VGCC Trustees Approve Firm For Presidential Search, Adopt 2018-19 Budget

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 -Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees approved a firm to assist in the search for a new president, adopted a budget for the current fiscal year, and welcomed a trustee who is returning to the board after being away for two years. The actions came at the bi-monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 17, on the college’s Main Campus.

The Trustees selected the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLC of Emerald Isle to assist in the search for a replacement for Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left the college in August to take a job with Duke University.

ELA describes itself as “a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents who are committed to ensuring that our internationally recognized community college system continues its proud tradition of excellence — one community college at a time.”

VGCC’s newest Trustee, Dr. Doris Terry Williams, was sworn in for a four-year appointment on the college board by retired District Court Judge J. Henry Banks. From left are Judge Banks, Dr. Williams and Jerry Stainback, the attorney for the Board of Trustees, who assisted with the swearing in. (Photo Credit: VGCC)

The firm will help the VGCC Board of Trustees by guiding the search process, creating a presidential profile of the ideal candidate needed, and recruiting and screening applicants as needed. The search will begin in October with plans to have the new president in place in March 2019. The trustees are expected to present finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for evaluation early in 2019, according to Dr. Gordon Burns who is serving as interim president for the college. Dr. Burns served as president of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro for 18 years before retiring in 2014.

Six firms responded to the requests for proposals, according to Trustee Deborah Brown, chair of the Trustees’ presidential search committee. Serving with Brown are Trustees Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.

Budget Adopted

The Trustees adopted a budget of $33,166,414 for the new fiscal year, approving VGCC’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Abdul Sm Rasheed.

On the Current Expense side of the budget, $19,438,484 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,587,868 from the four counties served by the college, and $9,273,716 from institutional funds. In the Capital Outlay budget, $1,726,846 comes from the State and $139,500 from the counties.

At the county level, Vance County is contributing $1,151,597 to the current operating funds; Granville, $752,184; Franklin, $369,168; and Warren, $225,625, with an additional $89,294 coming from institutional funds. Among capital improvement funds from the counties, Vance is contributing $73,874; Granville, $39,626; Franklin, $20,000; and Warren, $6,000.

The 2018-2019 budget is allocated as follows: institutional support: $5,433,372; curriculum instruction: $10,362,152; continuing education: $2,705,504; academic support: $1,368,526; student support: $2,075,516; plant operations and maintenance: $2,018,035; proprietary/other: $2,272,851; student aid: $5,064,112; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $786,141; and capital improvement projects: $1,080,205.

Dr. Doris Terry Williams Appointed To Board

Dr. Doris Terry Williams was sworn in to a four-year term on the VGCC Board of Trustees after being selected by the Vance County Board of Education to fill the vacancy created when long-time Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr., retired.

Dr. Williams, a retired educator and administrator, returns to the Board of Trustees after being off the board for two years. She was previously appointed to the board by the Governor’s Office in 2010 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in 2012 for a full four-year term.

As the owner and chief executive officer of EdComm, LLC, her own consulting group, Dr. Williams provides consultation regionally and nationally on education and community development issues.

A Vance County resident, she lived in Warren County and served on the Warren County Board of Education for 12 years, including five as the board chair. She has served as executive director of the Rural School and Community Trust and director of the Trust’s Capacity Building Program. She is now a senior fellow with the Rural Trust, which is a national non-profit dedicated to addressing the crucial relationship between good rural schools and thriving rural communities. She also has served as assistant dean and associate professor in the School of Education and director of University-School Partnerships at North Carolina Central University.

In other action:

  • The Trustees voted to close the Child Care Center on the Franklin Campus no later than June 1, 2019. The decision comes after an extended evaluation leading to the conclusion that the center is not financially sustainable, Dr. Burns told the board. Information packets that list other options for child care in the Franklin County area have been prepared for parents who currently have children at the center. The center, which currently has nine children, was originally created to provide Vance-Granville’s curriculum students with an environment to advance their Early Childhood experiences and to provide child care services for our students and staff. The center has been used mostly by the public in the past several years, Dr. Burns said.
  • In an update on capital projects, Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., said a design contract was executed in August for $320,400 for fire alarm replacements and renovations to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems on the Main Campus. Fire alarm replacement work will be bid out in February 2019 with work expected to begin the following May. The HVAC renovations will begin in the summer of 2020. Meanwhile, renovation work is scheduled to start this month on the second phase of renovations to Building 10. Space is being renovated to add a Practical Simulation Lab for Law Enforcement, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services programs.
  • Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, reported for the Investment Committee, citing a 12 percent growth in the college’s investments since the beginning of 2017.
  • Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee, provided an informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions.
  • The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris, presented new appointments to the Advisory Committees for college programs for the 2018-2019 academic year. The appointments were approved by the Trustees.

Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.

The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, November 19 at the Main Campus.

Forecast for Tar River in Louisburg Changes; Minor Flood Stage Reached

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-Information courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin

UPDATE: Wednesday, September 19 at 9:30 a.m.

