Wednesday, June 28, 2006

ABB Expands, To Add 127 Jobs
$23.5 Million Move Called ‘Investment In County’s Future’
Economic development officials were joined by business and civic leaders at Riverstone Technology Park Monday as they announced that ABB, Inc., has chosen to expand its Halifax County operations.
The $23.5 million investment is expected to create 127 new jobs in the county with an average salary of $38,462, according to Halifax County Industrial Development Director Mike Eades.
A manufacturer of liquid-cooled transformers for utility and government users, the company will build an additional 130,000-square-foot facility on an additional 20 acres adjacent to the existing facility, Eades said during a press conference announcing the expansion.
The building, property and some equipment in the new plant will be owned by the IDA, with the land purchased for $1, Eades said.
Eades said the company will enter into a 10-year lease with a 5-year renewal option on the new building.
“The projected annual lease cost to ABB is around $1.2 million,” he said.
Currently, the plant employs 394 workers with an average salary of $52,177, Eades said. “That translates into $26 million in annual wages,” he noted.
The new jobs will mean an additional $4.9 million in wages annually.
“This was high-stakes poker we were involved in,” the IDA director said, noting that Virginia competed with Mexico, Columbia, China and Missouri for the project.
Funding sources for the expansion include a $9,050,000 loan from Community National Bank at 6.25 percent interest, a $2 million loan at 4 percent interest from the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, a $6 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission, a $400,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and a $375,000 grant to provide rail access to the new facility from the Industrial Rail Access Fund.
ABB Vice-President and General Manager Milton Axton said the move will ensure the company is in the county for many more years.
“We’re absolutely delighted with today’s announcement,” he said. “This is excellent news that not only allows us to grow, but keeps us around for the long-term.
“South Boston was clearly the best choice for this expansion since it will build on the quality reputation achieved by the experienced Virginia-based employees using world-leading ABB design and process technologies.”
Axton said that with the company streamlining operations, it was important to “make this plant critical to the company’s operations.”
“We felt very comfortable that we could keep them in the community,” said Sen. Frank Ruff, who also serves on the Tobacco Commission. “For some, it was a difficult decision to put Tobacco Commission money into this project but for us, it wasn’t difficult because ABB has been a good citizen of this community.”
Del. Clarke Hogan, a Tobacco Commission member who worked to ensure the tobacco money, noted that the Commission funds represent the largest single grant ever issued by the Commission.
But Hogan said the money is an investment in the future.
“What we’ve really done is invest in infrastructure that this community owns,” he said. “By investing in these sort of assets, we hope we’ve strengthened this community.
“We don’t know what the future is going to bring, but we do know that this investment will be around for a long time,” Hogan added.
William Fitzgerald, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, agreed.
“This community is going to grow with this business,” he said. “We’re planning today for the future.
“Today’s announcement is a testament to the fact that Halifax County can support sophisticated, technology-based manufacturing,” Fitzgerald added. “We have made substantial commitments to education in Halifax County to ensure that we can provide a work force that meets the needs of companies willing to invest in our community.”
Construction on the project is expected to begin in the near future and is expected to take just over a year, according to Eades.

