County Commissioners Approve Location for Charters of Freedom – Southern Pines Pilot

A permanent display housing replicas of Americas founding documents will be located on the grounds of the new courthouse facility in Carthage. The Moore County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the proposed site Tuesday.

Chairman Frank Quis said the selected site is very appropriate, noting similar settings where replicas of the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution and Bill of Rights are displayed have primarily been located at or near courthouses around the state. The site will also benefit the town by providing additional visitor and resident foot traffic to the area, Quis added.

The initial concept was presented to county leaders in April. As the sponsoring organization, Foundation Forward aims to install what it terms Charters of Freedom settings in all 100 North Carolina counties and, eventually, all 3,142 jurisdictions across the country.

Commissioner Catherine Graham reiterated during discussion there will be no public funding. The setting will be installed on county-owned land but the actual material and construction costs will be raised entirely through private donations.

County Manager Wayne Vest said a letter of intent with Foundation Forward has not yet been formally reviewed or approved by county leaders. Speaking to The Pilot following the meeting, he anticipated that would likely be a next step in the process.

Earlier this summer, Quis said he hoped the project would receive bipartisan interest and support; however, local Democratic leaders have expressed concern whether there has been adequate due diligence of the project.

In an open letter published by The Pilot in June, Maurice Holland, Jr., chair of the Moore County Democratic Party, said the proposed Charters of Freedom setting lacks a full recounting of the story of the creation of the United States by omitting the Colonial period and pathetically attempting to whitewash the heinous stain of slavery.

The Constitution does not specifically mention race but the original document did not recognize the rights of Native Americans and it counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of voting apportionment. Slavery was not abolished until the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865.

I value bipartisanship and would welcome the opportunity to work with the Moore County Republican Party to improve Moore County, but so far, I and my fellow Democrats have not been given a seaworthy vessel with which to sail the stormy waters, Holland wrote.

Lowell Simon also submitted an open letter to The Pilot questioning Foundation Forwards financial backing and its apparent ties to conservative causes. He also expressed concern whether local leadership had access to or had reviewed the free educational materials the organization has offered to provide to area schools as part of the overall project.

In addition to replicas of the nations founding documents, typically each semi-circular Charters of Freedom setting also includes permanent pavers recognizing individuals and sponsors. In addition, a donors plaque is placed prominently at the setting and a time capsule is also sealed at each project site to be opened on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, 2087, which is the 300th anniversary of the Constitution.

In other action on Tuesday, the Moore County Board of Commissioners:

Proclaimed September as National Recovery Month and recognized the contributions of Drug Free Moore County. The organization works to prevent and combat substance abuse by increasing awareness, providing information and encouraging support for various recovery initiatives and programs.

Heard a presentation on The Tides, a Wilmington-based nonprofit agency that serves pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder

Received a quarterly fiscal report for Sandhills Center for Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services

Appointed Roland Gilliam and Tom McPherson to the Airport Authority

Appointed Silva Porter Deal and Edmund Kielty to the Nursing and Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee

Reappointed Matthew Rothbeind to the Sandhills Center Board of Directors

Reappointed Frank Thigpen and Kathy Liles to the Board of Adjustment

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County Commissioners Approve Location for Charters of Freedom - Southern Pines Pilot