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Haw River names firefighter of the year
December 30, 2011 6:14 PM
HAW RIVER — Capt. John James “Jamie” Joseph was still in high school when he first began working with the Haw River Fire Department.
Joseph was in the Explorer Scout program at the time, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out that he wanted to make firefighting a career.
“It caught my interest from then, and I stuck with it ever since,” Joseph said.
Joseph, 31, is now one of three full-time firefighters in the department and the recipient of the Haw River Fire Department’s 2011 Charles B. Belcher Firefighter of the Year award. He received the honor, which is named for retired fire Chief Charles B. Belcher, in early December.
“The main thing about that award is that it is given to one person every year, and it is voted on by peers in the fire department,” Joseph said. “That was what was most important to me about it. Staff and other firefighters thought enough of me to give me that award.”
Joseph started his career as a firefighter in Pinehurst in 1998. He then worked six years from 2000 to 2006 at the Chapel Hill Fire Department before joining the Orange County Fire Marshal’s office in 2006. He began volunteering at the Haw River Fire Department in 2003.
In 2008, Joseph became a full-time firefighter for Haw River. He currently serves as a live burn instructor and arson investigator in addition to his daily duties as a firefighter and first responder.
A native of Mebane, Joseph lives in Haw River with his wife, Rachel, and two children, Riley and Mitchell. He enjoys working in a community that is familiar to him.
“I grew up in the department,” he said. “I know people in town. They know me. It means a lot to help someone you know.”
Haw River police chief to retire; new police chief named
2011-12-21 15:22:17
HAW RIVER – After serving the town for 27 years, Chief Tim Felts is retiring from the Haw River Police Department. Captain Neal Dickens has been named the next police chief, and will begin the new position on Jan. 3, 2012.
Felts’ retirement comes after 30 years of combined service, since he began his career at the Mebane Police Department in 1982, then began working as a patrol officer for Haw River in 1984, according to a news release. He was promoted to sergeant in 1988 and to captain in 1997. Felts became chief in 2006.
Dickens will assume responsibility as chief in January, and will lead the department of seven officers. His annual salary will be $53,185, according to Town Manager Jeff Earp.
Dickens has served with the department for 24 years, beginning in 1984 as a reserve officer. In 1987 he became a full-time police officer and is currently serving as the captain of the department. His responsibilities over the years have included specialization in investigation, training, technology and administration.
Dickens has an Advanced Law Enforcement certification and has assumed instructional roles for training programs both within and outside the department, such as basic law enforcement training, online in-service training for Alamance Community College, firearms instructor and D.A.R.E. officer.
He and his wife of 28 years, Joye, are Burlington natives who still live in the city. They have two children and attend The Lamb’s Chapel in Haw River.
Dickens said he’s very excited about his new position, and has a few initiatives planned. “We’ve noticed a substantial increase in crime (in certain areas),” Dickens said, citing violent crimes and property crimes. “We’ll be working on both areas,” he said.
The Haw River Police Department will also be moving toward establishing a community-oriented policing program, like the one in Burlington, Dickens said. Work in that direction will begin in January, he said, and will consist of “more getting out into the neighborhoods, neighborhood watch programs … (and) neighborhood meetings.”
Felts said in the release that he has enjoyed working for the town of Haw River and with its employees for the past 27 years and wishes them well as he begins a new chapter in his life. He was not available Wednesday.
Longtime Haw River incumbent misses re-election by two votes
November 08, 2011 10:03 PM
HAW RIVER — Buddy Boggs will start another decade as mayor of Haw River. Boggs was re-elected Tuesday to a sixth two-year term, according to unofficial vote totals.
Longtime incumbent councilman Richard Honeycutt wasn’t so lucky, falling two votes short against challenger Ashley Warren.
According to the Alamance County Board of Elections, Boggs received 142 votes. Boggs ran unopposed in his re-election bid. There were six write-in votes in the mayoral race. Boggs has been Haw River’s mayor for 10 years in five, two-year terms. Boggs plans to continue to work to manage the town’s growth and identify opportunities for more retail and restaurants downtown.
