TownTalk: The Future of McGregor Hall

/by

CLICK PLAY!

*************************************

In six short years, Henderson’s McGregor Hall has earned a reputation across the area – and region – as a quality venue for hosting concerts, performances and competitions.

Executive Director Mark Hopper booked perhaps the venue’s most important act last month, however, when the Henderson City Council held its April meeting inside the facility for a one-man show: Hopper took center stage seeking financial support for the 1,000-seat theatre.

Hopper asked the Council for $75,000; County Manager C. Renee Perry told WIZS News that the county received a request for $60,000.

The recommended 2024-25 budget presented Monday to the City Council does not have a line item to support McGregor Hall; Perry told WIZS News that there is nothing in the county budget at present either.

The county commissioners are expected to receive the 2024-25 recommended budget on Tuesday, May 28.

Municipal and county budgets are supposed to be adopted by July 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year, and time is of the essence for McGregor Hall.

“What we need is help with our debt service,” Hopper told the City Council in April. “We will not survive 2025 without support.”

In his April presentation to City Council, Hopper said the venue, although doing very well at the box office, is drowning in mortgage debt. One quarter of the total revenue goes to service the mortgage.

Hopper is the lone full-time employee, and he works alongside five part-time employees and several hundred volunteers.

McGregor Hall is under the governance of the nonprofit Embassy Cultural Center Foundation and is propped up with solid local partnerships, dedicated individuals and business sponsors.

WIZS previously reported on the recent economic impact study that showed McGregor Hall has contributed $9.2 million to the local economy over the past four years – $5.1 in lodging bookings alone. The county benefits from motel/hotel tax revenues; the city and county benefit from taxes generated from the more than 30,000 guests to its rental events, namely in the form of 15 weekends of spring dance competitions.

Hopper said that every single dollar of investment to McGregor Hall brings a return of $31 to the community.

About 40 percent of revenues come from ticket sales, which Hopper said is in keeping with the industry standard. Grant funding, rental fees and concessions each kick in 10 percent and 20 percent from local business sponsors.

It would mean a lot for local government leaders to put a price tag on what it means to have a top-notch venue in Henderson and Vance County that draws patrons from the Triangle to southside Virginia – both to watch performances as well as to be on stage for shows.

Hopper said McGregor Hall is helping to change the perception of Henderson and Vance County, one performance at the time.

TownTalk: City of Henderson Budget Prelim

/by

Henderson City Council member Garry Daeke has had a couple of days to review and reflect on the 2024-25 budget that was presented Monday by City Manager Terrell Blackmon.

It’s a delicate balance, Daeke said, to create a budget that provides for citizens’ wants and needs – without putting those same citizens in a bind by raising taxes, fees and more.

“I do enjoy the challenge of taking a budget and looking at all the different pieces,” Daeke said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. The cost of those services versus the tax rate is always a balancing act, and it’s one that Council members will begin discussing at a work session on Monday, May 20.

Blackmon’s presentation included details of a $25 million General Fund budget, and a total budget figure of somewhere around $45 million. The 158-page document can be found on the city’s webpage at henderson.nc.gov, under the Departments heading, click on Finance to go directly to the dropdown box where the document is located.  (Or click here as of 5-15-24.)

“The city’s growing,” Daeke said. “We have so many things we’d like to do.” But how to fund those things is what the budget discussion will be about.

Added to the mix is the recent revaluation of properties in the county, which will generate additional revenue for the city in the form of property tax.

A 45-cent per $100 of value would generate the same amount of tax revenue as this year, Daeke said. “We need some increase, I think. I do not think it needs to be 10 cents.”

A 55-cent per $100 value would generate between $4 and 4.5 million, he calculated, and a 65-cent per $100 value would bring in $7 million. He said, however, that he would not vote for a 55-cent tax rate unless he was thoroughly convinced otherwise during the course of the upcoming budget discussions. If the city were to keep the current tax rate of 75 cents per $100, it would generate roughly $10 million.

Generally speaking, overall property values in the city increased about 63 percent since the last revaluation in 2016. That means many property owners will have to pay higher tax bills, maybe a couple of hundred extra dollars, in the city, Daeke noted.

And that, coupled with higher monthly bills like water and sewer, could pose problems for folks who may be struggling to make ends meet as it is. “We have to be cognizant of what people can afford.”

Landlords most likely would have to increase rents to help absorb those rising costs, Daeke said. “It could be a phenomenal amount in a year’s time for people who are struggling to pay their bills.”

Another funding stream comes from sales tax collection, which continues to be strong in the city. “We’ve done well in terms of people staying home and spending money,” he said.

