Northwest Ward Newsletter
HELPFUL
LINKS












WEEKLY 
CALENDAR 

1/11/16 (4:30pm)
Finance Committee
Committee Room


1/11/16 (6:00pm)
Public Safety Committee
 Committee Room


1/12/16 (4:30pm)
CD/H/GG Committee 
Committee Room


1/12/16 (6:00pm)
Public Works Committee
Committee Room


1/14/16 (6:00pm-7:30pm)
Meadowlark Area Meeting (West Ward)
Meadowlark Middle School


1/15/16 (9:00am)
Fire Department Recruit Class XXIII Graduation
Union Baptist Church 1200 N. Trade St.


1/18/16
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
City Offices Closed


1/19/16 (7:00pm)
City Council
Council Chamber


January 9th, 2016 
Greetings,

Welcome to the third Northwest Ward Newsletter. From the feedback I have gotten I know that folks appreciate the links to L eaf C ollection, C rime S tats and Neighborhood Watch Info. I have also heard from people who want information about city-wide issues (economic development being one in particular), and I want to make sure that I include items that are of concern to you. Please let me know at  jeffm@cityofws.org  if you have suggestions for future articles. 
 
I will be posting late-breaking items, such as meetings, road closures, etc. on my  Facebook Page. If you would like to be notified please "like" the page.


Jeff MacIntosh 

Winston-Salem: What You Need to Know

Neighborhood Spotlight        
f irst got involved in civics as an adult when, as 27-year-old newlyweds, Susan  and  I bought a house in Holly Avenue and helped found the Holly Avenue Neighborhood  A ssociation. I learned about zoning, inspections, traffic engineering, what an alley is and isn't, the non-emergency police phone number (773-7700), who my alderman was (Martha Wood), who the mayor was (Mayor Corpening) and who to contact to get answers  on  issues I felt affected our neighborhood. 
 
I believe that strong neighborhoods form the backbone of any city, and I would stack our ward's neighborhoods up against anyone else's. From downtown to Pfafftown,  there are  many neighborhoods that represent the character of those who live there and whose residents are fiercely proud of them. I include myself in that.

I would like to showcase Northwest ward neighborhoods in forthcoming newsletters and would like  you to  help in doing so. Please let me know if you would like to compose a (short) piece for the newsletter. 200 words would be just about right, brevity being the soul of wit and all that ...
 
I'm looking forward to your stories and photos.


When Will Business 40 Close?

I n 2006 ,  the N.C.  D epartment of  T ransportation decided that it was necessary to remove or replace 11 bridges on Business 40 in downtown Winston - Salem because of safety concerns. They aggressively sought input from the community as to whether to shut the highway down for two years or to partially close it for six years. Overwhelmingly the community supported a two-year total shutdown.
 
So ... when will it shut down and how will I get to where I need to go when it does?
 
Good question. The state is allowing the contractor to call the shots on  when  it will be closed but  not  for  how long . The contract specifies that a maximum of two years will be allowed without penalties to the contractor.

Several things still need to occur before the shutdown can be done. No. 1 is to provide as much alternative routing as possible. There are several significant construction projects that must be finished first: 

  1. The Peters Creek Parkway bridge will be expanded to seven lanes from its current four lanes. It will become a "full" interchange, with on/off ramps from both directions. This will provide traffic from Clemmons and western Forsyth County to enter downtown on this artery.
  2. Research Parkway will be completed, offering traffic from Kernersville/Greensboro to enter downtown from U.S. 52.
  3. U.S. 52/MLK improvements. This is mostly in place now and is the route I use when traveling westbound on Business 40 and am heading toward the Wake Forest area. It is more direct than through downtown.
 
The most likely timeline for closure at this point is sometime in late 2017 or early 2018. The project will be completed within two years of the shutdown or the contractor will face significant penalties.
 
"Big 40" or "Blue 40" to Peters Creek Parkway will carry much of the traffic that used to travel the closed section of "Little 40" or "Green 40".

