Snow Hill group fights for road name

Jul. 12—A sweeping project earlier this year renamed roads along N.C. 24 and changed hundreds of addresses, a move meant to clear up confusion for newly-constructed roadways. That renaming assigned new committee-designated names to several stretches, but a vocal contingent in the Snow Hill community saw the opportunity to honor their community — and they fought to see that become a reality.

In recent months, there was an ongoing discussion between several members of the Snow Hill community and the Sampson EMS concerning a proposed name change on a stretch of Roseboro Highway. It was approved to be Bend Road. Snow Hill residents, though, said Snow Hill Drive would be a more-apt nod to the thusly-named neighborhood.

The appeal to have Bend Road changed to Snow Hill Drive was heard, and a brief public hearing held on the matter, during Monday night's Sampson County Board of Commissioners meeting. A number of Snow Hill residents attended the proceedings in support of the name change, with Snow Hill residents Whitney Parker and Margaret Butler offering brief comments.

"We were concerned about the renaming of the road. We wish you would take that (renaming to Snow Hill Drive) into consideration. That's the last of the Snow Hill community," said Butler, noting the community has been around for 150 years. "We need and we want to keep that name afloat."

Parker reiterated that message, saying he, like others, wanted to see that Snow Hill name in a community for the current and future residents, as well as a tribute to those who have passed. Parker had to submit the appeal, make the proposal and attend meetings to see it happen.

In introducing Monday's public hearing, Jessie Matthews, Emergency Services GIS coordinator, said the Road Naming Committee members reviewed the road name appeal of SR 1964 and recommended that it be renamed from the previously proposed Bend Road to Snow Hill Drive. That recommendation was unanimously approved by the board.

In April, the Sampson Board of Commissioners approved a sweeping road-renaming proposal that impacted nine different roadways and more than 220 addresses in the central and western part of the county, specifically along the path of the N.C. 24 construction project.

That proposal to rename roads and re-number addresses along the N.C. 24 corridor in Sampson was a move local officials said was necessary to ensure efficient emergency response after construction in recent years fragmented and rerouted roads and reconfigured communities. The rebuilding of N.C. 24 by the North Carolina Department of Transportation extended from Cumberland County to Clinton, bypassing Autryville and Roseboro in the process.

Targeted addresses were those where there was road name duplication, no road name assigned or an address that didn't conform to National Emergency Numbering Association guidelines.

"We understand that this may be inconvenient," Matthews said at the time, "but the main priority is for emergency responders to locate and reach residents in a timely and efficient manner in the event of an emergency.

Addresses impacted include those on Roseboro Highway, Autry Highway, Dunn Road and Stage Coach Lane.

The names were already determined by the Road Naming Committee. Matthews has said the committee attempted to recommend as few changes as possible to minimize the impact on the residents.

During that April meeting, Roseboro Highway residents Margaret Butler and Whitney Parker both asked about their section of Roseboro Highway, which was proposed to be named Bend Road. Parker said he agreed with a suggestion from Butler that the stretch be called Snow Hill Drive.

Parker broached the subject again during the public comment section at the Board of Commissioners meetings in subsequent months. He touted the renaming of the stretch to Snow Hill Drive, a proposal that gained and some steam in recent months due to the vocal contingent.

On Monday, Butler and Parker again stood in solidarity for the road name change, with a group of supporters in tow.

"The community spoke up," Parker said after the meeting. "I grew up there. It's historical. It's like somebody trying to take away where you grew up and you just want to fight to have something to remind you of your youth. We just wanted to have a voice."

Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.