The budget also calls for moving $4 million from the fund balance to offset non-recurring federal ARPA funds. Daeke said there’s “extra” money available because of having unfilled positions within the city.

Once those positions are filled, however, that “extra” money will not be available.

Some of the other items on the expenditure side of the ledger in the future include a new fire station, completion of the park on William Street and housing redevelopment.

“We’ve taken down 300 homes – we need to start putting stuff back,” Daeke said. “That can’t be done without some funding.”

A major contributor to the sales tax coffers is McGregor Hall. Economic impact studies show that the entertainment venue draws people from across the region to see concerts, performances and participate in dance competitions, just to name a few.

Daeke said he would like to see more support for McGregor Hall from local government.

“I believe it’s time to help them stay in business,” he said, noting that there is nothing in the recommended budget at present.

One idea that’s floating around is to purchase the property on which the former Falkner Building Supply once stood. It’s part of the original McGregor family bequest, Daeke said, so McGregor Hall owns it.

“We’d love to purchase that and put a parking area and other businesses there” to create a cash flow for McGregor Hall and to contribute to the economic vitality to the downtown area.

CLICK PLAY!

 

H-V Chamber Student Leadership Vance Graduation 2024

/by

The 15 members of the 2023-24 Student Leadership Vance program finished up earlier this month with a graduation ceremony. And although that May 1 graduation marked the completion of the program, Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson said she believes it’s just the beginning for these high school students who have a deeper appreciation for their community and the things that Henderson and Vance County offer.

Wilkerson said she told the group at graduation that if they only took away one thing, she hoped that it would be that they speak positively about their community. “Positivity is the name of the game,” she said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Modeled after the Leadership Vance program, this program gave students a chance to visit area businesses, agencies and organizations that operate in the city and county, as well as observe government and civic engagement activities.

Vanessa Jones led the program, and Wilkerson called her the program’s “fearless leader” and a perfect fit. Retired from Vance-Granville Community College, “she’s been around students all her life” and undaunted by the prospect of working with teenagers.

Feedback from the participants – students from four different schools across the county – ranged from “I never knew that existed” to “never knew we had that here,” Wilkerson said.

“I challenged each of them to spread that knowledge” about their community, she added.

A 2022 pilot program worked with 8th graders, but Wilkerson said that age group proved to be a little young, so this year’s program was limited to 10th and 11th graders. “By the end of session one, the kids were already exchanging cell phone numbers, so that was a ‘win,’” she said.

One of the goals of the leadership program is to bring students from different schools together. Wilkerson said she’s already fielded calls from Kerr-Vance Academy to be included in next year’s program.

Jayden Watkins said, “I had the chance to go behind the scenes of Henderson, learn history about our city that I hadn’t learned before but most of all understand how each person in our city is important…Every position matters because every person’s job is important to make our community work in unity!”

For participant Kate Seifert, the program contributed to her growth in leadership skills, community awareness and empathy toward others.

“The Student Leadership Institute gave me the opportunity to connect with other students while learning about the inner workings and hidden aspects of Henderson and Vance County,” Seifert said. It was incredibly inspiring and eye-opening to see firsthand all of the people who work behind the scenes to help our town to grow and thrive.”

She said she especially enjoyed the health and community day, when the group toured the Boys and Girls Club, the SAM Child Advocacy Center, Maria Parham Health, Henderson YMCA, and Abria’s Chase Foundation. “Throughout this day, I gained a deeper understanding of services in Henderson that help us stay connected, healthy, and supported as a community.”

Watkins said the program has helped him “discover the greatness that lies within Henderson. Most teenagers like me when I was younger, don’t think Henderson is a place we want to live in after college,” he said.

But, he added, Henderson “needs my generation to bring the greatness to the forefront by evolving as leaders.”

Here is a list of students by school who completed the program:

Henderson Collegiate

Jenifer Aguilar

Kameron Bullock

Mya Fisher

Jayden Watkins

Faith Wimbush

Vance County High School

Alajiah Alston

Choice Puryear

Harold Timberlake

Vance Charter School

Noah Bean

Joshua Jones

Kate Seifert

Bridger Stewardson

Crossroads Christian

Anderson Boyd

Rebecca Fowler

Ava Wade

CLICK PLAY!

 

Edmonds Tennis Foundation

TownTalk: Edmonds Uses Tennis To Promote Oral Health

/by

The tennis courts at Fox Pond Park will be occupied Saturday with young people swinging racquets and … toothbrushes?

That’s right, it’s Tennis and Dentist Community Fun Day, hosted by Edmonds Tennis and Education Foundation.

