HOPE MILLS — Mayor Jessie Bellflowers held his second town hall Thursday at the town’s recreation center. The forum was advertised as a discussion about parks, recreational programs, and infrastructure needs in Hope Mills, but residents focused most on the town’s development coupled with its growth.
After the initial “Let’s Talk it Out! An Evening with Mayor Bellflowers” meeting on April 17, some residents left with complaints about the strict rules regarding how questions could be asked. The second forum — referred to by Bellflowers as “Take Two” — had a more relaxed atmosphere, with no preliminary rules for attendees. Around 30 people attended, similar to the first meeting, but with some new faces. A majority of those present chose to share comments rather than ask direct questions.
“This was much better than Take One,” Bellflowers said. “We marketed it a little better, we talked about it better, and I think the flow was better, too. We probably should’ve done something like this the first time. But you learn from your challenges and your successes — that was my takeaway.”
In attendance alongside Bellflowers were Town Manager Chancer McLaughlin, Mayor Pro Tem Kenjuana McCray, Commissioners Joanne Scarola, Elyse Craver, and Bryan Marley, as well as former Commissioner Meg Larson.
Several residents expressed concern about the town’s rapid growth amid limitations on available space. “We try to continually shove things into space we simply don’t have,” attendee Mark Hess told the mayor.
Sallie Bailey, who also attended the first forum, raised concerns about the overwhelming number of fast food chains in town. “Hope Mills is known for having fast food. That’s all you see up and down the road. I think our planning is terrible,” she said. Bellflowers agreed with Bailey that the town needs more dine-in restaurants and said they’ve tried to attract establishments like Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse.
Bellflowers replied that he and the board have “begged and pleaded” with Texas Roadhouse on several occasions. “They were interested but ultimately decided not to build here,” he said. “I’ll get down on my knees to the owners of Texas Roadhouse if they bring one here. The same goes for P.F. Chang’s and Olive Garden.”
McLaughlin added that he knew why Texas Roadhouse backed out. “I know exactly where the site was going, but rather than submit their site plans, they called and told us they watched three of our board meetings and that the tone and divisiveness didn’t align with their business model. I’ve tried to get them back, and they are actually talking to us again.”
McLaughlin said the town doesn’t control what property owners choose to build. “We’re fighting for this town,” he said.
Scarola pointed out that the board does not have the capacity to petition for specific restaurants, nor do they have control over which businesses decide to locate in Hope Mills.
Tensions over town transportation
Hope Mills resident Cynthia Hamilton raised concerns regarding transportation to the board on Thursday, saying the town had misplaced priorities — including a plan discussed at the May 5 board meeting to purchase vans for shuttling residents to Heritage Park. In response, Bellflowers pointed to Scarola, saying the Hope Mills commissioner had been fighting for four years to secure townwide transportation.
The question also prompted a heated, profanity-laced response from Scarola, who serves on the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) commission, which meets in the Historic Courthouse at 130 Gillespie St. in Fayetteville to discuss transportation plans for the cities of Fayetteville and Raeford and surrounding towns and counties including parts of Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Harnett Counties.
Scarola said she and McLaughlin had met with Cumberland County Commissioner Pavan Patel and Fayetteville City Council member Deno Hondros at their request to discuss public transportation, but felt the conversation focused solely on Fayetteville’s needs in relation to FAMPO.
FAMPO, founded in 1975, is federally mandated and funded, and has a coverage area with a combined population of around 400,000 people.
“We want regional transportation, and Spring Lake wants us to connect. We want to work with Fayetteville — they have the FAST [Fayetteville Area System of Transit] system. Spring Lake needs transportation; we [Hope Mills] need transportation. It’s been an ongoing fight.”
At the meeting Scarola said she was presented a packet that shows the future plans for FAMPO with the N.C. Department of Transportation, in which Hope Mills, Spring Lake and Eastover were not included.
“Hope Mills, and everyone else who isn’t Fayetteville, is given low priority. I get angry about it,” she said. ” … I’m going to throw them under the bus, because this is the crap we have to deal with.
“I’ll say this out loud — I don’t trust a lot of the county commissioners, because I never see anything come out of it,” she added. “It’s like, why am I even going to FAMPO? The people from Eastover said the same thing: ‘What’s the point of this if everything goes to Fayetteville?’”
‘Maybe we need to slow down development’
When asked what he took away from the second forum, Bellflowers pointed to development in the town.
“Maybe we need to slow down development,” he said. “That was echoed by four or five people. Maybe we are growing too fast. Of course, that’s the residents’ opinion, but maybe we need to tap the brakes some.”
Despite the tensions, Bellflowers said he was pleased with the town hall turnout and response, and praised the residents who attended both meetings. “There’s a lot of gravity and a lot of passion that I got from the citizens,” he said.
He also told CityView that he plans to hold more forums in the future.
The next regular Hope Mills Board of Commissioners’ meeting is scheduled for May 19 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, where the board is expected to hear staff presentations on the proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget.
