Vance Co. Architectural Survey is getting underway

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In March Elizabeth King, Architectural Survey Coordinator at the State Historic Preservation Office, appeared on TownTalk to announce that a comprehensive survey of historic Vance County properties was getting underway. According to an email from King received today by WIZS News, Heather Slane of HMW Preservation in Durham and Cheri Szcodronski (Zoe-Co-Dron-Ski) have been hired to conduct the actual survey of Vance and Person Counties. According to King, both have a great deal of experience not only in historic preservation but in North Carolina history and culture.

Early fieldwork will begin in Henderson and Roxboro in August and September and is tentatively scheduled to be completed by late 2022 or early 2023. Slane and Szcodronski will wait until later in the fall before heading out to rural areas of Vance County as leaves will have fallen allowing for more visibility when surveying properties. The first task will be to review all existing survey files, many of which are 45 years old or older and update these files with what is observed during field work. In early 2022 surveying additional properties in rural Vance and Person Counties will begin. A recent survey of this type was done in Franklin County and has resulted in a book which is currently in the planning stages which will highlight the historic architecture located in that county.

For more information on the survey or to alert them to an historic property contact Elizabeth King at the State Historic Preservation Office at 919-814-6580 or email elizabeth.king@ncdcr.gov.

Literacy Tutors To Help K-3 Students Overcome Loss Of Instructional Time During Pandemic

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The plea from N.C. Education Corps is as simple as A-B-C: school children in grades K-3 need literacy tutors to help overcome lost instructional time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications for paid, part-time tutors are being taken now, but the deadline is July 20, 2021 to be considered for the next wave of tutors that will work in specific counties across the state, including Vance and Granville.

Tutors will commit to work for nine months, according to information received from the non-profit organization, which is “committed to helping all NC students have the support they need to thrive.”

Vance County Schools has openings for 16 literacy tutors; Granville County Public Schools has 6 slots open. The organization hopes to send 250 literacy tutors to more than 20 N.C. counties to work directly with K-3 students during the school day. There also are 3 positions open at Henderson Collegiate; applicants should have a high school diploma and some college experience. The pay rate is $13.15/hour.

The pay in Vance for the tutor position is in the $13.15 – $25 per hour range, depending on experience. Applicants must have at least a high school diploma. In Granville, the pay range is $15-$25 per hour, depending on experience. Applicants must have a minimum of 48 hours of college credit.

The group recruits community college and university students, recent college graduates, retirees, and adults who are actively engaged in their community, with a “special focus on recruiting students from universities and community colleges with teacher prep programs,” according to the statement, with the hope that “young corps members consider a career in public education and public service after working with NCEC and our school partners.”

Visit www.nceducationcorps.org to learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

Granville Chamber Announces Roberson As New Executive Director

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Vance County native Lauren Bennett Roberson has been named the new executive director of the Granville County Chamber of Commerce. Roberson will begin her job on Monday, July 12, according to a press release.

The Chamber’s board of directors made the announcement on Thursday. Roberson is a 2012 graduate of NC State University and has experience in working in a family business, as well as with marketing and social media, the press release stated.

In accepting the position, Roberson told the board she looks forward to working in the community.  “The chamber has and will continue to be a vital part of the county by advocating for our members and shining a spotlight on this thriving community,” Roberson said. “I love Granville County and cannot wait to meet with and show our members and potential members what the Chamber has to offer them.”

The statement from the chamber board said “she brings tremendous energy and enthusiasm to the position as well as an innovative spirit that will serve as a basis for growing and supporting out membership.”

Roberson and husband Colin are members of Island Creek Baptist Church in Vance County. They have one daughter, Everly.

Longtime director Ginnie Currin retired in late 2020, after serving as director since 1997. The chamber board statement said it looks forward to Roberson continuing the work begun under Currin’s leadership.

City, County Animal Ordinances Spell Out Owners’ Responsibilities To Keep Pets Safe

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Pet owners often regard their dogs and cats as members of the family and give their furry companion enough food to eat, proper veterinary care and a roof over their heads. However, recent news stories about the venomous zebra cobra that escaped in Raleigh leave some animal lovers shaking their heads about how to make sure animals – and the neighbors who live near them – stay safe.

Vance County has two animal control ordinances that describe and define adequate, proper treatment and housing of animals, from companion animals to exotic animals like that zebra cobra that had everyone’s attention when it was on the loose.

Vance County Animal Services Director Frankie Nobles told WIZS News Thursday that in his 11 years on the job, his department has had only one dealing with a citizen concerning exotic animals.