Young people ages 5-18 are invited to come out to the park for the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fox Pond Park is located at 375 Vicksboro Rd.

Participants will get free tennis lessons from some tennis experts and they’ll learn the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene from a couple of local tooth experts.

Dr. Jerry Edmonds, III and his wife Dorcel launched the 501c3 in 2018 and this is their third fun day event to introduce the sport of tennis to young people.

The foundation was named National Junior Tennis Learning Chapter of the Year back at a meeting in January, at which time the 17 North Carolina NJTL chapters were challenged with coming up with an innovative way to teach tennis in combination with a community learning experience.

Edmonds said his wife came up with the idea on the drive back home from the meeting.

The foundation uses the game of tennis as a vehicle to foster and develop positive character traits including integrity, honesty and more, Edmonds said.

And since May is National Tennis Month, they’re offering a tennis clinic and an oral hygiene clinic. But this clinic won’t have kids opening wide for the dentist to peer inside at teeth and gums; rather, there will giveaways of things like toothbrushes, floss and more, Edmonds said.

“The goal is to teach (children) early on the importance of good dental hygiene,” he said.

Granville Vance Public Health representatives will be on hand with information about its dental clinic, for example, and its school-based program called “The Tooth Club.”

Last year, the foundation awarded 17 $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors to use toward college costs.

Sponsorships are vital to the foundation’s scholarship program, but Edmonds said the “secret sauce” is pairing local sponsors with those scholarship recipients to create a mentor/mentee relationship.

Through the scholarship program, tennis clinics and more, Edmonds said he hopes the foundation is creating “an army of givers” who will spread out across the community and beyond and to keep coming up with ways to be involved.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

VGCC Logo

TownTalk: Vance Granville Helping Small Businesses

/by

Dr. Jerry Edmonds, III, vice president of Workforce Development and Community Engagement at Vance-Granville Community, said he’s proud of the way the community supports small businesses and entrepreneurs. It may make his job just a bit easier, too.

From local government to the Chamber of Commerce, the network of support is a strong one for new business owners in the area.

“It seems like every week we’re having a small business ribbon-cutting,” Edmonds said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

And those business owners have a valuable resource at VGCC – the Small Business Center. SBC Director Carolyn Perry’s office is located at the VGCC South Campus in Creedmoor, but Edmonds said she travels throughout the four-county area to help small business owners.

The services are free, and help individuals with anything from startup to counseling hours – it’s all designed to make sure that new businesses stay in business.

Statistics show that new businesses most often fail within the first five years, and Edmonds said the SBC is here to help during that initial period and beyond to help businesses continue to thrive. “We’re intentional,” he said. “We really try to mentor them and make sure they make it through that crucial five years.”

Whether you’ve been in business for awhile and maybe need a sounding board for advice or you’re thinking about starting your own business, the SBC is here to serve.

“Our job is to help business owners, be they startups or those that have been in business for years,” Edmonds said, adding that the local SBC help between 10-15 new businesses each year and provide help to retain that many businesses as well.

Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

The Local Skinny! Making Things Happen Downtown

/by

The Henderson City Council Monday approved a tax incentive program to encourage downtown business owners to make improvements to the overall appearance of downtown without adding to their tax bill.

Downtown Development Coordinator Tracy Madigan explained on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! that the tax incentives would occur over a five-year period. The idea is pretty simple: when a business owner makes improvements to a building’s interior or exterior,  the presumption that the property value – and associated tax – would also increase.

Through the tax incentive program,  Madigan said the additional tax amount would be waived 100 percent. In Year 2, the percent would drop to 80 percent, and continue at that rate until Year 5, when the tax due would be 20 percent of the higher tax bill.

There are programs in place to help downtown businesses with items like new awnings and signs, she said, but the tax incentive plan provides “a little more meat” to support existing businesses and to encourage new businesses to come downtown.

“This has a lot of teeth to incentivize (downtown business owners) and make improvements downtown,” Madigan said. It’s just one of the things in the proverbial pipeline that she said would motivate improvements in the overall appearance of the downtown area.

Madigan said recent changes made by the City Council to create a separate board to oversee the city’s participation in the NC Main Street program is just one way to strengthen downtown revitalization efforts. The newly created board can focus specifically on the Main Street Program. Previously, the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission board had served in this capacity, and Madigan said creating a new board to focus on the Main Street program will free up the HVDC board to implement additional strategies to support downtown revitalization.

“It’s a way to improve downtown from two different directions – and get more done,” she said.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Vance County Logo

TownTalk: Board of Equalization and Review Hears Appeals

/by

Vance County residents who want to learn more about the revaluation process and just how it will affect their tax bill can attend an information session on May 20 at 4 p.m. The info session will take place in the county administration building, known commonly still as “the old courthouse.”

