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08-22-2023 Agenda Packet EDCNOTES Regularly-Scheduled Meeting Agenda 4:00 PM Welcome Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman Invocation Mr. Donald Long, Vice-Chairman 4:03 PM Consent Agenda Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman a. February 28, 2023 Meeting Minutes b. March 28, 2023 Meeting Minutes c. June 8, 2023 Meeting Minutes-Special Called d. June 27, 2023 Meeting Minutes e. July 25, 2023 Meeting Minutes 4:05 PM Director’s Update Ms. Brandy Lynch, ED Director 4:15 PM Member Comments Members and Ex Officios 4:25PM Chairman’s Report Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:29PM Next Meeting Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman Set for September 26, 2022, 4:00pm, EDC Boardroom, 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 4:30PM **Adjourn Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman **Action Requested Meeting Location: EDC Boardroom, 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, North Carolina 27573 Meeting Date & Time: August 22, 2023; 4:00 p.m. Mission Statement: “To Create Opportunities for Families & Businesses to Prosper & Compete in a Global Economy” Takeaways: Basic Economic Development Class ECU Honors Class Duke Update Strategic Plan EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 February 28, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Mr. Kenneth Perry Mr. Donald Long-Vice Chairman Dr. Scott McKinney Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell-Secretary Voting Board Members Absent: Mr. Jody Blackwell Ms. Sherry Clayton Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Interim Director Mr. George Willoughby Mr. Michael Thibault, Asst ED Director (Minutes) Mr. Bo Freeman EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order and officially recognized Ms. Brandy Lynch as the new Person County Economic Development Director and praised her for doing an outstanding job for the County as Interim Director. Chairman Allen then asked Mr. Donald Long to give the invocation. 1 of 13 EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 Palace Pointe Ad Information: Assistant Director Thibault provided a brief update regarding the status of progress made with the Palace Pointe movie theatre on-screen advertising. First, to the questions asked at the previous EDC Board meeting, there is no difference between the pricing of a 15-second ad versus a 30-second ad, so the Board has discretion to decide on either option. Secondly, with regard to Tier placement. At the current time as an example, an EDC ad in Tier two would be shown from between 3 to 5 minutes before the previews begin, which is a very good placement. Also, per a recommendation by Dr. Senegal, we contacted Beth Townsend at PCC for assistance with the ad production aspect for the Palace Pointe video. Beth has already begun work on the project and has given us a projected target date for a product for your review, of the 1st week of April. Director’s Update: Director Lynch’s presentation will be included in these minutes. The new Director began her portion of the meeting with some personal comments regarding her decision to seek the Director position and particularly thanked the County Manager and Chairman Allen for their steady support and encouragement throughout the period during which Ms. Lynch was Interim Director. The more she thought about the prospect of seeking the Director position, the more she realized the positive impact she could have on the citizens of Person County, particularly her children and that is the primary reason she decided to move forward and “give it a shot”. The review of the North Park RFP has been completed by the County Attorney and the contract will be presented the Person County Board of Commissioners at their meeting on March 6th. As soon as the contract is approved, we can move forward with the bonds and ultimately to the clearing and grading. On February 16th, Director Lynch and Chairman Allen presented to the Kiwanis Club. Topics covered for the Club included the ongoing situation with Duke Energy and their continued presence in Person County, the volume of site visits to the Mega Site and the process that the Department implements when there is a request for a site visit. Both the Director and Assistant Director were able to attend the Person County Tourism Summit held on February 23rd and there was good networking with the multiple Tourism partners on hand. There were a number of presenters including the Museum, the Roxboro Area Merchants 2 of 13 EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 Association, the Person-Caswell Lake Authority, the Cooperative Extension, the Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm and Person County Recreation, Arts & Parks. The contract with Coastal Cloud, which is the company that supports our Salesforce software that we use to track Department activity, expires today. Fortunately, Coastal Cloud was willing to extend the contract during the time