Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Patience
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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is preparing 130 welcome bags for the new teachers preparing to come to work in the Vance County area.
But the Chamber needs your help! If your business would like to donate an item to help fill these bags, please contact us at 252.438.8414 or bring the items (in quantities of 130, please) to the Chamber office, 414 S. Garnett St., no later than Friday, July 8.
The schools include those in Vance County Public Schools as well as Henderson Collegiate, Crossroads Christian School, Kerr-Vance Academy and Vance Charter School.
Some suggestions for donations include: pens, pencils, pads, hand sanitizer, coupons /discount cards, key chains, etc.
The Chamber staff thanks you in advance for your kind donation.
Another 2.4 miles of hiking trails has opened up in Granville County, thanks to the Tar River Land Conservancy and a lot of hard work by volunteers and other partners.
The Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve officially opened on Friday, June 17, with a ribbon cutting that included local officials, funding partners, volunteer and neighbors of the tract, located at 3018 Horseshoe Road in Creedmoor.
“This trail project is the culmination of a lot of planning, hard work, and investment by our staff, volunteers, and partners,” said Derek Halberg, TRLC Executive Director. “We are excited to open the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve for the community to explore and enjoy.”
Most of the nature preserve trails were cleared and constructed with hand tools by crews with the Conservation Corps North Carolina, a nonprofit group that partners with land trusts and governmental agencies to expand public trail access across the state.
Work began September 2021, with 80 volunteers contributed 400 hours of service to build trails, construct footbridges and install benches and signs at the preserve. TRLC received generous funding for the trail project from Granville County, the City of Creedmoor, the towns of Butner and Stem, the Jandy Ammons Foundation and the Universal Leaf Foundation, according to a press statement.
Trail brochures are available for visitors at message boards located at the trailhead parking area. The trail network includes two loops. Red directional signs mark the 1.1-mile Pine Trail while blue signs mark the 1.3-mile Beaver Trail. Both trails wind through scenic pine and hardwood forest and across numerous streams. The highlight is a large wetland along the Beaver Trail where more than 100 bird species have been documented since last fall.
The 241-acre Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve was acquired by TRLC to protect wildlife habitat and drinking water. TRLC purchased 158 acres in 2018 with funding from Granville County, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, the City of Raleigh Watershed Protection Program, and the Wake County Open Space Program. In 2021, Mark and Tara Rein of Raleigh donated 83 acres to TRLC to be added to the nature preserve.
In addition to the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve, TRLC maintains hiking trails at the Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area and the Roberts Chapel Conservation Area near Butner and Stem. The three preserves offer a total of seven miles of hiking trails that are accessible to visitors year-round during daylight hours.
The August Lunch and Learn meeting of WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking) is scheduled for Aug. 3 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.
The meeting begins at 12 noon. Cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. Staff from Maria Parham Health will discuss the importance of women’s health care in a program titled “Self Care Isn’t Selfish.”
As female business professionals, we all have put our health on the back burner from time to time. This hour-long networking opportunity will give you professional advice on the importance of taking care of yourself.
Registration is required by July 27 and payment is preferred prior to the event.
Register at https://business.hendersonvance.org/events/details/woven-self-care-isn-t-selfish-the-importance-of-women-s-health-care-1997 or email sandra@hendersonvance.org or hailey@hendersonvance.org.
Imagine driving to the train station in downtown Henderson to begin your daily commute to your job in the Triangle. You hop on the commuter rail, which whizzes past the stopped traffic along U.S. 1 and Capital Boulevard as you approach your destination.
For regional planner Sam Boswell, that is no longer a pie-in-the-sky notion, but what could be reality in, say, another 10 years or so.
Boswell is a regional planner who concentrates on transportation for the Kerr Tar COG. He told WIZS’s Bill Harris Wednesday that he sees his job as a balancing act to ensure that the COG provides and promotes projects for all parts of the region, not just the ones that are experiencing the burgeoning growth right now.
The Kerr Tar COG, which serves Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties, stays up-to-date on NC DOT projects, such as the S-Line Rail Project slated to run through Henderson and points north, participation in a regional greenway project and an alternative to the gas tax, which helps to fund transportation projects and maintenance.
Individuals have an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns and hear updates from the NC DOT as it hosts an open house during the week of July 25-29. Folks can drop in to Div. 5 offices, 2612 N. Duke St., in Durham any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during that week, Boswell said.
Part of his job, he said, is to help municipalities and counties with projects and to explore ways to have a regional effect, “a grouping of services to benefit the region.” That sometimes proves difficult, he said, explaining that municipalities may not reap a direct benefit from a project that is not geographically nearby.
Take the S-Line rail project, for example. This project will connect Raleigh and Richmond and completing the Southeast rail corridor that then can feed into the much-used Northeast rail corridor.
“It’s a big deal, for sure,” Boswell said, adding that there’s a great deal of excitement around the project.
In addition to reducing commute times and the number of vehicles on the road, a passenger rail brings with it other benefits. “If you’ve got a train stop, you’ve got people leaving and people coming in,” he explained. That means riders can choose to get off at the Henderson or Norlina stations, “put a break in their trip and visit local businesses,” spending money and adding to the local economies.
There’s another exciting possibility for transportation of a slower nature – bicycle and pedestrian traffic along a greenway. The East Coast Greenway feasibility study is underway now. It’s mostly a biking trail, but there’s a walking route as well, Boswell said. The greenway extends through 400 cities from Florida to Maine, sort of like the Appalachian Trail, and the American Tobacco Trail in Durham makes up 27 or so miles of the greenway trail, he added.
