Welcome to our weekly e-newsletter - What's Up in Wake Forest . Here you'll find information about Town programs, services, activities, projects, special events and more! If you haven't already, tell your friends and neighbors to visit our E-Notifier page to learn about our full array of free email offerings.

The Town of Wake Forest will follow North Carolina’s modified Stay-at-Home Order as outlined by Governor Roy Cooper’s  Executive Order No. 138  beginning at 5 p.m. today (Friday, May 8).

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other Town facilities will remain closed to the public throughout Phase One. Timelines for reopening Town facilities will be announced as we move closer to Phase Two.

The Town will  resume yard waste collection  Monday, May 11. Crews will follow the normal schedule beginning with Monday’s route. Residents must bag for collection all leaves, pine needles and grass clippings or place them inside a garbage receptacle marked ‘YW’ (yard waste). As always, please avoid placing items on or near mailboxes, utility boxes, utility poles or other fixed objects.

Bulk waste collection remains suspended until further notice.

Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources offices and buildings, including Joyner Park Community Center, will remain closed to the public during Phase One. All greenways and parks remain open.

Beginning Saturday, May 9, at 8 a.m., all tennis and pickleball courts will re-open.

Park bathrooms will also re-open, but other park amenities, including playgrounds, water fountains and picnic shelters remain closed.

All PRCR Department in-person programming has been canceled through the end of May. Staff is evaluating the viability of summer programs and camps, along with the possibility of opening the Holding Park Aquatic Center and Taylor Street Sprayground. In Phase Two of Gov. Cooper’s plan, the Town may reopen recreational activities, including the Joyner Park Community Center. Stay tuned for more information. 

With almost all in-person, traditional Class of 2020 graduation ceremonies canceled due to COVID-19, the Town of Wake Forest is offering local families a unique way of honoring their high school and college graduates. During the week of May 11, families are invited to participate in  Senior Shout-Out Week  by submitting photos of their Class of 2020 senior(s) through the  online form  on our website.

Families are also encouraged to share brief inspirational messages and notes of encouragement.

Throughout the week, we will post on the Town of Wake Forest Facebook page the pictures and messages we’ve received and upload them to our online photo gallery. We also invite you to post your pictures on social media and use the hashtag #StayStrongWF and #WF2020Grad.
Check out our new
"Wonderful Wake Forest" video
Public Hearing on 2020-21 budget set for May 19

Town Manager Kip Padgett presented the  Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget  to the Board of Commissioners for consideration on Tuesday, May 5. Designed to reflect the goals and strategies outlined in the Town’s  strategic plan , the budget will serve as the financial and spending plan for the period and, once adopted, authorize resources and establish a direction for Wake Forest programs and services for the coming year.

The proposed budget includes a property tax rate decrease from $0.52 to $0.495 ($0.495 per $100 of assessed property valuation), $0.14 downtown municipal service district tax ($0.14 per $100 assessed property valuation) and no change in electric rates.

The property rate decrease would result from the elimination of the solid waste service fee from property owners’ annual property tax bill.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about six out of 10 people living with dementia will wander away from their homes. As the development of the disease continues, it can become increasingly difficult and potentially impossible for the person to find their way home. Many children with autism may also wander. That’s why the Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is introducing a new program designed to help officers find and safely return home people with disabilities as quickly as possible when they wander away from their families or caregivers.

The  Take Me Home initiative is designed to protect Wake Forest children, adults and the elderly with disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome or Alzheimer’s and other dementia disorders, who go missing and may be unable to communicate who they are and where they live.

The program is a free, voluntary and confidential database offered, managed and maintained by Wake Forest police for Wake Forest residents. It is only accessible to law enforcement via the WFPD.

During the week of May 11, Fred Smith Company, a contractor working on behalf of the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT), will close the portion of North Wingate Street from Durham Road/South Avenue to Stadium Drive/North Avenue daily through Saturday, May 16. The temporary closure is necessary to remove the existing deteriorated concrete roadway and repave with asphalt. Access to residences along North Wingate Street will be maintained at all times. 

Signed detours will be in place throughout the duration of the closure. Delays are expected, so drivers are encouraged to avoid the area and use an alternate route.

For more information, contact Transportation Engineer Jonathan Jacobs .  
Our lead is slipping in the
Mayors' Census Challenge!

In our head-to-head match-up with Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest has maintained a healthy lead in self-reporting percentage for several weeks. In recent days, however, Fuquay-Varina has surged into a virtual tie. Although we still lead 69.1 percent to 68.9 percent, our friends in southern Wake County have clearly seized the momentum. If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to complete the 2020 US Census online and help ensure Mayor Jones and Wake Forest emerge victorious! We're "counting" on you!

The Town of Wake Forest will join more than 30,000 cities and towns across the U.S. and Canada in celebrating Public Works Week May 17-23. But as our way of honoring the contributions our Public Works Department makes to our community every day, we are inviting Wake Forest residents to help us celebrate throughout May .

As part of our month-long celebration, Wake Forest families are invited to share photos, drawings, and letters that illustrate or express their appreciation for our Public Works Department. Submissions may include photos of kids dressed as their favorite public works employee, drawings that illustrate the value of public works and its contribution to our quality of life, and letters of gratitude. Any creative way of showing appreciation for the efforts of our Public Works personnel will be accepted. You can easily share your submissions through our online form .  

Fred Smith Co., a private contractor working on behalf of the Town of Wake Forest, has begun preliminary work on the Ligon Mill Road Operational Improvements Project (LMROIP) . 

