Let's Race to Read!

The Sanford/Lee County Youth Council invites runners and walkers to join the Race to Read, a 5K fun run/walk slated for May 4.

This is the race's second year. As with last year, proceeds from the race will be used to purchase and donate reading materials to Lee County elementary schools.

When & Where

On race day, runners and walkers will assemble in the rear parking lot of Spring Lane Cinemas (1351 Plaza Blvd) in Sanford. Registration will begin at 8am.

Who Can Participate?

The run/walk is open to the whole family. Awards will be given to the top three overall male and female participant, as well as the top three male and female participants in each age category.

Age categories are: Under 10, 11-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+.

Get Registered

Registration costs $25. If you register by April 16, you're guaranteed a free t-shirt. After April 16, registrants will receive a t-shirt as available. T-shirt may not be available for those who register on the day of the race.

You can pre-register here or mail in your registration (download form here).

Questions?

Get more information about the Youth Council on our website or visit a Youth Council meeting. They are held on the second Monday of each month at 4pm in the West End Conference Room at the Sanford Municipal Center.

For questions or more information about the race, contact Karen Kennedy at 919-777-1113 or karen.kennedy@sanfordnc.net.

Social Spotlight: Flags at Half Staff

Question: I noticed that neither the City of Sanford nor Lee County Government have lowered their flags to half staff in honor of the seven members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force who were killed late Monday during training exercises in Nevada. Why aren't the flags at half staff for these young people?

Answer: The City of Sanford extends the most heartfelt of condolences for the families and friends of those who lost their lives on Monday.

However, there is protocol surrounding when we are allowed to lower the United States and North Carolina flags. They are:

• The United States flag may be lowered upon declaration by the President.
• The North Carolina flag may be lowered upon declaration by the Governor or when a federal declaration is made.
• The City of Sanford flag is lowered upon issuance of either of the above.

The City of Sanford is not allowed to lower flags except in the instances cited above. As of today, no such declarations have been made.

For further questions or concerns about flags, please contact Steve Stewart at 919-777-1203 or steve.stewart@sanfordnc.net.

City Joins Fight Against Cancer, Again

A few of the City of Sanford's 2012 Relay Team

Employees at the City of Sanford are teaming up once again to help raise money and awareness the American Cancer Society by way of Relay for Life of Lee County.

The Main Event

This year's Relay for Life main event will be at the Lions Club Fairgrounds on Friday, May 10 at 6pm. Get more information on Lee County's Relay website.

The City's Relay team is comprised of 18 members, led by team leader Magda Holloway. Donate directly to our team here.

Dine Out To Fight Cancer

If you'd like to support the City employees' efforts, consider participating in the following events:

• Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A
  When: Tuesday, March 26 from 5pm to 8pm
  What: Place an order for dine-in, take-out, or drive-thru. You must tell your cashier that you're there for the City of Sanford. The restaurant will then donate the proceeds of your bill to Relay.

• Spirit Night at Sweet Frog
  When: Monday, April 15 from 5pm to 9pm
  What: A portion of all sales made that night will be donated to Relay.

Questions?

For questions about the City's Relay efforts, contact Mrs. Holloway at 919-777-1207 or send an email to magda.holloway@sanfordnc.net.

We hope you'll team up with the City's enthusiastic employees to find a cure for cancer!

Sanford PD Adds CSI Vehicle To Its Arsenal

Local crimes will be solved even more swiftly and efficiently thanks to the Sanford Police Department’s newest acquisition: a crime scene investigation (CSI) vehicle that acts as a mobile crime lab.

The CSI vehicle allows forensic specialists to collect and process evidence without ever leaving the scene of the crime. All the equipment necessary to evaluate and assess a crime can now be brought directly to the scene.

“This equipment allows the Sanford Police Department to process crime scenes quickly and efficiently,” explains Police Chief Ronnie Yarborough. “The vehicle gives us more ability to preserve the physical evidence that is crucial in making arrests and, ultimately, convictions,” he says.

“The City of Sanford’s top priority is resolving crimes and preventing them from happening again,” says City Manager Hal Hegwer. “Mayor Olive and the Sanford City Council’s investment in this cutting edge technology will help us get offenders behind bars more quickly,” he adds.

New Environmental Affairs Board Approved

If you're interested in maintaining and improving the quality of the environment in the City of Sanford, there's a new board for you.

On March 5, 2013, the Sanford City Council approved the creation an Environmental Affairs Board (EAB; read the official ordinance here). The next step, of course, is to fill the EAB with qualified citizens. If you're interested in serving, read the questions and answers below.

Who Can Serve On The Board?

The board will consist of seven voting members who represent Sanford's broad spectrum of vocations and professions.

Initially, three members will be appointed to serve two year terms and four members will serve three year terms. After the initial appointments, all members will serve for three years. Members may be reappointed at the discretion of the Sanford City Council.

Applicants must be more than 18 years old, live within the City limits, and be a registered voter.

What Will Board Members Do?

The EAB will address topics related to the quality of the City environment. For example, mining, energy, and horizontal drilling; nuclear power impacts; natural gas, coal, and other energy source development; watershed protection; and erosion control are all included.

While serving on the board, the City Council expects members to perform a variety of duties, including educating the public and local officials about environmental issues, facilitating citizen participation, and performing special studies and projects on environmental questions.

See the full list of topics and duties on page 2 of the ordinance.

How Do I Apply To Serve?

