Old River Farms The third annual Old River Farms Spring Festival is April 25-26. More than 40 local vendors will be there. Read more on page 1B.
Volume 44, No. 28
POST Voice The Pender-Topsail
&
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Spring break sports Pender County schools were out on spring break last week, but sports teams still managed to play. Read more on page 10A.
50 Cents
The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Cites new position at James Sprunt CC which requires Duplin County residency
Tate resigns from board of commissioners By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate resigned his seat on the county board at Tuesday’s meeting. Tate accepted a promotion to vice president at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville in December. Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Jimmy Tate, holding niece Johnna Robinson, talks with the media following his resignation Tuesday.
Spring is wildfire season
Tate’s new position at the community college requires Duplin County residency. Tate’s resignation letter is printed in its entirety on page 3A. Tate read his resignation letter to the board and those gathered for the meeting, including a number of his family members and supporters and spoke with the media after leaving the meeting. “I want to give my replacement the opportunity to work on the budget. We have some major projects facing this
county. Tonight I won’t stand here and be selfish and remain in this role because I love the people of Pender County so much and I will return this seat back to the people where it belongs,” Tate said. Tate became a member of the Pender County Board of Commissioners by a vote of the county Democratic Party after the resignation of commissioner Bill Moore in 2007. Moore resigned from the board amid questions regarding his residency after
Easter egg hunting fun
Officials urge caution when burning By Jefferson Weaver Contributing Writer
Despite a wet winter, officials are still calling for caution as more area residents turn to fire to clear out the dead brush and debris of winter. Pender County Fire Marshal Charles Newman says no serious wildfires have occurred in the county so far this season. A wildfire Monday in Brunswick County scorched about 500 acres near the Compass Point subdivision off Hwy. 74/76. Drier weather, warmer temperatures and the natural burning cycle of spring makes it a prime time for wild fires, especially in coastal areas. Pine forests under the influence of onshore winds are especially dangerous at this time of year. An accumulation of storm debris dating back several years has fire and emergency officials on the look out for wildfires. March through June are typically considered the spring fire season, although wildfires can and do occur any time of the year. More than 93,000 acres burned in the 1986 Hampstead fire that started in May – and much of the area that burned is now heavily populated. A 2008 wildfire that scorched
Continued on page 9A
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Threatening skies didn’t keep egg hunters away from Soundside Park Saturday for Surf City’s annual Easter egg hunt. See more photos of the event on page 4B and on Facebook.
Pender County Spring Fest is May 2 By Ross Harrell Special to the Post & Voice Spring is here at long last. Daffodils, tulips and forsythia begin to brighten our gray winter world and Spring Fest is growing closer. Saturday May 2 is the date for the 37th annual Pender County Spring Festival and, as ever, we will celebrate all that is handmade, homemade and home grown in our beautiful county. We kick off Spring Fest weekend on Friday evening May 1 with fresh roasted barbecue and street dancing. Festivities
will start at 6 p.m on Wright St. at the corner of Courthouse Ave. Several local churches will be cooking pig. If previous years are an indicator, the scrumptious victuals won’t last long, so come early and eat lots. Jason Aycock will spin tunes for line dances, square dances. reels and raucous good fun. This is a great family activity and a perfect excuse to take an evening off from kitchen duties. Saturday morning activities begin early with a 5K run-walk. Registration is at 7 a.m. on Fremont Street in front of Bandanas Restaurant and even start at
8 a.m. By 9 a.m. the Courthouse Square will be resplendent in arts and crafts and redolent of home baked goodies and cooked on the spot delicacies. There will be something for everyone, of any age and of any interest, from biscuits to birds of prey, shrimp to stained glass and all in between. The main stage will feature singers, dancers and storytellers. A person can’t help but smile on Spring Fest day. For more information or to participate (booth space costs nothing) contact me at (910) 259 4844 during business hours.
selling his blueberry farm in Ivanhoe. Tate has been reelected to the seat since. He has served as chairman and vice-chairman of the board. Tate was praised by fellow members of the Pender County board for his work and his cooperative spirit. “I remember the early days and the political turmoil that was on this board and I remember the one constant that kind of glued us together, Mr. Tate,” said commissioner George Brown. “We don’t always get along as commissioners, but I can talk with Mr. Tate. He never worried about politics. He stepped across when he needed to. I won’t forget how hard it was to support me and other members of this board when you had a lot of opposition. We are going to miss you.” Chairman David Williams said he didn’t know Tate prior to his appointment to the board of commissioners. “We met eight years ago. There were a lot of important decisions that could have gone either way and Mr. Brown and I were on one side of the fence and some folks were on the other. You came in and listened and I never forgot that,” Williams said. “I’m going to miss you J.T.” Commissioner David Piepmeyer, who has served on the board since December 2014, said he has not had the opportunity to serve long with Tate, but they hail from the same part of Pender County. “I’ve known you for a long time and we both originate from a common place and we have a lot of love for that place. I want to wish you well,” said Piepmeyer. Commissioner Fred McCoy noted that Tate was not one to hold a grudge and worked for the betterment of the people of Pender County. “Some boards car ry a grudge against each other, but you can’t let that happen. At the end of the day, you have to move on,” McCoy said. Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith took the opportunity to address the board and Tate. “It’s been great having you as a friend and I hope that will continue, and you sure did your momma proud,” Smith said. The Pender County Democratic Party will chose a successor to Tate to serve the remainder of his term until the next election.
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