Cumberland County
Cumberland County Report
Introduction 174K, about 25 seconds over 56K modem
Narrative 10M, about 24 minutes over 56K modem
April- June '04 Quarterly Summary
Cumberland's Technology Leadership Team (TLT) continued its innovative work by meeting regularly this quarter. It is now partnering with other agencies and organizations to further the use of the Cumberland Electronic Village. The county has obtained a 3 year (March 2004 through September 2007) "Learn to Serve" grant which links TOP objectives and results with the county public school system.
The May 3rd TLT meeting held in the Cumberland County Extension office in the Cumberland Court House, which was attended by eight TLT members, Bill Sanders, incoming Director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village, Jaime Shetrone, Project Coordinator, Linda Staylor from Office of Special Services, Cumberland Public Schools and retired Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) agent Van Petty who is also serving on the Board of Supervisors in Cumberland County. The meeting opened with Linda Staylor discussing the goals of the "Learn to Serve" grant during the May 3 TLT meeting, Over the course of the grant, the public schools hope to work with the TLT to link business and industry to http://www.cumberlandfirst.net, promote materials for county economic development, provide high schools students with the opportunity to learn Web page design, and for those students to teach adults in the community about Web page development. The TLT went on to discuss numerous ideas for promoting the Cumberland First Web site. Several TLT members volunteered to follow up with these suggestions which included the following:
- Put the Cumberland First.net web address on web sites of other organizations and business web pages or in the local newspaper's weekly issues
- List county events and activities on the front page of the web site
- Put a feature news story on the front page of the web site (such as news at eleven)
- Ask local restaurants to put the Cumberland First Web address on their placemats
- Feature a cooking corner on the web site that gives recipes and food preparation tips
- Conduct a web page auction/silent auction where people visit items at the schools, etc and place their bids via the internet
- Add a local job listing
- Put links to movie theaters and video stores
- Put web address on mailings such as tax bills, sewer bills, or telephone bills
- Put Cumberland Public School events and activities on the web page
- Create bookmarks with web page logo and put in libraries
- Put a 'lifter' in local business billing envelopes (Cliff White)
- Put a student of the month on the front page of the web site
Other suggestions included the addition of addition of a template for the use of businesses and community organizations. Jaime noted that the Help tab on the Cumberland First Web site has instructions for designing Web sites. Linda stated that a map of Cumberland County with voting districts would be helpful to citizens.
Van Petty, who coordinates the activities of the TLT, reported that 11 people successfully completed the Website development class offered by the TLT in conjunction with Southside Community College. This class was taught by a business teacher with the Buckingham County Public schools. Several students have links to their pages on the Cumberland First Web site and remaining students are expected to do so shortly with help from the Web site administrator.
Following the May 3rd TLT meeting, the Cumberland Bulletin and Farmville Herald newspapers were contacted about listing Cumberland First, the Cumberland County Electronic Village for the next few months. The Cumberland Bulletin has already started doing so. The draft of a brochure and bookmark were created to help promote the site. Work also proceeded on a 'lifter' to use as an insert in mass mailings. They made plans to set up a display at the public library to encourage signups and conduct a presentation about the site for the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors in July. The TLT also planned to organize a Web page contest by having county residents sign up for a drawing at the Cumberland Youth League baseball recognition ceremony on June 18, 2004 and using a free dinner contributed by a local restaurant as a door prize.
The TLT met on May 24. Six members and Van Petty were present for that meeting. Van informed the group about the status of the Technology Master Plan for Cumberland County and the final report that would summarize the activities in the county on this project.
The June TLT meeting was held on the 22nd at the Cumberland County Extension office and was attended by six TLT members and Van Petty where the focus continued to be promoting the use of the Cumberland First Web site by county residents. The TLT hopes to conduct a presentation of the site for the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors at their August 10th meeting. The group also planned on posting a "Poll of the month" on the home page and discussion forum page of the site. The brochure and bookmarks reviewed at the previous meeting were approved and the group decided to print 500 copies of these items. There was a discussion about the format for news postings on the Home page of the site much like the ones offered on the BEV home page. TLT members have contacted several key people who could provide content relating to gardening tips, local government news and Cumberland County Schools. Members also resolved to work on guidelines for posting news items on the site. Members were informed about BEV's POWER (POWER Offers Web Economic Resources) internship program which is designed to give both local and remote volunteers real world experience working on Website designs for community organizations and businesses. Businesses and community organizations wishing to use these resources are encouraged to contact Van Petty for more details. A participant in the class offered by the Southside Community College reported that he was successful in putting up his business Web site after taking the class.
High school students began using the Discussion forum and were concerned that other residents of the county were not responding to their topic. TLT members were urged to use the Discussion boards and also encourage its use by other members of the community.
