2024-Mar-31
The Silence of Person County
Deliberate “cover ups” by the local press and individuals happen for a reason. The first being the subject matter truly has no relevance and is not considered newsworthy, or full disclosure of these stories is being held due to personal bias and political control. I believe the latter.
The closing of GKN with 475 employees in our county would be an in-depth story worthy of further research and probing. Yet, there was none. The closing of this plant was referenced well over 18 months ago in the Triangle Business Journal when they covered the closing of GKN in Sanford and consolidation. It only seemed a matter of time before the Roxboro plant would be next, and it was. During those 18 months there was no follow-up with GKN. The release of the closing was done a day after the primary election with little information or background of why this should not have taken us by surprise. The Board of Commissioners knew two weeks before the announcement that GKN was indeed closing the Roxboro plant, and nothing was said. What if anything had our local Economic Development office done to prepare for this closing? It is very coincidental the story was held till a day after the primary election suggesting a convenient cover for certain incumbent candidates to include the former Economic Director running for Commissioner.
Another story is a request of county funds to build a new Piedmont Community College (PCC) campus off Hwy-501, when land and space is already available elsewhere and on the current campus; another matter not totally disclosed to the public. The building is owned by the former Vice Chair of the Economic Development Commission (EDC), he is asking $7 million. The optics seem a bit blurred on this, and frankly not good. This is the same former Vice Chair of the EDC who owns an airplane and was instrumental in changes to the local airport using county and federal dollars. The PCC acquisition is on land owned by the Person County Business and Industrial Center (PCBIC), whose president, Phillip Allen, sits on the PCC Board of Trustees and serves as Chair of the EDC. Discussions have been taking place for months on this matter behind closed doors. The county will contribute close to $3 million for this new site. Dr. Senegal, President of PCC, and her Board of Trustees, many picked by her and others in county leadership, appear only too happy to move forward with this deal without providing adequate public information about the existing campus, future projections for student growth, state aid, the use of county funds, etc. An MOU [memorandum of understanding] has already been signed, and by all indications this looks like a done deal with a tremendous spin on the needed purchase. Is the intention to close the current campus within the next 7-10 years? If so, what is PCC’s long-range plan on curriculum, technology, and growth? The buying of this property will result in losing a long-term county revenue asset and replacing it with debt.
Then, there is the story of the Woodsdale parcels. Owned by the PCBIC, the 501C3 arm of our EDC. The parcels purchased originally in 2007 and 2010 run along a rail line off Shiloh Church and Woodsdale Roads. The intended use appears to be a supply depot for materials. This issue has been on social media for months, with investigations taken place by area residents. The developer, Mason Day, owner of Hot Rock Haulers, LLC a South Boston Va. firm working with his advisor and partner, the former Economic Director of Person County and Commissioner Candidate, Sherry Wilborn, developed the parcels without proper permits, a land use plan and special use permit. Additionally environmental and transportation considerations were not adequately reviewed causing involvement from the state.
Research indicates Day, and perhaps his partner, will be conveyed these parcels originally purchased and maintained by taxpayer and grant type funding. Day rents warehouse space from Wilborn, and Wilborn herself had insider knowledge on these parcels and their intended use for personal profit due to her former government position. The Conveyance was approved by PCBIC President, Phillip Allen, without full knowledge by his Board or the County’s Board of Commissioners and public. Representative Ray Jeffers got involved recently and stated to one of the adjacent homeowners the site pad would be used for ash storage. When asked by a Woodsdale resident, Ms. Wilborn denied the storage of ash, however her own partner, Mr. Day, admitted to a Woodsdale resident the storage of ash was to take place on the site. This particular use requires federal and state regulation. The state was unaware of this potential site use.
Several weeks ago the Courier Times was asked why a story wasn’t “run” on this issue, they responded that Mr. Allen and others in the Economic Development office would not reply to their inquiries. The press confirmed people are “scared”. To anyone with any basic journalistic knowledge that response suggests a story. Also, nothing was released during the primary period on this developing story even though a candidate was heavily involved. From all appearances this looks like a cover-up by the press and others.
Cover-ups never end well. The losers are always the public. Our local press and our leaders are working very hard to dumb-down the public, while they fail upward. We need to demand a fair press here in Person County, and we all should realize we need checks and balances in our leadership to avoid cover-ups and personal gains on the backs of county taxpayers.
Elizabeth Torpey