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This weekend, we have the privilege of celebrating the spirit of service and unity through our Fayetteville Beautiful event. Each spring, volunteers from every corner of our community come together to help beautify the City we call home. It’s an opportunity not only to care for our shared public spaces but to connect with neighbors, friends and new acquaintances who share pride in Fayetteville. This kind of collaboration exemplifies the “Can Do” spirit of our city—when we unite behind a common goal, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish.
Also, April is Fair Housing Month—an annual reminder of our commitment to ensuring that every resident in Fayetteville has equal access to safe, affordable housing. This commitment has its foundation in the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, family status or disability. Here in Fayetteville, our City Council reinforced that standard with the 2018 Fair Housing Ordinance, empowering the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department to investigate complaints, mediate disputes and, if necessary, pursue legal action with the support of the Fair Housing Board and the City Attorney’s Office.
I encourage anyone with questions about housing rights—or who believes they have experienced housing discrimination—to reach out to the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department at 910-433-1696. They stand ready to help resolve issues and support our community in upholding fair housing protections. As Human Relations Director Yamile Nazar often reminds us, “Everyone deserves a place to call home, free from any type of discrimination.”
We also continue looking to the future of sustainable public transit. On Thursday, Fayetteville reached a major milestone with the introduction of our first two battery electric buses (BEB) and the installation of three electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. As part of the City’s Zero Emission Bus Deployment Project initiative, these buses mark a significant stride forward in how we power public transit—improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, and providing riders with new amenities like USB chargers. This transition to electric doesn’t just mean a better ride; it underscores our commitment to cleaner energy and innovation. With support from federal programs and North Carolina’s Volkswagen Grant Program, the City plans to expand the electric fleet even further in the coming months and years.
Thank you for everything you do to make Fayetteville a place where people pitch in to keep our city beautiful, and where we work together to foster fairness and celebrating our leap toward a greener public transit system, your commitment continues to shape a healthier, more vibrant community making Fayetteville the best place to live, work and recreate. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Douglas J. Hewett
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