Service Authority Seeks Director, Studies Fees

During a Tuesday meeting the Board of the Halifax County Service Authority took action on several issues pertaining to getting the authority ready to operate by Jan.1 when its takes over the area’s water and sewer operations.
The Board is seeking an executive director and during the meeting adopted a job description outlining the position’s responsibilities and a recommended salary range of $76,085 to $131,755.
The Authority will advertise for the position on the Virginia Municipal League and North Carolina League on Municipalities websites, in several industry publications and in the state newspapers for Virginia and North Carolina, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Raleigh News and Observer.
A Sept. 28 deadline has been set for applicants to apply for the position.
During the meeting Authority members addressed interconnect improvements that must be made between the South Boston and Town of Halifax water systems.
In a presentation to the Board, South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel said the water interconnect project was a priority identified by Draper-Aden in the water/sewer masterplan.
The funding for the project will come from two separate grants, a $112,800 STAG grant for Halifax and a $132,300 TICR grant for South Boston.
Daniel said the Authority is pursuing an aggressive schedule to complete the project, with a Health Department review due Sept. 1, have the design completed and advertised by Oct. 1 and have the contract awarded and work started by Nov. 1, Daniel said.
This timetable will allow for substantial completion on the interconnect (activate pump station and water main) by Jan.1 and allow for the Halifax water treatment plant to be decommissioned by the beginning of March 2008, according to Daniel.
Daniel also said the Authority’s staff would begin working on a Tobacco Commission grant application for ‘special project’ funds for additional engineering and construction for Phase II of the interconnect project.
Authority Board members then discussed fees that the Authority would charge new users.
Water/sewer providers generally charge a combination of three fees, a connection, facility and capacity fee.
Daniel said the Authority will have to decide what fees it wants to impose and how much those fees will be.
A connection fee is designed to recover the cost of water and sewer line installation and is often based on the meter box size with a fixed fee for new construction.
A facility fee is charged for new connections that will benefit from joining on the established system and the revenue is reserved for repair and replacement of the system components.
The other fee, a capacity fee, is set aside on a capital reserve to be used for water and sewer capacity expansion projects.
Daniel said the fees are a “difficult nut to crack,” explaining that the fees are often opposed by builders and developers because the fee increases their upfront costs.
A committee of Authority members Coleman Speece and Leon Plaster and staff will meet to study the HCSA’s fee options and make recommendations to the Board.
Also at the meeting, the Board discussed how the Authority will bill its customers.
The Board agreed on bi-monthly billing for most customers with half being billed one month the other half the next, with the exception of large users who will be billed monthly.

1992 Court Order Transferred South Boston Schools Ownership To County

A Dec. 2, 1992 court order gives South Boston’s two elementary schools to the county.
The decree, issued during the city’s reversion to town status, addresses the schools thus:
“At or before the effective date of transition to town status under this order, the city or town of South Boston shall convey to the County of Halifax the two elementary schools now located in and operated by said city and all the said city’s interest in other school system buildings in both Halifax County and City of South Boston.
“At and after the said conveyance recognizing that only the Board of Education of the Commonwealth may designate or change school divisions, the county of Halifax shall incorporate the facilities so conveyed into the school system operated by the county, and shall, continuing to observe and comply with the designation heretofore or hereafter made by the State Board of Education as to the two existing school districts in the county and city, and thereafter operate them and deal with them as it does with the other elements of the Halifax County public schools as to financing and operating the schools in the two school districts, and .....”
At that point the the document continued to cover a variety of subjects regarding South Boston’s reversion.
South Boston attorney J. Willard Greer, who questioned the ownership of C.H. Friend earlier this week, saying he could find no transfer of deed, and that the C.H. Friend school belonged to the people of South Boston, responded to the court document yesterday.
“I have read the final order and opinion of the three-judge court in the case of the City of South Boston, petitioner, versus Halifax County, respondent, entered Dec. 2, 1992,” he began. “Today is the first time that I have seen this order and opinion. Because I am not the attorney for the Town of South Boston, it would be improper for me to make any observations concerning this document.
“I would like to thank the G-V for furnishing me this information,” he added.
Contacted yesterday, South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel’s focus was on current business, including the area’s new Public Service Authority.
Of the school ownership issue, he said: “It will be settled in due course” And, “We have not had any conversations with the School Board or county.”
Superintendent of Schools Paul Stapleton said, “I think it is still very important when you’re looking at this many facilities to have a lawyer give an interpretation on everything the School Board is going to take action on.”
Halifax Clerk of Court Bobby Conner, who failed to find a deed transfer for C.H. Friend School following a quick search earlier this week, alerted interested parties regarding the court order.
The School Board is expected at its August meeting to “surplus back” to the county schools closed this year that will no longer serve as school facilities.

