As requested, here is the current Henderson/Vance County EDC Strategic Plan for 2010-2014. This plan was drafted by the EDC in 2010 and approved by the county and city at that time. Please be aware that this plan was drafted up before the current EDC director was in place, Mr. Stuart Litvin. Mr. Litvin expressed today a strong desire by the commission to draft a new plan shortly, as soon as in the next few upcoming weeks. We will bring …
Month: October 2011
Thursday Open Line
Sorry for the delay, but our official article for the zoning passage is now posted. Also, we have received a copy of a 1990 report regarding Vance County’s strategic plan. Check it out and see where we were supposed to be today in the minds of those 20 years ago. President Obama spoke yesterday at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas, on how the American Jobs Act will put thousands of teachers back into schools and make sure that all Americans …
Vance County BoC Votes to Enact Zoning Ordinance
Reporter – Leigh Hester – New Zoning Ordinance Passes 6-1 A near-unanimous vote instituted new zoning ordinances at a sparsely-populated meeting Monday night. Commissioner Dan Brummitt asked that a parcel of land belonging to his parents be changed from an R30 (residential) property to an AG (agricultural) property and recused himself from a vote on the issue, which was passed by the Board. Although Brummitt later tried to bring up objections brought to him by constituents and a letter he …
1990 AdVance Commission Strategic Plan
Circa 1990, Vance County requested the AdVance Strategic Planning Commission to come up with strategies for the future growth and progress of Vance County. The commission examined in detail Education, Government and Economic Development and came up with a 59 page document outlining then current outlooks around the county, and also made recommendations for a specific strategic plan for Vance County to carry it into the future. Committee members were Chairman – Sam Watkins, Vice-Chairman – Dennis Tharrington, Secretary – …
VGCC Board Chair Announces Candidates For Presidency
Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Donald C. Seifert, Sr. announced this morning that the Board’s Presidential Search Committee has narrowed the pool of presidential candidates from forty-two down to six. In July, the Board began a nationwide search for VGCC’s next President, after Dr. Randy Parker announced that he would be leaving on September 1 to become the president of Guilford Technical Community College. In August, the Board selected Dr. Angela R. Ballentine, the college’s Vice President of …
Henderson, NC Halloween Trick or Treat Schedule
Henderson, NC has scheduled October 31st 2011 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm for Trick or Treating. Please advise children of the following Halloween safety tips: Stay close by your neighborhood and only visit homes of people that you know. Watch for traffic and avoid busy intersections. Wear light colored clothing and reflective material. Make sure you can see through any masks that are worn. Make sure an adult accompanies you. Go out in daylight hours and if it gets dark have …
Vance County Schools Hosts Bus Driver Training Classes
Vance County Schools again will host sessions for bus driver training October 10-12, in the Drama Room at Southern Vance High School. Each session will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. To receive certification, participants must attend all three sessions in their entirety. There is not cost for the training and pre-registration is not necessary. For more information, interested persons may call the Vance County Schools’ Transportation Department at 438-5012
Henderson and the Henderson Family YMCA Host Cycle North Carolina
Tuesday afternoon, Breckenridge street was closed for yet another downtown Henderson event. Over 350 cyclists arrived in Henderson throughout the day on Tuesday as part of a 460 mile 7 day trip across North Carolina on bicycle. Participants are staying in area campgrounds off I-85, hotels, and even sleeping bags at the YMCA. They began to arrive Tuesday morning after traveling approximately 67 miles from their previous stop at Mebane. They spent the night Tuesday night in Henderson and will …
Now is Not the Time to Wave the White Flag on Clean Energy Jobs
Editor Note – Normally I wouldn’t think this would be a good fit for our blog, but with the new solar cell facility opening in Henderson soon, I thought it appropriate. From the White House blog, Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director, wrote the following on Tuesday: This morning, Chairman Cliff Stearns, who leads the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told NPR that “We can’t compete with China to make solar panels and wind turbines.” This …
AJL Cheerleading Competition
October 8th, 2011 at 5:00pm Vance Granville Community College Civic Center will be the host of teh 1st Annual AJL Cheerleading Competigion, benefiting the Abria’s Chase Foundation. Admission tickets are $5.00 for students and $10.00 for adults. Participating squads are Southern Vance High School, Henderson Middle School, J.F. Webb High School, E.W. Wyatt Middle School and the Warren County High School. For more information please contact Ayana Lewis at 252-767-6696
Wednesday Open Line
Today is international Walk to School day. In Henderson, there are a few schools close enough to residential populations that could participate, however, there are no official events planned in our county. So my open line suggestion? Would you let your kid walk to school every day in Henderson? Discuss and more!
