The nine-member Cumberland County Civic Center Commission, including four new members, likely will be the first to hear Thursday just what the plans are for remodeling the aging Crown Theatre and Crown Arena when the board is scheduled to meet at noon in the Crown Complex boardroom. The board is comprised of Jami McLaughlin, chair; Nathan Cuffee, vice chair; Raqi Barnett, Ken Burns, Peter Pappas, Chloe Thaler, Lynndora Thompson, Lee Spruill and Allen Rogers. Spruill and Rogers will be sworn in Thursday at the beginning of the meeting. The Cumberland Board of County Commissioners voted 5-2 on June 4 to abandon plans to build a $152 million Crown Event Center in front of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse in favor of upgrading the theatre and arena (circa 1968) on U.S. Business 301.
“In my assessment, I viewed the proposed parking deck as part of this project,” County Commissioner Henry Tyson said about his vote to scrap the $152 million Crown Event Center, which was planned for downtown. “The estimate for that project was up to $46 million additional.” If you do the math, the Crown Event Center’s overall expenditure would have been $198 million.
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Cumberland Board of County Commissioners Kirk deViere, Veronica Jones, Glenn Adams, Marshall Faircloth, Jeannette Council, Henry Tyson and Pavan Patel has directed county staff to research costs related to maintenance, environmental concerns and demolition after a presentation from County Manager Clarence Grier at the June 20 regular meeting about a $375,000 proposal to purchase the shuttered Lillian Black Elementary School in Spring Lake. “Also to explore with Spring Lake for uses or needs by them,” deViere, the commission chair, said. The county rejected the Cumberland County Board of Education’s offer to purchase the school for $750,000 in October of 2024. Anything is better than watching the old school (circa 1938) along South Third Street just slowly waste away.
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Summer is all but here and weather forecasters say you can look for high temperatures in the 90s and higher in the days ahead.
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Brenda Harris and Cynthia Massie with Fayetteville Technical Community College have been selected for William C. Friday Fellowships for Human Relations, according to a news release from the school. Harris is director of operations at the FTCC Student Learning Center. Massie is director of IT (information technology) service management. The Friday Fellowship for Human Relations is named for the late University of North Carolina System president. It fosters relations to address the state’s more pressing issues, according to the release. If Bill Friday’s name is on the fellowship, you can be assured it’s a worthy initiative. William C. Friday, who was president of the UNC System from 1956 to 1986, died at age 92 on Oct. 12, 2012, in Chapel Hill.
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Daniel McCloud is the new director of arts education, according to a news release from Cumberland County Schools. McCloud previously worked as orchestra director at Pine Forest High School, Pine Forest Middle School and Howard Hall Elementary School, where he coordinated orchestra programs for grades 5-12. He also previously served as band director and taught music courses at Methodist University. McCloud holds a master’s degree in music conducting from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. McCloud was recommended for his new post by CCS Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr.
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Some good news for motorists in west Fayetteville along Lakewood Drive and Towbridge Road near Gates Four Golf & Country Club. Local contractor Highland Paving Co. will be upgrading and widening the intersection with a left turn lane in both directions, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation, which has awarded a $1.2 million bid contract for the work. The work will include a traffic signal, which leads into the gated Gates Four community. A right turn lane will be constructed on Lakewood Drive southbound for motorists entering Gates Four. The work can begin next month, according to the release, and the contractor has until the summer of 2026 to complete the project.
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“Mr. Kirby, thank you for writing about the closure of Homemakers Furniture with so much care,” Paige Baschuk wrote in an email about the June 11 The Kirby File column on the closing on Homemakers Furniture & Interiors, which is closing after 80 years. “Your words captured what a special place Homemakers has been for the Fayetteville community and for my family. I am (owner) Joel Smith’s niece. My late mother, Nancy, was Joel’s sister. Although I was raised in California, I spent all my summers in North Carolina; some of my fondest memories are helping my grandparents (S.O. and Lois Smith) in Homemakers. To me, Homemakers was an extension of our family home. I know every inch of it. I wondered if the store would close without many people noticing. Your article helped all of us feel seen during this momentous transition. Thank you again.”
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“Mr. Kirby, just finished reading the story on Larry Miller, UNC basketball, in City View,” Nelvis Semel wrote in an email about the May 18 The Kirby File column on the life and death of the 1966-1968 Tar Heels All-America, who died at age 79 on May 11 in Bethlehem, Pa. “Outstanding reading.” The column also appeared in this month’s edition of CityView Magazine.
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Cape Fear Valley Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services have earned the 2025 Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Achievement Award with Target: Heart Attack Honor Roll status in recognition of providing rapid, evidence-based treatment for the more severe heart attacks and strokes. “Arguably, the most important link in the chain of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” Dr. Kacey Kronenfeld, chair of the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Taskforce, said in a news release. “Early identification, stabilization and activation of care systems by EMS give patients the best chance at recovery and long-term quality of life.” The honor recognizes CFVMIH and Cumberland County EMS for efforts from the 911 call through EMS transport, hospital care and recovery.
(Editor’s note: Jami McLaughlin is also a freelance writer for CityView. She was not involved in the reporting or editing of this column.)
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
