Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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18 UCW JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The bulkhead at Hope Mills Lake is complete. Hope Mills News & Views EARL VAUGHAN JR., Senior Staff Writer. COMMENTS? EarlUCWS- ports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. Hope Mills bulkhead work finally complete by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Meetings For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. • Board of Commissioners special meeting Monday, Aug. 5, 5 p.m. Members of the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners will hold ribbon cuttings at Hope Mills Lake and Municipal Park to accept donations of sculptures to the town. • Festival Committee Monday, Aug. 5, 6 p.m., Town Hall, front conference room • Board of Commissioners Monday, Aug. 5, 7 p.m., Luther Board Room, Town Hall • Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, Aug. 14, 5 p.m., Parks and Recreation building Activities • Good2Grow Farmers Market Saturday, Aug. 3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., between Town Hall and Parks and Recreation building. • Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio's, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. • Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Senior programs at Parks and Recreation Building. Senior programs are for those ages 55 and up who are residents of Cumberland County. Various activities, especially Zumba classes, are scheduled Monday through Sunday throughout the day. For details on times and days, check the schedule at townofhopemills.com. Call the recreation center at 910- 426-4109 or e-mail Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com. • Hope Mills Parks and Recreation is currently accepting registration for men's and coed adult softball for the fall 2019 season. Registration will end Aug. 3 or when all leagues are filled, and the season will begin Aug. 12. e cost is $500 per team. For additional information, call 910-308-7651. Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. CALENDAR NEWS The long-awaited bulkhead down the shoreline at Hope Mills Lake is finally com- plete. Now Public Works Director Don Sisko says it's up to Mother Nature as to how quickly lake levels return to normal. "We have no control over the inflow of water,'' he said just days after the work on the bulkhead was completed. "The gate is open minimally so we can maintain the flow in the creek downstream. "Hopefully we get a couple of days of rain in the next few days and that will take us over the spill- way. Once it gets over the spillway to a normal level, we will close the gate completely and be under normal operation condi- tion at the spillway.'' While the lake was lowered, Sisko said, people could actually see one of the primary reasons the bulkhead was needed: to deal with erosion of the embankment. "There were folks that were of the mindset you could put some soil there, maybe some sod, that would control the erosion,'' he said. "The erosion would have a safety impact for the general public.'' The bulkhead will make the park area near the lake more family-friendly, he said, so people can safely spread out a blanket and watch their chil- dren swimming or just enjoy the natural beauty of the lake. In addition to the bulkhead, there are now steps down to the water and a beach area for launching kayaks and canoes into the water. "People can put their craft in the water without reaching to get over any riprap, rocks or that sort of thing," Sisko said. The access ramp is also handicap accessible. Sisko sees no major issues as far as maintain- ing the bulkhead. "It's made of natural material (Southern yellow pine) and it will shrink in dry periods and swell in wet periods,'' he said. "We may have to do some sanding here and there if it splinters out.'' The wood will be heavily treated with a preser- vative called chromated copper arsenate, which is used to protect outdoor wooden structures from microbes and insects. "I don't anticipate anything out of the ordinary for years to come, barring a catastrophic event,'' Sisko said. The yellow tape that is in place in areas around the park will likely stay there for awhile as new sod is being installed. "We don't want any foot traffic on it,'' Sisko said "We want it irrigated and rooted properly so we have a good standing of grass.'' Sisko hopes the end product is a park area the citizens of Hope Mills can enjoy. "They get to come out and create their own memories,'' he said. "We want to give them an open space to enjoy.'' Hope Mills town leaders expressed satisfaction that the bulkhead project is done. "I know our community is ready to use the lake because of the extreme heat we are experiencing,'' said Mayor Jackie Warner. "The good news is it won't be much longer.'' Commissioner Pat Edwards said the town will likely look into more plans for erosion control at the lake but added that for now, "The bulkhead looks great.'' Commissioner Jessie Bellflowers thanked all the members, past and present, of the town's Lake Advisory Committee for their work on developing the bulkhead project and the public swimming area. He further praised the various companies that worked on the project, along with town staff who were involved. "The Hope Mills Lake park is a great addition to the town's already impres- sive parks and recreational programs,'' he said. "Our lake park is one of the best family parks that directly impacts the quality of life by contribut- ing to the social, economic ... and environmental well-being of our community.''