Supes Back Mining Moratorium

Halifax County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution supporting the continued moratorium on uranium mining during its regular monthly meeting Monday night in Halifax.
Jack Dunavant, chairman of Southside Concerned Citizens, urged supervisors to support the resolution based on the potential negative health and environmental impacts and other serious problems associated with uranium mining.
“I stand up here probably for the first time addressing an issue that I think we can all agree on. I don’t think there’s any division on this. We are threatened by a corporation that wants to destroy our way of life, and we’ve got to do something to stop it,” he said.
He explained this issue will be fought on two fronts – locally and in Richmond, and he emphasized money will play a role in this fight as the price of uranium has increased from its low of $15 a pound to its current price of over $100 a pound.
From an engineering standpoint, Dunavant outlined what Walter Coles plans to do on Coles Hill, near Chatham – location of what is believed to be the largest uranium deposit in America.
The Coles Hill deposit includes two ore bodies and an estimated 110 million pounds of high-grade uranium worth at least $10 billion.
The northern ore body is on Coles’ land; the southern ore body is on land owned by Coles and the Henry Bowen family.
“Mr. Coles has yet to come forward with any new technology,” Dunavant said. “It’s still an open pit mine or a shaft type mine, and both of those create a tremendous mountain of waste.”
According to the SCC Chairman, Coles has said he is leaning toward an open pit mine.
“What they want to do is go in and blast it out and grind it up into a fine slurry of sand and extract as much uranium as they can. They get a half a pound of uranium out of a ton of rock. So everything else that comes out of that hole is going to be a mountain of waste.
“And what happens to that waste when we get 44 inches of rain in a year?” he asked, explaining that one acre of land gets 1.3 million gallons of rain “dumped on it in a year, and they’re talking about hundreds of acres.”
Halifax County residents should be concerned about this, he believes, because this mine lies in the Banister River watershed.
“What washes off this mountain of material or flushes up out of the ground is coming down into the Banister to pollute and poison one of our major sources of water.”
Furthermore, Dunavant said, “They want to scoop all this stuff up, treat it and process it at the site to produce a product called yellow cake.”
Once the yellow cake is taken out of the ground, he said Coles wants to push the tailings back into the “big bowl” created during the open pit mining process.
“It’s like a big bowl of cereal – 100 acres or whatever – and after a while it’s going to fill up. Where’s it going?” Dunavant asked board members. “We all know where it’s going. It’s going back into the creeks and the Banister River and then get down to Lake Gaston and on down to eastern North Carolina.”
He warned there’s no way to stop this water pollution from rainfall.
In addition, Dunavant said wind is another natural factor to consider.
“While it’s piled up for the next 30 years, you’re going to have a mountain of material out there that you can’t push back in the hole because they’re mining it, and you’re going to get wind blowing. So you’re going to get radioactive waste from the tailings pile due to wind.”
Uranium has a half-life of over a half million years, Dunavant said. “That means it loses half of its strength over 500,000 years. That’s pretty potent stuff,” he said, adding “radiation is forever. The radiation you get in your body today is added to what you’ve had all through your life. You never lose it, and if you get over a certain amount, it’s going to cause cancers and deaths, and that’s not a pretty sight.”
In conclusion, he told supervisors that radiation from uranium is dependant on three things - the amount of time a person is exposed, the distance from the source and the strength of the source.
“For the life of me, I can’t see how this is going to benefit Halifax County,” Dunavant told the supervisors as he asked the county leaders to protect their constituents by adopting the resolution supporting the continued moratorium.
Election District - 7 Supervisor Lottie Nunn made the motion to adopt the following resolution which was passed unanimously by the six members present:
WHEREAS, in the early 1980’s the potential for mining uranium in the Virginia counties of Pittsylvania and Orange was proposed whereby the Virginia Assembly issued a moratorium on the mining and milling of uranium until the industry could prove that it could perform such activities without hazardous impacts to the natural resources and public health of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, since that time, uranium mining in the United States and throughout the world has resulted in a host of serious problems, including toxic and radioactive contamination of groundwater and surface water in addition to the risk of cancer and other health problems for workers and the public; and
WHEREAS, the recent increase of energy prices has promoted the reemergence of interest in the uranium mining and milling industry as proposed by Virginia Uranium, Inc., at the Coles Hill Deposit near Pittsylvania County community of Sheva located within the Banister River Watershed approximately 20 miles upriver from the Town of Halifax; and
WHEREAS, the Banister River Reservoir currently serves as the source of drinking water for the Town of Halifax and is recognized as part of its strategic regional water supply by the Halifax County Service Authority; and
WHEREAS, there is no precedent of a large-scale uranium mine in a wet climate such as the Virginia Piedmont where annual precipitation exceeds evaporation causing uranium tailings ponds to overflow as well as to leach into the water table; and
WHEREAS, the economic benefits of a uranium mine remain uncertain with potential negative impacts caused by pollution, public health problems, and decreased productive farmland.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Halifax County Board of Supervisors hereby supports the continued moratorium on the mining and milling of uranium within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