There are many maps and much more information on the project here
Keeping Neighborhoods Informed

Christmas Tree Recycling 

The city will collect Christmas trees and put them to good use as mulch for its parks and roadsides.
Residents in single-family homes inside the city limits can put their Christmas trees at the curb for pick-up during the regular city brush collection. All lights, decorations, stands and nails must be removed from trees. Please be aware that it may take several weeks to collect all the trees.

People who live in apartments, who live outside the city limits or who want to dispose of their trees quickly can take them to the following recreation centers for recycling through January 31:
· Crawford Park, 4226 Oak Ridge Dr.
· Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center, 501 Reynolds Blvd.
· Hanes Park (tennis court parking lot), 625 West End Blvd.
· Little Creek Recreation Center, 610 Foxcroft Dr.
· Old Town Recreation Center (tennis court parking lot), 4550 Shattalon Dr.
· Parkland Park (tennis courts), 1660 Brewer Rd.
· Polo Park (swimming pool parking lot), 1850 Polo Rd.
· Salem Lake (at the gate), 1001 Salem Lake Rd.
· Sprague Street Recreation Center, 1350 E. Sprague St.
· Winston Lake Park, 3535 Winston Lake Rd.

For more information, call CityLink 311.
Vegetation Management Dec. 30, 2015
Contact: Keith Finch, 748-3162, keithf@cityofws.org

Bailey Power Plant
 
 In 1997, after 71 years of operation, Bailey Power Plant ended its life as one of the main energy suppliers to downtown Winston-Salem. Since then, while its smokestacks still make up part of Winston-Salem's iconic skyline, the cavernous building has sat empty in the middle of the Innovation Quarter -- a constant reminder of both the history of our area and the potential for its future.



 
 
Today, Wexford Science + Technology is in negotiation with the current owners of the building, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, which was generously gifted the building by R.J. Reynolds in 2010, to purchase and develop the power plant. Once developed (and time to reach agreement to do so is of the essence because of the expiration of historic tax credit incentives), Bailey Power Plant is likely to create upwards of around 75 new jobs and provide numerous technology, retail and food services to the community, in addition to the creation of a further business accelerator focused on supporting minorities. The city and the county have agreed to enter into economic assistance agreements with Wexford Science + Technology to enable the building's development. Both the city and the county will receive positive cash flow from the project after redevelopment in the form of new property taxes.



Area Code Overlay

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (Commission) ordered a 743 Area Code Overlay for the area currently assigned to the 336 area code. The new 743 area code will be "overlaid" over the same geographical area as the current 336 area code so that two area codes, 743 and 336, will be assigned to the area, generally covering the Piedmont, including the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Kernersville, Burlington, North Wilkesboro, Roxboro and Asheboro.

New Dialing Pattern 

Residential and business customers assigned to the existing 336 area code should prepare for the introduction of the new 743 area code. Use of an overlay area code requires that customers must dial 10 digits (area code + 7-digit local telephone number) to complete local calls within their area code calling area. To help customers prepare for this change and ensure a smooth transition, beginning October 24, 2015, customers may begin placing local calls by using the new 10-digit local dialing pattern. Customers may continue to use 7-digit local dialing until April 22, 2016, when that option will come to an end. Effective on April 23, 2016, all local calls must be placed using the 10-digit telephone number (336 or 743 plus the 7-digit local telephone number). Beginning May 23, 2016, customers in the 336 area code region requesting new service, adding an additional line, or in some cases moving their service, may be assigned new numbers using either 336 or the new 743 area code.

Facts About the New Area Code 

The most important facts that consumers and businesses need to know about the upcoming 743 area code overlay are: 

  • Your telephone number, including current area code, will not change, but may if you move your service. 
  • You will need to dial the area code + 7-digit local telephone number for all local calls. 
  •  For billing purposes, what is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed. 
  •  You will continue to dial 1+ area code + 7-digit local telephone number for all long distance calls. 
  •  The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay. 
  •  You can still dial just three digits to reach 911. 
  •  If 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 or 811 are currently available in your community, you will still dial these codes with just three digits.
| 336-768-8444|  Jeffm@cityofws.org  | 101 N. Main Street 
Winston-Salem, NC 27101