Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Extension:

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is only open on Saturdays now. 8am-1pm.
  • Pesticide Disposal Day going on right now at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. They will there until 3pm.
  • Fall Vegetable Garden Workshop on September 30th, at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Led by Wayne Rowland.
    • Register for this workshop by calling the Vance County Cooperative Extension at (252) 438-8188. 
  • Now is a good time to order your Spring Flowering Bulbs.
  • There is still time to renovate your Tall Fescue Lawn. From now until October 1st. Use a 3-variety fescue mix when renovating.
  • If you haven’t applied your fertilizer to your Tall Fescue Lawn, you need to apply one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet by the end of this month.
  • Check you crops for insects.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536.

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Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

The Local Skinny! Fall is Here at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market

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Summer gardens may be giving us the last produce of the long-growing season, but there are still plenty of choices at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

Market Manager Pat Ayscue said, “The summer season is winding down but thankfully since we are a regional market, there are still late summer veggies filling the farmer’s table.” Customers can still find butterbeans, field ripe tomatoes and those most sought-after purple hull peas, she said.

“Also, hats off to our farmers many who planted late crops when the rains came again after the long dry spell,” which created some extra bounty to share with customers on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The fall crops are coming in, too – tender collards, turnip greens, fall apples and grapes of many varieties, Ayscue said.

But there’s more than just fresh produce at the market. Local raw honey is available every Saturday, Ayscue said, and “Hidden Acres will be joining us with their pasture raised beef, chicken, lamb, pork and farm fresh eggs. Stop by and say hi and let them tell you all about their products,” she said.

And although we’re just a few days into fall, people are surely thinking about and preparing for Thanksgiving.

Sweet Inspirations is at the market every Saturday, and Ayscue said customers can begin placing holiday orders now.

EBT is welcome and stop by and ask the market manager about Double Bucks’.  Follow us on Facebook! Each market day the farmers and vendors that are at the market that shopping day will be posted.

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The Local Skinny! Chicken Plate Fundraiser At Rebuilding Hope

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Volunteers and supporters of Rebuilding Hope, Inc. are gearing up for the annual fall chicken plate fundraiser, which will be held Friday, Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the 414 Raleigh Road location.

Co-director Tom Wille said the plates include half a chicken, potatoes, green beans and dessert, all for $10 each.

Call 252.438.5132 to pre-order or to get a minimum of six plates delivered to you.

“We’ll get those to you at lunch time, or break time,” Wille said. For pre-orders, “we’ll save them and you can pick them up,” he added.

But don’t wait until the last minute – they’ll be selling until 7 p.m. or until they run out.

This chicken plate fundraiser does more than just feed hungry people, Wille pointed out.

“We’re supporting the local community by doing this,” he said.

By building ramps for people with mobility issues, Wille said, they’re also helping first responders by reducing calls for help getting people in and out of their homes.

“It changes everybody’s life for the better,” he said.

“Everything we do is in the name of Christ. Because Jesus loved us first, we can go out and love those in our community.”

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The Local Skinny! Vote For Chestnut Street Park Project To Win $100,000

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Charles Turrentine Jr. got word about 24 hours ago that the Chestnut Street Park renovation project is among five finalists from across the country vying for $100,000 from Bobcat Company.

The project to make improvements to the basketball courts that operate under the city’s recreation and parks department is going to be a “game-changer,” Turrentine said. And getting a $100,000 infusion of cash would be a big deal indeed.

“We need everyone to share and support and vote for the Chestnut Street Park revitalization,” Turrentine said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The project that gets the most votes wins, and Turrentine wants to spread the word so this local project comes out on top. Voters have to provide just a couple of bits of information to register and can cast one vote daily until the contest closes on Oct. 3.

Click on https://www.bobcat.com/na/en/campaigns/park-rec-makeover-2024 to cast your daily vote.

When the project was first talked about earlier this year, Turrentine said, the costs were somewhere around $100,000 to resurface the courts, add breakaway goals and lighting. That number swelled to more like $1 million to include a playground, shelter, water and bathroom facilities and a shed roof.

Turrentine reeled off some of the rough estimates: $20,000 to resurface the courts, $30,000 for new fencing, breakaway goals at $4,000 each and lights for extra security another $60,000. And that’s just for starters.

He said Kendrick Vann and the Henderson Rec and Parks Department is a partner, and the city of Henderson has committed to put in water that will allow for restrooms.

When it’s completed, it’ll change the whole landscape, Turrentine said. “We can see what redevelopment looks like.”

Turrentine and other park supporters want the city park to be a place for the whole community to enjoy; he wants the park to be known as a nice, modernized park where everyone has fun.

But it’s going to take everyone working – and voting – collectively, he said, to make the dream a reality.

“We can change the narrative of Henderson…we can get on that one path to change the narrative.”

