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Volume 44, No. 27
P ST Voice
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The Pender-Topsail
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Thursday, April 2, 2015
Topsail baseball 9-1 The defending state champion Topsail Pirate baseball team improved their season record to 9-1 last week. Read about it in sport on 10A.
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Commissioners discuss Garden Fair at Poplar Grove Challenges range of issues at retreat come with growth in county By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
Pender County Commissioners wrestled with a range of issues at the board’s annual budget and planning retreat last week. Commissioners met Thursday evening and all day Friday to discuss the upcoming budget and addition concerns. “We talked about customer service training for county employees. We discussed the Hwy. 17 bypass. We talked about long-range plans for utilities, office space, and schools,” said commission chair man David Williams. “We want to continue to work with the school board and outside agencies on these long-range planning opportunities.” Williams said the board
discussed leisure services, which is the latest term for parks, recreation, and quality of life services. “ N o t eve r yo n e i s i n t o sports, so what else is out there for people to be involved in,” Williams said. “It may be expanding the boat ramp, opportunities in the arts and activities for seniors. Leisure services all this. The need for a new jail is still on the board’s agenda. “Some type of jail is going to have to be built. If we build it ourselves or partner with a neighboring county, that situation is not going to go away,” said Williams. Williams said it is not certain if the jail will be addressed in the upcoming budget. “We’ve got to do something. You can’t forget about that,” he said.
Late deliveries, Post Office problems prompt changes in Post & Voice delivery
From Staff Reports Late deliveries for in-countysubscribers of the Pender-Topsail Post & Voice has prompted a change in the newspaper delivery schedule. The changes will ensure the newspaper is delivered on time for in-county customers. Newspapers will now be dropped directly to Pender County post offices, rather than going through the Fayetteville regional mail center, as all outgoing mail from this region does. Out of county subscribers will continue to have their newspapers routed through the Fayetteville center. “We began having problems with the Fayetteville mail center in September. Two complete issues – every single paper – of the Post & Voice
By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
were delayed in delivery as much as four days,” said publisher Andy Pettigrew. “Since then, late deliveries have gone from occasional to frequent and now constant. We know our customers want their papers on time, so we had to make a change. Dropping the newspapers at the various post offices around Pender County directly will get the papers delivered on Thursday.” Pettigrew said the local postal employees are not to blame for the problems. “The local post offices can only deliver what they have. If they don’t get mail from Fayetteville, they can’t deliver it,” Pettigrew said. “The Pender County postal employ-
Continued on page 3A
Pender named in top 10 growing NC counties
After several years of bad weather and small crowds, the annual Herb and Garden Fair at Poplar Grove Plantation finally hit the jackpot with nice weather and big crowds Saturday. Michael Lanier of Old River Farms helps a customer at the farm’s booth. See more photos from the event on Facebook.
Courthouse Square April 18, 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Pender Relay for Life moves to Burgaw By Ashley Jacobs Post & Voice Staff Writer It has been described as a life-changing event for participants and a life-saving event for others. This year, the Relay for Life of Pender County will run from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. April 18 at Courthouse Square in Burgaw. “The experience gives everyone in the community a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Cape Fear Council of Government’s Chris May (right) was facilitator for the Pender County Commissioner’s planning meetings last week.
the disease,” Relay for Life Community Manager Tiffany Fountain said. “Each year, more than 4 million people in over 20 countries take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer,” she said. Though each annual Relay for Life is a crucial fundraising event for coordinators, this year is even more significant. It marks the 30th year celebration for the event nationwide. “It began in 1986 with one man, Gordy Klatt. He ran a track in Tacoma, Washington, for 24 hours because he said, ‘Cancer never sleeps so why should we?’” Fountain explained. And from then on, the Relay for Life campaign was a recognized not just on a national level, but around the world.
Some of the money raised each year is used for preventative care and education programs, such as Look Good Feel Better, Road to Recovery, Reach to Recovery and others. Another portion of the money goes toward research to find a cure. “Here in North Carolina, we are lucky that we have so many wonderful cancer research facilities. American Cancer Society funds many of these research grants allowing the money raised in North Carolina to stay here,” Fountain said. And for that reason, she wanted each participant to know that his or her involvement is truly making a big difference in the mission to fight and cure cancer. “We are so much closer than we were even ten years ago, but we all know there is still a ways to go.” It is a mission that hits home for Fountain, a 26-year cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with cancer at just 15 years old – a week shy of her 16th birthday. “I remember walking my first Relay lap as a survivor. My mom walks as my care-
Continued on page 2A
Pender County has been named among the 10 North Carolina Counties with the highest growth rate from 2010 to 2014, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Pender County was tenth on the list, posting a 7.8 percent growth rate during the period. Brunswick County is the only other southeastern North Carolina county to make the list, coming in at number two. Schools and government services feel the pressure of growth. The school bond is evidence of the strain growth puts on the local school system. Until the new school facilities are built, schools do the best they can with the space available. “We try to leverage every nook and cranny in the space that we have,” said school board member Tom Roper. “The state provides the teaching positions. As we grow, the teaching positions come. For the support staff to handle the growth, we have to rely on the county commissioners to fund that.” Once the building space is filled, mobile classrooms are added at schools. “We go into trailer mode. In
Continued on page 3A
Tate will decide about residency by July By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate’s new position at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville requires him to live in Duplin County. Tate says he will make a decision about how to handle the situation by July. “I was offered the position in December and it has an eightmonth residency requirement. I have to move into Duplin County within eight months,”
Continued on page 2A
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