Monday, May 10, 2004

IDA Director Morris Resigns
Morris’ Resignation Comes On The Heels Of IDA Chairman Carlyle Ramsey's Resignation In April

Scott Morris, IDA executive director, is resigning effective July 1, IDA chairman John Cannon announced yesterday.

"Scott has received an opportunity for employment that he feels is in the best interest of his family, and we support him in this decision," Cannon said.

Efforts to reach Morris for comment late yesterday were unsuccessful.

The IDA chairman said he would be "working with town and county leaders to establish a plan for moving forward with our economic development efforts."

"Now, more than ever, we need the leaders of the county to step forward," he urged.

"The work produced by Scott and carried forward by Del. Hogan to enact legislation for the new unified economic development organization can allow all the area's economic development efforts to come from a single source."

Currently, the IDA is in the midst of the Riverstone Technology Park development, with a ribbon cutting ceremony set for Thursday.

Two buildings are scheduled at the Riverstone site, with the Virginia Employment Commission already in place as a tenant for Building II.

In the prepared release, Cannon lauded Morris' accomplishments, citing his strong work ethic, continued efforts to work with existing employers as well as attract new businesses.

"He's been here just short of two years and tripled our number of active prospects," Cannon said.

Morris' resignation comes on the heels of former IDA chairman Carlyle Ramsey's resignation in April. In announcing his resignation, Ramsey cited his own time constraints as Danville Community College president as well as IDA internal management issues.

Morris came to Halifax County as IDA chief in August of 2002 at an initial $80,000 salary.

Yesterday, Cannon credited the IDA staff under Morris' direction with numerous accomplishments, citing the Motorsports/Viper initiative, workforce training emphasis, implementing several new tax classes.

Other accomplishments, Cannon said, was Morris' efforts in working with the county on implementing a new category for machinery and tools tax as well as starting the process for the first major amendment to the Enterprise Zone.

After 115 Days, State Has Budget
House, Senate Pass Budget Compromise Package Friday

The House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a new state budget Friday, finally ending a historic impasse over taxation and funding for state government.

Halifax County Delegate Clarke Hogan, a Republican, supported the package. Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg, was one of five senators to oppose the measure.

The House approved the measure on a vote of 65-30, bringing to a contentious close an unprecedented 115 days the General Assembly has been in session without a budget.

The Senate, on a 32-5 vote, had approved the same package about an hour earlier.

Gov. Mark R. Warner, with 30 days to look at the package and either sign or amend the package, made his intentions clear Friday.

"I intend to sign it," he told reporters gathered in the conference room of his Capitol office.

The longest and most rancorous continuous legislative meeting in the modern history of Virginia did not go quietly to its conclusion, however.

Three conservative members of the House budget negotiating team, Republicans Leo C. Wardrup Jr. and M. Kirkland Cox and Democrat Johnny Joannou, noted four objections to the nearly $60 billion budget with a ‘‘concurring opinion’’ to the final compromise.

Disclosure of the single-sheet dissent evoked outrage in the Senate, where a motion to sever the document from the conference report threatened to wreck the budget moments before a vote to pass it.

‘‘I find it utterly amazing that we have three conferees who have signed this.

They voted against every opportunity to raise revenues so we can address core services and then write something that can only be characterized as a dissent because we didn’t spend enough money,’’ Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, said.

Sen. Russell Potts, R-Winchester, rose to ‘‘reflect on the audacity and the chutzpah’’ of the three dissident House conferees.

‘‘What we had from them was an obstructionist Dr. No — No! No! No! — vision for Virginia,’’ Potts said.

In the House, conservatives were not fazed and lambasted the compromise in floor speeches.

‘‘This is a budget conceived on broken promises and constructed on deceit,’’ said Del. John S. ‘‘Jack’’ Reid, R-Henrico.

Del. Richard L. Black, R-Loudoun, said legislators told Virginians two years ago that transportation was a priority, yet the budget includes no significant new funding for roads and transit.

‘‘The public can take a cynical view and ask, ‘Can we really believe these guys ever?’ I think it’s a betrayal of the people of the state of Virginia,’’ Black said.

The final compromise left no legislative faction pleased.

