The Vance County Commissioners selected Leo Kelly, Jr. as chairman and Yolanda Feimster as vice-chair at its recent regular meeting. Kelly takes over from Dan Brummitt as chairman.
Kelly was appointed to the board of commissioners in November 2015 to represent District 5. He is retired from Vance-Granville Community College where he served as dean of continuing education. Kelly serves as president of the Community Relations Council for Kittrell Job Corps and is the financial secretary for his church, Cotton Memorial Presbyterian. He also works as a customer associate for Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Henderson.
Feimster was elected in 2016 to represent District 6. She is an attorney licensed to practice in North Carolina. She holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from UNC-Greensboro and a Juris Doctor (law) degree from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law. She is an Associate minister at St. James Missionary Baptist Church on Oxford Road in Henderson.
The renovation of the former Eaton-Johnson campus is nearing completion, and County Manager Jordan McMillen updated the commission on the progress being made in order for the Department of Social Services and Senior Center to move in to their new building.
“Eaton Johnson is very close,” McMillen told WIZS News in an email today (Monday). “The pavement and landscaping went in last week and we are looking to move DSS and the Senior Center in during the third week in January if the certificate of occupancy is complete by then. We will also have a ribbon-cutting and tours set up closer to move-in day,” he said.
During their Dec. 6 meeting, the commissioners also got the chance to officially meet and welcome McKinley Perkinson, the county’s new economic development director. Perkinson began her new role in mid-November, and most recently has worked with Franklin County’s economic development agency as a project manager to enhance the county’s website, online presence in the areas of economic development and tourism.
The commissioners received an update from Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison about the state of public health in the county. According to data from Harrison, cancer, heart disease and stroke remain the top causes of death in the county.