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By Jim Buice

Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – Something really big is coming soon.

In fact, when Habitat for Humanity-Davie opens a new ReStore in the town this spring, it’s going to be one of the largest in the United States.

During last Tuesday night’s Habitat for Humanity of Davie County presentation before the Bermuda Run Town Council, Dwayne Thompson, ReStore and Homeowner Services director, said that the new store going into the Bermuda Quay shopping center on US 158 will have 26,760 square feet of space.

“It’s going to be way different than any ReStore you’ve ever seen,” Thompson said. “Just to give you an idea, most ReStore’s in the U.S. average about 16,000 square feet. There’s only about 10 ReStores in the U.S. that are over 25,000 square feet. So we’re going to become a flagship store of the United States here in Davie County.”

The new ReStore will take up the large space on the west side of the shopping center that was formally occupied by Food Lion.

Mayor Rick Cross said he and Town Manager Andrew Meadwell met with Thompson at the store recently to take a look at the space.

“We are so excited about Habitat ReStore coming here,” Cross said. “It will bring an additional level of vitality to that shopping center.”

Council member Mike Ernst added, “I think it’s great addition to the community. I’ve lived here 23 years, and seeing something finally in that space after the Food Lion moved out is a big plus. I think that completes the center being full.”

Thompson said that ReStore is a fundraising arm for Habitat and a place where the community can donate and purchase good usable items at a discounted price. All the money that is raised in the local ReStore will stay in Davie County.

Thompson, who previously served in a similar role in Forsyth County, said that the four stores in the neighboring county have generated almost $4 million a year – with 30 percent of that coming from Davie.

“Do the math real quick,” he said. “That’s about $1.2 million we were losing in Davie County.”

According to Thompson, the opening date for the new facility is planned for April 1.

Tamara Taylor, executive director, said that Habitat-Davie is celebrating its 28th year in Davie and has gone through a restructuring and reorganization after COVID, adding two new staff members in Thompson, and Jessie Elmore, who is the director of operations.

Taylor said she is excited about the new ReStore coming to Bermuda Run.

“It was very strategic for us to focus on this end of the county,” she said. “Yes, we do have a property that we were going to build a campus on in Mocksville that we purchased, but we just felt we needed to be here and get those donations back across the river – keep our Davie County stuff in Davie County.”

Taylor added she hoped a ministry office could be added in the new ReStore with the significant amount of square footage available.

“We are still working on the upfit cost for that and trying to get that figured out budget-wise,” she said. “What we do does give a positive economic impact back to the community.”

The global nonprofit housing organization works in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries with a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

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In a proposed action item, the council approved a community project funding application and resolution for the submittal of a formal application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a grant of $3.65 million for the Town of Bermuda Run Recreational Infrastructure and Safety Improvements.

Meadwell said that the town did not request this funding, but in 2021 representatives from RISE and Truist Sports Park asked Sen. Richard Burr’s office to consider and support improvements to help address life safety issues with only one single access point and 50 percent of the property residing in the Yadkin River Basin flood plain.

“As many of us know, access to the park during certain rain events has created issues as far as safety,” Meadwell said.

He noted that the town would be acting as a “pass through” for this agreement with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to manage the project. Improvements for RISE and Truist Park would include the widening of Twins Way – with the addition of a turning lane – along with road painting and traffic markings.

Other key elements, which would also benefit the town, would include enhancements to the existing playground, the opening of the Bert Bahnson Pedestrian Bridge with the trailhead on the other side with traffic signage and parking, and a paved trail to the RISE facility.

In other highlights from this month’s meeting, the council:

• Approved a recommendation from the town manager to amend the General Fund budget to accept $3,000 from the Davie County Community Foundation as revenue and expend that amount for expenses related to the 2022 Christmas in the Town of Bermuda Run event. Crowd estimates were that more than 3,000 attended the community celebration on Dec. 5.

• Approved text amendment 2002-01 Self-Storage Warehousing in the Village Mixed Zoning District following a public hearing where no one spoke.

• Approved the adoption of policies for the expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, including conflict of interest policy, eligible use policy, allowable cost policy, records retention policy and non-discrimination policy.

• Heard from Meadwell that the NCDOT has chosen the route for the proposed new I-40 interchange at Baltimore Road and that the timeline of construction starting is March 2025.