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New location proposed for transfer station
A third location for the proposed county Transfer Station for the
collection of solid waste emerged during Monday night's meeting of
County Supervisors. ED#2 Supervisor Tom West announced that just
that
day he and County Administrator Bryan Foster had looked at the
Quickway
Recycling Center location on US Route 58 near the intersection with
State Route 703 as a potential site for the facility.
"We are going to have our engineers look at the site within the next
few days and advise us on the possibility for its use," West said.
Buster D'Amato, who owns a nearby business, termed the location "one
of
the best sites" in the county for the transfer station as well as
for
a convenience and recycling center. He urged the county to take a
more
active role on recycling, saying Halifax County is "way, way behind
in
recycling." Quickway has been in the recycling business for a number
of
years, he pointed out.
Foster noted that it will take at least six months to construct the
station and the county needs to move quickly on the project.
Sue Wilkins Bales, the daughter of the owner of the Halifax County
Fairgrounds, told Supervisors that the choice of the Georgia Pacific
site for a transfer station could mean the loss of several
industrial
prospects since the station has been proposed to be sited adjacent
to
rail access. That site, Bales said, is a prime location for
development
and the locating of the transfer station there could be very
detrimental to her family businesses, as well as to the county's
growth.
In other business Monday evening Supervisors and Town Council
members
were advised that the local Red Cross chapter will lose some $18,000
in
funding during the coming year. The loss will come from the absence
of
United Way funding which the chapter has received over the past
several
years. Operating on an annual budget of some $79,000 Director Ginger
Weaver said her agency has provided help for the victims of 14 house
fires and made 46 emergency calls for military personnel as well as
collecting 11,112 units of blood. In addition CPR, lifesaving and
baby-sitting classes have been conducted. "We have to depend on
donations and volunteers for much of our support," she said, as she
asked that the governing bodies consider whatever amount of
financial
support they could muster for the local Red Cross chapter in its
upcoming fiscal year.
Governing body members also heard a report from Lori Frazier,
Program
Director for First Care Health Services which ranks among the top 25
percent of providers nationwide for services which rank as an
alternative to hospitalization. "As our population continues to live
longer, there is a greater need for our services, said Frazier, who
pointed to the home health care available to consumers locally. She
added that South Boston is the home office for the regional chain of
home health and private duty nursing providers who also serve four
surrounding counties, bringing in revenues from those areas.
Town Council members and Supervisors also received a draft document
of
the comprehensive agreement among the three members of the Halifax
County Service Authority — Halifax County Supervisors, Halifax Town
Council and South Boston Town Council — which will oversee the
consolidated water and sewer operations throughout the urban area of
the county. The agreement outlines the composition of the Authority
and
the sale of each member's assets to the Authority.
Following the joint session, County Supervisors agreed to support a
request from the IDA to finance the demolition of the old
Georgia-Pacific facility which needs to be done right away so that
the
debris can be disposed of in the South Boston landfill before it
closes
at year's end.
"We're in something of a dilemma," IDA Director Mike Eades told the
Board. He explained that the IDA has applied for a $700,000
Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) to cover the demolition expense, but
the
grant awards will not be announced until July, he said. That would
give
the IDA only a short time to put out bids for the work and get it
completed prior to the landfill's closure. Foster said he had been
assured that if the IDA receives the grant, members can use the
money
to repay the county for the money it upfronts for the demolition.
County Supervisors agreed that the building has to be demolished,
whether the grant money is received or not.
Listening to citizen comments at the end of the meeting, Daryl
Harris
questioned members as to where they were when the School Board
announced the closure of Halifax Elementary School. Harris, who
bought
the Hall's former home on Cowford Road, said the new school zones
separated him completely from his neighbors. "Where were you and
where
was Halifax Town Council?" Harris queried. The children of all his
neighbors along Golf Course Road will go to the new South Boston
Elementary School while children who live along Cowford will go to
Sinai, he said.
The action, Harris explained, affects his property values and those
of
all in the Town of Halifax. "We're being railroaded by action that
affects the Town of Halifax which has spent God knows how much on
revitalization," Harris said.
Another Halifax citizen and Town Council member, Dr. Charles Parker,
sought permission from County leaders to assemble a rally on the
steps
of the Halifax County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon before having
the group march to the School Board meeting at the Mary Bethune
Complex
to demonstrate their opposition to the closure of Halifax Elementary
School