Wilson This Week

Construction of Pender Crossing is officially underway after city officials joined project partners in a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, August 16.

While Wilson has no shortage of new housing projects, Pender Crossing is different in two ways.

First, it is near downtown in an area that has not had a lot of investment in recent years. It is at 300 S. Pender St., the former site of Pender Street Park, which is being relocated to a new site a few blocks away. It is near the Freeman Place neighborhood project.

Second, it will be affordable housing with rents as low as $388 a month for one-bedroom units, $457 for a two-bedroom and $517 for a three-bedroom. Rents will be based on a formula considering the area median income, and individuals making as little as $21,680 a year could qualify.

Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. is the general contractor while the City of Wilson provided a long-term ground lease. The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) supported the project through allocating federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

Denis Blackburne, Senior Vice President – Development, for Woda Cooper said Pender Crossing will be an important new option for Wilson renters, including families with children, who have struggled to find suitable, quality housing at affordable rates.

Wilson Mayor Carlton Stevens said, "We understand safe, enjoyable, affordable housing is imperative for families to thrive. We’re thrilled to be able to offer the Pender Crossing project to the community and extremely grateful to the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Woda Cooper, and all that made this day possible . I can’t wait to see this project completed.”

Pender Crossing is scheduled to open in late 2025.

The City of Wilson will be closed Monday, Sept. 2, in observation of Labor Day. Here’s how the closure affects city services next week:

Environmental Services: Monday’s garbage and recycling routes will be delayed until Tuesday. Tuesday routes will be serviced Wednesday. Thursday and Friday routes will be on schedule. Environmental services will have no special junk pickups next week for appliances, bulky items, etc.

Customer Service: The customer service office on Nash Street will be closed Monday. Other options to pay bills are:

• Doing so online at WilsonNC.org;
• Using the automated system at 252-399-2200; or
• Using the kiosk in the first drive-thru lane to provide a contactless payment option that takes cash, check and card payments 24 hours a day. Payments through the kiosk apply to City of Wilson utility and Greenlight customer accounts instantly.

Parks: All city parks will be open.

Wilson RIDE: The city’s transit system will operate on Monday. Use the Via app to schedule rides.

All emergency services will operate on normal schedules. Utilities will be staffed and ready to respond to outages or other situations; call 252-399-2424.

The construction zone around the baseball stadium has been expanded to include a block of Kenan and Mercer streets, and the detour might be in place for weeks or even months.

What's happened is that the brick warehouse at 300 Goldsboro Street (formerly Farmers' Warehouse and then a tire supply for several years) has been determined to be structurally unsound. You may recall that the wall started collapsing in spring 2023 and the owners had hoped to save as much of the building as possible, but now it needs to be demolished. Goldsboro Street and Jones Streets were already closed next to the warehouse, but the city closed the blocks of Kenan and Mercer this week.

If you are driving in the area, you can access the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and downtown businesses, but you may need to detour to Tarboro or Lodge streets when coming from the west.

We apologize for all the growing pains. We will get through it, hopefully sooner than later.

Join Wilson’s Stormwater Division this Saturday, August 31, at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park for the NC Science Trail celebration, where they will be showcasing some of our most fascinating local wildlife. Stop by their table to learn about the endangered species in our waters, including a special resident of Wilson County—the Neuse River Waterdog!

Did you know that the Neuse River Waterdog is unique to our area?

These salamanders thrive in rivers and streams, and the Neuse River watershed provides the perfect habitat for them. Unfortunately, their future is uncertain, as being listed as threatened means they could become endangered in the near future.

Come out on Saturday to learn more about this incredible creature and how we can all play a part in protecting our local ecosystems. Don’t miss the chance to “Mind your ‘manders” and discover the wonders of our local waters!

Membership for 2024-2025 is open to returning and new members. membership is open to all Wilson County High School students, 9th-12th grades. Students from public, private, charter, early college academies and home school are welcome to join. Applications are due by Thursday, September 12, 2024. 

All new members are required to attend one of the two Open House programs. Both programs will be held at Reid Street Community Center in the Multi-purpose room. The locations is 901 Reid Street East.

• Saturday, September 7, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Monday, September 9, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. 

The Gig East Exchange as partnered up with the Youth Coding League. It is a FREE program for 5th-6th graders that introduces students to computer science and coding. Students learn key computer science principles in a weekly project-based regular season, and showcase their new skills with teammates in postseason competition against teams form across the U.S. 

If your child might be interested in participating, email gigeast@wilsonnc.org for sign up information. The Youth Coding League fall season will begin on September 9th and will last for 9 weeks. Practices will be held once a week at the Gig East Exchange, 127 Goldsboro Street S.