In a unanimous vote, Hope Mills commissioners on Monday approved the appropriation of more than $450,000 in the planning stages of a new senior center, set for the Golfview Greenway. Additional discussion about the center’s potential surrounded the vote.
Commission appropriates funds for senior center
What happened: The board unanimously appropriated $463,550 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for design development and construction documents for a tennis court and pickleball complex, a portion of the new senior center planned for the Golfview Greenway. Interim Town Manager Chancer McLaughlin, Parks & Recreation Director Lamarco Morrison and commissioners also discussed the possibility of additional state funding and the type of programming that might be found at the center. In addition to new or increased recreational activities for seniors — Hope Mills is currently “overburdened with people wanting to play” pickleball now, Morrison said — the center also can be home to classes or lectures geared toward seniors. It also could serve families or specific communities, according to Morrison, like those with special needs. McLaughlin said the town also plans to build the center to standards that would allow it to become a designated shelter in the county.
Why it matters: Mayor Jessie Bellflowers said the center “is not a want; … it’s a need” in Hope Mills. He also said the town’s move to appropriate hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the project shows how seriously it takes the project, which should signal to state legislators the town “has skin in the game.” That could be important, Bellflowers added, for the town’s chances to be awarded additional state funding toward the project — which Bellflowers believes is a real possibility and could result in a significant portion of the overall project being covered.
What’s next: Town staff are working with consultants to develop and finalize a master plan and site plan for specific components of the center, including the first-priority tennis and pickleball complex. Commissioners also said they have not forgotten the requests of residents to fund a sports complex and road maintenance.
Commissioners set budget workshop
What happened: Commissioners on Monday received a binder with all the fiscal year 2024-25 budget information they will parse during the next few weeks. It includes a bottom-line document — in which town staff propose the largest budget in the town’s history, according to Bellflowers, at $18,390,000 — individual departments’ budgets and requests, and information on capital improvements. The board will converse with staff about the proposal during a workshop set for 5 p.m. May 20 at Town Hall, just before the regularly scheduled, bi-monthly board meeting.
Why it matters: All of the town’s departments, from administration to police and fire, operate within the yearly budget. Each move with the budget (to fund certain improvement projects or new positions within the town, for example) has the potential to impact town residents’ way of life.
What’s next: The board’s workshop precedes a public hearing on the budget that, for now, is scheduled for June 3.
Commissioners amend town’s open burning ordinance
What happened: The board unanimously approved deleting language from the town’s open burning ordinance that had allowed for the burning of “push-up piles,” or piles of timber resulting from land clearing. The move came after Fire Marshal Bobby Carter said an April fire on Black Bridge Road that continued to burn drew three response calls from the town fire department. The fire swallowed more than 6,000 gallons of water during one of those responses before being contained, and produced smoke that affected people nearby, which Carter said affirmed his “serious concerns about some construction sites.”
Why it matters: Burns of push-up piles can be hard to get back under control, should they grow to unmanageable levels, putting residents or buildings nearby in danger. Chemical reactions within those piles, along with the size of piles, can produce fires that can require specialized equipment to contain, according to Carter. Disallowing the permitting of push-up pile burning should help the town steward fire response resources and increase safety near construction sites.
What’s next: Those sites that had employed “push-up pile” burning techniques now will be required to chip that felled lumber or haul it off, according to Carter.
Board discusses committee appointments
What happened: A “new business” items on the agenda asked the board whether it would approve the appointment of two town residents to specific county committees, but some confusion and strong opinions about the makeup of the committees themselves (specifically, the number of members allowed on each committee) ultimately led to the issue being tabled. Commissioner Elyse Craver, through discussion about potential committee appointments, said she does not believe the committees should not be limited to seven members each (as currently is the case), suggesting “more volunteers” would benefit the town. Her fellow commissioners and county staff, however, raised concerns about the effects of such a move: bylaws for existing committees all would have to be changed, and more voices/votes could raise issues, as well.
Why it matters: There are eight committees in the town, all of which have the potential to personally affect residents. Additional or new members could incrementally or dramatically change the actions or direction of those committees.
What’s next: Town staff will “iron out” exactly where potential committee appointees Tiffany Brisson (who was slated to be considered for the Prime Movers committee Monday before the issue was tabled) and Dr. Terra Jordan (who was to be considered for the Parks and Recreation Committee and the Board of Adjustment) should or can land, and commissioners will take up the item again at their next meeting May 20.
Other business
• Matthew Cain was sworn in as the Town of Hope Mills Fire Chief. The 55-year-old who got his start as a volunteer firefighter in Gray’s Creek has spent 20 years with the town’s fire department, rising through the ranks along the way and most recently serving as deputy fire chief.
• After a presentation by Parks & Recreation staff on fireworks requirements and logistics surrounding potential future Fourth of July celebrations, the board suggested things “stay as they are” currently. That means the town in the future will continue to contract with an outside company for fireworks shows in association with the holiday, even if such shows would have to be scheduled on other days rather than on July 4 itself, because of all the requirements associated with putting on those displays. This year’s fireworks show will take place June 29, while the parade will take place on July 4, beginning at 10 a.m.
• The town and its commissioners will host a community forum at 6 p.m. June 11 at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, the board decided.
• The board determined it will discuss a homelessness committee in the town during its May 20 meeting. According to Craver, a similar group addressing the issue and referred to as a “taskforce” previously existed, so discussion May 20 should focus on potentially “reactivating” that group and appointing members.
• During board comments, Commissioner Jerry Legge suggested the board should, at some point in the near future, consider building a wing onto the existing Town Hall building, citing the need for more workspace for town employees.
• The board directed Town Clerk Ashley Wyatt to examine the sufficiency of a petition for a contiguous annexation request of 14.89 acres of land into the town limits. The area is off Afton Drive.
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