So Bo New Owner Of
Washington-Coleman

Supervisors transferred ownership of the former Washington-Coleman Elementary School building to the Town of South Boston following a public hearing Monday evening in Halifax.
When turning the property over to the county last year, the school board recommended the building be donated to the Town of South Boston, according to County Administrator Bryan Foster.
It was generally agreed by the board to donate the property to the town in exchange for the donation of land by the town for the new South Boston Elementary School.
Prior to the vote, three people spoke during the hearing including South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel, businessman Buster D’Amato and Mentoring and Role Model Program Executive Director Laurietta Faulkner.
Daniel told supervisors South Boston was very interested in acquiring ownership of Washington-Coleman.
“I don’t have to remind anyone what an historic property it is and that it needs to be preserved,” he said.
The town intends to work closely with the school board and Dewberry and Davis to develop a master plan for the facility.
“We envision the property becoming a multi-use community and recreation center. It’s a very important part of a historic neighborhood, and it will be a welcome addition to our parks and recreation services provided to the citizens of South Boston and Halifax County,” Daniel added.
D’Amato told supervisors this hearing was the first he had heard of plans for the town to own the former school building.
“I think it’s cool,” he said, asking the town manager if South Boston has a budget or plan for development of the center?
“Is it set up in the paperwork so we don’t have to spend a million dollars on it to make it work?” the South Boston business owner questioned.
Town Manager Daniel responded, “We’re going to have Dewberry and Davis do a master plan for us to determine the highest and best use of it.”
He further explained that “a lot of property” goes along with the acquisition of the facility, and the town is hoping to make use of it in the future, with some new recreational facilities a possibility.
“But as far as use of the building now, we are going to care for and protect the building and use it for various community organizations as well as the school system,” Daniel said. “Our first priority is to acquire ownership and take stewardship of the building to ensure that it is protected and maintained for the long run.”
Faulkner expressed her support for the town acquiring ownership of Washington-Coleman.
“On behalf of the Mentoring and Role Model Program, I would love to see our program have use of some of the space there, so we can host some of our training sessions and have a place that would provide adequate parking,” Faulkner told the town manager.
“That is exactly the use we are looking for,” Daniel replied.
Before making the motion to transfer ownership of the building to the town, Election District-8 Supervisor W. Bryant Claiborne told how much the school means to him personally.
“I went to the first grade there in 1960, and it has a lot of history,” he added.
The motion passed unanimously with the six supervisors in attendance voting in favor.
Election District – 1 Supervisor R. E. “Dickie” Abbott, who is hospitalized, and Election District – 4 Supervisor Doug Bowman were absent from the Monday night meeting.
Also Monday night, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Residency Administrator Joe Barkley was joined by representatives from the Virginia State Police and Department of Motor Vehicles as he gave a presentation on the Highway Safety Challenge.
Barkley said these organizations were joining forces to improve highway safety and reduce deaths across the state with a training/communication campaign known as the Highway Safety Challenge.
“Our goal is to cut highway fatalities by 100 by the year 2010,” Barkley said of the program that kicked off in October to raise awareness.
The single greatest tool for saving lives on Virginia highways is to change individual driving behavior, the VDOT administrator said.
He cited five ways that drivers can help avoid fatalities including buckling up, avoiding distractions, sharing the road, driving drug and alcohol free and obeying speed limits.
Deaths on Virginia roads exceeded 1,000 in 2007, Barkley told supervisors.
“This is the first time it has exceeded 1,000 since 1990 when there were 1,071 deaths,” he said equating the deaths to 19 per week or three per day.
Other facts outlined included:
n Not wearing a seat belt contributed to more fatalities than any other driving behavior.
n Wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of dying in a crash by 45 percent in a car and 60 percent in a truck or SUV.
n 38 percent of vehicle-crash deaths involving drinking alcohol.
n Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for Virginians under the age of 30.
Barkley encouraged persons to go to the website www.safeVAhighways.org for more information.
Sgt. J. N. Lane referred to statistics that show Halifax County had a total of 15 fatalities during the past year.
“Each one of those numbers has a name and face,” he said. “We do take these numbers very seriously. One of the things we always hate as troopers is having to show up at someone’s doorstep at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning to tell them a loved one is not coming home.”
Lane said law enforcement officers will continue to be involved with the community concerning safety programs.
“This year we have a program designed for the high school where we are going to concentrate on teen driving and actually go to the drivers’ ed classes and talk to them about the proper use of seat belts and how important that is,” he concluded.
In other action, supervisors took care of reorganizational business by re-electing Election District – 3 Supervisor William Fitzgerald to serve as chairman and Election District – 5 Supervisor James E. Edmunds as vice-chairman for 2008.
Chairman Fitzgerald also will continue to serve as director of emergency services.
The board will continue to meet the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., and joint meetings with the towns of Halifax and South Boston will be held on the third Monday of odd-numbered months.
County Administrator Bryan Foster was appointed to serve as clerk to the board, while Debby Forlines was appointed as deputy clerk.
In other business, supervisors took the following actions:
n Heard an update on VDOT projects including the Route 360 Banister River Bridge, the Berry Hill Road bridge replacement project over Poplar Creek and passed a resolution closing Falkland Road for pipe replacement;
n Were informed of the annual board planning retreat scheduled for January 24-25 at Riverstone Technology Park;
n Reviewed the calendar for the upcoming FY 2009 budget process that has to be moved up considerably due to the adoption of the twice-annual real estate collections;
n Approved the event schedule for VIR’s 2008 Season Spectator Schedule, C. Allen Haynes’ two motorcycle events in 2008 and South Boston Speedway’s 2008 Race Schedule;
n Appointed Hudson Reese and Gwendolyn Smith Mangum to the planning commission and Douglas Bowman and Bryant Claiborne to the District Planning Commission;
n Appointed Cliff Summerfield, Kenny Hodges and Shirley Arthur to the Agriculture Advisory Committee; and
n Approved payment of 25 coyote claims at a cost of $1,250.

