The Town of Norwood would like to express our most sincere appreciation to Mayor Pro-Tem Linda Campbell and  Commissioner Betty O’Neal for their many  hours of unpaid service to the Town of Norwood. Both ladies have been instrumental in providing leadership to the Town of Norwood and have contributed much to the visioning process as Norwood works to position and re-brand it’s identity as a community with Pride and  Forward Progress.  “Working well with with the current board of Commissioners has been the secret ingredient”, says Campbell.  “It takes a lot of effort to make a positive difference and change the direction of a town”. Both have been very active in the community and have helped brand Norwood as a town of the move.

Last week, Mayor Pro Tem Campbell invited local Girl Scout Troop 1540 to Town Hall to go through mock scenarios to see how they would handle the various situations. After explaining the process of government and all the various roles, the young scouts took their places in the council chambers and began to determine whether or not to allow candy to be thrown out at the Christmas Parade and when to turn on the  Christmas lights. They voted to not allow candy to be thrown out at the Christmas Parade and to not wait until the Christmas Parade to turn the lights on. Just turn them on once they are up and plugged in.

Commissioner O’Neal was very involved in Small Business Support and  liaison to the Norwood Business Association. Commissioner O’Neal was very instrumental in helping connect our local businesses with resources and was always eager to offer her assistance. Commissioner O’Neal always reviewed details of the business that came before the council,   researched the issues in depth,  and contributed much to the discussions.  Her insight  provided  a much needed viewpoint on the board and helped create the current forward momentum underway in Norwood.

The Town of Norwood would like to wish both of these leaders the very best as they now have the opportunity to relax just a little more a few Mondays each month.

This weekend, I have received numerous calls as well as others asking why the Town is calling them with a political endorsement. I felt that it was important to set the record straight because of all of the confusion this Robocall continues to cause our citizens. The Town of Norwood, nor the office of the Mayor  has  sent this message to you!

This weekend, you may have received a Robocall from Washington DC that indicates the person is a former Mayor of Norwood. The message does not have the required Paid By  endorsement at the end of the call as required by election law. Because the paid by sender of this Robocall is unknown, and out of an abundance of caution, I want you to know that the Town of Norwood, nor the Mayor Pro Tem placed this call to you.  The Town of Norwood does not engage in partisan politics and we think it was a poor choice to even mention the Town of  Norwood in this campaign Robocall. I would hope that those responsible will issue a retraction or at least follow proper campaign protocol.

Perhaps the best thing an informed electorate can do is research the candidates by visiting their respective websites. The Democratic Candidate is Frank Mcneill  and the Republican Candidate is Richard Hudson for the 8th Congressional District of NC. Regarding the Congressional response that Norwood received following the aftermath of Florence, it exceeded my expectations. Congressman Hudson’s office was very proactive in reaching out to Norwood  to see what damages that we sustained, who we should contact, and followed up with a personal visit. This was reported in both the Stanly News and Press as well as the Stanly Journal.  We encourage you to conduct your own research.

In closing, I wanted to let our citizens know that the Town of Norwood will only call your phone number if you have registered your information with our Blackboard connect system.  This service is used to connect our citizens to pertinent information in the event of an emergency or other important information. We will not call you with political advertisements or Robocalls. The Town of Norwood does not endorse the phone message that you may have received and we apologize for the confusion that this call has caused our citizens.

Sincerely,

Linda Campbell, Mayor Pro-Tem

Town of Norwood

To the Citizens of Norwood,

Yesterday, I invoked my authority as Mayor Pro Tem to declare the Town of Norwood as being under a State of Emergency. I assure you this was done only after careful consideration and review of the conditions and forecast at that point in time. This declaration was made for a variety of factors but primarily due to the expected high rainfall totals.

I have just received some alarming news that the rainfall estimates have now doubled from the previous forecast for Norwood and portions adjoining the Town of Norwood. I want to take this opportunity to advise you that while you may be on what is typically higher ground, I urge you to review your situation as it applies to you and your surroundings. While certain areas may be higher and typically never have drainage issues, they may suddenly become locally flooded.  Areas of the town that have never flooded, may flood until water seeks its level and begins to recede. Florence is now at our doorstep and we could receive even more rainfall than expected. While we hope the forecasts are overstated, our level of preparedness should not waiver.

