TownTalk: Economic Development In Vance County

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As the county’s new economic development director, Ferdinand Rouse has spent his first few months on the job taking stock of all the things that make Vance County attractive to prospective business and industry.

But he’s also digging into the county’s history and the people who have helped to shape it over the years so he can build on what’s been done before he came to town.

“Vance County is in a position of change – and growth,” Rouse said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. With a nod to previous economic development director McKinley Perkinson and interim Harry Mills, Rouse said he chooses “to pick up where they left off and move us forward.”

With one-year, three-year and five-year goals in mind for the county, Rouse said a personal goal is to introduce himself to business and industry owners in the county, and to let them know about a couple of state grants that could be helpful when they’re ready to expand.

One is a building reuse grant, available for businesses that are planning an expansion that will add a certain number of employees to the payroll. A second grant called One NC originates from the N.C. Dept. of Commerce and offsets costs that business and industry use to create jobs.

Although both require local matches, but Rouse said they are “very good grants that I like to spread the news about for larger industries.”

Economic development often is associated with attracting new business – manufacturing, industrial, retail – to an area, but Rouse reminds that a lot of growth comes from the existing industry base within a county’s boundaries.

He does have his eyes on a few spots in the county that could be ripe for development in the future, he said, but it’s too early to predict just how it’ll play out.

As a product of eastern North Carolina, Rouse said he’s familiar with what it means to live in a rural area and the pride associated with those roots.

“It’s a tightrope you have to walk when you’re talking about bringing growth to a rural community,” he said. “Folks don’t want folks coming in from the outside” if they sense that their rural lifestyle is threatened.

Rouse said the Industrial Park, with its shell building ready for a business to come in and finish to its particular needs is one of the county’s biggest assets when it comes to attractive new business. And it’s certainly something he’s sure to point out when he’s networking, or as he said, being “the tip of the spear” when it comes to all the opportunities within the park and the county as a whole.

Another tip of another spear in the county’s quiver could easily be tourism, Rouse mused. People who come to visit – whether it’s the annual car show, boating and camping at Kerr Lake or any of a variety of destinations – can learn first-hand about the county’s amenities.

And when retirement rolls around, some of these tourists can become full-time residents.

With the county’s recent retirement community designation from the state, Rouse said there is great potential for Vance County to gain residents who not only bring a wealth of experience, but disposable income and a desire to give back to their new community.

“They still have money and they still have energy,” he said. “Retirees are a boon and a blessing.”

He said local tourism officials are doing all the right things to support economic growth.

“Tourism…can bring great success to your community.”

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TownTalk: Downtown Henderson An Opportunity For Diversity

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Downtown Henderson could become a center for diversity and growth.

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More Affordable Housing Coming To Henderson – Hicks Village On Winder Street/Eddie Hicks Drive

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Henderson is set to add about a dozen new townhomes to its inventory as it continues to address the need for affordable housing.

Developers hope to break ground in spring 2025 on the roughly two-acre tract located across the street from Kesler Temple on Winder Street. The result will be 10-12 single family homes known as Hicks Village.

The announcement was made shortly after city leaders unveiled on Friday, Nov. 1 signs designating Winder Street as Eddie James Hicks Drive. Hicks was a member of Kesler Temple, and Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott said, “Hicks Village stands as a remarkable testament to hard work and dedication, reflecting the commitment of the late Eddie Hicks, a vital member of our community. It is truly fitting to honor his legacy.”

The project’s developer is James Stroud, with the Centre for Homeownership & Economic Development. Stroud was on hand for the sign dedication ceremony and subsequent announcement and ribbon-cutting at the site of the future Hicks Village, where he said he hopes to keep the prices “very, very affordable.”

Elliott told WIZS News that she remembers when she became a homeowner. “I can attest that once the keys were placed in my hand, I felt a sense of pride that cannot be diminished,” she said.

“Hicks Village represents the beginning of a new narrative for our citizens. It demonstrates that if you can afford $1000 for rent, you can become a proud homeowner. As Mayor, I want this message to resonate throughout our community: you can purchase a home— a home that is safe and beautiful.”

Henderson City Council member Geraldine Champion was among the elected officials at the Friday event and said she was proud of the collaborative efforts involved in the day’s activities.

“…At last, the people of Henderson have some real options along with just being a renter,” Champion said. “They have the option to take pride in their surroundings and being able to afford what we all deserve. The New Council is taking strides to bring forth something for the citizens that we all can be proud of. We are working hard to make a difference one brick at a time, one community at a time,” she added.

Elliott said the city is offering homebuyer workshops with HUD-certified realtors to address the issue of high rental rates. “While every community needs rental properties, there is an overwhelming number of such properties within our city limits that come with exorbitant rental prices. Although not all rental properties are affected, many fall into that category,” she said.

“I aspire to be a conduit for helping others achieve one of the most significant investments in their lifetime – buying a home,” Elliott said.

The Local Skinny! Baskerville Community Info Series

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The second Tuesday of the month community information series meeting is coming up at Baskerville Funeral Home.

Charlie Baskerville, Jr. told WIZS the upcoming presentation titled “Wills and Powers of Attorney” will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the chapel of Baskerville Funeral Home, 104 S. Chestnut St., Henderson.

The presentation is free of charge and open to the public. Baskerville said, “We look forward to your participation in this important discussion.”

According to information about the event provided to WIZS, Legal Aid of North Carolina will present information about last will and testaments, living wills, financial power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney.

 

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Winder Street Dedicated As ‘Eddie James Hicks Drive’

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With a contingent of family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers gathered at the corner of Garnett and West Winder streets, city leaders unveiled new signs dedicating Winder Street in honor of Eddie Hicks, a hometown celebrity with a servant’s heart.

