BLADENBORO — Town streets are about to get a bit of a facelift thanks to a community garden group.

Tuesday night the Town Council unanimously supported the request made by Pam Hamilton.

“I’m here tonight to represent Town and Country garden club,” she explained. “I am a new member of the club and we have been working very hard in trying to keep the flowers and the town looking presentable.”

Hamilton explained that her club’s new mission is having 10 benches in place in different locations downtown on the streets. The benches will be black, metal and bolted to the ground with plaques on them for their sponsors.

“These benches will be located up against the walls, and will not be freestanding, in the sidewalk area,” she said. “We have several churches, for a total of eight, and two other people that have committed, so that’s a total of 10 benches that I have obligated right now, to present and put up in the town.”

The locations would be on the pawn shop wall, with two to four benches there. In the area where the parking lot is, behind the pawn shop next to the trash cans, is where she said hoped to place others.

Another one would be placed across the road at Edward’s Pharmacy.

“We would like to put one up against that area,” she elaborated. “The other area would be located at Diamond Dave’s. Then of course Lolly’s on Main Street. There’s a while between her two buildings and we would like to put the other one there.”

“This is a start for us,” she said, “and where we would like to begin.”

“Dressing up our town is a very, very important move,” Hamilton added. “Especially after what we have been through this hurricane, and this destruction we have had. We have gone in and we have repaired and redone what we could with flowers, and it’s looking very presentable again, and the merchants can get around and get their stuff done.

“Most of these are being donated by the ladies auxiliaries of these churches,” she said. “So the church’s name will be put on there unless an individual chooses to buy one.

We really wanted to get this done by the parade time.”

Commissioner Patsi Callihan asked Hamilton if the placement of the benches had been cleared with the merchants downtown.

“We have, but right now there are only two merchants,” Hamilton responded. “They have agreed.”

Hamilton also added that there were other potential places that the benches may be placed, pending further discussions.

The board praised the group’s efforts stating that they had done an excellent job around town.

“We are very few,” Hamilton said. “But we work hard.”

Commissioner Rodney Hester asked Hamilton about her group’s funding.

She explained that her club had worked on the planting area next to Diamond Dave’s Grill that belongs to the housing authority.

“It has been so generous with giving us money to do anything we wanted to do,” she said. “That wall has become a focal point. That had never been tended to at all.

“It’s something that needed to be done. You have got to do it. It’s got to be done. You can look at the plain streets and sidewalk if you want to, and they will always be there. Until someone takes the initiative to do something. Our team is ready to do that. We have some good hard workers.”

Emily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Pam Hamilton addresses the board during Tuesday’s meeting requesting that her garden club, Town and Country, be allowed to place benches downtown.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_bladenboromeeting.jpgEmily M. Williams | Bladen Journal
Pam Hamilton addresses the board during Tuesday’s meeting requesting that her garden club, Town and Country, be allowed to place benches downtown.

Emily M. Williams

Bladen Journal

Emily M. Williams can be reached at 910-644-0447 or ncnewswriter@gmail.com.