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.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/931256
JANUARY 24-30, 2018 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Activities • Hope Mills Youth baseball and indoor soccer registration is open through Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Baseball ages 5-14, instructional soccer ages 5-6, indoor soc- cer ages 7-12. Eligibility cut-off date for baseball and indoor soccer is May 1. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information. • Hope Mills Youth wrestling registration is open until Feb. 2 for ages 6-12. Practices are held at Brower Park. Matches are held at Myers Recreation Center. $30 per child. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information. Meetings • Jan. 25 e Hope Mills Board of Commissioners will hold a special meet- ing at the Sheraton Inn, 1 Europa Dr., Chapel Hill, at 6 p.m. to conduct a work- shop to discuss and plan upcoming goals for the board. Volunteer The Town of Hope Mills is soliciting applications for vacancies on the fol- lowing committees. If you would like to apply for any of the vacancies, please contact Deborah Holland, interim town clerk, at 910-426-4113, or email dholland@townofhopemills.com for more information. • Lake Advisory Committee – second Tuesdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6 p.m. e purpose of the committee is to advise and make recommendations regarding various issues pertaining to the safety and environment of the lake and pre- serving it as a valuable resource to the town. ree vacancies to expire February 2020. • Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee – fourth Mondays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6:30 p.m. is committee seeks to recommend and plan programs of recreation activities and events. In addi- tion to the regular member- ship, there are two liaison members who represent the Hope Mills Senior Citizens Club and the Hope Mills Youth Association. One vacancy to expire February 2020. • Historic Preservation Commission – second Wednesdays at Hope Mills Rec- reation Center, 5 p.m. e committee advises the governing body on issues related to historic identification and preservation. Two vacancies to expire February 2020. • Appearance Commission – fourth Tuesdays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. is committee seeks to enhance and improve the visual quality and aes- thetic characteristics of the town. One vacancy to expire February 2020. • Veterans Affairs Commission – fourth ursdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. e committee is comprised of town residents who are armed ser- vices veterans. Members advise the town on affairs related to its active and retired military citizens. Three vacancies expire in February 2020. Promote yourself To have your business, organization or event included in this section, email us: hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. e town of Hope Mills is heading into the new year enjoying a continuing pattern of growth. Melissa Adams says the challenge of the year ahead is growth management. Adams is Hope Mills' new town manager. She's a native of neighboring Moore County and has 27 years of experience in municipal administration. Adams came to Hope Mills from Carthage as town clerk in 2011. A year ago, she became Hope Mills' interim manager, succeeding John Ellis, who resigned. In March of 2017, she was promoted to town manager by the board of commissioners and was salaried at $92,000 a year. It's her first job as a mu- nicipal manager, responsible for a town government of 150 employees and a population on the verge of 17,000 residents. Given her experience, Adams was well aware that the average term of service of small-town adminis- trators is about three years. She said it was a concern when she considered whether to accept the job of- fer, but, "I felt like I was ready for more." She added that she feels she's more than proven herself since becoming town manager. Perhaps her greatest achievement thus far is helping to fix what she called "the broken relationship be- tween the town and chamber of com- merce." Adams believes both agencies are now working in harmony for the good of the community. e town's centerpiece, Hope Mills Lake, is ready to be impounded now that the dam has been rebuilt. e 121-acre lake is fed by natural streams and contained by the new $9.6 mil- lion dam. Adams said she hopes the lake can be opened to the public this summer. A new ordinance will allow swimming and "no wake boating." Water skiing and speed boating won't be allowed. Town officials are excited about developing a lakeside board- walk, a new dock and a pier. Adams said regulatory procedures are the final hurdle and that town government is trying to clarify and pay various fees that are still pending so the state will issue a final permit. Adams believes growth management will be the key to better government in the new year. "I'm ex- cited about the year ahead," she said. She intends to continue holding citizens academies twice a year to better educate the people on the operation of local government. She said she is dedicated to transpar- ency in government. "We have definitely reduced the number of closed sessions," she said. Adams said she wants to develop closer working relationships with the city of Fayetteville and the Public Works Commission. Town government is collaborating with the local economic development corporation to determine the kinds of growth needed in Hope Mills. She hopes to address how the town will develop the former golf course on Golfview Drive, which is owned by the town. Other projects include a museum on Trade Street, and traffic congestion must be dealt with. Adams said the main streets in town are desig- nated state roads, which means they are governed and maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Adams was quick to point out that the new traffic median along Main Street was DOT's doing, not the town's. e state has been con- structing roadway medians on major arteries across Cumberland County, insisting that they reduce ac- cidents. Adams said congestion management is the state's responsibility and that DOT must work with the town to relieve gridlock. It's at its worst when school buses clog the streets and during rush hours. The Hope Mills Board of Commissioners holds its 2018 planning retreat Saturday, March 2, at Camp Rockfish. EVENTS Adams excited for growth, looking for solutions by JEFF THOMPSON Melissa Adams, Hope Mills town manager PROFILE JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.