Further slowdowns in the pace of construction in South Boston and Halifax County continued through the first six months of 2000 based on the number and the value of building permits from January through June. Compared to 1999, total permit values plunged 44.1 percent in the Town of South Boston and 40.2 percent in Halifax County.
Absent from the construction picture is industrial expansion. Not a single permit for new construction nor expansion to existing industrial properties was issued by the county's building inspection department during the first half of 2000.
The Halifax County Industrial Park, located west of South Boston off U.S. Hwy 58, is located in the county.
During the same period, the Town of South Boston saw the start of construction on a new addition to The Woodview, a nursing home owned and operated by Halifax Regional Hospital. That facility is designed to house and treat Alzeheimers' patients and,based on building permits issued so far, will cost approximately $1,245,000.
South Boston's building code enforcement department does not identify specifically industrial activity but rather includes it in commercial work. New commercial construction for the first six months of the year is valued at $1,254,945 compared to $765,500 during the same period a year ago, an increase of 63.9 percent.
But in all other categories of construction, figures reflect a significant decline compared to what had been record growth years during most of the last decade.
Among the larger commercial projects is a 7,360-square-foot addition to Halifax Square Shopping Center which, according to owners, is speculative space for, as yet, unsecured tenants. That project is valued at $320,000.
New residential construction in South Boston fell almost in half during the first half of 2000 when compared to 1999. Just five new homes with a total value of $405,000 were started this year compared to 18 worth $800,460 in 1999.
In the county, new home starts totalled 35 in 2000 compared to 42 in 1999. Total values were $3,278,690 and $3,866,187 respectively.
Rising cost of new home construction apparently accounts for continued strong activity in remodeling and additions to existing single family homes in throughout the community.
For the first half of this year, permits for that type of work totalled 204 compared to 152 in 1999. Cost of those improvements are actually down $1,676,442 compared to $2,009,563 a year ago.
In South Boston, that same category of construction was basically unchanged compared to 1999. A total of 69 residential alteration projects at a cost of $375,471 were permitted from January through June 2000.
Manufactured homes, primarily single and double-wide units, continue to reflect the type housing more families are choosing in Halifax County. For the first six months of this year, a total of 140 mobile home permits, valued at $5,115,909 were issued. That compares to 172 permits and a value of $5,642,610 in 1999.

The last two major vacancies in the Halifax County school system have been filled.
Lisa M. Long, who has served as the coordinator of the school system's Potentially Talented & Gifted program for the past nine years, has been named as the new principal at South of Dan Elementary School.
Debbie Griles, a seventh-grade Language Arts teacher at Halifax County Middle School, has been named as an assistant principal at Halifax County High School.
The appointments of Long and Griles were made Tuesday night by the Halifax County School Board following an approximate 20-minute closed session.
At South of Dan Elementary School, Long will succeed Ricky Hunt who had served as principal of the school for the past nine years.
Hunt, as part of a major shuffle of local school principals, was named earlier this summer to the principal's post at Clays Mill Elementary School.
Clay's Mill principal Joe Griles has become the school system's director of Pupil Personnel.
Prior to serving as the coordinator of the school system's Potentially Talented & Gifted Program for the past nine years, Long taught briefly in the Granville County, N.C. public schools and became a teacher in the Halifax County school system in February 1986.
Long has endorsements in Early Education NK-4, Gifted Education and as Middle School Principal, Elementary School Principal and Secondary Supervisor.
At Halifax County High School, Griles will take over the assistant principal position that was occupied by Gail Bosiger.
Bosiger, in the school system's recent personnel shuffle, was appointed as assistant principal at Halifax County Middle School.
She was named to fill the vacancy created when Halifax County Middle School Assistant Principal Marliss Barczak was named to an instructional supervisor's post with the school system late this past spring.
Griles served as a seventh-grade Language Arts teacher at Halifax County Middle from 1993 through the past school year.
From 1988 to 1993, Griles served as a Language Arts teacher for grades six and seven at Scottsburg Elementary School.
Prior to joining the school system, Griles served as assistant office manager at Burlington Industries in Halifax.
Griles holds several endorsements, including Middle School Education 4-8, Accounting, Basic Business, Developmental Reading and Supervision and Administration.
At Halifax County High School. Griles' focus will be on curriculum.
In another personnel move, the Halifax County School Board appointed Barbara Speece as the school system's testing coordinator and coordinator of the gifted and talented program.
As part of the move, Speece, who has been on a 10-month contract basis with the school system, will move to a 12-month contract.
The appointments of Long and Griles received unanimous votes from the School Board.
Board member Carl Furches registered a negative vote on the appointment of Speece.
Also Tuesday night, board member Steve Anderson was appointed to represent the local school board as a delegate to the Virginia School Board Association annual convention November 14-17.
Board member Jason Parker was named as an alternate.
In its final action Tuesday night, the Halifax County School Board voted to move its August 21 meeting from the Mary M. Bethune Complex to the Halifax County Career Center.

