Music On/Off
Jimmy Fleming's
THE TYRRELL COUNTY "ENQUIRER"
EDITORIALS
Jimmy Fleming (Editor, Reporter, Janitor)
SINCE JANUARY 31, 1999
The Editorial page is a place where I can speak out on a topic that I feel strongly about. There is a good reason that I chose crumpled paper as the background for this page. It represents the many times that I've changed my mind about an idea while writing about the subject that I've chosen. In the future I hope to print editorials that have been submitted by other concerned Tyrrell folks, so if you have an idea for an editorial send me an email. If you are weak of heart and subject to falling out at the sound of harsh words you may want to turn back now or read with either one or both eyes closed (just kidding) because
JIMMY FLEMING IS SPEAKING OUT ABOUT:
GIVING SOMETHING BACK TO TYRRELL COUNTY
I feel that everyone who lives in a community ought to put something back in that community to continually make it a better place to live. A great way to do your part for Tyrrell County is to volunteer to serve on a committee, group, or board. Some of the groups that someone could serve on in our county by being elected are the County Commissioners and the Board of Education. There are other groups that someone could be appointed to such as the board of elections, recreation committee, ABC board, library board, and town or county planning boards. Someone could also volunteer to serve as a coach for a ball team, 4H leader, Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, or many other helpful activities that have a positive impact on someone's life and community. It really irks me when someone sits back and continually criticizes the efforts of others who spend time away from family and home in service to others. Serving as a volunteer or member of a local board can be very rewarding but very thankless at times also. We should all do our part to make our county a better place whether we serve or whether we elect not to. If you elect not to volunteer or serve then at least be courteous and thankful to the ones who do.
Jimmy Fleming
TYRRELL ECONOMICS
What do the people of Tyrrell county need to do to make our area a more thriving and prosperous community? This is a big question that all of our citizens need to ask themselves. To secure the future for our county and our people
we
need to study the economic problems that we are facing, develop a plan or plans to rectify the problem, and then implement our ideas into a scheduled and structured attack. The first step is cooperation among our citizens and local boards. There has to be open communication, participation, and enthusiasm for the task at hand which is our county's future survival and prosperity. Tyrrell county needs a defined direction on which to focus in order to implement a plan. In the past our economy has been based on raw materials that are harvested here and then taken elsewhere to be made into more valuable products. These consist of things such as timber, fish, crabs, corn, soy beans, potatoes, hogs, and other livestock. These industries provide low to moderate income because the real money is generated in the further processing and final sale of these products which is done elsewhere. The other problem with some of these industries is that the resource can be depleted (fish, crabs, trees, etc.) through over harvest, natural disaster (tornado, hurricane, fire, disease), man made disasters (sewage spills, fire,
dumping of chemicals, etc.), or even governmental laws or policies.
It is my opinion that Tyrrell county should focus on other available industries to stabilize our economy and move the county ahead through controlled and environmentally safe growth. I think that
tourism
is a very viable and potentially profitable avenue of income. It is reported that a million or so vehicles pass through our county on US 64 every year. If we can develop several areas of interest to stop just a small percentage of these it would generate quite a bit of revenue for our county. Things that interest the traveling public are museums, displays (have a captive black bear or red wolf for viewing), festivals, natural beauty (canoeing, walking, horse back riding, etc.), or historical buildings and events. Tyrrell County has the natural resources needed to become a tourist oriented area. We just need the focus and cooperation of our people to put a plan in action to begin reaping the potential profits.
Another avenue of potential income is to promote our county as a great
retirement area.
Attracting retired people to our county has many benefits. Retirees do not take jobs from the job market, many live on good incomes, generally are good citizens and don't add to the crime rate, have spendable income because home or car are usually paid for, and they have time and knowledge to participate on county boards, committees, and meetings. We already have many things that attract people who are looking to relocate after retiring. Some of the things that attract retirees are low crime, quiet and peaceful communities, natural beauty, good hunting, fishing, or boating areas, closeness to major shopping or tourist areas (we are close to Elizabeth City, Norfolk, Greenville, and the Outer Banks. Some things that could be added to attract retirees to our county would be a golf course or range, medical facility whose focus is geriatrics, shooting range, retirement village, an area where campers and RVs can park with sewer, electric, and water hookups and I'm sure there are many others. These are just a few thoughts and ideas that I feel could be studied and could possibly make our town and county a more prosperous and better place to live for all of us utilizing the resources that we already have without fear of depleting them.
Jimmy Fleming
GET OUT AND SEE YOUR COUNTY
Tyrrell county and it's adjoining areas have some of the greatest natural beauty and wildlife that you could imagine. I have been a fortunate person to have had the opportunity to see first hand many of the sights that Tyrrell has to offer. I have hunted waterfowl and camped on Great Shoal , watched black bears lap gumberries in the Seagoing Woods, caught rockfish at the Bends of the Fields, Northwest Fork, and Wildcat Bay. I have traveled to Whipping Creek and Swan Lake Creek to see alligators basking in the sun. I have traveled to Durant's Island just over the Tyrrell county line in the Alligator River many times. On these trips to Durants I have seen porpoises and otters playing in the Alligator River as well as just about every kind of duck, goose, or swan that winters in North Carolina. I consider this to be one of the prettiest places in eastern North Carolina. Many of the places that I have mentioned are very remote and difficult to visit. They are only accessible by boat or 4 wheel drive vehicle and the trip may be very dependent on the weather. I wonder how many Tyrrell citizens ever get to see the natural beauty that surrounds them? I would like to make two suggestions:(1) It might be a worthwhile business opportunity for someone to offer sightseeing service if only on a limited schedule such as 2 days per week. Someone could offer trips to Great Shoal, Durant's Island, Whipping Creek, etc. (2) I would like to suggest to everyone living in our fine county to get out and see the beauty around you.
You don't know what you're missing!
Jimmy Fleming
It is my hope that the editorials featured here will in some small way inspire someone or inform someone to an event or subject that they would normally not be aware of. If you have an editorial that you would like to express on this page please send me the article via email and I will certainly give it my strongest consideration and after viewing the content I will reply to let you know the status of your submission.
Send your editorials or your comments about my editorials to:
jimmyfleming@coastalnet.com.
{Front Page}
{Archives}
{Email Addresses}
{Trivia}
{Election Board}
{History Page}
{Bio}
{Awards}