A guest Blog from “the other Jim Turner”
Page County stakeholders -
My wife and I are weekenders in Page County, our place is in Hawksbill Pines near Stanley. Before I go much further, I need to clarify that while I go by the name Jim Turner, I am not related to the fellow that is very active in community politics and is a frequent letter to the editor writer – I’ve met that Jim, and appreciate his activism, but as a part-time resident I haven’t gotten involved as avidly as he.
I do keep a blog, however, about our house out there, and about the Page County lifestyle we’ve grown to enjoy so much. Since the unemployment rate peaked earlier this year (let’s hope the current trend of improvement holds), I’ve been doing a little research and analysis on the economy in Page County (blog link to posts on this topic: http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/search/label/Page%20County%20Economy).
I agree with the concept that there are legitimate questions that still need to be answered about Project Clover, and overall it seems to me that more transparency about the land purchase is a fundamental requirement. The link above (like all blogs, this will show the newest post first, so if you are interested you might check back a few posts) will outline some of the questions I am looking for answers to…my next step is to download, read and review the 2008 Strategic Plan referenced in the EDA’s most recent one-pager in the PNC.
Learning about your efforts has been very interesting. Keep up the good work…accountability and transparency are the watchwords when facing challenges such as those Page County is dealing with.
Best,
Jim Turner
Alexandria, VA (and Stanley!)
July 10, 2009 at 8:35 am
I enjoyed reading Jim’s blog, thanks for posting, Alice. Does anyone know what happened to bring unemployment abruptly from 17.7% down to the 11% range in the past handful of months?
July 10, 2009 at 8:56 am
It may have had something to do with the method of calculating it. There is a website at the Weldon Cooper Center that has various statistics, and I remember seeing something about an anomaly in the way Page County’s employable work force was counted. I’m not sure about this, but it is a more likely scenario than “a whole lot of people got jobs” is.
July 10, 2009 at 10:52 am
Susan,
What usually happens if no extensions of unemployment are made by the local, state or federal government. then people fall off the rolls of the unemployed and are no longer counted.
The count is only of the unemployed that are currently drawing unemployment benifits. So 6.7% of them ran out of benifits and they are still unemployed or found and got jobs.
July 10, 2009 at 9:13 am
Could it be that the folks are still unemployed but no longer eligible for unemployment money and therefore no longer tracked/counted as unemployed?
Speaking of unemployed, I just learned that Delain Clark (Assistant Director of Economic Development) is no longer working for Page County…what happened there?
July 10, 2009 at 9:27 am
Delain left a couple of months ago. I think she moved out of state. She may have gotten married. Whatever, it was for personal reasons, and didn’t appear to have anything to do with the county business.
July 10, 2009 at 9:37 am
This is the other Jim Turner (full timer)and local trouble maker, even if you are just part time resident I encourage everyone to take an avtive role in the local scene we all have a vested stake, they need to know we that they are working for us not the other way around.
July 10, 2009 at 10:16 am
Jim, you’re not a trouble MAKER. You are a trouble REVEALER. I received your invitation to the Great Petition Signing. I will be there. Tomorrow’s post will be about that event.
July 10, 2009 at 10:57 am
Jim,
Right on brother. Make the stand your stand we are rocking this boat together.
LEE NOV3
July 10, 2009 at 11:14 am
Hi Jim –
We met a while back at the Heritage Festival – you introduced me to your friends with “…I have someone I’d like for you to meet…” which I got a kick out of.
I don’t see it as trouble making at all. Hopefully, everybody has the same thing in mind – to improve the economic situation in Page County. In that case, dialog is an important part of finding the best way forward.
Jim – now also known as “Cabin Jim” – thanks, Susan Guest!
July 10, 2009 at 10:19 am
I think Cabin Jim has a great idea with respect to Mr. Baughn’s piece on the EDA in this week’s Page News and Courier. Can anyone update us on what happened to these projects and where they are today? (excerpted from the EDA article)
Floating a bond for the development of the first shopping center in Stanley (now agency occupied)
Autometric Industries (now agency occupied)
Luray industrial park – 60 acres, Shenpaco Industries, O’Sullivan Plant, EMCO, KVK, VF Jeanswear
Luray Caverns Airport
Shenandoah Waste Services
Premier Technical Services
No mention of the dump (Marvin Bush, Tellurian, etc.) unless that’s Shenandoah Waste Services. But I thought that was named something else – where the Alma chicken plant was?
Updates, everyone!!
July 11, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Sad to say, I am one of those that are unemployed and no more benefits coming in… although I was told that I am eligible for the Tier II package that went into effect June 26th, 2009 and I have yet to recieve any funds. I lost my job over a year ago do to severe osterioarthritis in my right hip that came from an accident I was in in 1998. Since then I had my hip replaced and I still can’t find a job. I can’t go back into the construction field (I was a plumber) because I am now limited with what I can do with the new hip and I also have learned skills for the technology field (which I had been doing as a hobby since 1999), but no degree to get a job. The thing is, there are those that are better physically with the same skill sets that I have and they can’t get a job either, so I can’t complain too much. Now I am just a house husband (I don’t kow how you women do it) looking for work. This is one of those situations that is now making me wish that when I had a chance, to get the schooling on other fields and not put “all my eggs” in on basket. I never thought in my life that I would had to settle to be a “desk jockey” to earn a living. I had always been the one to like the physical labor.