Applications for the EAB are available in the City Clerk's office at the Sanford Municipal Center, located at 225 E. Weatherspoon Street in Sanford. You can download an application here.

Contact Bonnie White at 919-777-1111 or bonnie.white@sanfordnc.net for more information or for clarification.

City Says: Let The Bidding Begin!

Need a new truck? How about gardening power tools or miscellaneous computer and office supplies? The City of Sanford has you covered.

Starting this Monday, the City has nearly 30 items available for auction on GovDeals.com, a site that allows government agencies to sell surplus items to the public. Items range from big ticket (a 2002 Volvo L700 Loader with three attachments) to next-to-nothing (a $10 couch).

The auctions for all items except the loader will end on March 14. The loader's auction will close on March 25.

See What We're Selling

You can get item photos and descriptions, as well as place your bid, by going to GovDeals.com and entering "Sanford" in the search box.

Quick link: You can click here to see the City's items.

Get Registered

Anyone can bid on auction hosted at GovDeals. But before you can place a bid, you'll need to register to use the service. You'll have to enter a phone number where the site can call or text you to validate your registration.

After the validation, you'll receive an email from GovDeals' customer service department. Click the link in the email and then enter the username and password you set up during registration.

From start to finish, the registration process lasts no longer than five minutes.

Start Bidding

Once you've registered, run your search for "Sanford." When you click on any of the items, you'll see a bidding form on the left of the description screen. Enter your bid and you're officially part of the auction.

Make sure you read the terms and conditions for all items before you place your bid. Everything you need to know is right on the description screen.

Payment & Pick Up

If you place the winning bid, GovDeals will issue you a buyer's certificate and you'll have five business days to make your payment. For items less than $5,000, you can pay by credit card or Paypal. You may pay by wire transfer for items that cost more than $5,000.

Note that a 5% buyer's premium is added to the final selling price of each item, in addition to any taxes imposed.

Once you make your payment, you can schedule a time to pick up your item(s). You must remove the item from City property within 10 days of the date on your certificate.

Questions?

For more information about our items or to arrange an inspection of what's for sale, contact Randy Paschal at 919-777-1250 or send an email to randy.paschal@sanfordnc.net.

Sanford Wins Second Traveling Fire Bucket

The Sanford Fire Department is now home to yet another Traveling Fire Bucket award for outstanding support of the NC Jaycee Burn Center at UNC in Chapel Hill.

Fundraising Champs

The award is given to the fire department or group that makes the greatest financial contribution or support to the Burn Center for the year, per capita. The Bucket must be returned each year unless the department wins it for three years in a row.

This year, the Lee County Firefighters’ Burned Children Fund, an organization founded by firefighters with the Sanford Fire Department, capped off a multi-year winning streak by taking top place in fundraising for the third consecutive year.

The organization raised $16,750 for the Burn Center through public donations, t-shirt sales, 911 address signs sales, a golf tournament, and county-wide recycling.

Visit The Bucket

This win marks the Fund’s sixth year as a winner and second time bringing home a Traveling Fire Bucket. The organization made a permanent home for its first Traveling Fire Bucket award in 2007.

The first award resides at Central Fire Station and the most recent award will be on display at Fire Station #3 on Cool Springs Road in Sanford.

Awards Keep Coming

Burn Center staff members Ernest Grant, Anita Fields, and Shirley Massey also awarded the Lee County Firefighters’ Burned Children Fund a special plaque for their support of the center in 2012, which included providing Christmas gifts for patients, financial support of families, and more.

Sanford firefighters present to receive the awards were Captain David Nance, Captain Michael Thomas, Kelvin Kelly, Heather Lineberry, and Tracy Watson. These firefighters are also Fire and Life Safety Educators who support local burn survivors, as well as fire prevention and education efforts in Sanford.

The Lee County chapter of the Firefighters' Burned Children Fund was found in 2000 by firefighters with the Sanford Police Department. It is comprised of firefighters from all fire stations in Lee County.

The awards were given out at the annual Fire and Life Safety Conference, held this February in Asheville.

Social Spotlight: Compost

Question: I heard that I can buy compost from the City of Sanford. Is that true? If so, how do I go about it?

Answer: Yes, the City operates its own compost facility behind the Public Works Service Center (601 N. Fifth Street, Sanford) from 8am to 12pm and from 1pm to 5pm.

To buy the compost, you make your purchase at the Service Center (building with the green metal roof) and then drive around to load up your truck.

Pricing & Delivery

We offer wood chips and compost for the public at the following prices:

• Unscreened Compost: $15 per pickup load or $25 per bucket load (3 cubic yards)
• Screened Compost: $25 per pickup load or $45 per bucket load (3 cubic yards)
• Wood Chips: $15 per pickup load or $25 per bucket load (3 cubic yards)

The City also offers the option for delivery. To have compost brought to you, the charge is an additional $40 per load within the city limits and $65 per load outside the city limits. (See bulk pricing here.)

You can purchase the compost using cash, check, Visa, or MasterCard.

Seasonality

Compost materials are available all year, ideally. However, the City occasionally runs out of screened compost in the spring and summer when demand is high.

When that happens, the City must prepare new compost. As part of the process, a contractor comes in to screen the compost. We will update on Facebook and the web when screened compost has run out and when it is available again.

Questions?

To find out what’s available at the compost facility or for other compost-related questions, you can call the Service Center at 919-775-8247.