Man Pleads No Contest To Grand Larceny

A 36-year-old Flagstaff, Arizona, man pleaded no contest Wednesday in Halifax County Circuit Court to grand larceny.
William Charles Bloxton entered the plea of no contest to a charge for grand larceny of property belonging to Key Construction .
The grand larceny occurred on Aug. 31, 2005, according to court records.
Judge William L. Wellons sentenced Bloxton to two years in prison, with all suspended but time served, conditioned on Bloxton’s good behavior for two years.
Other Court Cases
n Donald Cornelle Bass, 42, of Skipwith, pleaded no contest Wednesday to cocaine possession.
The court sentenced Bass to five years in prison, with all but one suspended, conditional upon the defendant’s good behavior for five years, and further ordered Bass be placed on probation for two years following his release.
The court suspended Bass’ operator’s license for six months, ordered him to abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs and ordered him to submit to random drug testing.
n Lisa Clark McGill, 38, of Scottsburg, was convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor DUI and possession of a Schedule I/II controlled substance.
The Commonwealth moved to nol pros three misdemeanor charges against McGill during the trial, for operating an uninsured vehicle, driving without a license and refusing a blood or breath test.
Judge Wellons sentenced McGill to a one-year suspended jail sentence and to a $250 fine for the DUI conviction.
The court sentenced McGill to three years in prison for the drug possession charge, suspending all to time already served, conditioned on McGill’s good behavior for three years.
The court additionally ordered McGill be placed on probation for one year, ordered her to abstain from illegal drugs and alcohol, and submit to random drug tests.
In addition, the court suspended McGill’s operator’s license for 18 months, restricting it to travel to and from work and the probation office.
n Michael Held, 38, of Halifax, was convicted Thursday of one charge for the grand larceny of property belonging to Rob Guthrie’s Junkyard.
Held is free on bond pending sentencing in the September court term.
• Chad Michael Shotwell, 32, of Alton, was convicted Thursday of a probation violation.
The court revoked 10 days of Shotwell’s previously suspended prison sentence with the balance resuspended, conditional upon Shotwell’s good behavior for one year, beginning immediately.
The court additionally ordered Shotwell to complete an alcohol program, followed by VASAP.
n The court found evidence sufficient Thursday to convict Keith Demoan Fuller, 35, of Danville, of a probation violation.
The court withheld its finding of guilt, continuing the case to the November court term and ordering the defendant to pay at least $50 per month toward court costs beginning Aug. 1.
n Caroll Thomas Hall, 50, of Long Island, pleaded guilty Thursday to petty larceny from Rob Guthrie and cocaine possession.
The court sentenced Hall to one year in jail, with all time suspended, for the petty larceny conviction.
The court found evidence sufficient to convict Hall of the cocaine possession charge, but withheld its finding of guilt, placing the defendant on first offender status and continuing the case for one year.
n Don Gray Moore, 28, of South Boston, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a Schedule I/II controlled substance.
The court found evidence sufficient to convict Moore of the charge, but withheld its finding of guilt, placing Moore on first offender status and continuing the case for one year.
The court ordered Moore to abstain from illegal drugs, submit to random drug tests and treatment, perform 100 hours of community service through Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services and pay court costs in advance.
n Brian Andre Strange, 28, of Halifax, was convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor embezzlement/petty larceny of property belonging to Valero Convenience Store.
The court sentenced Strange to a 60-day suspended jail sentence, conditional upon the defendant’s good behavior for one year.

Obituaries

Judy Ann Conner
Judy Ann Aker Conner of Rockville, Md., formerly of Roanoke, died July 17, 2007.
She was the wife of Raymond A. Conner, formerly of Halifax County; mother of Michael R. Conner and his wife, Cathy, of Frederick, Md., and David A. Conner Sr. and his wife, Gail, of Germantown, Md; sister of Gladys Nininger of Roanoke, the late Iris Kirk and the late Robert L. Aker; grandmother of David A. Jr. and his wife, Dana, James M., Derrick W. and his wife, Danielle, and John D. Mrs. Conner is also survived by her great grandchildren, Ciera, Tyler, Alyssa, Joseph, Andrew and Caleb.
Friends will be received at Pumphrey’s Colonial Funeral Home, 300 West Montgomery Avenue (Rte. 28, exit 6-A, just off I-270), Rockville, today, July 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., where services will be held tomorrow, July 21, at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Parklawn Memorial Park.
Those wishing to give memorial contributions are asked to consider the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 1130, Fairfax, 22038-1130.

