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 economic developmentNorfolk May Lose Aircaft Carrier and Jobs
Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 4:42pm
Sen. Mark Warner Proposes Economic Development Legislation
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 11:22am
Leaders Celebrate Opening of One-Stop Center
This is good news for home owners in the area because the center will provide resources to help area residents find jobs, which will boost the local economy and property values. "State and community leaders celebrated the opening of the Virginia Workforce Center — or 'One-Stop' — in Nor-Dan Shopping Center on Thursday morning. 'I look at these centers as platforms for opportunity and hope,' said Danny LeBlanc, senior advisor for workforce to the governor’s office. The new one-stop center housed a full lobby of customers after opening three weeks ago. From Dec. 18 to Wednesday, the center served 1,521 customers. 'This region, we are well positioned for progress and we are ready to get the job done in a more effective and efficient way,' Mayor Sherman Saunders said. What does the Virginia Workforce Center do? Employers, workers looking to upgrade their job skills and job seekers will benefit from the integration of service providers. The facility streamlines employment services for customers with convenience in one location and by using a common registration form. The center also serves in-school and out-of-school youth and provides internship training, job placement assistance and summer and in-school employment-related programs." Posted on Friday, January 8, 2010 - 5:03pm
Census to Generate 4,000 Part-time Jobs in Hampton Roads
It's time for the Census, which is good news for anyone looking for a part-time job. According to the Virginian Pilot, the 2010 Census will bring 4,000 part-time jobs to the Hampton Roads area. This could be a great boost to the local economy, and good for any homeowners in the area looking for work. "Taxpayers will spend $14 billion to survey themselves for the 2010 Census. If that sounds like a bone head idea in tight times, blame the Founding Fathers. The Constitution requires a head count every 10 years to make sure political power is properly distributed. Revenue and representation are based on census data. The gear-up for 2010 started several years ago at the U.S. Census Bureau. Forms won't be mailed out until March, but a $340 million publicity push began Monday with a cross-country promotional tour launched from New York's Times Square. Census offices are opening this week in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach - part of a 500-office network that will handle the 1.2 million workers needed to conduct the count. Locally, about 4,000 people will be hired for temporary, part-time work this spring. Jobs will last two to seven weeks. Pay starts at $13 an hour. Technically, the new hires will be known as enumerators, but census takers will do. Their work begins after April 1, the deadline for returning the 10-question form; responses cannot be filed online. Census takers knock on doors to prod those people who didn't comply. By the way, the census is mandatory on both ends. Just as the government is required to conduct it, every resident is required to respond. Those who don't can be fined up to $100. Those who knowingly give false answers can be fined up to $500." Posted on Friday, January 8, 2010 - 12:14am
Richmond and Hampton Roads
Richmond and Hampton Roads both placed well on a study that compared 50 metropolitan areas across the country for operating costs for a headquarters, according to The Virginian Pilot. This is good news for homeowners in these areas, because companies greatly desire to have their headquarters in locations with low operating costs. Any major company that moves their headquarters to Richmond or Hampton Roads will bring new jobs, tax revenue and growth to the area - all of which will help protect home values. "Cheap labor and construction costs have made Hampton Roads an attractive location for corporate headquarters, according to a recently released report. The study compared 50 metropolitan areas across the country that already are home to at least one major corporation. Of those, Hampton Roads ranked as the third-lowest in annual operating expenses for a headquarters, according to The Boyd Co. Inc., the Princeton, N.J.-based site-selection consulting firm that compiled the report. The company compared markets looking at both labor costs for operating a headquarters with 325 employees and the cost of maintaining a 70,000-square-foot, top-of-the-line building. 'Labor tends to dominate the equation, and Virginia is a right-to-work state, unlike Maryland, Pennsylvania,' said John Boyd Jr., head of The Boyd Co. 'The labor climate favors management over labor. That tends to calm that inflationary wage pressure.' Sioux Falls, S.D., and Little Rock, Ark., are the only two cities on Boyd's list that cost less than Hampton Roads. Richmond also made it, as the ninth-least-expensive metro area." Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2010 - 12:42am