The latest forecast indicates that the Tar River in Louisburg will peak at 21.1 ft tonight, Wednesday, September 19 at 6 p.m. Minor flood stage for the Tar River in Louisburg is 20.0 ft. Moderate flood stage is 22 ft.

Tar River in Louisburg Expected to Peak Just Below Minor Flood Stage

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-Information and chart courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin

As of Tuesday, September 18, the latest forecast is that the Tar River in Louisburg will peak at 19.05 ft tomorrow, Wednesday, September 19, 2018, at 6 p.m.

Minor flood stage for the Tar River in Louisburg is 20.0 ft.

Franklin County Logo

US-1 River Basin Near Franklin/Vance Co. Line Flooded; Tar River Rising

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-Information courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, County of Franklin

Emergency Services Director Jeff Lewis has issued the information below following a recent update on roadways from the North Carolina Department of Transportation:

  • There is approximately two feet of water flowing over the one-lane bridge on Green Hill Road near the Franklin/Granville County line.
  • The US-1 river basin is flooded near the Franklin/Vance County line.
  • The Tar River is approximately five to six feet below flood stage in Louisburg and continues to rise.

Citizens are encouraged to move any property you may have located in an early flood-prone area. Emergency Management will continue to monitor the river gauge located in Louisburg.

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Shelters Open at Louisburg Senior Center, Franklinton High School

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Update – Friday, September 14 – 11 a.m.

Shelters are currently open at the Louisburg Senior Center (127 Shannon Village) and Franklinton High School (910 Cedar Creek Road). For information about NC shelters, visit ReadyNC.org. You may also monitor https://www.franklincountync.us/alerts/hurricane-florence.

Franklin County residents are urged to sign up for Code Red alerts at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/76FC03E45CDF.

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Franklin Co. Government Offices Closed Sept. 14 & 15

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-Information courtesy Kristen King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County

Due to Hurricane Florence, all Franklin County Government offices will be closed Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15.

National Weather Service

Hurricane Florence Updates – Sept. 13

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Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.

WIZS will be bringing you updates on Hurricane Florence as new information is received. Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for updates throughout the week.

The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found by clicking here. The forecast – including rainfall amounts, wind speeds and storm direction – is remaining steady from earlier today.

Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m.

We should begin to feel the effects of the storm late this evening and tonight with conditions gradually worsening overnight and into tomorrow. They have increased our rainfall potential slightly but, other than that, nothing much has changed.

We have now officially decided to open the emergency shelter at Eaton Johnson Middle School located on Beckford Drive in Henderson at 5 p.m. today. Please DO NOT arrive early as no one will be there and the school will likely be locked until that time.

We are using our CODE RED system to get this message out to all of our citizens this morning. If you are not already signed up to receive messages on that system, please visit our web page at www.vancecounty.org/EM and click on the Emergency Alert System link to sign up. This system will be used to issue important notices prior to and after the storm’s impact.

We will be activating the Emergency Operations Center at 5 p.m. this evening and will begin 24-hour EOC operations at that time. As of now, we are at Readiness Level 1, which is our highest level in preparation for the storm. The 911 Center will be overstaffed as of 11 a.m. today and will remain that way throughout the storm. We are expecting the communications center to be extremely busy during the storm, so we are asking residents NOT to dial 911 for general questions to ensure that true emergency calls are able to get through.        

Please “like” Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay up to date on what is happening with the storm. We will also continue to forward along all relevant information as it is received.

Stay Safe.

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Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.

Hurricane Florence is approaching the coast and will slow today, and make landfall early Friday along the southern North Carolina coast, then slowly meander southwest into and across South Carolina. Confidence is HIGH that the event will occur; MODERATE confidence in expected impacts.

Strong sustained winds and gusts expected on Friday, likely persisting into the weekend. Strongest gusts expected across the southeastern coastal plain of NC. Flash and eventually river flooding likely beginning this evening and persisting through the weekend and into early next week. A risk for short-lived and weak tornadoes as the rain bands push ashore this evening through Saturday afternoon.

YOUR PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE IN PLACE NO LATER THAN MID-DAY TODAY!

Three Key Points

1. Hurricane Warning now in effect for Sampson and Wayne Counties. Tropical Storm Warning for Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Richmond, Wake and Wilson counties.

2. Prolonged, life-threatening inland flooding event from heavy rain is expected across much of southern and eastern N.C.

3. Dangerous winds will also result in downed trees which will likely culminate in widespread and prolonged power outages.

For a much more detailed breakdown of the current forecast, including expected wind speed and rainfall amounts in our area, visit the National Weather Service website by clicking here. 

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Franklin Co. Solid Waste Facilities Will be Closed Friday

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Franklin County Solid Waste Facilities to Close Friday, September 14

As a safety precaution for residents, haulers and staff, Franklin County’s twelve solid waste and recycling convenience centers and Solid Waste Transfer Station will be closed on Friday, September 14 due to the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Florence and potential for high winds, downed trees and power lines and flooded roadways.

Franklin County Administrators, Emergency Management officials and Solid Waste Department staff will monitor severe weather conditions and impacts of Hurricane Florence to determine when it will be safe to reopen the convenience centers and the Transfer Station. For updates on when the solid waste facilities will reopen and disposal options, please call the 919-340-4670 or visit www.franklincountync.us/recycles.

