HCSA Extends Facility Fee Exemptions For Developers

Halifax County developers will have four additional years to complete building projects and qualify for exemption from the new facility fees imposed by the Halifax County Service Authority (HCSA).
The HCSA board of directors voted to grant the additional years during its meeting Wednesday afternoon in Halifax.
The board was considering a change in the period for facility fee exemption for all construction, both residential and commercial. The proposal was for developers to be granted an exemption if a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is issued by Dec. 31, 2009.
Developer John Cannon asked the board for an extension of 10 years exemption from facility fees in order to complete his townhouse development. Cannon told the board members there was no way he could complete 92 townhouses by the end of the year, but he had already installed water and sewer lines for the project at his own expense.
Fred Mistal told fellow board members he felt no facility fees should be charged for developments already planned and approved by the localities with water and sewer lines already installed by the developer.
Rick Harrell said he understood Mistal’s feelings, but instead he offered a motion to adjust the dates for facility fee exemptions from 2009 to 2013. If approved, developers who have plans already filed and who have installed water and sewer lines would have until the end of 2013 to complete construction and have COs issued to be exempted from the Authority’s facility fees.
Mistal offered an amendment to Harrell’s motion to extend the exemption term seven and a half years, but the amended motion failed for lack of a second.
The board voted 6-1 to approve Harrell’s motion, with Mistal casting the lone dissenting vote. Developers who have already installed water and sewer lines will have until December 31, 2013, to complete their construction projects and have COs issued in order to be exempt from the facility fees on those projects.
In other business, HCSA Director Willie Jones told the board Halifax Town Manager Carl Espy has recently submitted the application to release the STAG grant funding. The funds will be used to pay for the interconnect project to improve the flow of water between the Town of Halifax and South Boston and also to upgrade the North Main pump station in South Boston.
Jones said that money should become available either late July or early August. He said the Authority should be putting the project out to bid within the next two weeks.
The HCSA board discussed such issues as purchasing policy, the policy for use of credit cards by staff members, fuel adjustment factors on the sludge hauling contract and revisions to the deposit policy. The board also discussed policies for irrigation meters and policies related to fats, oils and grease.
During the citizen comment period, developer Christian Roberts questioned the fairness of the facility fees to contractors. Board member Dexter Gilliam replied in order for the Authority to be able to function as a viable organization in years to come, it must utilize existing capacity it has.
Gilliam said something must be in place to allow the Authority to be compensated as that capacity is utilized. He said what the Authority did by instigating facility fees is fair and equitable.
Roberts said if the organizers of the Authority had cared about the contractors during the organization’s formation, they would have asked the developers how they felt. Roberts said he had plans filed with and approved by the town of South Boston for 30 residential units before the board made the rule regarding facility fees. Board Chairman Doug Bowman said the board had given the matter plenty of time and had been very accommodating.
Prior to adjourning the board went into closed session for a legal briefing. The next meeting of the HCSA is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, at the Public Meeting Room of the Mary Bethune Complex.