Vance County Ordinance #16 is a 9-page document that outlines owner responsibilities for animal care, from rabies vaccinations and adequate shelter to what constitutes a public nuisance and fees associated with violations.

Section 19 of the ordinance describes minimum standards for care of equines, and states that owners must provide adequate shelter, fresh clean water at all times and be fed appropriately. Horses may not be tied or tethered as a means of confinement, the ordinance states.

County Ordinance #28 describes what is required to own a “wild, vicious or exotic” animal in Vance County. There’s a $50 permit fee included in the application and 13 other pieces of detailed information that must be provided to Animal Control before a resident takes possession of an exotic animal. In addition, owners of exotic animals are required to maintain a minimum of $1 million liability insurance in case of injury or property damage, the ordinance states.

Corey Williams, Henderson’s development services director, said the police department typically handles issues with dogs, with assistance from Animal Control. Although there is no leash law in the city limits, there are certain breeds of dogs that, according to city ordinance, must be muzzled when at large. Additionally, the city has a two-dog limit per household.

Visit vancecounty.org to find the complete ordinances. In the Residents tab, click Code of Ordinances and choose IX. General Regulations.

(The text throughout this story includes clickable links to the referenced ordinances.)

Town Talk Logo

Sons Of American Revolution: Descendants Often Play Detective To Find Lost Graves Of Patriot Heroes

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The Sons of the American Revolution is, first and foremost, a fraternal and civic organization. But its members also are part detective who spend time tracking down clues and uncovering details about individuals who fought for this country’s independence from England.

Bill Riggan, a member of the Halifax Resolves chapter of the SAR, spoke with Bill Harris and Mark Pace on Thursday’s Town Talk tri-weekly history program.

The four-county area is steeped in history, and Riggan said his SAR chapter covers Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, in addition to several other counties to the north and east.

“It’s a place where we should have a lot of revolutionary era soldiers,” Riggan said. He said the National Society of SAR has 140,000 names and locations of patriots’ gravesites, and a total of 732,000 names of patriots that are available for people to attach themselves to.

Being able to prove that you are a descendant of someone who supported the revolution against the Crown may prove difficult, or at least time-consuming. There are several criteria that must be satisfied for membership to the SAR: any male lineal descendant of someone who wintered at Valley Forge or a signer of the Declaration of Independence may become a member, as well as male descendants of members of the Continental Congress or those who fought in battle during the Revolution.

But civil servants during that era are also considered patriots. “There were a lot of people who helped with the war but didn’t put on a uniform and fight,” he said. Another criterion for membership is being a descendant of a signer of the Oath of Allegiance, a petition that was circulated throughout communities that disavowed the King and supported the revolution.

Although its membership is aging, Riggan said he hopes interest in preserving history will encourage younger men to consider joining.

Several grave-marking ceremonies are scheduled for October in Franklin County, and will include the state SAR color guard, as well as local Boy Scouts and the DAR – Daughters of the American Revolution. The color guard will be in period dress – “it will be very ceremonial, very traditional,” Riggan said. The dates are Saturday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 23.

Although the SAR doesn’t maintain gravesites – it relies on families for that –  Riggan said the group strives to identify as many as they can. He encourages anyone with information about possible gravesites  – whether found while combing through family archives or stumbling across a random grave while hunting – to contact him and he can help with verification.

“We want to honor them,” Riggan said of those long-ago patriots, whose final resting places deserve to be cared for and remembered.

Take Harrison Macon, for example. Macon fought in the Revolutionary War and he is buried in Franklin County. The now-defunct Franklin SAR chapter bore his name, thanks to founding member Dr. D.T. Smithwick, a historian from the 1930’s.

Riggan said efforts to reconstruct the records of the former Franklin chapter have turned up details that show Smithwick ordered a headstone from the VA for Macon’s grave. ”We have evidence he did that. He put that on the grave – we know that to be a fact,” Riggan said.

But where?

To learn more about the October grave-marking ceremonies or SAR membership, contact Riggan at 919.495.0706.
For complete details and audio click play.

 

National Weather Service

Heavy rain expected with Elsa

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The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for a large portion of central North Carolina including Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren Counties. The flood watch is in effect from 6 a.m. Thursday through 6 p.m. Thursday as the remnants of Hurricane Elsa move through the state. According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest rain will be along the U.S. 1 corridor during the daytime hours Thursday.  Rainfall amounts are expected to be 1 to 3 inches although locally higher amounts can be expected where thunderstorms persist.  Areas receiving excessive rainfall will be susceptible to flash flooding. Low lying areas, areas of poor drainage and areas normally flood prone could all become flooded. Roads in these areas could be impassable due to high water.

