2008 in Review
April
Clean-Up
2008
Glorstine
Evans did an outstanding job with that event and I can't stop complimenting
her and Betsy Shepard for all their efforts. We had marked off 1 mile
increments on the highway from The Jamestown / Scotland Ferry to Dendron
and from Surry Courthouse east on Rt. 10 to the county line. I think
it would be accurate to estimate that 
we
accomplished about 90% of that, thanks to all the community support
we got for this very worthwhile event. More
Photos
OLF
Letter to Governor Kaine
In May, we drafted an open letter to
Governor Kaine, which was published by the Sussex/Surry Dispatch.
Adding our voice to this community effort to block the Navy's proposed
Outlying Airfield facility in Surry County is appropriate for the
Chamber and shows our overall support for the community.
July
4th Fireworks - Hotdog Booth
Again this year, we supported the County in making the Fireworks Show
a fun-filled family event by selling hotdogs, chips, soda and water.
This project was initially started as a service to the Parks and Rec.
staff, to provide food for all those in attendance, but was also a
fundraiser for the Chamber. This year the funds raised were smaller
due to the increase in food vendors present, but our support was still
valuable and helped make the event bigger and better than the previous
year.
Chamber
Web Site
The web site continues to grow, but still has many potential uses.
We now have the ability to collect statistics about who visits the
site. We will use this information in the future to improve its performance.
Requests coming in by e-mail are an indication of how important this
service can be for the community. I've seen requests for information
about the county in the form of our "Welcome Packages,"
volunteers looking for organizations to help, individuals looking
for homes and relocation information, and even folks trying to get
information about other community events outside the Chamber. Clearly,
the web site has a potential to provide the information the County
and community needs.
September
Benefits Letter
In September, all of you should have gotten a brochure and letter
outlining "Member Benefits" which came about through our
association with Chamber Solutions. Chamber Solutions is an organization
of Chamber of Commerce groups throughout the state that collectively
solicit discounts from large retailers for Chamber members. Anthem,
iContact, Power Net Global, Chamber Charge, DHL, and Office Max are
all on the list. For more information email Greg
Schaale.
October
Homecoming Parade
Again
this year, as for the last 3 years, the Chamber had a vehicle in the
Surry County High School Homecoming Parade. David Coggin of Coggin
Electric drove one of his vehicles and distributed candy to all the
spectators, a custom in the parade. The Chamber's constant presence
in this event shows our support for the community and reminds everyone
of our efforts to improve commerce and communications within the community.
County
Bid Process
October also marked the beginning of our investigation into the procedures
used by the County in securing bids for construction projects. We
met with Mr. Franklin, Surry County Manager, who explained the process
and provided us with a copy
of the procedures that now is accessible through our web site:
We drafted a letter to all the County Supervisors and presented it at the next available Board of Supervisors Meeting. The board promised to consider some of our suggestions. Our letter was also published in the Sussex/Surry Dispatch the following week. I also met with Lloyd Hamlin, Superintendent of Surry Public Schools and saw the procedures they use in announcing bid projects. I drafted another letter reflecting this meeting and sent it to the Board of Supervisors. It was also published in the Sussex/Surry Dispatch. Our web site now contains a link to the Surry County School board web site where their bid announcements are posted. http://www.surryschools.net/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=2805
