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Observations
September 19, 2019 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
An effective way to put industrial
development in clear perspective
The Johnston County Office of Economic Development hosted its second annual "fly-in" last week for national location advisors, industrial property brokers, and other economic development officials from both the public and private sectors.
Joining Chris Johnson's office in sponsoring the event were Duke Energy, ElectriCities, the North Carolina Railroad Company, and the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.
Participants took a helicopter tour of our present and potential industrial sites, including the massive Novo Nordisk plant (pictured above) that's undergoing an expansion of amazing proportions. That industrial complex is just east of Clayton yet only 10 miles from Downtown Smithfield. You get the picture of its regional impact.
Among the site-selection consultants taking the tour was James Blair, managing director at Navigator Consulting LLC, an international operation. He called the aerial tour of Johnston County "spectacular," enabling him "to get to know this growing and successful region better," notes a report from Mr. Johnson.
From the air, these movers and shakers were able to appreciate our industrial assets, including access to major railroads and Interstate highways, not to mention our proximity to Raleigh, which you can easily see from a plane or a helicopter flying above our towns.
County Commissioners' Chairman Ted Godwin joined the "tourists" for the fly-in. "You can certainly see all the roof tops, but you can also see we have plenty of green space," giving us "ample room to grow," he observed.
Getting those industrial jobs closer to home would be great news for folks having to commute by car to employment opportunities to the west of us. I'm a believer in the value of commuter rail as a means of relief from the madness, but I'd rather see many more folks around here living just a few minutes from where they work.
Another old building made better than
ever
Kudos
to the Town of Selma and its citizens for taking a
neglected old landmark and turning it into a useful
facility once again.At right is the "new" Selma Civic Center, a makeover of a WPA building used as a gymnasium and American Legion hall following its completion in the late 1930s and more recently as a shop and warehouse for a plumbing business.
The rejuvenated structure is now available for reunions, weddings, meetings, and all sorts of events yet to be imagined.
The Town of Selma purchased the building several years ago, and a subsequent fund-raising campaign produced well over $300,000 for a complete renovation, inside and out. Its "Legacy Hall" can accommodate "up to 299 people" and there's a smaller "Oak Room" for gatherings of up to 25. Of course, there's a catering kitchen and fully compliant rest rooms. And the large hall has a spacious stage, "state-of-the-art" sound system, plus a large screen and projector.
The Selma project brings to mind other
"adaptive re-use" places that make our communities proud.
Smithfield's original American Legion Hut is today's home
of the volunteer-staffed Neuse Little Theatre, about to
begin its 46th season. The Town of Smithfield took title
to the "log cabin" some years ago, and the Little Theatre
organization renovated the interior to suit its needs. The
Hut became another historic landmark given the proverbial
"new lease on life."Even better examples of such public projects are the Johnston County Heritage Center in the original home office of First Citizens Bank, the school system's A.G. Glenn Building in the former home of Smithfield High School (converted into an office building that includes a Smithfield High "museum" element), and Selma's train depot that was saved by the town and then restored by the state as a working passenger station once again.
Half a century ago, such endeavors weren't even considered worth doing, leading to destruction of numerous community landmarks that could have been saved for productive purposes. Thank goodness leaders here and afar woke up in time to quit throwing away treasured buildings just because they were "old."
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