Beulaville Police Chief honored with Order of the Long Leaf Pine

By Abby Cavenaugh

Duplin Journal

Retired Beulaville Police Chief Jamie Rogers was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Mayor Hutch Jones at Monday night’s Beulaville Board of Commissioners meeting.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to “persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments,” according to the website, https://longleafpinesociety.org. It is one of the highest honors a North Carolina citizen can receive.

The mayor made the presentation to Rogers at the end of the March 4 town board meeting.

“I’m not going to try to sugarcoat this one, but I do want to bring to the board’s attention, and to the public, that Chief Rogers has officially retired,” the mayor said. “His last day was last Thursday, and he started part-time with us on Friday. He had half a day off.”

After those remarks, Jones presented the award to Chief Rogers, saying it is “the highest civilian volunteer award and public service award in the state.”

“Jamie, his career speaks for itself,” Jones added. “This is not something you get; it’s something you earn. Your experience has put you in a very elite group, Jamie.”

In other business at the March 4 town board meeting, the commissioners discussed a residential trash guidelines and enforcement policy proposed by Town Manager Lori Williams.

“It’s something that Lori has been working on,” Mayor Jones explained. “What she and I have been talking about, having a lot of conversation about, is I don’t want to say misuse, but there is some need for direction about the use of trashcans in town. A lot of folks are keeping those out 24/7.”

While some town residents are not physically able to push their trashcans back to their home after pickup is done, others may be negligent in leaving their trashcans by the road even after trash pickup days.

The policy defines that trashcans should be placed by the curb on Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, and should be removed no later than Wednesday evenings. It also defines exactly how the cans should be placed and where they should be stored.

However, the commissioners had some debate about enforcement of the policy, especially when it comes to the elderly or disabled individuals.

“I like the idea, but I think there should be an exception clause,” said Commissioner Delmas Highsmith, adding that his parents are elderly and sometimes cannot move the trashcans themselves.

“There’s no need for a waiver unless there’s an enforcement mechanism in there,” Town Attorney Justin Hunter pointed out.

Williams proposed that a sentence be added to the policy, stating, “If your situation does not permit you to adhere to this policy, please contact Town Hall to be considered for a waiver of policy requirements.”

The board agreed to add that sentence to the policy, and it was approved unanimously.

Also at the March 4 meeting, the Beulaville town board:

• Held a public hearing on the closure of North Kennedy Road between East Quinn Street and Wickline Road. The closure was approved unanimously.
• Approved a resolution for the town to apply for a North Carolina Department of Commerce for a Rural Transformation Grant. While the grant is geared toward rural downtown areas, the town manager proposed that if the town receives the grant, the funding should be used to revamp the old Town Hall building.
• Approved the purchase of a deaeration pipe for use at the wastewater treatment plant. The pipes cost $6,621 each, but were needed to help maintain the plant, said Public Works Director Ricky Raynor.
• Tabled a request from Raynor for $279,650 worth of equipment for Public Works. The mayor said that there were still a few “big-ticket items” the town needs to budget for, and tabling the request allows Williams to crunch a few numbers.
• Learned that Carl Mobley has been hired as the new police chief. He will officially start the job once state paperwork is completed and approved.