Tag Archive for: #oxfordnews

Granville Co. Chamber’s 2018-19 “Granville Today” Hot off the Press

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— courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com

The Granville County Chamber of Commerce has just received the printed 2018-19 edition of their annual “Granville Today” publication.

“Our Chamber is exceptionally proud of the incredibly interesting feature stories in this edition and is grateful to the business community for their support of this project.,” said Executive Director Ginnie Currin.

Copies of “Granville Today” may be obtained from the Chamber’s offices – 124 Hillsboro St., Oxford and 1598 Hwy 56, between Butner and Creedmoor.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Granville County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee previews the just-received “Granville Today” 2018-19 publication. (Left to right):  Larry Wilson, Lewis Electric/Chamber Vice-President; Tanya Evans, Duke Energy/President-elect of the Chamber; and Hal Muetzel, Express Employment Professionals/Chamber President. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Chamber of Commerce)

 

 

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Board of Commissioners to Meet Mon., June 18

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-Information courtesy Debra A. Weary, Clerk to the Board, Granville County

The Granville County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Granville Expo and Convention Center, 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford.

Agenda items include:

– Contingency Summary

– Budget Amendment #8

– Capital Project Ordinance – 2018 GAP Phase III

– Capital Project Ordinance – Oxford Landfill Closure/Post Closure 2018-2019 – Budget Amendment #1

– Grant Project Ordinance – CDBG Scattered Site Program – Closeout

– Recognition of Service – Susan L. Cottrell

– Presentation – Opioid Litigation

– Granville County 2018-2019 Agreement with the NC Department of Health and Human Services

– Agreed-Upon Procedures to Confirm Medicaid Eligibility

– VARONIS Datalert Software Permanent License

– NACo Voting Delegate Designation

– Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Request

– FAA Tower Site on Mountain Road is Available for Public Benefit Conveyance

– City of Creedmoor Resolution Requesting County Inspection Services

– Granville County Veterans Affairs Committee Request

Oxford’s The Hub on Main to Hold Trivia Night Fundraiser

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-Information courtesy Jennifer Grimes, Financial Development Assistant, The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, Inc.

The Hub on Main, 100 Main St. in Oxford, to hold a Trivia Night Fundraiser on Thursday, July 12, 2018, from 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Teams should consist of six players ($10 per person or $50 for a team of six).

Trivia will go five rounds with 10 questions in each round.

Winning teams will be awarded trophies.

Proceeds raised are designated toward building repairs at the Oxford Masonic Lodge.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Have You Heard the Buzz? Annual Bee Jubilee Sat., June 23

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-Information courtesy Bee Jubilee Coordinator Christi Henthron

On behalf of the Granville County Beekeepers Association (GCBA), you are invited to the 3rd Annual Bee Jubilee on Saturday, June 23rd, 2018 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center in Oxford, NC.

As usual, the Bee Jubilee is held in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, June 18-24.

The Bee Jubilee is a day-long event filled with bee and pollinator-related speakers and demonstrations, local arts and handmade crafts, non-profits, children’s activities, silent auction, honey, North Carolina-grown produce and more!

The Oxford Farmers Market will be joining us and we will have two honey extraction demonstrations.

There are kids activities and over 65 vendors offering information or selling homegrown, handmade, bee or agriculture items. We will have a silent auction and draw the winner of our Year of Honey Raffle.

Our focus is on homegrown, handmade, and local. And of course, we love bees, agriculture and nature too! We can’t make it happen without you!

We have made three major changes for this year’s event:

1- Parking – We will have parking attendants and marked areas to improve traffic flow and safety.

2- Outside space – We will be making use of the livestock arena behind the building. This is a large covered area and use of it will provide a more comfortable and safer vendor and attendee experience than last year. We will have the food trucks and trailers remain in the front of the building.

3- Improved sponsorship opportunities

We hope you join us for a vibrant and fun-filled Bee Jubilee event, to be held at the Granville County Expo Center, located at 4605 US-15, Oxford.

Please call Bee Jubilee Coordinator Christi Henthron at 907.738.9047 or email granvillebeejubilee@gmail.com with any questions, comments or ideas. We are hoping to make 2018 the best Bee Jubilee yet!

For more information, including updated schedules, visit the Bee Jubilee Facebook page by clicking here.

Learn more about Pollinator Week at www.pollinator.org!