Calvin E. Edmonds
Calvin E. Edmonds, 52, of Bridgeport, Conn., formerly of Halifax County, died July 16, 2007, in Branford, Conn.
Mr. Edmonds is survived by six sisters, Annie Williams of Stratford, Conn., Hazel Edmonds of Meriden, Conn, Carolyn Jackson of New York, Hallie Sparks of South Boston, Dorothy Younger and Beatrice Edmonds, both of Bridgeport; seven brothers, Elijah Edmonds of Stratford, Lawrence Edmonds and Gregory Edmonds, both of Bridgeport, Nathaniel Edmonds, Preston Edmonds, Joseph Edmonds and Willie Womack, all of South Boston. His parents, five brothers and one sister preceded him in death.
Funeral services for Mr. Edmonds will be held tomorrow, July 21, at 3 p.m. at The Crawford House Chapel in Halifax. Burial will follow at Christ Blue Rock Holiness Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at 911 Easley Street, South Boston.

Preston Gibson Whitehead
Preston Gibson Whitehead, 59, of South Boston died July 18, 2007, at the Baptist Home in Farmville.
Mr. Whitehead was born in Richmond on September 10, 1947, the son of Clarice Nichols Whitehead and the late John Wilson Whitehead Jr.
Survivors include his mother of South Boston; one brother, John W. Whitehead III of Wamego, Kan.; his uncle and aunts, Charlie and Laura Nichols and Eloise Hedderly, all of South Boston, and Mary Perkins of Anderson, S.C.
Funeral services for Mr. Whitehead will be held today, July 20, at 2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Tony Wilbourne and the Rev. Dr. Tim Cannon officiating. Burial will follow in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home one hour prior to the service.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Virginia Baptist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 730, Salem, 24153.

American Belles Claim State Title

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The Halifax American Belles all-stars claimed their second straight Dixie Softball Belles State Tournament title with a 9-6 win Tuesday over Appomattox.
American, which won its first-ever Belles state title last year, travels to Marianna, Florida for the Dixie Belles World Series starting July 27.
Halifax, which let a five-run lead slip away, rallied in the late innings to take the title.
Appomattox scored first with a single run in the first inning, and Halifax recovered to plate five runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead.
Appomattox rallied to tie the score at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but American got the runs it needed to win the game with a three-run rally in the sixth inning.
Sara Stewart had the hot bat for American against Appomattox, going three-for-three with four RBIs and scoring one run in the sixth inning on a passed ball.
Johanna Spencer, Jennifer Lacks, Caitlin Lawhorn and Kim Snead each added a RBI for American, Spencer reaching base on an error in the fourth to get one RBI.
Lacks went one-for-three with an RBI, Lawhorn one-for-three, reaching base on an error in the sixth to plate one run.
Snead reached base on an error in the fifth for an RBI, while both Christine DeGeorgis and Kate Bane each had a hit for American.
Halifax American sent three pitchers to the mound against Appomattox, Stewart getting the starting nod and hurling the first two and one-half innings.
Stewart allowed one run on one hit, while striking out four batters, and Dalyn Hall followed her on the mound for the next one and one-half innings.
Bane came to the mound in the bottom of the fifth and completed the game.

HC Bounced From Pre-Majors, Appomattox Wins

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff WRiter
The Halifax County Pre-Majors all-stars trailed 9-1 after three innings and never caught up in a 12-7 loss Tuesday to Goochland that eliminated them from the Dixie Baseball Pre-Majors State Tournament.
Goochland, its only loss a 8-2 setback to Appomattox on Monday, fell again to Appomattox 8-1 on Wednesday in the tourney title game.
Appomattox eliminated Mecklenburg County 6-1 on Tuesday, and scored seven runs in the final four innings against Goochland Wednesday to break a 1-1 tie and claim the state title.
A bad start put Halifax County in catch-up mode the entire game Tuesday after Goochland scored five runs in the top of the first inning.
A walk, two base hits, a pair of hit batters and another base hit yielded five runs and the early 5-0 lead for Goochland.
Goochland added two runs on two hits and two walks in the second, before Halifax countered with its first run.
Josh Hudson singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and pinch runner Aaron Mitchell went to second on a passed ball, stole third and eventually scored to make it 7-1.
Goochland expanded its lead in the third inning, using a leadoff walk, single, hit batsman, another single, and a walk to make it 10-1.
Halifax tried to get back into the game in the third, when Wooding walked, Collins reached on an error and Hudson walked to load the bases.
With one out, Puryear hit what would have been a sacrifice fly to score Wooding, but it was ruled that Wooding left the bag too early for the third out of the inning.
Two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings got Halifax cut the deficit in half, Trent reaching base after hit by a pitch with two outs and Sam Lantor reaching on an error, before Wooding’s double made it 10-3.
Another two-out rally made it 10-5 an inning later, Hudson getting aboard on a base hit and Puryear following with a two-run shot over the left field fence.
That was as close as Halifax would come, Goochland scoring a pair of runs on a single, two walks, hit batsman and sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 12-5.
Halifax scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh in a last-ditch effort to win the game, Chris Hunt reaching on an error, Collins smacking a double and Lewis hitting a single to make it 12-7, but it wasn’t enough.
Michael Puryear finished with the two-run homer for Halifax County, while Josh Hudson had two hits, Bill Wooding and E.C. Collins each a double and Patches Trent, Cody Lewis and Markee Brooks base hits.