State Tax Extension Granted For Monday’s Tornado Victims

The Virginia Department of Taxation says it is granting an extension for those affected by Monday’s tornadoes.
The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday that eight tornadoes struck Virginia over four hours on Monday, meteorologist Bryan Jackson said.
The Virgilina community was one of those affected when 86 to 109 mile per hour winds from an F1 tornado struck between 1:10 and 1:15 p.m. damaging six homes and causing over $500,000 in total damages, a substantial blow to a town of just over 150 residents.
The National Weather Service said earlier this week a tornado was on the ground in Halifax County for five minutes leaving a path of destruction 240 yards wide.
Without any warning, Virgilina residents are quick to point out.
According to Phil Hysell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, “Last year 89 percent of the time that we had a report of severe weather, we did have a warning out prior to that report, so this is certainly the exception and not the rule.”
Because of Monday’s storm damage, officials say taxpayers in localities affected by tornadoes will be granted a 30-day extension for filing returns and making payments.
The extension will apply to taxpayers located in Colonial Heights and Suffolk and the counties of Brunswick, Gloucester, Halifax, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews and Surry.
Taxpayers outside of these areas who suffered severe tornado damage also may request an extension. To qualify, taxpayers must be unable to file because the financial books and records they need to file their taxes are unavailable because of damage from the weather.
Individuals and businesses in the affected areas automatically have 30 additional days to file all returns and make all tax payments that had a due date, or an extended due date, on or after April 28, and on or before June 2.
In addition, taxpayers outside of these areas who suffered severe tornado damage may also request an extension.
To receive the special filing extension, these taxpayers should write “Tornado Relief” at the top of their returns.
The Virginia Department of Taxation will abate interest and any late-filing or late-payment penalties that would otherwise apply.
Taxpayers with additional questions should contact (804)-367-8031 for individual income tax questions or (804)-367-8037 for business tax questions.
If there are further developments or announcements, information will be posted on the Department of Taxation’s Web site at http://www.tax.virginia.gov.
Also the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) is offering relief from a late filing penalty for businesses unable to timely file quarterly unemployment insurance taxes that were due to the VEC on April 30 because of a sustained loss of power, damage to business, business records, or home during the recent tornadoes.
According to Joyce G. Fogg of the VEC, persons wishing to request relief for late filing of unemployment insurance taxes can write to the VEC’s Auditing Department at P. O. Box 1358, Richmond, VA 23218-1358.
The letter must contain a business account number and must state how it was affected. The subject of the letter must be “penalty relief due to tornado.”
The letter must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the report was due to be filed.
Persons filing taxes on line may deduct the amount of the penalty from the amount entered when preparing the EFT withdrawal, Fogg said.
Due to the billing cycle, affected persons may receive either a late filing notice or a bill for the penalty, she said, urging persons to allow 60 days after their request for penalty abatement before writing again.

Real Estate Tax Bills To Arrive In Mail Next Week

Real estate tax bills will begin arriving in Halifax County residents’ mailboxes next week, County Treasurer Linda Foster said yesterday.
Earlier this year, the board of supervisors voted to change the way real estate taxes are collected, making the taxes due in two equal installments each year instead of one.
Foster explained the first half is now due June 5, and the second half is due Dec. 5.
The real estate tax bills have a new format this year offering more information than prior bills. The new bill also contains two payment coupons, the bottom is for the June 5 payment, and the top coupon is for the payment due December 5. Return envelopes will be included for the taxpayer’s payment convenience.
The county will not send out a second bill for the payment due in December, Foster emphasized. Both payment coupons are being sent with the bill statement this spring.
“We will issue reminders through the local media but will not be sending individual bills or reminders to each taxpayer,” she added.
The change in real estate tax billing to twice annually was made in an effort to make it easier for taxpayers, according to the treasurer.
“Our most frequent complaint was having all of the taxes due in December right before Christmas,” she added.
The tax change only affects real estate taxes. Other taxes such as personal property and machinery and tools will still be due once per year in December, Foster said. “You will continue to get a separate tax bill for these items.”
The first half of the real estate tax bill is due June 5, but taxpayers may pay the entire bill by June 5 if they so desire.
“They are not required to do so,” Foster said. “However, failure to pay the first half on time will result in penalties and interest being added to the bill. If you have delinquent taxes, payments are applied to delinquent taxes and penalties prior to being credited to current year amounts.”
According to the treasurer, payments not received by the due date will be assessed a 10 percent penalty and interest and will be added on a monthly basis at an annual rate of 10 percent. A $30 administration fee also will be added to unpaid notices.
Payments can be made at the treasurer’s office located on the first floor of the Mary Bethune Office Complex located at 1030 Cowford Road in Halifax.
Payments also may be mailed using the enclosed envelopes with checks being made payable to Halifax County Treasurer.
Persons requiring a receipt are asked to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Credit cards are not accepted at the treasurer’s office, Foster said.
However, for an additional fee, persons can pay by telephone with a major credit card by calling 1-800-2PAY-TAX, enter jurisdiction code 6236 and a ticket number or by visiting www.officialpayments.com to pay online.
For more information about tax payments, persons can contact the treasurer’s office at 434-476-3318.
Questions about the assessment of real estate should be directed to the commissioner of revenue’s office at 434-476-3314.
Both offices are open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and are located on the first floor of the Mary Bethune Office Complex in Halifax.