of the Director search and many modifications needed for how we use the program were accomplished during this time. Of course, their consultants are available should future modifications be necessary. From the “very detailed” final report from the Duke Site Readiness Program last month, one of the conclusions regarding the PCMP is that more recent and easier to interpret maps are recommended. Currently, maps being used with prospective businesses were prepared by the Timmons Group back in 2017 and most refer to a particular Project that never materialized. However, after a call from Director Lynch, Timmons Group has agreed to provide the Department with updated maps and drafts will be available for review by mid-March. Director Lynch has requested that one of the maps should reflect boundaries according to the new survey as well as include maps of varying sizes. Finally, Duke Energy has mentioned to Director Lynch that they might possibly be able to provide some funds towards the production of those new Timmons maps. Director Lynch next reminded the Board that the NC Certified Sites Recertification was turned in on January 24th. Unfortunately, the PCMP cannot be recertified until the Option on the land has been renewed, which ends on December 31st of this year. Fortunately, the site can still be marketed as a Mega Site at least until the final day of the existing Option and talks are underway with the owners. Director Lynch informed the Board that, although we were not chosen by the Governor’s North Carolina Site Readiness program, the consultants have agreed to provide feedback on our application, which should prove to be helpful. The Board was presented with a black and white copy of some proposed WRAL Advertising, which would be an alternate to either the Glossy Magazine and Palace Pointe advertising discussed at last month’s meeting. The WRAL advertising is actually “digital” and specifically targeting the youth of Person County through an ap that can be viewed on tablets and smart phones. Director Lynch informed the group that she and Assistant Director Thibault have a meeting this week with PCC regarding a grant for bring Truck Driver Training to the College. As a portion of the Commissioners’ Retreat, the Commissioners reviewed the proposed Budget and were given a brief synopsis of the recent Pay Study that was conducted on behalf of the 3 of 13 EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 County. In the Budget, there are 23 new positions being requested across the County Departments. Director Lynch informed the Board that she is requesting an additional position to the three existing positions within the ED Department. The newly requested position would be for a Project Manager. Director Lynch next gave a rundown of the Assistant Director’s activity, which includes work on a Person County Business Survey as a part of the 2023 Strategic Plan, a face-to-face meeting with a couple gf the HR professionals at GKN along with a representative from NC Works, an afternoon Roxboro Area Chamber Board Retreat, attended the Affairs Reception at the Merrimon-Wynne House in Raleigh and has been involved in the planning process for the upcoming Kerr Tar Innovate 2023 Summit to held in Littleton on Thursday, March 23rd. To begin the round of Board member comments, Dr. Scott McKinney asked if Assistant Director Thibault could give a brief synopsis of his process regarding the in-person survey questioning. Thibault related how the face-to-face process is taking much longer, due to busy schedules, but in the long run should prove to be more beneficial. The reception has been great and meetings are in all cases thus far, taking longer than the promised 15 to 20 minutes, due to the engagement of the person being interviewed and the low-key and cordial nature of the process. The final question to wrap the interview pertains to how can PC Economic Development best serve your needs and everyone has been quite pleased that this Board is reaching out to them and actually values their opinion, both as business owners and as citizens of Person County. Jay Poindexter brought up that fact that the roadside trash along the route from Roxboro to the Mega Site would not be that expensive to have cleaned up. A clean roadside would leave a better impression on those driving passing through on their way to the Mega Site. Dr. Berryhill thanked everyone that participated in the recent Tourism Summit for their attendance and stated that the Tourism Board is pleased that they accomplished what they set out to do. She also gave a report on the film she recently viewed called “The Hog Farmer” and mentioned that it is disconcerting how money and greed can have a negative effect, not only in the agricultural business community, but any type of business community. Dr. Rodney Peterson stated that he and Dr. Senegal had a recent meeting with UNC Chapel Hill regarding the “Teach the Person” and announced an award of $3MM, whereby teachers that are trained through the program will come to Person County to