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 29, 2021 - JANUARY 4, 2022 UCW 9 The Town of Hope Mills has established a partnership with the YMCA of the Sand- hills for an indoor aquatic center in the town. The board of commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 20 in favor of the facil- ity following an address by YMCA CEO Rick Houp. The town board also received good news from architect Scott Garner on develop- ment of the John Hodges Public Safety Center. Garner said the facility is about 60% completed. He said construction is on schedule and within the budget. The public safety center will house Hope Mills fire and police departments. It is named for the town's longtime police chief John Hodges who served as chief for 23 years. He died last year at the age of 84. A new police chief will soon step up in Hope Mills. Stephen Dollinger, Chief of the St. Pauls Police Department, will suc- ceed Joel Acciardo. The Hope Mills Police Department has 42 sworn officers, more than twice the size of the agency Dollinger is leaving. New City and flag designs approved The Fayetteville City Council adopted new designs for the City flag and seal that align with the Can Do Carolina regional brand. The flag and seal are the latest changes in a phased approach to follow the Can Do brand. Recent new City Hall signage and new Fayetteville Area System of Transit buses have undergone a new look as well. "The new look of the City and brand- ing partners provide a collective vision for driving Fayetteville's identity into the future," the city's press release stated. Fayetteville Technical College hosts "Topping Out" ceremony A new 24,000-square-foot building at Fayetteville Technical Community College is closer to being finished. The new state- of-the-art FTCC-Cumberland County Regional Fire and Rescue Training Center will house classrooms, offices and simu- lation labs which will serve as a state- of-the-art training for local and regional firefighters. The North Carolina General Assembly recognized the project's significance in its most recent session, allocating $20 mil- lion over two years for its next phase. Besides the classroom and office build- ing, the project's first phase will include a four-story training tower and a three-story burn building where live burning exer- cises can be conducted. State and county officials and other dignitaries signed their names to a steel beam, then watched as the beam was hoisted and installed in a building that will anchor the FTCC-Cum- berland County Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center. The steel beam that was signed as part of a traditional "Topping Out" ceremony earlier this month was the last beam to be installed in this building. Several local and state officials came to sign the beam. Those officials included N.C. Insur- ance Commissioner Mike Causey, N.C. Sen. Kirk deViere, N.C. Rep. John Szoka, Cumberland County Commissioners Glenn Adams, Jimmy Keefe and Michael Boose, and N.C. Community College Sys- tem President Thomas Stith, as well as fire chiefs from several local departments. "This center will provide hands-on specialized training in a wide variety of emergency situations," FTCC President Dr. Larry Keen said. "Firefighters and first responders will be able to do their jobs more effectively and safely and their training will pay dividends to the people they are able to help." Cumberland County Sheriff's Office continues murder investigation The Cumberland County Sheriff 's Office is investigating a murder of a 38-year-old woman that has led to one arrest, but still no answers. On Friday, Dec. 17, detectives located a body in the Grays Creek Area after receiv- ing a tip. The remains of Jessi Marie Lindsley were found on Butler Nursery Road near Blossom Road. The next day detectives arrested Javeeno Jeno Antonio Resimo, 18, of Hope Mills. He was charged with being an acces- sory to murder and is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $1,000,000 bond. No one has been ac- cused of the homicide itself. Resimo will appear in court again on January 6, 2022. Lindsley was reported missing in early November. According to a GoFundMe page, she had four sons and one grand- child. The fundraiser for her sons has raised $585 at the time of publication. Anyone with information to the murder is asked to call the Cumberland County Sheriff 's Office at 910-323-1500, 911, or Crimestoppers at(910-483-8477. Board of Elections Director retires after 20 years Cumberland County Board of Elections Director Terri Robertson is retiring at the end of December after serving as director since 2001. Robertson, who first joined the department in 1994, has worked through 48 total elections — five being presidential elections. "It was only going to be a couple of weeks, but I'm still here," Robertson said. "I've just enjoyed working for Cumberland County Government." The Board of Elections appointed Ad- ministrative Coordinator Angie Amaro as the interim director effective Jan. 1, 2022. The director position is open and people can apply. The position is posted under the Jobs tab on the County's website at cumberlandcountync.gov. Hope Mills continues to build community resources by HANNAH LEE and JEFF THOMPSON NEWS DIGEST