Harville: Pittsylvania County having good year

Last year was a good one for Pittsylvania County, and despite the recession, the county is having a better 2009 than many other areas of the country.

That’s the message that was delivered by Coy Harville, chairman of Pittsylvania County’s Board of Supervisors, at the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce’s “Business at Breakfast” meeting Tuesday.

Later in the afternoon at his Pittsylvania County farm, Harville talked about his “State of the County Address” and why recent projects are building a stronger business base in the county.

“Pittsylvania County made a positive right turn in 2002,” Harville said. “That’s when we started all the joint ventures with the city.”

Harville said partnering with Danville on many projects only made sense, since the “state and Tobacco Commission said they would only fund the projects through a partnership.”

Those joint ventures have included Cyber Park, home of the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, DCC’s Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training and a number of other high-tech businesses; Cane Creek Center, which currently houses Swedwood and Yorktowne Cabinetry; and about a dozen others.

One joint venture currently under way is 3,400-acre industrial mega-park being planned on Berry Hill Road. Harville said the property is perfect for such an industrial park, with land on both sides of State Road 863, 2.56 miles of railroad tracks crossing the site, accessibility to the Danville Expressway and easy access to airports in Greensboro, N.C., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Harville said finalizing a deal with American Municipal Power to build an electric power plant in Southern Virginia Energy Park section of the mega-park is a priority as AMP would be the park’s first tenant.

He also said the goal is to have the park certified as a mega-park, which is expected to attract more business interest.

Beyond the joint ventures with the city, the county has also expanded is own business base over the years, creating nine industrial parks, improving water lines in Brosville and along Route 40, supporting high-tech agricultural ventures that will give area farmers potential new crops to grow and seeing construction projects continue throughout the county despite the economy.

Harville said the first six months of 2008 saw a greater number of building permits issued than in the first six months of 2009, with 98 more building permits issued and more than $19 million more in permit values.

The 2008 projects that made up that $19 million difference were a combination of renovations and new building projects at Chatham Hall, Hargrave Military Academy, DUC Dialysis Center, Chatham Nursing Home, Swedwood and a Hampton Inn hotel.

However, he said construction in the county has remained strong during the first six months of this year.

Harville said there have been 538 building permits issued so far this year, on projects of all sizes that will total a $22.5 million investment in the county.

“New construction is under way in Pittsylvania County, while the rest of the nation sits idle,” Harville said. “This included both residential and commercial. Our building inspectors are doing 15 to 30 inspections a day.”

Harville said the county’s General Fund balance is healthy, with revenues beating expenses by slightly more than $2 million so far in 2009 — and since the new fiscal year began on July 1 alone, positive income topping $190,000.

“Pittsylvania County had a good year,” Harville said. “The reason the county fared well is the continued effort of the Board of Supervisors to invest in the county’s future.”