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Henderson Police Department

“Operation Thunderstruck” Nets 11 Vance & Granville Defendants

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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

As part of the “Take Back North Carolina Initiative,” the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that “Operation Thunderstruck,” a heroin and opioid centered Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) resulted in the arrest of twelve (12) defendants for outstanding federal charges in a coordinated warrant enforcement operation. In addition, at least one defendant related to this operation was found to be in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Corrections. A federal detainers has been filed against this subject. Also, one subject was arrested on state charges.

This operation was conducted as part of the Eastern District of North Carolina’s “Take Back North Carolina Initiative” as part of the federal focus on the alarming level of opioid use and the deaths associated with it. This initiative is bringing the full weight and resources of the federal court system in the fight against crime in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren Counties in partnership with District Attorneys’ Offices and federal, state, and local law enforcement.

The following individuals were charged by way of Criminal Indictment. The individual charges for each defendant are contained in the parenthesis following the personal information.

• Lorenzo Alston, 28, of Henderson, NC (Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin)

• Jermill Keith Blacknall, 30, of Henderson, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Maintaining a Place for Manufacture & Distribution of Heroin)

• Odell Terrance Burrell, 40, of Vance County, NC (Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack) and Marijuana & Maintaining a Place for Manufacture and Distribution of Cocaine Base (Crack) and Marijuana)

• Kyle Victor Fisher, 29, of Granville County, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm & Ammunition)

• Roy Lee Fowler, 53, of Vance County, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm)

• Dominique Renna Russell, 30, of Henderson, NC (Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Aiding and Abetting, Maintaining a Place for Manufacturing & Distributing Heroin, aiding and abetting, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.)

• Daryl Russell, 31, of Henderson, NC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm)

• Mario Jamal Steed, 29, of Henderson, NC (Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Felon in Possession of a Firearm)

• James Edward Downey, 41, of Oxford, NC (Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack))

• Markest Foye, 32, of Oxford, NC (Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack))

• Jamal Kendale Watson, 27, of Fayetteville, NC (Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack))

• Toney Fields, 42, of Oxford, NC (Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack)

The charges and allegations contained in the Indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The enforcement operation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, (ATF), the United States Marshal Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Henderson Police Department, Oxford Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Granville County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Probation Office.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s webpage at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC

Listen to Friday’s news conference held at the Henderson Police Department here:

Oxford Commissioners to Hold June’s Board Meeting Tues., June 12

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The City of Oxford Board of Commissioners will hold their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, City Hall.

Among the agenda items:

-Public Hearing for the FY 2018 – 2019 Budget.

-Consider adopting the FY 2018-2019 Budget Ordinance and associated schedule of fees or call for a Special Meeting to adopt the budget prior to June 30, 2018.

-Public Hearing to consider a rezoning request from Attorney James C. Wrenn, Jr. on behalf of HEW Rental.

-Consider amending the Oxford Zoning Ordinance for 4.8 +/- acres of land located at 322 Lewis Street from B-2 (Highway Business to 1-2) General Industrial as well as approving the consistency statement of declaring that this also amends the comprehensive plan in an effort to meet the development needs of the community as a factor in rezoning the property.

-Consider formally including the portion of Professional Park Drive, not currently on the Powell Bill list.

-Consider adopting a demolition ordinance for 614 Granville Street.

-Consider awarding the Fiscal Years 2017-18 & 2018-19 Audit Contract to Preston Douglas & Associates. LLP.

-Consider formally offering a 7.5% raise to the manager in recognition of his performance and leadership this past year.

George C. Shaw Museum Open Monthly for Special Presentations

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-Information courtesy Angela Allen, Director, Granville County Tourism Development Authority

The George C. Shaw Museum, African-American History in Your Community, is open monthly on the third Saturday from 1 – 5 p.m. and is located at 202 E. McClanahan Street in downtown Oxford.

Upcoming presentations include:

“The Life of Rev. Martin V. Marable of Granville County” on Saturday, June 16 at 2 p.m.

“Cedar Law Plantation from Two Perspectives” on Saturday, August 18 at 2 p.m.

Both presentations feature Guest Artist/Speaker Sallyann Marable Hobson.

For more information on special tours or programs, please call 919-690-8055.

City of Oxford Public Works Committee to Meet Thurs., June 14

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The Public Works, Water, & Infrastructure Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street in Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is to hear a presentation on Automated Water Meters, hear a presentation on the City of Oxford Road Condition Survey, and to discuss the existing downtown trash compactor.

All those interested are invited to attend.

Oxford Board of Commissioners to Hold Agenda Meeting Mon., June 4

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The City of Oxford Board of Commissioners will hold an agenda meeting on Monday, June 4, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, City Hall.

