City of Fayetteville
Early voting for the City of Fayetteville primary runs through Oct. 4 for the ten mayoral candidates and the nine city districts. The official primary election is on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
On Sept. 22, the Fayetteville City Council heard from the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation who presented a $22 million expansion for SteelFab, a steel fabrication plant, which would bring 42 more jobs with an average annual salary of $66,700 to the community. The current factory is on Shaw Mill Road and has 58 employees. The council approved giving SteelFab $327,487 to build its expansion here. Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the FCEDC, said a similar grant request is pending for the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6.
Here are a few more City announcements:
• The citywide fall cleanup event, Fayetteville Beautiful is scheduled to take place on Oct. 4 with supply pickup starting at 8 a.m. at 121 Lamon Street. Anyone interested should register at fayettevillebeautiful.com and select a location on the interactive map to reserve the space.
• The Historic Market House is getting a new facelift with new LED lighting, which will allow for different colors for special occasions and community recognitions. This project not only includes installing decorative LED lighting, but also includes structure restoration, improving ADA access and pedestrian safety and installing informational kiosks, displaying the history of the Market House and other historic content according to City officials.
• Another new change was the honoring of a former mayor on Wednesday, Sept. 24 by naming Cross Creek Park to Mayor Beth Finch Park and unveiling a monument in her honor. Finch served as the Fayetteville City Council from 1971 to 1975 and became mayor in 1975.
• A new inclusive play space will be installed at the Dorothy D. Gilmore Adaptive Recreation Center at 1600 Purdue Drive in Fayetteville. The new playground equipment being installed is an inclusive design “to provide enjoyable and meaningful play experiences for children of all abilities. The play space features sensory exploration, physical challenges and opportunities for social connection,” according to City officials. The project should be completed in November.

Cumberland County
On Sept. 15, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved a transfer of governance of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (FACVB operating as “DistiNCtly Fayetteville”) to the Cumberland County Tourism Development Authority. The FACVB Board of Directors moved to dissolved their board in June.
The FACVB serves to position Cumberland County as a destination for conventions, tournaments and individual travel, while the TDA promotes increased travel, tourism and use of lodging, meeting and convention facilities in Cumberland County. The consolidated board of directors works to streamline operations according to Devin Heath, president and CEO of DistiNCtly Fayetteville. A large portion of the Arts Council funding also comes from the TDA.
The board also approved a meeting attendance policy for boards and commissions. The new policy states that an appointed member shall attend at least 75% of meetings and appointees who miss two consecutive meetings can be removed.

Joint City of Fayetteville - Cumberland County Liaison Committee
On Sept. 15, committee members received updates for the proposed 911 operations call center, which would consolidate efforts between the City and the County to “enhance public safety, improve efficiency and position the community for a safer future.” The proposal to consolidate the 911 call center efforts was approved in April and a new Communications Advisory Board will be formed to oversee policies and procedures. Both City Council and the Board of Commissioners will hear more at their meetings in October on how to further unite the efforts.
The committee also heard from Sean Schreiber of Alliance Health, who provided updates for a new reentry program beginning in December and a partnership with Cape Fear Valley Health. Alliance Health will also be partnering with the Joint 911 Call Center to improve a behavioral health response.

About the Greater Fayetteville Chamber
Advocacy is a cornerstone of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber. Every week, the Chamber dedicates staff to attend City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County meetings as well as monitoring updates on the state and federal levels. We monitor legislation locally, statewide and federally to protect our community’s business interests. With 91% of U.S. adults recognizing a Chamber of Commerce’s impact on growth, membership ensures a strong voice shaping policies, driving economic success and building a thriving business community—together. To learn more, visit www.faybiz.com or email jmclaughlin@faybiz.com.