The Prizery's user groups were "vocal" during a four-hour meeting with architects Wednesday night, verbally tweaking a trio of designs - even moving a dance studio - as space took shape.
"I was really excited about it," said architect Greg Rutledge yesterday.
"It is the first step in the master plan for construction over a number of years."
With more needs than space, feedback from the user groups is viewed as critical by planners, but there was even more on the evening's menu of events for architects.
Design savvy and "give-and-take" among user groups opened positive dialogue for the architects designing the plan for The Prizery's 29,000 square feet.
"It was something they had been looking at for a long time," said Rutledge of the user groups, which include the Halifax Little Theatre, the Halifax Woman's Club, Parsons-Bruce Art Association, the Town of South Boston and the South Boston-Halifax Junior Woman's Club.
During the Wednesday session, the various groups examined the future art gallery's needs, with concerns raised about space requirements for Virginia Museum crate deliveries.
Throughout the design/planning stage, Rutledge said architects are trying to maintain "the open character of the building."
There also was focus on legitimate theatre space, which includes the stage and the theatre's support facilities, explained the architect.
"And the welcome center will invite you to go through the building," added Rutledge.
The Prizery's officials may open additional space if they can locate a photograph showing a boiler room that was once located at the side of the building.
The photograph is needed to help document the room in a presentation to the Department of Historic Resources, explained Tamyra Vest of South Boston Community Development. The Prizery's advocates are actively seeking help from the community in their search for documentation.
Architects already view the possible addition as a good place for a scenery shop. "It would be a nice, high, open space," observed Rutledge.
Next, architects will refine the initial plan and actual costs will be determined.
When the plans are 95 percent complete, they will be sent for review to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and federal offices prior to public hearing, explained Vest.
The Prizery has been the recipient of $1,375,000 in grants for the project. Rutledge estimated that the welcome center and work outside of the building should be ready to advertise for contractors' bids by mid-to-late 2001.
The Prizery is located at 716 Seymour Dr. in South Boston.
Architects working on the project include Greg Rutledge, Nat McCormick, Rebecca Hecker and Margaret Marshall of Hanbury Evans Newill Vlattas & Company's Norfolk office.

A 22-year-old Brookneal woman was charged with reckless driving after a single-vehicle accident early Thursday morning.
Trooper D.T. Conner said the 1:05 a.m. accident occurred on Route 501, six-tenths of a mile north of Perth Road (Route 638), when Angelia B. Bray fell asleep at the wheel of a 1999 Chevrolet.
Conner said the vehicle ran off of the right side of the road and struck a guard rail.
Estimated damage to the vehicle was $3,000 and $400 to the guard rail.
· A two-vehicle accident, involving two South Boston residents, occurred Wednesday afternoon on Route 501, one quarter of a mile north of Route 58.
Officer T.M. Van Aernom said a 1993 Ford van, driven by Carrie Elliott, 45, was stopped to make a left turn in the northbound left lane and was struck in the rear by a 1994 Mitsubishi, driven by Renee Tucker, 28.
Tucker was injured by the 4:15 p.m. accident and treated at Halifax Regional Hospital and released, according to South Boston police.
Van Aernom estimated $5,000 in damages to the Tucker vehicle and $1,000 to the Elliott vehicle.
No charges were filed.