When the construction gets underway in January 2025 – the fencing comes down, the asphalt removed and the rebuilding begins, “everybody in the city of Henderson will be well-pleased.”

If all goes to plan, the courts will be ready for action by May 2025.

And it hopefully won’t be much longer to wait to enjoy the additional amenities that will be part of the new and improved Chestnut Street Park.

Vote at https://www.bobcat.com/na/en/campaigns/park-rec-makeover-2024

 

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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Extension:

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturday from 8am-1pm.
  • Fall Vegetable Garden Workshop on September 30th, at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Led by Wayne Rowland.
    • Register for this workshop by calling the Vance County Cooperative Extension at (252) 438-8188.
  • Soil Samples are still Free of charge. Collect them now.
  • Now is a good time to order your Spring Flowering Bulbs.
  • There is still time to renovate your Tall Fescue Lawn. From now until October 1st. Use a 3-variety fescue mix when renovating.
  • If you haven’t applied your fertilizer to your Tall Fescue Lawn, you need to apply one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet by the end of this month.
  • Check you crops for insects and maintain good weed control.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

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The Perry Memorial Library is doing its part in the city’s recently launched anti-litter campaign. Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said upcoming Storytime programs will have an anti-litter theme, and while there might be a little talk about trash, there will be no trash talking.

The programs will be held at the library on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 4:15 p.m. and on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Although geared for preschool and elementary-school aged children, Peters said all are welcome. There will be a craft activity and some giveaways with an anti-litter theme.

After attending last week’s kickoff, “I wanted to add a special story time,” Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! As part of the NC Litter Sweep program, which runs Sept. 14- Sept. 28, participants will get a chance to clean up around the outside of the library, too.

As fall programming continues to crank up, Peters said the monthly Survival Skills series for young people in grades 6-12 resumes beginning today at 4:30 p.m. The focus will be on quilting, she said. Once the crafters create their quilt top, it will be made into a pillow. Register by emailing mpeters@perrylibrary.org. Subsequent dates will be Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The Kids Connect program for children in grades K-5, comes back on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The kickoff session will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and will include arts and crafts activities like weaving and flower-making.

Learn more at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.

 

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Relief Programs For Qualified Homeowners May Reduce Sting From Tax Bill

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The deadline to appeal 2024 property tax valuations has passed, and technically, so has the deadline for qualified homeowners to try to get some relief from those tax bills, due before Jan. 6, 2025 to avoid a 2 percent interest penalty.

June 1 was the deadline to appeal – and apparently to apply for the three programs listed on the Vance County Tax Office website, according to Vance County Deputy Tax Assessor Jennifer Williams.

“After that date, the Tax Office cannot approve or deny any applications, but citizens can appeal their late applications to the Board (of Commissioners) up until the end of the calendar year for which they are applying,” Williams explained in a response to a question sent via email to the tax office late last week.

Commissioners Chair Dan Brummitt said that, to his knowledge, the board has “never denied a senior, veteran, exemption. Folks don’t always see the dates, so we try to work with people,” Brummitt told WIZS News.

The 2024 tax bills were sent out in late August, following the most recent property revaluation required by the state to be completed at least every eight years. The last property revaluation in Vance County was completed in 2016. Some property owners have seen a significant increase over last year’s bill, and the county wants to make sure that eligible homeowners know about the three programs offered.

Below are details of those programs:

  • Elderly or disabled exclusion – this program is for homeowners at least 65 years old or who are totally or permanently disabled and whose 2023 income was $36,700 or less. The program excludes from taxation the first $25,000 or half (whichever is greater) of the assessed value of the permanent residence.
  • The circuit breaker tax deferment program limits the amount of annual property tax the owner owes. Taxes above a certain amount are deferred, but will be due – with interest – if there is a disqualifying event. This program requires the recipient apply each year; if annual income is $36,700 or less, taxes will be limited to 4 percent of  total income. If income is between $36,700 and $55,050, that limit is 5 percent.
  • A program for disabled veterans – or the unmarried surviving spouse of a disabled veteran – excludes up to the first $45,000 of the appraised value of a permanent residence. For purposes of this program, a disabled veteran is defined as a veteran “whose character of service at separation was honorable or under honorable conditions, and who has a total and permanent service-connected disability or who received benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101.” Although there is no age or income requirement for this program, part of the application must be completed by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. For more info, about veterans services, visit  vancecounty.org … and click on departments and go to veterans-service-office

Find details on the three programs at:  www.vancecounty.org and click on departments then click on tax-overview and go to property-tax-relief-programs.

Or call the tax office at 252.738-2040 or email taxoffice@vancecounty.org.

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The Local Skinny! VGCC Foundation Receives $50,000 Grant To Help Small Business Owners

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The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation has received a $50,000 grant award from Duke Energy Foundation to support small businesses in the four-county area it ser.

And community college officials have come up with a creative way to make sure that the money is equitably distributed to do the most good.

