Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Vance County Adopts FY 16-17 Budget
This afternoon — Thursday — at 5:00, the Vance County Board of Commissioners met for a budget session and adopted the 2016-2017 fiscal year budget. The budget will go into effect on July 1, and it passed by a vote of 5-0, with Archie Taylor abstaining and Leo Kelly absent. Commissioner Deborah Brown, who made the motion, and Dan Brummitt, who seconded Brown’s motion, voted yes as did Tommy Hester, Terry Garrison and Chairman Gordon Wilder.
Brown’s motion was contingent on the budget including an additional, one-time $150,000 going to the Granville-Vance District Health Department, which is drastically underfunded at this time. The $150,000 is in addition to the $50,000 that was already in the proposed budget.
Taylor said he was not in favor of doing the $150,000 at this time because the Health Department may get a grant in August. Taylor said, “I am in favor of giving the money down the line if it’s needed. I am not in favor of fronting this money, but we can review and give it in September if we need to.”
Garrison’s comment was difficult to hear in the meeting space word for word, but his statement seemed to indicate his understanding was the Health Department needed the money now regardless of the grant.
A variety of factors has the Health Department underfunded right now because of things like changes in state funding, additional requirements and demand for services. Based on what was said in the meeting, even with the efforts of Vance County and additional efforts by Granville County leaders, the Health Department is spending into its fund balance at this time.
More than one commissioner said it was time to sit down with Granville County leaders and with Health Department leaders and get recommendations going forward and that the sit down needed to be soon.
The only other specific budget item mentioned in the session was about “Citizens Aligned To Take Back Henderson, NC’s” effort to tear down and remove dilapidated and abandoned houses jointly owned by the City and County. The board did not increase the $25,000 amount in the proposed budget to the $83,000 which the advocacy group had requested at Monday night’s regularly scheduled commissioner meeting.
Chairman Wilder and other members of the board did say they were committed to the clean up effort and that monies could be appropriated after the initial $25,000 was used up.
Prior to the meeting, Wilder told WIZS News he had hoped the budget would be adopted at the session. He specifically mentioned the Health Department funding as something that needed to be worked out. He said, “That’s something that has been pretty much out of the public’s eye. A pretty good chunk of money there that they were requesting and there were some issues that have come to light even as late as today.”
In regard to the Health Department, he said, “We are planning to do the right thing, but how much and when and that sort of thing is still up for some debate.”
In Wilder’s remarks to WIZS News this afternoon before the meeting, he said of the “Citizens Aligned” project, “We are all committed to completing that project, and one of the things I’d like to see us do is have a time line attached to it. You know, first of the year or whatever the board decides, that we have the goal that we are committed to to get all our properties taken care of anyway.”
It seems that the plan right now is that Vance County is budgeting $25,000 to remove the jointly owned houses, and all indications are the City has $25,000 towards the cause as well.
Wilder said, “Now we know, without a doubt, that it’s going to take more than that, but we don’t know how much more. We are waiting for some estimates, and we are going to ask the (County) staff to get us some estimates or some quotes rather, and we will come back and try to do the right thing there.”
When the initial money gives out, the County, and the City for that matter, can vote to give some more. Wilder said, “We have some money in contingency, and we can also vote to take it out of fund balance. Just because we don’t put it in the budget, doesn’t mean we are not going to do it.”
As to Vance County’s fund balance, Wilder said, “We are trying to keep and maintain and build our fund balance. It’s not a bad fund balance, but at the same time it’s not dangerously low or foolishly high. But we don’t have the fund balance of a Granville County or somebody like that.”
Budget To Remove Dilapidated Houses
The message “Citizens Aligned To Take Back Henderson, NC” is sending to The Henderson City Council and The Vance County Board of Commissioners is budget to remove jointly owned dilapidated houses. Concisely stated, that is exactly what the group’s three figureheads, in the persons of Tommy Haithcock, Hope Howard and Heidi Owen, have stated to our local governing bodies in the last two weeks.
They are doing it now because it’s budget time. Both the City budget and the County budget must be adopted and in effect by July 1.
Owen appeared before the commissioners this past Monday night. In preparing for her talk, Owen wrote out what she planned to say and has supplied those notes to WIZS News. In her notes she wrote, “The $25,000 in your proposed budget for demolition of the remaining 24 structures that the County jointly owns with the City is a shame and a disgrace.
“What is worse is the fact that you said this amount should help to remove most if not all of the 24 properties. With an average cost of $6,000 for removal, the total is closer to $144,000. Since the County owns approximately 57.21 percent of these properties, we believe your portion would be close to $83,000, and that is what we are asking you to budget for demolition for the upcoming fiscal year.
