Guest Columnist Josef
Walker adds a little
humor to hymnals.
THOMASVILLE
Thursday, October 14,2010
www.tvilletimes.com
TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKE
Three-year-old Trent Tow plays on the playground equipment at Doak Park Wednesday. The park is one of many
in Thomasville that will benefit from donations to Partnership for Parks.
Economy impacts park upgrades
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Public parks are a vital part of
any community People use them
as a source of fun and relaxation,
whether It’s lettmg their children
play or simply enjoying lunch
outside one pretty day.
Thomasville has nearly a dozen
such parks across the city, and re-
sponslbDlty for maintaining them
falls on Parks and Recreation to
make sure they are safe for public
use. Like any other city depart
ment, Parks and Recreation relies
solely on funds generated by tax
revenue dollars to provide basic
Upkeep and purchase new equip
ment. While most people would
love to see their neighborhood
park sporting the latest play
ground equipment, tough finan
cial tunes leads to difficult deci
sions when It comes to spending
taxpayer dollars.
“The city can’t do more than
what they can do,” BiUy Free
man, ThomasvUle’s Park and Rec
reation director, said. “Right now,
there are some things that are
'Right now, there are
some things that are
higher priority than
playground equip
ment..'
— Billy Freeman
Parks and Recreation Director
higher priority than playground
equipment. The city Is taking in
less tax revenue, and that’s mon
ey that Is not there, I think a lot
of people don’t understand how
expensive It Is to replace play
ground equipment.”
During a recent town haU meet
ing, several citizens expressed
concerns that the city wasn’t do
ing enough for their parks by not
updating playground equipment,
particularly at King’s Row Park.
Freeman points out that King’s
Row Park actually was the latest
■ park to see any funding, as the
city recently added a new $29,000
piece of equipment there, despite
the fact It Is only used by a few
citizens compared to others that
serve a larger portion of the com
munity.
“People get frustrated when
they see a little bit show up,” said
Freeman. “Obviously, they want
more and we want to give It to
them. We have an adequate bud
get for maintenance but to add
equipment, those are capital proj-
See PARK, Page 10
INDEX
Weather
Focus
Business
Opinion
Obituaries
Sports
Classifieds
2
3
4
5
6
7
12
Dockham to reconsider
benefit of economic incentives
Showers likely, 67/47
BY ERINWILTGEN
Staff Writer
LEXINGTON—Though running un
attested for the North Carolina House
District 80 seat, incumbent Republi
can Jerry Dockham joined in spirited
debate at a candidate
forum held at Davidson
County Community Col
lege Tuesday
“It’s been an honor for
me to represent you m
the North Carolina Gen
eral Assembly for the
last 20 years, ” said Dock
ham, who wfil begin his
11th term after the 2010
election. “We’re at a crossroads m the
state, we’re at a crossroads In our na
tion. We’ve got to decide If we want
more government intervention or if
we want to go the other way and have
less government, fewer regulations,
Dockham
more personal responsibility That is
what I favor.”
The forum — sponsored by Commu
nities m Schools of Lexmgton/Davld-
son Coimty Smart Start of Davidson
County and the Lexington and Thom
asville area chambers of commerce —
provided a stage for Dockham and the
two candidates for N.C. House District
81, Hugh Holliman and Rayne Brown,
to discuss issues facing the county as
weU as the state.
Senator Stan Bingham, a Republican
running unattested for North Carolina
Senate District 33, was invited but was
unable to attend.
After an opening statement, each
candidate addressed a series of 10
questions, which, m a reflection of the
See DOCKHAM, Page 10
DCCC slams
Rockingham
Community College
in straight sets.
120th Year-No. 6 50 Cents
THOMAbyiUE, NIC 27380
Save-A-Lot to
bring 40 jobs
to Lexington
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
LEXINGTON — One
of the country’s leading
discount grocery chains
is building a distribution
center in Lexington that
wUl bring more than 40
jobs to Davidson County.
During a press con
ference at Davidson
Coimty Community Col
lege Wednesday after
noon, Save-A-Lot, Ltd,,
announced its plans to
construct a new 325,000-
square-foot distribution
center at Lexington Busi
ness Park that wfil create
43 jobs and Invest more
than $24 minion into the
area over the next three
years.
“Putting deals together
like this is not easy,” Rick
Myer, Save-A-Lot’s vice
president of development
and construction, said.
“This was done m a high
ly professional and re
spectful way. This really
is a culmination of a long
run. We looked at this
a few years ago and the
timing didn’t work out
for us, and here we are,
finally [The center] Ini
tially win employ 40 folks
and wfil employ probably
two or three times that
eventuaUy because we
know this faculty wUl be
successful. It’s aU part of
a grand plan.”
Save-A-Lot, a St. Louis-
See JOBS, Page 10
DCCC
TIMES PHOTO/ELIOT DUKI
Rick Myers, president and CEO of Save-A-Lot food stores
speaks to the crowd at DCCC Wednesday.
Early voting for Nov. 2
election begins today
BY ERINWILTGEN
Staff Writer
The 2010 General Elec
tion Is in fvUl swing.
Early voting for the Nov.
2 election begins today
at the Davidson County
Board of Elections office,
912 Greensboro St., in
Lexington. The' office is
open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays and wiU hold
special hours from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. on the last day
of early voting, Saturday,
Oct. 30.
Two satellite locations
- ThomasvUle Public Li
brary, 14 Randolph St.,
and Midway Fire Depart
ment, 228 Midway School
Road - wUl open for early
voting on Monday Those
locations wiU be open
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
weekdays and from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. on Oct. 30.
“HopefiUly we’U have a
good turnout,” said Ruth
Huneycutt of the Board
of Elections.
As of Oct. 1, 108,822
people had registered to
vote m Davidson County,
up from the 101,093 peo
ple who had registered by
early voting for the 2010
primaries.
Both parties are work
ing dUigently to get their
constituents out to the
poUs, holding meetings,
putting on raUles and
encouraging early voting
through word of mouth.
“Votes that are voted
during the early voting
period, they’re like votes
in the bank,” said Lance
Barrett, chairman of the
Davidson County Repub
lican Party. ‘Wou don’t
know what’s going to hap
pen on Election Day. You
could be sick, there could
be a terrible weather sys-
See ELECTION, Page 1C
Advanced technolosy
(and babies) delivered daily.
ThomasviUel MEDICAL center
. 207 Old Lexington Rd • Thommvilk, NC
, www.thomasvilUTnedicalcenter.org • (336) 476-2725
Thomasville, North Carolina • Your Town. Your Times.