County School Budget Is $15K In The Black
After Receiving Official State Figures

The Halifax County School System finally has a budget figure from Richmond, one that leaves it with $15,000 left over, Chief Financial Officer Bill Covington III told trustees at their end-of-the-year meeting Monday.
Virginia senators and delegates passed a budget that allocates Halifax County schools $39,296,048 for the 2006-07 fiscal year, Covington said, noting the budget is not official until it’s signed by Governor Tim Kaine.
Along with the increased funds, legislators pulled back the increase in contributions to the VRS fund and that allowed Halifax to have $15,000 left over after all the bills were paid, Covington said.
At the meeting, Covington told the Board the extra funds would be placed in the school system’s fuel budget.
The Board then approved the payment of bills for the 2006-07 school year.
Also on the agenda, trustees passed revisions to the middle and high school’s dress codes after the administrations from the two schools met and agreed on updates to bring the code in line with new Board policy.
Halifax County Middle School Principal Gail Bosiger told trustees that the biggest dress code problem her school faces is the skimpiness of some student outfits.
“The amount of skin we’re seeing is starting to be major,” Bosiger said. “It’s getting worse.”
The revised dress code calls for shorts and skirts to come to the top of the knee and for tops to have at least two-inch thick shoulder straps, Bosiger said.
The new language in the dress code also calls for blouses to cover the entire torso at all times even in movement, stating bare midriffs are not allowed.
Also included in the new code are regulations addressing clothing that could be interpreted as gang related. Principals have the desecration to have students remove or cover up clothing that could be construed as gang related.
At the meeting, trustees also approved a consolidated application for federal funds.
The consolidated application allows the school system to apply for several federal grants in a streamlined manner, according to Director of Federal Programs Valdivia T. Marshall.
The application will cover a $1.6 million Title I grant to fund Pre-K, supplemental reading and math programs and parental involvement activities, a $355,359 grant to reduce class size and provide professional development to teachers and a $181,829 grant to support the rural and low-income school program that will provide five reading coach positions.
The Board voted to approve the grant application.
Lastly, Special Projects Director Audrey Davidson told the Board of the progress being made on the school system’s12-page booklet marking county schools.
The booklet was shown to local businesses for their input, Davidson said.
Halifax businesswoman Honey Davis was recognized at the meeting for funding the printing for the booklet.
“Honey has done so much to publicize our school division,” Stapleton said.
Initially, 5,000 copies of the booklet will be printed.
The booklet includes information about academics, athletics and special programs. It also includes contact information for school system officials and locations and photos of every county school.

 

Supervisors OK County Pay Plan
Will Implement New Merit-Based Pay Scale For County Employees

The Halifax County Board of Supervisors voted Monday night to implement the county’s first merit-based pay scale for its employees.
The action came as supervisors met in the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
Supervisors passed the motion 7-1, with Supervisor R.E. “Dickie” Abbott opposing.
In addressing the measure prior to the vote, Supervisor Doug Bowman said the move will make county pay more equitable with private sector jobs.
“I don’t think we can compete with the private sector, but this is an attempt to put the county’s jobs under a pay scale and I believe that our employees should be at least at the minimum of the scale,” he said. “This is a start. It makes supervisors better supervisors and employees better employees.
“I think that with this pay plan we’ll create more equity across the board.”
Members of the policy and personnel committee recommended the move.
County Administrator Bryan Foster said the system will no longer give county employees a set percentage of raise each year.
“The new system is a merit pay system – also referred to as pay for performance,” Foster wrote in a letter to supervisors. “The county will no longer give the same across-the-board increases to all employees.
“The amount of pay increase will be directly tied to how well he or she performed during the year,” Foster said.
The plan is based upon minimum, midpoint and maximum ranges for the 25 grades of employment in the county.
A yet-to-be –determined “pool” of money will be set aside each year to fund the raises.
“There will be a finite amount of money available for increases,” Foster said. “This pool will be a percentage of total payroll.”
For example, 3 percent of the county’s annual payroll may be available for granting increases. However, individual raises may vary from 1 percent to 5 percent depending upon the performance rating of the employee. Supervisors will set the percentage available in the pool
Under the plan, beginning in FY 2008, a performance review and any salary increase will coincide with the anniversary date of the employee’s hire.
Foster said the system is expected to take several months to implement.
County employees can look forward to their first increase under the new plan in July, 2007.
In other business, supervisors authorized the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority to proceed with loan applications to fund the expansion of ABB.
The IDA is seeking a $9 million loan from Community National Band and a $2 million loan from the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority.
In addition, the Authority is seeking a $375,000 grant from the state’s Industrial Rail Access Fund to provide rail service to the expanded plant.
Discussing the matter, Chairman William Fitzgerald said the move is an investment in the county.
“There are some critics saying that this Board is spending too much money,” he said. “But I look at it as an investment in the future of this county. I believe that making an investment in the future of the county is the right thing to do. We need to continue investing in the future of the county for our children.”
Responding to a question posed by Abbott concerning the county’s obligation to the loans, Finance Committee Chairman Doug Bowman said the county will own the land and building constructed on the site.
“The county will have a moral obligation for $11 million secured by the land, building and equipment,” he said. “Our exposure is limited as long as ABB stays here for 10 years. Given their experience here, I don’t think they’re going to go anywhere.”
Supervisors, on a motion by Bowman and with Abbott opposing, passed the two loan resolutions 7-1.
Supervisors unanimously passed the resolution authorizing the grant application.
During Monday’s meeting, the Board agreed to form a committee to determine which legal firms will be interviewed to take over the duties of county attorney.
The committee will consist of supervisors Bryant Claiborne and Bowman, the chairman of the IDA and a representative of the Department of Social Services.
VDOT Resident Administrator Joe Barkley told the Board that a bridge on Route 719 will be closed for approximately one month for repairs.
Supervisors scheduled August 7 public hearings on two land use applications during Monday’s meeting.
Robert and Susan Franklin are seeking to rezone just over one acre at the intersection of Scottsburg Road and Route 360 from agricultural to business.
If approved following the hearing, the property will be used for a motorcycle repair shop.
The Virginia State Police are seeking a conditional use permit to replace an existing 250-foot telecommunications tower on U.S. 501 with a 400-foot tower.
The new tower is necessary in order for the state to update the department’s radio system, according to Ronald Rice, VSP Capital Outlay Program Director.

