Your Input Can Help Guide the Future of Downtown Fayetteville

Downtown Fayetteville has seen a lot of changes over the years, and as the arts and cultural opportunities continue to flourish, a new survey is being put out to help guide some of the future.

Cool Spring Downtown District, which is tasked with "promoting downtown Fayetteville's Arts and Entertainment District," has put out a request for community feedback through a survey. The hope is to get information that can help the organization gauge public sentiment, and position Downtown Fayetteville for a vibrant future. (Click here to go to the survey.)

"We believe that the success of our organization and the vitality of the downtown Arts and Entertainment District are deeply intertwined with the perspectives and experiences of the community," said Bianca Shoneman, CEO at CSDD. "By inviting residents, business owners, artists, and visitors to share their feedback, we hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of what is working well and where there is room for improvement."

The study is being funded partially through a grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County. A group called Benchmark Planning, which focuses on urban design, will be handling the study.

"The process seeks to align our goals and initiatives with the evolving needs and desires of the community we serve," CSDD said in a release. "The feedback gathered through this survey will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of our organization and the downtown Arts and Entertainment District as a whole.

"The survey covers various aspects of the organization's performance, including programming, accessibility, community outreach, parking, planning and overall satisfaction with the downtown Arts and Entertainment District. Participants will have the opportunity to provide open-ended comments, suggestions, and ideas for enhancing the district's appeal and impact."

Cool Spring says the community feedback survey starts today, and will remain open until April 10, 2024. All responses will be kept confidential.

To access the survey and learn more about Cool Spring Downtown District and the downtown Arts and Entertainment District, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dwntwnFay

The survey comes as Downtown Fayetteville has seen a rapid amount of growth.

Segra Stadium opening within the last 5 years was a key element in redefining much of the downtown landscape. With the anticipated building of the Crown Event Center near the Cumberland County Courthouse, and increased business activity primarily along Hay Street, there's a lot going on.

It sadly may not come as much of a surprise, but a recent study says that Robeson County and Columbus County in North Carolina, are among the most dangerous in the United States for drivers.

A personal injury attorney firm in Florida, Anijar & Levine, did the study. They looked at the number of deaths caused by car accidents from 2018 to 2021, with data compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Only counties with 50,000 or more people were analyzed for the study, and it came with some sad results.

Most notably, the data showed that Robeson County had the highest number of total car accident deaths during the four-year period. There were 263 people killed in Robeson County during that time period.

"This data shows us the counties with the highest number of deaths caused by car crashes over four years. Arizona has the most number of counties featured in the top 10, with Apache, Gila and Navajo all included. States such as Virginia, Tennessee, and Nevada only have one county featured in the top 50," Anijar & Levine said in a news release. "There are many reasons as to why car crashes happen, whether that be the fault of an individual or weather conditions. Ultimately, this analysis demonstrates that it is essential to take road safety seriously and drive carefully, no matter where there are."

Robeson County came in at third overall in number of car crash fatalities per 10,000 people, while Columbus County came in sixth, with 21.14 per 10,000. Two counties from South Carolina also unfortunately landed in the Top 10, with Orangeburg County at second, and Laurens County at ninth.

Outside of the top 10, Pender County in North Carolina was 18th at 15.61, Sampson County was 33rd at 13.89, Granville County was 38th at 13.44, Lenoir County was 39th at 13.42 and Nash County came in at 50th with 13.06.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 counties in the United States that are the most dangerous for drivers.

Apache County in Northeast Arizona has only 66,024 people, but had 155 people killed in car crashes during the time period. That's 23.48 per 10,000.

The small county south of Columbia has 84,225 people, and saw 194 deaths in the four years. That's 23.03 per 10,000 people.

The county in our region with Lumberton in it has 116,516 people. And had more people killed in car crashes during the time period than anywhere else in the country, and had 22.57 per 10,000 people.

While a small county, with just 53,273 people, the Gila area is near the major Phoenix metro. There were 21.96 deaths per 10,000 people.

The county in central Florida has just 73,327 people, but is a major gateway between major cities. There were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

Just down the road, the county with Whiteville in it is also a pass-through to the beach areas. So while it has a small population of just 50,625 there were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

A small county in western New Mexico, it does happen to border the Arizona county that topped the list. There were 20.85 deaths per 10,000.

Another rural county in Arizona, but it does 106,716 people in it. The county saw 213 deaths, which was 19.96 per 10,000 people.

While not a big county, Laurens County is a passthrough between Greenville and Columbia and saw 18.95 car crash deaths per 10,000 people.

The county between Destin and Panama Beach sees a lot of visiting traffic, and that's probably why it had 17.53 deaths per 10,000 people.