The Concerned Citizens of Lincoln County (CCLC) met at the library in Lincolnton on April 19 at 6:30 p.m. They always meet the third Thursday of the month at the library.

Al Bean, president, opened the meeting with silent prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Guest speakers were Jayne Callaway, operation manager and Billy Caddell, director of marketing and business development for Wilkes Telephone and Electric Company.

They gave a very informative and interesting presentation about the fiber optic cable that is being installed throughout Lincoln County to replace the copper tubing. They stated it will greatly improve the telephone service and give customers availability to high speed internet, cable tv, etc. This will not increase the cost of our monthly telephone bill. Billy had a sample of the fiber optic cable to show the members and also other equipment that will be used in the process.

Phase I and phase II have been started in the south end of the county and hope to be completed in a year and half. Phase III will probably start in the north part of the county once the other phases are completed. Many questions were asked and answered during the presentation. Members gave a big thank you to Jayne and Billy for taking the time to inform us. It was greatly appreciated.

Discussions were held about the road situation within the county. The Broad River area is scheduled to be paved in various areas. Many holes need to be filled throughout the county.

Discussion took place of the property tax freeze, a topic that is being pushed ahead by the president and members.

They discussed the vendetta that is still going on between the departments in Lincoln County. If the lawsuit does occur, several members stated they would attend wherever it is held.

The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held May 17, 6:30 p.m. at the library. The meetings are most interesting and all citizens are invited to come and be informed as to what is taking place in Lincoln County. We always have a speaker from an area in the county.