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 22 UCW JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 4, 2020 Hope Mills News & Views Meetings For details about all meet ings and act iv it ies, including locat ion where not listed, call Tow n Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meet ings take place at Tow n Hall or t he Hope Mills Parks and Recre- at ion Center. • Board of Commissioners, Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m., TBD, prelimi- nar y F Y20-21 budget discussion during dinner in New Bern. • Board of Commissioners, Friday, Jan. 31, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., New Bern-Craven Count y Convent ion and Visitors Center. The Board w ill attend t he Essent ials of Municipal Government course. The course is presented in par t nership w it h t he Nor t h Carolina Leag ue of Munici- palit ies and t he Universit y of Nor t h Carolina School of Government. • Board of Commissioners, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Lut her Board Meet ing Room. Events • 55+ Valentine's Luncheon, Friday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Parks and Recreat ion Center, Communit y Room. Pre-reg ist rat ion required. Tickets are $8. Reg ister at recept ion desk at Parks and Recreat ion Cen- ter during normal business hours. • Citizens Academy Program, Feb. 11-April 2, 6-8 p.m. each eve- ning, at various locat ions. Learn how tow n administ rat ion, various tow n depar t ments and government works. Limited to 15 par t icipants. Fill out reg ist rat ion form at w w w.tow nof hopemills.com and email to jstarling@tow nof hopemills.com. Call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 w it h quest ions. Promote yourself : Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. CALENDAR Traditional 55+ Valentine's Day luncheon scheduled by EARL VAUGHAN JR. NEWS A Hope Mills tradition, the annual 55+ Valentine's Day luncheon, will be held Friday, Feb. 14, in the com- munity room at the Hope Mills Recreation Center. The time will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the cost is $8 per person. All those interested in attending need to come to the front desk at the Hope Mills Recreation Center during regular business hours to sign up. This year's event will be limited to 100 participants. "It's an opportunity to come celebrate the holiday with music and a fully catered meal,'' said Kasey Ivey of the Recreation and Parks department. Ivey said there is not a designated cutoff date for signing up for the luncheon, but those planning to attend are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to avoid not being able to attend. The registration fee covers the meal, which will include two main dishes, two sides, rolls, desserts and drinks. The music will be provided by a disc jockey. This year's event will feature a new catering ser- vice, Ivey said. After years of using Fred Chason's Grandsons Buffet, which Ivey said has been wonder- ful, the Valentine's Day luncheon will be changing to A Catered Affair by Chef Glenn and Company. Chef Glenn also operates The Diner in the former Becky's Cafe, as well as two popular food trucks. Ivey said Chef Glenn has done several events for the town, including an event held after the swearing in of the new Board of Commissioners last December. Chef Glenn has also catered the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Ivey said the new arrangement with Chef Glenn will include a carving station where people will be served as they go through the line instead of the self- service format from past Valentine's Day luncheons. "I hope they will enjoy that,'' Ivey said. If anyone has questions about this year's 55+ Valentine's Day Luncheon they can call the main number at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 910-426-4109. EARL VAUGHAN JR., Senior Staff Writer. COMMENTS? EarlUCWS- ports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. Fifth Citizens Academy begins in February by EARL VAUGHAN JR. For the fifth consecutive year, the town of Hope Mills is preparing to conduct its annual Citizens Academy program. Designed to teach town citizens the basics of local government and administration, it was created by current town manager Melissa Adams. This year's sessions will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and continue for eight consecutive weeks, with the final session scheduled for Thursday, March 17. That's the only session that won't be on a Tuesday and was necessary to mesh with the fire department's schedule. After the opening session, which will introduce the participants to all the department heads from the town, each session will deal with a specific area of town administration or government. The initial session will include an explanation of the town's council-manager form of government and the roles of the members of the Board of Commissioners. The departments involved include police, fire, parks and recreation, planning and zoning inspection, infra- structure and public works, finance and budgeting, stormwater and town hall administration. Most of the classes are held at the department being studied that week, with hands-on opportunities to work with some of the equipment like the police and fire departments use, among others. In the session on town finances, each partici- pant will get a chance to craft a budget for the town. All those interested in taking part need to com- plete the online registration form at www.townofhopemills.com and email it to town clerk Jane Starling at jstarling@townofhopemills. com. It can also be faxed to 910-424-4902. The pro- gram is limited to a maximum of 15 people to allow more individual attention and to make touring the various locations where the class is held easier. The usual cutoff for applications is the Friday before the first class, which this year will fall on Feb. 7. A graduation ceremony for all participants is scheduled on Thursday, April 2, at a meeting of the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners. Each member of the class will receive a plaque from the town for completing the course. If you have questions about the program, call Starling during regular business hours at 910-426-4113. The usual cutoff for applications is the Friday before the first class, which tihs year will fall on Feb. 7. The Valentine's Day Luncheon will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 14.