Modeling, Simulation Center Gets Thumbs Up For $1.2 Million

The Virginia Tobacco Commission gave the thumbs up yesterday in Richmond for a $1.2 million grant to create a Modeling and Simulation (M and S) Center of Excellence at Riverstone Technology Park.
According to M and S Executive Director Dr. Carole Inge, Southside Economic Development Committee approved the grant application during a subcommittee meeting in Richmond on Monday followed by the commission’s full board approval Tuesday.
“Now we are ready to move into implementing our marketing strategy,” Inge said Tuesday following the unanimous vote.
She said the $1.2 million grant will provide “a main strategic focus” for Riverstone – one that the technology task force has been working on for this community and region over the past six months.
In addition to the M and S Center at Riverstone, the technology focus will be directed at the Last Mile Broadband, E-Learning, Economic Gardening (an entrepreneurial alternative to the traditional economic development practice of recruiting industries) and Quality Assurance.
“The Modeling and Simulation project creates content that will use the Internet and go across the backbone fiber being put in by Mid-Atlantic Broadband throughout Southside Virginia,” she continued.
In November and December, Inge asked the Halifax County IDA board to allow a host of high tech companies to occupy Riverstone Building One rent-free for an 18-month period.
At that time, Inge, explained the not-for-profit Virginia Tech center aims to use unique advanced visualization technology to support businesses in Southside Virginia fulfilling an “unrealized niche market.”
At first the initial focus of the center will be on areas such as energy and the environment as well as technology related projects.
Her proposal incorporates matching funds from the local community, Virginia Tech and other partners with Tobacco Commission funding to provide the initial 12-month start-up costs of the center’s development.
Additional operating costs of the center will be secured as businesses and governmental entities obtain services from the center related to environmental engineering, community development and related technical services, she further explained.
In addition, Inge said she is eager to work with the Halifax IDA to get additional grant funding for the “upfitting” of the Riverstone Building to meet security requirements of these high tech companies.
According to IDA Executive Director Mike Eades, a conservative estimated cost for upfitting Riverstone Building One to address the high tech companies’ specifications would be $500,000.
Tetra-Tech, the center’s first client, is planning to establish a regional office in Riverstone to work toward developing this new capability in an effort to help grow its California based corporation with 7,500 employees and $1.4 billion in services a year.
Now that the grant application has been approved, Inge said she will start working with Tetra-Tech on moving people here to work in the Riverstone facility.
“They’ve got their bags packed,” she said indicating Tetra-Tech has committed $250,000 to direct costs of settling in at Riverstone.
Also expressing an interest in locating at Riverstone is Front Line Testing Services (FLTS).
Jackie Cassada of FLTS told IDA members last month, “We are very interested in this space and being a part of the Halifax community.”
With yesterday’s tobacco grant approval, Inge said she is ready to order $1 million worth of equipment for use at Riverstone, equipment that will be owned by Virginia Tech.
“There is a stipulation though, that this equipment will have to remain in Southside,” Inge added.
In addition, she said she will focus energy on attracting other businesses in the engineering and technology fields to Riverstone by enhancing the services afforded to regional engineering firms seeking to compete on a larger scale.
The M and S Center will serve as a catalyst to attract new business enterprises to Riverstone, she believes.
Creating a cluster of potential partnering companies and organizations in Riverstone in cooperation with the Modeling and Simulation Center is Inge’s top priority.
She explained the M and S Center is expected to employ 18 people during its first year of operation, with an additional dozen to be hired in year two, and nine more in the third year for a total of 39 employees over 36 months at an average salary of $65,000.
Once the center is up and running at Riverstone, Inge said she envisions collateral businesses springing from these high tech businesses.
Originally Inge had requested $1,876,985 in grant funding from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. However, she reduced the grant request to $1.2 million by shortening the length of the grant period from 18 to 12 months.
The revised operations plan also reduced the requested funding for personnel at the M and S Center from six positions to three.