Initial efforts will include the installation of project signage and silt and tree protection fencing, along with equipment mobilization. This work will have little to no impact on pedestrians or traffic.

The LMROIP consists of widening the existing narrow corridor from two lanes to a four-lane median-divided roadway with left-turn lanes, bike lanes, curb and gutter and extra-wide sidewalks. In addition, crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and dedicated left, through and right-turn lanes will be installed at the existing intersection with South Main Street/US 1A.

These improvements are designed to significantly improve the mobility and safety of this corridor. Decorative stone retaining walls will also be installed to enhance the visual appearance of the area.

For complete information, including project updates, visit our website . 

The Town of Wake Forest is currently accepting applications from area high school students interested in serving on the Youth in Government Advisory Board (YGAB) for the 2020-21 school year. Applications and recommendation forms are available on the Town’s website . Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. Monday, May 11.

Only high school students (grades 9-12) are eligible to serve on the YGAB, including rising ninth graders. Members serve four‐year terms or until graduation, whichever comes first.

The YGAB is comprised of eight to 20 members. No more than four can live outside the corporate town limits. For the upcoming school year, the board will have an opening for at least five members.

The NC Department of Transportation wants to hear from you about North Carolina’s trails and how to make them better. The NCDOT is encouraging residents and leaders to participate in a brief  survey  on our state’s multi-modal transportation. The input will be used to identify a network of shared-use paths and trails that connects​​​ every county in North Carolina.

The public can give feedback in two ways by taking an  interactive map survey  or a  10-question survey . Participants are encouraged to take both surveys beginning now through September 30.

Available here , these surveys are a part of NCDOT’s effort to develop its statewide trail plan and 5-year implementation strategy, called the  Great Trails State Plan .

The Great Trails State Plan is focusing on shared-use paths that can serve transportation purposes, providing connections between where people live, work and play. 

After weeks of exploring possible alternatives following the closure of its normal yard waste disposal site, the Town of Wake Forest has located a private facility willing to accept the Town’s yard waste. As a result, Wake Forest will resume yard waste collection service Monday, May 11, at 7 a.m. Crews will follow the normal collection schedule beginning with Monday’s route.

In late March the Town was forced to suspend yard waste collection in response to the closure of the Raleigh Yard Waste Center (RYWC) due to COVID-19. Although the RYWC reopened to Raleigh residents in mid-April, the facility remains closed to outside residents and municipalities. The location of a private facility willing to accept the Town’s yard waste makes it possible for Wake Forest to resume normal yard waste collection service.

Beginning May 11, residents must bag for collection all leaves, pine needles and grass clippings or place them inside a garbage receptacle marked ‘YW’ (yard waste). As always, please avoid placing items on or near mailboxes, utility boxes, utility poles or other fixed objects.
Please...don't...litter!

The Town of Wake Forest often receives reports about trash of all kinds along our roads. It's a shame we're forced to constantly reinforce this message - but please don’t litter! We need everyone to help keep Wake Forest and North Carolina beautiful and safe, and it starts with each of us doing our part.

Thank you for doing your part to keep Wake Forest safe, and for proving every day that the caring community we know and love is still here and as strong as ever.  #StayStrongWF

The Town of Wake Forest remains under a State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . Town Hall and all other staffed facilities are closed to the public as are playgrounds and picnic shelters. Parks and greenways remain open, park restrooms re-open May 9, along with tennis and pickleball courts - but water fountains are still turned off.

Wake Forest is taking a series of precautionary steps to limit the community spread of COVID-19, while doing our best to maintain Town operations. For a complete listing of COVID-19-related alerts, cancellations and closures, visit our website .

Wake County has launched a new dashboard that provides important and current data about how COVID-19 is affecting our community. The dashboard is available at https://covid19.wakegov.com/ .

The dashboard is updated three times per day – at around 8:15 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. It includes the:

• Total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases;
• Average age of those with the virus; and
• A gender breakdown (when provided on testing forms).

Also, if you have COVID-19-related questions, please note the following:

Specific questions about your risk
email  covid19.questions@wakegov.com  or call 919-856-7044.
Someone from Wake County's public health team will return your message within the next business day.

General feedback

Health-related questions
email  covid19.questions@wakegov.com  or call 919-856-7044

Business-related questions
call 919-856-7420

All  Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources' playgrounds and athletics fields are closed until further notice, along with all PRCR-maintained picnic shelters and basketball courts. Pickleball and tennis courts re-open Saturday, May 9, at 8 a.m.
 
All Town parks and greenways remain open to the public, but water fountains are turned off.
 
Parks and greenways users are urged to remember the following:
  • Refrain from using parks or trails if you are exhibiting symptoms.
  • While on trails, warn other users of your presence as you pass, and step aside to let others pass.
  • Always observe CDC’s minimum recommended social distancing of 6 feet from other individuals. If this is not possible, find an alternate location or depart that space.

Police officials are reminding Wake Forest motorists to park in the direction of traffic flow or risk a $25 fine. Wording in Sec. 30-251 of the Town's Code of Ordinances addresses "Parking in direction of traffic flow."

"Parking shall be established in the direction of traffic flow on all streets within corporate limits of the Town of Wake Forest with passenger side (right) tires to the curb on two-way streets."

In summary, on a two-way road, you must park with the right-hand wheels next to the right-side curb. Otherwise, you are parked illegally.  More>>
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If you have questions or comments about the Town of Wake Forest website or E-News, please contact Bill Crabtree by email or call 919-435-9421.