The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency Tuesday during its afternoon agenda session as the county prepares for Tropical Storm Debby’s arrival.
“The brunt of the storm is probably supposed to be here Thursday,” Chairperson Glenn Adams said. “We’re doing this state of emergency early.”
The state of emergency will remain in effect until 8 a.m. Saturday, Adams said.
Director of Emergency Services Gene Booth presented Tuesday morning’s storm projections from the National Weather Service to commissioners. Fayetteville is set to receive 12 to 16 inches of rain through Saturday morning, bringing risks of flash flooding and dam breaches, Booth said.
“One of our biggest issues during [Hurricanes] Matthew and Florence, particularly Matthew, were dam breaches along the Rockfish Creek that created that flash flooding that impacted many homes,” he said.
The severity of flooding and the probability of dams breaching will depend on how quickly that rain falls, according to Booth.
“We can say 4 inches during a 24-hour period, but if that 4 inches falls within three or four hours of that 24-hour period, it doesn’t allow as much time for absorption, runoff, and that flash flooding will occur,” he said.
County Manager Clarence Grier said information on emergency shelters and county operations would be available Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
Books and brews
Commissioners celebrated happier news Tuesday after the board unanimously approved a license for Miller’s Crew, the team behind the popular Miller’s Brew coffee shop on Morganton Road, to operate the café at the West Regional Library at 7469 Century Circle. Miller’s Crew provides employment and training to youth and adults with special needs, according to a July 25 memorandum from Library Director Faith Phillips.
The draft license states the café will be open 7:30 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday during the school year and 8 a.m. to noon during the summer break. The county will handle the café’s trash disposal, electrical and water service, while Miller’s Crew must provide its own point-of-sales equipment, telephone and internet services, according to the draft license.
West Regional Library was built in 2010 with a café space, but that space was never used, Adams said. He told the board he and Phillips got the idea to have young adults with special needs run the café after Adams heard about the struggles disabled people can face when seeking employment. According to the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank focusing on economic and social issues, unemployment rates for disabled people are generally much higher than for nondisabled people. In 2023, the unemployment rate for disabled people was 7.2%, about twice as high as the 3.5% rate for nondisabled people, the Center for American Progress reported.
“It is a belief of this board and these commissioners that every one of our citizens are important, no matter where your station in life is,” Adams said.
Upcoming debts
County officials also shared details on debt issuances for two major upcoming projects — the Crown Event Center and the Government Services Center parking deck, the latter of which will be located behind the county courthouse.
Finance Director Robin Deaver said the county will approach the Local Government Commission in March 2025 to request its approval to issue debt for the two projects. The Local Government Commission oversees and provides guidance to local government units in North Carolina; it must approve local governments’ debts in a variety of situations, including if the governing body will be issuing general obligation bonds, revenue bonds or special obligation bonds, according to the state treasurer’s website.
The parking deck is slated to cost no more than $33 million, Deaver said. To begin work on the project, the county will use $1 million from its capital investment fund balance — the equivalent of a rainy day fund for major infrastructure projects. That $1 million will later be reimbursed by the proceeds of its debt issuance, she said.
Commissioners Marshall Faircloth and Jeannette Council were not present at Tuesday’s meeting. The board will next meet at 6:45 p.m. Aug. 19 in Room 118 of the county courthouse at 117 Dick St.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com
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