I continue to urge to you to protect yourselves and begin looking for threats at your home and business. Go ahead and assume that your home may be flooded and if so, is there anything that you can do within the next 8 hours prior to the final arrival of Florence and its impending rainfall. The slow speed of the Florence will continue to drop large amounts of rain over a period of days here in Norwood.

I do want you to know that we have prepared the Town of Norwood as best that we can. If you lose power for whatever reason, you will want to call your power utility vendor which is likely Duke Energy. Their phone number is 800-POWER-ON or 800-769-3766. You can also report outages at  https://www.duke-energy.com/outages

If you have a water or sewer emergency, you may call us at 704-322-9100. If you are aware of any other hazardous situations  or need assistance,  you can call 704-690-1074.  Please remember that Town staff cannot assist with trees on power lines, that will be your power utility vendor.

Should the need arise that you need shelter,  Two (2) shelters will opened at 5pm today.

In closing, I am working throughout the duration of this storm assisting anywhere that I can. Please share this information with anyone who can benefit. Please be safe and finalize your preparations, we only have a few hours remaining before Florence arrives in Norwood.

This morning, after carefully reviewing updated weather forecasts and monitoring information provided by  emergency management services, I have decided to declare a State of Emergency within the corporate limits of the Town of Norwood. You can click here to read the declaration. Declaration of State of Emergency Sept 13 2018.

This declaration will allow the town to maintain order, minimize risks, secure property, protect the public health, safety, and welfare of our citizens.

That being said, I do have some concerns related to potential flooding. If rainfall forecasts hold true, it is very likely that highway 52 along the Darrell Almond Park will be underwater and impassable. Additionally, I fear that our Park will be underwater as well as along South Stanly School Road just past Chad Street as well as impacts to the the Duke Energy sub station. This portion of South Stanly School road may become impassable. We expect highway 52 at the Rocky River bridge to potentially be impacted or impassable. The lower portions of Riverview Rd just outside of our corporate limits that follows the Rocky River will most likely be impacted.

In closing, beyond the threat of high-water, trees and power lines may also be a concern with this storm.  I want to let you know that we do not want anyone to risk their life with any hazard and particularly swiftly moving water. Please do not allow children to play in or around high water and particularly do not allow them around storm drains that could be under a vacuum. This emergency declaration expressly prohibits this type of activity, so please be mindful of the danger. Hurricane Florence is to be taken very seriously and that is why I have declared a State of Emergency for the Town of Norwood.

Hello Citizens,

Serving as your Mayor is something that I, as well as my fellow board members do not take for granted. Our service to you is our number one priority. The Town has been diligently preparing in the preceding days as we prepare for the effects of Hurricane Florence on our town. I wanted to let you know that our town administration and town employees have prepared our town as best as possible and are ready to address and respond to each situation that we may encounter. Our critical infrastructure including the raw water intake facility, the water treatment plant, the water tank reservoirs, waste water treatment plant, and sewer lift stations are ready including alternate responses should there be any system failures.

Norwood Center Rural Fire Department has moved into their new  facility and are diligently preparing to serve you and are placing a high emphasis on swift water rescues, an area in which they are well trained. I must say that I am so thankful for each of those dedicated fire and rescue professionals. They truly are amazing in times of need.

The town will stage our Police department and town maintenance staff at 141 Blalock St.(Former Center Rural Building) particularly if loss of power occurs. The facility is equipped with a generator and will serve the town well in events such as Florence.

Lastly, just after 6 pm tonight, Norwood contacted Stanly County Emergency Management to communicate the information above and to also alert them to the possibility that Norwood might declare a State of Emergency. North Carolina Statues 14 – 288.12 as well as Norwood Ordinance 79 authorizes the Mayor to Declare a State of Emergency in times of imminent threat. I wanted to let each of you know that I am prepared to make that call on Thursday September 13th following additional updated weather forecasts. There are several reasons for making such declaration one being assistance from State and Federal Agencies.

In closing,  I, as well as my fellow board members want to make sure that we position ourselves to help you in a potential time of great need. You will see each  of us out responding to public needs.

I will have more to share in the coming days.

All my best,

Linda Campbell, Mayor Pro Tem

Commissioners:  James Lilly, Robbie Cohen. Wes Hartsell, & Betty O’Neal