E-Newsletter from the official website of Henry County, VA
Henry County Monthly Newsletter
June 2010
"Movies in the Park" coming to Jack Dalton this summer

Please join Henry County Parks and Recreation, Movie Town, and Woodall's Music for our free "Movies in the Park" events this summer at Jack Dalton Park.

We will show family-friendly movies such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" on June 18; "The Blind Side (edited version)" on July 16 and "Monsters vs. Aliens" on August 13, with each show beginning at 9 p.m. Admission is free, and refreshments will be available for purchase.

Bring a lawn chair and plan on having a great time! For more information contact our Parks and Recreation Department at (276) 634-4640.
Gateway Streetscape gets new executive director

Gateway Streetscape Foundation has hired a new Executive Director.

Eric Capps, an Environmental Manager for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, began his duties May 10. Capps brings more than 20 years of experience in horticulture and environmental work to his new position.

"We are absolutely thrilled that Eric Capps has accepted the position," said Dale Wagoner, Chairman of the Gateway Streetscape Board of Directors. "He has field experience and office experience, and his credentials are impeccable. We are lucky to get him."

Capps has a bachelor's degree in biology from Christopher Newport College and a master's degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech. He has extensive experience in creating partnerships with entities such as the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"The Board of Directors was very impressed with Eric's history of working with other agencies," Wagoner said. "We think he will work with local partners to make Gateway better than it's ever been."

Gateway Streetscape Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1991 from a Beautification Committee at the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to enhance the area's aesthetic value by focusing on major roadways and thoroughfares for orderly planting of trees, flowers, and shrubbery.

Gateway has expanded its mission to include recycling, reusing and reducing and litter control. The organization is funded by charitable donations, the City of Martinsville, and Henry County.
PART bus system has best month ever

The month of May was the best ever for the Piedmont Area Regional Transit (PART) bus system.

According to figures provided by RADAR of Roanoke, which manages the local system, ridership reached 1,084 passengers for the 30-day period ending May 25. That topped the previous record of 1,020 riders on the March 2010 report.

The May ridership total included 671 riders in the City of Martinsville and 413 riders in Henry County. The most popular pickup spot in the system was at Lowe's with 129 riders; the next best location was Liberty Fair Mall with 104 riders.

PART is a fixed-route system that runs 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The system began operations in January 2009. It is managed by RADAR of Roanoke, a non-profit organization that has organized and maintained both public and private human service transportation for more than 30 years.

The current route schedule is posted on Henry County's website - www.henrycountyva.gov - and the City of Martinsville's website - www.martinsville-va.gov - and is available at the County Administration Building and the City Municipal Building. It's also available on RADAR's website - www.radartransit.org.

For more information, please contact Leon Towarnicki, the City of Martinsville's Director of Public Works at (276) 403-5154; Lee Clark, Henry County's Director of Planning, Zoning & Inspection at (276) 634-4620; or Leon Robertson, RADAR at (800) 964-5707 Ext. 105.

For more information about the Henry County, Virginia., visit The Official Website of Henry County, Virginia at www.henrycountyva.gov. To renew or sign-up for the newsletter, click here. Henry county E-Newsletter from the official website of Henry County, VA. Please do not reply to this e-mail. Should you need further information, please direct your e-mail to info@henrycountyva.gov. If you do not wish to receive the eNewsletter, please click here.

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E-Newsletter from the official website of Henry County, VA
Henry County Monthly Newsletter
May 2010

Household Hazardous Waste Day a success

The spring version of the Household Hazardous Waste Day was held April 17 at the Henry County Service Center. Once again it was highly successful, and many thanks to those who volunteered to help.

Officials recorded 155 vehicles entering the facility - 130 from Henry County and 25 from the City of Martinsville. Volunteers collected 1.45 tons of computer and office parts to be recycled.

Employees from Environmental Options, Inc., working alongside volunteers, collected 26 drums of paint, antifreeze, motor oil and other fluids.

More than 25 volunteers and paid staff working the event, including Henry County staff, City of Martinsville staff, inmates from the City of Martinsville and from Henry County, Gateway Streetscape Board members, and local fire and rescue volunteers.

A $5,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Quality helped defer the costs of the event, which include paying to dispose of the toxic materials collected.

A big thanks to Mike Amos of our Refuse Department and LaConya Martin of the Gateway staff for putting together this year's event.

Supervisors adopt FY '11 Budget

The Henry County Board of Supervisors adopted the County's Fiscal Year 2011 on April 27. The Board is slated to appropriate the money for the budget on May 25, with the budget taking effect July 1.

The budget totals $109,444,497. When compared to the FY 2010 Proposed Budget of $117,516,572, this year's budget represents a reduction of $8,072,075 or 6.9% from the FY 2010 budget. The budget includes no tax increases and no pay raises for County employees.

The budget includes an allocation to the School Board of $17,077,895 for FY '11, which is level with FY '10 local funding and the amount requested by the School Board.

The full budget document can be viewed on the County's website - www.henrycountyva.gov.
PSA Board of Directors receives FY '2011 Budget proposal

The proposed Fiscal Year 2011 Henry County Public Service Authority Budget includes no rate increase for customers.

PSA General Manager Benny Summerlin presented the proposed FY '11 Budget to the PSA Board of Directors on April 19. The Budget totals $11,621,812 for FY '11, which is about $500,000 higher than the FY 2010 Budget of $11,105,120. The primary reason for the increase is the purchase of backup power generators for the Philpott Water Plant. That expenditure is expected to be $768,000.

The Board of Directors set a budget work session for May 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the County Administration Building. That meeting will be held in the fourth floor conference room.

The proposed budget includes no pay raises for PSA employees. The County will continue to cover the full cost of the employee's health insurance.

Mr. Summerlin highlighted several events from the current year during his presentation, including the opening of the Henry County Service Center in Bassett. The facility houses the PSA Construction and Maintenance Shop as well as space for the Henry County Sheriff's Office, the Henry County Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Henry County Schools' Maintenance Division.

The report also highlighted the project to bring public sewer service to the Philpott Lake area. In a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the property, this project ultimately will result in the construction of small marina on Philpott Lake.

The proposed FY 2011 PSA Budget can be downloaded from Henry County's website - www.henrycountyva.gov.
The PSA Board of Directors is scheduled to adopt a budget for FY 2011 on May 17.