Ena Sellers

WALLACE — The town of Wallace now has a new place for kids, adults and even dogs to run, walk, play and escape to nature, as the ribbon was cut to officially open Farrior Park at Boney Mill Pond on Thursday, April 18.

“This is an exciting day for the town of Wallace,” Wallace Mayor Jason Wells said. “This has been a long time coming, and a dream and a vision that is finally coming to reality.”

The ribbon cutting signaled the dedication of Phase 3 of 200-acre Farrior Park, which was formerly known as the Boney Mill Pond Project, Parks and Recreation Director David Bizzell said.

“A little over 10 years ago, the Parks and Recreation Department approached the town council of Wallace and said, ‘Hey, we need some more space. We want to do some more things, and we’re growing.’ Thankfully, the town council agreed with us and 10 years later, here we are.”

Phase 3 includes a new playground, picnic shelters, bathrooms, a walking trail around the smaller pond, dog park, corn hole and horseshoe area, and a kayak launch at Boney Mill Pond.

The park was named for former Mayor Charley Farrior, who was instrumental in making the park a reality. “First and foremost, we want to thank former Mayor Charley Farrior and the former town council, as well as the current town council for their support along the way on this project,” Wells said.

“There have been a lot of folks who helped this come to fruition,” he added, naming Brittany Shipp with Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), Sarah Zambon with the North Carolina Department of Justice, North Carolina Wildlife, Todd McDuffee with Carolina Parks and Play, Rob Moul with Davey Resource Group, David Bradshaw, DPH Construction, the Wallace Rotary Club (which made a $25,000 donation), Friends of the Wallace Parks, various private donors, and the town of Wallace staff.

“It’s not just about a place to come and play; it’s about growing with your community,” the mayor said. “It’s about being the heartbeat of our town. Kids today are so tied up with cell phones and games and social media. This is a place for those youth and kids and adults alike to reconnect with nature and escape the daily stresses.”

Many people don’t know the park even exists, Wells said. They may drive by the Boney Mill on East Southerland Street and not know there’s an entire park down the gravel road of Rose Avenue.

“This is what I like to call Duplin County’s little diamond in the rough,” he said. “If you think about Wallace, the first thing that comes to my mind is the mill pond, but if you take a chance to come back here and explore and see what we have to offer, it truly is a diamond in the rough.”

When it was Farrior’s turn to speak, he stated, “Jason said it’s a diamond in the rough; I think it’s a diamond in Wallace’s crown.”

Farrior shared that the town had purchased the property in July of 2014. “The price of the property was $940,000,” Farrior said. “So, the first thing to do was try to figure out, how are we going to get the money?”

There were a couple of other properties the town had in mind for a new park, but it turned out that the Boney Mill Pond area won out in terms of its sheer size and beauty. In order to pay for the property, the town was awarded a PARTF grant, which paid about half the amount. The town was also awarded a Clean Water Grant, which accounted for another $250,000. “So we ended up borrowing about $220,000 to buy this property,” Farrior explained. “I’ll make that trade any day. We had it paid off in three years.”

Now that Phase 3 is complete, the town hopes to add in soccer and baseball fields, as well as revamp the old Boney Mill itself.

“My dream and hope is that someday, we can get the mill house working again,” Farrior said.

He also talked about the tobacco barns and pack house that are at the rear of the property. “There’s a lot of history here,” he said. “It’s just a special place in my heart, a special place in Wallace.”

By Abby Cavenaugh

Duplin Journal

Four Duplin County students have been selected to attend the prestigious North Carolina Governor’s School this summer. The four students were each honored at the April 9 meeting of the Duplin County Board of Education.

Nicole Murray, chief officer of STEAMA Curriculum and Instruction/Professional Development for Duplin County Schools, introduced the students to the school board members. “The NC Governor’s School is the oldest summer residential program in the nation that serves gifted high school students,” Murray explained. “These students will participate in a four-week residential on-campus program, where they will work on academics, the arts and lots of unique courses on each of two campuses across the state.”

Governor’s School East will be at Meredith College in Raleigh, while Governor’s School West will be at Greensboro College.

“The interesting thing about Governor’s School is that the curriculum is all about exploration,” Murray added. “There are no grades, no tests, these students just get to go and learn about the things that they love and enjoy.”

The four Duplin County Schools students selected for the honor are:

• Jordan Hooper, son of Jenyse McMillan, a student at Duplin Early College High School. He was selected to attend Governors School West, where he’ll study English.
• Elier Marquez-Chavez, son of Adela Chavez and Lutgardo Marquez, a student at Wallace-Rose Hill High School. He was chosen to attend Governors School East, where he will study social science.
• Lily Stringer, daughter of Jamie Alphin and Forrest Stringer, a student at North Duplin Jr./Sr. High School. She was selected to attend Governors School West, where she will study natural science.
• Jaclyn Williams-Briggs, daughter of Gretchen Williams and Anthony Briggs, a student at Wallace-Rose Hill High School. She was chosen to attend Governors School East, where she’s going to study choral music as a first soprano.

“So, these students represent the best of Duplin County and North Carolina students based on what they have worked for and what they’ve achieved,” Murray said. “The application process to get into Governors School is extensive, and it’s very, very strenuous. The fact that we had four students chosen from Duplin County, we’re very proud of that.”

She went on to thank each of the students’ parents, as well as their teachers, administrators, and counselors.

“Congratulations to all four of you,” School Board Chairman Brent Davis told the students. “It’s really an amazing accomplishment, a real testament to your work ethic. We hope the experience is all that you want it to be and that you get a whole lot out of it.”

In other business at the April 9 school board meeting, the board approved the consent agenda, which included various field trip requests and contracts for IEP (individualized education plan) services, including a sign language interpreter, nursing care. The consent agenda also included approval to name the East Duplin High School Track & Field after former principal, Kenneth Kennedy.

After a closed executive session, the board approved the superintendent’s request for personnel changes. Board Member Pam Edwards also motioned to continue to pay positions in exceptional children math and science bonus money, which was approved unanimously.

Superintendent Dr. Austin Obasohan reminded the board that a strategic plan review is scheduled for May 6 at 6 p.m. at the Kenansville Elementary School cafeteria.

“Our annual review of the DCS Strategic Plan is important as it will clarify our vision, goals, priorities and action plan,” Dr. Obasohan said. “It also gives us an opportunity as a family to measure our progress, celebrate successes and find ways to improve.”