YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
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aUG. 27 - SePt. 2, 2025 Vol 47 No 35 | 1 Section | 8 Pages
Petitioners state their appeal By CaROL BROOKs FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com At each Jamestown Town Council meeting the public is given two chances to comment on whatever they wish. Comments at the Aug. 19 Town Council meeting were a little different than previous meetings. Two men spoke about the petition they had instigated to remove Matthew Johnson as town manager. “I represent 141 Jamestown registered voters in presenting a petition to the Council requesting the removal of Matt Johnson as town manager,” said Art Wise. “The signatures were collected over a period of six weeks at vari-
ous locations without going doorto-door. 137 signatures are from Jamestown residents and four are from members of the ETJ [extraterritorial jurisdiction. “The petition is not intended as a document to be taken to court but is simply a very clear message to the Council that a large number of voters in our town have reached a breaking point with rising taxes, excessive wages, excessive hiring and failure to do the duties of the manager in a competent and professional manner. “In addition to the petition, I am submitting a partial list of items that were done by the manager either poorly, not on time or not done at all,” he continued. “This is unacceptable.
“As we spoke with people who came to sign the petition, it was amazing how many times we heard the same message. The words were different every time, but people are really tired, especially of the rising taxes. “At this time, I ask that this item be placed on the agenda for the September [Town Council] meeting,” Wise concluded. Wise’s co-petitioner, Mickey Wright, added additional information. “Quite a few people agreed with us but also quite a few feared retaliation from the Town, which I think is very interesting,” Wright said. “Also, some people refused to sign because they were advised by some members of this Council
not to sign, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. “Almost all the people we talked to complained constantly about the attitude of the personnel in the town office and they all have suggested that those people be schooled on how to work with people. “Many people complained about the water department, about no warning cutoffs, about lost checks by the town and being cut off, about dropbox problems – of things disappearing out of there – and the nasty attitude of the water department staff when they tried to solve those problems. “Many people have complained about problems, as you all know, I’m sure, about waste pickup –
trash left in the streets when they don’t dump it properly and they don’t get out of the truck to take care of it.” “Regardless of the outcome of this petition, I’m requesting that you please put a copy of it in the town manager’s personnel file for future reference,” Wright concluded.
10 Facts Charles Hinsley was the final speaker. He offered 10 facts regarding town staffing. This generally was in regard to conflicting statements made by Town staff. “At the June 24 meeting, Mayor Montgomery said there are not 10 see aPPeaL, PAGE 3
Council passes fence amendment ANIMAL SHELTER AGAIN OPEN TO CATS The Guilford County Animal Shelter is again accepting healthy cats. No rabies was found in the feral cats that had been quarantined at the shelter. These cats, some of which were found in the Jamestown area, were tested to make certain they were not infected. The Guilford County Animal Resource Center is located at 980 Guilford College Road in Greensboro just a few miles from Jamestown. It is open daily from noon to 4 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays. The phone number is 336-641-3400. COUNCIL CANDIDATE INFORMATION IN SEPT. 3 ISSUE The Sept. 3 issue of the Jamestown News will contain information from several of the candidates for Town Council. The remainder will appear in the Sept. 10 issue. The paper sent a list of questions to each candidate requesting background information and questions pertinent to Jamestown. Since there are more than two candidates for each open Council seat, a primary election will be held in October for the top four vote-getters in the primary election to advance to the general election in November. Responses from the mayoral candidates will appear in the Sept. 17 issue. CHOICE BOOK SALE AT JPL A Choice Book Sale will be held at the Jamestown Public Library on Sept. 6 and 13 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Select books published between 2022 and 2024 will be priced at $6 each. These hardback books are a great value for your fall reading and to add to your personal library. Also available will be DVDs, audiobooks and cocktail table books — including a large selection of art books. CDs are being phased out and are selling at five for $1 with the next five free. While at the library, take the opportunity to check out the Corner Book Shop in the basement. With fall fast approaching and winter on its heels, consider the purchase of several jigsaw puzzles ranging from 300-3,000 pieces. Cash or checks will be accepted. LIBRARY ARCHIVES OPEN The archives on the top floor of the Jamestown Public Library is now open each Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Have an event that you think needs to be included in About Town? Email Norma B. Dennis at ndworddesign@gmail.com or Carol Brooks at cab1hp@gmail.com
