Pender County commissioner addresses key issues facing growing community

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — Pender County is growing, and that growth is bringing new challenges for county leaders, including access to clean drinking water, health care, infrastructure, and public safety.

Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate says expanding access to water remains one of his priorities, particularly for residents in western Pender County.

“When one resource is available to the county, should be available to all of the county,” Tate said.

Last week, Tate traveled to Raleigh to learn more about grant opportunities that could help the county expand water service to residents.

Tate said the county plans to apply for several grants from the NC Department of Environmental Quality and a Community Development Block Grant.

“We’re going to apply for the 25 million dollars by September 30th and we’re also going to go out there and apply for the CDBG grant funding that is available as well, which is an additional about $3 million. And allowing us to do this will be able to allow us to serve approximately 50 residents with water in the Columbia Township district.”

Cheryl Highsmith, who lives in Tate’s district, told county commissioners Monday that she has dealt with water quality issues at her home for decades.

“Safe drinking water is also recognized as a key social determinant of health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Highsmith said. “We strongly believe the Division of Water Infrastructure will be more than willing to assist.”

Health care is another area Tate says could see improvements as Pender County continues to grow.

Following the opening of Novant Health’s Scotts Hill Medical Center earlier this year, the health system announced Tuesday that it has applied for state approval to build a freestanding emergency department in Hampstead.

Tate said the project could reduce emergency response times by giving EMS crews a closer medical facility to reach.

“We haven’t had a new emergency room, stand-alone emergency room built in Pender County in 75 years,” Tate said. “The response time from when EMS arrives on scene to getting to a medical facility will greatly decrease because there will be less travel time.”

Tate said that could be especially important during the summer, when Pender County’s beaches see increased numbers of visitors.

Meanwhile, Tate is also facing questions involving two organizations he operates — Mount Calvary Center for Leadership Development, a nonprofit, and Tate Farm by the Pond, a campground he owns.

In July, Mount Calvary received a 15-day notice to respond to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Tate said he cannot comment on the complaints at this time but plans to address them once the matter is resolved.

Another issue facing Pender County is the use of Flock cameras, as opposition to the technology continues to grow across the Cape Fear region.

During Monday’s commissioners meeting, Hampstead resident Christopher Lutterloh asked the board to remove several Flock cameras in the area.

“Unlike traditional license plate readers, that operate locally, Flock is a centralized third-party cloud network,” Lutterloh said. “Once our citizens’ data goes into a Flock system, we lose exclusive control over it.”

Tate said he could not comment on the cameras because he does not know enough about the technology.

He said he has asked Pender County Sheriff Alan Cutler to give commissioners a presentation on Flock cameras in the near future.