VGCC CDL Class Cranking Out Graduates For Truck-Driving Industry

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In its short time at Vance-Granville Community College, the Truck Driver Training program continues to put the pedal to the metal by graduating its fourth class of drivers eligible to obtain their Class A commercial driver’s licenses.

A fifth class began Aug. 9 and the next is set to crank up on October 11. The nine-week program includes a combination of classroom instruction, range driving and road driving. When the students successfully complete the class they are eligible for the CDL and therefore fully employable as truck drivers..

“This is the fourth graduating class of CDL-A since we started the program back in February of 2020,” said Kyle Burwell, director of occupational extension for VGCC. “This group has endured many days of high heat and humidity, as they worked to learn all the truck driving skills needed to obtain their CDL-A license.”

Burwell said a variety of employers visited the students to discuss employment opportunities over the nine weeks that class was in session. CDL truck driver training continues to be a very popular program, and early registration is highly encouraged for those who want to participate in future classes, he said.

Back Row L-R: Sean Manning, Tyquan Elam, Jalon Alston
Middle Row: Wyticia Estes, Ryan Williams, Janika Williams, Lead instructor – Jim Womack, Asst. Instructor- Eric Burchette, Asst. Instructor- James Jones
Front Row: Phillip Terry, Robin Smith, Avanti Brodie, Zavian Evans, Toney Fields, Adam Richardson, Cristina Hernandez (not pictured- Bobby Gillis)

Cristina Hernández of Kittrell is a new graduate. “Participating in the CDL Truck Driver Training class at VGCC has made me very proud and given me the tools I need to succeed in the workforce,” Hernández said. “I am especially grateful for my awesome instructors, my wonderful family, and all of those that supported me through this class. I am excited for my future!” Hernández is also a graduate of Vance County Early College High School, a partnership of VGCC and Vance County Schools.

The October class has a mandatory orientation session on Monday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. The class runs from Oct. 11 through Dec. 16.

To enroll in the program, students must be at least 18 years old, have a valid North Carolina driver’s license, and be able to read and speak English well enough to take instructions from highway signs, to converse with officials, and to complete the required reports.

For those who qualify, there are opportunities for scholarships to partially defray the costs of tuition and fees.

The program, certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI), is considered essential to meeting the needs of many companies who need drivers to move goods across the country. Local employers have shown strong support for VGCC’s program and have spoken to students about job opportunities. The college offers the program in collaboration with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI).

For more information on the Truck Driver Training Program, please visit www.vgcc.edu/cdl/ or contact Kyle Burwell, Director of Occupational Extension, at 252.738.3276 or burwellk@vgcc.edu.

TownTalk: NC Special Olympics Busy with Upcoming Events

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The Summer Olympics in Tokyo have just passed, and it will be several years before the Summer Games again capture the world’s attention. But did you know that Special Olympics events are ongoing throughout the year?

For more than 50 years, athletes with intellectual disabilities train, practice and prepare to compete in about 20 Olympic-style events. And Special Olympics of North Carolina touts one of the largest contingents in the world – about 40,000 athletes – who bring a wide range of skills and abilities to the Games.

Madeline Safrit is one of two directors of communications for Special Olympics of North Carolina. She spoke with Trey Snide on Wednesday’s Town Talk program about upcoming events for athletes across the state and how athletes in Vance, Granville and Franklin counties have stayed in touch with their teammates across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said Special Olympians thrive on having a set schedule, and pandemic restrictions and lockdowns interrupted training schedules. SONC created a virtual program called Partner Up, Power Up last fall and again in the spring to allow athletes to “gather” virtually. “It’s been really challenging to keep that social interaction going for them,” Safrit said. A third Partner Up, Power Up session will launch this fall, even though there are athletes who are able to go back in to in-person training.

Using a fitness tracker booklet, athletes can follow a structured plan and know what class will be held on which day.

The virtual program has involved individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, “partnering together to participate,” Safrit said. She added that 10,000 people participated in the 10-week sessions.

Safrit said the virtual sessions are important for athletes who live in smaller communities. “They can hop on these calls…and can see their teammates. They also are able to train alongside athletes across the state,” keeping them ready for getting back to competition.

The competitions occur year-round, and this year, instead of having one large fall event, the organization will have numerous regional invitationals to keep the size of the group smaller.

During the course of a year, she said athletes participate in 8,000 practices to train for competitions in track and field, tennis, equestrian events, volleyball, sailing, gymnastics, cheerleading and many more. For a list of events and invitationals, visit www.sonc.net.

Vance County is preparing to train later this month for bocce, or lawn bowling and will participate in bocce invitationals in the fall.

“You would not believe how fierce the competition is out there” for bocce, Safrit said.

Safrit mentioned 40,000 athletes in North Carolina, but she also said there are at least that many volunteers that work throughout the year in some capacity to support and promote Special Olympics.

If coaching a sport isn’t your thing, there are other ways to participate, she said. Several fundraiser events are being planned for the fall, including “Over the Edge.” A minimum donation of $1,000 earns you the privilege of rappelling down the Wells Fargo Capitol Center building in downtown Raleigh. It’s a 30-story building – about 400 feet tall, just so you know.

