Newspapers / The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, … / March 26, 2011, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Courier Times Weather Outlook TODAY; Hi 47 Lo 36 SUNDAY; Hi 43 Lo 30 SATURDAY, March 26, 2011 Serving All of Person County Since 1881 Copyright The Courier-Times inc. 2011 All Rights Reserved MONDAY; Hi 53 Lo 34 TUESDAY; Hi 52 Lo 40 75c Our 129th Year — No. 25 Roxboro, North Carolina Four Sections — 44 Pages www.personcountylite.com Jon Barlow bids farewell Outgoing city manager honored at reception By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT C-T Staff Writer pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com Tim Chandler / C-T TIME TO MOVE ON — Jon Barlow talks with County Manager Heidi York at a reception in his honor Thursday at Roxboro City Hall. The City of Roxboro staff, Mayor Samuel Spencer and members of city council hosted a reception Thursday for outgoing manager Jon Barlow, and nearly everyone present commented on his integrity and leadership skills. Barlow, who has served as city man ager for the past six years, stepped down from the post Friday afternoon, after accepting a similar position in Fuquay-Varina. Barlow admitted that it would be tough to leave Roxboro. “It’s extremely difficult to walk away from something you like,” he told The Courier-Times upon announcing his resignation. “Six years ago, I thought this was a great opportunity,” he said, adding that he had not been disappointed by his time in Roxboro. Thursday, Barlow thanked city coun cil members, Spencer and former mayor Steve Joyner for “taking a chance” on him six years ago. “I left a good situation and took a chance on coming here,” Barlow said, “and it worked out.” He said he and his wife Beth and their two children had “ grown up here, ” and that the family has “a lot of good friends here.” Joyner said, while serving as mayor and since leaving the position, he had been impressed by “how good a person Jon is.” Council member James Allen stated that Barlow was “a gentleman” who “always kept his cool” when faced with difficult challenges. Sandy Stigall, another member of council, said he had enjoyed working with Barlow and said Barlow had “done a good job.” Stigall continued, “I hate to lose him and his family.” Spencer said he would always remem ber Barlow “for his soft talk,” adding that, although it could be difficult at times to hear what Barlow was saying, “what he says, he can usually back up with facts and that’s important.” Roxboro Police Chief Todd Boycher, who was appointed to the position by Barlow, noted that, upon learning that Barlow was leaving, he “said this is not a red letter day for Roxboro.” Boycher told Barlow, “You’ve put together a good management team that works as a team.” He continued, “The city of Fuquay is getting the whole Barlow clan and I have no doubt they will make it a better city.” To the Barlow family, Boycher said, “We are diminished by your leaving, but Roxboro is very appreciative” of the contribution the Barlows have made to the city. Planning Director Julie Maybee told Barlow she was “very appreciative” of See JON back page County commisssioners approve change in longevity pay policy By TIM CHANDLER Courier-Times Editor tchandler@roxboro-courier.com The Person Board of County Com missioners unanimously approved a change to the county’s personnel policy regarding the employee longevity plan during a Monday morning meeting. Person County Manager Heidi York noted that the change proposed to com missioners Monday would not affect current employees, but “does give [com missioners] flexibility to make changes in the future.” Commissioner Sam Kennington asked York Monday how much was be ing spent on longevity pay for county employees. York placed the figure at $235,722 for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. She added the figure was $15,000 less than the current fiscal year due to the fact that some employees had taken advantage of the early retire ment program offered this fiscal year in the county. All current county employees are included in the longevity pay plan. At present. Person County awards longev ity pay prior to the five-year vestment period required by the North Carolina Retirement System, according to York. York said she was recommending that the first service level at which an employee is awarded longevity pay be amended to five continuous years of See COUNTY back page Included in today's edition! Photo submitted Joshua and Mary Wilbourne with their son, Peyton Deployment to Libya will cause Wilbourne to miss birth of 2nd child By GREY PENTECOST C-T Staff Writer greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com Lance Cpl. Joshua Wilbourne hasn’t had much time to prepare for his first deployment. In the next week or so he will be bound for Libya, where the United States has recently become involved in the country’s internal conflict. Originally thinking he’d be