Haw River Town Council incumbent Lee Lovette, 65, and Warren, 24, were the top two vote getters on Tuesday and are set to fill two town council seats. Lovette, a retired educator from Eastern Alamance High School, received 115 votes in his re-election bid. He was first elected to the council in 2007.
“I am just very happy to be re-elected,” Lovette said. “There were quite a few people who worked to help me get re-elected and I am delighted to serve for another four-year term.”
Lovette said Haw River would continue to work to revitalize the downtown area.
“We are having the same problems that most small towns are facing in this economy,” Lovette said.
Warren received 79 votes which was two votes ahead of incumbent Richard Honeycutt who received 77 votes. Warren is a 2010 Campbell University graduate.
It was Warren’s first time running for office. During her campaign, Warren said she wanted to bring fresh ideas to the council and work to beautify the town, stimulate economic growth and keep taxes low.
Honeycutt, 52, was appointed to the council in 1998 to serve the remainder of former councilman Don Waugh’s term. Honeycutt was elected to the seat in 1999.
Laurie Jarrett, 48, received 41 votes.
Cities and towns in Alamance County get street funding
October 21, 2011 6:21 PM
Burlington is one of 21 cities in North Carolina to receive at least $1 million in Powell Bill funds, a N.C. Department of Transportation program that distributes money to 500 municipalities annually for road work.
This year, the NCDOT doled out $138 million to towns and cities for urban road work, with Charlotte receiving the most at $19 million, followed by Raleigh at $10 million.
According to General Statutes 136-41.1 to 136-41.4, the money allocated to each town or city is based on population and street mileage; 75 percent of the funds is based on a municipality’s population and the other 25 percent is based on the number of local street miles maintained by the town or city.
Chuck Edwards, DOT district engineer for Alamance County, said Burlington has a population of 50,475 people and maintains about 236 miles of local streets. The city was awarded $1.4 million, and Edwards said, “It’s not project-specific. (Funds are) provided to a municipality for eligible activities.” Those activities include, “maintaining, repairing, constructing, reconstructing or widening of local streets,” according to the statutes.
Other Alamance County municipalities that received Powell Bill funds include Elon, Gibsonville, Graham, Green Level, Haw River and Mebane. About $232,000 was allocated to Elon, $175,000 to Gibsonville, and $381,000 to Graham. Green Level is set to receive about $55,000, Haw River expects $60,000 and Mebane was allocated about $308,000.
Half of the allocated money was distributed the first of the month, and the other half will be distributed in coming months.
Press release
Haw River Fire Department responded to a request for assistance to one of the areas most affected by hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene made landfall on the Carolina coast August 27th, 2011 bringing damaging wind and flooding rains. Many communities along the coastal region of North Carolina suffered damage from this large slow moving storm. Within days of the hurricane the State began to mobilize resources from across North Carolina in order to provide relief to the affected coastal regions.
On Saturday, September 3rd, 2011 the Haw River Fire Department responded to a request for assistance to one of the areas most affected by hurricane Irene. Haw River Fire Department sent a full engine company of trained firefighters to Beaufort County, NC to assist with fire protection coverage.
Haw River Fire Department Engine 42 departed for the small community of Pamlico Beach, NC on Saturday afternoon. The truck was staffed by Captain Jamie Joseph, Firefighter Jonathan Hodges, Firefighter Gene Riley and Captain Jesse Gwynn with North Central Alamance Fire Department, who responded along with Haw River.
The primary task for the Haw River unit was to fill in for the firefighters of Pamlico Beach Fire Department and provide fire suppression and medical coverage to their fire district. The firefighters of Pamlico Beach had been overwhelmed by the storm with heavy flooding and storm damage of their district which included their own homes. Haw River Firefighters provided relief so that the local firefighters in Pamlico Beach could take care of the cleanup of their own homes and properties.