For a $100 donation, those who are a little afraid of heights can enter the world of virtual reality and rappel virtually.

Visit www.sonc.net to learn about other fundraiser opportunities and how to be involved in Special Olympics.

Listen to the entire program here.

A Mess; More Cost Than Future Value?

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The fate of the former Henderson Laundry property remains undecided and local officials are working to take steps to get the site cleaned up and figure out its future.

The property, located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Andrews Avenue, is considered an abandoned property – no taxes have been paid since 2011.

The county commissioners’ Properties Committee shared an update during last week’s August 2 meeting. City representatives have asked the county’s support to take ownership of the property through tax foreclosure which would allow the property to be included in the N.C. Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup program.

Members of the Properties Committee – Dan Brummitt, Leo Kelly and Gordon Wilder – met to discuss the issue and shared their concerns with their fellow commissioners about taking possession of the property without knowing about costs and potential liabilities.

Investing in cleaning up a property that may not be usable or marketable in the future is another concern the committee shared.

According to information city representatives shared with the county, the state Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup (DCSC) program would limit cleanup cost liability to $16,000 around the building with an additional $15,000 estimated to cleanup residual chemicals within the building.

In addition to this amount, the city anticipates having to purchase the adjoining property and then spending as much as $400,000 for demolition of the structure in the next few years.

While the committee recognizes the need to clean up the property, the committee wonders whether the state N.C. Department of Environmental Quality could clean up the property and demolish the building without city and county involvement.

The committee requested the city to provide additional input and organize a meeting with N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to better understand their timeframe for enforcement on the property before recommending whether the county should begin foreclosure or take ownership.

County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News that the county has had some follow-up conversations with NCDEQ at the staff level and intends to speak further with the properties committee, but no details or commitments have been made yet.

City of Henderson Logo

More Money Needed to Expand Kerr Lake Regional Water System Plant

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Update: Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 – The Henderson City Council voted to allow City Management to find funding options up to $20 million.  Before anything is actually borrowed, the Council would have to take action to approve it.

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Henderson City staff are recommending the Henderson City Council authorize getting more funding to cover the present shortfall in project funding for the upgrade and expansion of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System.

The council will take a look at this and possibly vote on whether to seek the funds at the regular monthly meeting Monday night, August 9.  Regular meetings start at 6 p.m. at City Hall on Rose Avenue.

Costs have gone up.  About $20 million more is needed to get the three Kerr Lake Regional Water System partners Henderson (60%), Oxford (20%) and Warren County (20%) to the now guaranteed maximum price of $66 million.  Henderson is the managing partner.

If the funds can be had by grant or loan, then it will be the second time more money was needed, if you want to look at it that way.  First it was rehab, then expansion and now, simply, costs have gone up.

To express it in more progressive terms, the process being employed is actually called Progressive Design-Build delivery, allowing the KLRWS to work from a single contract, retain control, budget carefully and stay flexible to arrive at a quality result.

According to Henderson City Council agenda packet information, containing script written by City Manager Terrell Blackmon, “This $20.107 million funding shortfall is currently preventing this project from moving forward into construction.”

Blackmon indicated in a fiscal note to the Council in the agenda packet that “project costs will cause the City of Henderson to raise water rates slightly to cover these increased costs of the project but will be determined later prior to the City taking on any additional debt service.”

If you’d like to read more and see more of the recent history, continue reading the quoted words of Blackmon from the agenda packet below:

“The City of Henderson, on behalf of the three Partners, applied for funding to rehabilitate portions of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Treatment Plant (KLRWTP) in the spring 2017 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) funding cycle. The DWSRF funding amount approved for this work was $19,893,000. Subsequently, in 2017, the KLRWS Partners determined that a capacity expansion of the KLRWTP was needed, and submitted two additional applications for DWSRF funding. Those two applications were approved in March 2018, allocating an additional $15,000,000 in funding to the City of Henderson and $5,000,000 to Warren County. Further, the
City of Oxford was awarded $6,000,000 bringing the total amount of DWSRF project funding as of August 4, 2021 to $45,893,000 for the KLRWTP Upgrades Project. The project will rehabilitate aging facilities, replace old equipment, and expand the facilities at the existing KLRWTP to bring the treatment capacity to a reliable 20 million gallons per day (MGD). The subject project is being delivered by a Progressive Design-Build delivery method, and CDM Smith was selected by a competitive procurement process in 2017 to be the project Design-Builder. CDM Smith has nearly completed Phase 1 of the design-build process, which includes design to a 70% milestone and development of construction pricing. In September 2020, CDM Smith notified KLRWS that they had received pricing and quotes from their subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers, and that the construction cost of the project had increased significantly since a budget was set in 2017, and since the last estimate had been prepared in early 2019. CDM Smith has arrived at a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $66 million. The revised construction cost of $66 million is $20.107 million greater than the approved SRF funding amount of $45.893 million. This $20.107 million funding shortfall is currently preventing this project from moving forward into construction.”

