Faison leaders address growth concerns

FAISON — The town of Faison is concerned about stagnant growth and the future. At a recent town board meeting, the mood was reflective and urgent — residents and officials alike searching for answers.

“It’s not the best of times for people, and we know that. Luckily, our business is debt-free, and that makes it easier for us in these tough times. But we have customers coming in expressing concern about safety and the viability of our town,” said Melba Brewer of Brewer’s Hardware. “Faison hasn’t always been like this. We need to put our thoughts together and come up with something to help.”

Safety concerns stem from the fact that the town no longer has a contract with the Sheriff’s Department. “Even when we had a contract, we didn’t see them. The only thing we got with the contract was someone coming through when they had nothing to do elsewhere. You can’t have it both ways; you can’t say ‘don’t increase my taxes’ and then ask for a tax-based service,” Executive Administrator Jimmy Tyndall said.

The absence of a grocery store and local bank has raised significant concerns, highlighting a decline in business growth. Both the current and previous administrations of the town have made efforts to attract a bank to the area, with no luck. Mayor Billy Ward noted that fostering growth is a complex challenge.

“We have people moving here to live, and now there are no houses left to sell. We have vacant buildings for businesses, but the people who own them won’t rent or sell them,” he explained. Businesses like the grocery store have different issues. The store was bought with the purpose of renovating and reopening it, but the current owner has had several setbacks and an opening date is not certain at this time.

“We are three years in now and not seeing progress,” Tyndall said of the store. “Violations are happening and we need an answer.”

He explained that letters outlining code violations and required actions are being prepared by the town and sent to property owners of the former grocery store and other locations.

“We don’t want to be seen as the town that says ‘no.’ If we don’t put money in the local economy, the people take their money elsewhere. It’s not all bad here in Faison, but we don’t have a massive appeal here either… If you look at the towns surrounding us, we are doing much better here than they are because of this town’s administration,” Tyndall said.

The Faison Improvement Group (FIG) was discussed, with plans underway in anticipation of next year’s 250th anniversary.

“FIG has a lot of things planned,” Ward said.  Among the initiatives is a Market Day Parade scheduled for March 14, 2026, which the board approved during this meeting. Commissioner Carolyn Kenyon emphasized that preparations for the semiquincentennial celebrations should include updated crime awareness.

In other developments, the Cemetery Committee recommended relocating the 2026 Memorial Day Celebration to the Parks and Recreation gym to prevent weather-related cancellations and enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The board approved this recommendation.

Additionally, the board approved the hiring of two new part-time employees, Blair Cox and Mariela Quintanilla, for the Parks and Recreation Department. They also approved raising the hourly pay for all Parks and Recreation staff to $12, with substitutes and teachers receiving $14 per hour. This new minimum pay standard aims to create parity among existing employees and new hires.

Parks and Recreation Director Matthew Scott suggested allowing some younger staff members to stay and close the gym at 8 p.m. However, the board expressed safety concerns, particularly walking across dark parking lots alone at that hour. Currently, the gym cannot remain open late due to a lack of willing staff. The board was unable to reach a consensus on this issue, so no decisions were made.

Scott also raised the issue of replacing the windows in the boys’ bathrooms. The board reviewed a quote of $2,075 but recommended boarding up the windows as a more cost-effective solution. Since their original purpose, providing natural light, is no longer necessary due to the installation of electric lighting, the board felt that would be more practical than continuing to replace glass that is likely to be vandalized again.

The board also approved internal control policies for the Division of Water Quality funding and a COVID-19/flu policy for employees. They made three budget amendments, including a $50,000 increase in tax revenue and reallocation for cemetery tree removal and water employee retirement.

Additionally, Tyndall confirmed the delivery of a new backhoe and requested approval for a Hustler lawn mower for $13,877, which was granted to help maintain town properties. Finally, the board discussed a tax write-off for a David Cottle property, pending confirmation of an existing home on the property.