Fairmont High School’s FCCLA team members recognized

Michael Futch

The Robesonian

LUMBERTON – The Robeson County Board of Commissioners held a 55-minute regular monthly meeting on Monday evening, passing by unanimous vote special use permits to allow for the placement of a third single family dwelling and the establishment of a used car dealership.

Those two agenda items came during a public hearing session in the meeting.

The third single family dwelling will be on a .98 tract of land located in a residential agricultural district on Wagon Wheel Road. The application for the special use permit was submitted by Brittany Pittman, and the owners are Tracy J. and Jean Locklear.

Currently, there are two dwellings on the property. The third one will require a permanent foundation.

During the previous Planning Board meeting, the request faced no opposition, said James Locklear, who presented the application request before the Board of Commissioners.

Commissioner David Edge made the motion to approve the application, which was then seconded.

The motion then passed.

As for the consideration of a special use permit allowing for the used car dealership to be established on an 8.64-acre tract on U.S. 301 North in a residential agricultural district. That, too, passed muster following the initial motion by Commissioner Lance Herndon.

The application was submitted by Jenny Rodriguez and her husband, Donis Magdaleno Morales Vasquez. The two are also the land owners.

According to Herndon, the county had a study done regarding a nearby intersection on U.S. 301 North because so many accidents have taken place there.

In recent months, the board has had to make decisions on a number of requests for used car dealership special use permits at the monthly meetings.

In other business, the board recognized a team of five female students from Fairmont High School under the tutelage of culinary arts teacher Jean Heubach. She’s also an advisor for Family Career Community Leaders of America.

Last month, her FCCLA team members won at the state leadership conference in Greensboro and are now eligible to compete on a national level in Seattle.

One event that they won was event management, and the other one came in the area of hospitality and tourism. The young women were asked to come up with a business from the start to the end.

“We’ve been doing a lot of fundraising this year trying to make that money so that my students can go. That’s because my students can’t afford a whole lot,” Heubach said. “So, we’re asking if we can get some help through the county commissioners. Any donations would be appreciated.”

The overall cost of the trip will come to $13,274, she said, and thus far, approximately $4,000 has been raised through fundraising.

Everything must be paid by May 27, Heubach said.

“We’ll pass the hat around,” Chairman John Cummings quipped.

“That’s our future,” he said following a photograph of the students with members of the board.