WEDNESDAY
December 7,2011
Roxboro,
North Carolina
www.personcountylife.com
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Serving all of Person County since 1881
GRAPPLERS:
Five Rocket wres
tlers place at Or
ange Invitational;
squad is 9th A6
irS TIME:
Community Choir
of Person's holiday
concert slated this
week^\
WINNERS?
Find out if the Rock
et basketball team
claimed another vic
tory over Webb A6
THE BEAT:
Multiple arrests by
sheriffs deputies,
Roxboro pohce in
past few days A3
JINGLING:
Jingle on Main
slated in Uptown
Roxboro on Thurs
day night^l
HELPERS:
New organization
wanting to assist
people suff ering with
cancer B5
-]|
DEATHS
i[-
Jefferson Allen Day, 39
Timberlake
Harry James Terry, 60
Winston-Salem
Elizabeth Mundy Tyson,
85
Roxboro
See page A9
-IDMaE-
AGENDA
A3
ARRESTS
B3
CLASSIFIED
C SECTION
COMMENTARY
AS
DO YOU KNOW
A2
ENTERTAINMENT
B2
LEGAL NOTICES
C3
LIFESTYLE
B5
LOOKING BACK
A2
MILESTONES
B4
MINI PAGE
B7
MOVIES
A2
OBITUARIES
A9
OPINION
A4
SPORTS
A6-7
STRAIGHTAHEAD
A2
TV LISTINGS
B7
Our
129th year
Number 99
Three sections
22 pages
Copyright
20)1
The Courier-Times Inc.
I rights reserved
Couricr-®mesr
County Manager Heidi York will revert
to fnll-time statns at start of new year
BY TIM CHANDLER
COURIER-TIMES EDITOR
tchnn(ller@roxboco-toutlet.com
Heidi York
Person County Manager Heidi
York will officially revert to full
time status on Jan. 1.
Last November, York an
nounced her resignation effec
tive Jan. 3,2011. Less than a week
later, however, the county com
missioners, approved a part-time
employment proposal from York.
The part-time employment pro
posal was made by York upon re
quest from commissioners.
Acting on York’s full-time pro
posal Monday, commissioners
unanimously voted to revert her
employment status to full-time.
The announcement was made fol
lowing a closed session at the end
of Monday night’s meeting.
York said Tuesday that she
began thinking of reverting to
full-time status shortly after for
mer assistant county manager
Gene Hodges resigned last month
to take a similar post in Craven
County.
“The timing seemed right for
our organization and our com
munity,” York said. “As of Janu
ary, 1 will resume full-time status
at the same salary 1 would have
had in January of 2011.”
York, whose hiring rate was
$97,500 annually, will have a sal
ary of $102,375 in January, which
will include a five-percent adjust
ment she would have been eli
gible for last January as a result
Vee YORK, Page 10
Commissioners
approve pay
hike for eounty
employees
Monday’s 3-2 vote by board
gives nod to 2.85% COLA
BY TIM CHANDLER
COURIER-TIMES EDITOR
tchnn(ller@roxboro-couriet.com
Person County Government
employees received an early
Christmas gift Monday night.
The Person Board of County
Commissioners, by a 3-2 vote,
approved a 2.85-percent cost
of living adjustment (COLA)
for county employees, effective
Jan. 1.
The pay hike marks the first
COLA received by county em
ployees since July of 2008. The
cost to implement the pay raise
is $248,655 for six months and
$497,310 for 12 months.
The money to pay for the pay
hike, which is a recurring ex
pense, will come from fund bal
ance in the current fiscal year.
Commissioner Ray Jeffers
made the motion to approve the
2.85-percent COLA. Chairman
Jimmy Clayton and Vice Chair
man Kyle Puryear also voted
for the pay increase.
Jeffers’ motion came as a
substitute to a motion made by
Commissioner Sam Kenning-
See COLA, Page 10
Economic development
director to be hired
in upcoming year
BYIIM CHANDLER
COURIER-TIMES EDITOR
tcliantller@roxb(iro-tourler.tom
The Person Board of County
Commissioners unanimously
approved funding for an eco
nomic development director
during its meeting Monday
night.
Commissioners have been
considering the hiring of an
economic development direc
tor and an administrative as
sistant. However, Commission
er Frances Blalock’s motion,
which was approved, called for
the hiring of just an economic
development director at pres
ent.
Blalock explained that “when
the person is hired,” he or she
might have his or her own ideas
pertaining to staffing.
Last month, Jim Stovall, for
mer chairman of the Person
County Economic Development
Commission (EDC), made a plea
to commissioners to fund a full
time economic development
director for Person County. The
county has not had a full-time
economic development direc
tor since Glen Newsome retired
from the post in May of 2009.
The former job description
for the county’s economic de
velopment director position
called for a pay range from
$61,513 to $95,345, depending on
experience.
The total cost to the county
when Newsome held the posi
tion was $100,075, which in
cluded a salary of $78,540 plus
benefits.
Information provided to com
missioners by County Manager
Heidi York estimated the pay
range for an administrative as
sistant to the economic devel
opment director to be between
$28,667 and $44,434. The county
formerly funded that position
at a total cost of $42,072, which
included a salary of $31,140,
plus benefits.
York also estimated that the
total annual cost for operating
both positions would be $65,000
and estimated the total cost for
both positions with salaries,
benefits and operating costs at
$207,147.
Commissioner Sam Ken-
nington asked York to rework
the job description for the eco
nomic development director.
He also requested that the eco
nomic development director be
Seelt99MSIlli, Page 10
GREY PENTECOST I COURIER-TIMES
The newly refinished and redesigned gym floor at the Huck Sansbury Recreation Complex is pictured
here in progress.
Huck Sansbury Recreation Complex
gym floor receives a facelift
BY GREY PENTECOST
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
gteypentecost@roxboro-courlet.com
The gymnasium floor at the
Huck Sansbury Recreation Com
plex has not only been refur
bished, to repair storm damage
inflicted in April, but the court
has been completely redesigned.
When a series of storms tore
through the county at the end of
April, the Huck Sansbury gym
got caught in the commotion, and
was left with its roof blown off
and a rain-damaged floor.
When time came to make the
insurance-covered repairs, the
Person County Recreation, Arts
and Parks Department decided
to go with a new design for the
court, said Director John Hill.
The department contracted
with 4 Korners Flooring on the
project, and owner Jimmy Gery
who has refinished most of the
courts used by Atlantic Coast
Conference collegiate basketball
See FACELIFT, Page 10
School board to meet Thursday night
BY GREY PENTECOST
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
gteypentecost@roxbofo-courler.com
The Person County Board of
Education will face a light agenda
tomorrow when it meets at 6:30
p.m. in the board of education
boardroom, located on the ground
floor of the Person County Office
Building at 304 S. Morgan St.
Person County Schools Ex
ecutive Director for Program
Services Marionette Jeffers will
present the Career and College
Promise program to the board for
approval.
“The Career and College
Promise program is designed to
offer qualified high school stu
dents structured dual enrollment
opportunities that provide both
entry-level job skills, as well as
pathways leading to a certifi
cate, diploma or degree,” stated a
board agenda memo.
Piedmont Community College
(PCC) would offer the courses.
See BOE, Page 10