Hope Mills presents legislative funding requests for parks, a resource center and a regional transit pilot

Hope Mills officials used a special legislative delegation meeting to press for targeted gap funding to complete local projects they said are already under way or shored up by grants.

The town's presiding official said the meeting's "main purpose" was to present the town's funding request to the local state legislative delegation and outlined priorities including parks, a resource center retrofit and regional transportation coordination. Chancellor Kwala, the town manager, told delegates that binders provided to legislators include a community investment plan, the newly adopted strategic plan and legislative fact sheets detailing costs and secured grants.

Why it matters: Town leaders said grants and outside funding have substantially reduced project costs, leaving relatively small funding gaps that they asked the delegation to help fill so the town can proceed without a new property tax increase. Officials framed the requests as investments in recreation, senior services, walkability and regional mobility that they said will boost quality of life and economic opportunity.

Heritage Park and Lake Park: Officials said Heritage Park Phase 2 has already received grant awards and local work; presenters noted earlier grant awards of $500,000 for phase 1 and additional pending grants for phase 2. "We've taken that cost down to a request from you to -- call it -- a $100,000," the presiding official said, describing the town's remaining gap. For the lake-park redesign, presenters said the original estimate was about $2.3 million but that two $500,000 grants under consideration could reduce the town's net ask to roughly $1.3 million.

Resource center / senior services: Town officials described a rebranded multi-use "resource center" that would expand senior programming and other services. They said last year's package had included an $18 million proposal, but the town's current retrofit request to the delegation is $3.4 million to cover conversion and accessibility work; town leaders said they plan to pursue most of the heavy construction on their own and are seeking limited legislative help to cover the retrofit gap.

Regional transit pilot: Presenters outlined a three-year regional transit pilot coordinated with Fayetteville and nearby towns through FAST and noted partnerships with FAMPO and other regional agencies. The pilot would fund an express route through Hope Mills, linked park-and-ride locations and local feeder vans; officials described an annual operating figure in the presentation and asked delegation members to consider helping fund the pilot's operational gap while partners pursue capital and grant funding. A delegation member and staff urged the town to work closely with FAMPO and existing federal funding pots to reduce local expense and to confirm service frequency, liability exposure and sustainability before committing ongoing funds.

Taxes and financing: Asked whether the town's plan requires a property tax increase, Kwala said the town currently does not plan a tax increase for these projects and emphasized use of grant programs and other outside funding to close gaps. Town officials also described participation in a municipal grant-assistance program that they said has produced billable hours of grant writing support and helped the town secure multiple awards.

Data centers and industrial readiness: Delegation members and town officials discussed industrial site-readiness and data centers as possible future economic drivers. Officials said they are studying water, sewer and regulatory capacity for roughly 800 acres of industrial land, and urged a cautious, common-sense regulatory approach; Fayetteville-area conversations about moratoria and local ordinances were cited as context.

Quotes and exchanges: Kwala told the delegation, "Vision sets the destination, but priorities determine the value," and later described the town's strategy of using grant leverage to reduce the local funding ask. In response to a question on taxes, Kwala said, "As of right now, I would say no" to a property tax increase to cover the projects. A delegation member noted the town's overall ask and asked for clarification on totals and funding sources.

What happens next: Officials asked delegation members to review the fact sheets in their binders and consider the requests; presenters said the town will continue pursuing grants and partnerships while seeking only limited legislative gap funding. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.