In other police reports,

A Halifax man was arrested Wednesday by sheriff's deputies on a misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
Lawrence Monroe, 44, of Main Street, was charged with the assault and battery of Margie Monroe.
Mr. Monroe allegedly committed the offense on the day of the arrest.
· Karen Traynham, 36, of Poplar Street in South Boston, was charged Tuesday by sheriff's deputies with a misdemeanor count of trespassing.
Traynham allegedly trespassed on property belonging to Bruce T. Powell without authority and arrested on the day of the offense.
A hearing for Traynham is scheduled in Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on August 9.
· A Nathalie man was arrested Sunday by sheriff's deputies on a misdemeanor count of appearing in public in an intoxicated manner.
David Britton, 30, of Volens Road, was charged and he is scheduled to appear in Halifax County General District Court on September 1.
· Tony Ezra Cunningham, 38, of Sandy Beach Road in South Boston, was arrested Wednesday by sheriff's deputies on a charge of operating a motor vehicle after having been a habitual offender.
Cunningham allegedly committed the offense on June 3.

Halifax County High School golf coach David Graham wasn't at all disappointed in his team's fourth place finish in the season opening Halifax County Invitational Golf Tournament.
In fact, everything considered, he was pretty pleased.
"It was about what I expected," Graham said.
"We had four kids including a freshman and a sophomore who were playing their first real match. And, for us, this was only our third day of the season. We couldn't start practice until Tuesday.
"I was hoping we could finish in the top three and we had a chance to do that," he added.
"It wasn't bad."
Graham entered the tournament without two golfers that could normally be counted on to produce good scores.
One of them Scott Adams, had just returned home in the early morning hours yesterday from a stint in the Dixie Majors World Series.
Another player, Andrew Leonard, is out nursing an injured finger that required stitches.
Jesse Watkins, Suzanne Stevens, Josh Davis and Lesli Hughes got their first taste of real tournament play.
Stevens and Watkins carded a round of 83 and 85 respectively and their scores were counted toward the overall team total of 329.
Hughes, with a 97, and Davis, with a 107, weren't counted as the four lowest scores are counted toward the team total.
"I thought they played pretty well," Graham remarked.
"This was Jesse's first tournament, Josh is just a freshman, Lesli had a 97 which is very good for her. A couple or three weeks ago she couldn't break 100. And, Suzanne, with an 83, had a good tournament."
Nick Thompson, the most seasoned of the Comet linksters, turned in the team's best score, a 77.
Drew Lewis, who is in his second year with the team, carded an 84.
E.C. Glass, with the bulk of its players from last year's team returning, romped to an easy 18 stroke win in yesterday's tournament on the water logged Greens Folly layout with a 300 total.
And, Hilltopper linkster Will Marks won medalist honors with a 71, giving E.C. Glass a double win.
"This was a good win for us," said Glass coach Mike Anthony.
"We've got three freshmen that played varsity today. They're going to push the older kids."
Franklin County finished a distant second with a 318 total. Magna Vista took third place with a 325 total and Halifax County was fourth with a 329 score. Stonewall Jackson rounded out the top five teams with a 330 total.
GW finished sixth with a 349 total and Gretna rounded out the field with a 398 total.
Actually, Halifax County had an excellent shot at third place, possibly even second place.
Three members of the Comets team, Watkins, Lewis and Stevens each carded a triple bogey. Take away some of that and the Comets are in excellent shape.
"I'm not upset at any of them," Graham said.
"We just had a few holes that hurt us. But, that's a potential nine strokes right there. Take those away and we've got third place."
Halifax County's next event is the Heritage Invitational Golf Tournament in Lynchburg.
That event will come up Monday, August 14.

Rosa Ann Morris Rice, age 92, of 1083 Wilborn Road, Virgilina, died August 2 at Berry Hill Nursing Home.
Mrs. Rice was born May 1, 1908, in Halifax County the daughter of Willie H. Morris and Lucy Boyd Morris and was married to Johnny Walter Rice. She was a member of Union United Church of Christ.
A funeral service will be held today, August 4 at 2 p.m. at Union United Church of Christ with the Revs. Michael Wilburn and Bobby Whitfield officiating. Burial will follow in Virgilina Cemetery.

Survivors of Mrs. Rice include two sons, Johnny W. Rice of Virgilina and Thomas J. Rice of Roxboro, N.C.; and one brother, Elmo Morris of Virgilina.

Nathaniel Dunkley, age 59, of South Boston, died August 2 at Berry Hill Nursing Home.
Mr. Dunkley was born in South Carolina on April 8, 1941, the son of Louise and Archie Dunkley.
Survivors include one brother, Ernest Dunkley of Lynchburg, and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services for Mr. Dunkley will beheld today, August 4 at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of Kent, Ballou and Crowder Funeral Service. Burial will follow in Rose Garden Cemetery.