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Oxford’s Public Safety Committee to Discuss Crime Reduction Efforts

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The Public Safety Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Friday, January 24, 2020, at 1:15 p.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street in Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the City of Oxford’s coordinated response efforts to reduce unlawful activity. 

All those interested are invited to attend.

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Joe Toler – Oak Hill Continuation Meeting Canceled

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-Information courtesy Debra A. Weary, Clerk to the Board, Granville County

At the January 6, 2020 meeting, the Granville County Board of Commissioners approved entering into an order that the Joe Toler – Oak Hill Elementary School is currently available and requested negotiations between Granville County Public Schools and Oxford Preparatory School.

The continuation of that meeting, originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, 2020, at 7 p.m., has been canceled. 

Regional Economic Dev. Summit to Feature Bestselling Author

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

You are invited to attend an exciting Regional Economic Development Summit at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center on Thursday, February 20, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. This is a free event with lunch included.

The summit is a five-county regional event, being planned by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce and Vance County Economic Development, along with the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, and the other Chambers and EDC offices in Franklin, Granville, Warren, and Person Counties.

This is a “must-attend” event for business owners, developers, manufacturing managers, small business owners, governmental leaders, etc.

There will be panel discussions and presentations concerning economic development program efforts that have been successful in other small, rural communities.

A highlight of the day will be the presentation by keynote speaker Doug Griffiths, an international speaker and author of the bestselling book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.”

Michele Burgess, H-V Chamber President said, “When I was hired back at the Chamber in July, I heard about this book from some other Chamber presidents and immediately ordered it and read it. It’s incredible! Griffiths knows all the challenges we face in small communities, and he has good solutions to offer us on how to approach our economic development and make the improvements necessary in our mindset to turn our community into a thriving, beautiful, and progressive town.”

The event is free, but preregistration is required. You may register online at the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Focus 20/20 website (click here). The first 50 people to register and attend the summit will receive a free copy of Griffiths’ book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.”

With questions, please call the H-V Chamber of Commerce at (252) 438-8414.

Granville County Public Schools

Annual State Inspection of GCPS Buses Complete

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

The State of NC recently completed its annual inspection of all Granville County Public Schools (GCPS) buses, including an audit of the Transportation Department’s inventory, control processes and safety records.

In conducting the inspection, officials assign point values to violations or defects, so the lower the score, the better the overall results. For the second year in a row, GCPS received an overall score better than the state average. This year’s score was a 36.4, with the state central region average being a 38.5.

After reviewing the final official report, Superintendent McLean offered her thoughts, saying, “I was very pleased to see us again do better than the state average score, but I was even more pleased to see that there were ZERO problems related to major safety violations with regard to brakes, tires, steering or fuel leaks. I am very proud of Mr. Harry Wilkins and his team in the Transportation Department. This is a job well done.”

In addition to the low inspection score, the report also highlighted the strengths of the department’s inventory control process. Of the approximately $90,000 of parts and supplies currently in the transportation shop’s inventory, the audit found a discrepancy of only $106.90, which was attributed to miscounts of low-cost items such as fasteners and brackets.

The Transportation Department is also given an annual Transportation Information Management System (TIMS) efficiency rating by the state each year using a separate process. This rating is based on how well the district plans its routes and maximizes the ridership, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and mileage on the buses. The higher the efficiency rating, the better the funding formula will be for a district.

This past year, GCPS had a rating of 94.5%, which exceeded the state’s indicator threshold of 90%. This resulted in the maximum funding calculations for the district and was a reflection of the hard work of TIMS Manager Cindy Fain and the Assistant Principals who manage routes and ridership.

Dr. McLean went on to say, “This report and the high marks for the department are also a reflection of the outstanding job done by our bus drivers each and every day. Our drivers continue to do an excellent job of taking good care of our children on our buses. They, more than anyone, know just how precious their cargo is.  They truly are our children’s guardian angels on the road. We thank the public for remembering this in their daily commute as well.”

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Oxford’s Property & Public Works Committees to Meet Jan. 29

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The Property, Buildings, and Real Estate Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street in Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Armory. 

The Public Works Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, January 29, at 11 a.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street in Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is as follows: 

  • Discussion of traffic signalization with John Sandor, District Engineer, NCDOT Div. 5 
  • Staff update on City of Oxford Infrastructure Improvement Initiative Projects 
  • Update on KLRWS Water Treatment Facility Renovations and Expansion Project 

All those interested are invited to attend.

New VGCC Partnership with KARTS Makes Education More Accessible

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently launched a new partnership with KARTS, the public, rural transportation system, to help students travel to and from any of the college’s four campuses at no cost. Through the partnership, the college will use grant funds and donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund to pay for students to use KARTS.

“Transportation is just one non-academic barrier that can make it difficult for rural citizens to make use of their community college,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of VGCC. “We are thankful for KARTS’ willingness to partner with us to reduce this barrier. We also appreciate our generous donors and grantors who are making this opportunity possible. VGCC is committed to student access and success!”