One tidbit of information that may have been helpful for a handful of residents who appeared before the board of equalization and review last week: Have proper documentation to support your case for a lower valuation.

Another important tidbit: The appeals process ends June 3. It’s almost mid-May, so property owners who want to contest their revaluations need to get busy.

The county’s board of commissioners doubles as the board of equalization and review, and although some residents provided anecdotal evidence and even photographs to support their remarks, commissioners time and again said they needed written documentation.

Each of the five cases that were heard also were continued, and commissioners offered suggestions to help the property owners understand what was needed.

“A common theme tonight is that some people just don’t understand what information they need to bring,” said Commission Chair Dan Brummitt. Brummitt also said more information needs to be shared with the public about several exemptions that are available for property owners.

“They all have evidence…but they didn’t bring it,” Brummitt said.

One woman spoke and said there was no way her home could be valued at $103,000 – she lives among at least two abandoned homes, squatters living in a former business nearby and a hoarder one street away. She had pictures but nothing in writing, so commissioners, although sympathetic, said she didn’t have proper documentation to support her appeal.

Upon learning that the boarded-up house next door had sold for $12,000, commissioners encouraged the homeowner to request that public information – available at the tax office – to then present to the E & R on appeal.

Another woman who lives near Kittrell said her property value went from $50,000 to $109,000.

“I live in a doublewide, an old doublewide,” she said. And although she no longer has the swimming pool, outbuilding or deck on her property, “my property tax went up,” she said.

Brummitt said each property listing has a tax card that includes comparable properties. They’re on the back of the tax card, he said.

This resident said $75,000 is a more realistic price for her property, but Brummitt asked what documentation she had to support that claim. Comps could be one way to document similar properties and their values.

The county’s website has posted a lot of pertinent information about the appeals process, and tax office staff is available to answer questions, said Commissioner Yolanda Feimster.

“They’re there to answer your questions,” Feimster said, adding that staff is willing to extend any assistance needed to residents.

Not everybody is computer savvy or computer literate, and Commissioner Leo Kelly said senior adults especially may need a little extra help. “The information is overwhelming,” he said. “It’s just too much information all at one time.”

County Manager C. Renee Perry told WIZS in an earlier interview that the county is working on a tight deadline. Perry said “the plan is for the Board of E&R to open on May 6 and close on June 3. The last day to appeal will be June 3.”

Visit www.vancecounty.org/departments/tax-overview to learn more. Call the tax office at 252.738.2040.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

The Local Skinny: Granville Vance Public Health Receives Recognition

/by

The Care Management High Risk Pregnancy Program at Granville Vance Public Health has received the “Friend of WIC” award by the NC Dept. of Health and Human Community Nutrition Service section for its commitment to providing quality services and advocating for its participants.

The award follows the nomination of GVPH Care Manager and social worker, Phylicia Evans, for the Institute for Family’s 2024 Family Champion Award, according to information from GVPH.  Evans was recognized for her work as a social worker in North Carolina who goes the extra mile to support her community and to connect countless families in the community to essential services and resources.

The Friend of WIC award recognizes continued collaboration and outstanding support of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Selection is based on demonstration of commitment to improving WIC Program services and continual advocacy for program services  and participants.

Kristy Walker, Pregnancy Care Management Supervisor, accepted the award on behalf of Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH). “The ongoing collaboration between the Care Management High Risk Pregnancy Program (CMHRP) Program and the WIC Program reflects a shared commitment to advocating for the well-being of participants,” Walker stated. “Through regular reporting, communication channels, and coordinated efforts, both programs work together to  enhance service delivery and participant satisfaction.”

The CMHRP Program at GVPH has established several proactive initiatives to ensure that all patients have access to improved WIC Program services, including streamlining the enrollment process to increase WIC Program participation. GVPH staff also leverage Medicaid eligibility with WIC benefits to provide additional nutritional support and use technology to identify participants who may need additional assistance from care managers.

The CMHRP Program also promotes WIC Program services by facilitating direct communication during office visits or remote interactions to provide comprehensive support and guidance regarding WIC benefits. Program staff advocate for a holistic care approach that addresses participants’ nutritional needs alongside their high-risk pregnancy management.

Lauren Faulkner, GVPH WIC director, said she is “thrilled” that CMHRP Program has been recognized for the honor. “It’s a reminder of the impact we can make and motivates us to keep improving and evolving our services for the community.”

For more information on GVPH maternal health programs, please go to our website: www.gvph.org/clinic/maternal-health-clinic

CLICK PLAY!