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Learn More About Disc Golf at the GAP

Posted October 4, 2024

Board of Elections Meeting Cancellation Notice – October 7, 2024

Posted October 4, 2024

The regular quarterly Board of Elections meeting that is set for Monday, October 7, 2024 at 9:30  am has been cancelled by the Chairman and is not being rescheduled.

Tonya C. Burnette

Elections Director

Board of Commissioners Meeting Notice – October 7, 2024

Posted October 4, 2024

The Granville County Board of Commissioners will meet at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center, 4185 Highway 15, Oxford, NC on Monday, October 7, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. for the regular scheduled meeting.    

A copy of the agenda can be found at this link: October 7, 2024 Board of Commissioners Agenda (PDF)  

The live stream broadcast can be accessed on YouTube:

Any questions should be directed to Karen Evans, Clerk to the Board, at 919-603-1307 or emailed to  karen.evans@granvillecounty.org   

Board of Equalization and Review Meeting Cancellation Notice – October 7, 2024

Posted October 3, 2024

Please be advised that the Granville County Board of Equalization and Review’s meeting, continued from September 30, 2024, to October 7, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center, has been canceled. The Board has adjourned from accepting any new appeals. Any held after the adjournment date will focus solely on considering timely-filed appeals until all are resolved.

Any questions should be directed to Tax Administrator, Jenny Short, at 919-693-4181.

Granville County Partners with Fybe to Expand Internet Access

Posted October 2, 2024

The Granville County Board of Commissioners recently approved a partnership that will provide fiber-optic broadband infrastructure to more than 1,697 addresses across the county. The NC Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and Roanoke Connect Holdings (Fybe) have agreed to partner with Granville County as part of the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program. The State of NC and Fybe will invest at least $3.3 million in the project and Granville County has committed a local match of $1.8 million. As of this writing, there is a possibility that the North Carolina General Assembly will enact legislation to forgive the local match commitment at which point the entire project cost will be shared by Fybe and the State of NC. To be eligible for any public funding, Fybe will have two years to complete the required installation.

Granville County’s participation in the CAB program with Fybe is the latest initiative to ensure that all Granville citizens have access to high-speed internet infrastructure. The 1,697 new locations that will be serviced by Fybe are in addition to the previous CAB grant project with Spectrum for 1,530 locations that was announced earlier in 2024. Spectrum is also installing broadband infrastructure to an additional 1,120 addresses as part of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) project. Granville County also partnered with Brightspeed for a Growing Rural Communities with Access to Technology (GREAT) program grant to service 1,914 locations. Once all active broadband internet projects are completed, more than 6,261 homes and businesses in rural Granville County will have gained access to high-speed internet.

“We are pleased that this partnership with Fybe and the State of North Carolina will provide critical broadband infrastructure to even more of our residents,” said Granville County Board of Commissioners Chair Timothy Karan. “Receiving access to true high-speed internet can be life changing, and there are now thousands of residents across our county who are gaining access for the first time as part of these programs. The Board of Commissioners and county staff are dedicated to continuing this work until all residents of our county have access to this vital utility.”

Since 2019, Granville County has proactively sought methods to bridge the high-speed internet access gap for its residents. Various state laws and regulations prohibit county and city governments from providing internet service or installing infrastructure themselves, but if an ISP chooses to participate in an eligible project (like the NC CAB or GREAT programs) a local government may then incentivize the expansion of service access with the use of public funds. The NC CAB Grant Program utilizes funding that the State of North Carolina received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that allows ISPs to competitively bid and partner with counties to provide internet access to rural North Carolina locations that are “unserved” according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) definition of “high-speed” internet.

Additional information about RDOF, GREAT, and CAB projects, along with a full map of the awarded addresses, can be found on the county website or by visiting the NC Broadband funding map where you can enter an address to see if it has been included in one of the awarded projects.

Granville County Assists with Hurricane Helene Response

Posted October 1, 2024

Granville County government and community organizations local and across the state are assisting with the response to Hurricane Helene, which has created a catastrophic situation in western North Carolina. A major disaster declaration has been enacted for 25 western NC counties plus the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian, which allows resources to flow to this region much more quickly and providing reimbursements to local governments for disaster response costs.

Listed below are ways that local community groups and Granville County government are assisting our neighbors in western NC, as well as ways the community can be involved with donations and volunteer opportunities:

– The morning of September 27, Granville County 911 Emergency Communications Center was notified that emergency calls from western North Carolina were being routed to 911 centers across the state due to the significant damage these counties were experiencing. Granville County 911 has been receiving all 911 calls from Mitchell County and has been dispatching critical life-saving emergency response to Mitchell’s 15,000 residents. On that first day, approximately 25% percent of calls fielded by Granville County 911 were from Mitchell County. In the following days, the calls have slightly decreased to approximately 15% of incoming calls for Granville 911. Mitchell County is still waiting for power restoration, so their calls will continue to be routed to our 911 center.

