Decades ago, the word stakeholder wasn’t even in the Oxford English Dictionary.
It’s become common usage these days because everyone knows that having a stake in something means having an interest or a claim.
That’s what Walter Ferrell, Tronia Gibson and Judy Phillips meant to convey when they called a “Cooleemee Stakeholders Meeting” scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 at the Cooleemee Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall.
“Things never stay the same,” says Ferrell, who lives with his wife Sandra and son Charlie on Center Street. “Generally speaking, things are either going forward or moving backward.”
He hopes that more of the town’s homeowners and permanent residents will take heed, becoming more involved in determining their own destiny.
Ferrell, Gibson and Phillips are among a dozen or so who have volunteered to be “lead neighbors” on their blocks.
“We want to reknit our community,” says long-time resident Gibson. “This means getting to know each other, looking after each other, and pulling together when a problem arises.” Gibson has organized two block parties in  the Junction Road section of Cooleemee.
Newcomer Stephanie Waller, lead neighbor for Erwin Street, has organized two get-togethers in the past year. Lead neighbor Glenn Cornatzer on lower Davie Street has recently taken three new families “Welcome Satchels” developed by the town.
Saxapahaw Rivermill developer Mac Jordan will speak at March 22  meeting  about the Cooleemee Cotton Mill Project and its potential impact on the town’s future …