Elsa is expected to be a weak tropical storm as it moves through the state tomorrow and limited impacts are expected across central North Carolina. The National Weather Service predicts wind damage would be minimal however gusts up to 40 mph are possible. A level 1 risk of tornadoes is also forecast. Winds will increase from south to north during the morning hours after sunrise. Winds should diminish by 11 p.m. Thursday. Stay tuned to WIZS throughout the day Thursday for the latest weather updates regarding the remnants of Hurricane Else as it passes through our region.

NCDOT

US 15-Hester Road Intersection Will Become A 4-Way Stop On July 21

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The N.C. Department of Transportation has announced that the intersection of U.S. Hwy 15 and Hester Road will become a 4-way stop on July 21, weather permitting.

The intersection is located a couple of miles north of Creedmoor and currently requires vehicles to stop on Hester Road, but not on U.S. 15.  The change comes after the DOT investigated traffic volumes and the number and severity of crashes at the intersection.

In addition to the extra “stop” signs, crews will also be installing “stop ahead” and “stop” pavement markings on U.S. 15 to help warn motorists of the new traffic pattern. Additionally, LED stop signs and stop ahead warning signs will be installed.

Drivers should slow down, obey workers controlling traffic and proceed through the intersection with caution during its reconfiguration, which will be completed by that afternoon, according to a press release from NC DOT.

These improvements are being made through NCDOT’s SPOT Safety Program, which identifies safety projects that are expected to be the most beneficial and feasible and address departmental goals.

Converting intersections into all-way stops has been shown to reduce fatalities and injuries by 77 percent.

Visit the department’s all-way stop webpage to learn more.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

TownTalk: Rob Montague and the NC Forest Service, Storm Ready

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N.C. Forest Service Gives Advice To Keep Trees Healthy, Withstand Storm’s Wind, Water

There are lots of good reasons to have trees in the landscape – they provide shade in the summer, homes and food for many animals as well as income for many landowners who manage larger tracts of woodland or tree farms.

And while it’s always important to keep an eye out for dead limbs or trees in a weakened state, weather forecasters and forestry experts are gearing up to ward off potential problems that Tropical Storm Elsa may create as it moves up the Atlantic Coast over the next day or so.

Rob Montague of the N.C. Forest Service was on Wednesday’s Town Talk to talk about the role of the forest service and precautions homeowners and landowners can take to avoid problems with trees when a storm blows in.

“Go ahead and get rid of hazard trees around your house before the storm comes through,” Montague advised. For those with larger tracts of woodlands or tree farms, it’s important to maintain a clear path to get in and out of the property.

He and his team serve Vance and Granville counties and they began planning early last week for the possible arrival of Elsa and the associated rain and wind that comes with a tropical storm or hurricane.

The forest service provides assistance to local emergency response teams as well as the N.C. Department of Agriculture during and after storms and help with tasks like clearing roads of fallen trees.

“We may be thrown into a lot of different roles if this storm proves bad,” Montague said. “The emergency response side of our job trains us” for such events as storms and wildfires.

The forest service work continues after a storm, he added, by helping landowners who may face a long-term recovery phase. The foresters help with technical assistance to get a forest management plan back on track, whether it’s a harvesting goal or getting a new forest growing.

The N.C. Forest Service can also help landowners with prescribed burns, a management strategy to keep pine stands healthy. These require careful planning, Montague said, from checking the weather forecast and knowing where the smoke will blow to having fire lines prepared ahead of the burn area. It shouldn’t be a matter of thinking at 9 a.m. one morning, ‘Hey, I’m going to light my trees on fire today,’ he added.

Prescribed burns are one strategy to cut down on the chance of wildfires, Montague said. May was a dry month and he said the forest service responded to quite a few wildfires with local fire departments. “Each of us shows up with different tools,” he explained. The fire departments have the bigger trucks and gear, and the forest service brings along smaller brush trucks and engines that allow them to get in tighter spaces. Bulldozers and airplanes that can drop water from above are also resources the forest service can call on.

Whether it’s wind and rain from a summer storm or a grass fire when conditions are extremely dry, the N.C. Forest Service provides training for its foresters and technical assistance for residents to be prepared.

“We’ve got a great group of folks ready, willing and dedicated to help out,” Montague said.

To learn more, visit www.ncforestservice.org,  call 919.693.3154  or email rob.montague@ncagr.gov.

For complete details and audio click play.