Officials Break Ground on Western State in Staunton
The groundbreaking ceremony for Western State Hospital was recently held, according to The News Leader. The new mental health facility will bring new jobs to the area and boost the local economy. Homeowners can appreciate this type of growth that will draw more professionals into the area. "Mirroring reforms in the field of mental health, Western State Hospital will once again get a major overhaul. State and local officials, including Gov. Tim Kaine, were on hand Tuesday morning for the official groundbreaking ceremony for a $125 million replacement hospital. The new 246-bed hospital will be constructed on a 66-acre site adjacent to the existing facility and is scheduled to open by spring 2013. 'It represents a real step forward in the way mental health issues are addressed and mental health is treated in Virginia,' Kaine said. 'This new facility really matches up with the right way to deal with mental health issues.' The hospital, which opened in 1950, was built to house 1,800 patients and served more than 3,000 patients at its peak usage during the 1960s. Jack Barber, director of Western State Hospital, however, said recent changes to mental health care have made long-term hospitalization far less necessary." Posted on Thursday, December 3, 2009 - 11:43pm
Defense Agency to Bring $64 Million in Salaries to Albemarle Area
The Defense Intelligence Agency is relocating much of its function to Albemarle, bringing jobs and new residents to the area, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This is great news for area homeowners because the influx of residents and salaries will aid in the tax base. Also, the DIA is not bringing staff to fulfill every position, and will look to local residents or companies to fulfill those needs. This move will be a great boost to the local economy. "When the Defense Intelligence Agency brings an estimated 800 employees to Rivanna Station in September, it will join the nearly $110 million defense-related industry already headquartered in central Virginia. The DIA is relocating much of its intelligence-analysis function to the Albemarle County facility occupied by the National Ground Intelligence Center. The move will improve communications and cooperation between the agencies, officials said. Area business leaders have heralded the new jobs as good for the area. 'The DIA says the average salary will be $80,000. That means that in October 2010, there will be $64 million more in salaries that aren't here now,' said Timothy Hulbert, president and chief executive officer of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. 'That's huge.' Not all of the 800 employees DIA wants to bring to town are coming. To compensate, DIA officials are opening some jobs to local residents and proffering contracts for local businesses. 'It's a targeted campaign in that we have specific positions we want to fill,' said Laura Donnelly, DIA spokeswoman. 'These are known vacancies or anticipated vacancies, so we know the jobs are available.' Defense contracts already stimulate area businesses. In 2008, contracts brought more than $92 million into Charlottesville and $64.4 million into Albemarle. The federal government spent more than $991 million in defense contracts in central Virginia between 2000 and 2008, according to federal figures, with more than $880 million in Charlottesville and Albemarle. The contracts include everything from uniforms to laboratory analysis to commissary food. Defense-related companies in the area build weapons systems, targeting systems, radar, navigation, anti-explosive devices and firearms. The totals do not include the military's Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School for military lawyers and legal officials at the University of Virginia, nor the Charlottesville-based Federal Executive Institute, operated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management." Posted on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 12:34pm
Criticized Economic Development Official Leaving Loudoun Job
Lawrence Rosenstrauch, who has been in this position for 13 years, will leave the agency Dec. 4. This could be good for Loudoun County because business leaders have criticized Rosenstrauch's committment to rural living over corporate relocations that could bring many new jobs, residents and increased tax base to the area. While quality-of-living is important to homeowners and the value of their property, residents, business leaders and county officials have to work towards a healthy balance that also allows for economic growth. "Loudoun County's economic development director announced his resignation Monday amid growing criticism from business leaders and county officials over his steadfast emphasis on rural quality-of-life issues over corporate relocations." Posted on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 12:08am
