MURFREESBORO – The Foundation of Renewal for Eastern North Carolina (FoR ENC) continues it tour of 41 eastern counties here July 28 with a visit to Hertford County.

The purpose of the Foundation is to schedule tours of the 41 counties in order to promote unity throughout the region and listen to the citizens, business owners and local government leaders as they voice their concerns about the economic problems facing eastern North Carolina.

FoR ENC representatives will meet with local citizens and leaders during a luncheon at the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum of Americana, located on High Street at the site of the old Murfreesboro High School. The meeting is expected to last two hours (11 a.m. until 1 p.m., including lunch). There is a $5 fee for lunch. Tours of the famous museum ($7 per person) can be arranged following the meeting.

To reserve a seat at the luncheon, please call FoR ENC at 252-756-0176 no later than July 21.

The meeting begins with introductions of the FoR ENC staff as well as recognizing other attendees. The Foundation staff will follow with a 15-minute slide presentation. The floor will then open for those in attendance to voice their concerns over local economic problems. A question and answer period will follow.

After lunch, attendees are invited to tour the Jefcoat Museum.

FoR ENC’s current swing through the 41 eastern counties kicked off in late May with the &uot;One East&uot; economic summit in Greenville. There, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley – himself a product of the eastern part of the state – rallied the group by saying, &uot;We have to be bold, we have to be aggressive, we have to accept nothing short of the best and you have to promote your communities tirelessly every single day.&uot;

Gov. Easley pointed to ongoing projects that would aid the eastern counties – the Communities in Schools Program, a public-private partnership aimed at lowering the dropout rates – and the NC Moving Ahead Program, one that has earmarked $700 million in road and bridge improvements, including work on numerous projects in rural areas.

Other notable projects aimed for eastern ‘Carolina are promoting tourism (not limited to the coastal regions), developing marketing skills within the agricultural community, a passenger railroad system and building regional airport hubs. There has also been discussion to strengthen the retention rates for teachers in rural school systems as well as looking at ways to improve their salary structure.

From their swing through 41 counties, it is the goal of FoR ENC to utilize the information gathered to help craft a blueprint for the economic renewal of eastern North Carolina.