“And we’d ask that amount be strictly for removal of the abandoned homes, not for the properties that the County owns solely, not for vacant lot maintenance and not for the abandoned mobile homes in the county.”
Haithcock addressed the City Council about two weeks ago with the same idea in mind, get more money allocated in the upcoming fiscal year budget than what appeared in the proposed budget. He said 42.79 percent of the ownership of the jointly owned dilapidated houses belongs to the City. Using the same total estimate of about $144,000 to tear them all down, the City’s portion is about $62,000.
There seem to be a couple of reasons the Citizens Aligned group wants to get all the houses down and removed in a single fiscal period. But not all buildings were decided to be torn down, for some that didn’t show much signs of dilapidation were to be handed to some st louis roofing companies in order to remodel the houses to salvage out of them. One, this problem has been dragging on for years, more than decade. Two, it improves neighborhoods. Three, public safety. Four, improved appearance and moral here locally. Five, better appearance to employers and citizens looking at Henderson from the outside. Six, to show Henderson and Vance County are willing and able to address this and other issues.
Owen wrote in her notes before speaking to the commissioners, “It isn’t like the County doesn’t have the funds for this request. She does. And her citizens deserve this request to be granted. This big book that I have was compiled in 2004 and lists every abandoned house in the City Of Henderson. Most of these homes are still standing today…twelve years later.
“I do not know all the excuses that have been made over the past 12 years, but I hope the buck stops with you. Don’t be the group who allows these houses to sit another year. Don’t be the group who says we can’t afford it. Don’t be the group who turns their backs on the same people who voted for you.”
Howard told WIZS News, “Citizens Aligned is asking the City and County to both put their shares in their respective budgets. We are trusting our elected officials to do the right thing on behalf of all citizens of the City of Henderson and Vance County.”
Also troubling is the present effort only addresses jointly owned properties of the City and County. There are many houses and buildings that are privately owned as well as solely owned by the City or County that are dilapidated and abandoned. John Q. Public can drive around and easily add more structures to the list than would be removed from the list if all of these 24 to 28 jointly owned houses were removed in a single year.
Owen told WIZS News, “…we have specifically asked the City Council to be more stringent enforcing the current ordinances and housing standards that have been on the books for almost 50 years. We have also asked the County Commissioners’ Property Committee to put some guidelines in place for the sale of foreclosed properties. So many are being auctioned off and are still sitting as they were when purchased two years ago. They said that they were going to start giving deadlines for either tearing down and rebuilding or remodeling and making the home livable.”
Haithcock appeared on “TownTalk” on Tuesday, June 7th and the first 17 minutes of the show included his remarks. You can listen to “TownTalk” online by going to wizs.com and clicking on “TownTalk” or simply follow this link.
When a city or county creates a budget, it must account for all factors. This is only one of the issues for our City and County leaders here in Henderson-Vance, and it is only one of many lines in their respective budgets.
Henderson PD Press Release – Shooting
On June 7, 2016, at approximately 7:35 PM officers with the Henderson Police Department responded to the area of 201 Harriett Street in reference to a person who had been shot. Upon arrival, officers found Troy Person, 52, of Henderson, suffering from a gunshot wound. Vance County EMS arrived and transported Mr. Person to an area hospital where he is being treated for his injuries.
The suspect was described as a black male in his mid-teens that was wearing jogging shorts, and a black and blue shirt. The suspect left the area on foot.
The investigation is being conducted by members of the Henderson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925 or the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.
Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow
McGregor Hall offers opportunity to leave ‘lasting impression’
The Performing Arts Center at McGregor Hall wants you to “leave your mark and ‘Take a Seat.’”
In addition to purchasing tickets for events in the new performing arts center, patrons are being given the opportunity to leave a lasting impression by naming a seat in honor or memory of individuals, groups, businesses and organizations.
“The completion of the Performing Arts Center at McGregor Hall marks an important milestone for our region,” said Tommy Deadwyler, director of the new arts and education center located in Henderson at 201 Breckenridge Street. “We have created the Take-A-Seat campaign to provide an opportunity for area citizens and organizations to mark their place in history on this important landmark.
“Soon our new center will have brass markers on each of the 997 seats in the hall with the names of those who have demonstrated their love of the arts.”
A gift or pledge of $1,000 secures the lasting tribute, noted John Wester, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation (ECCF).
“We started the Take-A-Seat campaign soon after our doors opened,” Wester said. “The heavy lifting has been done by some generous donors to get our beautiful new facility in operation. Start-up funding is needed now to help us secure the programming for 2016-2017 to attract patrons and meet ongoing facility needs.