Conservatives in the House decried a newly passed $1.4 billion tax increase package that buttresses the new budget. Northern Virginia delegates said they opposed the package because it demands too much from Virginia’s most populous and wealthy region but provides too few services in return, particularly transportation.

Chichester and the Senate leadership, which had wanted a spending package more than $2 billion larger, voiced regret that there was no additional money in the budget for the state’s strained transportation projects.

House Democrats had the same lament.

‘‘It means we’re going to have to address transportation in another year, and the crisis is only going to get worse in transportation before we deal with it,’’ said Del. Marian Van Landingham, D-Alexandria.

Democratic Del. Brian Moran said the state can’t indefinitely ignore the unabating highway congestion in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. ‘‘In northern Virginia, transportation sticks out in my constituents’ lives every day.’’

Initially, the Senate proposed about $1.6 billion in fuel taxes for transportation needs but stripped it off to reach a compromise with the House. There is little chance that new taxes to fund transportation projects is coming soon, Chichester said.

‘‘A gas tax seems pretty distant at this point given the price of fuel but it does not diminish the poor condition of the Transportation Trust Fund,’’ he said.

SoBo Tax Public Hearing Tonight
Residents Can Weigh In On Proposed Real Estate Tax Increase

South Boston residents will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed effective real estate tax increase during Council's meeting tonight.

A public hearing to explore the possibility will be held during tonight's session.
The meeting will convene at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at 502 Yancey Street in South Boston.

A 2004-2005 budget workshop is also scheduled Monday night as councilmen hone the budget.

As a result of the recent real estate reassessment a 17-cent per assessed $100 rate would raise the same revenue as last year's 19-cent rate.

According to published reports from town staff, however, the difference between the lower tax rate and the proposed 19-cent rate would be an effective 11.7 percent tax increase.

Approximately $66,000 in additional revenue can be raised by holding the current 19-cents per $100 assessed value, according to a town official.

State Code requires the governing body to conduct a public hear when taxes raised as a result of property reassessment, if kept at the current rate, would be an effective increase of more than 1 percent.

Town Manager Ted Daniel, in presenting a staff budget submittal during the April work session, reviewed an aggregate town budget that includes the General Fund, Cemetery Fund and Water/Sewer Fund with a projection at $11,245,660, which is a decrease of $977,177 from the current budget of $12,753,961.

However, staff cautioned that in order to meet water/sewer funding requirements for the 2004-2005, it is projected $315,555 will be required from the General Fund, rate increases, or a combination of the two as determined by Town Council.

Loss of industrial and business w/s users has affected revenue, according to town officials.

The staff budget proposal also carries personnel pay raises based on a 2 percent cost-of-living increase, participation by the town in the Virginia Retirement System LEOS early retirement option for law enforcement and firefighters and support for the Main Street Program at $50,000 per year for five years.

Two other public hearings also are scheduled tonight. One concerns a special use permit application from Halifax Regional Hospital to allow construction of a cardiac care facility at HRH's existing site.

The permit would allow construction of a two-story, 7,500-square-foot addition (15,000 square feet total) to the existing hospital building to the left of the existing emergency room access.

The remaining item is a public hearing and second reading on an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $4,500,000 in general obligation bonds.
The $4.5 million will be used to provide interim financing for improvements to the town's water and sewer system, operating expenditures for the town's general fund and $1.5 million in funding for the town and county's donation to The Prizery.

South Boston has pledged $600,000 to The Prizery project. The Halifax County pledge of $900,000 will be initially funded through the note.

Comets Locked In Race For Second
A Heartbreaking 4-3 Loss In 10 Innings To E.C. Glass Thursday Night And A Friday Win By GW Dropped The HCHS Varsity Baseball Team Into A Chase For Second Place

By JOE CHANDLER | G-V Staff Writer

With GW having locked up the Western Valley District regular-season baseball title and a berth in the Northwest Region Tournament with a Friday night win over Franklin County, the chase is now on for the runner-up spot.

A game that will have a tremendous bearing on second place comes up here tomorrow night when Halifax County hosts E.C. Glass at 6 p.m. at Comets Field in a rematch from last Thursday night's 10-inning thriller in Lynchburg.
The Hilltoppers won the extra-inning contest 4-3, knocking the Comets out of a run at GW and the regular-season title.