May 24, 2004
The following minutes are from the Cumberland TLT meeting held on May 24, 2004:
Members Present: Linda Eanes, Marty Shute, Doris Seal,
Gail Thompson, Yvonne Earvin, William Bagley, Van Petty.
Minutes: On a motion by Doris Seal and seconded by Gail
Thompson, the minutes of the last meeting were approved.
TOP Final Report: Van Petty stated that BEV and Virginia Tech are in the process of completing the final report of the TOP program. Cumberland TLT has been asked to submit copies of all news articles, brochures, flyers, etc. that we have developed to Dr. Eleanor Schlenker. Jaime Shetrone stated that they want to complete the report by the end of June, 2004.
Review of Ideas for Using the Web Page: The following actions resulted from the May 3rd TLT meeting. Yvonne Earvin contacted the Cumberland Bulletin and Farmville Herald Newspapers to get them to promote the Cumberlandfirst.net web site by putting the Cumberlandfirst web address in its newspaper. The Cumberland Bulletin has started, and will run the www.Cumberlandfirst.net for the next few months. Yvonne is also working on a web page contest by having county citizens sign up for a drawing at the Cumberland Youth League baseball recognition ceremony on June 18, 2004. Yvonne said she would contact a local restaurant for a free dinner as a prize.
Linda Eanes gave an example of a brochure and bookmark she is working on to promote the Cumberlandfirst web site. She said she is also working on a “Lifter” to use as an insert for mass mailings.
TLT members also discussed designating several days this summer to have sign-up at the public library to promote the Cumberlandfirst web page. They also tentatively agreed to conduct a presentation of the Cumberlandfirst web page to the Cumberland Board of Supervisors in July.
Doris Seal encouraged TLT members to start using the discussion board. She said that her students at the high school were using it, but county citizens were not. Doris also stated that the students were somewhat concerned that the county citizens were not responding to their topics on the discussion board. All TLT members present were encouraged to use the discussion board.
TLT members also discussed the use of the front page of the Cumberlandfirst web page. They agreed to start posting county and school news items on the front page, similar to the BEV web page. Several ideas were formulated such as:
- A gardening questions/information section featuring lawn care, seasonal gardening tips, recipes, etc.
- Holiday recipes/safety tips
- Community news
- School news
- Government news: public hearings, meetings, etc.
The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for June 14th at 6:00 pm at the Cumberland Extension Office. TLT members attending really enjoyed the covered dish meal and agreed to do it again for the June meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
May 3, 2004
The following minutes are from the Cumberland TLT meeting held on May 3, 2004:
Members Present: Linda Eanes, Cliff White, Marty Shute,
Jaime Shetrone, Bill Sanders, Doris Seal, Elizabeth Jamerson, Veronica
Hatcher, Will Bagley, Yvonne Earvin, Linda Staylor, Van Petty.
Minutes: On a motion by Doris Seal and seconded by Marty
Shute, the minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Overview of the “Learn to Serve Virginia K-12 School-Based,
Service-Learning Program”:
Mrs. Linda Staylor, Office of Special Services with Cumberland Public
Schools gave an overview of the “Learn To Serve” Grant. She
stated that the grant addressed several areas such as, providing business
and industry links to the cumberlandfirst web page, promotion materials
for county economic development, students teaching adults web page development
and the opportunity for high school students to learn web page design.
Mrs. Staylor expressed a desire to work with Cumberland TLT members to
accomplish the tasks stated above. The Grant period is March 2004 to September
2007.
TOP Evaluation Final Report, and Third Year TOP Program Efforts: Ms. Jaime Shetrone and Mr. William Sanders, Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) addressed the third year TOP Program efforts. Jaime stated that she will be working with Dr. Schlenker to complete the TOP final report due in September, 2004. She mentioned that an e-mail survey would be sent to TLT members in the near future for us to complete. Jaime said the final report would be given to the Cumberland Board of Supervisors. Bill Sanders talked about what’s next for the TOP’s initiative. The following are ideas he shared concerning future TOP program efforts:
- National Initiative – which involves legislation to solve “infrastructure territory” of technology companies and services
- State Initiative – Governor Warner’s program to outsource technology business to rural Virginia
- Virginia Extension’s role with technology and involving people
- John Nichols county technology report and how to use the good technology ideas that come from the county
- Grant Sources for county TLT funding
- Job creation via the internet
- What is Cumberland’s future technology needs
- Social
- Business
- Resources needed
- Technology pilot program for Cumberland High School which will involve Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension and Cumberland Public Schools.
