As the clock ticked away the last minutes of 2008,
the nation stood poised for the new year. What it would
bring — to the world, nation, and our community —
loomed like a giant question mark.
For some, there was the hope of change with the
election of President Obama. For some, that change
was frightening. Perhaps the biggest story of all was the
continuing crash of the economy and the worldwide
financial crisis that ensued. Corporate bailouts, the crash
of the housing market and rampant unemployment
dominated the headlines. Shuffled to the inside pages
were stories on the ongoing War on Terror in Iraq and
Afghanistan. As the year progressed, and the number of
deaths in Afghanistan escalated, those stories made it
back in the headlines with President Obama’s plan for a
30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan.
While terrorism, and terrorist acts, remained a
constant threat, the idea of homegrown terrorists took
firm root throughout 2009. From arrests in North
Carolina and Detroit, to the shooting of soldiers at Fort
Hood, and finally the attempted bombing of a Detroit bound
plane as the year ended, Americans began to take
a closer look at their community and their neighbors.
Across the world, another threat quickly took hold
in 2009 — Swine Flu. From the first reported deaths in
Mexico to outbreaks around the world, health officials
warned of an impending pandemic. Widespread deaths
were forecasts. Communities were urged to make
emergency plans to deal with the threat. Vaccines were at
a premium, and while the world prepared, the flu fizzled.
While these stories played out on the world stage,
closer to home much of what was going on throughout
the nation was reflected in our own neighborhoods.
Here are some of the top stories of 2009 in the greater
Cumberland County community.
ECONOMY
While Fayetteville suffered from the economic
downturn turned recession, our community is fortunate
to be somewhat insulated due to our military neighbors
and their economic impact on our community. The
unemployment rates did rise locally but no where near
the heights of other areas in our state and nation. In
October, unemployment rates here were at 7.5 percent
while other areas in the state were 11 plus. And,
Fayetteville ranks near the top for jobs outlook in 2010
according to Manpower Inc.
THE HOUSING MARKET CRASH
Cumberland County also fell victim to the housing
market crash. Foreclosures climbed and houses, built in
anticipation of BRAC moves to the community,
remained empty throughout the early part of the year.
As the economy began to turn, so did the housing
market, but it’s not out of the woods yet. However, our
homes have shown 13.4 percent appreciation, the highest
in the country.
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
Fayetteville residents continued to keep their eye on
downtown and its revitalization. While there was much
talk about growth — rumors of a nightclub district and a
retail tower — little changed on the downtown landscape
in 2009. The city hired a manager to deal directly with
downtown and its merchants, but the 300 Hay Street
project stalled amidst lawsuits and faulty building. 2010
will usher in the ground-breaking for the N.C. Veterans
Park, and along with it, the hope of more tourists, which
should feed the need for restaurants and housing.
BASE REALIGNMENT AND
CLOSURE (BRAC)
For the past five years, much of what has happened
in Cumberland and its surrounding counties has been
driven by the specter of BRAC. The Congressionally
mandated base closure and realignment plan will bring
the U.S. Forces Command and the Reserve Command
to Fort Bragg. As surrounding counties jockey for the
new residents set to move from Fort McPherson, many
may be disappointed, as estimates from McPherson show
that only about 40 to 50 percent of their current staff will
make the move. That does however, open the window for
new employment in the community.
THE ARTS
The Fayetteville Museum of Art dominated the
arts headlines throughout the year. Whether or not the
museum would be built in Festival Park was the early
question. Later in the year, the question became whether
or not there would even be a museum.
In November, the museum’s board chairman
Meredith Stiehl
announced that
without substantial
community
support, the museum,
which had
already slashed its
hours, programming,
staff hours
and pay, would be
forced to close.
Community
supporters rallied
and bought the museum some time, and, the museum
announced a Salvador Dali exhibition. With a “For Sale”
sign decorating the lawn at the museum, the question
remains: Where will the exhibit be?
EDUCATION
Longtime Superintendent of Public Schools Bill
Harrison resigned his post in Cumberland County to
accept an appointment by Gov. Bev Perdue as CEO of
the state’s school system. But there was a little problem.
