The Regional Industrial Facilities Authority met at the Danville Regional Airport on Monday, and SouthsideCentral was there to cover the meeting. Let’s go over what happened.
The RIFA board didn’t have a meeting in the month of November, but there’s not too much on this agenda even though we’re covering two months.
Everybody’s here today. Around the table clockwise from the back left, we’ve got Lee Vogler, board attorney Jennifer Burnett (in for Michael Guanzon), Sue DeMasi, Sherman Saunders, Fred Shanks, James Snead and Brenda Bowman.
This is the last RIFA meeting for all of the Pittsylvania County members. Brenda Bowman & Coy Harville didn’t run for reelection on the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors and James Snead lost his reelection bid. Once the new version of the Board of Supervisors is sworn in on January 4th, they will have to select two new RIFA members & one alternate.
Barry Dunkley from Danville Utilities is here to answer questions about a permit application that’s needed for the city to install a water monitoring station. The access road to the station will be through RIFA property. Since he’s got another meeting to go to, the permit application gets the FastForward to first on the agenda.
Barry Dunkley answers questions. Greg Sides needs a fork.
Coy Harville & James Snead ask about securing the monitoring station, because the Berry Hill Bridge area is known for vandalism. Dunkley says that’s planned for the monitoring station. The permit request passes 4-0.
And we go back to the first item of business on the agenda… Sherman Saunders reads resolutions thanking Harville, Snead & Bowman for their service on the RIFA board.
Thank you. And you. And you.
Next, the board approves another one-year lease for 30 acres of MegaPark property to a farming operation for $1200. We move on to the board reviews a letter sent to the Economic Development Office of the US Department of Commerce thanking them for the support that’s they have given to RIFA efforts. The city and county have also written letters of support like this.
Brian Bradner from Dewberry is here to give the update on the permitting process for the Berry Hill MegaPark. He says that the approval to start working on a small part of the MegaPark is very close to approval. Some of the board members question that because the permitting process hasn’t been very kind to the industrial park. Bradner explains that this small area permit is much easier to get approved and the permitting process for the entire park area is on hold since this proposal is underway.
Dewberry’s Brian Bradner answers questions. Denice Thibodeau, HELLO!
Finally, we move to the financial reports. A representative from Brown Edwards is here to present the annual audit reports and answer questions.
After that, Mike Adkins goes over the monthly financial reports and that’s the end of the business. We move to the around the horn session. Outgoing board members Coy Harville, James Snead & Brenda Bowman thank everybody and say their goodbyes. Pittsylvania County Administrator Clarence Monday introduces the new county economic development director, Matt Rowe.
Clarence Monday & Matt Rowe
And we’re done! No, we’re not! Even though the RIFA bylaws say that the current chairman will remain chairman until a new one is elected at the January meeting, Coy Harville wants to add an agenda item to directly state that Sherman Saunders will be chairman until that January meeting. It’s a waste of time, but why the hell not? That passes 4-0 just like everything else.
And NOW we’re done. Thanks for reading the most detailed recap with the most photos of the meeting!
We’ve got more coming up here on SouthsideCentral!
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