Railroad Repairs To Last All Week

The railroad crossings at McIver Street and Charlotte Avenue in downtown Sanford will be closed from Tuesday, September 2 through Tuesday, September 9 for repairs.

The repairs will be managed by CSX Railroad. Follow this established route to detour around the closings:

• From Charlotte Avenue: Turn left onto Hawkins Avenue. Turn right onto Weatherspoon Street. Turn right onto Third Street. You can then turn right onto McIver Street or Charlotte Avenue to reach downtown destinations. 

• From Third Street: Travel north to Weatherspoon Street. Turn left and travel west to Hawkins Avenue. Turn left and travel to Charlotte Avenue to reach downtown destinations.

(click on map to enlarge)

For questions concerning repairs at McIver Street and Chatham Street, contact Magda Holloway at 919-777-1207.

For questions regarding repairs at Charlotte Avenue and Chatham Street, contact the NC Department of Transportation at 919-775-3122.

City of Sanford Launches Its First Citizens' Academy

Residents of Sanford and Lee County are invited to participate in the City of Sanford’s first Citizens’ Academy.

The program will consist of eight interactive sessions that give participants an inside look at the City’s many facilities and processes, including tours of the Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Municipal Golf Course, and both the Sanford Police Department and Sanford Fire Department.

Academy Mission

Participation in the Sanford Citizens’ Academy is free. The program’s goal is to educate residents about how their city government functions. At the end of the program, participants should have a greater understanding of how and why municipal decisions are made. Upon completion, residents should be more engaged in and knowledgeable about the City’s decision making process.

“The key to having a good city is having many ambassadors for your city who understand the process and have seen what it’s like to be on the staff side of the equation and understand what it takes to make a city run,” says Mayor Chet Mann, who spearheaded the program in conjunction with Councilwoman Rebecca Wyhof. “Those ambassadors can then help others understand why we do the things we do,” he says.

How To Participate

The Citizens’ Academy will be limited to 10 participants. Sessions will run on Tuesdays from September 9, 2014 through October 27, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. One night session will be required at the end of the program.

For more information about the Sanford Citizens’ Academy or to apply, visit our website or contact Kelly Quiñones Miller at 919-777-1133.

CUOC Reaps Rewards of Sanford's Largest NNO Yet

The City of Sanford’s 21st National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 5 happened to be its biggest yet – both in number of sites and the number of people helped.

Several brand new sites helped swell Sanford’s total number of NNO locations to 37, the largest number of participants in Sanford’s history with the initiative. Previously, last year’s count of 35 sites held that record.

“That our National Night Out participation level continues to grow shows how committed our residents are to making their neighborhoods safer and more connected,” says Kelly Quiñones Miller, public information officer for the city of Sanford and program manager.

Even better: Sanford’s sites raised a combined 822 pounds of food for the Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County as part of Project 365, an NNO initiative that challenges participants to tackle a community need.

With more than 8, 400 families on file, the CUOC distributes an average 40,000 pounds of food to the Sanford and Lee County community each month – and that number continues to grow, says Teresa Dew Kelly, executive director of the CUOC. Food stability is crucial to a safe community, making food donations the perfect year-long challenge for NNO.

However, residents weren’t the only ones who got in the NNO and Project 365 spirit. First Apostolic Church raised $1,000 from local businesses. The church presented Kelly with a check during their NNO event at the Chatham Street Parking Lot. “We were excited to have this chance to give back to the community,” says George L. Akers III, student minister for the church and NNO organizer.

The NNO food donations will be used to feed 20 families of four. The monetary donation will be used to buy food at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina at the rate of $0.18 per pound. “The donation should go far,” Kelly says.

For more information on National Night Out or starting a Neighborhood Watch program, contact Miller at 919-777-1133 or kelly.miller@sanfordnc.net. To support the CUOC, contact the center at 919-774-8485 or visit their website.

Sanford Helps Arden Companies Win Manufacturing Innovation Grant

Arden Companies is set to receive a boost of more than $600,000 to help bring manufacturing back to the United States – and it has its Sanford location to thank.

In combination with NC State University’s College of Textiles, Arden Companies is one of seven grantees of the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund. The Fund will award a total of $4 million to the seven winners to “create new processes, ideas, and jobs that will foster America’s growing manufacturing footprint.”

The College of Textiles and Arden will use the grant to develop an innovative digital printing system that will bring Arden’s soft goods production back to the United States while remaining globally competitive. Locally, that translates to more job opportunities for Sanford’s manufacturing base.

A crucial factor for the grant application’s success was Arden’s location. Only cities with mayors who are members of the US Conference of Mayors were eligible for the grant – and Sanford Mayor T. Chet Mann is one of those mayors.

“The City of Sanford believes in the resurgence of manufacturing in our area and nationwide,” Mann says. “We are in full support of this initiative and look forward to seeing its results in our community.”

Walmart’s goal for the grant is to “bring more jobs and more production back into American communities,” says Michelle Gloeckler, the company’s executive president of consumables and U.S. manufacturing.

Other awardees include Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis for implementation of metal 3-D printing, Oregon State University to develop alternative mold fabricating approaches, and Texas Tech University to support research on cotton production and biotechnology.

For more information on the grant, visit Walmart's U.S. Manufacturing website.

Tomorrow is National Night Out!

Neighbors across Sanford are gearing up for an evening of fighting crime by strengthening their friendships.

The nation's 31st and Sanford's 21st National Night Out kicks off tomorrow. Each neighborhood has set its own times for the event, but all 35 sites have planned an evening of entertainment and fellowship.

Find Your NNO Spot

You can see a map of sites here. We have two ways for you to view the full list of locations and coordinators: by start time or by ward. There's also a map you can print to take with you.

Movie Night Rescheduled

The Sandlot was cancelled for August 1 due to rain, but has been rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 8. We hope everyone will come out!

If you have questions or concerns about NNO, contact Kelly Quinones Miller at 919-777-1133.