Beth Burns sworn in as Pender County Commissioner, as board addresses postal, water issues
BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — Beth Burns officially joined the Pender County Board of Commissioners Monday night as the board took action on issues involving postal services in Maple Hill and drinking water access in western Pender County.
Burns was sworn in at the start of Monday’s meeting to represent District 1, which includes Topsail Beach and Surf City. She was appointed to fill the seat left vacant after Commissioner Brad George resigned earlier this year.
Burns thanked community members who supported her during the appointment process and said she is ready to begin addressing residents’ concerns.
“People who have supported me over the past month kept calling me or sending me texts or emails. It meant everything and so I know that I’ve got community support and I’m so proud of all of Pender County and I want to represent it well and I’m gonna do everything that I can to represent it well,” Burns said.
Burns was originally nominated to fill the seat in August, shortly after George’s resignation, but commissioners voted 3-1 to delay the appointment.
Her appointment was delayed again when only two commissioners attended the Sept. 21 meeting in Hampstead, leaving the board without a quorum to vote on agenda items.
After Burns was sworn in Monday, commissioners unanimously approved a resolution supporting the preservation of U.S. Postal Service operations in Maple Hill.
The community’s mobile post office was removed in late September, forcing residents to travel about 20 miles to Burgaw for retail postal services and P.O. box delivery.
Commissioners also unanimously directed the county’s utilities director to submit documentation for a grant supporting the West Pender Water Project.
The county missed the original application deadline because of the lack of a quorum at the Sept. 21 meeting, but the state granted the county an extension.
Commissioner Jimmy Tate said the grant process has highlighted water challenges in other parts of Pender County as well.
“And in this grant process, I’ve identified that we have water issues throughout our county, east to west. I’ve heard from people on the east side of the county who are also having water challenges so I want us to do everything we can to help the people in Western Pender on this particular project but I’ll be looking forward to putting that same energy into helping people in the east coming forward,” Tate said.
Tate said he is hopeful grant funding for the first phase of the project will be awarded soon. He did not provide a timeline for when funding could be awarded or when construction could begin.
Monday’s meeting also included increased security inside the building where commissioners meet. Metal detectors were in place and there was a larger law enforcement presence.
The additional security comes after Commissioners Jerry Groves and Jimmy Tate expressed concerns about their safety.