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Louisburg Senior Center to Open as Hurricane Shelter This Afternoon

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-Information courtesy Kristen King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County

Franklin County will reopen the shelter at the Louisburg Senior Center today, September 13, at 3 p.m. The shelter will be located at 127 Shannon Village in Louisburg. Citizens are encouraged to bring any medications or special items they may need.

The Franklin County Animal Shelter located at 351 T. Kemp Road in Louisburg is open and housing pets.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation Awards Over $340K in Health Grants

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-Press Release, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved $343,450 in grant awards to local organizations in the Foundation’s sixth annual grant cycle. With the 2018 grant award, the Foundation’s contributions to the community total $1.5 million since the Foundation began grantmaking in 2013.

“The primary purpose of our grantmaking is to invest in organizations that share our mission to improve health in our region,” said Val Short, executive director for the Foundation. The 2018 grant awards will fund 12 projects presented by nonprofits and agencies that serve local communities—and all of them will focus on community health and health improvement programs throughout the four-county region. “Our hope is that these grant awards will result in improved health and healthier outcomes for children and adults in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties,” said Short.

The 12 grants approved by the board fall under one or more of the five funding priorities established by the Foundation in 2013, including chronic disease, mental health and substance abuse, nutrition and physical activity, reproductive health, and success in school as related to health and wellness.

Most of the 2018 grant projects focus on chronic disease management and prevention and mental health and substance abuse. The TNHF grantees will provide a broad range of approaches to improving health– from programs that provide healing and support to traumatized children, to programs that provide strategies for managing chronic disease, to programs that provide care, treatment, and support for those with substance abuse disorders. “In all of our grant programs, health and wellness are at the heart of the work they will do,” said Short.

A list of the grant recipients and their projects for 2018-19 include:

  • ACTS of Vance County – Healing Hearts— Congestive Heart Failure patients who have been hospitalized will have the opportunity to receive heart-healthy, home-delivered meals for 10 days after discharge to help prevent further hospitalizations and to support a more comfortable quality of life.
  • Alliance Rehabilitative Care (ARC) – Access to Dental Care – Residents entering the substance abuse halfway house in Henderson will receive a dental screening and preventive care and, when necessary, more extensive dental treatment to prevent further decay and to promote overall health.
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central NC – Project Sport – This pilot program will target 4th and 5th graders who will participate in two existing programs, plus they will learn skills that will prepare them to participate in organized competitive team sports activities, including flag football, basketball, soccer and tennis.
  • Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start – Teens Fit for Life – the existing Adolescent Parenting Program will continue the Nutrition & Fitness component through participation in programs at the YMCA and through nutrition education provided by Cooperative Extension.
  • Granville-Vance Public Health – Responding to the Opioid Crisis in Vance & Granville Counties—Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance abuse disorders will be available at the Health Department’s Primary Care Clinic in addition to the continuation of the work of the VIBRANT Coalition to address the four focus areas of the N.C. Opioid Action Plan.
  • Henderson Family YMCA – 1) Girls on the Run – a self-esteem, self- respect and healthy lifestyles program for girls & boys culminating in a 5k run/walk at the end of each semester; 2) Safety Around Water – teaches water safety and drowning prevention skills to 2nd graders in Vance County.
  • NC Med Assist – Free Pharmacy Program & Over-the-Counter Giveaways – provides free medications and support for low income and uninsured individuals in the Triangle North Region. In addition, two over-the-counter medicine giveaways will be implemented this year in Warren and Franklin counties.
  • Shepherd Youth Ranch – Trail to Success – Provide skill building for youth suffering from grief, loss, abandonment and abuse. Partial scholarships will be provided to 10 youth who are referred by the school system or law enforcement who will enter into an intensive 24-week program, which consists of weekly group and monthly family sessions in a unique program that uses horses to help with therapy.
  • Strength and Mending (S.a.M) Child Advocacy Center – Child Forensic Interviews – provides a centralized, child-centered approach to investigation that reduces the risk of trauma to the children who are victims of abuse; increases opportunities for healing for the child and non-offending family members.
  • TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.) – Rebuilding Lives: Mental Health & Substance Abuse Recovery – provides a two-year residential recovery program with treatment, education, vocational training and care for residents of the Triangle North region who suffer from alcohol and substance abuse, free of charge.
  • Warren County Senior Center. – Diabetes Peer Educator Training and Outreach— in partnership with Warren County Health Department, this program will prepare volunteers to deliver diabetes self- management classes and support to Warren County residents in their own communities.

Located in Henderson, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and schools in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties. The Foundation’s grant funding mission has been made possible by the endowment that was established after Maria Parham Health merged with the for-profit Duke-Lifepoint in 2011.

The Foundation will launch a new grant cycle in the spring of 2019, but in the meantime, the Foundation staff is available to discuss ideas for grant projects or to provide assistance with grant writing. Information about our grantees and future grant opportunities is available on the website at www.tnhfoundation.org or call 252-598-0763.