Obituaries

Dr. William Allen Fuller Sr.
Dr. William Allen Fuller Sr. of Mountain Rd., Halifax, died Thursday, May 1, 2008, at Halifax Regional Hospital at the age of 86.
He was born in Clover on December 30, 1921, a son of the late Dr. Rawley Harrison Fuller and the late Corrie Allen Fuller and was married to Lucy Byrd Hodges Fuller who survives.
He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
In addition to his wife, Dr. Fuller is survived by three sons, Dr. William Allen Fuller Jr. and wife Wendy of South Boston, Dr. Richard Westwood Fuller and wife Jan of Richmond, and Armistead Carter Fuller of Halifax; two daughters, Beverly F. Hope and husband Steve of Charlotte, and Lucy F. Twiford and husband Dennis of Kitty Hawk; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one brother, Rawley Harrison Fuller and wife Dorothy of South Boston.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Sarah Bridgewater.
A graveside service for Dr. Fuller will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the family cemetery at Lennig with Canon Jack Nietert officiating.
For memorials, please consider the Southside Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 310, South Hill, Va. 23970, or Project PRIME, 2204 Wilborn Ave., South Boston, Va. 24592.

Louise Stewart Braswell
Louise “Lucy” Stewart Braswell, age 81, of South Hill, died April 29.
Her survivors include her husband, Raymond E. Braswell; daughter, Lisa B. Estes of Goochland; sister Ella G. Stewart of Richmond; and four grandchildren, Richmond, Trip, Meghan and Barklie Estes.
A graveside service will be held today, May 2, at 11 a.m., at Crestview Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimers Association, 120 South Hill Avenue, South Hill, VA 23970. Online condolences may be sent to www.crowderhitecrews.com.

Howell Sinclair Coleman
Howell Sinclair Coleman died April 25, 2008. He was born in Clover on April 20, 1917, the son of the late Clem Booker and Eliza Harriett Coleman, and was married to the late Fannye Stallings.
Mr. Coleman was a member of Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church where he served on the Usher Board.
Survivors include his nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. Three sisters, Veola, Sallie and Henrietta; and two brothers, Clem and Wyatt, also preceded Mr. Coleman in death.
Funeral services were held May 1, at 11 a.m. in Richmond at W.S. Watkins and Son Funeral Home.