There was no discussion after Planning Director José Colón proposed an amendment to the Jamestown Land Development Ordinance (LDO) 24.6-1, Section 2.13-2 — Fences and Walls. The change relates to fences in agricultural zoning districts. The current fence standards include exceptions for fences in commer- (above) Members of the Guilford County cial zoning districts but not agricultural sheriff’s Office receive a proclamation. (AG). The requirement adds to the materials allowed for fences within properties in the AG district. It does not include the Scenic Corridor Overlay District, which is currently Main Street and Guilford College Road. It also created a specific height standard for clarity. The amendment is only for new fences. There were no public comments and no discussion by Council before the unanimous vote. The Planning Board had previously unanimously approved the vote. Paul Olson, senior minister of First Baptist Church, High Point, receives Financial Advisory Services Photos by Carol Brooks a proclamation from Mayor Lynn For the past few months, Finance Direc- shanna Moore receives recognition Montgomery recognizing the church’s from Councilmember Pam Burgess for 200th anniversary after being foundsee COUnCIL, PAGE 3 her work in historic preservation. ed in Jamestown in 1825.
Church formed in Jamestown CityServe of the Triad celebrates 200 years finds new home By CaROL BROOKs FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com
By nORMa B. dennIs FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com
Before there was High Point … Before there was Greensboro … … there was the settlement of Jamestown, and just nine years after the town was founded in 1816, Jamestown Baptist Church was formed. Worshippers had been meeting in Jamestown for several years under the name “An Arm of Abbott’s Creek Baptist Church” because local residents tired of the 20-mile round trip to the Davidson County church. About 25 members decided to have their own official church and received approval from Abbott’s Creek to start a new church at the bend of Federal Street, now West Main Street. The site is in the north side of the Johnson/Reece/Bevan House in the Magnolia on Main townhomes site. This was in 1825 and Sept. 3, 2025, marks the 200th anniversary of the church, now First Baptist Church in High Point. To recognize that
the minister, were forced out because they did not want to be a church that supported missions. The remaining five members became the true Jamestown Baptist Church. All went well in the new church but, seeing an opportunity for growth, in 1859 the congregation moved to the fledgling community of High Point at the new North Carolina Railroad’s crossroads with
Food insecurity in the Triad is real. Statistics show it is the second hungriest region in the United States. For years Renaissance Church helped those facing food shortages with boxes of food provided weekly. When the church moved to a former factory building on Harvey Road, Jamestown, there was more room to store and disperse items to those in need. In April 2021, the church connected with CityServe International to better serve the area’s underprivileged. CityServe, which began in California, is a collaborative network of churches and community leaders that empowers local churches to help transform lives by resourcing them with tangible goods. CityServe has been designated a “Community of Faith and Opportunity” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The late Paula Bost, at the time associate pastor at Renaissance Church, and her husband Dennis had traveled to California to learn more about the CityServe initiative and signed up to participate with the group. “We are a hub for CityServe,” explained Dawn Sanders, current executive director for CityServe of the Triad. “There are about 25 PODs under us who pay an
see CHURCH, PAGE 3
see CITyseRVe, PAGE 3
Photo by Carol Brooks
First Baptist Church, at 405 n. Main st. in High Point, was founded in Jamestown in 1825. event, Jamestown Mayor Lynn Montgomery read a proclamation at the Aug. 19, 2025, Town Council meeting recognizing the church’s founding in Jamestown. First Baptist High Point minister Paul Olson accepted the proclamation. The proclamation can be found in the Town Council packet at www. jamestown-nc.gov. The new church grew but not without controversy. In 1832 the majority of the membership, including
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