Town Talk 07/29/19
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Town Talk is a public affairs presentation of WIZS News.
News 07/29/19
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City Council Approves $126K Contract for Aycock Rec. Center Gym
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In a special called meeting held July 25, Henderson City Council members authorized the award of a $126,172.25 construction contract to Sport Court Carolina, Inc. for the Aycock Recreation Center Gym Floor Replacement Project.
On June 10, 2019, the Council authorized the expenditure of funds for the replacement of the Aycock Recreation Center gym floor as part of the 2020 Fiscal Year budget.
The project includes 12,800 square feet of removal and replacement of gym flooring.
Flooring renovations include adding durable composite material with a wood appearance. The composite will have a 5 mm pad underneath to allow for bounce, with another hardened composite base under the pad.
According to reports, the gym floor will be the darker of the composite tiles shown below, with the center court and lanes consisting of the lighter composite.
The project was first open for bids on July 8, 2019. With no bids being made, the project was re-bid July 18, 2019, and the low bidder was Sport Court with a bid of $126,172.25.
The only other bid was Synergy Building Group at $148,500.
Aycock Rec. Center has announced that they will be closed for renovations beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 26 and will reopen on Saturday, August 31, 2019.
The outdoor track will still be available for use.
On June 10, 2019, the Henderson City Council authorized the expenditure of funds for the replacement of the Aycock Recreation Center gym floor as part of the 2020 Fiscal Year budget. The project includes 12,800 square feet of removal and replacement of gym flooring. Flooring renovations include adding durable composite material with a wood appearance.
Fourth Person Arrested in Murder of Adonius Hawkins Jr.
-Information courtesy Henderson Police Department
Late yesterday afternoon, Thursday, July 25, 2019, Tyleak Hargrove, age 27, the fourth person wanted for the murder of Adonius Hawkins Jr, was taken into custody from underneath a residence on Vance Street.
He has been turned over to the custody of the Vance County Jail without bond pending a court appearance.
Late yesterday afternoon, Thursday, July 25, 2019, Tyleak Hargrove, age 27, the fourth person wanted for the murder of Adonius Hawkins Jr, was taken into custody from underneath a residence on Vance Street. He has been turned over to the custody of the Vance County Jail without bond pending a court appearance. (HPD photo)
City of Henderson Election Filing Closed; Elliott Files for 3rd Ward At-Large Seat
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-Information courtesy Melody Vaughan, Deputy Director, Vance County Board of Elections
The extended filing period for the City of Henderson’s Alderman 3rd Ward At-Large seat ended at 12 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Melissa Elliott of West Lake Drive in Henderson was the only person to file for the seat.
Filing for the 3rd Ward was extended with the approval of the State Board of Election last week due to the failure of any candidate to file during the original July 5 – 19 timeframe.
With filing now closed, candidates for the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson election are:
Office Position: Mayor – City of Henderson
Name: Edward (Eddie) Harry Ellington
Residential Address: 2223 N Woodland Road Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 430-4018
Date of Filing: 07/05/2019
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Office Position: Mayor – City of Henderson
Name: Sharon Kay Owens
Residential Address: 815 E Montgomery Street Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 820-0574
Date of Filing: 07/18/2019
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Office Position: Alderman 1st Ward – City of Henderson
Name: Marion Brodie Williams
Residential Address: 338 Hamilton Street Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 767-3977
Date of Filing: 07/05/2019
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Office Position: Alderman 2nd Ward – City of Henderson
Name: David Michael (Mike) Rainey
Residential Address: 2747 Fairway Drive Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 492-6787
Date of Filing: 07/16/2019
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Office Position: Alderman At-Large 3rd Ward – City of Henderson
Name: Melissa Elliott
Residential Address: 115 Westlake Drive Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 438-7004
Date of Filing: 07/22/2019
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Office Position: Alderman At-Large 4th Ward – City of Henderson
Name: George McArthur Daye
Residential Address: 919 N Pinkston Street Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (252) 432-6659
Date of Filing: 07/19/2019
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Office Position: Alderman At-Large 4th Ward – City of Henderson
Name: Jason Albert Spriggs
Residential Address: 222 Turner Avenue Henderson, NC 27536
Mailing Address: Same as residential address
Telephone Number: (919) 514-5136
Date of Filing: 07/05/2019
Facility Upgrades to Close Aycock Rec. Center Through August
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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center
The Aycock Recreation Center will be closed beginning Saturday, July 27 and reopening on Saturday, August 31, 2019.
On Friday, July 26, the center will close at 6 p.m.
During this closure, we will be making upgrades to the facility. Patrons may still utilize the outdoor walking track.
