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Neighborhood Seeks Help From Moore County Officials

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Jackson Hamlet
MOORE COUNTY, N.C. — From sand traps to sand streets, Jackson Hamlet sits nestled behind the pines a chip shot away from Pinehurst, the site of this year's U.S. Open. Residents are taking a swing at a new sewer line to replace failing septic tanks.

The community is sandwiched between Aberdeen and Pinehurst. It wants the county to invest in the same public services as its densely populated neighbors.

"We have needs. All of us are human beings and we have similar needs," said resident Oneal Russ.

The people who founded Jackson Hamlet came for work. They helped build some golf courses and the Carolina Hotel. Over the years, Pinehurst has prospered, and now Jackson Hamlet residents feel their community should prosper too.

The UNC Center for Civil Rights and other advocates want the county to use money made from golf to build the infrastructure they say has long been ignored.

"It's really shameful they don't want to help the have-nots," said Hilton Dunlap of Voices for Justice.

The county said it is helping. In the late 1990s, it brought water to Jackson Hamlet and other poor communities. County commissioner Michael Holden believes the bigger question is why one of the surrounding towns has not annexed the community. He said this is not a golf issue but a planning issue.

"There are other areas that it's a priority just as much. We have to allocate resources throughout the county," he said.

Jackson Hamlet residents point out some of those resources recently went to a new $367 million sewer pump station dedicated to Pinehurst. The estimated cost for a new sewer line is more than $2 million. Holden hopes some of that money will be allocated in the county budget.

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