William A Rousseau
How long have you lived here?
My family and I moved to North Carolina from Pompano Beach, Florida in mid-September, 1985. We started a business manufacturing roof trusses on a 10-acre parcel of land just outside the Holly Springs city limits. You could say we were in the Western Wake Wilderness Area. There were no street lights on this part of Hwy 55. When the sun went down, it got really, really dark. When I would stay at the office into the late hours of the evening, I would get spooked at anything that went “clunk” in the night. Fortunately, my labor force consisted almost entirely of local residents, and they were really good about making sure nothing bad happened to me. They had my back, so to speak.
Over the years, Holly Springs grew and expanded to encompass my business property. In 1998, I purchased some property with a Holly Springs address and built my new home there.
It is now included in the Holly Springs ETJ (Extra Territorial Jurisdiction). The business, Household Building Systems, maintained operations under that name for 25 years. I transferred the business to a new owner at the end of 2010, and he has since moved operations to a new location outside of Pittsboro. Property taxes, which were a couple of hundred dollars per year in the 1980s, grew to over $17,000 per year, and that proved to be unmanageable for a small industrial operation.
If you could write one law for Holly Springs, what would it be?
The one law I would change is the sign ordinance. I see it as an unwarranted restriction on freedom of speech. The ordinance especially impacts small businesses and entrepreneurs, as it is the primary media by which such businesses get the attention of the public. Big businesses not only have an advertising budget, but they are given a waiver on the local sign ordinance if they have a corporate brand maintenance signage plan.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1966 that a $2 poll tax was an unwarranted imposition on peoples’ right to equal protection under the law as stated in the 14th Amendment. I maintain that a $50 charge for a sign permit for a non-profit community service organization to erect a temporary sign announcing a community event is an equally egregious imposition on free speech. Plus, the detailed provisions regulating size, placement, colors used, illumination, integrated movement or blinking lights, and even if it can be seen through the windows of an establishment, and on and on, constitute an impermissible burden on free speech.
What restaurant has your go-to meal, and what is it?
One of the advantages of being retired is that I get to eat home cooked meals a lot more often. My wife, Claire, can prepare a gourmet meal as well as anyone, and her offerings are usually healthier than anything I would get at a restaurant. My weekly favorites are pan-fried salmon, scallops or codfish. That said, I do take a gustatory splurge on occasion, and my default destination in Holly Springs would be the Olive Garden. I have to admit I love their minestrone soup, and I can make a meal out of their soup and salad offering.
Superstreets (The U-turn sections of Hwy 55 Bypass)— better or worse for traffic flow- and why?
A traffic engineer with a properly designed survey could provide a definitive answer as to whether or not the Superstreets provide better traffic flow. All I can offer is that I find them highly annoying. I am very thankful for the Main Street Extension on to Piney Grove Wilbon Road, as that has eliminated countless U-turns for me. However, I do find that I must take the back entrance out of the WalMart parking lot onto Main, as a left turn or a straight through crossing at the Village Walk intersection is extraordinarily dangerous.
What is your favorite thing about Holly Springs?
Since the very first day of my arrival in 1985, my family and I have been wholeheartedly welcomed and accepted by both the white and black community. As a former Yankee, I had my misgivings about moving to a part of the country that had been notorious for its racial strife during the 60s and 70s. I was delighted to discover that the reality in Holly Springs was not at all like the turmoil portrayed on the national media of the day. Race relations were not an issue in Holly Springs, even among the ol’ Rednecks who were not bashful about offering their opinions on any subject.. I was especially pleased about the way Angie Staheli gave full credit to the contributions of the black community in her production of Finding Patience.
What store or restaurant would you like to see come to Holly Springs?
I would love to see a full service hotel and a string of restaurants on North Main Street directly across from Ting Stadium. I envision a rooftop restaurant/sports bar atop the hotel overlooking the stadium, where visitors could have their choice of open air or air conditioned comfort in which to enjoy a ball game. Visitors to the stadium could survey a choice of restaurants within their line of view to decide which one to visit after the game. The existing signalized intersection makes it exceptionally convenient to drive from stadium to restaurant if one chooses to not simply walk across the street. (Self-interest alert — I happen to own that property.)
How do you feel Holly Springs ranks on a scale of 1 to 10?
I give Holly Springs a 9 instead of a 10 because I think taxes and regulatory fees and mandates have gotten excessive. Having sat on the planning board, I’ve seen the hurdles that a small business encounters in order to get started, and I think that, in the long run, that is going to sap the community’s vitality.
What’s the best thing to come to Holly Springs since you’ve lived here?
