TheCornelius Harnett County’s Employee Newsletter May 2015 Cornelius who? About this Newsletter: The Cornelius is Harnett County’s monthly You’ve heard Harnett County’s sentatives representing Cumberland employee newsletter. The goal of this motto – “Strong Roots, New County. Coffield owned a large newsletter is to connect you, Harnett Growth.” This newsletter takes its estate and winery in what is now the name from the first part of that mot- Chalybeate Springs community of County’s employees, with one another, to and Harnett County’s beginning. Harnett County. In one of his first bring you interesting information on Har- Harnett County was named for Rev- acts as a member of the General nett County’s history, familiarize you with olutionary War hero Cornelius Har- Assembly, Coffield introduced legis- nett, who lived in Wilmington. lation to form a new county in north- all Harnett County has to offer its employ- Nicknamed the “Pride of the ern Cumberland County, to be called ees and citizens, and keep you informed of Cape Fear,” Harnett was a leader in Harnett in honor of his famous an- important information. If there’s anything several protests against British taxa- cestor. The bill was approved on tion on the American colonies in the February 7, 1855, and Harnett Coun- you would like to see in future editions of years that preceded the Revolution ty was established. this newsletter, please send an email to and was a founding member of the The first site selected as the [email protected]. Sons of Liberty, a group that formed county seat was located near Sum- to protest the Stamp Act in merville Church just above Lilling- 1765. The Stamp Act was the first ton. The site was named Toomer in direct tax placed on the colonies by honor of Judge John D. Toomer of Connect With the British government. Because of Fayetteville, who was an Associate his efforts for the cause of independ- Justice of the North Carolina Su- Harnett County ence, Harnett was arrested and im- preme Court and served in the state prisoned by the British in 1781. He senate. Some in Harnett County served in the Continental Congress were not pleased with the name or Want to keep up with the after the Revolution. location of the county seat, so in latest news and happenings in Prior to 1855, present day Har- 1859, the legislature allowed resi- Harnett County? nett County was part of Cumberland dents to vote on a referendum pro- County, which was established in posing to move the county seat to a Check out www.harnett.org for 1754 as large numbers of Scottish new location. The referendum was news releases, important up- immigrants settled along the Cape approved and a new county seat was Fear River in northern Bladen Coun- chosen. Lillington was named in dates, a community calendar and ty. In the years that followed, resi- honor of Alexander Lillington of other information. dents in northern Cumberland Coun- Wilmington, who was one of the ty wanted to form a county of their Patriot commanders at the Battle of You can also like “Harnett County own, however counties back then Moore’s Creek Bridge in 1776. Government on Facebook or fol- were established to accommodate In naming this employee news- low @HarnettCounty on Twitter increases in population. It wasn’t letter after Harnett County’s name- until the mid-nineteenth century that sake, we want to highlight Harnett or “Harnett County” on Instagram the population in the area grew to County’s rich heritage, which is to stay up-to-date on all things the point of justifying the creation of something we can all be proud of. Harnett County. a new county. This information comes from In the election of 1854, Cor- The Heritage of Harnett County nelius Harnett Coffield, a descendent North Carolina, Volume 1, which of Cornelius Harnett, was elected to was published in 1993 by the Herit- the North Carolina House of Repre- age of Harnett Book Committee. Volume I, Issue I Page 1 Harnett County’s Employee Newsletter May 2015 Department Spotlight Harnett County Parks & Recreation As temperatures rise and warm, sunny days become more routine, you may be tempted to pack up the car and head to the beach or mountains or somewhere out of state to soak up the sun and enjoy nature, but there’s plenty to do in your own back yard and one Harnett County department has a lot to do with that. Harnett County Parks & Recreation is made up of three full-time employees and up to five additional part-time employees in peak season. The department supervises more than 1,100 acres of park land com- prised of five parks including Neill’s Creek County Park, Barbecue Creek County Park, South Harnett Park, Anderson Creek County Park and the Cape Fear River Trail Park, along with the Anderson Creek Senior Cen- ter. The department plans to soon open an access point on the Upper