begin their careers. The thrust of the program is to encourage teaching programs in rural America. Dr. Senegal announced that Roxboro Savings Bank as the Title Sponsor has agreed to another round of “Boost Funding” that will be awarded to small businesses that meet certain criteria. PCC has also received some funding from their system office to support a quick term construction project for plumbing. The Trucker Training grant mentioned earlier in the meeting 4 of 13 EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 is being done jointly with Vance-Granville Community to share the costs associated with the training. She also mentioned that there is a waiting list of abut 50 students hoping to enroll in this program. Finally, Representative Foushee will be coming to the PCC campus to meet with all of the Statewide Community College leadership. Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager thanked the EDC Board for their support of Director Lynch during the Interim Director period and is pleased that the position has been awarded to Ms. Lynch and is confident that she will do a great job. County manager Cathey also mentioned the successful Budget process and the continued emphasis on Economic Development. Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager mentioned that with regard to the Western Sewer, there is an upcoming meeting with the USDA to discuss what the City’s funding would look like sometime before the end of March. Must have a completed audit prior to meeting to determine how much indebtedness the City can take on. There will be a request to the City Council at the March meeting to add a Verizon antenna to the existing tower to enhance the local signal. This is at the expense of Verizon and will provide some income to the City. Next, Chairman Allen opened the floor to the other regular Board members and Dr. Scott McKinney posed a question regarding the negative comments placed on social media sites pertaining to a lack of adequate broadband coverage in the County. This gave opportunity for County Manager Cathey to provide the group with a current update on this issue. The County Manager related that a contractor has been appointed for the Broadband Project an that a draft agreement with the State Office of Information Technology, the Provider and the County. They’ve since received feedback from the interested parties and are currently working on a re- draft of that document. Cathey also noted that the State is also waiting on additional information from the Feds regarding certain rules with regard to the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The local provider is ready to perform the work as soon as all the documents have been approved and signed. Although the process appears to be moving at a snail’s pace, the County is doing everything possible to leverage County funds to maximize the result. It was next noted by Chairman Allen that the metal façade at the Green’s Jewelers building is currently being removed to reveal the original brick work. Additionally, Brooks Lockhart indicated to the group that the recent safety issue Uptown has been dealt with. Finally, with regard to Uptown Roxboro, Dr. Berryhill noted that several new eating establishments have been opened recently. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Allen began the next portion of regular business with his Chairman’s Report by stating that as of late, he and Director Lynch have been on a speaking tour with presentations at the recent Tourism Summit as well as the Kiwanis. Chairman Allen also made note of all the various activity that has been happening with regard to the EDC office over the past couple of months. 5 of 13 EDC Minutes for February 28, 2023 Given his point of there being so much recent activity, the Chairman called for a motion to enter into closed session in order to discuss that activity. A motion made, seconded, and unanimously passed to enter into closed session pursuant to NC General Statues 143-318.11 (a)(5). Motion: Dr. Scott McKinney Second: Jay Poindexter Closed session was entered into at 4:58 p.m. A motion made, seconded, and unanimously passed exit closed session. Motion: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Second: Jay Poindexter Closed session was exited at 5:27 p.m. Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 5:28 p.m. Motion: The Honorable Gordon Powell _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary 6 of 13 EDC Regularly-Scheduled Meeting February 28, 2023 7 of 13 Interim Directors Report 8 of 13 Updates and Info •North Park RFP have been reviewed, contract to be presented to the Person County Board of Commissioners on March 6. •Chairman Allen and I presented to the Kiwanis Club on February 16th •Person County Tourism held a tourism summit on 02-23- 2023. Multiple Tourism Partners were on hand. •Coastal Cloud contract to end today •Timmons Group Map •Duke Site Readiness/Mapping 9 of 13 Updates and Info •NC Certified Sites Recertification was turned in on 1-24- 2022. Received notification the site can not be recertified until Option is renewed •North Carolina Site Readiness Follow-up •WRAL Advertising •Meeting with PCC this week to assist with applying for a grant for Truck Driver Education •Budget and Pay Study 10 of 13 Assistant Director •Strategic Plan-Business Survey •Reporting of Survey •Joint meeting with NC Works and GKN •Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce Board Retreat •Government Affairs Reception •Kerr Tar Innovate 2023 11 of 13 12 of 13 Thank You! 13 of 13 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 March 28, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Mr. Kenneth Perry Dr. Scott McKinney Ms. Sherry Clayton Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell-Secretary Voting Board Members Absent: Donald Long-Vice President Jody Blackwell Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Ex Officios Absent: Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Mr. Michael Thibault, Asst ED Director (Minutes) Mr. Bo Freeman Ms. Julie Maybee Ms. Samantha Bagby EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order and asked The Honorable Gordon Powell to give the invocation. Chairman Allen then recognized the passing of three wonderful members of our community, Chris Long, Shirley Hazel and Thomas Long. They were all ambassadors for our community and gave back continuously to make Person County something special. 1 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Approval of Minutes: Chairman Allen recognized The Honorable Merilyn Newell for the approval of the November 29, 2022 and January 24, 2023 minutes. A motion made, seconded, and unanimously approved to approve the November 29, 2022 and January 24, 2023 meeting minutes Motion: Dr. Scott McKinney Second: Mr. Jay Poindexter Industry Visit Discussion: Assistant Director Thibault provided a brief update regarding the recent Industry Visit at the Roxboro Louisiana Pacific Plant. Assistant Director Thibault reminded the group that the Industry Visits are a directive of the 2023 EDC Strategic Plan and occur on a quarterly basis. The purpose of these visits is, twofold. One is for us to learn from the business about the issues and challenges they face on a daily basis, but more importantly, it is for the business to realize that there are professionals and educators and others in our community that care about them and their continued success and are available to help out in any way we can. In other words, these Visits impress upon the business that they are considered to be a highly valued member of the Person County community. The visit with Louisiana Pacific included good discussion around the conference table as well as a visit to the Wellness Clinic. The clinic is unique to Louisiana Pacific and is considered by all to be an incredibly valuable employee benefit. Unfortunately, the anticipated plant tour that was to follow the clinic tour needed to be postponed to a later date due to an incident at the Plant. On a positive note, it was learned at the Visit that of the roughly 20 different product lines at Louisiana-Pacific, corporate management is looking for a location to produce a line called “FlameBlock”, which is a fire-retardant board used in town home and condo construction for the common walls between units. We learned that LP has narrowed the search to a Plant in Texas and our Roxboro Plant. The expansion would represent about 35-38 new positions. We impressed upon the LP team that we collectively will do all we can on their behalf to assist in their “winning” this expansion and continue to grow and thrive right here in Person County. There will be aggressive follow-up with the Plant Supervisor by the Director and Assistant Director with regard to finding out what he may need from the Department as well as others in the community to assist him in his efforts. The Assistant Director distributed a list of Takeaways, which will be included in these minutes. 2 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Director’s Report: Director Lynch’s presentation will be included in these minutes. The Director began her portion of the meeting with some examples of the Assistant Director’s activity, which include his continued work on the Person County Business Survey, as well as two Industry Visits with Louisiana-Pacific and Person Memorial Hospital. Both the survey and the visits are part of the of the 2023 Strategic Plan. The Assistant Director also attended the NCEDA Spring Conference at Pinehurst and is also scheduled to attend the 2023 NCEDA Legislative Breakfast in Raleigh on the 29th. He has attended Uptown Roxboro Group meetings, Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce board meetings and has attended several recent Roxboro Chamber ribbon-cuttings with more planned. In addition, he also just completed a Letter of Support for the City of Roxboro with regard to a DOT grant. The North Park RFP has been completed by the County Attorney and the contract was presented to the Person County Board of Commissioners at their