Christian Lockamy

TownTalk 03-08-21; New EDC director “impressed” with Vance

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Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission Director Christian Lockamy has been on the job for less than two months, but he said in that short period of time he sees “a strong economic development program…with a tremendous amount of potential” for good things to come.

Since his Jan. 19, 2021 start date, Lockamy said he’s been “very impressed” with people he’s met and things he’s seen, adding that the focus is on the right areas to support economic development.” He spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk and said he looks forward to what the future holds for the area.

He noted that industries looking for areas to establish or relocate often are attracted by what’s already in place. “Industry reps are not pioneers,” he said. They don’t want to go and be, in a lot of cases, the first person in an industrial park,” he said. “They like to locate where other industrial companies” are already located.

With the addition of such businesses like Raleigh-based Mako Medical Laboratories, Lockamy said the Henderson area is poised to continue to attract more industry. “They’re looking for a place to go and conduct their business” and educational institutions nearby to fill out their workforce. “If we do what we’re supposed to be doing, for economic development and really go after sites and buildings…we’ll be able to land more companies,” he explained.

Lockamy worked for 2 ½ years in the Elizabeth City/Pasquotank Economic Development Commission before coming to Henderson, and he said he is proud of the work there to develop the Tanglewood  industrial site project by building upon proximity to rail and interstate infrastructure, as well as creating a public-private partnership to further the project.

“Shovel-ready” sites and buildings are the key to attracting new business and industry to an area, he said.  “Those are the types of things that change a community forever.”

During his time in Elizabeth City, he helped create a strategic plan, led efforts to launch a new economic development website and was instrumental in securing a large industrial site and certifying two industrial parks, according to information released when his hiring in Vance County was announced.

Experience using GIS (geographic information systems) comes in handy, too, Lockamy explained, when it comes to helping counties land new businesses and industry. The GIS provides data that can help identify sites for future economic development.

For complete details and audio click play.

His time working with GIS for the city of Greenville gave him the chance to help city planners and decision makers, understand and make necessary changes to ordinances – all based on objective data from GIS. “It became instrumental when I got into economic development,” he said of GIS, and he began using GIS and research skills to understand the economic development climate, he added. GIS data can be used to analyze the demographics within a certain radius of a prospective site where a business may be looking to locate.

Besides attracting new industry, Lockamy said he looks forward to working with a new downtown director – once that person is in place. “I believe we have a lot of potential downtown,” he said, adding that Garnett Street has many old buildings that can be brought back to life. He said his experience working in Greenville with various mixed-use development projects as an asset he can use to provide support for the downtown development director. “I can work with them and provide support for them, not only with expertise but also in-kind services as well,” Lockamy said.  “It’s great working together with those types of relationships,” he said. “Anything I can do to help I certainly will.”

VGCC Logo

“The Local Skinny!” March 8; VGCC Celebrates Women’s History Month

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March is Women’s History Month and Vance-Granville Community College has put together a series of programs and resources that are just a click of the mouse away for anyone who would like to participate and learn more.

Natasha Thompson, a history instructor at VGCC, spoke with John C. Rose Monday – International Women’s Day – on The Local Skinny about the various virtual events that will take place in March to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of women.

The theme “No Limits, No Obstacles, No Ceilings: Fighting for a Future of Limitless Potential” is adapted from a speech delivered by then-President Barack Obama in honor of Women’s History Month, Thompson said.

The virtual sessions begin at noon on Mar. 11, Mar. 18 and Mar. 24 and are open to the public; it is not necessary to be a VGCC student, she added. The programs promote women’s history, as well as current conditions and how women can move into the future, she noted.

The Mar. 11 topic is how to stay healthy while maintaining a busy lifestyle. An agent with Warren County Cooperative Extension will lead this program. A panel discussion is scheduled for Mar. 18 and will include VGCC faculty, staff and other community leaders. The panel will discuss historical factors that have limited women in the past, as well as “big-picture” changes and ways current and future VGCC students can work to continue to overcome barriers, Thompson said.

The final topic on Mar. 24 is titled “Minority Women’s Guide to Financial Confidence.” Faith Bynum, a certified public accountant in Raleigh, will lead this workshop on overcoming financial stigmas for minority women.

