POST Voice The Pender-Topsail
Pender High drama A crowd turned out Friday night in Burgaw for the performance of Moores Creek Anthology, despite the rain. See photos on Facebook.
Volume 43, No. 36
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Two active shooter drills held at Pender County schools this past year were helpful in developing procedures to deal with a real-life emergency, according to Pender County Schools safety director Rick Dutka. Dutka discussed the drills in a safety report to the Pender County Board of Education Monday night in Burgaw. The drills, held at North To p s a i l E l e m e n t a r y a n d Pender Early College High School, involved school personnel as well as the Pender County Sheriff ’s Department and EMS. The drill simulates an armed individual gaining entrance into the school. “The purpose of these drills is to let the schools see what it would look like,” said Superintendent Dr. Terri Cobb. Board member Tom Roper asked if the active shooter drills could be required at all schools in the county. Cobb
The Topsail Pirates will play in the state 3A championship series beginning Friday. Read about it in sports on page 1B.
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Active shooter drills helpful, officials say By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
State championship
Heading for home
said each school has a plan for such emergencies and having a full-scale drill involves coordinating the activity with county law enforcement and emergency services. “If we can’t get the outside agencies involved – which I understand – can we not do some level of training at the schools,” Roper asked. Cobb said shooter situations are discussed as principal’s meetings. “We don’t go through the whole process, but we have materials that we discuss with them. We have lockdown drills at the schools. Rick (Dutka) is there to walk through and evaluate the drill,” Cobb said. “We do this at some level with all our schools and will continue to. We have the sheriff ’s department and fire department come and talk to our principals during the year. We do take this very seriously.” School officials are looking at the possibility of holding another active shooter drill in August
BOC roundup
Surplus fire truck helps fight cancer By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer A surplus fire truck will have a new mission. Pender EMS and Fire Chief Woodrow W. Sullivan presented the title of a 1990 Ford fire truck to the Pender County Chapter of Pink Heals Foundation. The Pink Heals Cape Fear Inc. suppor ts Pink Heals National organization that started in 2007. The organization currently has six pink fire trucks which the public autographs in memory or in honor of cancer patients and survivors. Monies raised by Pink Heals benefits breast cancer patients in the Pender community. The surplus fire truck was valued around $25,000, said Commission Jimmy Tate. Tate said the lives of all of us have been touched by breast cancer, including his own late mother. Pat Simmons, the chair of the Pender chapter, said serving on the Pink Heals board has been one of the most rewarding. “We made $3,500 to give back to the community,” said Simmons. The donated fire truck will be painted pink, said Simmons, and used during Pink Heals events. Sullivan said the fire truck will be stationed in Pender County. Appointments addressed by commissioners Pender County Commissioner George Brown was ap-
pointed to the Department of Social Services (DSS) advisory board at the county commissioners’ June 2 meeting. Brown said former commissioner F.D. Rivenbark was serving on the board. “I think it’s time for a commissioner to step up and serve,” said Brown. He volunteered. David Williams, the chairman of the board of commissioners, said they appreciated Rivenbark’s service and he instructed the clerk to send a notice to Rivenbark. Williams said he has been serving on two boards which have conflicting meeting dates. He serves on the New Hanover Regional Medical Center board and the Pender County Fire advisory board. “I’m not doing the committees justice,” he said of the conflicting schedules. Commissioner Fred McCoy volunteered to serve on the fire advisory board in Williams’ stead. Commissioner Jimmy Tate was designated as the county’s voting delegate in the 2014 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference. Commissioner Chester Ward was selected as the alternate. Planning and planting Kyle Breuer, the director of planning and community development brought two items of business before the Pender County Commissioners June 2. He said volunteers from Hands on Network will build a
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Staff photos by Andy Pettigrew and Autumn Cromartie
Sea turtle hospital volunteers watch as a loggerhead sea turtle (above) makes its way across the beach to the ocean during Sunday’s sea turtle release. A small green sea turtle (left) is carried by a volunteer to the surf. The turtles were two of nine that were released Sunday. The hospital held three releases this week to celebrate the grand opening of the new turtle hospital facility in Surf City. Read about the grand opening on page 5B and see more photos of the event on Facebook.
Foundation for education laid in Surf City CFCC campus construction underway, classes to begin in 2015 By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer Ceremonial bricks were placed at the corner of a footer on a plot of land on N.C. Hwy. 210 in Surf City. It was the start of a foundation for higher education as representatives from Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), the town of Surf City, Pender County, and North Topsail Beach officials gathered at the future site of the school. “The community has come together to make this happen,” said Dr. Ted Spring, president of Cape Fear Community College. Mayor Zander Guy said bringing higher education to the eastern portion of the county was a collaborative effort between Surf City, Pender County and North Topsail Beach. Guy recalled meeting with Teresa Batts to discuss placement of a future college. Batts suggested a 24-acre lot owned by Alston W. Burke.
Burke donated the property in 2008 as the site of the satellite campus of Cape Fear Community College. Burke has passed away but his widow, Frances, attended the brick laying ceremony May 28. She signed a brick and placed it among the autographed bricks by Cape Fear Community College board of directors and Surf City officials. “It’s taken eight years to make his happen,” said Zander Guy, mayor of Surf City. Now that construction has started, it will only take months before the first class enters the doors of the new campus. Classes are expected to begin in early 2015. Spring said eastern Pender County residents will be spared a 45 minute drive to CFCC campuses in downtown Wilmington or Castle Hayne or Burgaw. The first CFCC building, which should be completed by December, will be a 12,000 square foot, single-story build-
ing. The facility will house six classrooms, one allied health lecture hall, one allied health lab, a media center, a conference room, and an office.
The CFCC facility was designed by LS3P. Bordeaux Construction is building the
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Staff photo by Tammy Proctor
Surf City commissioniers sign bricks which will become a part of the foundation of the new Surf City CFCC campus at the cornerstone ceremony May 28.
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