Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

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County Manager McMillen Says Vance is Full of ‘Positive Momentum’

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the positive growth in various areas of county government.

“Vance County’s mission is to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” McMillen said. McMillen, who has worked for Vance County for 10 years and served as county manager for two, credits the approximately 350 “amazing employees” for their hard work in making a better life for all residents.

Part of that improvement in quality involves the removal of 35-40 abandoned structures from Henderson and Vance County in the past two years. Working with the City of Henderson, the County has eliminated these potentially dangerous and unsightly structures and has cleaned up at least twice that amount of properties that are now available for purchase.

McMillen estimates that there are currently 50 available properties for sale in the county and 160 in the city-limit. County surplus properties, along with photos and aerial views, may be viewed by visiting the County’s website at www.vancecounty.org and clicking on the “Surplus Properties” tab.

The County is also improving the quality of life for its citizens, according to McMillen, by bringing more jobs to the area. “Our major focus is jobs. Not only bringing jobs to Henderson and Vance County but preparing for future job opportunities as well.”

New businesses such as Mako Medical Laboratories are bringing in higher-paying jobs and opportunities. “Mako has been a great partner with us and with the community. I’m happy to report that they are six months ahead of schedule in that they have created 80 jobs of the 153 they committed to creating,” McMillen said.

The retail industry is also beginning an upward swing in the area. “We are seeing a lot of positive momentum on the retail front with businesses such as Planet Fitness and Aldi. We are starting to see Henderson and Vance County as a good market from the retail standpoint,” said McMillen.

When asked what contributed to the change in momentum, McMillen explained, “You start bringing in businesses and that starts the trend. Small pieces start coming together and the market starts improving.”

Another area currently undergoing growth and expansion is the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park. In fact, McMillen said the County would be closing on the purchase of 85 acres of land for park expansion on Thursday afternoon.

With the help of a $2.5 million grant from the NC State Department of Commerce, the County will be able to develop the land to include a road, water, sewer and utilities. Construction is expected to begin late spring of 2019.

“What some folks don’t know about the park is that there are about nine or so businesses there and all have expanded in the last two or three years,” said McMillen. “This has created a situation where there is a need for more land.”

Another way Vance County is looking towards the future includes the Henderson-Vance Economic Development’s new marketing and branding campaign aimed at attracting more people to the area. McMillen expects the department’s new logo and redesigned website to be unveiled within the next 30 days.

Vance County is also currently working with Franklin and Granville counties on receiving proposals to improve broadband access, especially to those residents on the very outskirts of the county lines.

In discussing improvements, McMillen also mentioned the addition of 81 miles of water line in Vance County, a part of the water project completed in 2014. “We are looking forward to the next phase of the project with construction starting later this year on Rock Mill Road, NC-39 S. and Foster Road, a six-mile project.”

The County is also in the middle of a consolidation project with the Kittrell Water Association. “We are looking forward to that [consolidation] having a positive impact on our systems and being able to better serve citizens in the Kittrell area,” said McMillen.

Finally, McMillen believes progress is being made due to the spirit of the local people. “I love the people of Vance County. You build relationships with people in a small town and have close access to the things you need. There is a will of the County and of the folks to do better, and that is what is most important.”

MPH to Offer Free Breast Exams in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health’s Facebook page 

To celebrate October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, FREE clinical breast exams will be offered at Maria Parham Health on Thursday, October 11, 2018, from 5 until 7 p.m.

Join Maria Parham for:
Free clinical breast exams
Breast cancer resources
Follow up resources if needed
Prevention education
Wellness information
Refreshments
Giveaways
Door prizes

For more information call (252) 436-1605.

News 09/27/18

West Hills Vet to Present ‘Unmasked!’ at McGregor Hall

-Information courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

West Hills Veterinary Centre will present “Unmasked!” on Saturday, October 20, 2018, from 7 – 11 p.m. at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center.

This night of entertainment will help raise funds aimed at “unmasking” cruelty and helping local pets find their forever homes. All proceeds will benefit the Vance County Animal Shelter and Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society.

Live music performed by The Soul Psychedelic Orchestra. Dancing ~ Food ~ Bar ~ Auction.

Tickets can be purchased at facebook.com/westhillsvet or at whvc-unmasked-masquerade-ball.eventbrite.com

(This is not a paid advertisement)

News 09/26/18

FGV Smart Start Announces Winners of Ducky Derby Drawing

Garry Daeke, development coordinator for Franklin-Granville-Vance (FGV) Smart Start, was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to announce the winners of the 9th Annual Ducky Derby Fundraiser.

The Ducky Derby race, originally scheduled for September 15, 2018, was canceled due to expected inclement weather from Hurricane Florence. Instead, a drawing for prizes was held on Friday, September 21 at the FGV Smart Start office. Those that could not attend in person were able to view the drawing live on FGV’s Facebook page.

According to Daeke, this marks the first year in the organization’s nine years of holding the event that the outdoor rubber ducky race had to be canceled. “This is the first year that we haven’t been able to do it,” Daeke said. “We’ve always had in our contest – it’s in the rules – that if we aren’t able to have our race determined by the ducks that we’d have a random drawing the next week.”

Contest winners include First Place – $1,000, Gayla Currin of Creedmoor; Second Place – $500, Dorothy Branch of Youngsville; Third Place – $250, Edna Jarrett of Lawrenceville, VA; and Fourth Place – $100, Brian Scott of Raleigh.

Charlotte Evans of Oxford won the prize of 52 free meals courtesy Chick-fil-A.

As far as putting a damper on overall money raised, Daeke said Smart Start still did pretty well despite the canceled race. “We’re going to do pretty well; haven’t seen final numbers yet. I think we’ll do as well as we generally do, somewhere in the six to seven thousand dollar range. That money all goes back into our programs for young children.”

While approximately 250 – 300 fewer tickets were sold this year due to the loss of day-of ticket sales, the cost savings from the canceled race helped cover the difference.

Though pleased with the overall outcome, Daeke said Smart Start staff were a little disappointed not to watch the ducks flood downtown Henderson this year. “We’re pretty happy with how things went, although we were sad not to get out and run the duck race because it’s a highlight for all of us too!”

“Meet Me in the Street” POSTPONED; Rain Date Set for Nov. 1

Information courtesy John Barnes, President, Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

Due to impending inclement weather on Thursday, September 27 the last “Meet Me in the Street” concert for 2018 is postponed until Thursday, November 1.

The concert is free to the public and will be held at the same location – the corner of North Garnett and Breckenridge Streets in downtown Henderson from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.

The third and final concert of the season will feature the band “Liquid Pleasure” and their mix of oldies, beach music and disco.

H-V Chamber Logo

Alpha Brothers Tinting to Hold Coat Drive; Two Drop-Off Locations Announced

-Information courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

Alpha Brothers Tinting, LLC. will hold a coat drive October 8 – 19, 2018. All new and gently-used coats are welcome. Drop-off stations include:

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

414 S. Garnett Street – downtown Henderson

OR

Alpha Brothers Tinting

691 Bearpond Road – Henderson

All coats will be donated to Infinite Possibilities, Inc.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

News 09/25/18

AmazonSmile Purchases Can Benefit Rebuilding Hope, Inc.

-Information courtesy the Rebuilding Hope, Inc. September newsletter

Your Amazon purchases can now benefit Rebuilding Hope! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate a half percent of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.

Every item available for purchase on amazon.com is also available on AmazonSmile at the same price. Eligible products are marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. When you’re shopping online at smile.amazon.com, Rebuilding Hope will benefit from a donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation – and you’re helping us help our communities.

(This is not a paid advertisement)