Poplar Grove Derby Day Derby Day at Poplar Grove is an annual fund raiser to help the plantation’s animal sanctuary. Read more about the event on page 1B.
POST Voice The Pender-Topsail
&
Pirates improve to 15-1 The defending state champion Topsail baseball team is chasing another state title this season. Read more in sports on page 10A.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Volume 44, No. 29
50 Cents
The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Surf City CFCC campus dedication Saturday By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher The Surf City campus of Cape Fear Community College will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 18 at 11 a.m. The ceremony will open the A.D. “Zander” Guy building and dedicate the Alston W. Burke Center at the new campus. CFCC Interim President Dr. Amanda Lee says the college is excited to be able to share
this event with the public and looks forward to opening the facility later this spring. “We are thrilled to be opening this new building to extend educational and job training opportunities to the residents of eastern Pender County,” Dr. Lee said. The ceremony will feature several speakers from the college, Surf City and Pender County. Following the ceremony, the public will be invited to tour the facility and talk with college officials about some of the courses and programs
School bond moves ahead; BOC approves funds
that will be offered during the summer and fall semesters. Guy said the opening of the new Surf City campus was the result of work by a number of people. “It took the effort by a lot of people to make this happen. It was a project we have been working on for a long time,” Guy said. “The project was turned down and we ran out of money and several times we thought it was dead.” The idea for a CFCC campus in Surf City was
born when the college closed the Hampstead campus. “We began to work hard from that point to see this happen,” Guy said. “This is good, clean economic development – jobs and education. It is what the community has built its foundation on.” Guy said he looks forward to the educational opportunities for both young students and older
Continued on page 2A
Spring is strawberry season
Schools, county will use fund balance until bond money is available in July By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County commissioners approved funding to proceed with initial work on the school bond projects at the board’s meeting April 7. Commissioners approved funds from the county’s fund balance to begin initial engineering and site work on school bond projects. The county will partner with the school system to provide funds to begin work on the projects before the bond money becomes available, which is projected to be in July. “We approved a project
ordinance which is the mechanism to fund and pay all the expenses of the school bond projects for the next two years or so,” said County Manager Randall Woodruff. “Initally we put money in there for the site testing and surveying work. It looks like the first bond sale won’t be until July. We haven’t finalized that yet. The schools are going to be putting in money to help ease the burden.” The county ordinance will provide for funding the projects after the bond money becomes available. Both the county and the school system
Continued on page 8A
Businesses, public rally to keep parking free
Topsail Beach says no to paid parking By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer The public was vocal and Topsail Beach commissioners heard loud and clear. On April 7, the public hearing regarding paid parking filled the town hall and spilled into the hallway. Not one person spoke up in favor of paid parking. “It would deter people from coming here,” said Lori Fisher, the owner of Quarter Moon Books. Jeff Stevens said paid parking “sends the wrong message.” Little Victoria Stevens, an elementary-aged child, reminded commissioners that day-trippers go out to dinner. “Fun should be free,” she said. Keith Myers, a member of the Topsail Island Historical Society said if the town started
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
charging for parking, visitors would seek places to park for free. He was concerned visitors would use the Missiles and More lot, which volunteers could not patrol. Several public members said paid parking sends a message that money is more important than visitors. Butch Parrish called the measure a “wet blanket” on the town. “It’s wrong on so many levels,” said Tate Tucker. He called the town quaint, historic, and a throwback. “It’s a bad idea now and a bad idea five years from now.” “Is anyone for paid parking?” asked Commissioner Tom Eggleston. “I make a motion to not have paid parking.” The vote was unanimous to not pursue a paid parking policy of the town’s 195 public parking spaces.
Kerry Walsh and Charles Butler admire the beautiful strawberries at Carol Sue Farms in Hampstead. Carol Sue Farms is located on Hwy. 17 and has ready-picked and u-pick strawberries available. See their ad on page 4B.
Penderlea Homestead Day April 25 By Ashley Jacobs Post & Voice Staff Writer Next weekend people will gather to celebrate Homestead Day 2015 at Penderlea Homestead Museum. “Every year for the last 10 years that the museum has been at 284 Garden Road, Penderlea Community, we have enjoyed a Homestead Day,” Penderlea Homestead Museum President Pattye Marks Ebert said. “One of the many projects we have celebrated at these events was raising the funds to have the work done to list Penderlea Homesteads Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, by the U.S. Department of the Interior after nomination by the State Historic Preservation officer.” Though the annual event marks a time to celebrate rich history and tradition,
one of the many attractions for crowds is the music. “This year The Browns will play and sing. This group includes Mom and Dad, Frances and Clifton Brown and their two sons, Chris and Jamie. They are a rhythm guitar, pedal steel guitar, the dobro, banjo, mandolin and bass guitar,” Ebert said. “Oh yes, four grandchildren
also sing and play. This is indeed a reason to get to the museum Saturday the 25th. The Browns recordings of a variety of music will be offered for sale at that time.” Penderlea Homestead Museum is dedicated to honoring the work and lives of the settlers of Penderlea Homesteads Historic District. “The Penderlea Homesteads Historic District is a rural district of farms, dwellings, outbuildings and a community center to include a school on approximately 4,250 acres. Penderlea is significant as the first experimental farm-city colony established by the US government through the Department of Subsistance Homesteads which was organized in 1933.” Penderlea Homesteads developed
Continued on page 2A
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