The Haw River Fire Department manned the fire station in Pamlico Beach during day shift hours through the Labor Day holiday returning to Haw River on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.
Haw River names firefighter of the year
December 30, 2011 6:14 PM
HAW RIVER — Capt. John James “Jamie” Joseph was still in high school when he first began working with the Haw River Fire Department.
Joseph was in the Explorer Scout program at the time, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out that he wanted to make firefighting a career.
“It caught my interest from then, and I stuck with it ever since,” Joseph said.
Joseph, 31, is now one of three full-time firefighters in the department and the recipient of the Haw River Fire Department’s 2011 Charles B. Belcher Firefighter of the Year award. He received the honor, which is named for retired fire Chief Charles B. Belcher, in early December.
“The main thing about that award is that it is given to one person every year, and it is voted on by peers in the fire department,” Joseph said. “That was what was most important to me about it. Staff and other firefighters thought enough of me to give me that award.”
Joseph started his career as a firefighter in Pinehurst in 1998. He then worked six years from 2000 to 2006 at the Chapel Hill Fire Department before joining the Orange County Fire Marshal’s office in 2006. He began volunteering at the Haw River Fire Department in 2003.
In 2008, Joseph became a full-time firefighter for Haw River. He currently serves as a live burn instructor and arson investigator in addition to his daily duties as a firefighter and first responder.
A native of Mebane, Joseph lives in Haw River with his wife, Rachel, and two children, Riley and Mitchell. He enjoys working in a community that is familiar to him.
“I grew up in the department,” he said. “I know people in town. They know me. It means a lot to help someone you know.”
Haw River police chief to retire; new police chief named
2011-12-21 15:22:17
HAW RIVER – After serving the town for 27 years, Chief Tim Felts is retiring from the Haw River Police Department. Captain Neal Dickens has been named the next police chief, and will begin the new position on Jan. 3, 2012.
Felts’ retirement comes after 30 years of combined service, since he began his career at the Mebane Police Department in 1982, then began working as a patrol officer for Haw River in 1984, according to a news release. He was promoted to sergeant in 1988 and to captain in 1997. Felts became chief in 2006.
Dickens will assume responsibility as chief in January, and will lead the department of seven officers. His annual salary will be $53,185, according to Town Manager Jeff Earp.
Dickens has served with the department for 24 years, beginning in 1984 as a reserve officer. In 1987 he became a full-time police officer and is currently serving as the captain of the department. His responsibilities over the years have included specialization in investigation, training, technology and administration.
Dickens has an Advanced Law Enforcement certification and has assumed instructional roles for training programs both within and outside the department, such as basic law enforcement training, online in-service training for Alamance Community College, firearms instructor and D.A.R.E. officer.
He and his wife of 28 years, Joye, are Burlington natives who still live in the city. They have two children and attend The Lamb’s Chapel in Haw River.
Dickens said he’s very excited about his new position, and has a few initiatives planned. “We’ve noticed a substantial increase in crime (in certain areas),” Dickens said, citing violent crimes and property crimes. “We’ll be working on both areas,” he said.
The Haw River Police Department will also be moving toward establishing a community-oriented policing program, like the one in Burlington, Dickens said. Work in that direction will begin in January, he said, and will consist of “more getting out into the neighborhoods, neighborhood watch programs … (and) neighborhood meetings.”
Felts said in the release that he has enjoyed working for the town of Haw River and with its employees for the past 27 years and wishes them well as he begins a new chapter in his life. He was not available Wednesday.
Longtime Haw River incumbent misses re-election by two votes
November 08, 2011 10:03 PM
HAW RIVER — Buddy Boggs will start another decade as mayor of Haw River. Boggs was re-elected Tuesday to a sixth two-year term, according to unofficial vote totals.
Longtime incumbent councilman Richard Honeycutt wasn’t so lucky, falling two votes short against challenger Ashley Warren.