The VGCC Small Business Center will select grant fund recipients through a series of workshops, one based in each of the four counties the college serves.

Owners of retail shops, restaurants and other small businesses looking to expand, their business, upgrade technology, improve marketing or downtown storefronts are just the kind of participant VGCC’s Small Business Center is looking for.

“We want to see how creative they’ll be,” said Carolyn Perry, director of VGCC’s Small Business Center. The timing right before the holidays could prove extra helpful; some small businesses depend on a brisk holiday sales season to boost their bottom line.

The first workshop will be held next week in Granville County on the South Campus in Creedmoor, Sept. 16-19.

Subsequent workshops will take place in the other three counties served by VGCC:

  •       Sept. 30 – Oct. 3: VGCC Main Campus, Henderson
  •       Oct. 7–10: VGCC Warren Campus, Warrenton
  •       Oct. 14–17: VGCC Franklin Campus, Louisburg

Each workshop session will be comprised of four evening classes for a total of 10 hours of instruction. The sessions will culminate with a five-minute pitch contest, after which five of the session’s 10 participants will receive a $2,500 award to support their small business.

Perry said there are just a few requirements to participate – applicants must be 18 years old and must be residents of the county of the workshop they sign up for. Only one participant per household is allowed and anyone associated with VGCC is not eligible to take part, she said.

If you do a little quick math, $50,000 divided by 4 equals $12,500. There will be 20 awards – 5 per county – which means that each grant will be $2,500.

The first three days of the process will involve coaching and developing a plan that will be pitched on day 4, Perry said, sort of like TV’s “Shark Tank.”

VGCC Dean of Business and Industry Solutions Kyle Burwell, provided details about how the money would be used.

“When you start off with some capital,” Burwell said, you increase a business’s survival rate, not to mention provide stability and create additional employment opportunities. She said it’s a way to help businesses learn how to use funding and market themselves, which creates “a true impact for all of our communities.”

The VGCC Foundation was one of 21 community organizations from across the state to share in $700,000 in this round of funding, said Beth Townsend, Duke Energy local government and community relations manager. Since it was established in 2020, the program has given more than $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state.

To learn more about this program and participant requirements, contact Perry at 252.738.3240 or perryc@vgcc.edu.

 

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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market is still open on Saturdays 8am-1pm
  • Soil samples are still free
  • Now is a good time to harvest the herbs that you are growing
  • It’s also a good time to renovate your tall fescue lawn
  • You need to fertilize your tall fescue with 1 LB of Nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. in September
  • Carolina Lawns Publication, available free of charge
  • Use a 3 variety mix of tall fescue

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

 

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The Local Skinny! Council Approves Pay Increases For City Employees

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In a unanimous vote Monday, the Henderson City Council approved a pay increase for all city employees, tacking on close to a 20 percent increase in payroll costs in the city’s budget. The increase will be retroactive to sync with the pay increase given to police and fire department employees.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the move adds about $1.8 million on the expense side – payroll expenses and the cost of the study – but the city’s expected revenues should be about $2.5 million, so “we can accommodate the total impact,” he told council members during their regular monthly meeting.

Back on Aug. 19, the city council approved a pay increase for police and fire department employees – to the tune of just more than $900,000 – out of “urgency,” Blackmon said in remarks during the meeting. At that August meeting, it was stated that the results of the pay study for all employees would be considered at the Sept. 9 meeting.

Blackmon said the pay study reviewed 70 different job positions for the 2023-24 fiscal year which resulted in recommendations for an updated classification and grading scale.

Salary increases have been a part of the city’s strategic plan for a couple of years, he said, citing the need to be competitive with surrounding areas and attract and retain employees.

The local tax base hasn’t grown much in the last decade, but Blackmon said anticipated growth is on the horizon.

“There’s expected growth here in the community,” he said, noting that there are close to 2,000 housing units underway and more on the way in the first quarter of 2025.

Council Member Michael Venable made the motion to approve the pay increase, which was seconded by Council Member Tami Walker. Council Members Garry Daeke and Sara Coffey were not present at the meeting.

The Council also voted to approve a unified development ordinance that essentially updates zoning and land-use regulations that have been in place – unchanged – for more than 40 years.

Information in the agenda packet prepared for the meeting stated, “Over the past 12 months the Development Services Department staff, Insight Planning Consultants, and the Planning Board have been working on land use regulations of the zoning and subdivision ordinances that have not been comprehensively updated and re-written since the 1970’s. The proposed Unified Development Ordinance combines best practices for zoning and subdivision regulations, along with other desired City codes such as design guidelines, sign regulations, floodplain and stormwater management, into one document.”

The updated ordinance includes a revised table of uses, mixed-use district, regulation removal of redundancy zoning districts, new regulation to assist in affordable housing creation and other  technical planning practices.

The city contracted with Insight Planning to craft the UDO and comprehensive plan that was adopted in July 2022 for $99,000.

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