Obituaries

Mary Seamster Moore
Mary Seamster Moore, 84, of Halifax died January 7, 2008, at The Woodview.
Mrs. Moore was born in Halifax County June 26, 1923, the daughter of the late Jim Seamster and Rena Lloyd Seamster, and was married to the late Harvey James Moore.
Survivors include four daughters, Janie M. Vaughan and husband, Bobby, of Halifax, Irene M. Coates and husband, Robert, of Williamsburg, Mary M. Robertson and husband, Michael, of Sanford, N.C., and Linda M. Franklin and husband, Lee Roy, of Valdese, N.C.; one son, Robert N. Moore and wife, Wanda, of Halifax; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Four brothers and two sisters also preceded Mrs. Moore in death.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, January 10, at 2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Randy Williams and Brian Simmons officiating. Burial will follow in the Moore Family Cemetery.
The family will receive friends this evening, January 9, from 7:00 to 8:30, at Powell Funeral Home, and other times at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Janie and Bobby Vaughan, 1078 Woodstump Trail, Halifax.
Online condolences may be made to powell@gcronline.com

Joan Parry Steube
Joan Parry Steube, 71, of Sandston, died January 2, 2008. Born in Liverpool, England, she was predeceased by her husband, William Gilbert Steube, formerly of South Boston. She is survived by two sons, Michael Anthony Steube and David Alan Steube; two granddaughters, Brittany Steube and Christina Steube; a great-grandson, Samuel Swearigen; a brother-in-law, Paul M. Steube, of South Boston; and a niece, Maxine Doyle of England.
In accordance with her wishes, there will be no funeral. Arrangements are conducted by Cremation Society of Virginia. Inurnment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Shriners Childrens Hospital.

James Stafford Whitt
James Stafford Whitt, 80, of 2038 Alphonse Dairy Road, South Boston died January 7, 2008, at Berry Hill Nursing Home.
Mr. Whitt was born in Halifax County on February 13, 1927, the son of the late Henry Gabey Whitt and Elsie Talley Whitt, and was married to Alice Keatts Whitt. He was an Army Veteran of World War II, was the Master of South Boston Faulkner Memorial Masonic Lodge #91, and was past district deputy of the 37th Masonic District.
Survivors include his wife of the home; two daughters, Vicki Whitt Stauffer and husband, Robert, of Roanoke, and Debbie Lynn Whitt Schubert of Richmond; one sister, Tina Martin of Dayton, Ohio; and two brothers, Marvis Grey Whitt of Dayton and Thomas Delanor Whitt of Goochland County. One sister, Muriel Whitt Jackson, also preceded him in death.
Graveside services for Mr. Whitt will be held January 11, at 2 p.m. at Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends tomorrow evening, January10, from 7:00 to 8:30, at Powell Funeral Home and other times at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Humane Society, P.O. Box 969, South Boston.
Online condolences may be made to powell@gcronline.com