According to the Alamance County Board of Elections, Boggs received 142 votes. Boggs ran unopposed in his re-election bid. There were six write-in votes in the mayoral race. Boggs has been Haw River’s mayor for 10 years in five, two-year terms. Boggs plans to continue to work to manage the town’s growth and identify opportunities for more retail and restaurants downtown.
Haw River Town Council incumbent Lee Lovette, 65, and Warren, 24, were the top two vote getters on Tuesday and are set to fill two town council seats. Lovette, a retired educator from Eastern Alamance High School, received 115 votes in his re-election bid. He was first elected to the council in 2007.
“I am just very happy to be re-elected,” Lovette said. “There were quite a few people who worked to help me get re-elected and I am delighted to serve for another four-year term.”
Lovette said Haw River would continue to work to revitalize the downtown area.
“We are having the same problems that most small towns are facing in this economy,” Lovette said.
Warren received 79 votes which was two votes ahead of incumbent Richard Honeycutt who received 77 votes. Warren is a 2010 Campbell University graduate.
It was Warren’s first time running for office. During her campaign, Warren said she wanted to bring fresh ideas to the council and work to beautify the town, stimulate economic growth and keep taxes low.
Honeycutt, 52, was appointed to the council in 1998 to serve the remainder of former councilman Don Waugh’s term. Honeycutt was elected to the seat in 1999.
Laurie Jarrett, 48, received 41 votes.
Cities and towns in Alamance County get street funding
October 21, 2011 6:21 PM
Burlington is one of 21 cities in North Carolina to receive at least $1 million in Powell Bill funds, a N.C. Department of Transportation program that distributes money to 500 municipalities annually for road work.
This year, the NCDOT doled out $138 million to towns and cities for urban road work, with Charlotte receiving the most at $19 million, followed by Raleigh at $10 million.
According to General Statutes 136-41.1 to 136-41.4, the money allocated to each town or city is based on population and street mileage; 75 percent of the funds is based on a municipality’s population and the other 25 percent is based on the number of local street miles maintained by the town or city.
Chuck Edwards, DOT district engineer for Alamance County, said Burlington has a population of 50,475 people and maintains about 236 miles of local streets. The city was awarded $1.4 million, and Edwards said, “It’s not project-specific. (Funds are) provided to a municipality for eligible activities.” Those activities include, “maintaining, repairing, constructing, reconstructing or widening of local streets,” according to the statutes.
Other Alamance County municipalities that received Powell Bill funds include Elon, Gibsonville, Graham, Green Level, Haw River and Mebane. About $232,000 was allocated to Elon, $175,000 to Gibsonville, and $381,000 to Graham. Green Level is set to receive about $55,000, Haw River expects $60,000 and Mebane was allocated about $308,000.
Half of the allocated money was distributed the first of the month, and the other half will be distributed in coming months.
Press release
Haw River Fire Department responded to a request for assistance to one of the areas most affected by hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene made landfall on the Carolina coast August 27th, 2011 bringing damaging wind and flooding rains. Many communities along the coastal region of North Carolina suffered damage from this large slow moving storm. Within days of the hurricane the State began to mobilize resources from across North Carolina in order to provide relief to the affected coastal regions.
On Saturday, September 3rd, 2011 the Haw River Fire Department responded to a request for assistance to one of the areas most affected by hurricane Irene. Haw River Fire Department sent a full engine company of trained firefighters to Beaufort County, NC to assist with fire protection coverage.
Haw River Fire Department Engine 42 departed for the small community of Pamlico Beach, NC on Saturday afternoon. The truck was staffed by Captain Jamie Joseph, Firefighter Jonathan Hodges, Firefighter Gene Riley and Captain Jesse Gwynn with North Central Alamance Fire Department, who responded along with Haw River.
The primary task for the Haw River unit was to fill in for the firefighters of Pamlico Beach Fire Department and provide fire suppression and medical coverage to their fire district. The firefighters of Pamlico Beach had been overwhelmed by the storm with heavy flooding and storm damage of their district which included their own homes. Haw River Firefighters provided relief so that the local firefighters in Pamlico Beach could take care of the cleanup of their own homes and properties.