Bedford County Tourist Attraction is For Sale
A long-standing tourist attraction in Bedford County has closed and the property will hit the auction block on Dec 16, according to the Lynchburg News & Advance. Holy Land USA, which has been open for nearly 40 years and attracted thousands of visitors is now closed due to financial struggles. The beautiful property includes over 180 acres of farmland, a house, a gift shop, pavillions and several streams and ponds. Ideally, the new owner will continue to run the property as some sort of tourist attraction that can help boost the local economy and provide tax revenue to the county. "Holy Land USA, a Bedford County tourist attraction that told the story of Jesus Christ through its scenery for nearly 40 years, is closed and headed for the auction block. More than 180 acres of farmland that served the pilgrimage site on Jericho Lane several miles south of Bedford is for sale, said Mike Dodson, president of Holy Land USA Inc., a nonprofit that has operated the attraction since 2008. Low visitation and high costs of maintaining the site led to a difficult decision several months ago to sell the land, Dodson said. Owners hope to find a new buyer who will continue the ministry. 'We had many people saved there,' said Dodson, who also serves as pastor of Tree of Life Ministries in Lynchburg. 'If it wasn’t for the financial side, you couldn’t find a more rewarding ministry.' Thousands of people have visited Holy Land since its founding in 1972 by the late Robert Johnson, a Bedford businessman who built it as a memorial to his son, Campbell, who died suddenly at age 24. The attraction included a three-mile journey through the property with 20 sites depicting the life and deeds of Jesus and replicating the Biblical lands of Israel, Syria and Jordan. Several depictions included Jesus’ empty tomb, the Upper Room where he had his last supper and Mount Moriah. The property also includes a home with seven bedrooms, a chapel and recreation center, a gift shop, pavilions and several ponds and streams. 'It’s a gorgeous piece of property,' said Mike Torrence, a partner at TRF Auctions in Lynchburg, which will auction the site on Dec. 16." Posted on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 11:57pm
Crowd Speaks Out On Coal-Fired Energy Plant in Surry
A small town in the cetner of Surry County has been proposed as the site of a mega coal-fired power plant that would open in 2016. On Monday night more than 200 people showed up at thePlanning Commission meeting that was scheduled to vote on the matter. Most of the people in attendance were against the power plant, however, most of those people were from surrounding areas such as Richmond, Williamsburg and Norfolk. Residents supported the plant, because it could bring jobs, tax revenue and hope to the town that has been struggling. Homeowners should be aware that the Planning Commission rescheduled their vote for Dec 14th. "More than 50 people spoke Monday night ahead of a vote next month that could pave the way for a tiny town to house a coal-fired power plant - and the vast majority were against the project. Dendron, in the center of the county, has been proposed as the site of the Cypress Creek Power Station, a mega coal-fired power plant that would open in 2016. The 1,500-megawatt plant would be the state's largest to produce electrical energy. But it could also be an environmental hazard, opponents of the plant said. 'Consider the impact it may have on your neighboring communities,' said Gary West, a former Newport News Planning Commission member. 'From agriculture to industry, it would be a severe and dramatic change.' The Planning Commission, faced with nine proposals from Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, had been scheduled to vote on the plant Monday night, but by the end of the public hearings had decided to delay the vote. The group will take up the matter again Dec. 14. The crowd of 200-plus on Monday night overwhelmingly seemed to oppose the plant. They came from as far as Richmond, Norfolk and Williamsburg to speak. They called coal a dirty resource - one that is not renewable - and said it has the potential to harm the community's health. Residents who want the power plant say it could bring jobs and industrial-type businesses that provide additional tax revenue to the struggling rural county." Posted on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 11:42pm
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According to the Daily Press, Norfolk is likely to lose a major aircraft carrier - and thousands of jobs as a result. A recent Defense Department report indicates that the carrier will be moved to a new, permanent base in Mayport, Florida. The reports states that the move is necessary to mitigage the impact of a terrorist attack, accident or natural disaster. The potential job losses are substantial and would be felt throughout the region.