All the green Winder Street signs – from Chestnut Street to County Home Road – will have a second attached that identifies it as Eddie James Hicks Drive.

Flanking the words on the sign are the East Carolina University Sports Hall of Fame logo and the familiar New York Giants insignia, a tip of the hat to the places where Hicks dazzled crowds with his athletic gifts. Hicks was inducted into the ECU hall of fame in 2014. He played for the Giants and returned to watch his beloved Giants play when he could.

Kendrick Vann, director of the Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks Department, recalled when he and Hicks went to a Giants game. Hicks was Vann’s godfather, and he also was an employee of the rec and parks department.

“He truly loved being a benefit to the community, an asset to the community and all people, regardless of race, color, creed,” Vann told those gathered at the 11 a.m. dedication ceremony where the sign was officially unveiled.

Vann said Hicks loved his church, his temple and working for the City of Henderson and Vance County. And, Vann said, he offered advice about making priorities in life: “Church, community, family, football.”

David Person, Worshipful Master of Beacon Light Lodge 249, said Hicks loved his lodge and he loved his lodge brothers. “Let’s continue to think of Eddie and the legacy he’s built,” Person said, and all the people who have been impacted by him.

Hicks’s widow, Jackie, spoke briefly before the sign was unveiled and thanked those in attendance for sharing in the moment. “There was nothing that this man wouldn’t do for anybody,” she said. With a resolve to stay strong, as her husband would have wanted, she challenged the group to work for change in the city that Hicks called home.

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3rd Annual Vance County Camp Meeting Dec. 2-6 At McGregor Hall

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The 3rd annual Vance County Camp Meeting will take place in early December at McGregor Hall, 201 Breckenridge St.

The gatherings will begin at 7 p.m. nightly Monday, Dec. 2 through Friday, Dec. 6.

The moderator is Evangelist Scott Matthews and the schedule of featured speakers is noted below:

Monday – Dr. Kenny Baldwin

Tuesday – Dr. Joe Arthur

Wednesday – Evangelist Dale Vance

Thursday – Pastor C.T. Townsend

Friday – Evangelist Jared Dixon

The Matthews Family will perform nightly and The Morrison Sisters will perform Wednesday through Friday.

For more information, contact Scott Matthews at 864.490.0852 or Ronnie Matthews 252.425.9035.

Chamber’s “State Of Transportation” Luncheon Program Details Dabney Drive, S-Line Projects

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The Dabney Drive facelift from Coble Boulevard to Garnett Street is on the state’s to-do list, with right-of-way acquisitions set to begin in about a year and contracts to be let for bid by summer 2027.

It’s among several projects on the 2024-2033 NCDOT State Transportation Improvement Project – STIP – as Division 5 Engineer Brandon Jones explained during the “State of Transportation” program hosted Wednesday by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce.

Locals may simply call it the Dabney Drive project, but at NCDOT, it’s known as U-5890.

The project includes making Dabney Drive a one-way road, creating  sidewalks and bike paths and a peanut-shaped roundabout near Dabney and Garnett, Jones said during his presentation.

Also on that list are two bridge projects – Bridge 89, or Nutbush Bridge, and Bridge 38, at U.S. 1 North over the CSX rail line. Contracts for the bridge projects are scheduled to be let in July 2028 and January 2030, respectively.

The Dabney Drive project is going to be a “great improvement,” Jones said, not only benefitting drivers, but for bicyclists and pedestrians. Dabney Drive will feature a six-foot-wide sidewalk and Corbitt Road, which will handle westbound traffic to Dabney Drive’s eastbound traffic, will include a 10-foot-wide multi-use path.

The 10-year STIP gets updated every couple of years, and Jones said there are three “buckets” of money that projects must fall under: state mobility projects, regional impact projects and division needs projects. The state projects get 40 percent of the funds, with regional and division projects each getting 30 percent.

“Every bucket has to be balanced in the STIP – that’s what creates differences in scheduling,” Jones explained.

With only 25 percent coming from federal dollars, Jones said the state relies on the motor fuel tax to help fund road projects.

But that tax is going down,” he said, because vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient – and generating less revenue.

“It’s a good thing for the environment, but has a negative impact on the potential revenue we receive to keep our transportation system expanded and maintained.”

Road projects can seem like they take a long time to complete, but Jones reminded the audience that all pre-construction design can easily take years. It’s not like the city can just close Dabney Drive while it’s being worked on – NCDOT crews are “always having to build new, shift traffic, tear out old and repeat that pattern for awhile,” he said.

The other major transportation-related news for Henderson and Vance County is the much-anticipated S-Line passenger rail line. When the North Carolina portion is completed, it will help connect Atlanta to the D.C. area, Jones said.

Henderson is set to be one of the stops along the S-Line as it makes its way north into Raleigh and then Wake Forest before chugging through Franklin County into Henderson and Norlina.

Jones said the estimate to get the stretch from Raleigh to Wake Forest alone will cost $1 billion. It’ll take another billion to complete the link from Wake Forest to Henderson.

The state is buying the existing rail line from CSX, but there will be a lot to do to be ready for high-speed passenger rail service.

“You can’t just take care of the rail,” Jones said, “you’ve got to take care of the at-grade intersections…(and) grade separate them,”

Alexander Avenue is one local street that will need this attention as the S-Line makes progress. An underpass or tunnel at Peachtree Road and closing off Chavasse Avenue are also planned.

The Alexander Avenue project is one of three projects that have cleared one hurdle to be considered in future STIP funding, Jones said. The other two are making intersection improvements at Raleigh Road and Belmont Drive and a citywide signal system in Henderson. If they don’t make “committed” status in the next five years, they’ll have to compete again to get on the STIP list.

TownTalk: Accident Interferes With Phone And Internet Service

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Internet and phone services interrupted by accident early this morning plus Halloween is today!

 

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