LUMBERTON — Nicole Hall, the Lumberton native who was recently crowned Miss America’s United States, was recognized by Lumberton City Council during the board’s monthly meeting Monday, with a proclamation made declaring a city holiday in her honor.
Monday was declared “Miss Nicole Hall Miss America’s United States 2024 Day” in a proclamation by Lumberton Mayor Bruce Davis.
“Miss Hall is a product of Lumberton and never misses the opportunity to promote her upbringing about the city of Lumberton,” Councilman John Cantey said during the presentation. “And just wait to hear some of the ideas and things she has planned for the city of Lumberton. Nicole, this Council, this city is proud of your achievements and the path that you have taken to uplift your community, your city and all of the goals promoting efforts to ensure that there is food for everyone in the world.”
Hall has won numerous pageant titles over the last few years. Her crowning as Miss America’s United States came on Aug. 10.
Hall comes from an agricultural background, growing up on the farm in Lumberton. Among her philanthropic efforts are plans to establish a community garden on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Lumberton, with “the ability to access fresh and locally-grown produce regardless of your socioeconomic background,” Cantey said.
Council also approved $1,400 in Community Revitalization Funds to support an event Hall is involved with, a scholarship pageant on Nov. 2 at Lumberton Junior High School sponsored by the Lumberton alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Hall was also presented with flowers, the Pride in Lumberton Award and the proclamation.
“It’s like my pageant day all over again,” Hall joked. “Look at these flowers, y’all.”
Update on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts
Later in the meeting, City Manager Wayne Horne gave an update on the city’s role in Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina.
The city’s fire and police departments and the Lumberton Municipal Airport have partnered to collect supplies and send them to the affected region. Airport manager Gary Lewis lined up 14 aircraft to move 4,000 pounds of supplies, with additional larger supplies such as pallets of water being sent by truck. Fire and recreation department employees have worked to weigh, store and load items onto planes and trucks. The airport’s upcoming Fly-In event will also make a push for more donations, Horne said.
Some employees from the city’s Electrical Utilities Department spent five days working in Kings Mountain, then were relocated to Laurens, South Carolina, to restore power. Some Fire Department employees spent seven days working on storm-related tasks in Old Fort.
Lumberton Fire Chief Chris West was scheduled to leave Tuesday morning to work at an Emergency Operations Center in Yancey County as a resource leader, helping to assign personnel, etc. Director of Emergency Services Tammy McLeod worked in a 911 center in Transylvania County, relieving local dispatchers.
The city’s Water Rescue Team is currently on standby, Horne said, and may soon be called into service as recovery missions continue.
“Our employees ought to be commended,” Horne said.
Other matters
In other business, Council:
— Approved a special use permit for a mental health outpatient facility on Fayetteville Road. The vote was 7-0, as Councilman Leroy Rising recused himself due to a conflict of interest.
— Approved a conditional zoning for a paint and body shop and auto sales business on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, with the condition of a screened fence to close in any wrecked or disassembled vehicles being stored in the rear of the property. The motion passed 7-1, with Councilman Alfred Douglas voting no.
— Awarded a $1 million professional services contract to The Wooten Company for Phase One of the city’s Lead and Copper Inventory project. The project is being funded by a grant from the North Carolina Department of Water Infrastructure; Council also authorized the city to apply for another $1 million in grants to fund the upcoming second phase of the project.
— Awarded a $762,000 bid to McGill Associates for a project to clean out the Alum sludge basin at the city’s water treatment plant. McGill will compost the materials and return it to a biological mixture at its facility in Sampson County, Public Works Director Rob Armstrong said. The bid was less than the city’s original $1 million estimate; project funds will be paid from the Water and Sewer Capital Reserve Fund.
— Awarded a $381,280 engineering contract with Wildlands Engineering for a project to reestablish floodplain/wetlands at the former Fuller’s BBQ site on Highway 211 near the Mayfair Subdivision. The project will remove any existing structures, asphalt, concrete, etc., and then reinforce the area with wetlands-like materials.
— Awarded a $448,798.13 bid by Cinderella Partners for the second phase of the city’s Memorial Park. The completed first phase included raising the elevation of the park, installing additional drainage and building the first section of parking. The second phase will include installation of things like benches and sidewalks; this will include “pretty much everything except the memorials themselves,” Deputy City Manager Brandon Love said. This will be paid for from a combination of North Carolina General Assembly special allocation, General Fund obligations, lapsed salaries and General Fund contingencies.
— Approved the following allocations of Community Revitalization Funds: $1,000 for Southern Sapphires Dance Company; $600 to the Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a float in the Lumberton Christmas Parade; $501 to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8969 in support of National Wreaths Across America Day; $500 for a Community Day in Precinct 8; $250 each to the homeowners associations in Mayfair subdivision and Mayfair North subdivision for beautification; $200 to Birthing Place Ministries for a Trunk or Treat event; and $100 to the Cheer XCel golf tournament fundraiser.
Sports editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com.