“Already dozens are getting on board with Take-A-Seat to help us make this exciting new venture an immediate success. Already we have some individuals who want to remember family members with a memorial plate,” Wester added. “Businesses and civic organizations also are seeing this as a way to show their support and creating a lasting tribute for their entity.”
Wester added that the gift to the Hall is a meaningful way to mark a birthday, anniversary or holiday. Special gift acknowledgment letters are sent to persons who are specified.
Among those who have shown their support is George M. Harvin of Henderson, who has “taken” several seats.
“I want to remember my family and I want to show appreciation to the community,” Harvin said. “Those are the basic reasons, but this is also a fun thing. This is a really positive accomplishment for our town and I certainly want it to succeed.
“There’s the obvious fact that it is renovating and revitalizing downtown,” he added. “It’s also a show of pride in the community. That’s the biggest thing.”
“McGregor Hall belongs to all of the communities surrounding its central location in Henderson,” added Deadwyler. “We are seeing support grow from beyond Vance County’s borders to bring in friends from Granville, Franklin and Warren counties as well as Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and beyond.
“Contributions to McGregor Hall’s ‘Take-A-Seat’ campaign are welcomed from all individuals and organizations who will be enjoying the events our new theater is able to offer,” Deadwyler said.
“At every event, donors will have the pleasure of knowing their generosity has made it possible for someone else to experience the unique joy of entertainment, understanding and self-discovery that comes only with the performing arts available to our communities.”
For those who wish to make installments to make the contribution, the donation can be spread over four payments within the scope of a year. Credit card payments are accepted.
A brochure is available from McGregor Hall with more details on the project, and additional information and a pledge form are available on the web at www.mcgregorhall.org. Forms and payment information should be mailed to the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, the Performing Arts Center at McGregor Hall, P.O. Box 1333, Henderson, NC 27536.
Questions can be directed to Tommy Deadwyler at (252) 598-0662 or info@mcgregorhall.org or James Edwards, ECCF board treasurer, at (252) 213-8221 or jamesdedwards@gmail.com.
VGCC to offer Enrollment Day on June 16
Vance-Granville Community College will hold “Enrollment Day” on Thursday, June 16, from 9 a.m. until noon, and from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., at all four of its campuses. During those times, VGCC counselors and other staff members will be ready to assist anyone who is interested in enrolling at the college for the Fall 2016 semester, which starts Monday, Aug. 15. No appointments are required.
For new students, the process of enrollment begins with an application for admission and an application for financial aid. Then, students must request their official high school transcripts, and in some cases, their transcripts from other colleges they have attended. Next, they should meet with an academic/career coach and schedule a placement test, unless it is waived. Finally, students complete an orientation session, either online or in the traditional face-to-face format. On Enrollment Day, incoming students will be able to accomplish all of these tasks or schedule them, so they can stay on track to start classes in August.
For the convenience of working adults, a similar enrollment event will be held on the evening of Tuesday, June 28, between 5 and 7 p.m., at all four campuses.
VGCC’s Main Campus is located on Poplar Creek Road in Vance County (about midway between Henderson and Oxford) at the intersection with Interstate 85 (Exit 209).
The Franklin County Campus is located just west of Louisburg on N.C. 56.
South Campus is on N.C. 56 between Creedmoor and Butner.
The Warren County Campus is located at 210 West Ridgeway Street (U.S. 158 Business) in Warrenton.
Registration for fall classes at VGCC is ongoing, through July 29. For more information, contact VGCC at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.
Our Local Farmers
The past two segments have taken a look at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and restaurants in our area that serve locally grown food. In this segment, the focus shifts to a few of the farmers that can be found in connection with these restaurants and at the Farmers Market.
We first visited with Gray and Colbey Hobgood of Hester Farms located in the Dabney district of Vance County. Hester Farms is predominately a fruit and vegetable farm. They don’t advertise for people to come out and pick their own produce, but, if someone asks, they will usually allow it. Gray and Colby began farming by helping their grandfather when they were
early teenagers. Their grandfather still farms wheat and soybeans, but the two brothers have taken over most of the fruit and vegetable portion of it. This year their strawberries did so well at the Vance County Farmers Market they sold out almost every selling day. The Hobgoods have a hive of bees they got from a beekeeper in Louisburg that they use to pollinate their produce. Gray Hobgood said, “We aren’t certified organic because it’s expensive to get certain certifications, but we don’t use pesticides on our crops. We wouldn’t want to risk the health of our pollinators or customers.” Blueberries are ready, and they’ll also have blackberries, tomatoes, peppers, and various other vegetables in the coming summer. Customers can find them every Wednesday and Saturday morning at the Vance County Farmers Market.
