Tag Archive for: #granvillecountynews

LFNC Fellow Begins 1-Year Fellowship With Granville County

/by

As one of 23 host sites across the state, Granville County has its first participant in a leadership program that is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government.

The program, Lead for North Carolina (LFNC), places recent college graduates in a one-year fellowship in various municipal and county governments. Keegan Rapp, a graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, began his fellowship in August.

The Belmont, NC native said he is excited to be in Granville County.
“I became a Fellow to learn more about how local government assists people in North Carolina,” Rapp said. “I will work to boost the capacity of Granville County while elevating the county and learning its story.”

LFNC serves as a bridge between North Carolina communities and smart, passionate and committed young leaders. With the launch of its fourth cohort this year, the program has placed 74 fellows in positions with municipal governments, county governments and regional councils across the state. By recruiting, training and placing these fellows, LFNC seeks to strengthen public institutions, support local communities as it cultivates a new generation of public service leaders.

“We are excited to host Keegan Rapp as our Lead for NC Fellow,” said Assistant County Manager Korena Weichel. “Keegan will assist and learn from all county departments during his time with us. Granville County government is committed to cultivating the next generation of local government leaders as prioritized by our board of commissioners in the 2021-2025 strategic plan. Hosting a Lead for NC Fellow is a great way to gain valuable assistance for county management while also providing Keegan with an in-depth training ground to begin his  public service career.”

Of the 23 fellowship placements, 10 Fellows will serve in municipalities, eight in  county offices, and six in regional councils of government. In total, fellows’ assignments will cover thirty-seven individual North Carolina counties. Fellows will work in areas including budgeting, management, opioid response, planning, housing and economic development.

Lead for North Carolina is made possible through funding from an array of partners, including the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, AmeriCorps, The Anonymous Trust, Golden LEAF Foundation, The Jessie Ball duPont  Fund, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, State Farm, Wells Fargo and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Lead for North Carolina is joined by the following founding partners: the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina City/County Management Association and Lead for America.

Granville School Board Set To Meet Monday, Sept. 19

/by

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Mary Potter Center of Education

Public comments for the meeting can be made in person at the board meeting, or in writing by using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y37evl6z

Comments should be submitted between 12 noon and 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting, according to a press statement from Dr. Stan Winborne, GCPS associate superintendent and public information officer. Board members will receive copies of comments; a maximum of 30 minutes in total will be allotted for public comment during the meeting.

Although seating is limited, anyone without access to WiFi may use internet services at the Richard Thornton Library, 210 Main St., Oxford, NC 27565 or the South Branch Library, 1550 South Campus Drive, Creedmoor, NC 27522

Join live at https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.

 

Families Living Violence Free

Quarter Auction Oct. 7 To Benefit Families Living Violence Free

/by

Join the fun to raise money for a good cause at the Quarter Auction to benefit Families Living Violence Free on Friday, Oct. 7. The event will be held at The Barn at Vino in Stem.

FVLF Executive Director Peggy Roark said a $20 ticket includes dinner and a bidding paddle. Bring an appetite, lots of enthusiasm and a few rolls of quarters! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner begins at 6:15 and the auction kicks off at 7 p.m. Bring some extra cash to purchase items from your favorite participating vendors.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the auction is just one way to support agencies like FLVF as its staff provides services to those in the community who have experienced trauma in the form of domestic violence or sexual assault.

The Barn at Vino is located at 3200 Bliss Trail in Stem.

Phone 919.693.3579 to purchase tickets.

High School Students Can Apply For Youth Leadership Council Through Sept. 30

/by

-information from Granville County Cooperative Extension

The Granville County Youth Leadership Council (GCYLC) is accepting applications through Sept. 30 to join the council. Any student in grades 9-11 who is interested in honing leadership skills and learning how to make a difference in their community is encouraged to submit an application, according to Charissa Puryear, Granville Unit Director at the N.C. Cooperative Extension office.

The GCYLC is being formed as a partnership between the Granville County Board of Commissioners and N.C. Cooperative Extension. The council will offer 20-25 youth from diverse backgrounds across the county a chance to participate in a leadership development program while serving as ambassadors and youth voices to the county commissioners and other local boards. The council is being created to elevate youth voices and contribute to community development, programming and vision while providing youth a unique opportunity to be drivers of their own ideas from conceptualization to implementation and reflection, Puryear noted in a press statement.

