Perry Memorial Library

TownTalk: Perry Library Programs For Youths

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Gone are the days when librarians preferred the quiet, shushing patrons who dared make noise to interrupt the serious readers in their building.

No, today’s librarians embrace activity, breathing life into the more modern concept that has transformed libraries into media centers.

Public libraries are hubs in their communities, providing a variety of programs and services for patrons old and young.

Perry Memorial Library’s Youth Services Director Melody Peters joined the staff over the summer, when kids were out of school. Now that school is back in session, Peters is upping the game for young library patrons, who she says benefit greatly from the social interaction that comes with the programs offered at the library.

“Life is about people-to-people connections,” Peters told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The networking and interaction that goes along with many of the library offerings, from Mother Goose Story Time for toddlers to Survival Skills and Life Hacks for teens.

“Information is shared in many ways,” Peters said. “There is real power in interpersonal communication-it’s what we need to thrive,” she added. “There is real power in interpersonal communication.”

The Mother Goose Story Time is an established program at the library – Thursdays at 11 a.m. It’s a time for children 0-4 to enjoy a story, but it’s also a time for parents and caregivers to connect, Peters said.

“We’re laying a foundation – it really does matter,” Peters said.

Part of that foundation can come from library programs, and there are plenty to choose from.

Curious about the outdoors? There’s a program for that. Rangers from Kerr Lake State Recreation Area come and read with kids on the third Thursday of the month.

And a family program on Jan.24 will focus on animal tracks in the snow.

Snow?

It’s something we don’t see a lot of here in Vance County.

No problem.

They’re going to make it.

Yep. They’re going to make some snow. Way to blend in STEM with some fun. All it takes is a little shaving cream and baking soda.

To learn more, visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/

 

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Vance County Logo

Town Talk: More On ARPA Funds, Jail and other items of County Interest

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Cities and counties across the country are figuring out just how to spend their part of the unprecedented $1.9 trillion in federal aid coming through the American Rescue Plan Act’s COVID-19 relief effort.

Vance County’s share is just more than $8.5 million, and county leaders are way ahead of the 2024 deadline to decide where those funds will be used: it’s all being allocated as “revenue replacement, which provides flexibility and allows the county to use the funds for general government purposes,” explained County Manager Jordan McMillen.

Of that total amount, about $2 million is earmarked for Phase 1B of the county’s water system, another $350,000 will be used to replace security doors and locks at the detention center and $347,000 was earmarked to pay employees premium pay back in February 2022, McMillen told WIZS News. The health department is set to get $250,000 as well.

All that doesn’t add up to the total slice of the trillion-dollar pie that’s promised to the county, but the infusion of ARPA funds into the county’s general fund should mean that next month’s scheduled audit presentation will show a fairly large surplus, he said.

McMillen said he expects that those surplus funds will be moved into the capital expense funds, which will allow the county to hold onto that money for future capital expenditures like a new EMS station, future needs at the county jail and more.

 

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TownTalk: Update On ARPA Funds

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The American Rescue Plan is infusing money – lots of money – into communities across the nation, one of the federal government’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the waves of economic havoc it has created over the past several years.

Marley Spencer, a regional project manager who works with Kerr-Tar COG, is someone who can help figure out how to best use the money allocated to various municipalities across the five-county region.

According to Spencer, Vance County is getting roughly $8.5 million in ARPA money; Granville County is set to receive $11.7 million and Franklin County is getting about $13.5 million of the $1.9 trillion – with a T – in ARPA funds.

She discussed with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk some of the short-range and long-range planning that is involved in putting the money to use.

Spencer lends her expertise and training to help local governments to assess their needs, identify assets and infrastructure and then help them execute their plans for the ARPA funds, helping them “connect the dots and stretch those resources,” Spencer said.

The four main categories that municipalities can choose from are revenue replacement, negative COVID impact, premium pay for essential workers and infrastructure project – defined as water and sewer and broadband.

With those categories in mind, she said, municipalities have until December 2024 to designate where they want their share of ARPA funds to go; they have two years to spend the money – it all has to be spent by December 2026.

Simply put, ARPA funds can help municipalities “free up funds that they can use on other things to enhance the community,” Spencer explained.

Down the road, money from the ARPA-funded  Rural Transformation Grant also will be available to “enhance communities, revitalize downtowns and strengthen neighborhoods.”

 

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County Commissioners May Decide To Sell City Its Share Of 114 Vacant Properties For City To Redevelop

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The city’s land planning committee and the county’s properties committee held a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the disposition of 114 jointly owned properties within the city limits.

The group decided to allow the plan to sell the land to the city to move forward, and that is the recommendation that will go before the full board of county commissioners at its Jan. 9 meeting.

If the board approves the recommendation, the city would buy out the county’s interest in the properties – all are vacant tracts and all are tax foreclosures dating back to 2007, said County Manager Jordan McMillen. The city has a 43 percent interest in the properties and the county holds a 57 percent interest.