Hester Farms uses plant plugs supplied by Aaron’s Creek Farms, a wholesale plant nursery located in Buffalo Junction, which is in Mecklenburg County, VA. The nursery was established in 1964 by George W. Gordon, III. They offer delivery routes within a 150 mile radius for their bedding plants for quantity orders. They also maintain their own fleet of delivery trucks and provide state-of-the-art handling. Grower pick-ups are welcomed. Plant plugs can be Fed Exed anywhere in the USA. Delivery routes will accommodate orders within the same week, usually within 48 hours. They guarantee a safe delivery of plants.
The next farm on our list is Harvey Hills Farms. It is a family owned farm in Oxford, NC. In their fourth year of operation, the farm is a registered NC plant nursery that uses GAP certified practices even though they are not certified GAP (which stands for Good Agricultural Practices). They are a proud member of the Goodness Grows in North Carolina program. All of their vegetables and herbs are certified organic and come from Non-GMO seed. They also use organic fertilizer on all of their crops. The family has over 100 layer chickens that are pasture raised for those interested in farm fresh eggs. These eggs supply a local restaurant in Raleigh called Relish. For the spring and summer season, customers can go to the farm by appointment Monday-Friday for plant sales. Customers can also find them at the Vance County Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Customers may also pre-order and pick up at the Farmers Market. In the fall, Harvey Hills Farms has a fun set up referred to as Harvest Days, which is a plant stand complete with pumpkins, mums, a hay bale maze for the kids, fresh mountain apples and cider, and fun fall harvest decorations for sale. It is open every weekend from the last weekend of September to the last weekend in October. Admission is free. For more details visit www.HarveyHills.com.
Next up, J-W Creek Farms, also a family owned farm and also located in Oxford, provides locally pasture raised beef and 
eggs. There are no added hormones or antibiotics in their beef. The animals are born and raised right there on the farm. Owner Janice Murphy said, “Our calves get to stay with their mothers until the mother decides when it is time to wean it. The meat people buy in grocery stores is meat from a cow that was usually taken from the mother before it should have been when it was a calf. Also, these same cows were raised in a feed lot, which means the cow was contained inside an area that is the size of a carport and wasn’t free to roam around in a pasture the way a cow should be able to. We feel that is no life for a cow. It is very important to us that our animals are raised humanely.” J-W Creek Farms also have a variety of eggs such as Guinea, Red Star, Americana, Dominique, and Rhode Island Red Hens.
Another plant nursery on our list is Franklin Brothers, located in Henderson, NC. They grow vegetable transplants and ornamentals and grow most of their plant and produce on their farm. They use organic practices but are not certified organic. Saving the pollinators is very important to Franklin Brothers. Sam Franklin of Franklin Brothers said, “We minimize the use of pesticides on our plants and also sell plants that contribute to the health of the pollinators.” They try to provide customers with the highest quality plants to ensure gardening success. They are dedicated to loyal customers and will go out of their way to ensure the customers gardening experience will be a good one.
The last farm on our list for now is Bender Farms Inc. It is owned by Jeff and Lisa Bender and located in Norlina, NC. They are one of the major farmers who are a part of the Farm-to-School initiative to bring fresh chopped veggies to local schools. Bender Farms is also working with Standard Foods in Raleigh and has collaborated to make a Non-GMO corn meal that is for sale in that establishment.
If you are a farmer and have questions about certain certifications, Paul McKenzie the Agricultural Extension Agent with the Vance County Extension Service can help you. He is responsible for educating the public on environmentally sound garden and landscape management, training pesticide applicators, educating forest landowners on sound management practices, and assisting farmers with crop production and pest management. The Cooperative Extension can provide technical advice on how to pursue organic certification or GAP certification. The cost of doing so can be significant, in terms of paying an inspector/auditor and also in terms of the time involved with record keeping. In order to justify that cost, a farmer needs to have a market that will pay a premium price. McKenzie said, “I think one of our biggest challenges is educating the public about eating with the seasons, and introducing people to some of the delicious and nutritious produce we can grow here. Things like cabbage, kale, and muscadine grapes are chock full of nutrients, but many people aren’t accustomed to eating them. People expect to go to a restaurant and find the same menu year round. But when we eat local seasonal produce, the availability of products changes throughout the year. To me there’s a real benefit to adding all that variety to our plates, in terms of taste and nutrition.”
So there you have it. Support a local farmer. Get involved in the farm-to-table movement. If you’re eating out, ask where your food comes from and how it was raised. Take the kids, visit your local farmers market, and try something new this weekend. Customers can always ask farmers how they would suggest preparing a vegetable or fruit if it’s something they’ve never tried. Be adventurous! Who knows? You may just find something that could become your family’s new favorite!
WIZS Staff Writer – Jo Smith