deployed in July, with three months to train, Wil bourne later found out he would only have a month to get all his training and other preparations in. As part of the Mo bile Electronic Warfare Support Systems See DEPLOYMENT backpage CDBC grant will allow more rehab work in Co- Vel By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT C-T Staff Writer pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com The City of Roxboro has received a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of over $500,000 that will allow for more housingrehabilitation in CaVel Village. During a special meeting yesterday. Planning Director Julie Maybee told city council members that the state Department of Commerce had awarded the city $529,539 to provide assistance for 12 additional dwellings in the city’s CaVel Village Revitalization program. No matching funds are required from the city The funds have been “de-obligated,” said Michael Walser, CDBG adminis trator with Hobbs, Upchurch and As sociates, the engineering firm the city contracts with for CDBG services. The state wanted to find a project that could begin quickly, Walser said, so that the funds would be expended by Dec. 16. Most of the CaVel houses the city originally planned to rehabilitate are under contract and on track, Walser and Maybee said, and the additional dwellings will be in the same area of Hicks Circle and Kerr Drive. The city is already at work on 12 dwellings in that area. Maybee said the city would “have to push” to meet the deadline to use the additional funds, but felt the project could be completed in time. She said the city would work with the CaVel Neighborhood Watch group to reach homeowners who will participate in the project. The original portion of the project in cludes rehabilitating a home that will be leased by a Roxboro Police Department officer. 'The city will own the house and See CDBG back page Roxboro Community School student Ayla Dunn earns spot in Scripps National Spelling Bee By GREY PENTECOST C-T Staff Writer greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com Roxboro Community School’s Ayla Dunn has participated in a quite a few school, district and even regional spell- INSIDE Saturday Agenda Churches/Religion Commentary Do You Know Education Lifestyle Military Notes Person County Reads B1 Sports A6-8 ...A2 B2-3 A5 A3 A9 .A10 A2 Boatwright Classified Court.. Editorial Legal Notices Looking Back Obituaries Realty Transfers.. TV Listings A2 B6-7 B4 A4 B7 A3 Aff B4 B5 6 9 6 ing bees over the years, but when the seventh grader correctly spelled the word “thoracic” last week she reached a brand new level: eligibility to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Speaking with The Courier-Times Friday, Dunn said she remembered thinking the words at the Winston- Salem Journal Regional Spelling Bee this year were easier than she thought they would be. She’s participated in the regional bee twice before and said that some of the words had sounded “really really hard.” Dunn’s mother and father, Dempsey and Laurie Dunn, both said that with the previous experiences under her belt, their daughter was a lot calmer this year. RCS spelling bee coordinator Annette Slaughter chimed in that “the words did not get any easier.” Dunn said the championship word did make her think. She wasn’t sure whether or not “thoracic” was spelled with an “x” or “c.” In the end she went with the letter “c”, having decided it was best to go with her first instinct. And with that, Dunn beat last year’s winner, earning a trophy, a $100 savings bond and a copy of the hefty Merriam Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. She also received a seven-day, six-night trip to Washington, D.C., where she will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in June. Her father Dempsey said that while he can be a “hard-hearted” person, it brought tears to his eyes to see his daugh ter win that day in Winston-Salem. “I cry every time she wins,” com mented Laurie. Dempsey said he was proud of his daughter’s win. “I’m probably the killjoy, ’’said Laurie, “because I always knew she could do it. I set extremely high standards for both of my children, and I feel like if I make it hard for them at home, then they go to school and it’s not as hard as Mommy makes it, then they do good in school.” In Winston-Salem Dunn competed against 31 other young people represent ing the northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia regions. Students in grades three through eight are eligible to participate. Dunn admitted that she wasn’t able to study much before the regional bee. Things had been somewhat hectic since the Piedmont Non-Public Intermediate Bee (equivalent to a “district” bee) held in High Point in February On her way there she and her mother were in a car See RCS back page Ayla Dunn
The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 26, 2011, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75