Students can now make appointments for KARTS to pick them up by calling 252-438-2573 and then dialing “0”. If students need to cancel appointments, they can call the same number. Appointment timeslots are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made up to two weeks in advance. Service requests for the following day are taken no later than 1 p.m., or as capacity allows.

Students can request tickets on campus from any VGCC employee. Once students have these fare tickets, they must present their VGCC student IDs, along with the tickets, when boarding the KARTS transportation bus. They must be on time, because drivers will wait approximately two minutes, and students who do not show up for scheduled appointments three times are subject to be prohibited from using this service in the future.

Current pickup/drop-off locations on campus are below:

  • VGCC Main Campus (Vance County), in front of Building 7;
  • VGCC Franklin Campus (Louisburg), in front of Building 1;
  • VGCC South Campus (Butner/Creedmoor), in front of Building 1 by the flag pole; and
  • VGCC Warren Campus (Warrenton), between Buildings 2 and 3.

College officials said that there is the potential for more locations to be added in the future.

“We, as a college, are thrilled to provide transportation, at no cost, to current and future students,” said Dawn Michelle Tucker, VGCC’s Dean of Continuing Education and College & Career Readiness. “We know transportation is a major challenge that many students face and we are pleased to be able to partner with KARTS to offer this solution.”

“Our partnership with KARTS provides an even greater opportunity for our communities to access higher education and obtain a college credential,” said Kali Brown, VGCC’s Dean of Student Access & Support.

Working to remove the lack of transportation as an obstacle to receiving higher education and job training is just one aspect of the community college’s commitment to student support. Numerous types of financial aid and scholarships, including the unique “VanGuarantee” program, are available to help students pay for classes. Free tutoring services, library services (on all campuses and online) and career services are also among a variety of resources for students.

“Excessive absences are often a leading contributor to non-completion of community college education,” said VGCC Vice President of Workforce and Community Engagement Jerry Edmonds. “Therefore, VGCC is delighted to partner with KARTS in providing transportation to our growing population of students.”

KARTS is a service of the Kerr Area Transportation Authority. Its mission is “to provide safe, dependable and accessible transportation services in the most efficient and effective manner possible in order to improve mobility, support livable communities, enhance local economies, and provide opportunities to expand horizons of the citizens of Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren Counties.” Those are the same four counties served by VGCC.

All KARTS rides are provided on a scheduled/reserved basis, with fees based on mileage from point of origin to destination.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Board of Education to Meet for Work Session Jan. 21

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a Work Session on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at 2 p.m. at West Oxford Elementary School, 412 Ivey Day Rd., Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the items found on the agenda at https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/gcsd/Board.nsf/Public.

The board may also meet in Closed Session to discuss confidential matters and consult with its attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statutes 143.318.11 (a)(1),(a)(3), and (a)(6).

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2020 Coggin’s Clinics for Horse Owners Scheduled

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-Press Release, Granville County Government 

NC Cooperative Extension, Granville County Center, has scheduled two Coggin’s Clinics for horse owners. Horses that are taken off the farm to events such as horse shows or trail rides, or even for pleasure riding off the farm, should be tested for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). The Coggins Clinics offer this test at a reduced rate for horse owners.

Testing in February will allow time for horse owners to get their negative test results back before the season for trail rides and horse shows begins.

Dates and times for the clinics are:

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, 1 to 4 p.m.

Both clinics will be held at Southern States Cooperative, located at 607 Hillsboro Street in Oxford. Those interested should turn into the west end of the store parking lot, cross the railroad tracks and proceed to the bulk storage area, where they will see the clinic set up and a circular drive which will make it easy to get in and out.

Call the Granville County Cooperative Extension Center at 919-603-1350 or send an email to gwen_rubio@ncsu.edu to make an appointment for horses to be tested.

Vaccinations for East/West Equine Encephalitis, Flu/Rhinovirus, Rabies, West Nile Virus and other diseases are also available for a fee. Horse owners should consult with a veterinarian for recommended vaccinations.

For questions or directions to the clinics, contact the Granville County NC Cooperative Extension Center at 919-603-1350.

Granville County Public Schools

GCPS Accepting Choice School Applications for 2020-21 Academic Year

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools is happy to announce that the Choice School Application is now available for the 2020-2021 school year.

If you would like to enroll your child in a choice school program, please complete the GCPS Choice School Application by March 20, 2020. The application window for Granville Early College closes on February 18, 2020.

The application can be found on the GCPS District website or on the individual school’s website.

Please contact the Choice Program Office for questions regarding choice programs at 919-693-6413.

 

American Flag

Granville Administrative Office Offers Proper U.S. Flag Disposal

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-Information and photo courtesy Granville County Government

With a brand new year just starting, is it time to replace your old, worn-out American flag? Bring your old one to Granville County’s official flag receptacle, located in the Granville County Administrative Office on Williamsboro Street in Oxford, for proper disposal.

Offices are open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.