Visit vgcc.edu to find the links to register for the virtual workshops. Also on the website is a LibGuide, a compilation of additional online events, books and other resources to learn more about Women’s History Month.

(Audio with Natasha Thompson begins at the 8:30 mark of the file)

Local News Audio

WIZS Local News 3-08-21 Noon

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WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM

Click Play for today’s Local News Audio.

PRESENTED IN PART BY OUR SPONSOR DRAKE DENTISTRY

Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.

“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.

“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.

 

H-V Emergency Operations

Severe Weather Preparedness Week 2021

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— press release from Brian Short, director Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations

With pandemic lock downs and a cold, wet winter, most of us are looking forward to spring and warmer weather. However, with spring comes the threat of severe thunderstorms with potential lightning, tornadoes and flash flooding – all of which can develop so rapidly that an advance warning may be impossible.

A great activity to take on while still indoors awaiting the arrival of spring is to get prepared by updating your family emergency plan and supply kit so you are ready should severe weather strike.

To encourage planning and preparation for severe weather, March 7-13, 2021 is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in North Carolina and serves as a reminder to all, the importance of planning for unexpected thunderstorms and tornadoes that could impact our state.

Government agencies, businesses and schools are encouraged participate in the annual statewide tornado drill Wednesday, March 10th, at 9:30 a.m. While exercising social distancing and mask wearing we encourage everyone to practice their severe weather safety plan and seek shelter on the lowest floor of your building and away from windows. Practicing now will allow you to respond quickly when severe weather heads your way.

All residents should take this opportunity to practice what to do in the event that a severe thunderstorm or tornado takes place. Tornadoes and flash floods can develop at a moment’s notice; take time now to prepare and keep you and your loved ones safe.

Keep your home a safe haven this severe weather season and use the following safety tips:

Make Preparation a Priority

When it comes to severe weather, preparation is critical. The ability to recognize threatening conditions, develop a plan and act could help save your life. Thunderstorms include a variety of weather conditions such as tornadoes, straight-line winds, flash floods and hail; this assortment proves the importance of being ready for anything, anytime, anywhere.

North Carolina experiences on average 40 to 50 thunderstorm days per year, but about 10 percent are severe – producing hail at least an inch in diameter, winds of 58 mph or produces a tornado. Lightning is also a danger linked with severe storms and it can strike as far as 10 miles away from the rain area in a thunderstorm. If the sky looks threatening, residents should take shelter immediately and remember, if thunder roars, go indoors! Tornadoes form from powerful thunderstorms and appear as funnel-shaped clouds that reach from a thunderstorm to the ground with winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Although thunderstorms affect a smaller area than a hurricane or winter storm, if a tornado is produced, damage paths could be more than one-mile-wide and 50 miles long.

Safety Tips

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Weather Service have teamed to encourage residents to plan and prepare. Due to the variety of severe weather that can take place during spring season, emergency officials recommend the following safety tips:

  • Develop a family emergency plan so each member knows what to do, where to go and who to call during an emergency.
  • Know where the nearest safe room is, such as a basement or interior room away from windows.
  • Know the terms: WATCH means severe weather is possible. WARNING means severe weather is occurring; take shelter immediately.
  • Assemble an emergency supply kit for use at home or in your vehicle. Make sure to include a 3-day supply of non-perishable food and bottled water.
  • If driving, leave your vehicle immediately to seek shelter in a safe structure. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your vehicle and do not stop under an overpass or bridge.
  • If there is no shelter available, take cover in a low-lying flat area.

Make sure you know where to go when disaster strikes.

  • Home – Go to the basement, under stairs or in a bathroom or closet.
  • Work – Go to the basement, if available. If not, stairwells, bathrooms and closets are options too.
  • School – Seek shelter in inside hallways, small closets and bathrooms. Do not retreat to mobile classrooms, gymnasiums, auditoriums and other rooms with a large expanse of roof. Bus drivers should be alert for bad weather on their routes.
  • Outside – Find the closest sturdy shelter or seek shelter in a ditch or low-lying area, and cover your head with your hands. DO NOT get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Watch out for flying debris.
  • In a car – Do not try to outrun a tornado in a car. Pull over, and seek shelter in a building.