Review of ideas for using the Web Page: The following are suggestions for getting citizens to use the cumberlandfirst web page:
- Put the cumberlandfirst.net web address on web sites of other organizations and businesses web page
- Put cumberlandfirst.net web address in the local newspapers weekly issues. (Yvonne Earvin)
- List county events and activities on the front page of the web page (web administrators)
- Put a feature news story on the front page of the web page (such as news at eleven)
- Put business ads that run weekly (charge a fee)
- Contact local restaurants to put the cumberlandfirst web address on their place mats (Cliff White)
- Sponsor a contest via the web page
- Cooking corner feature on the web page that give recipes and food preparation tips etc..
- Post events and activities on the community calendar of the web page
- Conduct a web page auction-silent auction where people visit items at the schools etc…and place their bids via the internet.
- Local job listing
- Put links to movie theaters and video stores on web page
- Put web address on county mailings, such as, tax bills, sewer bills, etc…(Van Petty)
- Put web address on telephone bills, etc…
- Put Cumberland Public Schools events and activities on the web page. (Van Petty)
- Recruit new TLT members at the closing ceremony of the Cumberland Youth League, June 19, 2004 (Yvonne Earvin)
- Create bookmarks with web page logo and put in libraries (Linda Eanes)
- Put a “Lifter” in local business billing envelopes (Cliff White)
- Put student of the month on the front page of the web page –see Mrs. Rather-Terry (Van Petty)
Web Page Update/Changes: A suggestion was made to add a search engine to the front page of the web page. Jaime said she would investigate the possibility. Doris Seal recommended that a web page template for business and civic organizations be added to the cumberlandfirst web page. Jaime and Bill Sanders agreed to check out the possibility. Jaime stated that the help tab on the cumberlandfirst web site has instructions for helping design web pages. She encouraged each of us to check it out. Linda Staylor stated that a map of Cumberland with voting districts would be helpful to citizens.
Spring Web Page Design Class: Van Petty stated that 11 people took the class offered by Southside Community College and each person designed a web page. Ms. Kelly Cummings, business teacher with Buckingham Public Schools taught the class. Several students posted their web page to the cumberlandfirst web site. The remaining students will be posting their web page with Linda Eanes help.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 24th, 6:00 pm at the Cumberland extension Office. TLT members stated that it would be good to have a meal at the next meeting. Van and Linda said they would see what is possible and send a notice to all TLT members prior to the next meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm.
January - March '04 quarterly summary
The Cumberland County Technology Leadership Team (TLT) continues to move forward with transition training and community readiness workshops. It was reported that 12 Web sites representing business and community organizations were created as a result of a fall workshop on Virtual Business Incubator and Community Connections services. At the TLT meeting on February 11, plans were finalized for a one-credit web design class to be offered by the Southside Community College for individuals interested in marketing their business or organization on the Cumberland site. The cost for the five classes held on March 8, 15, 22, and 29, and April 5 was $64.75. 13 persons took advantage of this opportunity for advanced training. TLT members made a presentation to the Cumberland Ruritans. A presentation to the Red Bud Garden Club, cancelled because of bad weather, will be rescheduled. On March 8, two TLT members participated in transition training in preparation for the eventual maintenance of the Cumberland site.
The Cumberland TLT is also planning a technology activity to take place in conjunction with the local Patriots Day, scheduled for mid-April. At this event, both children and adults are encouraged to dress in colonial garb, and for those who do not have access to costumes, they have the opportunity to be photographed standing behind a costume cutout that displays their face. This year the TLT will photograph all interested children and adults using a digital camera and at the bottom of the photo will be a listing of the Cumberland community network with contact information for those who may wish to sign up as villagers. The digital photos, available on-site, will help build awareness of the benefits of technology as well as promoting the Cumberland site. Over 100 discs have been ordered to implement this activity. Also, an 800 number telephone line is being established in the Cumberland office of VCE that will be devoted to demonstration of online opportunities.
February 11, 2004
The following minutes are from the Cumberland TLT meeting held on February 11, 2004.
Members Present: Pat Bickel, Marty Shute, Doris Seal, Mary Lee Dimmie, Linda Eanes, Roland Gilliam, Yvonne Earvin, Gail Thompson, Van Petty, Pam Gibson, Jaime Shetrone, Carol Cornish.
Minutes: On a motion by Doris Seal and seconded by Gail Thompson, the minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Transition Training and What’s Ahead: Jaime Shetrone told the TLT members that her position with TOP’s Project will end March 31st. She introduced Carol Cornish as the county contact for BEV. Jaime also discussed the training for TLT members that would be responsible for putting Cumberland’s information on the Web Page. Linda Eanes and Jill Matthews agreed to serve and attend the training. TLT members thanked Jaime for her assistance and wished her well in her future endeavors. TLT members also welcomed Carol Cornish. They looked forward to working with her on the TOP Project.