That loss also threw the chase for second place into a real donnybrook between the Comets and the Hilltoppers with Patrick Henry, whom the Comets downed 10-5 here Friday night, still having an outside shot at getting into the mix.

Halifax County, 3-2 in district play, has three district games left to play, the first being Tuesday night's contest against E.C. Glass, the second coming Friday night against GW in Danville and the last coming on Tuesday, May 18, on the road against Franklin County.

E.C. Glass, which is 3-3 in district play, faces Halifax County here Tuesday and goes on the road Friday to face Patrick Henry.

Patrick Henry, 2-4 in district play, concludes its district schedule with home games Tuesday against Franklin County and Friday against E.C. Glass.

At stake with a second-place finish is a home game in one of the semifinal games of the Western Valley District Tournament.

That is why Comets coach Kelvin Davis is pegging Tuesday night's game as a big one for his team.

"One of the big things we have to try to do is win a home field advantage for the first round of the district tournament," said Davis.

"That will be big for us if we can do that. The Glass game is a ballgame we really need to win to make sure we guarantee that home field advantage."

Davis said the key is taking things one game at a time.

"It's important that we stay focused right now," Davis pointed out.

The Comets got a powerful performance out of sophomore hurler Jeremy Jeffress who worked nine complete innings and was relieved by senior Jason Lloyd after walking the Hilltoppers' first batter in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Jeffress fanned 12 batters and scattered five hits and two walks on the night.

Unfortunately, the Comets failed to come up with a hit when they needed it most, leaving the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning and the top of the tenth inning.

That opened the door for E.C. Glass to get the win in the bottom of the 10th inning.

After Jeffress walked E.C. Glass' Walter Hahn and Lloyd came to the hill, Hahn stole second base to advance into scoring position.

Hahn moved to third base on a groundout to second base. Then, with the Comets fielders playing in to try to cut off the potential winning run, the Hilltoppers Matt Bergen cashed in with a single that went over the head of Comets leftfielder Clyde Brooks to plate Hahn and give his team the win.

Halifax County took an early 1-0 lead when Robert Carter reached base on an error with two out in the top of the third inning and scored by stealing home.
Glass grabbed the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring three runs with the aid of three back-to-back doubles and a Comets error to go up 3-1.

Halifax County tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning with a leadoff single by Brent Long which was followed by a two-run homer by Chris Perkins.

The Comets had opportunities after that to get the win but lost them by leaving the bases loaded in two of the last three innings.

Halifax County had seven hits in the game with Perkins and Long each getting two hits.

Lloyd, Brooks and Marcus Humphrey each chipped in one hit for the Comets.
Davis said he expects another tough battle when E.C. Glass comes here Tuesday for the return engagement.

"We know they are going to try to nip and fight and try to get some runs on us," said Davis.

"Hopefully, our bats will crank up because our pitching is right there. It's important that we win the games we need to win."

Obituaries

Onard Albright Reagan

Onard Albright Reagan, 74, of 1214 Golf Course Road, Halifax died May 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital.

Mr. Reagan was born in Halifax County on May 31, 1929, the son of Luther Merritt Reagan Sr. and Mary Hester Whitt Reagan and was married to Norma Mullins Reagan. He attended Revelation Baptist Church, retired from Burlington Industries and was a United States Army Veteran.

A funeral service was held at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel May 8 at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Rudolph Jacobs officiating. Burial followed in Shady Grove United Methodist Church Cemetery, Virgilina.

Survivors of Mr. Reagan include one son and his wife, Edward Thomas ‘Tommy’ Reagan and Virginia, of Halifax; one grandson, Cameron Thomas Reagan; three brothers, Ruby Reagan of South Boston, Tincy Reagan and James Reagan, both of Alton; four step-grandchildren; two step great-grandchildren; one brother-in-law, Willie P. Mullins of Haysi; and one sister-in-law, Nora M. Fletcher of Grundy.

Mr. Reagan was also preceded in death by three brothers, Luther Merritt, William Clay ‘Billy’ and Armstead Thomas Reagan.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider The Gideon’s or your favorite charity.