Members will also be encouraged to represent GCYLC at board meetings, conferences, and special events.

Students interested in applying should be enrolled in high school, live in Granville County, and be available for meetings at least one time per month. Community, youth and faith-based organizations and educators are encouraged to nominate youth. If interested in applying, visit www.granvilleylc.weebly.com or contact Charissa Puryear at cmpuryea@ncsu.edu or 919.603.1350.

Masonic Home for Children

Visit Sept. 15 Open House At MHCO To Learn More About Community Support Center

/by

Plans are underway to create a community support center on the campus of the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford to offer resources, training and other services to families in the community.

Through a partnership with the Granville County United Way, FGV Smart Start, Granville Education Foundation and Baptist Children’s Home the Masonic Home for Children invites interested community agencies  to an open house on Thursday, Sept. 15. Drop by between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to learn more about how to identify and address family needs, provide services, network and make referrals for services on behalf of families in need.

Some of the proposed services include:

  • Parenting Education
  • Nutrition Classes
  • Family Counseling
  • Foster Care Training
  • Adolescent Group Counseling
  • Financial Management Education
  • Recreation
  • Networking to a variety of services

Visitors can come to the Parham Cottage at the children’s home, whose main campus is located at 600 College St., Oxford.

Granville Announces Drew Cummings As New County Manager

/by

-information courtesy of Granville Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

The Granville County Board of Commissioners has selected Drew Cummings as the new county manager. Cummings has been an assistant county manager and chief of staff in Durham County for 14 years. He will begin his new job on Oct. 17.

“I am so excited to come to Granville County and look forward to working with the commissioners, staff, and the community to continue building on the strong groundwork that has already been laid,” Cummings said.

Cummings is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. He and his wife, Amy, have three school-aged children and in his spare time Cummings enjoys exercise, woodwork, and singing in his church choir.

“The Granville County Board of Commissioners is unanimous in its selection of Drew Cummings,” said Tony Cozart, board chair. “His educational level and extensive experience make Mr. Cummings the desired candidate to serve as our next county manager.”

Before his time in Durham County, Cummings, worked in other areas of municipal government and was a middle school teacher for seven years before entering work in local government, according to a press statement from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood..

While in Durham County, Cummings focused on a wide range of issues including economic development, education, transportation, affordable housing, and homelessness. He has been a member of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) as well as the North Carolina City and County Managers Association since 2004.

Cummings achieved his ICMA Credentialed Manager status in 2021 and is also a 2015 graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Public Executive Leadership Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard University, holding a BA in Government and received his Master’s in Public Policy from the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy.

Cummings comes to us with outstanding references, is very well trained in county administration, and has shown throughout his career that he is a person who has committed himself to getting results. His longevity with Durham County shows that he is willing to ingrain himself in a community and weather a few storms while moving towards a long-range vision of success. As a longtime Durham resident, Mr. Cummings is already familiar with this region and knows the needs and opportunities for success that we have in Granville,” Cozart said.

“I look forward to getting to know the community and staff much better in the coming months as we re-commit ourselves to the goals of responsive, innovative, efficient government and seek to seize the positive out of all the change we have seen over the past few years. It is a true honor.”

David Richardson, Granville School Board Chair, Dies

/by

David Richardson, chairman of the Granville County Board of Education, died Tuesday evening. Friends, church colleagues and education supporters across the county reflected Wednesday on Richardson’s life and legacy in the community.

Granville County Public Schools Public Information Officer Dr. Stan Winborne said district officials received word of Richardson’s death, but he had no further information about funeral service arrangements.

Richardson was pastor at Peace’s Chapel Baptist Church, located in the Fairport community. He also served on the advisory committee for the Granville Crime Stoppers, and President Frank Sossamon said he had known Richardson through that organization, as well as through their shared work in the ministry.

“It was a shock to all of us,” Sossamon said, of learning of Richardson’s death.

“He was a caring man…He deeply cared for people,” he said, adding that he wanted to do something that would positively affect his community. He was recently re-elected to the District 7 seat on the Granville County school board. “He wanted what was best for the county,” Sossamon continued.

