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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28 UCW APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Hope Mills youth leader makes case for swimming pool by HENRY SWARTOUT I currently serve as senior class president at South View High School as well as chairman of the Hope Mills Mayor's Youth Leadership Committee. I was invited to join the Youth Leadership Committee along with students from South View, Jack Britt and Gray's Creek. One of the first tasks we were given to explore was what should replace the old Hope Mills Golf Course on Golfview Road. As a committee, we unanimously agreed that one thing Hope Mills needs is a sportsplex. e funding for the land has been offered by multiple organizations. We decided that with a joint effort, the most suitable things to put on the old golf course land are recreational facilities such as transi- tional fields, a disc golf course, a 9-hole golf course and a sportsplex. e sportsplex would house things like a rec- reational gym, an indoor track and, ultimately, an Olympic-sized pool. e Olympic pool would be the keystone to the facility. e decision to build a sportsplex comes as recreational sports in Hope Mills have begun to oversaturate the currently allocated space. Not only will this new addition improve sports facili- ties, it will also allow for growth in local sports and regional development. e complex would provide the entire Cape Fear region with additional athletic opportunities, especially in the area of swimming. A quick Google search reveals that a Hope Mills resident currently has to travel as far as the Triangle or southeast to Wilmington to find accessible public indoor swim- ming facilities. An indoor swimming complex would be a boost to competitive swimming locally, which is a growing sport for Cumberland County and other Cape Fear region high schools. Students who compete in swimming for Jack Britt, South View or Gray's Creek have to travel across town to Fayetteville State University for practice at around 5 a.m. is travel creates an extra challenge in both practice and competition for students at the county's high schools. To help contribute to local sports and increase participation in competitive swimming, we decided that an Olympic pool would best be included in the sportsplex. If students who were interested in swim- ming only had to travel to a complex at the old golf course – which is between Jack Britt and South View – the sport of swimming would have an even better chance to grow, while also giving the high school swimmers more regular access to a practice facility. Creating a sportsplex not only gives a better op- portunity for those who don't have the means of traveling to Fayetteville State, but it also helps those who live close to where the current golf course is located to become more active and involved within the community. Meetings For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Interim Town Clerk Debbie Holland at 910-426-4113. • Citizens Academy every Tuesday through June, 6-8 p.m. • Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. • Veterans Affairs Commission ursday, April 26, 7 p.m. Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. Activities • Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio's, second Tues- days at noon at and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For more informa- tion, call 910-237-1240. • Mid-Carolina Senior Games April 11-30 at Hercules Fitness Center on Fort Bragg. • National Day of Prayer Service ursday, May 3, at Hope Mills Town Center flagpoles. Noon. All are welcome. • Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo ursday, May 3, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m. EVENTS OPINION The complex would provide the entire Cape Fear region with additional athletic opportunities, espe- cially in the area of swimming. HENRY SWARTOUT, senior class president, South View High School. COMMENTS? 910-364-6638.