Archive for August, 2022

Finance Department Receives CAFR Award

Posted August 31, 2022

Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to Granville County for its annual comprehensive financial report for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the twenty-third consecutive year that the Granville County Finance Department has received this distinction.

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 21,000 members and the communities they serve.

Notice of Meeting Dates – Granville County Fire Commission

Posted August 31, 2022

All interested persons, please take notice of the meeting dates for the Granville County Fire Commission that meets at 6:00 p.m. at the Granville County Emergency Management Office located at 5662 Cornwall Rd, Oxford.

September 26, 2022
October 24, 2022
November 28, 2022
December 27, 2022

Senior Center Author Event with Tom Young

Posted August 30, 2022

The Creative Lifelong Learning program will host an event with author and Granville County native, Tom Young on Tuesday, September 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Granville County Senior Center (107 Lanier Street, Oxford). The class will focus on the craft and business of writing and publishing and Young will share the inspirations behind his novels. This CLL course is free and open to the public and a CLL membership is not required.

Young is best known for his military thrillers set in modern-day conflicts, in addition to historical novels set in World War II. Young served with the Air National Guard in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has flown combat missions to Kosovo and Bosnia as well as Latin America, the far east, and the horn of Africa. Young also worked as a flight engineer on the C-130 Hercules and the C-5 Galaxy, logging nearly five thousand hours. He has flown to nearly forty countries and has received several military honors. Young has received the Air Force Combat Action Medal, three Air Medals, and three Aerial Achievement Medals. He currently works as an airline pilot based at Reagan National Airport and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This class is dedicated to the memory of Maxine Chauvaux, who was instrumental in organizing this event. Chauvaux was one of the founders of the Creative Voices program at the Senior Center and was a true advocate for writing and sharing. Senior Services was fortunate to have her instruct many classes and programs over the years. Her knowledge and love for storytelling will certainly be missed by Granville County and the many residents who benefited from her talent and expertise over the years.

For more information, please contact Granville County Senior Center at 919-693-1930 or visit the Granville County website.

FCC Affordable Connectivity Program

Posted August 29, 2022

Your Granville County Government – Cooperative Extension

Posted August 26, 2022

Granville County’s Cooperative Extension Office provides a host of programs for school-aged residents. With school starting back, now is a great time to get acquainted with some of the programs that may be a great fit for your family!

4-H offers a wide variety of programs ranging from shooting sports, archery, and horseback riding all the way to leadership training. 4-H also provides after-school programming for elementary aged students as well as curriculum enrichment focused on agricultural and livestock education. In the summertime, 4-H provides summer camps for nearly all interests. For more information about 4-H programs at the Granville Extension office, contact Lina Howe at lelue@ncsu.edu or visit the 4-H website. 

For kids looking for volunteer opportunities, Granville County Teen Court allows middle and high-school students the option to serve their community and gain a better understanding of the justice system. Teen court volunteers will be able to hone their debating skills, add a strong extracurricular activity to their resumes, and perhaps see if they would be a good fit for a career in practicing law. For more information about Teen Court, contact Charissa Puryear at charissa_puryear@ncsu.edu or visit the Teen Court website. 

Another volunteer opportunity available under the Teen Court umbrella is the Restorative Circles program, which serves as a community-based diversion program to prevent youth from becoming involved in the criminal justice system. For more information about volunteering for the Restorative Circles Program, contact Tiana Jones at tpjones3@ncsu.edu or visit the Teen Court website.  

Cooperative Extension also sponsors the Un-Rapping the Gift/He Matters program, which provides services like the REACH (Relationships, Empowerment, Academics, Character, and Hope) Afterschool and Summer Program at Northern Granville Middle School. REACH provides homework assistance, crafts, field trips, recreation, and life skills for enrolled students. The Un-Rapping the Gift Program provides mentoring, life skills, and emotional intelligence services to Granville residents between the ages of 13 to 18. For more information about REACH and Un-Rapping the Gift, contact Latonia Oakley at 919-691-0091 or latoniahicksoakley@gmail.com.

Granville County’s Cooperative Extension Office provides services and programs for Granville County residents with funding and support from North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Your local extension office is located at 125 Oxford Outer Loop and provides services centered on three core focus areas – Agriculture & Food, Health & Nutrition, and 4-H Youth Development.

NC State Extension provides research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state. Cooperative Extension seeks to provide excellent non-formal, research-based education that advances agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, youth, and communities, while creating prosperity for all North Carolinians. Local Extension Centers can be found in all 100 counties as well as in the tribal territory of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian.

For more information about all of the programs available at Granville County Cooperative Extension, visit the Cooperative Extension website or view their events calendar. 

Notice of Special Meeting – Granville County Fire Commission

Posted August 26, 2022

All interested persons please take notice that the Granville County Fire Commission will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, August 29, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. at the Granville Expo & Convention Center, 4185 Highway 15, Oxford, NC.  The purpose of the Special Meeting is to hold the initial organizational meeting of the Granville County Fire Commission.  Any questions should be directed to Jason Reavis, Emergency Services Director at 919-603-1310. 