 

Area Shooters Aiming For The Top
Five area youth are aiming for the top at July’s National Shooting Sports Foundation’s 2006 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Skeet and Sporting Clays Championships.
Ryan Tribble, Christopher Wilmouth II, Carol Ann (C.A.) Nichols, Corbin Headley and Paul MacCarty will compete in the SCTP National Championships July 14-16 in Rochester, N.Y.
Competitors will shoot in two divisions, one each for skeet and sporting clays, with the shooters divided into four groups, Senior Experienced, Junior Experienced, Senior Novice and Junior Novice.
Tribble, from Nathalie and Wilmouth, from Halifax will compete in the Senior Experienced Division. Nichols, of Halifax, will compete in the Senior Novice Division, while Roxboro resident Headley and MacCarty of South Boston will shoot in the Junior Novice Division.
Tribble, Wilmouth and Nichols, members of the Halifax County 4-H Topguns Shooting Club and the State 4-H Shooting Team, will shoot for the Virginia State team in the Nationals, while Headley and MacCarty will go as members of the Timber Ridge Junior Claybusters.
Headley, age 14, got his start through his dad, who introduced him to skeet and sporting clays shooting.
“I’ve always hunted, and the thing is that you can hunt for three or four years, but come over here [Halifax Gun Club] and shoot a whole lot more,” said Headley.
“This teaches you respect for a firearm and I enjoy the competition,” added Headley, who practices an average of twice a week, between three and six rounds each practice.
Headley said he averages around 25 shots for each round during a typical practice.
Nichols, 15, said her father, Mike, got her started in the sport of sporting clay and skeet shooting.
“My dad got me started, and I began with BB guns and air rifles before stepping up to shotguns,” said Nichols.
Nichols added she became interested in competition shooting when her father took her to a 4-H State shoot.
“It’s fun and it’s a different sport,” said Nichols, who also competes in the Comets soccer program.
Nichols, who has competed before in archery and muzzle loaders, said she felt a little odd when she started shooting in a mostly male sport, but thinks clay and skeet shooting is becoming more popular with girls.
Tribble thinks he breaks from 150-200 clays each practice twice a week in preparing for a competition.
“I’ve improved my scores and the more I practice, the better I get, I guess” smiled Tribble.
Wilmouth, 16, said he has been shooting for about four years, after his father got him involved in 4-H.
“It’s taught me respect for others, respect for firearms and gun safety.”
All four competitors agreed that for one to accurately judge their sport, they need to actually come to see them shoot.
“Before you join the 4-H shooting team, you must pass the hunter’s safety course, and it’s mandatory to have eye and ear protection before you come onto a clay or skeet field,” said Ryan Tribble’s father, Wayne Tribble.
“There are programs such as Hunters For the Hungry, and you never see the good things people do with guns, only the bad things.”
Carol Ann’s father, Mike Nichols, said a whole lot of people see guns portrayed by the media only in a negative light.
Pointing to the crowd gathered recently at Halifax Gun Club, he noted the diversity of people present, from younger to older sportsmen and girls.
“If you notice the people here now, this sport has all age groups, and they all help one another,” said Nichols.
“People who know the sport and also may hunt, know that a gun is a tool, just as a hammer is to a carpenter. That’s how they look it, as a tool of the trade.”
Over 350 kids from over 40 states competed in San Antonio in 2004, according to Wayne Tribble, who expects an equal number of participants in Rochester next month.
Mike Nichols quickly added that although the competitive side of the sport can be somewhat expensive, the upsides outweigh the downsides.
“The members of the Halifax Gun Club, who are champion shooters in their own right, have accepted the kids and they enjoy having them up here.
“They realize that they’re the future of the sport in this area.”
The SCTP program allows elementary through high-school age youths to compete as a team for national and state titles in trap, skeet and sporting clays.
Participants learn safe firearms handling, responsibility, leadership and teamwork through the program.
“I think we’ll do alright at the Nationals,” said Ryan Tribble with a confidence echoed by Nichols, Headley and Wilmouth.