The Local Skinny: Jobs In Vance

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Local Skinny Jobs in Vance

The H-V Chamber of Commerce and WIZS, Your Community Voice, present Jobs in Vance for August 10th, 2021. The Chamber compiles the information, and it is presented here and on the radio. Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email christa@hendersonvance.org to be included.

JOB OPENINGS IN VANCE COUNTY – Week of August 10, 2021

 

Name of the Company: Chick-fil-A

Jobs Available:  Daytime Cashiers/ Drive thru Team Members – Must be available to work 6:00am – 4:00pm Monday thru Saturday, be 16 years old, have a valid driver’s license and have basic computer skills

Method of Contact:  to apply text FRONTHOUSE to 252-359-3232

 

Name of the Company:   Chick-fil-A

Jobs Available: Also Hiring for all positions- necessary skills –  friendly, excellent communication, trustworthy, accurate and quick to learn

Method of Contact:   to apply text CHICKEN to 252-359-3232

 

Name of the Company: Pizza Inn of Henderson

Jobs Available:  All Positions

Contact Person:  Randy Poythress

Method of Contact: please stop by 1250 Coble Blvd. to apply

 

Name of the Company: Belk, Inc. of Henderson

Jobs Available: Hiring for full time and part time employees – Competitive pay, flexible schedules and employee discounts

Contact Person:  Chris Tilley

Method of Contact: Come by the store on 350 North Cooper Drive and apply in person

 

****JOB FAIR Saturday August 21st from 9:am til noon located at Hix Field in Oxford, NC. This job fair is Sponsored in part by NC Works. Area employers will have booths set up.

 

Some of these businesses are present or past advertisers of WIZS.  Being an ad client is not a condition of being listed or broadcast.  This is not a paid ad.

 

“Godspell” Returns To Stage This Weekend For Saturday, Sunday Shows

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The cast and crew of Godspell will return to the stage this weekend and McGregor Hall operations director Mark Hopper said response from the actors and from the community couldn’t have been better.

The three shows scheduled for last weekend have been combined into two shows – one Saturday at 8 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. “Our patrons and ticket holders have been amazingly understanding,” Hopper said in a statement to WIZS News Thursday. He said each person was contacted and, out of all the ticketholders, only one requested a refund.

Tickets from the cancelled shows will be honored at the upcoming performances, and those who would have attended the Friday show were offered seats for Saturday or Sunday.

The second weekend run was cancelled because a show member tested positive for COVID-19. Hopper said all others tested negative.

“It was like moving mountains to postpone the shows,” Hopper said, adding that dozens of members of cast, crew and orchestra had to shuffle schedules to be available for the additional performances.

“I’ve never in my career had a show go dark for two weeks, so this is uncharted territory for me,” Hopper said. There will be a rehearsal Thursday and then a dress rehearsal on Friday. “They have been consummate professionals, and I just couldn’t ask anything more of them,” he said.

The show got a “glowing review” from Triangle Arts and Entertainment. See it here: http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2021/08/godspell-in-henderson-boasts-an-exemplary-cast-an-imaginative-director-peppy-dances-and-a-glorious-band/

Vance County Water is Working

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The Water District Board of Vance County. It’s what many call “county-wide water.”

Actually, there is Phase 1, Phase 2 and Kittrell with a total of 1,794 customers committed to the system and 1,387 as functioning, metered customers.

The latest available data, which was used for the Vance County Commissioners meeting on August 2nd, indicates in round figures the Vance County Water District will cash flow about $1 million in accounts receivable in 2021. It was about a half million in the first six months.

Cash flow is good and profitability is about here.

County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News by email, “The county water system is nearing its breakeven point ahead of schedule. A few years ago we put together a projection that anticipated breaking even by July of 2024. We are ahead of that schedule and almost had the system break even in FY19-20 (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020.) – within $20,000 of breaking even. We just finished up FY 20-21 and although we had more unexpected costs (line breaks, tap installs, etc.) were hopeful the system can get to the breakeven point in the next year or more.

“As we are bringing the original system and original debt to break-even we are getting ready for construction of the next phase which will start the process over of trying to break-even again with the new debt.”

McMillen has been working this project from the start, not just the project’s start but his start with Vance County.

Considering McMillen’s obvious work ethic and positive reviews by other county employees in a recent Vance County workplace survey from the Local Government Workplaces Initiative and UNC School of Government, many hearing McMillen’s name beside the project will in fact project some of its successes on to him.

McMillen wrote in a separate, follow up email, “Right before I came on board with the county in 2008 I attended a county informational meeting before anything began with financing the project or construction. I still keep the notecard I made from that meeting in my briefcase reminding me of the pros and cons people were saying about the system at that time.

“The success of the water system and bringing it to self-sufficiency has been one of my largest personal goals with the county. While it is challenging to take on a new phase and see us start over, it is good to see the impact that the water system has for those citizens needing it.”

Vance County Schools To Continue With Face Coverings

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