working to create a culture of character. Because Haynes-Inman is a school for children with special needs it falls outside some of the principle guidelines, but continues to emphasize the importance of good character among its students and staff. “I think we have talked about character from the time we opened,” Carr said. “It has always been important to us.”
Photo submitted
Kevin Carr, principal of Haynes-Inman education Center in Jamestown is pleased his school was been named a state school of Character for a second time. Because of the score it obtained, Haynes-Inman is eligible to be considered for National School of Character distinction. National School of Character is the highest honor bestowed upon schools by Character.org.
A review team of national evaluators will conduct virtual site visits with staff, students, parents and members of the community in February and March. National Schools of Character will be announced on May 23.
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Violent crimes in Jamestown in 2023, of which aggravated assault, robbery, rape and homicide are a part, were only up by one crime over the previous year, according to 1 s t Lt. Cox of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. There were two more robberies in 2023, up 50 percent, but rapes were down 50 percent. Cox presented the Sheriff’s Office annual report to the Jamestown Town Council on Feb. 13. Burglaries were up 20.8 percent but property theft was only up 3 percent. Motor vehicle theft, including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks and other vehicles, was up 45.5 percent but theft of property from motor vehicles was down 15 percent. However, theft of vehicle parts or accessories was down nearly 53 percent. The category with the highest increase was shoplifting, which was 500 percent above 2022, 36 in 2023 and 6 in 2022. Overall, crime was up 10.9 percent, with 169 crimes in 2023 compared to 141 in 2022. There were 918 calls in 2023 and 943 in 2022. “The statistics look very similar to last year,” Cox said. “Overall it seems like our highest call volume month was May. I assume that will be weather-related. We had 106 calls in Jamestown that month. “Our lowest months were October and November [each with 66 calls]. That means we didn’t go up in many of our crimes and that’s something we want to see.” The department responds to more than just major crimes. The statistics show there were 158 burglar alarm calls, 10 calls relating to animals, 53 welfare check and family assists, and 73 disorderly family, subject or crowd calls, and several medical responses, among others. There were 25 accident calls but these were turned over to the Highway Patrol. Shoplifting larceny increased. “I think that has something to do with the growth in the area,” Cox said. “It’s something we’re working on. The good news is we have a good clearance rate for apprehending those shoplifters.” The Jamestown Sheriff’s Office covers a wide area, stretching from Forsyth County at Sandy Ridge Road to Pleasant Garden. Within the entire district covered by the Jamestown office, response time is between 10-12 minutes. It is less within Jamestown.
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By CaROL BROOKs FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com