– On September 29, the Granville County Sheriff’s Office began collecting supplies requested by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. The GCSO was able to fill a large vehicle full of needed supplies and began the journey west the morning of September 30.

– On September 30, the Granville County Fire Chief’s Association and the Granville County Firemen’s Association began collecting supplies in large trailers at the EmergeOrtho parking lot at 107 East McClanahan Street in Oxford, across from the Oxford Fire Department. Volunteers are collecting supplies until each trailer is full, which will then be transported to wherever it is most needed by emergency responders. The items of greatest need include bottled water, prepackaged food, baby food, baby formula, pet food (dog and cat), diapers, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, toiletries, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and hand sanitizer.

– North Carolina Emergency Management issued a call for qualified emergency responders to take volunteer shifts in the disaster areas. Granville County Emergency Management Director Jason Reavis travelled to McDowell County on September 30 as part of an Incident Management Team composed of emergency responders from Granville, Alamance, Currituck, and Johnston counties along with staff from the City of Wilmington and the Town of Oak Island. Deputy Animal Management Director Carlos Landreau will travel with a group of animal rescue staff from Person County to be deployed where they are needed the most.

– Governor Roy Cooper has activated the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund in conjunction with North Carolina United Way. Funds will only be used for disaster response and recovery in North Carolina. Visit the United Way website to securely donate to the rescue and relief operations. Funds can be targeted to a specific county or used wherever they are needed the most.

-The State of North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund is also accepting donations at this link.

– VolunteerNC is looking for volunteers to serve North Carolina in the disaster areas. Those interested in volunteering at shelters, home repair/rebuilding, receiving and organizing donations, and/or registering volunteers can supply their information to the NC Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NCVOAD) registry at this link.

– To donate funds to the NCVOAD, visit their website.

– To donate food or volunteer at a food bank in the disaster areas (or locally), visit the volunteer opportunities for feeding assistance website from the State of North Carolina.

LaToya Toussaint Recognized by UNF Black Alumni Association

Posted September 30, 2024

Granville County Department of Social Services Director LaToya Toussaint was recently honored by the University of North Florida (UNF) Black Alumni Association for achievement as a non-profit professional. Toussaint was presented with her award at a ceremony in Jacksonville, Florida and was honored along with other alumni who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health science and a dual master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management from UNF.

Toussaint began her current role in Granville County in 2023 and has more than 18 years of experience in Human Services in North Carolina and Florida, both in the public and private sector. Prior to becoming Granville County’s Director of Social Services, Toussaint served as the Senior Deputy Director of Health and Human Services with Wake County.

Prior to her relocation to North Carolina, Toussaint had extensive experience in the public and private sector in Florida as the Broward County Human Services Administrator and a Case Manager with the Florida Department of Children and Families, in addition to various leadership roles within child welfare, early childhood education, and mental and behavioral health programs. Toussaint’s time in Florida allowed her to collaborate with agencies across the state along with a diverse group of community providers. She also served on local and statewide committees and work groups that continue to influence decision making across Florida today.

In addition to this latest recognition from the UNF Black Alumni Association, Toussaint has been a National Peer Reviewer with the Council on Accreditation (COA) since 2018, was recognized by Nonprofits First of Palm Beach County as a Rising Leader in 2016 and honored on Legacy Magazines’ 40 Under 40 list of recognized professionals from across Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in 2017.

The University of North Florida Black Alumni Association focuses on financial contributions, direct personal involvement, and engaging the current minority population at UNF. The organization advocates for the needs of  minority alumni and current students to university administration and the broader UNF alumni organization.

Board of Elections Meeting Cancellation Notice – October 1, 2024

Posted September 30, 2024

Due to ballots having to be destroyed and reprinted to remove a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate from the ballots, which delayed the Logic & Accuracy Testing of our voting machines, the absentee meeting that is set for Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm has been cancelled by the Chairman.

The next absentee board meeting is set for October 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm.

Granville Welcomes German Company for US Expansion

Posted September 27, 2024

MSW Pipe- and Profile Systems Corp., a family-owned business from rural Germany, has selected Granville County for its expansion into the United States. The company, known for producing high-quality plastic pipes and profiles, will establish its first U.S. location on East Lyon Station Road in the Town of Butner. This new facility will initially serve as a logistics and warehouse hub with future plans for local manufacturing and extrusion operations. MSW plans to create ten new jobs at the outset and anticipates that number will double once manufacturing operations begin at the Granville facility.

Board of Equalization and Review Meeting Notice – September 30, 2024

Posted September 27, 2024

The Granville County Board of Equalization and Review will meet at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center, 4185 Highway 15 South, Oxford, North Carolina, on September 30, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. to consider timely-filed appeals until all appeals are complete. The Board of Equalization and Review has adjourned from accepting any further appeals.

Any questions should be directed to Tax Administrator, Jenny Short, at 919-693-7714.