meeting on March 6th and was approved. A meeting with the contractor has been scheduled for March 30th and the Director has asked Ray Fouchee to attend as the property is County owned. Once everything is agreed to with the Contractor, the clearing and grading will commence. Per the final report from the Duke Site Readiness Program last month, one of the conclusions regarding the PCMP is that more recent and easier to interpret maps are recommended. Currently, maps being used with prospective businesses were prepared by the Timmons Group back in 2017 and most refer to a particular Project that never materialized. As such, Director Lynch had requested updated maps from Timmons Group that would reflect boundaries according to the new survey as well as include maps of varying sizes, but unfortunately, the maps that have been received have not met with expectations. Therefore, another request will be made for better maps that align with the original request. The Director attended the Kerr Tar COG Grant writing seminar at Vance-Granville Community College. There were several speakers discussing grant opportunities such as Golden Leaf. In addition to the very informative seminar, the Director was also able to meet other Directors from the surrounding Counties. Director Lynch next updated the group that Tanya Evans of Duke Energy, has accepted a new position (also with Duke) at a Duke office in South Carolina. In addition, Michael Kelly of the KerrTar COG has accepted a position with North Carolina Rural Center. Director Lynch reminded the group that Person County Recreation, Arts & Parks will be holding a public forum regarding the County Farm Green Space on April 5th at 6 p.m. Also, the Director, 3 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 the County Manager and the County Assistant Manager will be meeting tomorrow with the Community Economic Development Planner at NC Commerce. Finally, Director Lynch was contacted by Charles Hayes, a well-known figure in North Carolina Economic Development circles, regrind an Honors Program he offers through his affiliation with ECU. The program offers four hours of customized training for non-practitioners in the Economic Development field. Enrollment is for 20 participants at a place of per choosing in Roxboro and costs $5,000. Both the Director and Assistant Director were able to attend the Kerr Tar COG Innovate 2023 Summit in Littleton on Thursday, March 23rd. Other than the long drive from Person County, the event was well attended in a beautifully renovated facility and gave attendees new perspectives on educating our future workforce. We also enjoyed great networking opportunities as well. Director Lynch informed the group about her recent “speed-dating” experience at EDPNC, which involved our one-quarter of the state in attendance, with area Economic Developers Directors sharing ideas. There were also opportunities to meet with the EDPNC Director as well as many of the Project Managers. The Economic Development Specialist position was posted last week and the Department is looking forward to the additional assistance. With regard to the Mega Park, there are some funds still available and the State has indicated that they would likely go back out and take a look at some smaller sites that did not benefit from the first round. Person County did not make the first cut, but perhaps we’d be in the running for this potential next round. Finally, with several events scheduled for April, continued work with the North Park, a potential involved interviewing process, among other things, Director Lynch is requesting that the next EDC Board meeting be scheduled for May 23rd. Member Comments: Dr. Pamela Senegal updated the group about the status of the Palace Pointe on-screen advertising production by stating that the students have been identified and are pulling together the elements of a draft to be presented to this board by the first week in April. Next, Dr. Senegal mentioned that over the next couple of weeks a group of Community College Presidents will be meeting with Executives of VinFast to identify areas of need for scaling up the new plant when the time comes. In addition, Dr. Senegal shared that the College is experiencing enrollment growth, but that growth is meeting a tipping point where that growth will be “capped” by the lack of funding with regard to their facilities. Next, she mentioned the organization of an upcoming trip, in connection with the Roxboro Chamber, to try and leverage some of her connections in Sanford. The trip is called “See It – Dream-It” and will focus on some of the initiatives that have worked for that community to foster economic growth and 4 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 prosperity. Lastly, Dr. Senegal noted that North Carolina’s Poet Laureate will be on the PCC Campus on April 18th and encouraged everyone to attend at the public portion beginning at 1 PM. Scott McKinney noted a recent study regarding the impact of rural United Methodist Churches, which highlighted the economic