STATE

Gov. McCrory to field questions about NC Connect bond

Jannette Pippin
jannette.pippin@jdnews.com
Paul Donnelly, superintendent of Hammocks Beach State Park, puts up boundary signs around park property before Gov. Pat McCrory's visit that is scheduled for Tuesday.

SWANSBORO | Gov. Pat McCrory will stop at Hammocks Beach State Park this week to answer questions about the proposed NC Connect bond package and how it would benefit state parks.

McCrory will be joined by several state officials at the event to be held 1 p.m. June 30 at the Hammocks Beach State Park Visitor Center.

Department of Transportation Secretary Tony Tata, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Don van der Vaart and Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz are also slated to be with McCrory for the event, said David Pearson, president of Friends of the Hammocks and Bear Island.

“They will be here to promote the bond package and will be talking about the different projects slated to be part of it,” Pearson said.

Pearson said it will be a press conference with a question-and-answer period. It’s open to the public, and area residents are encouraged to attend.

“We’re trying to get all the people out that we can,” he said.

Hammocks Beach State Park is one of 28 state parks included in the proposed Connect NC bond proposal.

The proposed bond package allocates more than $112 million for state parks and the North Carolina Zoo to replace and renovate aging facilities and for the construction of new facilities and various other improvements.

Pearson said about $70 million is for North Carolina’s state parks, and the funding for Hammocks Beach State Park comes as the park embarks on a major expansion with the recent addition of nearly 300 acres of undeveloped property to the park.

According to the Connect NC website, the bond package allocates $1.5 million for improvements at Hammocks Beach State Park.

First, he said, the Connect NC bond proposal has to get on the ballot.

“The most important aspect of these events is to get the word out about the bond package and ask our legislators to put it on the ballot in November,” Pearson said in an announcement about the event. “All of us understand the need for repairs and improvements to our State Park System; and while $70 million helps there are many more projects that need funding.”

The event scheduled at Hammocks Beach State Park is of many being held as McCrory and state leaders tour the state to promote the proposal.

The proposal includes two bonds of approximately $1.5 billion each. One is targeted at road improvements and the others at a variety of infrastructure needs. The goal is to get the bond proposals on the ballot in either October or November.

For more information about the proposed bonds, go to Connect.NC.gov.