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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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 18-24, 2019 UCW 23 NEWS Grant to help develop biking and walking trails by EARL VAUGHAN JR. With parcels of land stretching from the proposed Heritage Park and the current Hope Mills Lake Park downtown, all the way out to the new Golfview Greenway, Hope Mills has potential to develop walk- ing and biking trails for its citizens. The town has been granted the money to conduct a study that will help develop those various resourc- es to their fullest potential. Hope Mills was recently given a Pedestrian Planning Grant through the North Carolina Department of Transportation's division of bicycle and pedestrian transportation. Chancer McLaughlin, development and planning administrator for Hope Mills, said the grant provides from $40,000 to $60,000 with a 20% match. "It's basically geared toward encouraging munici- palities to develop comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plans,'' he said. The money will allow the town to explore the best ways to develop bicycle and pedestrian plans. So far, the town has successfully pursued grants to fund a number of sidewalk construction projects, including both the downtown area and along Rockfish Road near the town's municipal complex. But this will be the first time the town has gotten grant money to fund a study that will work toward connecting all of the potential bicycle and pedestrian projects together. The list includes the former golf course turned greenway, Hope Mills Municipal Park, Trade Street, the lake park and the proposed Heritage Park. "Wherever we can find areas to accommodate bike lanes, sidewalks and trails that will ultimately connect all five areas, that will be the ultimate goal,'' McLaughlin said. With the help of DOT, Hope Mills will hire a con- sultant to develop the plan for the town. Town staff will assist in the project, and there will be a full round of public meetings to seek input from the citizens of Hope Mills. McLaughlin said the town's Parks and Recreation department, specifically director Lamarco Morrison, will be invovled. "You can see all those key projects are Parks and Recreation projects,'' McLaughlin said. In a perfect world, the plan will try to figure out a way to allow residents to walk or ride safely around the town via a series of paths, trails, sidewalks or bicycle lanes. "All of these areas are at the core of the town of Hope Mills,'' McLaughlin said. The tricky part, obviously, will be designing trails/ sidewalks that will accommodate both bicycle and pedestrian traffic. "A lot of times, when you have a combination of these, the width of that trail will be paramount as well,'' McLaughlin said. "Some por- tions you may have bike trails connected. Some you have some sidewalks. Some my have multi-use trails that will allow for bikes and pedestrians.'' McLaughlin stressed that the current grant from NCDOT only pays for the cost of the study that will develop the plan. The town will need to seek additional funding, possibly through the pursuit of future grants, to actually pay for construction of any bicycle or pedestrian sidewalks or trails that are con- structed. "Once we come up with the plan, we have to find the mechanism to fund the construction,'' McLaughlin said. McLaughlin said whatever plan is developed, it won't come from a total vacuum, but will fol- low the general guidelines established in the existing Southwest Cumberland Detailed Land Use Plan that was first released in 2013. "This is another way to achieve those goals,'' McLaughlin said. If anyone has questions about the new grant or the future of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in Hope Mills, McLaughlin can be reached during regular office hours at 910-426-4103. ALMS HOUSE preparing for Christmas by EARL VAUGHAN JR. After a successful effort feeding the underprivileged of Hope Mills at Thanksgiving, the ALMS HOUSE in Hope Mills is gearing up to do the same thing for its annual Christmas Day dinner at noon on Dec. 25. The ALMS HOUSE is located at 5512 West Patterson St. near the historic Trade Street district in downtown Hope Mills, just off the main intersection downtown near Hope Mills Lake and Dam. Grilley Mitchell, program coordinator for the ALMS HOUSE love lunches program, recently sent out an email to various supporters of the ALMS HOUSE seek- ing donations of food to make the annual free giveaway of Christmas meals possible. Mitchell noted the Thanksgiving project resulted in the serving of 110 meals with the help of some 20 to 25 servers who volunteered their time to help with the project. Unfortunately between the servers and the many guests, the situation became a little crowded and con- fusing, Mitchell wrote. For the Christmas dinner, the carry-out meals will be made ahead of time and individual meals won't be served with people standing in line. Anyone planning to donate uncooked items must drop them off at the ALMS HOUSE by Monday, Dec. 23. Cooked or prepared items can be donated as late as the day of the dinner by 11 a.m. The ALMS HOUSE will also be preparing care pack- ages to give away. A variety of items are put in the care packs. They include the following: nonperishable food items like small cans of tuna, cereal bars, cheese and crackers, chicken salad kits, pull-top pasta, veggie chips, fruit cups, applesauce and fruit. Also included in the kits are personal items like soap, washcloths, dis- posable razors, deodorant, shaving cream and lotion, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush, mouthwash, small packs of laundry soap, tissues, ChapStick, wipes, sanitizer, band aids, nail clippers, pairs of socks and inspirational Bible verses. The care packs are issued on Christmas Day. They are packed two days before distribution so all items for them should be delivered by Dec. 22. As for the menu for the Christmas Dinner, follow- ing are specific items that are needed to prepare the meal, which consists of five 12-pound or more turkeys, four 10-pound or more hams, two large pans each of dressing/stuffing, 20 pounds of potato salad, two large pans of macaroni and cheese, two large pans of greens or green bean casserole, two large pans of sweet potatoes/yams, 20 cups of gravy, 10 cans of cranberry sauce, 80 dinner rolls, various desserts — including cakes, pies and cookies and assorted drinks, including iced tea and soft drinks. "Thanks to everyone for your continued support,'' Mitchell wrote. "We would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and may the grace of God, his love, peace and blessings be with everyone.'' Anyone wishing to donate to the Christmas Day dinner or the care packs can sign up at the Love Lunch table at the ALMS HOUSE. You can also email Mitchell at hopemillslovelunch@gmail.com or call him at 910-476-3719. Hope Mills News & Views The ALMS HOUSE will serve a Christmas Day dinner at noon on Dec. 25. Designing trails that accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic may be a challenge.