Doug Jackson says Winterville is no longer the little town where he grew up.
Known as a railroad community named Woodrack in its earliest days, Winterville has evolved into one of the fastest-growing small towns in eastern North Carolina, Jackson says.
Jackson, town mayor, has witnessed a lot of the growth during his 11 years in office. The town's jurisdiction has expanded. Residential development is booming, and small businesses are popping up all over town. Some longtime residents are frustrated by the changes, Jackson says; others recognize they are inevitable. Through it all, Winterville has kept what Jackson calls a "homey atmosphere." "They accept it, but I think that some of the older people sort of yearn for the way it used to be," Jackson said. "But you can't stop progress. A lot of the improvements are good, I think, for not only Winterville, but a lot of the surrounding areas." Winterville's population has grown from just more than 5,000 in 2002 to nearly 8,200 in July 2007. Tom Harwell, director of community services and facilities, says the town is growing at a rate of 5 percent to 7 percent annually. Most town officials say building the infrastructure to support the rapid growth is their main concern. Planning for the expansion of water, sewer and electricity services, managing crime and providing adequate recreational opportunities have become the key components of the town's master plan, Bill Whisnant, town manager, said. "The philosophy of town officials has changed," Whisnant said. "We need to view the town as a business, and then whatever practices would be best used in business would be good for the town. "We're really a service industry, and our belief is all good service industries are strong in three ways - people, equipment and facilities." People Whisnant says the town is trying to fashion itself as community-friendly, and people need to feel safe for that to happen. Winterville Police Chief Billy Wilkes believes his department is fulfilling that mission. Federal statistics show Winterville's crime rate per capita is par with the state average in most areas, and better than many towns of its size, Wilkes said, adding that the department - consisting of 19 sworn officers and three non-sworn civilians - is consistently developing new strategies to manage the fight against crime. He says the recent creation of a crime suppression unit will help. "That unit is a combination of investigators, community watch coordinators and a crime prevention specialist who are not just about going out and arresting people," said Wilkes, in his eighth year with the department. "It's not just about catching the bad guys. It's about finding ways to keep crime from happening." The small staff has to manage its time well, however, because a growing population also means more traffic concerns for town police, Wilkes says. In 2000, there were 168 traffic accidents in Winterville. That number jumped to 690 last year, persuading officials to establish a traffic safety unit. "I would say our traffic has probably doubled or it is three times as much as it was eight years ago," Wilkes said. "We're a small department so we just have to do the best we can with what we have. We can't always be everywhere." Equipment Jackson says town residents should start getting used to paying higher prices for utility services. Residents got a taste of what the future holds in July when water and sewer rates increased by 20 percent, and the cost of electricity went up 15 percent. Those increases probably won't be the last. Coastal Plains Capacity Use Rules aimed at limiting withdrawals from aquifers, mean the town in August will start purchasing a majority of its water from Greenville Utilities. Winterville also joins Ayden and Grifton in depositing sewage in the Contentnea Metropolitan Sewerage District, which Jackson says is nearing capacity. "All three towns are going to have to spend a lot of money enlarging that facility or making some other arrangements," Jackson said. "We've got to find a way to pay for that." Town officials are proud of being able to distribute electricity and natural gas provided by GUC, Jackson says, but neither is getting any cheaper. Whisnant says the town also has started planning for Winterville's expansion. After meeting the last couple of years with representatives of GUC and the city of Greenville, a designated area for growth was determined. The area, for which Winterville is responsible for water, sewer and electricity, covers 16 square miles, four times more than the town's current footprint. "If growth was going to happen, our feelings were we were going to be ready on the government side," Whisnant said. Facilities In the past decade, a new building for police, fire and EMS, and a modern town hall have been unveiled in Winterville. A larger library also opened its doors, and the Winterville Recreation Park underwent a face-lift which included and new press box and turf on three baseball fields. Construction isn't stopping there. On Monday, the town's Board of Aldermen awarded a nearly $2.5 million combined contract for construction of a new operations center and an addition to town hall. The operations center, to be located on Church Street, will house staff from the recreation, public works and the electric departments. "A lot of people have been waiting for something like that for some time now," Harwell said. Additions to town hall will include a larger auditorium for board meetings and new offices for the town manager and finance and planning officials. Plenty more is planned for recreation as well. The board recently approved an application for a $500,000 N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant which, if approved, will help fund the $2 million first phase of a plan to expand recreational opportunities, Eric Lucas, parks and recreation director said. The first phase includes a half-mile walking trail, tennis courts, another baseball field and a multi-purpose field on four acres adjacent to the Winterville Recreation Park. A walking trail is also planned for Hillcrest Park in the northern portion of the town, and there are plans for a trail linking from the Pitt Community College area to downtown Winterville and the town's parks, Lucas said. "The growth is tough to keep up with, but we're doing the best we can," Lucas said. "Obviously there are a lot of the people coming in from outside of Winterville, and those people are used to having those types of recreational facilities. We're behind, but the town does recognize we're behind, and we're working to develop those facilities so we can accommodate what people want in recreation. "These things aren't going to happen instantly, but we do have that long-range planning in place, and we're working on the plan to pay for it all." Whisnant says he is excited about the town's progress in all areas. "We're doing all of the basic things to put the town in position to succeed," he said. Brock Letchworth can be contacted at 329-9574 or bletchworth@coxnc.com. Winterville Mayor Doug Jackson stands near Town Hall on Friday. Rhett Butler/The Daily Reflector(c) 2008 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - The Daily Reflector