Find more information on tornadoes, severe storms and emergency preparedness by visiting the ReadyNC website, www.ReadyNC.org.

Vance County, take time now to prepare; it could make all the difference.

Click this link and print the Family Emergency Plan – https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/FamEmePlan_2012.pdf

Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Baseball, Softball, T-Ball 2021 Interest Meeting

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— submitted by Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Program Superintendent

Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks will be having  a Zoom interest meeting to discuss the possibility of playing Baseball /Softball/T-Ball this Spring. The meeting will be at 7:00PM on Thursday, March 11, 2021 via Zoom. We will discuss safety precautions, practice and game  scheduling.   Anyone that is interested in coaching/volunteering, parents of returning players or potential players are encouraged to attend. If you have questions/concerns you would like addressed during the meeting,  please email them to dpitt@ci.henderson.nc.us by 3:00pm on Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/91794198718?pwd=QnpTWUUvajNyWDVRdzhOUmxyRHhCZz09

Meeting ID: 917 9419 8718

Passcode: 354528

Virtual Hiring Event Tuesday, March 9th at 11 a.m.

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Virtual hiring events are becoming a thing.

Desiree Brooks, business services manager of the Workforce Development Board of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments told WIZS News about another virtual hiring event for Hollander Sleep Products.

It will take place Tuesday, March 9th at 11:00 am.

Brooks said in an email, “They still have job openings for scanners, cycle counters, and forklift operators.”

Register anytime at events.kerrtarworks.com.

(This is not a paid ad.)

Local News Audio

WIZS Local News 03-05-21 Noon

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WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM

Click Play for today’s Local News Audio.

PRESENTED IN PART BY OUR SPONSOR DRAKE DENTISTRY

Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.

“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.

“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.

 

Vance County Schools Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration 2021-2022

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According to the Vance County Schools motto, “The Wow Starts Now!”

Public Information Officer Aarika Sandlin wrote in a news release, “We are excited to kick off our registration for Pre-K and Kindergarten students!”

She indicated there will be virtual information sessions taking place on March 10 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.  This is “for EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in our district,” she wrote.

In fact, each school will host its very own information session, and the links are available on the district website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Sandlin said, “We are excited for the newest additions making their way to the VCS family!”

“The Local Skinny!” Mar. 4; Register for Mar. 18 WOVEN Workshop

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Women in the area have a chance to learn how Dr. Kayla McHale, with Henderson Wellness, can help make “healthy the new ‘happy’” at a virtual workshop sponsored by Women of Vance Empowered Networking.

Sandra Wilkerson, administrator of events for the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, spoke with John C. Rose on The Local Skinny Thursday about the first meeting of 2021 for WOVEN, set for Thursday, Mar. 18 at noon. She said about 40 people are registered so far, but there’s room for more. Send Wilkerson an email at sandra@hendersonvance.org to register.

“The topic is something we can all pay attention to,” Wilkerson said. If ‘healthy is the new ‘happy,’ then there may be some areas to address, from getting a good night’s sleep to knowing which supplements may be best. She said McHale’s “pep talk” is sure to have something for everyone interested in staying young and healthy at any age.

“As women in the work force,” she said, “a lot of us were working from home, and we didn’t have that more comfortable chair to sit in.” The chairs around a dining table aren’t meant for all-day comfort. “We’ve probably overlooked some of the health issues that we were paying attention to in our office.

More than anything else, she said, the workshop will be about “simply taking care of you. Sometimes we just forget about “us.” It’s time to reflect again about taking care of ourselves,” Wilkerson added.

The seminar should last about an hour, and will include time for questions.

WOVEN, established in 2019, brings together businesswomen throughout the community and provides the opportunity for networking and to share successes and goals with one another.

“The biggest and greatest part of all this is networking,” Wilkerson said.

The Mar. 18 seminar is the first quarterly meeting of 2021. The group did not meet in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.

McHale has a degree in Exercise Science from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, her home state. She was a four-year starter on the Huskies’ Division II softball team. She got a master’s degree in athletic training and worked with professional athletes before returning to school to become a chiropractor. Her approach to treating the body is addressing the cause of dysfunction rather than solely treating the symptoms in order to restore function and promote long-term relief.