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, with both groups asking questions and sharing opinions about possible future redevelopment of the properties, which McMillen said totals about 26 acres when added all together.

“If it all went back on the tax books today,” McMillen told WIZS News after the meeting’s conclusion, it would add about $4,800 tax dollars to the city and county coffers.

County commissioners Dan Brummitt, Yolanda Feimster, Leo Kelly and Archie Taylor were present for the joint meeting representing the county’s properties committee; Melissa Elliott and  Jason Spriggs represented the city of Henderson’s land planning committee.

“I don’t mind transparency or accountability because I feel confident with what I’m doing,” said

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon, who explained the general plan to the group.

Blackmon said the city is ready to ramp up the redevelopment efforts as other projects to piggyback on progress being made with the West End Urban Redevelopment Area and a similar effort getting underway in the Flint Hill community.

In outlining the overall efforts taking shape within the city, he said there are developers knocking on the door to begin projects. When planning for the West End URA, the UNC School of Government reported that the city was 3,000 housing units short of where it needed to be. The city needs housing that is diverse, safe and affordable, Blackmon said. And as the city ramped up code enforcements over the past few years, the result was more torn down houses than houses that were preserved.

By all accounts, both groups supported the idea of having the city move forward with purchase of the properties, but Commissioner Brummitt said it’s time to “pick a project and move – make it happen.”

In comments to the joint group, Brummitt and Taylor both expressed concern that there has been much talk over the years about redevelopment, but little action.

We “continue to talk and talk about it, but we’re not taking any steps,” Brummitt said.

“We have developers on deck that are ready to move,” said Council member Elliott.

Blackmon said the redevelopment would most certainly need to be a mixture of single-family and multi-family structures, as well as a combination of renters and homeowners.

In response to some discussion about neighborhood safety, Brummitt said home ownership would be beneficial. “If you own that property, you’re more committed to it,” he said. Blackmon also commented that home ownership is one way to stabilize neighborhoods.

Elliott said a key component to the redevelopment efforts is educating the community about home ownership.

“If you can pay $1,200 to rent a house, you can pay $1,200 to buy a house,” she said, noting numerous programs available for first-time homebuyers.

Blackmon reminded the group that municipalities don’t build homes, but they can help plan for the types of housing that get built.

“When the municipality owns the dirt, we have some flexibility” in the type of housing we’d like to see in the community.

He used the term “workforce housing” to describe affordable housing options, including those for city employees and others who may choose to live in the same community where they work.

Whether it’s single-family or multi-family housing, the city must be aware of what the community can afford to spend. And developers that build in existing neighborhoods have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for residents who already live there – or who may choose to move there.

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NC Governor Logo

TownTalk: James Turner, NC Governor

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Back in his day, James Turner may have been considered a “typical” farmer in the area – by today’s standards, however, it depends on how you define “typical.”

Turner owned productive farmland, but he also was a legislator, a U.S. senator and served three one-year terms as the governor of North Carolina.

The plantation home known as Oakland, situated near Williamsboro, burned down in 1935, but his other home, Bloomsbury, still stands in Warren County in the general vicinity of Ridgeway and Manson.

Turner was born in 1776 and died in 1824, and he and some of his contemporaries were the topic of the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk with Bill Harris and Mark Pace.

Pace, a local historian  North Carolina Room specialist at Oxford’s Richard Thornton Library, said Turner was referred to as “Lordly Governor Turner,” in his day. He was among a handful of prominent Warren County-area individuals that some have called the “Warren Junta.”

The term “junta” refers to a small group wielding great power in a country, usually following a revolution.

“Between 1790 and 1840, Warren County was the place to be,” Pace said, adding that during that time, three of the state’s five governors hailed from Warren County.

One governor, Nathaniel Macon, went from governorship to become the Speaker of the U.S. House.

In 1802, Turner was chosen by the state legislature to be the 12th governor of the state following the death of John B. Ashe, who died after being elected governor but before he could be sworn in to office.

He then served three one-year terms and then represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Turner was among a group of relatively conservative politicians at the time who advocated minimal responsibilities by the federal government – basically, they just wanted a federal postal service, Pace said.

There is some uncertainty about where Turner is buried, but Pace said he is fairly confident that Turner’s final resting place is at Bloomsbury.

One of Turner’s sons, Daniel Turner, also figured prominently in the politics of his day. The younger Turner, a West Point graduate, also served in the state legislature and in the U.S. Congress, Pace said. But he never really was able to capitalize on the opportunities afforded him.

He came home to Warren County and studied to become an attorney, Pace said. He was elected to the state house, and then made a successful bid for the U.S. Congress, where he served a couple of terms.

Pace said Turner opened an academy in Warren County. His wife, Anna, “ran things and kept things going,” Pace said. The academy brought in teachers from up North and was going along pretty well until it ran into financial trouble.