Little River near Lillington. Carl Davis has served as Harnett Coun- ty’s Parks & Recreation Director since 2010. Parks & Recreation, they think of youth the opportunity to experience the abundance He came to Harnett County in 2008 to work sports programs, but in Harnett County, of natural resources we have here. under then-Director Alice Powell. Since those functions are carried out by the munic- Davis said he sees his mission as im- Davis’ arrival, the county has opened two ipalities and a group of citizens in western proving the overall quality of life for the new parks – the Cape Fear River Trail Park Harnett County. people of Harnett County. He said outdoor and Anderson Creek County Park – and Since 2008, Davis said Parks and Recre- recreation plays a major role in improving completed a $1 million renovation at Barbe- ation has focused more on park development people’s lives. Parks positively impact cue Creek County Park. The bulk of this and maintenance than on recreational pro- health and give people a place to socialize new development has been done without grams, but that’s something that’s changing and connect with the natural world. Parks county tax dollars, using Parks and Recrea- with the addition of Recreation Program even impact Economic Development efforts tion Trust Fund (PARTF) grants. Supervisor Drew Bryant last October. Bry- as industries looking to come to Harnett Davis said when most people think of ant’s job is to boost the county’s recreational County and their future employees are programming. drawn to a vibrant recreation system. Among activities the park has taken on “Our parks are places where people of is the Movies in the Park series, which re- all ages, races and economic status can cently wrapped up its spring series. Another come together to enjoy what our county has series is slated to be held this fall with the to offer,” said Davis. “It doesn’t matter of event becoming a semi-annual activity. you’re rich or poor, you can enjoy a park.” Harnett County also takes part in the In developing future parks and ameni- Mid-Carolina Senior Games and hosts nu- ties, Davis said he wants to continue utiliz- merous events for senior citizens each year. ing the county’s natural resources, particu- A senior golf tournament is held in the fall larly the Cape Fear River. Future parks will and the park also organizes a trip to the protect the county’s natural areas and make North Carolina State Fair for senior citizens. them available to all residents. Davis said Harnett County also facilitates a group natural parks are places that encourage im- of disc golf enthusiasts who meet frequently agination, where people can use their imagi- to play at Anderson Creek County Park. nation. This fall, Harnett County will partner in For more information on Parks and Rec- starting an adult softball league for residents reation in Harnett County, go to age 16 and older. A competitive running www.harnett.org/parkrec/. You can also event is also in the works. follow “Harnett County Parks and Recrea- For the most part, however, the focus of tion” on Facebook to stay connected with Harnett County Parks & Recreation is on ongoing events and important information giving residents and visitors to the county about the department, events and programs. Volume I, Issue I Page 2 Harnett County’s Employee Newsletter May 2015 County Launches Land Use and Economic Development Plan If you were asked what you would like to see happen in Harnett County in the coming years, what would you say? That’s the question county officials want help answering as they kick off development of a Comprehensive Land Use and Economic Development Strate- gic Plan that will help shape the future of Harnett County. The purpose of the plan is to estab- lish a number of achievable short- and long-term goals based on the input of Harnett County’s residents for county leaders to work towards to get the great- est benefit out of planning and econom- ic development efforts. The plan will be forward thinking and will address antic- ipated growth and development in a way that preserves community charac- ter, reduces sprawl, maximizes existing infrastructure, considers environmental pal Issues, Transportation and Utilities. meetings will be held as the plan devel- impacts and improves quality of life for The kick-off session culminated ops and a second public workshop will all Harnett County residents. with the first meeting of a 25-person be held in June to give Harnett County The county has hired award-winning Advisory Committee, which is made up residents another opportunity to have land planning and design firm LandDe- of leaders from across Harnett County their voices heard and to see how the sign and Ted Abernathy of Economic who will help steer the creation of the plan is developing.