News Headlines

By KEN WOODLEY
   FARMVILLE — The first immigration detainees are expected in Farmville on Monday, May 3.
   And they will find, according to the facility’s director of detention, Mark Flowers, an immigration detention facility that is unique in the United States of America.
   And one that will produce approximately 240 jobs.
“It’s one-of-a-kind,” Flowers said of the facility built only to house non-criminal immigration detainees—adult males, 18 and over, who have committed no crime other than being in the country illegally.
   A facility that will try to restrict the movements of detainees within its perimeter as little as possible.
   The Immigration Centers of America-Farmville, LLC facility will be able to house some 650 detainees when it opens and it will be the only facility in the nation that doesn’t mix non-criminal aliens with criminals.
   “May 3 is the day that I’m hoping a bus pulls up out here with our first guests,” said Flowers, whose 23 years in the United States Army were focused on Army corrections. The ICA-Farmville facility will be the fourth he has led. “We’re going to be ready for them.”
   The detainees brought to Farmville will find a facility with a philosophy, Flowers told Town Council during its March work session, of as much freedom of movement within the facility as security and detainee behavior will allow.
   “Our facility is solely non-criminal aliens. Which means we don’t have to cater to one specific group half of the time and the other group (criminals) the other time. Our one and only customer is Homeland Security for this particular category (non-criminal aliens), so a management challenge for me,” Flowers said, “is being able to offer the different activities that they would have in their free life, so to speak.
   “We’re basically calling this a society within a perimeter fence,” Flowers said. “We’re trying to limit their movements and restrictions as little as we possibly have to, based on their behaviors.”
   That will include visitation allowed at any time during the day, seven days a week, with no 20-minute limit and no restriction against contact.
   “This is another area that we changed. There used to be no contact visitation. We would not allow the family members to have contact with the detainees,” Flowers said, “and we changed that because visitation, hugging and all that, is good for the families. We’re not trying to break them apart.” Flowers expects perhaps up to 20 visitors a day to the facility. “At most,” he said.
   “You can visit, but if we have people standing in line you’re going to have to leave and come back. It’s got to be fair among everybody. You can’t have one person coming in and say ‘visitation 24 hours a day, all right, move in.’ That’s just a management thing,” Flowers said, “and we’ll address it as it develops.” . . . . . .

<Top>
<Read the full story in The Farmville Herald>

Council Members Unopposed
Filing Deadline For
May 4 Election Passes

By KEN WOODLEY
   FARMVILLE — A few members of Farmville’s Town Council may have been breathing a sigh of relief last week.
   The deadline for filing to run in the May 4 municipal election passed without any candidate filing to run against them.
   Four council positions, along with the office of mayor, will be on the ballot:
   Tommy Pairet, At-Large; Dr. Edward I. Gordon, Ward A; Armstead D. Reid, Ward C; Sally Thompson, Ward B; and Mayor Sydnor C. Newman, Jr.
   The staggered term system saw council members David E. Whitus, At-Large; Donald L. Hunter, in Ward D; and Otto S. Overton in Ward E, re-elected two years ago.
   The last day to register to vote in the town election is April 12, 21 days prior to the May 4 polling.

<Top>
<Read the full story in The Farmville Herald>

County Eyes Policy
PE Sups Discuss School Leave

By ROB CHAPMAN
   PRINCE EDWARD — County supervisors sat down with School Board Chairman Russell Dove and reviewed the school board’s new leave policy at their February 26 work session.
   At the end of the discussion, the board—after many questions—seemed satisfied, for the most part.
   “I think we got a good policy,” Dove assessed in the presentation. “I think it’s…the best we can do. It’s fair for our employees and it’s what we needed to do for the best interest of the school division.”
   The overhaul, approved at the school board’s February 10 meeting, effectively ends a long-standing policy that allowed employees to accumulate an unlimited amount of sick and vacation leave paid upon 25 years or more of service at retirement at a 100 percent per diem rate.
   The new policy (which has a sliding scale beginning with the lesser of 25 percent per diem or $35 up to a maximum of 110 days) effectively caps it so the most anyone can receive, regardless of their respective length of service at the top end (35 years or more), is at $15,000.
   The policy also offers those eligible for retirement under the Virginia Retirement System with 25 years or more of service as of June 30, 2009 a small window where they can receive 100 per-cent of their per diem in annual installments not to exceed five years. Those employees will have to make notification on or before April 2.
   Those with 25 years or more as of June 30, 2009 and who do not indicate an intent to retire by April 2, could still receive 50 percent of what they were owed as of June 30, 2009, plus what is applicable under the new policy. The maximum number of days would still apply and the payout would be made in annual installments not to exceed five.
   Asked about feedback from teachers and staff, Dove cited that they’ve (the human re-sources director) brought them all in and let them know what the policy is about and have had feedback from the staff since last June.
   Feedback has been from both perspectives.
“People are not happy about it, but they understand why we’re doing it, also,” Dove said.
   During the discussion, Farmville District (101) Supervisor Howard Simpson asked about, and the board and Dove discussed, changing the policy for long-time workers who have signed a contract.
   Dove noted that they are giving them a period until April 2 to decide. (Those who had 25 years or more as of last June 30, 2009 and are eligible to re-tire can still receive 100 percent per diem if they make notification by that date.) He also cited that three attorneys looked at it and are comfortable with them changing it. . . . . . . .

<Top>
<Read the full story in The Farmville Herald>

Useful Links