State residents elect the superintendent of public schools,
and June Atkinson, the elected official didn’t take kindly
to Perdue’s appointment. Harrison resigned from the
CEO role, but remains the chairman of the N.C. State
Board of Education.
In Cumberland Co., Harrison’s replacement Frank
Till had little time to get acclimated before faced with
a grade scandal that rocked the community. Terry
Sanford’s football team was declared ineligible by the
N.C. High School Athletic Association after it was found
that one player did not meet eligibility requirements.
The ensuing investigation resulted in the dismissal of
the principal, and uncovered widespread grade changing
throughout the system. Till’s take on it: No more
grade changing.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
2009 was not a banner year for law enforcement in
Cumberland County. Cumberland Co. Sheriff’s Deputies
were charged with double dipping — working at parttime
events like football games and still staying on the roll
of the department.
And in Spring Lake, the entire police department
was stripped of its authority after two Spring Lake
police sergeants were arrested and charged with a host
of crimes including embezzlement, obtaining property
by false pretense, larceny, obstruction of justice, failure
to discharge their duty and solicitation to commit a
felony. Cumberland County District Attorney Ed Grannis
asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate
the department, and dismissed all misdemeanor charges
pending in the department. In recent weeks, the city has
hired a new police chief, Troy McDuffie, who has a vision
to rebuild the department. It will take time to see if the
public can again put their trust in the department that
failed them so miserably.
VIOLENCE
Cumberland County is no stranger to domestic
violence and child abuse. But 2009 brought the problem
into perspective with the death of 5-year-old Shania
Davis. The child was taken from her home, raped and
killed. Authorities allege that her mother sold her to her
attacker. As the county reeled from the accusations,
questions were raised as to why the girl was allowed
with her mother, who had been under observation by the
Department of Social Services. While both Davis’ mother
and her attacker are awaiting trial, and the Department
of Social Services response to the situation is under
scrutiny, the community has been forced to take a closer
look at itself and the way it protects its children.
POLITICS
Cumberland County politics are always exciting.
2009 saw a resilience in the Democratic party, with the
election of the nation’s first African-American President,
and the defeat of Republican Congressman Robin Hayes
by Larry Kissell. The year also saw the county mourning
the loss of one of its most active Democrats, Grainger
Barrett, the county attorney.
In early Fall, longtime N.C. Senator Tony Rand
announced he would resign his seat in the N.C. Senate to
take on an appointed role as the chairman of the state’s
Parole Board. Rand again made the news this month as
ethics allegations surfaced regarding Rand’s ownership
in a company known to do business with the state. As the
year winds down, nothing has been resolved; however,
Gov. Perdue maintains that Rand is the man for the job
on the Parole Board.
THE PRINCE CHARLES
In December of 2008, a number of bidders gathered
in the conference room of the Prince Charles Hotel. At
auction was the historic hotel itself. Over 80-years-old, it
has 83 rooms and 3.32 acres of land. John Chen, a native
of Taiwan and a New York businessman, won the silent
auction with a bid of $1.9 million.
The hotel had definitely seen better days. Estimates
were that at a minimum
$6,000 per room would
need to be spent to get
the hotel back into shape.
Chen appeared to have
deep pockets and a desire
to make something of the
hotel.
Chen unveiled plans
to turn the hotel into a
“boutique-style” hotel,
complete with shops and
office space. As the year
progressed, Chen’s plans
seemed to come to a
halt. The occupancy rate
dropped and the outside
of the building, in need
of much work, became a
point of contention between Chen and the city. Because
of its National Register of Historic Landmarks status,
all repairs must be in keeping with the original structure.
Chen replaced wood windows with vinyl, and began
wracking up fines with the city. The heating and cooling
system was problematic, so window air conditioning
units began to appear in the hotel’s windows — another
source of problems with the city. Chen opened the
doors of the hotel as an “extended stay” apartments,
renting rooms for $400 a month. In early December, the
residents of the hotel were forced from the building as fire
inspectors declared the building a hazard, having warned
Chen a number of times of safety violations. As the new
year comes around, the residents are back in the building,
and Chen is threatening legal action against the city.
Who knows what 2010 will bring to one of the city’s
historic landmarks and our community in general?
We’ll see.
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