An outpouring of local response to a survey on aging issues is expected to have a significant impact on state policy.

In an e-mail message this week, Moore County Director of Aging Terri Prots reports that the county's response far outnumbered that of any of the other six counties covered by the survey conducted by the state's Area Agency on Aging. Prots says 146 Moore County residents responded to Survey 1 and 125 completed Survey 2. Wake County, the largest of the seven included in the survey, had a response of 77 to Survey 1.

When the survey was first issued, Prots had some difficulty getting people to participate, but once the concept caught on, the response was overwhelming.

Prots says the county's response was especially noteworthy because it came on the heels of a local problem with transportation services.

AGING POPULATION -- The survey area originally covered six counties, but the agency was persuaded to add Moore County because people older than 60 years outnumber those under the age of 18 here.

Prots has learned that the report for Moore County, as compiled by the staff of the N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services, is 77 pages long. The director of aging says she will share these findings once the report is completed and released to the public.

McCRORY -- The latest survey from Public Policy Poling shows Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory leading state Sen. Fred Smith in double digits for the Republican nomination for governor.

The survey shows McCrory with 35 percent, Smith with 23 percent. Bill Graham and Bob Orr are tied for third place with 7 percent and Elbie Powers has 1 percent. Of those responding, 28 percent said they were undecided.

Of local interest is the survey response for the state superintendent of public instruction nomination. Former state Rep. Richard Morgan of Moore County is the leader among the three GOP candidates. Morgan, a former co-speaker of the state House, claimed 17 percent in the latest poll. Eric Smith has 11 percent, Joe Johnson 10 percent. However, the largest percentage of those polled falls into the undecided category, 62 percent.

"Pat McCrory has been running the most aggressive media campaign in the Republican race," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. "With five weeks left until the primary, the other candidates need to start spending some serious money if they want to keep pace."

PPP's Web site can be accessed at www.publicpolicypolling.com. Reports on other GOP state offices are available there along with North Carolina responses to Democratic races.

COUNTY 101 -- The doors of the historic courthouse in Carthage were opened this week to welcome the second Moore County Government 101 class.

Twenty-two people have signed up for the course, which presents an overview of county operations.

Eli Arroyo-Allen, county public information officer, says the first class featured administration, the clerk to the Board of Commissioners, the county attorney's office, human resources and her own office. The class meets twice a week from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m.

Additional information is available by calling Arroyo-Allen at 947-6363.

VAD -- Participation in the Voluntary Agriculture District (VAD) program is approaching 20,000 acres.

So far, more than 16,000 acres on almost 70 farms have been accepted into the program designed to protect agriculture from the encroachment of development and also to protect future residents from the problems associated with living adjacent to farm land.

Because a quorum was not present, the VAD advisory board did not approve the latest applications for membership at a Wednesday afternoon meeting. When this is handled at the next meeting, VAD participation will climb to 19,519 acres. Of that land, 13,719 will be in forestry, 4,834 acres in general agriculture, including livestock and poultry.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.