Back to School Safety Tips

Posted August 22, 2022

Everyday millions of students use school buses as transportation to and from school. Although school buses represent one of the safest forms of transportation, there are several safety factors of which both student and drivers should be aware. Hoping to ensure school bus safety this school year, Sheriff John Hardy of Granville County encourages caution whenever school buses are present.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in recent years there were an average of 128 fatalities in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year and more school-aged pedestrians have been killed during the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. than any other time of day.

“Children are often eager to get off the school bus and can do so quickly when they are excited,” said Sheriff Hardy. “It is crucial that parents re-enforce the school bus safety rules children learn at school. It’s also a great idea to drive your child’s bus route with them before their first day of school so they can learn the routine with you.”

Sheriff Hardy encourages all parents to discuss the following safety measures with their children:

Students

• Always arrive at the bus stop at least 5 minutes early.
• While the bus is approaching make sure to stand at least three giant steps away from the curb, wait until the bus has come to a complete stop, the door opens, and the bus driver says that it’s OK to board.
• Always walk on the sidewalk when preparing to cross the street near a bus. Make eye contact with the driver so that you are sure he or she sees you.
• Never walk behind the bus.
• If you are walking beside the bus, walk at least three giant steps away.
• Use the handrail when entering and exiting the bus. Take extra precautions to make sure that clothing with drawstrings and book bags do not get caught in the handrail or door.
• Never stop to pick something up that you have dropped when a bus is stopped. Tell the bus driver or wait until the bus has driven off to avoid not being seen by the driver.

Motorists

• Remember that children are unpredictable in their actions. Take extreme caution when traveling in a school zone.
• If there are no sidewalks, drive cautiously. Be more alert to the possibility of children walking in the road.
• Slow down and prepare to stop whenever you see yellow school bus lights flashing.
• Never pass a school bus when there are flashing red lights and the stop arm is extended. This is a sign that children are getting on or off the bus. Motorists must wait until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus is moving before they can start driving again.
• Learn and obey the school bus laws in North Carolina.

Creative Lifelong Learning Announces Fall Schedule

Posted August 22, 2022

Granville County Senior Services is getting ready to begin the 2022-2023 Creative Lifelong Learning (CLL) program. The fall 2022 CLL schedule promises to offer something for everyone with courses focused local and world history, quilting and crafts, physical fitness, and a special program featuring the Our State Magazine Travel and Events Director. The program schedule will be updated in the coming months with classes that will appeal to diverse interests and people from all walks of life.

Some upcoming program highlights include:

• Presentation by Amy Pasquini, Travel and Events Director for Our State
• Tai Chi
• Quilting
• The Craft & Business of Writing and Publishing
• The Templars & the Crusades
• The Holocaust: It Didn’t Start with Gas Chambers
• An Overview of German History
• Classes offered by Mark Pace: James Webb, Facts about Kerr Lake, and John Penn
• Furniture Cushions 101

The CLL program’s mission is to provide opportunities to engage the mind, elevate the spirit, and foster the well-being of adult learners through a wide range of educational programs, physical activities, and social events. The program is modeled after the Osher LIfelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke and N.C. State Universities, as well as other Triangle-area senior center programming, and is funded through a generous endowment and by annual memberships, class fees, and donations. Course registration priority is given to Granville County residents over the age of 50. Those under the age of 50 may register if there are remaining seats. To begin or renew your annual CLL membership, visit the CLL webpage or visit the Granville County Senior Center (107 Lanier Street, Oxford).

For more information, please contact Granville County Senior Center at 919-693-1930. To view course flyers, visit the Senior Services Facebook page or the CLL website.

South Granville Memorial Gardens Meeting Notice – August 29

Posted August 19, 2022

The South Granville Memorial Gardens Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Monday  August 29, 2022 at 6:30 pm in the in the South Granville Administrative Building meeting room, 1546 South Campus Drive, Creedmoor, NC 27522.

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss a capital purchase.

Certainteed Receives Building Reuse Grant for Granville County Expansion

Posted August 18, 2022

The North Carolina Department of Commerce announced today, Thursday, August 18, that Certainteed has been awarded a building reuse grant to aid in the expansion of their existing facility in Oxford. Certainteed will utilize this $250,000 grant to renovate an existing 326,000-square-foot building and invest $837,500 of private funding to the building renovation project.

CertainTeed is a manufacturer of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, insulation, and ceilings and in April agreed to expand their Oxford facility as announced by the NC Department of Commerce. The overall expansion will add 225,000 square feet of manufacturing space to their Oxford location and include a total project investment of $118.8 million in Granville County. The original announcement in April stipulated that Certainteed will create thirty-seven new jobs at an average annual wage of $45,096 and in return they will also receive a One NC Grant of $125,000 to aid in the expansion project. The Building Reuse Grant and One NC Grant both require a 5% local match.

“Certainteed is growing with Granville,” said Economic Development Director Harry Mills. “We are thrilled that the NC Department of Commerce recognized the community impact that Certainteed has in Granville County. Our Economic Development staff was able to assist Certainteed by securing this additional funding to make their local expansion possible. Certainteed is one of Granville’s core industry leaders and we could not be happier that they are here for the long haul.”

For more information about the NC Building Reuse Grant program, please visit the NC Department of Commerce website.