The Haw River Fire Department manned the fire station in Pamlico Beach during day shift hours through the Labor Day holiday returning to Haw River on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.
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Haw River Happenings
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Architect Has Plans for Haw River Mills
Former Workers Offer Cleanup Advice
By Isaac Groves Times-News isaac_groves@link.freedom.com
HAW RIVER — The Tabardrey and Cora mills should have a new owner by the end of the month, and that owner needs the insights of the people who worked in them. Winston-Salem architect Jeff Harbinson got the Haw River Historical Society to get a dozen former workers from the Holt and Cora mills, which they collectively call Tabardrey, and have them talk about where he could find polluted areas on the site so they can clean them up or at least avoid them. They met Wednesday at the Haw River Historical Museum. A group of investors represented by Harbinson plans to close on the Holt and Cora mills at the end of September and, eventually, convert them to high-end apartments, condominiums, office space and stores. It’s what John Jordan did in Saxapahaw, Niemann Capital is getting ready to do in Mebane and Blue Devil Ventures is doing to old tobacco warehouses in Durham.
The mills in Haw River changed hands many times in the 20th century, and those owners changed the purpose and layout of the mills as needed. They probably had records of a lot of those things, but there aren’t many of them left, said Dan March, the environmental engineer looking for all the chemicals these people, now in their 70s, 80s and 90s, worked in back when these mills were still running. “Did it smell like finger nail polish?” March asked a woman about the liquid she used to clean equipment in one of the mills. “Was it strong, did it sting your eyes?”. She said it was in barrels, but she didn’t know what they did with it when they were done with it. March said he is looking for old drains in the mills and where they drained to, monitoring wells, the locations of the old dye houses, chemical stores and places where the mills buried waste. Norma Ray Mullis told March where an old transformer was, which is very important, March said, because power transformers can leak a chemical called PCB that can be very harmful to children. A man who worked in the machine shop told March where they dumped machine oil, right out the back door onto the ground.
While the focus was on the Cora and Holt mills, Harbinson said he intended this project to roll up the Granite mill across Main Street from Cora and most of downtown. Restoring historic properties is an expensive and risky proposition and not something Harbinson and his backers are willing to do alone. He said he does not want the mills to become an island of development. The mills could do a lot to restore the fortunes of Haw River, but the investors want to see the town invest in downtown before they put their money into restoring the Holt and Cora mills. Haw River has put $10,000 into creating a downtown master plan. That means figuring out what Haw River has downtown as far as buildings, landscape, floodplains, utilities, zoning and who owns what. It helps to know what is already there when a town is trying to decide what it wants to see in the future. Master plans are a big deal in city planning circles, and once a town has one, it is easier to get improvement grants and sidewalk grants and money to build public parks.
The town is already making progress. Mayor Buddy Boggs told the group at the museum the town of Haw River landed a $75,000 grant to buy 13 acres for a park on the river. The town will have to put up $25,000 in matching funds. The park is the beginning of the downtown restoration. It could become part of the Haw River trail, which would mean canoes could get on and off the river in Haw River, Glencoe, Graham, Swepsonville and other towns along the river. The trail, when and if finished, would also draw hikers. That trail could also connect to the Mountains to the Sea Trail that could span the state some day. These hikers and boaters would spend money in Haw River at outdoors outfitters, boat rental shops and restaurants, Paul Kron, planning director with the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, told the Haw River council back in December. Some of those hikers and canoers would want to live there as well, creating a market for upscale housing.
Once the home of several of Alamance County’s major textile mills, Haw River lost jobs, its major water customers and taxpayers when those mills closed. The growth in housing that has fueled the economies of other Alamance County towns has largely passed the town of 2,000 by. Now the town is largely cut off from major growth areas and Interstate 85/40 by the expanding limits of other towns.
So it has to grow where it is.
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Publication:BUR;
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Date:
Thursday, September 13, 2007 ;
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Section:Region;
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Page:15
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