value of these churches to the community. Dr. McKinney pointed out that there were three of our Person County Methodist Churches that were included in the survey and that overall, it was found that these religious entities have a tremendous impact upon both urban and rural economies. Dr. Berryhill reminded everyone that the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is holding a 31- Farm, Piedmont Farm Tour on April 22nd and 23rd. Dr. Berryhill highlighted that our Person County Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm will be participating and will be one of the kick-off farms. There will be wagon tours as well as discussions about bison husbandry and food available, including Bison Burgers. Next, Dr. Berryhill mentioned a TV special that highlighted the economic impact of local community hospitals such as our own Personal Memorial Hospital. Finally, Dr. Berryhill, in conjunction with her role with Person County Tourism, mentioned the important efforts of the organization, VisitNC. She shared that the organization studies both the attributes of the person(s) that choose to visit North Carolina as well as the attributes of the state that draws them here. It is not surprising to note that the draws to the State of North Carolina are related to the outdoors, including the beautiful scenery, the state’s Southern charm and she noted that North Carolina is the fifth most visited state and that all of those attributes contribute to successful business recruitment as well as tourism. She reminded everyone that 2023 is the “Year of the Trail” and that we are now considered the “Great Trail State”, which will have a huge impact upon our outdoor economy. As she also gathered from a Main Street Conference that she recently attended, “Jobs follow people that go to quality of life locations”. Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager updated the group with regard to recent broadband developments. Namely, that she has received word from the state that we should be soon receiving the Agreement pertaining to the Great Grant, which will be brought before the Board of Commissioners at their next meeting for their approval. Zytel is the company that has been approved for the work which should begin sometime in early May. Subsequent to that, it is expected that there will be another round of Great Grant funding sometime in the month of May. All-in-all, there are very positive developments with regard to broadband in Person County. Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager mentioned a recent meeting with both Representative Jeffers and Senator Meyer with regard to funding the Western Sewer Project and anticipated costs at the Water Treatment Plant as well as a meeting with the USDA to discuss what the City’s funding would look like. Additionally, with the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers, Yanceyville and Person County, an appropriations request was submitted to Senator Tillis’ office for additional permitting fees and construction funds for the Dan River intake as well as an 5 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 appropriation request for the Western Sewer Project. While there may be a small amount of grant money involved in these appropriations requests, the majority of the funding will be in the form of loans. Next, Chairman Allen opened the floor to the other board members. The Honorable Gordon Powell mentioned the unfortunate loss of Tanya Evans to another Duke Energy office in South Carolina. On a positive note, Chairman Powell, did want to highlight from his many meetings with regard to Duke Energy’s future plans in Person County, that the discussions have been positive and that (long range), Person County is in the realm of being a central part of their consideration. As a result, Chairman Powell is encouraged with regard to the long-range prospects for Duke Energy and Person County. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Allen acknowledged the previous comments made by Chairman Powell with regard to Duke Energy and the loss of Tanya Evans, but is also optimistic about the long-range prospects of Duke Energy’s association with Person County. Along those lines, Chairman Allen reinforced the need for everyone to be supportive of Duke Energy in every way possible to send the message that they are wanted and needed here in the County. Chairman Allen next reminded the group that the next meeting of the EDC Board is scheduled for May 23rd, unless there is a need to call a special meeting. Dr. Scott McKinney then pointed out a recent news item that Representative Jeffers has posted a House Bill 461 with the appropriations committee requesting $17 million dollars for the Person County Mega Park. The Honorable Merilyn Newell next shared with the group that Roxboro Savings Bank was invited to a legislative session this month as they are celebrating their 100th anniversary where Representative Jeffers read a statement from the floor acknowledging their Centennial Milestone. Next Meeting: The next meeting is noted for Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. 