 

Big Crowd Expected For Shelby Extravaganza At VIR
In the history of American motorsport, there are few more recognizable icons than Carroll Shelby.
A noted Texas-based sports car racer in the 1950s, he retired from racing soon after winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans for Aston Martin and became a car manufacturer and race-team owner, creating the fabled Cobra sports car and Shelby Mustangs and helping to develop Ford’s world-beating GT40s.
The Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) was founded in 1975 and is dedicated to the preservation, care, history and enjoyment of the cars built by Shelby. It has 5000 members in this country and another 500 abroad, and will hold its annual convention this coming weekend, June 30 – July 2, at VIRginia International Raceway.
The SAAC’s annual convention is one of the biggest automotive events in America, and is held at a different location each year, attracting thousands of car owners, Shelby enthusiasts and special guests.
The three-day event includes vintage racing, a concours d’elegance, car shows, parts swap, literature/memorabilia auction, parade laps and open track sessions. It is customary for Mr. Shelby to attend, as well as some of the drivers who drove his cars. A large crowd is anticipated for the weekend, as all the hotel rooms in the area have been sold out for weeks in advance.
“We are honored to have been chosen as the site for this year’s Shelby American Automobile Club annual convention,” said VIR general manager Josh Lief.
“It’s a very significant event for us, since Carroll Shelby won the inaugural race at VIR in 1957 and many of the cars he built raced and won here in the 1960s. We’re looking forward to a great weekend full of historic automobiles and enthusiastic fans, and as always we are happy to have a chance to introduce our beautiful facility to new visitors.”
Tickets for the Shelby American Automobile Club’s Annual Convention will be available at the gate, priced at $25 per day. A three-day ticket (Friday through Sunday) is $75; a two-day ticket (Saturday and Sunday) is $50; and a one-day ticket (Sunday only) is $25. Children under 12 are admitted free with a paying adult. Ticket prices include onsite parking and pedestrian paddock access. Camping fees are $35 for the weekend.
For more information, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR at 434-822-7700. For more information on the Shelby American Automobile Club, visit their website at www.saac.com.