Lady Lions Win At Russell

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Logan Holmes scored a game-high 16 points and six other Lady Lions had at least one point in a 36-23 Halifax win at Russell Monday.
Chelese Bowman and Jaynee Campbell scored six points a piece, Alexia Tucker four points and Brianna Lindsey two points for Halifax, while Kelsey White and Gabby Harris were each 1-2 from the foul line.
The Lady Lions were a dismal 2-15 from the foul line for the game and were 1-6 in the first quarter, but still held a 17-3 lead with six points from Holmes and four each from Tucker and Campbell.
With Lions coach James Smith rotating his lineup the rest of the way, Halifax led 25-8 at halftime, and 33-10 after three quarters, before cruising home to the win.
Holmes added four points in the second and six in the third, Bowman had two points in each of the second and fourth quarters, and Lindsey and Campbell had baskets in the second and third quarters, respectively.
Harris and White hit their free throws in the first and fourth quarters.
Smith noted that Russell played much better against his team than in their first meeting, adding that he still got the opportunity to give his entire roster some playing time.
“Russell has improved since the first time we played them and I think the difference is that they were playing at home,” he said.
“They seemed to be more comfortable and played better.”
Smith attributed his team’s poor free throw shooting to lack of concentration after getting a big lead, but other than that, he was pleased with the conference road win.
“I think that with a big lead we don’t concentrate on free throws, but overall we played well, and I got a chance to rest my starters and keep them fresh for two more games this week.”
The first of those two games comes tonight at Lions Gym against conference opponent Park View.

Lions Drop Conference Contest At Russell

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The Halifax County Middle School boys basketball team played a competitive first half against Russell in Lawrenceville on Monday, but the second half was a different story in a 53-32 loss that dropped the Lions to 2-3 in the Southside Middle School Conference and 5-5 overall.
Keon Gutrich led the Lions with 12 points, eight in the first half, and Ford Bradshaw and Robert Chandler added five apiece.
Freddie Edmunds and Onzai Logan finished with four points apiece and Kelvin Jennings chipped in two for Halifax, which trailed only 8-6 after one quarter and 26-18 at halftime.
Russell outscored the Lions 16-6 in the third period and 11-8 in the final quarter to pull away, using double figure scoring from three players.
The Lions’ season-long nemesis, free throw shooting, again was a factor, along with second-half turnovers, according to coach Mike Hailey.
“We played really well in the first half and had we hit our free throws, it would have been a one-point lead for us at halftime,” said Hailey.
Halifax converted only four of 12 free throw opportunities in the first half, and were 0-2 in the opening quarter.
Gutrich had four points and Logan two in the first quarter, and Gutrich added four, Bradshaw a three-pointer, Jennings two foul shots and Chandler one in the second quarter.
Russell went on a 16-6 run in the third quarter to help it pull away, aided by Halifax turnovers and continued poor free throw shooting.
Edmunds and Chandler hit the only buckets in the third quarter for the Lions, and Gutrich, Chandler and Edmunds added field goals in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Halifax connected on only four of 12 from the foul line in the second half, finishing with a 7-24 effort for the game.
Foul trouble also limited what his team could do in the second half, according to Hailey.
“The turnover ‘party’ started in the second half, our free throw miseries continued and Russell’s athleticism began to really show,” said Hailey.
“Keon was in foul trouble and sat most of the third quarter, and Russell got too many second chance points, particularly in the second half.
“Their experience, speed and athleticism is exceptional.”
Halifax has two home contests to finish out a busy week of basketball, beginning tonight against conference opponent Park View.

Wright Wins Title In Rocket Invitational

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Richie Wright, Halifax County High School’s heavyweight grappler in the 285-pound weight class won the championship in his weight class in Saturday’s Rocket Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Person High School in Roxboro, N.C.
Wright pinned Michael Brooks from Bartlett-Yancey High School in three minutes and eight seconds in the championship match. The win was the third of the day for Wright who won all three of the contests he competed in.
Also faring well for the Comets was 189-pounder Justin Perkins. Perkins placed third in the weight class by defeating Person High School’s Shaun Oakley 5-3 in the consolation round finals.
Two other Comets wrestlers, 160-pounder Jeremy Roman and 140-pounder Lewis Ashworth, posted sixth-place finishes in their respective weight classes.
The Comets wrestlers will be back in action today when the travel to Franklin County High School where they will join their fellow Western Valley District counterparts in a district preview event.
Today’s action at Franklin County High School starts at 5 p.m.