Hope Mills: Time Is on Your Side

Well, it’s been nearly a week since the town of Hope Mills gave Tonzi Collins his walking papers by a four to one vote after a day long amotion hearing. Maybe I should say the Hope Mills town commissioners gave Collins his walking papers because “the town” could actually put him back in the office come the November election.

If that happens, the amotion process will no doubt start all over again. This is a real possibility since friends and associates of Collins could very well put him back in the office. This would be unfortunate and again waste much valuable time and taxpayer money. Currently, Hope Mills has the leadership to make sure that the town stays in a position to move forward. Jackie Warner is a dedicated and extremely competent and conscientious mayor; she leads a board of commissioners that has already displayed the perseverance and intestinal fortitude to make sure the values and integrity of Hope Mills remain the first and foremost priority.

However, as unfortunate as the Collins circumstances are, the town also has to deal with an equally distressing situation: the ill-fated Hope Mills Lake and dam situation. Here, lawsuits abound with accompanying blame, finger pointing and accusations. It’s a real mess. The fact remains that the hideous and monstrous concrete structure and the ugly overgrown acres of what was once a beautiful picturesque lake serves as a constant reminder that there are major deficiencies in the town’s system.

This being said, Hope Mills is one of the fastest growing areas in Cumberland County. This means that time could actually be on the side of Hope Mills in solving both the Collins and dam problems. More housing, more shopping, more population all signs of solid progressive growth. Millstone Shopping Center is already becoming the central focal point of the town. It won’t be long before all this new development and thousands of new Hope Mills residents do not know who Tonzi Collins is and that there was ever a lake in Hope Mills.

So, my point is this: In time, these are going to become non issues and the town’s leadership will be able to focus on real quality-of-life issues. No doubt, these two issues alone have cost the town hundreds of thousands of dollars and distracted attention away from the real productive issues of running the town.

Time is on the side of Hope Mills. It is a town poised for prosperity, with good government leadership, a sound civic base and an active and progressive Chamber of Commerce. Planned growth and development is good for our county. Who knows what the future holds, there may even be a beautiful landscaped public park where Hope Mills Lake used to be. There will be plenty of such options since growth brings on many changes.

I am confident Hope Mills can will deal with these changes but, only after they have outgrown the small town mentality that allows situations and controversies like that of Collins to persist and escalate. Onward and upward Hope Mills, you’re on the right track and time is on your side.

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo: Tonzie Collins