A post by Board President Dr. Linda Frederickson on the Granville Education Foundation social media page said, “David was a champion for Granville County Schools and so supportive of GEF. He had a kind and giving heart and truly wanted to do what was best for Granville County Schools.”

State Highway Patrol

Booze It & Lose It Campaign Aimed At Reducing Alcohol-Related Car Crashes

/by

State and local officials have a simple message – never drink and drive.

Doing so over the long holiday weekend could mean a trip to jail rather than to the beach or pool.

Through Sept. 11, law enforcement statewide will be stepping up patrols to stop impaired drivers during the annual Labor Day Booze It & Lose It campaign.

Driving while impaired is against the law and could be deadly, not to mention expensive. People charged with DWI can lose their license and pay thousands of dollars in court fees.

“By finding a sober ride home, you can prevent a fun summer night from turning tragic,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “More than 400 North Carolina families lost loved ones last year in alcohol-related crashes, and if we can stop even one family from experiencing this kind of loss, it will have been worth it.”

In 2021, 423 people died on North Carolina roads due to alcohol-related crashes, including 15 during the Labor Day Booze It & Lose It enforcement campaign period.

Increased enforcement during specific campaign periods year-round is a key part of making North Carolina roads safer. That’s especially important this year, as officials seek to reduce the number of traffic fatalities, which in 2021 marked the most traffic deaths in North Carolina since 1973.

Granville Tourism Dollars Up 26.9%, Topping $50M For 2021

/by

Visitors to Granville County spent $50 million in 2021, an increase of 26.9 percent from 2020 of more than $13 million. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.  “Visitors are truly finding that Granville County is uniquely Carolina,” said Angela Allen, director of the Granville County Tourism Development Authority. “From big events like the NC Hot Sauce Contest & Festival, to the first female, veteran-owned brewery at Tobacco Wood Brewery, or an art gallery that features more than 250 artists at Cedar Creek Gallery, Granville has so much to offer. Visitors are finding that Granville County is a great place for a day trip or a quick getaway weekend that is so close and convenient to the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area but feels like a world away.”

Tourism impact highlights in 2021 for Granville County: 

  • The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 275 people.
  • Total payroll generated by the tourism industry was $11.6 million.
  • State tax revenue generated totaled $2.3 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $1.8 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

 

These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2021,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.  Statewide, visitor spending in 2021 rebounded by 44.9 percent to reach $28.9 billion. Following the devastating pandemic-related losses of 2020, the total fell just short of the record $29.22 spent in 2019. Direct tourism employment increased 10.5 percent to 197,500. “These findings are something that everyone in North Carolina can celebrate,” said Visit NC Director Wit Tuttell.  “They’re a testament to the resilience of our businesses and our residents, and to the enduring appeal of destinations that include everything a traveler might want. The economic well-being of the state and all its communities rises with the pleasures travelers find in the natural beauty of our public spaces, our culinary traditions and innovation, our remarkable towns, and our spirited cities. North Carolina can claim it all.”

 

 

Schools Still Looking For Teachers To Fill Vacancies

/by

As students return to classrooms for a new school year, many are finding understaffed schools. Schools across Vance, Granville and Warren counties also are experiencing vacancies.

There simply are not enough teachers to fill openings, and Rep. Terry Garrison cited recently released statistics that underscore the challenge that schools face.

Garrison said in an email dated Aug. 31 that Vance County Schools have 26 vacancies, Warren County Schools have five vacancies and Granville County Public Schools has 56 vacancies.

Zooming out to school districts across the state, Garrison’s office cited a recent survey from the North Carolina School Superintendents Association which counted at least 11,297 teacher and staff vacancies in North Carolina, including:

  • 3,619 K-12 teachers
  • 1,342 bus drivers
  • 850 special education teachers
  • 354 counselors, social workers and psychologists
  • 70 assistant principals
  • 698 central office employees
  • And more than 4,362 other support staff

Those numbers are low estimates, since only 98 of 115 school districts responded, according to Garrison’s press statement.

“The General Assembly needs to act quickly to ensure that students have teachers in their classrooms,” Garrison said. “There are solutions available to us. We could revisit the policy used during the pandemic of allowing retired teachers to come back, for example. Our state also has billions of dollars in reserves that could help recruit more teachers in districts that are understaffed.”

Contact Garrison by phone at 919.733.5824 or by email at terry.garrison@ncleg.gov.