Editor,

This project is a humanitarian effort to improve the living conditions for most citizens of the town of Newsoms. Change the unhealthy environments that contribute to many dangerous medical problems for some, and repair residences with damage due to years of being located in standing water or damp conditions.

The town has attempted several times to apply for government funds available for projects such as this, but we have lost out to some other community’s request.

We are now making a concerted effort, with the help of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors, to submit a successful application for assistance with this serious community problem. We need the help and support of all the citizens in Newsoms, as well as people who live in the area.

One important type of support that may be the key to a successful application is to be able to show the agency deciding on what community’s application is successful, that people who live here are actually concerned about solving this standing-water problem.

In the past, when representatives from government agencies or local groups held meetings to discuss and try to do something about the drainage problem, so few people have attended, the agencies felt they should give the project money to a community that was more concerned than Newsoms citizens seemed to be. In most documents submitted, statements such as, “Only 10 people attended the meeting;” or, “Thirty people attended this meeting, as shown by the sign-in sheet attached.”

The people who live in Newsoms, while declaring their serious concern with the standing water problem, do not seem to have the time, or understand the importance of what their personal attendance at the meetings say to those agents making recommendations for our appeals for help. My friends and neighbors say things like, “Oh, yes. It is terrible. We must do something, but I can’t get to a meeting. You go and tell them how much we need help with this.”

Our present effort has begun with a number of meetings — two workshops combining the SoCo board and Newsoms Town Council. An excellent application was submitted from Mr. Mike Johnson and Mayor [Vanless] Worrell. If this application is successful, it could provide Newsoms with the funds to hire professional support to assist in the research, collection, collation, organization and composition of the considerable data required by the government agency to whom we submit our request for the total project. It is a long, complicated process which, we hope, will be completed by the next deadline for submission, March 2020.

Please, please, if you have any interest in supporting our attempts to fix the Newsoms’ drainage problem, talk to your County Board, attend the planning meetings, show your indorsement for our efforts.

Thank you for your support.

Carol Drake Majors

Newsoms