Among the agenda items:

  • Report from the Airport Authority Chairman, David Thomas
  • Budget amendment for the final payment on the WWTP Lagoon – consider authorizing a budget amendment in the amount of $30,000 to cover the change order previously approved by the Board on April 30, 2018. Monies will be moved from the Water Fund to the Fixed Asset Over $5,000 fund. This budget amendment will allow the City to make final payment to Vance Construction for the WWTP Lagoon.
  • Set the agenda for the Tuesday, June 12, 2018, regular session

The regular monthly Board meeting will be held Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, City Hall.

Sergent Talks Downtown Oxford Street Work/Repairs, Main Street Program

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Mayor Jackie Sergent joined Town Talk, WIZS’ local call-in show, earlier this afternoon to provide updates regarding the City of Oxford.

Sergent, who is currently serving her seventh year and fourth term as Mayor of Oxford, spoke specifically on topics concerning the downtown area, including the maintenance needs of underground water and sewer lines, the repaving of downtown streets and updates to the City’s recent designation as a nationally accredited Main Street America program.

Underground Work and Street Paving

 One agenda item on the City’s plate is the aging underground water and sewer pipes in the downtown area. Alluding to the aging concern, Sergent said, “Oxford celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2016. Some water and sewer pipes were installed before the streets were paved in the downtown area.”

According to Sergent, City Engineer Amy Ratliff is currently in the process of trying to synchronize the replacement of aging pipes with the NCDOT’s timeline for repaving downtown roads. “We have a very forward-thinking engineer who understands that we need to get on the bandwagon with respect to identifying water and sewer needs and securing the funds for that project.”

Sergent said the Board has spent the past two and half years assessing the needs of the water and sewer lines and has applied for a number of grants to help with the project. “We are currently looking at a combination of zero percent interest loans and grants of $40 million towards a $94 million capital improvement plan.”

The City’s goal is to replace the pipes before the roads are repaved by the NCDOT. “Obviously, we can save residents some money and water and sewer users money if we can dig under the streets and replace the pipes before the NCDOT comes back to repave. That way, they pay for the paving, not the City,” Sergent said.

The NCDOT plans to repave Main Street in Oxford from Front Street to Williamsboro Street. Williamsboro Street is also set to be repaved from College Street to City Hall.

Board members have discussed allocating engineering funds for the 2018-2019 fiscal year in order to begin underground repair work while also doing above ground “streetscaping.” “We aim to do the pipe work underground first and some streetscaping at the same time before DOT comes through to do their surface work,” said Sergent.

Main Street Program

 Sergent reminded listeners that not only has downtown Oxford been accredited as a North Carolina Main Street program for years, recently the city was also nationally recognized as a Main Street America downtown program.

This distinction gives the downtown area greater access to available loan and grant money. With Granville County’s recent upgrade from a Tier 2 to a Tier 3 county, this additional source of funding couldn’t come at a better time.

“Granville County has been upgraded, or perhaps downgraded depending on how you look at it, from a Tier 2 to a Tier 3 county considered to be of little need,” Sergent said. “This disqualifies us from some grant since we are now considered lower need; however, by being a nationally qualified Main Street program, we are serious contenders in available funding.”

Part of the requirements of being a nationally recognized Main Street program is that the city provides a full-time position dedicated to promoting the goals of the program. Sergent said Julia Overton, downtown events coordinator for the City of Oxford has been handling the events planning aspect of the Main Street program on a part-time basis for several years and is “the mastermind of the annual hot sauce contest.”

To meet the requirement of full-time work towards the program’s objectives, Sergent said the Board made the decision to allocate another part-time position so the City would, in essence, have a full-time position assigned to this area. Mary Yount has stepped in as downtown development director of Oxford, the second piece in the Main Street puzzle.

Part of Main Street’s goal is to attract businesses to the downtown area by offering job creation opportunities. “New businesses can apply for $25,000 per job created if they apply and their application is viewed favorably,” said Sergent.

Two businesses owned by local business people are planning to open in the downtown area in the next few months, Tobacco Wood Brewing Company and Strong Arm Baking Company. It’s Sergent’s hope that they will both be eligible for the Main Street Solutions funding.

Sergent believes the Main Street program has been instrumental in providing planning assistance to help the downtown area grow and prosper.

“The Main Street folks are phenomenal for coming to our community and offering technical assistance, helping us revise our vision and mission statements as well as develop a strategic plan that gives Oxford’s Downtown Economic Development Commission very specific steps forward,” said Sergent.