By NICOLE CARTRETTE

It’s a sunny spring afternoon.

A crowd gathers at the newly restored platform at the Vineland Station for a concert.

It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

Mac Campbell, a member of the N.C. Board of Transportation, announced at a legislative breakfast in Whiteville Thursday that $60,000 was awarded to Vineland Station for rehabilitation of the historic depot’s concrete and stone platform.

Campbell said that not all municipalities awarded federal grant funding match the requirements or make progress on the work. Sometimes municipalities return the money. Such is not the case with the Vineland Station committee that he said has worked extremely hard. So, when he heard that additional money was available from unused awards, he negotiated for approval to redistribute the funds.

Les High, Vineland Station board chairman, contributes the success of the project to the generous support of the community and state officials who were instrumental in the grant process. The original federal grant application resulted in a $769,000 award. “When the project finally began to take shape, people could see what an important role Vineland Station would play in the community,” High said, adding that the committee is thankful for the help Mac Campbell, U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. and Rep. Dewey Hill have provided.

The renovated platform will likely be a location for concerts and other events, such as outdoor weddings. It is the third of four phases of the station’s extensive renovation. The first phase focused on restoration of the exterior, plaza and warehouse. In phase two, a history gallery and conference room, plus four offices, are expected to open in the next 60 days, bringing the total renovation to roughly $1.4 million. Phase three is renovation of the platform.

Phase four won’t involve new construction.

“So far, Vineland Station has been mostly about fundraising and construction,” High said. “The next logical step is to make Vineland Station more of a community organization that will create programs to utilize the building to its fullest extent.”

The addition of a donated vintage boxcar to be used for storage is expected in a matter of weeks.

“So far rentals have been self-supporting,” High said. Rates are available for profit and non-profit events. The depot, originally constructed in 1903, has served as the location for several weddings and banquets and has attracted a constant stream of visitors.

Other grant awards in the county and legislative actions were reflected upon at the legislative breakfast hosted by the Greater Whiteville Chamber of Commerce. The event is one Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. said he and Rep. Dewey Hill always look forward to, adding that it is an opportunity to showcase things accomplished in the legislature.

“We went to Raleigh ready to go to work,” Soles told a crowd of more than 100 who attended the early morning breakfast. The legislature that adjourned earlier this year than in the past “did lots of good things,” he said. Tax reductions for small businesses, assistance to community colleges, tax credits for small employers who provide health coverage to employees, teacher salary increases and capping the counties’ Medicaid costs were among the accomplishments he showcased. He said the county Medicaid situation would not be forgotten.

“The state is going to address that,” Soles said. “Perhaps by the time we are here again.” He added that the legislature enacted legislation to provide for a study of the situation. North Carolina is the only state that continues to require counties to provide a 15 percent match of Medicaid costs.

Soles reminded attendees that the state had invested $95 million in the state mental health program, increased public safety with new sex offender and DUI laws, established the nation’s first innocence commission, reached a landfill compromise and raised the minimum wage to $6.15.

“We want to do all we can to protect the quality of life,” Soles said.

“It’s always good to be here,” Rep. Dewey Hill said, another guest speaker at the event. “We had the best short session in the 14 years I have been there.”

He reiterated that this year was a good year for education, that real estate values are up, state employees got raises and one-time monies in the state surplus were used to prepare for a hurricane or natural disaster by replenishing the state’s rainy day fund.

“You folks do a tremendous job,” Campbell said, adding that although the DOT budget was tight, many improvements to roads locally were in sight. He gave an update on several DOT projects that include future I-74, increasing safety at the U.S. 74-76 and Blacksmith Road intersection near Bolton and construction of interchanges at N.C. 211 in Bolton and N.C. 242 in Evergreen in 2010.

Kip Godwin, chairman of the Columbus County Board of Commissioners, said residents often take for granted the leadership in Washington and Raleigh. He said the $8.5 million detention center project is two months ahead of schedule. The new facility is scheduled to open next spring.

Godwin said free prescription discount cards available to county residents had resulted in an average savings of 23.3 percent for those who had taken advantage of the cards. He said in 1,600 uses, 1,460 times it resulted in savings. He asked that attendees help promote use to the cards. He added that the county continues to look for ways Medicaid can be more efficient. A local Medicaid advisory committee meets next Thursday, he said.

Sponsored by Progress Energy and the Greater Whiteville Chamber of Commerce, the legislative breakfast traditionally serves as an opportunity for local business and government leaders to hear updates on issues and to ask questions of representatives.