The Carthage Board of Commissioners held their monthly meeting Monday evening. The first order of business was to recognize Carthage Police Detective Jason Blackburn, who is the 2018 William Kyle Ferrell award recipient.
Marine Corporal William Kyle Ferrell was killed by a hit and run driver while helping a disabled motorist in a torrential downpour in 2015. In addition to his service in the Marines, Ferrell, who was from Carthage, also served as a volunteer member of the Carthage Fire and Rescue Squad.
The award is given each year to recognize both excellence in community policing and those who put service before self. Detective Blackburn has served with the Carthage Police Department for just over two years.
Detective Jason Blackburn receiving the William Kyle Ferrell award (Courtesy of Town of Carthage).
In other business, the town met with representatives of a group hoping to redevelop Little River Golf & Resort by building 1,200-1,400 homes over the next 10-15 years.
The proposed development would consist of different housing types, but the final decision of what is ultimately built will be up to the Town of Carthage. The town has requested the group present an overall site plan, so it can be reviewed.
The board also approved the transfer of land to Habitat for Humanity, who will construct a residence in partnership with Moore County Schools and Sandhills Community College.
The program will be called the Pickney Construction Pathways Program and will permit students to earn high school and college credit for learning basic construction skills, both in the classroom and with hands-on training. The new residence will be located at 103 Old Glendon Road.
The town is also adopting a new social media policy. According to Town Clerk Dorothy Dutton, the purpose of the facebook page was to enable the town to communicate with residents.
She added that the town did not have a social media policy, but there were a couple of unsavory instances where page visitors engaged in some ugly rants, necessitating the establishment of the policy.
The new policy will restrict public comment on the page but will permit messages to be sent to town staff.
“I think Facebook is good, but it is convoluted,” said Carthage Mayor Lee McGraw. “The purpose of the page is to inform the public.”
The Commissioners approved the new policy which will go into effect immediately.
The next Board of Commissioners Meeting is September 16.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Local News/Government Reporter Chris Prentice. 
Contact him at [email protected] or (910) 639-9303.