SoBo Goes Down In Dixie Majors; Goochland Wins State Tourney

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
South Boston’s run in the Virginia Dixie Majors State Tournament at C.H. Friend Field came to an early end Tuesday with a 6-3 loss to Charlotte County.
While Charlotte County advanced to the state championship game, that was as far as Charlotte County would get.
Undefeated Goochland, which struggled to down Timberlake 12-11 in Tuesday’s other semifinal game, rallied from a 2-0 first-inning deficit and downed Charlotte County 12-2 Wednesday night in six innings to win the Virginia state title.
Goochland will represent Virginia in the Dixie Majors World Series which opens July 28 in Florence, S.C. It’s first-round opponent will be North Carolina.
South Boston appeared to be in pretty good shape in its contest against Charlotte County with the game deadlocked at 2-2 entering the final inning. However, South Boston was
victimized by a four-run Charlotte County rally in the top of the seventh inning and was unable to recover as it scored only one run in the bottom of the final inning.
“It just didn’t go our way,” said South Boston manager David Myers.
“I still feel like we were the best team here.”
South Boston and Charlotte County were deadlocked at 2-2 when South Boston took starting pitcher Ryan Enoch off of the mound and brought Patrick Curries to the hill for the start of the seventh inning.
Charlotte County’s Derek Adams kicked off the top of the seventh inning with a single off of Currie and stole second base. Brandon Madison walked to put runners on first base and second base with no outs.
Tyler Napier sent a long ball to the outfield that bounced off of the fence that opened the door for Adams to score and give Charlotte County a 3-2 lead with runners on first base and second base. Justin Ferrell followed with a double that scored Madison and put runners on second base and third base.
With his team leading 4-2, Sam Catron laced a single to the outfield that scored Napier and Ferrell to put Charlotte County up 6-2.
Jon Baines laced a hard line drive to third base that was snared by South Boston’s Jeremy Foster for the second out of the inning. Currie then walked Zack Guthrie to put runners at first base and second base with two out.
The walk to Guthrie proved to be the curtain call for Currie. Foster was brought to the mound and Currie was sent to third base. Daniel Hill, the only batter Foster had to face, popped up to South Boston shortstop Michael Ferrell to end the inning.
South Boston made every effort to get back into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ferrell was struck by a pitch, stole second base and scored on a single from Billy Joe Garrett to make what would be the eventual final score of 6-3.
Currie singled to move Garrett and both moved up a base on a double steal. A walk to Foster with two out loaded the sacks for South Boston. The inning and the game ended when Bret Lewis hit a ground ball to third base and Charlotte County made the easy force play at the bag.
Charlotte County took the lead in the top of the first inning when Adams singled, Napier walked and Adams scored on a two-out single from Ferrell. The visitors extended their lead to 2-0 with a solo homer in the top of the third inning.
South Boston got one run back in the bottom of the fifth inning when Enoch singled, Joey Rogers reached base on an error and Matt Conner singled to score Drew Hall who was running for Enoch.
A sacrifice bunt by Ferrell moved runners up a base and Bobby Owens reached base on an error to keep the inning alive. The inning ended, however, when Garrett, the next batter, hit a ground ball to third base and the Charlotte County player was able to make an easy force play at the bag for the final out.
South Boston tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning but saw the potential go-ahead run get erased at the plate.
Currie started the inning with a single to leftfield. Foster reached base on an error that allowed Currie to move to third base. Lewis went down on strikes but David Clark, running for Foster, stole second base on the play.
Vest went down on strikes but, the Charlotte County catcher missed the ball. Currie stole home and scored to tie the game at 2-2. Clark also attempted to score but was tagged out at the plate for the second out of the inning. A fielder’s choice on the ensuing play resulted in the final out of the inning.
South Boston had five hits in the game with Currie getting two hits and Garrett, Enoch and Conner getting one hit each. The hosts also took advantage of five Charlotte County errors and four walks.
Charlotte County had nine hits with Adams leading the way with a big 3-4 night at the plate. Justin Ferrell and Baines both had two hits and Napier and Catron had one hit each.
Justin Ferrell, the Charlotte County hurler, fanned six batters and yielded five hits and four walks.
Enoch, South Boston’s starting pitcher, fanned two batters and gave up five hits , two walks and two runs. Currie was charged with four hits, one walk and four runs. Foster faced only one batter.
Charlotte Co. – 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 - 6
So. Boston - 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 - 3