6 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Adjournment: A motion was made and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 5:05 p.m. Motion: The Honorable Gordon Powell _____________________________________ _______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary 7 of 16 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC 27573 336.597.1752 Takeaways from the Louisiana-Pacific Industry Visit March 16, 2023 Facts about the Roxboro Plant: -The Plant opened in 1995. -They currently have 350,000 SF under roof. -The entire site is 249 acres. -It was built for $57.7 M. -They perform between $5M to $10M in annual maintenance on building and equipment. -Each semi-truck entering the Plant carries about 10 cords of unprocessed logs. -The average “haul-distance” for each truck is about 75 miles. -The Plant processes about 350,000 cords per year, so that means a lot of trucks in and out of the Roxboro Plant every day! -Of all the wood processed, about 90% is softwood and 10% hardwood. -The processing allows for 100% of each log to be utilized. -The Plant currently employs 158 Full Time. -Roxboro LP donated about $10,000 in gifts to our community last year. News of Note: Of the roughly 20 different product lines at Louisiana-Pacific, corporate management is looking for a location to produce a line called “FlameBlock”, which is a fire-retardant board used in town home and condo construction for the common walls between units. We learned that LP has narrowed the search to a Plant in Texas and our Roxboro Plant. The expansion would represent about 35-38 new positions. We impressed upon the LP team that we collectively will do all we can on their behalf to assist in their “winning” this expansion and continue to grow and thrive right here in Person County! Michael D. Thibault Assistant Director Person County Economic Development 303 S. Morgan St. (Physical) PO Box 1581 (Mailing) Roxboro, NC 27573 336.597.1752 (O) 336.583.2423 (C) mthibault@personcountync.gov 8 of 16 EDC Regularly-Scheduled MeetingMarch 28, 2023 9 of 16 Directors Report 10 of 16 Assistant Director •Strategic Plan-Business Survey •Industry Visits with LP and PMH •NCEDA’s 2023 Legislative Breakfast •Several Chamber Ribbon Cuttings •Letter of Support for a Grant Opportunity for the City of Roxboro •Attended the NCEDA Conference in Pinehurst 11 of 16 Updates and Info •North Park contract was signed, pre-construction meeting is March 30th •Timmons Group Map-Other Options •Attended the Kerr Tar Grant Resource Workshop on March 8th •Tanya Evans is taking a new role with Duke Energy is South Carolina. Janet Silvers and Jimmy Flythe will assist on a interim basis •Michael Kelly has left Kerr-Tar for the North Carolina Rural Center 12 of 16 Updates and Info •Person County Parks and Recreation Arts and Parks will hold a public information meeting on the county farm greenspace. It will be Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at the Kirby Cultural Art Complex. •County Manager, Assistant County, Manager and ED Director will meet with the Community Economic Development Planner with NC Commerce tomorrow •Honors Seminar in Economic Development-ECU-Charles Hayes 13 of 16 14 of 16 Updates and Info •Recommended CIP will be presented at the April 3, PCBOC meeting •Budget and Pay Study will be presented at the April 17, PCBOC Meeting •ED Specialist Position Posted •April Meeting 15 of 16 Thank You! 16 of 16 EDC Meeting Minutes for June 8, 2023 Special Called Meeting Minutes of the Special Called PCEDC Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 304 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 June 8, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Mr. Jody Blackwell The Honorable Gordon Powell Mr. Donald Long The Honorable Merilyn Newell Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Dr. Rodney Peterson, Superintendent of PCS ED Staff Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, ED Director Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) Called to Order: 1.At 4 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order. 2.Mr. Donald Long gave the invocation. 3.Chairman Allen requested a motion to enter into Closed Session pursuant to NC General Statues 143-318.11(a)(5) A motion was made and seconded and unanimously passed to enter into closed session. Motion: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Second: Jody Blackwell Closed Session was entered into at 4:03 p.m. 1 of 2 EDC Meeting Minutes for June 8, 2023 Special Called Meeting A motion was made, seconded and unanimously passed to exit close Motion: The Honorable Gordon Powell Second: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Closed Session was exited at 4:34 p.m. Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, July 27th, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 4:35 p.m. Motion: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Second: Jody Blackwell _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary 2 of 2 EDC Minutes for June 27, 2023 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 June 27, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Ms. Sherry Clayton Mr. Donald Long-Vice Chairman Dr. Scott McKinney Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell Mr. Jody Blackwell Ex Officios Present: Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Ex Officios Absent: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) Ms. Sherry Wilborn Ms. Julie Maybee EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order. Mr. Donald Long gave the invocation. 1 of 3 EDC Minutes for June 27, 2023 Director’s Report: Director Lynch’s starts off by introducing her new ED specialist Briana Whitt who is currently tasked with the minutes and getting that caught up and some other projects. Briana is originally from Alamance County but now resides in Person County. Briana comes with a great background in social media and insurance. Brandy makes the board aware of the ECU Honors Seminar and that there are a few spots left in anyone else would be interested in going, Charles Hayes will be conducting the class. Member Comments: Dr. Senegal informed the board that PCC has offered to help with the video but currently has had employees leave for other employment. Dr. Senegal notes all the interview have been conducted and taped, they have not been edited yet. Dr. Berryhill handed out the new updated maps in courtesy of the Tourism Development Authority, that includes all of the Points of Interest, Schools, Parks and even the Vehicle Charging Stations in Person County. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Allen offered no report. Closed Session: Chairman Allen requested a motion to enter into Closed Session pursuant to NC General Statues 143-318.11(a)(5) A motion was made, seconded and unanimously passed to go into closed session. Motion: Donald Long Second: Jody Blackwell Closed Session was entered into at 4:09 pm A motion was made, seconded and unanimously passed to come out of closed session. Motion: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Second: Jody Blackwell Closed Session was exited at 4:15 pm 2 of 3 EDC Minutes for June 27, 2023 Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 4:16 p.m. Motion: The Honorable Gordon Powell Second: Scott McKinney _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary 3 of 3 EDC Minutes for July 25, 2023 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 July 25, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Ms. Sherry Clayton Mr. Donald Long-Vice Chairman Dr. Scott McKinney Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell-Secretary Mr. Jody Blackwell Ex Officios Present: Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Ex Officios Absent: Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) Ms. Sherry Wilborn Ms. Julie Maybee Mr. Bo Freeman EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order. Mr. Donald Long gave the invocation. 1 of 3 EDC Minutes for July 25, 2023 Director’s Report: Director Lynch’s starts off by making the board aware that there is a new demographic report one of the things that the other counties did the second half is still in the work. This report will be updated monthly, as the information comes out. Some exciting but sad news, the Economic Director of Granville County announced his retirement. Ms. Whitt and Lynch will be attending 51st Basic Economic Development Course at UNC next Monday-Thursday. A group of Person County diligence and City of Roxboro affiliation were able to meet with The Department of Commerce on July 12th. All of the meeting minutes are all caught up, the minutes will be added to the August agenda for approval. August 9th, the EDC will host ECU class with Charles Hayes, there are a couple spot remaining. Lynch was able to have site visit at North Park last Friday, met with the contractor, looks like a totally different site. Lynch and Whitt were able to attend the CTE meeting a few weeks ago, able to get some good ideas for workforce and job fairs. Our WRAL ad has officially kicked off. Also, Lynch has been able to have a meeting with Polywood in regards to their few needs. Member Comments: Dr. Senegal informed the board that classes will be starting on August 15th, along with the annual Golf Tournament at Treyburn on September 25th. Ms. Cathy made the board aware that we have received a second Great Grant award was given to Brightspeed for a project in Person County. Mr. Brooks stated that they have hired a new finance director. Dr. Berryhill attended the 5-county beef tour around Granville County on July 21st. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Allen encouraged everyone who has not signed up for the class with Charles Hayes to sign up. Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. 2 of 3 EDC Minutes for July 25, 2023 Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 4:18 p.m. Motion: Donald Long Second: Sherry Clayton _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary 3 of 3