“His friends got together, pulled some strings,” Pace said, and Turner ended up accepting an appointment to be the director of the Naval shipyard in San Francisco Bay. He and his wife both are buried there.

Turner’s wife, Anna, married into a fairly prominent family, but her lineage was nothing to sneeze at. Her maiden name was Key – and her father, Francis Scott Key, was an attorney in his own right who perhaps is best known as the person who wrote what was to become this country’s National Anthem.

 

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City of Henderson Logo

TownTalk: Signs of Positive Growth

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King’s Daughters Park is not the largest park in the area, and it doesn’t have all the amenities as other recreation areas, but what it does have is what is known in the real estate world as a critical asset: Location, location, location.

City officials are looking at ways to increase the park’s boundaries as plans continue to progress for the West End Urban Redevelopment Area (URA).

The Henderson City Council approved a recommendation from city staff to acquire three vacant properties near the park that, if successful, would add to the overall footprint of the park, located on Montgomery Street. Having access to green space promotes public health while preserving the characteristics of the park.

“We’ve got some negotiating to do,” City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News Tuesday. But the council gave staff permission to move forward to try to buy the vacant properties and refurbish the park as part of the overall redevelopment plan, Blackmon explained.

One of the three property owners has been contacted, but Blackmon said the city is still in the process of contacting the other two.

As plans for the West End URA continue to take shape, the idea is to bring a mixture of rental homes and private residences to the area, while developing business and recreation opportunities within walking distance of where people live.

The URA and other opportunities for redevelopment are part of the city’s overall strategic plan, as well as employee retention.

Blackmon said succession planning plays a role in recruiting and retaining city employees, and it’s one of the points contained in the strategic plan.

The city also approved a new entry-level planning technician position in the development services division, made necessary when the current zoning administrator was promoted to the vacant position of community development manager.

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TownTalk: Police Chief Barrow Talks Shop With A Cop

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It may have been cold – it IS December, after all, but there’s a pretty good chance that area law enforcement officers and 47 youngsters in the community felt nice and warm on the inside during the annual “Shop with a Cop” event this week.

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said individuals representing the police department, sheriff’s office, fire department, highway patrol, animal control and park rangers got to shop with children at Walmart in Henderson.

“We got to see some kids that we interacted with throughout the year,” Barrow said on Thursday’s TownTalk. One child had a special request to shop with an officer who was working a shift, but Barrow said they were able to make some adjustments in the schedule to grant the child’s request.

“He was able to shop with that kid – it was heartwarming,” Barrow said.

In all, the bill came to about $8,000, and that’s after Walmart generously knocked a little bit off the final tally, Barrow said.

In years past, law enforcement agencies have worked in partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce to raise money for the spending spree, but it just didn’t happen this year. Chalk it up to the residual pandemic restrictions and the strain on law enforcement agencies to provide adequate staffing.

“We look forward to partnering with them next year,” Barrow said.

In the meantime, it was important to keep the event alive, so that’s what they did.

It’s a time to let children be children and roam up and down the toy aisles. But it was sobering for Barrow to see some of the older kids get everyday items like hygiene products.

“We want them to think of themselves,” Barrow said. The adults usually steer the kids to clothing items, including coats, during the shopping spree.

But many of the children also wanted to pick out gifts for their parents or other family members, too.

Sometimes, the gift is in the giving, not in the receiving.

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TownTalk: Protecting Animals In Bitter Cold

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Whether you’re keeping up with weather forecasts as you stay warm indoors or whether you have to be out in the elements, here’s the main takeaway: it’s going to be bone-chilling cold for the next few days.

And while we humans can add an extra layer of clothing or stay bundled up by the fire if we’re lucky, Animal Services Chief Frankie Nobles reminds pet owners to be mindful of the needs of our furry friends, too.

If you have a pet outside, bring it inside the house or into a garage – anything you can do to block the wind, Nobles told John C. Rose on Thursday’s TownTalk.

“When that wind gets to blowing, it gets colder and colder” for pets who must remain outside. If possible, move doghouses to a more sheltered spot in the yard or throw an extra blanket on top of the doghouse for an extra layer of protection, leaving just enough of an opening for the dog to get in and out.

Use wood shavings inside dog houses instead of blankets, which can get wet and make matters worse.

If you use heat lamps, make sure they’re not too close to things that can catch fire, he warned.

In addition to these measures, it’s equally important to make sure outside animals have access to fresh water.

“Water’s gonna freeze, that’s a guarantee,” Nobles said. Clearing out water bowls is essential when temps dip below freezing.

And they need to have plenty of food, too. “Feed helps produce energy, which produces heat,”

He said. This goes for outside pets and livestock, too.

Some horse owners put blankets on their horses, which helps them stay warm.  Horses can be seen in pastures wearing blankets, Nobles said, “but you’ll also see a bunch of hay. Their body has to break that hay down (and) that’s what keeps them warm,” he said.

 

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