LUMBERTON City officials hope designating Lumberton a retirement community would lure retirees to the area and boost the citys economy.

They want to capitalize on the growing number of seniors who are moving to North Carolina.

North Carolina is one of the leading states for retirees in the nation, City Manager Wayne Horne said. A lot of retirees are starting to gravitate to the mid-Atlantic region. It has created a large economic boom for areas where retirees have moved. If we attract those families to Lumberton, it would have a great economic impact.

Horne discussed promoting Lumberton as a retirement community with City Council members on Wednesday during a Policy Committee meeting.

The Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce approached the city about the idea after learning that several states Mississippi, Texas and Kentucky have certified retirement community programs. The programs are sanctioned by the states. The states establish criteria that communities must meet to obtain the designation.

Retirees are able to obtain information about the communities from state Web sites.

The chamber wants state Sen. David Weinstein, a Lumberton Democrat, to introduce a bill that would establish a certified retirement community program in North Carolina. If the legislation passes, the chamber and the city want Lumberton to be the first to receive the designation.

The chamber provided the city more than 100 activities and local sights that could be promoted as part of the citys marketing.

The whole project is to pursue economic development for our area, said Wade Rozier, chairman of the chamber. Basically, what we are hoping to do is target markets in a sister city up North where home values are a lot more than here and try to educate some folks what a great climate we have, what a great value this area is for retirees and all of the different cultural and recreational things we have to offer. ... We are looking at putting together a marketing package for Lumberton outlining all of the benefits to the senior population.

Several chamber members have met with Weinstein and are putting together information for him to use to draft a bill, Rozier said. The organization is seeking letters of support from realtors, the medical community and educational institutions in the county.

We are talking to all of the folks who would be vested in this project of attracting seniors to this area, he said. Lumberton has sort of evolved with the exit of textiles. We are now largely a service community, and we have a lot of services senior adults want and need.

Mayor Ray Pennington sees a lot of benefits in targeting retirees people buying houses and retirees bringing their knowledge to help improve the community.

They would bring more diversity and experiences, he said.

Source: www.fayobserver.com/article?id=283841