Comets Rip WF, MHS; Face Glass In Key Game Tonight

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
After having ripped William Fleming 21-2 Tuesday and following it up with an 11-0 win over Martinsville High School Wednesday night, the Halifax County High School varsity baseball team faces a big home game tonight in a critical Western Valley District contest.
The Comets will face Western Valley District leader E.C. Glass at 6:30 p.m. at Comets Field. A win by the Comets will give them a split of their two regular-season meetings with the Hilltoppers and thrust them into a tie with E.C. Glass for the district lead.
Making things even more interesting is the fact that if Franklin County prevailed in a district game they were slated to play last night, a win by the Comets would create a three-way tie for the district lead.
After tonight’s game, the Comets will go on the road Tuesday to face Franklin County and will host Patrick Henry on Saturday afternoon. A home game against GW on May 13 will wrap up the Comets’ regular-season slate.
The chase for the regular-season championship plays a big role in terms of post-season play. In a change that was made last year, the winner of the regular-season champion receives the district’s top seed and a home game in the first round of the Northwest Region Tournament. The district tournament champion will get the district’s second seed for the Northwest Region Tournament and will go on the road for regional tournament play.
Tuesday’s Western Valley District game against William Fleming was no contest at all as Halifax County hurlers Jeremy Foster and Dale Trent combined to throw a two-hitter in a 21-2 win over William Fleming in Roanoke.
Foster had a good command of his pitches, striking out nine of the 17 batters he faced while yielding two walks, two hits and two runs. Trent, who came in to pitch the fifth and final inning, gave up one walk. The Comets’ defense gave Trent something a of a reprieve as Comets catcher Kaleb Long threw out the William Fleming baserunner while attempting to steal second base later in the inning.
Halifax County hit the ball well, pounding William Fleming for 16 hits and took advantage of 11 walks and three William Fleming errors. Justin Bagbey had a big night at the plate, going 3-4 at the plate with five RBIs. Trent and Chris Sizemore had two hits each.
Michael Ferrell had one hit, a solo home run to start the second inning. Daniel Wilborn, Tyler Lewis, Eric Brandon, Foster, Kyle Long, Josh Williams, Michael Owens and Kaleb Long all had one hit each.
Halifax County didn’t need long to ignite its scoring as Wilborn walked and scored on a double by Bagbey to put the Comets up 1-0 with just three batters having stepped up to the plate. A hit by Brandon plated Bagbey to make the score 2-0, a hit by Foster scored Brandon to make it a 3-0 Comets’ lead and a single by Kyle Long added what would be the Comets’ final run of the inning to put the Comets up 4-0.
Ferrell’s solo round-tripper to start the second inning made it a 5-0 Comets lead. Wilborn singled and later scored on an error to give the Comets a 6-0 edge in the second inning.
The Comets added 10 runs in the top of the third inning to take a 16-0 lead. A two-RBI double by Bagbey and a two-RBI hit from Sizemore were among the six hits the Comets had in the inning. Halifax County received four walks from William Fleming and one batter, Bagbey, was struck by a pitch.
Halifax County added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 21-0. Lewis, Bagbey and Sizemore had hits that produced a run.
William Fleming’s hitters caught up to Foster in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Colonels took advantage of a pair of walks and two hits, one of which was a two-RBI single, to score its only runs of the game to make the score 21-2. Neither team scored in the fifth inning.
In Wednesday’s game against Martinsville High School, hurler Tyler Lewis spun a two-hit shutout and allowed just one walk as the Comets won 11-0 in the game that was stopped under a slaughter rule after five innings.
Halifax County had 12 hits in the contest with Bagbey, Kyle Long and Kaleb Long each getting three hits. Bagbey had four RBIs on the night with a grand slam homer in the second inning.
Ferrell, Trent, Foster and Williamson each had one hit.
The Comets broke the game open with a big five-run second inning that started with a double by Foster. Foster scored the Comets’ first run when the next batter, Kyle Long singled. Long was erased on an attempted steal for the first out of the inning.
A walk to Kaleb Long, a single by Michael Ferrell and a walk to Daniel Wilborn loaded the bases, setting the stage for Bagbey to follow with the grand slam that put the Comets up 5-0.
Halifax County added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning with the help of run-scoring hits from Kyle Long and Foster. The Comets completed the 11-0 rout by adding a final run in the top of the fifth inning.

