Pinehurst Set for Spring Library Takeover thepilot.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thepilot.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Editorial: Aberdeen Needs Its New Library thepilot.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thepilot.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pinehurst’s Village Council has signed off on a 1.5-cent increase in property taxes for the coming year, bringing the tax rate to 31.5 cents for each dollar of valuation.
Pinehurstâs proposed budget for the upcoming year forecasts a continued rebound from the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time last year, village leaders budgeted cautiously as they waited the economic fallout to everything from sales tax collections to facility rentals. What happened as the pandemic has played out through 2020 and into 2021 has been a mixed bag as far as effects on Pinehurstâs revenues streams go. Part of the 1.5-cent tax property increase proposed for the 2022 fiscal year is a holdover from last year, when the Village Council decided to delay a half-cent increase so as not to compound unforeseen effects the pandemic might have on Pinehurst residents. The other penny worth of increase, which will bring in an estimated $381,000 in revenue, will support the villageâs acquisition of Given Memorial Library and the Tufts Archives.
Pinehurstâs leaders are preparing to delve into the details of the villageâs upcoming 2021-2022 budget and the factors behind a proposed 1.5-cent tax hike. Village Manager Jeff Sanborn presented to the Village Council an overarching preview last week of the $24 million operating budget, which is six percent larger than the current yearâs. The council is scheduled to hold budget work sessions Wednesday and Friday. Pinehurstâs impending acquisition of Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives are driving much of that budgetary expansion. The village has agreed to take over operation of the library and archives in the coming year, though the finer points of the deal are still being sorted out, along with plans to expand the building and collection down the road.
Eagle, by the late Vergil Shamberger, for being one of those quiet heroes who leaves a lasting legacy on his community. Shamberger, who passed away last month after battling ALS, was one of those rare Moore County natives who, having made a name for himself as a student at North Moore High School, came back there after college. He spent the next 32 years there as a teacher, coach and passionate advocate for Special Olympics. From the classroom and the field, Shamberger imbued his many young charges with positivity and family values. âThe biggest thing about Vergil was that he was always positive. Always laughing, always something positive to lift you up. He always had a smile on his face and was very encouraging. But he believed in hard work,â said North Moore Principal Jenny Purvis.
Pinehurst might not be getting a new library any time soon, but a new lease on life is in the works for its current one now that the village has agreed to take on the ownership and management of Given Memorial Library and the Tufts Archives. Village leaders met jointly with directors of the Given Tufts organization at Village Hall on Monday afternoon to announce that theyâre working toward an agreement for the library building, and all collections and furnishings, to be donated to Pinehurst by the end of the year. Given Memorial has served Pinehurst since 1964 as the only privately-owned public library in North Carolina â and spared the villageâs government the expense of building and operating a municipal library. But the villageâs population has multiplied by a factor of eight since then, and the Given Memorial Library has struggled to meet increasing demand from families with school-aged children.
Forever carrying one another’s hearts, Betty and Thomas Hurst left this earth Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Having reached the age of 94, they enjoyed lives that were abundantly lived.