 

Way Wins Kerr Lake Bass Fishing League Tourney
South Boston’s Anthony Rouse Earned The Co-Angler Big-Bass Award
HENDERSON, N.C. - Boater Jamey Way of McLeansville, N.C., earned $5,658 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake.
The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Piedmont Division events and earned Way 200 points in the Boater Division.
Way’s winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 13 ounces. He was throwing a combination of jigs and topwater poppers to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Steve Roberts of Lynchburg (five bass, 15 pounds, 4 ounces, $2,829); Michael Luckado of Ararat (five bass, 13 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,886); Larry Inman of Greensboro, N.C.(five bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,320); and David Farrington of Greensboro, N.C. (five bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounces, $1,132).
Luckado also took home an additional $500 for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.
Anthony Rouse of South Boston earned $437 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass he caught on a Zoom soft-plastic.
Wayne Smelser of Rural Retreat took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $915 for a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on a jig.
George Bost of Hickory, N.C., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,728 thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught on a combination of spinnerbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Lance Spencer of Newport News,(five bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,364); Bobby Peaslee of Roanoke (five bass, 13 pounds, 13 ounces, $911); Billy Odom of Benson, N.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 2 ounces, $637); and Bradley Stain of New Bern, N.C., tied for fifth with Randy Waterman of Keysville (five bass, 11 pounds, 6 ounces, $523).
The Piedmont Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 23-24 with a two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, on Kerr Lake near Henderson, N.C.
Following the regular season, the Piedmont Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.
The top 40 Piedmont Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Smith Mountain Regional near Moneta Oct. 19-21, where they will compete against Bama, Hoosier, and Mountain anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 All-American.
With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers.
For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.

 

Obituaries

James David Noblin
James David Noblin, 59, of 2060 Woods Creek Lane, Scottsburg, died June 26, 2006, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Noblin was born in Halifax County on October 6, 1946, the son of the late Ruby Willard ‘Peck’ Noblin and Thelma Virginia Dunkley Noblin, and was married to Patsy Snead Noblin. He was a member of Bethel Baptist Church and Bethel Ruritan Club, and was employed at ABB.
Funeral services will be held today, June 28, at 2 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jason Murray officiating. Burial will follow in Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.
Survivors of Mr. Noblin include his wife of the home; two sons, Rex David Noblin and wife, April, and James Michael Noblin and wife, Cindy, all of Scottsburg; one sister, Ruby Noblin Bagby of Scottsburg; one brother, Wayne Willard Noblin, of Halifax; and three grandchildren, Tori, Michael and Dillon. One sister, Carolyn Noblin Lowery, also preceded him in death.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Fork Baptist Church Building Fund, 5202 Falkland Road, Scottsburg, 24589.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@earthlink.net
Novia Gay Bowen Whitt
Novia Gay Bowen Whitt, 86, of Baskerville, widow of William C. Whitt, died June 26, 2006, at her home.
A native of the Nelson community, Mrs. Whitt was retired from Russell Stover Candy Co. and had previously worked for Burlington Industries.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. today, June 28, at Watkins Cooper Lyon Chapel in Clarksville with the Rev. Jim McAlister officiating. Burial will follow at Nelson Baptist Church Cemetery.
Surviving Mrs. Whitt are daughters and son-in-law, Louise and Walter Allgood of Baskerville and Gladys Bryan of Powhatan; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Nannie Lee O’Geary; and a son-in-law, Paul Bryan.
You may express condolences at www.wclfh.com.
Julia Jackson
Julia Jackson, 93, of South Boston died June 25, 2006, in Halifax Regional Hospital.
Ms. Jackson was born December 2, 1912, in Halifax County, the daughter of the late Joseph Jackson and the late Susie Coleman Jackson. She was a member of Mt. Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sisters, Charlotte L. Williams of Keeling; and Gracie Jackson of South Boston; and a devoted niece, Susie Stephens of Danville.
Dr. Arthur E. Crews will conduct a funeral service tomorrow, June 29, at 2 p.m. at Mt. Grove Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Viewing will be tomorrow from 1 p.m. until the time of the service at the church.
The family is receiving friends at the home of her sister, Charlotte Williams, Keeling.