“We’re working with a team of consultants to see how we can make that happen in the Kerr Tar region,” he said. Right now, there’s a section between Butner and Oxford in Granville County, but the COG is waiting to hear from another grant opportunity to continue the study on a bigger scale – building a greenway trail from Oxford north to Virginia and from Oxford to Henderson.
These projects, and others on the horizon, signal change for the area. Boswell said, like it or not, as the Triangle continues to expand, it’s important to keep the transportation system updated – even trying to stay ahead of the growth that is surely coming.
In addition to new projects like the rail line, it’s also critical to keep existing roads in good repair and able to handle the increasing volume of traffic.
“People are going to start moving in here,” Boswell said of the Kerr Tar region. What planners have to try to figure out is how to make adjustments to the infrastructure to accommodate those people.
More people means more vehicles using the roads, but not necessarily producing more revenue through the gas sales tax. More hybrid and electric vehicles means less money spent on gas, he explained. So the DOT is re-examining an idea previously studied that would generate revenue based on the number of miles a driver drives as opposed to how much gas he pumps into his tank.
“Right now, money for construction projects comes from the gas tax,” Boswell explained. As vehicles become more fuel efficient or not dependent at all on gas, drivers “aren’t paying their fair share…and the burden falls on some drivers more than others.”
DOT looked at it a few years ago.
Is it more equitable or sustainable to pay per mile than per gallon of gasoline? That’s one of the questions being considered in the study, he said.
The study has slots for 450 participants throughout the state, which will run from the end of July through October. Participants will get a device of some sort that will connect to the vehicle’s odometer or otherwise track the miles driven.
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The United Way of Vance County is now accepting 2022 grant applications. Deadline for submission is close of business on July 31, 2022. Applicant interviews for those that are eligible for a grant will be held on August 10th with the grants awarded on August 18th.
Eligibility requirements include:
Completed applications are to be sent to P.O. Box 1352 or emailed to
unitedwayofvance@gmail.com. Do not bring the application by the office.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jane Haithcock, Secretary/Treasurer, at 252-432-3778 or at the email address above.
Applications are available on the United Way website. Completed applications are due by close of business (5 p.m.) July 31, 2022 either to P.O. Box 1352, Henderson or at unitedwayofvance@gmail.com
-information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood
The Granville County Economic Development Office has a new economic development specialist, whose primary focus will be to recruit new industries to the county, with a particular focus on promoting the Triangle North Granville business park just outside Oxford.
Audrey Boone brings nearly a decade of experience in economic development, sales and marketing to her role with Granville County, according to a press statement from Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood. Boone most recently was the executive director of the Gainesville, Texas Economic Development Corporation near the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. During her time in Gainesville, Boone was responsible for recruitment of industries with a focus on promoting Gainesville’s “shovel ready” sites.
“Granville County is an excellent area primed for growth and I am excited to continue my professional journey here,” Boone said in a written statement. “There are incredible assets across the county and I’m eager to start sharing Granville’s story with industries domestically and internationally that could one day ‘Grow with Granville,’” a reference to the catchphrase used in the county’s promotional materials.
In Texas, Boone also worked with state and local government partners to develop attractive incentive/grant packages to prospective businesses and led efforts to develop Gainesville’s largest industrial property into a rail-served industrial park with Strategic Rail Industrial Services, which represented a $274 million economic impact to the City of Gainesville.
Before leading the Gainesville Economic Development Corporation, Boone served as the Manager of Marketing and Engagement with the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation, which serves the Bryan/College Station region, home to Texas A&M University. She also led marketing and business development efforts for the Abilene Industrial Foundation in Abilene, Texas. Boone has extensive leadership experience with professional organizations serving as a board member of the Texas Economic Development Council and as a member of its Executive Committee, serving as Treasurer of the Workforce Solutions Texoma Board, and holds memberships in good standing with the Southern Economic Development Council and the International Economic Development Council. Boone is a graduate of Piedmont University in Demorest, Georgia where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration with a concentration in Strategic Management, Finance and Marketing.
Boone is currently pursuing her Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation from the International Economic Development Council. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Boone is an avid community volunteer, dedicating her free time to the Big Brother Big Sister program, Kiwanis, United Way and other nonprofit organizations.
The Economic Development Office is located at 310 Williamsboro St. in Oxford and the staff can be reached by calling 919.693.5911.
–information courtesy of the N.C. Forest Service
The N.C. Forest Service is now accepting orders in its annual tree seedling sale. With an average annual production of 15 million seedlings, the Nursery and Tree Improvement Program produces enough native and genetically improved tree seedlings to plant around 30,000 acres of land each year.
“Healthy trees and forests are as important as ever for North Carolina and a benefit to our environment,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “To have a Nursery and Tree Improvement Program producing quality understory plants and nearly 50 native tree species available to landowners across the state is North Carolina’s good fortune, and I encourage landowners to take advantage of it.”
Conifers and hardwoods are sold in units as low as 10 and as high as 100. For those wishing to submit larger orders, the nursery sells tree seedlings by the hundreds and thousands.
Species available this year include Momi fir, Eastern red cedar and Virginia pine. Genetically improved stock is available in loblolly, longleaf, shortleaf and white pines as well as other species. These seedlings offer better volume growth, form, disease resistance, straightness and other desirable characteristics needed to produce quality forest products.
See the N.C. Forest Service catalog for a complete species listing.
Seedlings may be ordered in a variety of ways:
Distribution of tree seedlings will occur December through mid-April, depending on weather conditions. Seedling orders can be shipped to one of 13 distribution centers statewide for a small fee or via UPS for a charge. Seedling orders are also available for pickup from the NCFS Claridge Nursery in Goldsboro or the Linville River Nursery near Crossnore.
For information on planting trees, people are encouraged to contact an NCFS county ranger. Contact information for your local NCFS county office and nursery locations is available at www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts.