Tag Archive for: #westendcommunitywatch

Perry Memorial Library

West End Community Watch Gets History Lesson At Library

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The June meeting of West End Community Watch was held at Perry Memorial Library, where local historian Tem Blackburn gave a brief account of the beginnings of Vance County and the City of Henderson with displays of interesting artifacts and mementoes serving as a backdrop.

Displays in the History Room include a timeline, beginning with the original Native Americans living in the area and ending with current-day information.  A major display depicts the Loughlin Circus performers, including beautiful original posters.  There are new displays about the Vance Hotel and John T. Church.  Nannie Crowder’s showcase includes her childhood toys.  Bennett Perry’s extensive arrowhead collection also is on view and housed in a display case.  There is a lovely mural of old Garnett Street as seen from the inside of what used to be Parker’s Drug Store.

If you did not come to the meeting, you missed learning a lot about the area, stated Claire Catherwood, community watch member.

The next West End Community Watch will take place in August. A speaker will be announced closer to the meeting date.

YMCA

The Local Skinny! West End Community Watch Hears Latest YMCA Plans

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Paul Ross, director of the Henderson Family YMCA, spoke to the West End Community Watch and shared expansion plans for what is shaping up to be a bright future for the Ruin Creek Road facility.

Henderson is the smallest city in the state to have a full-service YMCA, Ross told the group at the monthly meeting. The Y now owns 10 acres, having purchased the former county-owned Department of Social Services building, thanks to a generous $1 million donation from Dr. Khanh Vu and wife Elmira Choopani.

Plans are underway to create a “new and improved Y,” which include enlarging the walking track and playing field and building a new swimming pool.

Ross said the old DSS building will be torn down, but when the work is completed, the Y will either have a new or an updated Wellness Building. Ross said the plan is to be able to remain open during all the construction.

About 4,000 members currently enjoy all the programs and benefits the Y offers, but Ross said he projects that number will double once the new Y is finished.

The Y offers a wide variety of activities and classes, including diabetes prevention,drowning prevention for every second-grader in the county, pickle ball, lap swimming, water aerobics and other water activities, Silver Sneakers’ classes, child care, after-school program, a summer youth program as well as access to exercise equipment.
Want to learn more about membership in the Henderson Family YMCA? Simply stop in and discuss different options, including a variety of financial plans. Or visit the website, https://www.hendersonymca.org/

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon is scheduled to speak at the April 18 meeting of West End Community Watch. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall of West End Baptist Church.

 

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West End Baptist

West End Community Watch Meeting Mar. 21

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Join the West End Community Watch for its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 21.

The speakers for the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be Paul Ross, executive director of the Henderson Family YMCA, according to an announcement from Claire Catherwood.

Members of law enforcement also will be present to provide a police report.

The meeting will take place in the fellowship hall of West End Baptist Church, 619 Dabney Drive.

West End Baptist

Sheriff Brame to Speak at Local Community Watch Meeting Jan. 17

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West End Community Watch will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, January 17, at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will take place in the fellowship hall of West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive.

The speaker will be Sheriff Curtis Brame of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

Claire Catherwood, who submitted this information to WIZS said in her email, “Brame will introduce the group to new equipment now being used by the sheriffs’ office.”

Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of area of residence.

Terrell Blackmon

Blackmon Updates West End Community Watch Group On URA, Grants And More

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Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon spoke to members of the West End Community Watch group at its November meeting and provided some updates to plans for the current West End and Flint Hill urban redevelopment areas.

During the meeting, Blackmon explained a bit about progress being made in several areas, including awarding grants to homeowners to repair and renovate their properties, adding to the code enforcement staff and having an animal control officer whose job would be to work within the city limits.

The city got a $750,000 community development block grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce, and the Kerr-Tar COG has taken more than 70 applications from local homeowners who would like to get some of that money to rehabilitate their homes.

“We are in the process of performing title searches on the six selected properties to confirm ownership and we hope to bid out the construction in the 1st quarter of 2023,” Blackmon said in a follow-up conversation with WIZS News.

Blackmon said the city council approved in September funding for an additional animal control officer, and the city is working on a memorandum of understanding with county officials to fund and advertise the position in the first quarter of 2023.

The city also is working with county leaders to fund an additional code enforcement officer to assist with minimum housing and other enforcement issues in the city and extra-territorial jurisdiction, Blackmon said.

As plans continue for the West End URA, Blackmon said the city is acquiring numerous blighted properties that would become controlled burn sites for the fire department. “Our intent is to bundle these properties and put them in an RFP for the development of new multi-family or single-family housing,” Blackmon stated to WIZS.

“The city does not technically ‘build housing,’ he noted, “but we want to serve as a conduit to encourage private development of new housing.”