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery – BoC October 3rd 2011 Meeting
Proposed Zoning Ordinance Any open minded observer of tonight’s Commissioner’s meeting must wonder why zoning was called proposed. No sooner did Mr. Asycue conclude reading the three steps for imposing zoning on the county than Commissioner Brown moved to accept the ordinance and Commission Hester seconded the motion. Then Commissioner Brummitt asked Mr. Asycue about a property that is zone differently than displayed on the map. Asycue acknowledge that the issue was presented to him last week and signaled Mr. …
A “Big Check” Moment
Reporter – Leigh Hester – County Commissioners voted Monday night in support of accepting a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. Mr Pete Burgess, head of a commission on the feasability and creation of a Vance County Farmer’s Market stood to announce the awarding of the $300,000 grant, which is to be used on infrastructure and buildings for the Farmer’s Market. Before any of these funds can be disbursed, however, the County must purchase land for the …
North Carolina Is Second Most Innovative State in America
In response to patent law reforms, The Daily Beast recently studied patent applications to rank the most inventive cities in America. While California was the leader with the most cities named in the rankings, North Carolina came in second with three cities making the list. It comes as no surprise that the urban centers for ingenuity in North Carolina are clustered in a location already known for innovation and success—Research Triangle Park. Coming in at number five and beating out …
Tuesday Open Line
Last night the Vance County Board of Commissioners voted in approval of the county zoning ordinance. A 1977 old zoning ordinance will have a public hearing about it in a future date to be rescinded. We’ll post our official report as we receive it. If you’d like to express your satisfaction or complains on the zoning process please feel free to do so here. We have received yet another article about how great North Carolina is, being ranked number 2 …
Vance County Zoning Ordinance …. 1977?
Back in September 2006 when the county was discussing enacting county wide zoning, County Manager Jerry L. Ayscue brought up a good point. What about this old zoning ordinance? We have obtained a copy of a document titled Vance County Zoning Ordinance that was enacted in 1977 and it is now being questioned if this ordinance is still in effect and if so, what does that mean for the newly proposed ordinance. The minutes regarding zoning from that 2006 discussion …
Monday Open Line
Ok, if you’re in a rock, you may not know about it, but let’s recap for everyone else too. Tonight holds a possible final decision in whether Vance County gets county wide zoning. And it’s not just that yes we will or no we won’t and we’ll decide details later. The details are already laid out in a 102 page ordinance, maps are already drawn, zoning areas are already set, and what someone can and can not do in their …
Rusty McMahon: Not So Elusive Facts
Here are the facts, not that facts, truth, and citizens matter much to five of our commissioners. Everyone in the county knows that zoning is a special interest land grab. Everyone in the county knows who’s behind it, the same group of people who have profited greatly by destroying Henderson, leaving it morally and fiscally bankrupt. Everyone knows that zoning does not do what its pushers say it will do. We don’t have to look at neighboring counties. We just …
Rusty McMahon: Truth From An Unlikely Source
County residents have wondered for over six years why Vance County commissioners really want to steal our property rights and take control of everyone’s land by zoning the county. The official reasons we’ve been given by our leader were re-stated in the September 3 Daily Dispatch Opinion. The anonymous author regurgitated the same old tired and often refuted pro-zoning talking points, saying, “…it would allow the county to use land for its best purpose, protect and maintain property values, protect …