For more information, please contact Tara Goolsby at (252) 438-3948 or tgoolsby@ci.henderson.nc.us
VGCC Pins 19 Practical Nursing Graduates
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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Nineteen Practical Nursing graduates were honored for their completion of the one-year program at Vance-Granville Community College during a pinning ceremony on July 24 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
Upon receiving their diplomas, the graduates are now eligible to sit for the national exam for licensed practical nurses (NCLEX-PN).
Nineteen Practical Nursing graduates were honored for their completion of the one-year program at Vance-Granville Community College during a pinning ceremony on July 24 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus. Front row (L to R): B. Williams, L. Clayton, M. Wanjiku, E. Ogachi, T. Onchiri, M. Casady, S. Mugambi; Second row (L to R): S. Nyambariga, J. Kortor, C. Howarth, S. Wilson, M. Sellers, S. Alston, C. Blakenship; Third row (L to R): S. Hawkins, M. Goedeker, T. Adesina, B. Kilmer. (VGCC photo)
Among the Practical Nursing graduates recognized at the ceremony were Candice Howarth of Bullock; Mary Wanjiku of Cary; Shaquile Hawkins and Sharlett Wilson, both of Creedmoor; Timothy Adesina and Justin Kortor, both of Durham; Stephanie Alston of Henderson; Laveasta Clayton of Knightdale; Megann Casady of Louisburg; Mikayla Sellers of Middleburg; Brittany Williams of Oxford; Marylou Goedeker, Sylvia Mugambi, Stephen Nyambariga, Esther Ogachi and Teresa Onchiri, all of Raleigh; Cindy Blankenship and Suzanne Wiley, both of Wake Forest; and Bryanne Kilmer of Youngsville.
Welcoming remarks were offered by Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC’s vice president of academic affairs; Erica Jastrow, the chair of the college’s Nursing Department; and Candice Howarth, president of the Practical Nursing Class of 2019.
“Our Nursing program goes all the way back to 1970, almost to the founding of this great institution, of which we are celebrating 50 years of existence this year,” said Dr. Brown. “Now we are proud to add to that history the Practical Nursing Class of 2019, a diverse group of students from several towns in our region.” While many members of the class have chosen specific nursing specialties for their careers, many also plan to continue their education, he said. He encouraged the graduates to “aspire, accelerate and achieve in every walk of life.”
“With success comes great responsibility,” Jastrow noted in her remarks. “The work that these graduates did a year ago was work for their future selves that are here graduating today. I hope that others are inspired by your success to begin working toward their future selves. We at VGCC would love to have the opportunity to work with others to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.”
News 07/26/19
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Search Process For New City Manager Begins
At a special called meeting of the Henderson City Council Thursday afternoon, a human resources consultant with the NC League of Municipalities (NCLM), Hartwell Wright, appeared before the board to discuss the process of replacing retiring Henderson City Manager Frank Frazier.
Wright, who is a resident of Vance County and was a City of Henderson employee some 15 years ago before going to the NCLM, indicated that three things were needed to get the process started: an administrator, a group of people who would be conducting the search and if the search would be performed confidentially.
The board indicated, and confirmed to WIZS News after the meeting was complete, that Frazier will administer the process from a logistical point of view, that the entire board would work together as a unified body to conduct the search, rather than having a committee or consultant do it, and that the search would be performed confidentially. In other words, applicant names will be held in strict confidence.
What will not be confidential is updates to the public. Wright urged that local media be kept up to date so citizens would be kept up to date on where the City was in the process and so forth.
Wright said the word professional over and over, and the board members, mayor and city attorney very much agreed that the highest of professional standards would be used to complete the process. Councilman William Burnette said, “We were elected to find the best.”
Wright told the board that this decision is as “important a decision as you will do.” He said, “Your manager is your ambassador, your ambassador to your citizens.”
The next step is to build a profile, and it was suggested that each council person write down four things he or she was looking for in a manager. Then, the board can agree on the most important.
The entire process is expected to take no less than six months, which is within the timetable that Frazier has already expressed, as he has essentially indicated he would stay on into 2020 until a new manager was hired.
Wright urged the council to “use the profile as a measuring stick, and you’ll be closer together” as a group leading up to the decision.
From the sound of it, all applicants can expect a professional process, fair practices and a council that will be administering the process as a well-informed and unified body.
Vance Co. Schools Announces Start Dates for 2019-20 Year
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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools
All students who attend Vance County Middle School, AdVance Academy, STEM Early High School and all Vance County elementary schools except E.M. Rollins will begin school on Monday, August 26, 2019. Open house will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Information on times will be made available as soon as possible.
E.M. Rollins Elementary School will begin school on Monday, August 5, 2019. Open house will be held on Thursday, August 1, 2019, from 2 until 7 p.m.
Vance County Early College and Vance County High School will begin school on Monday, August 5, 2019. Open house will be held on Thursday, August 1, 2019, from 1 until 7 p.m.
All parents and students are invited to attend open house events.