West End Baptist

‘All Are Welcome’ at West End Community Watch; Next Meeting March 17

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of West End Baptist Church in Henderson.

The speaker will be Jim Populorum. Jim will discuss Alternative Medicine. Law enforcement will be present to hear concerns and to present a crime report.

All are welcome to attend, whether you live in the West End area or not.

West End Baptist

Mayor Ellington Provides City Updates to West End Community Watch Group

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Notes courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

The speaker for the most recent West End Community Watch held on February 18 was Mayor Eddie Ellington. The mayor is currently serving his second term of office. Ellington’s family has lived in Henderson for four generations. In addition to serving as mayor, Ellington works for Charles Boyd Chevrolet in public relations.

Mayor Ellington was pleased to announce that the police department is now fully staffed. Further, the city is in a good financial state, with a balance of $44 million dollars. This figure is 43% over the mandated requirement for city governments. No increases in taxes have been imposed in recent years, nor are they expected.

The City now has a new manager, Edward Blackmon. Blackmon replaced recently retired manager Frank Frazier. The City and County are working well together.

The Economic Development Commission has mobilized a delegation of people who organize tours for prospective industries. Tommy Hester plays a large role in hosting these events.

There have been many economic projects in recent months. Mentioned were – The M.R. Williams expansion, the Vescom expansion, Mako Labs, Maria Parham’s cardiac unit expansion, Life Flight’s helicopter pad addition at Maria Parham, improvements to the living quarters in the oldest firehouse in the state, the building of the outdoor pavilion in downtown Henderson, Sadie’s Coffee Corner, Biscuitville, Popeyes and Starbucks.

Mako was given a half-million dollars in incentives and has hired 200 employees. Maria Parham’s expansion added 25 new jobs. Sadie’s plans to soon add wine and cheese to its offerings. Henderson is close to being accepted for the NC Main Street Program.

Four hundred houses and businesses have been demolished. Included in the list were Howard Johnson’s Hotel and Mazatlán Mexican Restaurant and the adjacent hotel.

A $400 million dollar grant has been awarded towards the upgrade of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Plant. Water from Kerr Lake is being sold to Oxford.

In recent years, there had been six Henderson murders in a short span of time. At that time, Henderson had a severe shortage of police officers. A call to the Governor resulted in the mobilization of the SBI and Federal agents in Henderson. They remain active in Henderson.

As a result of state and federal involvement, area police salaries were studied. It was found that Henderson was not paying the equivalent of neighboring communities. Police salaries have not yet caught up, but improvements are being made.

Ellington commented that it is easy to criticize and complain about everything. Those present were encouraged to use what they heard at this meeting to help change the dialogue. A lot of good is going on in Henderson!

West End Baptist

West End Community Watch to Hear From Mayor, Law Enforcement

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive. All are welcome to attend, whether you live in the West End area or not.

Mayor Eddie Ellington will be the speaker for the evening. As always, law enforcement will be present to report recent police activity and hear concerns from those at the meeting.

Mark your calendar and join us, if you can!

West End Baptist

West End Community Watch Hears on Importance of CPR Training

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Notes courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

Jim Gunderson was the speaker for the West End Community Watch meeting held on January 21. Gunderson is employed by DAN (Divers Alert Network), located in Durham, where he is a First Aid and CPR trainer. Jim spoke about “The Necessity of First Aid and CPR Training.”

Gunderson presented a scenario to consider… you go out of your house briefly and return to find your spouse unconscious on the floor. What should you do?  First, you should call 911, of course, but you need to do more than that if the person is to survive. The question was, “Do you know what to do?”

Some sobering statistics were reported. Seventy percent of cardiac arrests occur in the home. Once the heart stops, the human brain will be dead within 3 to 4 minutes. EMS usually takes 15 minutes or more to arrive.  Stroke victims must be treated within one hour. A person bleeding from the carotid artery (in the neck) will survive only 1 or 2 minutes without treatment.

Few people are adequately trained for an emergency event. CPR training creates the confidence needed to be willing to help and increases the odds of survival.

First Aid and CPR training are available through the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and some health departments. Gunderson offers courses to the public through DAN. Online courses are not recommended because hands-on training is necessary.

The usual fee for training is $30 to $40. Training needs to be renewed every 2 years. The bottom line is that everyone should receive training!

West End Baptist

West End Community Watch to Meet Jan. 21

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch

West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of West End Baptist Church in Henderson.

The speaker will be Jim Gunderson. He will speak with us about “The Necessity of First Aid and CPR Training.” Law enforcement will be present to give reports of happenings since our meeting in November.

All are welcome to attend. We meet the third Tuesday of every month, except July and December. Do plan to join us!