EDA reports on August monthly board of directors meeting

The Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority (EDA) Board of Directors held its regular monthly board meeting today, Friday, August 28. Two motions were passed:

1 – The board authorized Treasurer Jorie Martin as a signatory in order to close out an inactive EDA bank account at United Bank;

2 – The board also passed a motion to approve a $5,000 USDA Rural Business Enterprise (RBEL) loan to Po Greens, a Front Royal-area restaurant. It is a 5-year, 3% loan that includes a loan agreement, collateral, and a review by EDA legal counsel.

Po Greens owner Anneise Green stated, “It is a blessing for the opportunity to go forward and the EDA’s assistance is going to help us to continue to climb the mountain of this pandemic, and we are grateful for their help.” She also wants to encourage the community to “Keep the Faith!”

Edwin and Anneise Green. Courtesy photo.

In other board meeting news: Asset Management Chair Greg Harold reported that the EDA is working on signage for the Lord Fairfax Community College CDL Training Program in the Avtex parking lot.

Asset Committee Chair Greg Harold updates board on signage being developed for the LFCC truck driving school across Kendrick Ln. from the EDA headquarters. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

The EDA is a proud partner in this very successful workforce development program. We look forward to being able to display the finished product along Kendrick Lane soon.

Acting EDA Chair Jeff Browne shared that the Board of Directors has been given access to a draft of the new EDA website. He, along with Executive Director Doug Parsons and Administrative Assistant Gretchen Henderson, has been working with the EDA’s Tech Partners Queen Consulting and Elegant Peak Web Design. The new site will be fresh and modern with robust interactive capability sure to appeal to companies and site selectors interested in locating and doing business in the Front Royal/Warren County area.

Browne then introduced Mr. Jim Wolfe who will be installed on September 1 as the newest Director on the EDA Board. Browne stated that Wolfe, with his extensive knowledge and experience, will also be the facilitator for the EDA’s Strategic Planning process. Following the meeting, Wolfe commented that “The EDA for Warren County is really starting to look forward and to move forward. So it’s time to lay out a vision for what citizens might like their community to look like in a few years.”

Executive Director Doug Parsons rounded out Friday’s meeting with considerable good news to report. The accounting firm Brown Edwards continues to process the EDA’s financial data for the FY2018 and FY2019 audits, and rezoning of the EDA-owned parcels in Happy Creek Technological Park continues to move forward.

EDA Executive Director Doug Parson’s report included information on the EDA’s partnering with state and regional economic development officials in improving and marketing Stephens Industrial and Happy Creek Technology Park parcels, outside of and within the town limits, respectively.

Parsons reported that there continues to be interested in the Front Royal/Warren County area from businesses, site selectors, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). He is spending considerable time working with several prospects. Additionally, he is collaborating with the Shenandoah Valley Partnership on a plan to enhance the business potential of two EDA-owned parcels in the Stephens Industrial Park area. They are working on a grant that will provide funds to improve these sites in order to make them more appealing to companies and site selectors. The funds will be used to pay for geotechnical studies, surveys, and other improvements. Parsons stated, “Taking care of these due diligence items upfront clears hurdles and make these sites more attractive to prospective businesses”.

Parsons indicated the goal was to raise the parcels from VEDP Tier 2 to Tier 4 status.

“That is a big deal,” board Vice Chairman Jeff Browne observed, noting that of 466 VEDP ranked sites in the state, 90% are at the Tier 2 level, with 40 to 50 at Tier 4, only one of those in this area in Frederick County.

Vice-Chairman Jeff Browne has taken on the chair’s role in Ed Daley’s absence as interim county administrator. While not at Friday’s meeting, Daley’s update on county business was included in the agenda packet, unlike the interim town manager’s report, again missing. Though the EDA likely knows that update – the Town’s still suing you and getting ready to try and compete for economic development with a new unilateral EDA.

The next regularly scheduled EDA Board meeting is Friday, September 25, 2020.