So many great things have come to Holly Springs that it’s hard to pick just one. Public structures include the Cultural Center/Library, the Bass Lake Retreat Center, the multitude of outstanding public schools, and, of course, the North Main Athletic Complex. But good living in Holly Springs has also been enhanced by the variety of excellent grocery stores, the fully utilized industrial park that provides so many good jobs, and the dazzling array of shopping choices in our several shopping centers. And, did I mention that we have not one but two beautiful golf courses? This is a double treat because Apex, which once wanted to annex Holly Springs and had restricted our water supply in order to hold our feet to the fire, has not a single golf course. Gerald Holleman is my hero for getting us past this crisis point in our existence.
Is growth good or bad for Holly Springs, and why?
Every change has its positive and negative elements, and community growth is no exception. However, robust growth is what has made Holly Springs into a showcase community with a blinding array of jewels in its crown. Growth is not only good for Holly Springs, but it is absolutely necessary for our privileged status to be maintained. I was around when we were literally begging a grocery store or a fast food restaurant to come to Holly Springs. The development people would take a look around and then say, “Call us when you have the rooftops.” Population density is an absolute necessity for the things we have here now and for the things planned for the future. We would not have a full service hospital being built in Holly Springs were it not for our population density, and that hospital would not have been expanded from 6 floors to 8 without the expectation of continued growth and density at the same pace. Within just a couple of more years, we will have a full fledged medical community with general practitioners and specialists galore for us to choose from. Choke off our growth, and we will see all of that disappear from our future.
Do you plan to move from Holly Springs at some point?
My plan is to die here. We’ve already bought our burial plots in the Holly Springs (historic) cemetery. Did you know that James T. Adams is buried there? Good company. However, I am not in a big hurry to join him. My favorite doctor moved from Apex to Holly Springs, and I have given him strict instructions to keep me healthy and vertical as long as possible. I want to enjoy the grass from the green side.
If you want an opinion, I’ve got one.
Lynanne Fowle
How long have you lived here?
My husband and I moved to Holly Springs in 1997 when there
were only about 2500 residents and Holly Glen didn’t have a pool yet! I have worked as a writer/editor for various companies around the Triangle, was director of Community Partners Charter High School for a couple of years before their transition to Southern Wake Academy, and served as the Membership Director for the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce for 7+ years.
If you could write one law for Holly Springs, what would it be?
It would be term limits for our town council and Mayor. Career politicians in a small, growing town like ours can prevent the kind of vision needed to get from 2500 residents to 30,000 without the kind of speed bumps we are seeing now in terms of inadequate infrastructure and tax rate.
What restaurant has your go-to meal, and what is it?
My Way Tavern has a couple of killer salads as well as their buffalo chicken dip. My husband loves their wings, so it’s a win-win for all of us when we go there!
Superstreets (The U-turn sections of Hwy 55 Bypass)— better or worse for traffic flow- and why?
Worse. Why create a “bypass” and then put 14 lights on it? The traffic has gotten so much worse getting THROUGH Holly Springs that the backups are notorious even with people who live outside town limits. I don’t know the statistics regarding accident rates since the superturns were installed, but it SEEMS like the statistics are up, including deaths at intersections. Raleigh is successfully installing roundabouts that seem much more efficient.
What is your favorite thing about Holly Springs?
Our neighbors. We’ve met some of the best people in this town – both our immediate neighbors and just people in town that we’ve met through various activities. A close second is the fact that we’ve finally become a Tree Town and are actively working on green space and protecting natural resources during our current real estate boom.
What store or restaurant would you like to see come to Holly Springs?
I’d love to see a Whole Foods or Trader Joes closer than Cary, whether that’s in Holly Springs or Fuquay.
How do you feel Holly Springs ranks on a scale of 1 to 10?
In terms of places we’ve lived before Holly Springs, I’d give it a 10. In terms of our experience living here for 20 years, I would say about a 6 based on the town’s ability to address the needs of ALL its residents. There has seemed to be a preference for amenities and roadwork on the east side of the bypass for the entire 20 years, and there is JUST NOW beginning to be a focus on the west side, which is LONG overdue.
What’s the best thing to come to Holly Springs since you’ve lived here?
I don’t know if I can name just one thing. When we moved here the Food Lion was brand new and the town had just welcomed its first elementary school. There was NOTHING else. I love the community center, the ballpark (I was against how it was brought here, but now that it’s here, I enjoy it), the movie theater, and the increased variety in restaurants. I’d love to see more businesses run by local entrepreneurs rather than chains because those kinds of business owners really invest in their communities, but the change over 20 years has brought us a lot of amenities that I’m happy to have closer to home.
