Wingate Lassiter

What's in a name? For a road,

it's essential in finding one's way

A majority of Smithfield's town councilmen in attendance at last Thursday's special session took the path of least resistance in keeping "Booker Dairy Road" as the name for the newly widened boulevard in front of Smithfield-Selma High School, Neuse Charter School, and several businesses there.

After all, it's a hassle to change one's address for mailings and directions.

Still, it's too bad the totally reconstructed roadway and its eastward extension to Bright Leaf Boulevard couldn't have gotten a new name of its own while leaving the historical "Booker Dairy Road" in place for the two-lane portion that heads southward to the spot where the actual Booker Dairy stood many years ago.

The new road truly is a "parkway" and ought to have a name befitting it. If not "Ava Gardner Parkway" (or "Boulevard" as the council favored last month), why not something like "Northside Parkway" or "Community Parkway" (suggested in part by its passing of Smithfield Community Park and two of our "community schools")?

Assigning the new eastern section the name "Booker Dairy Road Extension" doesn't do it justice and, as Town Councilman Travis Scott pointed out, may cause confusion for emergency responders summoned to a "Booker Dairy Road" incident?

So for now, let's assume "Booker Dairy Road Extension" is temporary. There's still time to give it a unique name as there are no business or residential addresses along the newly constructed stretch.

I'll get the ball rolling by nominating "Catch-Me-Eye Connector" since it intersects US 301 just a few hundred yards south of the site of the infamous 1942 explosion.

To be sure, someone out there has a better suggestion than that.

The floor is open for nominations.

Written statements are no longer required
from citizens who address the school board

School board member Terri Sessoms thought my comments on this page last week led folks to believe that citizens wishing to address the board will still have to furnish written statements before making their "public comments" under a revised policy adopted last week.

So here are the new request-to-speak rules in full:

"In order that the Board may fairly and adequately discharge its overall responsibility and input from the citizens of Johnston County, persons or groups desiring to address the Board shall do the following:
 • Sign up in person with the Superintendent's designee at the JCPS Board of Education Evander Simpson Building prior to the beginning of the regular board meeting;
 • Limit comments to 3 minutes or less;
 • Furnish statements, written information or provide the topic at the time of signup;
 • If the individual is speaking on behalf of a group, the group will be identified;
 • Only the individual signing up to address the Board or an individual named representing a group will be allowed to speak....
 • Comments will be limited to matters relating to the school system.
 • For complaints or concerns about the performance of school personnel, student issues or any other confidential manner, the Board suggests that the concern first be submitted to the school principal, the Johnston County Public School system official responsible for the program or facility, or to the superintendent."

Got a comment or a question?