Organic market
POST Voice
Titans win
The Pender-Topsail
Two sisters have opened the doors of a new organic market located in Surf City. Read about the new venture on page 1C
&
The Trask Titans came out on top in the battle of county rivals last week. Read about it in sports on page 1B.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Volume 44, No.17
Board to revisit parking fees
Welcoming the new manager
Topsail Beach to consider paid parking
Pender Christian Services to hold note burning, open house Jan. 23 By Lori Kirkpatrick Contributing Writer Pender County Christian Services (PCCS) is planning to hold a note burning ceremony and open house to celebrate the new year on Jan. 23. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. The event will also serve as Customer Appreciation Day, with great sales in the Second Blessing Boutique and in the Thrift Store. Both stores will have extended hours that day, with the doors open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and everyone is invited to attend. Sandy Harris, President of PCCS, said she wants to thank the community for a wonderful year and celebrate all that’s been accomplished together. “This is a community celebration, because without the community there would be no PCCS,” said Harris. She explained that PCCS started as the vision of Mrs. Edna Vann Bradshaw, and first began in a Sunday School class in 1982. Harris was following
Continued on page 3A
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State funds Burgaw roundabout Construction scheduled for 2018
By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer When the Topsail Beach commissioners meet in their February board retreat, one of the items up for discussion will be parking fees. “I just think it is something we need to throw out there and talk about,” Commissioner Julian Bone said at the Jan. 14 board meeting. “I know I have more questions than answers.” Bone said he thinks the town needs to investigate parking fees as a source of revenue. Commissioner Larry Combs said the town considered parking fees in 2013. The board received three proposals, one which included a 50/50 revenue sharing. “I think it was approximately $42,000,” said Combs. Commissioners discussed the expenses involved before charging the public for parking. Areas would need to be graveled, lined with treated lumber and numbered. During the public comment period, before the commissioners discussed the potential revenue, resident Pat Rogers said, “I personally don’t particularly like it.” Resident Steve Smith said if the town pursues a paid parking program, officials will need the manpower to enforce it.
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The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Pender County Commissioner Fred McCoy (center) and Burgaw Town Manager Chad McEwen (right) talk with new Pender County Manager Randell Woodruff at a reception held Tuesday to welcome Woodruff to Pender County. Woodruff’s first day on the job was Jan. 20.
Commissioner calls for strict oversight of school bond funds Piepmeyer says commissioners should see names, budgets, schedules By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher N e w l y - e l e c t e d Pe n d e r County Commissioner David Piepmeyer says the board of commissioners needs close oversight of school bond projects to avoid cost overruns. Piepmeyer referenced an article published in the Raleigh News and Observer that says Wake County’s school bond could run out of money before projects are complete due to increased construction costs. In an email dated Jan. 16 to commissioners, Piepmeyer said “the question that needs to be asked of our school board is, ‘how are they going to prevent this from occurring here in Pender County.’ This is a known and repetitive problem that must be addressed before they start spending money. As I have said before, Project Managers need to be assigned with a set budget and schedule to ensure that money is properly spent as outlined in the bond. Inflationary concerns must be addressed prior to initiation of work (set up contingency funds) to ensure completion of individual school projects. Planning is key if you want to execute on big projects; the school board should be bringing us a plan that includes Project Managers names, budget(s) and schedule(s) for each individual school project.
tendent / school board) can present their plan (which should include project managers names, a budget and schedule) and answer some of these fundamental concerns. It would be helpful if some of this project information
could be made available to us prior to this meeting so we could review and formulate good questions. Not sure how long the posting requirements are for this kind of meeting, but the sooner it occurs, the better.”
Plans for the long-anticipated Burgaw roundabout projects appear to be moving ahead, according to Burgaw town manager Chad McEwen. McEwen says the state plan has been approved in draft form and includes funding for the roundabout, located at the intersection of Wilmington and Walker streets in Burgaw. Right-of-way acquisition is scheduled to begin in 2016 with construction to begin in 2018. But the project could move along sooner. “The town has already obtained all the right-of-ways for the construction of the roundabout and we have conveyed that message to DOT,” McEwen said. “with the hope that if they are going to build it, they don’t wait until 2018. There is no need for a twoyear period of right-of-way acquisition. There is money projected in 2018 for construction. If right-of-way is what is holding it up for that long, the town already holds the right-of-way. McEwen says the town of Burgaw has worked with the DOT on the right-of-way procedures to make sure the town was consistent with DOT policies. “We did that shortly after the design was approved and within a year we had all the right-of-way in place. Assuming everything goes as plan, it should be 2018 or sooner,” McEwen said.
David Piepmeyer This is what I am looking for before we start releasing any of the funds set forth in the bond. “The sad thing is that most of this planning should have been done prior to actually going to the people and asking for the bond funds. This is how it works every day in the private sector. If you want money for anything, you have to develop a sound business plan to convince management and the loaning institution to invest in a project. Clearly this whole process should be transparent to the public (and certainly to the board of commissioners) as in this case, the public is the bank. “I suggest that we ask Randall to set up a meeting with the school superintendent, school board, the county manager and the county commissioners so they (the superin-
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Surf City Mayor Zander Guy welcomes Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous as the guest speaker at last week’s Four Town Meeting in Surf City. The towns of Surf City, Topsail Beach, North Topsail Beach, and Holly Ridge meet regularly to discuss shared issues and ideas. Evangelous urged the town leaders to promote partnerships between law enforcement and civilian groups. He also asked leaders to support law enforcement officers in their difficult work.
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