Lady Comets Whip Fleming, Martinsville

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Two games produced a pair of workman-like performances for the varsity softball team earlier this week, including a 9-0 shutout win at home Tuesday over district opponent William Fleming, and a 17-0 win Wednesday at Martinsville.
Halifax County 9
William Fleming 0
The Comets belted out 15 hits in the William Fleming win, Betty Rose finishing with two hits and two RBIs, Stephanie Clark with two hits and an RBI, and Lashunda Davis with two hits and two runs scored.
Lauren Daniel had a two-run double, and Whitney Womack, Lyndsay Lawter and Melissa Morris RBI hits for Halifax, while Amber Bowman added a double and Ally Thompson, Paige Rickman, Katie Barnett and Christine DeGeorgis base hits.
Nine runs proved more than enough for Comets pitchers Rickman and Lawter, Rickman hurling the first three innings and Lawter the final four, with Fleming collecting only two hits for the day.
“It was a good ball game in that everyone got to hit and got a chance to play in different situations throughout the game,” explained Comets coach Melanie Saunders.
“We were able to see slower pitching which gave us a chance to keep our hands back for the changeup, so there’s always something you can learn from each ball game.
“Our pitchers did well, the kids hit, and our defense played well behind our pitchers.”
Halifax got four of its hits to score four runs in its first at-bat, Clark with a leadoff single and steal of second before Rose reached on an error to plate Clark.
Davis singled, Daniel hit a two-run double and Womack followed with a RBI single to make it 4-0.
After a hitless second inning, the Comets added four runs on five hits in the third.
Rose, Davis and Rickman led off with consecutive base hits, Daniel reached on an error, Lawter and Morris hit consecutive RBI singles and Clark reached on error to produce the final run of the inning.
That made it 8-0, and Halifax added a final run in the fifth when DeGeorgis and Clark each singled and Rose hit a two-out RBI single.
William Fleming had base runners in scoring position twice during the game without plating them.
Fleming had runners at second and third with two outs in the fourth inning, but a groundout ended that threat.
In the fifth, Fleming had runners at first and third with two outs, but a Lawter strikeout got the Comets out of the inning to preserve the shutout.
Rickman surrendered no hits through three innings for Halifax, while striking out four batters and walking two.
Lawter gave up two hits through the final four innings, but struck out seven batters, including three to finish the game in the top of the seventh.
Despite a 6-0 record in the Western Valley District, Saunders wants the Comets to keep working as if they were winless in district play.
“I don’t want the kids to have that mindset, I want them to think that they still have to get better,” said Saunders.
“It’s great that we are there and it’s a great place to be, but you have teams that are ready for you each time you step onto the field.”
Halifax County 17
Martinsville 0
Halifax pounded out 18 hits to back a perfect game by hurler Womack in a five-inning 17-0 rout of Martinsville that improved the Comets to 13-1 on the season.
Barnett (double) finished with three hits and four RBIs to lead the Comets, while Lawter had two hits and two RBIs, and Davis, Snead and DeGeorgis each with two hits and a RBI.
Rose, Daniel and Rickman each had RBI base hits for the Comets, while Ally Thompson, Stephanie Clark and Womack added singles.
Barnett’s two-run double highlighted a five-run first inning in which Thompson, Lawter (RBI) and DeGeorgis (RBI) singled for the Comets.
Singles by Davis and Bowman, along with a pair of walks produced another run in the second inning, before the Comets scored seven runs on nine hits in the third frame.
Snead had two hits and a RBI in the rally, Barnett a two-run single, Rose, DeGeorgis and Davis RBI base hits, and Bowman and Womack base hits in the inning that gave Halifax a 15-0 bulge.
Three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth ended the game under the slaughter rule, davis reaching on an error and scoring, Barnett with a hit, Womack reaching on a fielder’s choice and scoring, and Rickman and Daniel hitting RBI singles.
The Comets played error-free defense behind Womack, who struck out 10 of 15 batters she faced in five innings.

Varsity Girls Soccer Shuts Out Martinsville

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Comets varsity girls soccer coach Sid Young admitted he wasn’t sure how his team would respond against non-district Martinsville after a disappointing 4-0 loss at home Friday to district foe GW.
He need not have worried, as Halifax played a consistent game from start to finish in a 4-0 shutout of the Bulldogs Wednesday at Tuck Dillard Stadium.
Sarah Rosche and Mary Beale scored one goal each and combined for another score, and Lauren Faulkner also netted a goal for Halifax County, which improved to 8-4 overall with the win.
Rosche and Beale combined to score the Comets’ first goal only 3:43 into the game, and that made it 1-0 at halftime, but the Comets broke through for three second-half goals, Rosche scoring 8:46 into the second half.
Faulkner added a goal 17:15 into the second half and Beale completed the scoring at the 25:47 mark.
Nia Brown recorded the shutout in goal for the Comets, turning aside four Bulldogs’ shots, while the Martinsville keeper finished with 20 saves.
Halifax finished with 28 shots on goal, while Martinsville had only four, with the vast majority of the game played on the Bulldog’s side of the field.
His team’s performance stood in contrast to the Comet’s 4-0 loss at home last Friday against GW, according to Young.
“I wasn’t sure how we’d respond after losing to GW, and I was a little nervous before this game, but we’re very pleased with how the girls played,” said Young.
“We played everyone and at different positions, and this game was actually similar to GW, but against GW we kept pressure on them but couldn’t get anything in.”
Young explained that a change in his team’s practice routine paid big dividends against Martinsville.
“We probably passed a little too much against GW, so we worked on that this week and we also worked on taking balls out of the air,” he noted.
The Comets kept pressure on Martinsville throughout the contest, despite having only one goal in the first half after numerous close-in opportunities.
Young said he changed things around at halftime, putting more speed on defense and instructing his players on offense to crash the box after quick outside shots.
At least two Comets’ goals in the second half came on rebounds, and Halifax almost cashed in after one of six corner kicks they had for the game.
Beale narrowly missed another goal after a good crossing pass in the second half, and overall it was a good outing for his team, added Young, who thought the Comets were emotionally and mentally ready to play soccer on Wednesday.
“I hope that carries over to Friday’s game at E.C. Glass, he said.