Project Evaluation: Pam Gibson conducted an evaluation of the Cumberland TOP’s program. TLT members answered questions relating to their involvement and experiences with the Cumberland Technology Leadership Team. Many members expressed the positive impacts of the Cumberland Web Page.
Web Page Update: Van Petty gave an update of the changes to the Web Page. He also stated that he will contact Judy Holifield, the county administrator and get a list of the county appointed boards and commissions and post them on the web page. A recommendation from the Cumberland “Take Charge” sessions was to list all the boards and commissions on the web page.
Web Page Promotions/Presentations: Van stated that Doris Seal and Liz Jamerson had made several presentations promoting the Cumberland Web Page. The groups include students at Cumberland High School and Cumberland Ruritan’s Club. Van said due to snow in January he was rescheduling the presentation to the Red Bud Gardening Club. Van also expressed concerns that the county citizens were not using the web page to the degree he felt they would. After much to discussion, the following suggestions were made:
1. Required students to post an assignment on the web page.
2. Put Scavenger Hunt on the web page.
3. Post county wide Events/Activities on the web page.
4. Conduct a contest that involves using the web page.
5. Put pictures of students who won awards, athletes, etc…
6. Put school events on the web page
7. List programs and activities for youth and seniors.
Web Page Design Class: The Cumberland TLT, in cooperation with Cumberland High School and Southside Community College, is sponsoring a five week web page design class beginning March 8th. We need thirteen people to register in order to have this class. The cost is $64.75. The class will be held at Cumberland High School in the Vocation Building. The time is 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 26th. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
October - December '03 quarterly summary
There were many project related efforts in Cumberland County this quarter. The Cumberland County Web site was publicly “unveiled” on October 2, 2003 and response has been very positive. A meeting was held on October 15 at the Cumberland High School to further publicize the site. This event was advertised in the newspaper with special efforts to attract government officials, educators, and representatives of civic organization and clubs.
The Cumberland County Technology Leadership Team (TLT) conducted a four session computer and web page workshop at the Cumberland High School to assist small business owners and community organizations in developing a Web presence on 10/21, 11/11, 11/18 and 12/2. J. Shetrone, Project Coordinator attended two of the sessions and conducted Community Readiness Workshops about CC/VBI accounts and Web site creation. Fifteen people attended the workshop and 12 business/community group web pages were developed as part of the online incubator services. The Cumberland TLT also conducted a meeting on 12/2 to discuss project related activities.
Cumberland has moved ahead with the appointment and training of web site administrators. A schedule for web site administrators has been developed for both weekdays and weekends extending through April, 2004. A committee is working on policy regarding web page content submitted by individuals, businesses, or groups. The TLT is awaiting the results of a review of the Web site usage policy submitted to the Virginia Tech attorney for legal opinion.
TLT members are promoting the Cumberland Web Page by conducting presentations to community groups. Three presentations have taken place thus far, the Cumberland Ruritans, the Red Bud Garden Club, and one county-wide meeting. A total of 75 people have attended these presentations.
January 27, 2004
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their December 2nd TLT meeting:
November 3, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their October 15th Administrative TLT meeting:
July - September '03 quarterly report
The Cumberland TLT continued to meet during the summer in anticipation of the deployment of their site at the end of this quarter. Review of the Louisa and King and Queen sites provided ideas for developing a unique identity for their site to be named Cumberland First. R Roberts from the BEV provided a hands-on demonstration of the community discussion forum at the July TLT meeting held in a school computer lab. J Johnson, VCE area technology specialist, and V Petty, retired 4-H agent, collaborated on the development of a workshop for computer novices among the business and public community to be held on September 18, 2003. This workshop was to provide an introduction to computers and basic navigation skills with emphasis on the Cumberland First site and e-commerce as a resource for local businesses and organizations. The workshop was postponed as a result of Hurricane Isabel, and has been rescheduled for October 21 at Cumberland High School. M. Mathai, Project Director, met with Cumberland County TLT on Sep 30 and conducted training on the Directory Services provided to them as part of their community network. J. Nichols, Information Technology Manager for Communication Network Services, at Virginia Tech met with the TLT on the same day and talked about the technology assessment that he would be conducting with the help of the TLT in Cumberland County. Nichols has a strong interest in community development and how communication infrastructure can support both economic development and community participation. The TLT, with financial support from the Cumberland Board of Supervisors, conducted a survey of 300 Cumberland businesses/community groups/churches regarding their interest in having their business or organization posted on the web page. Seventy-five responded positively regarding participation.
The equipment (software and hardware) needed for running the Community Network in Cumberland County has been deployed and is fully operational. It has been tested by members of the project team, Cumberland County technology leadership team and the residents of Cumberland.
October 10, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their September 30th TLT meeting:
September 15, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their August 27th TLT meeting:
August 1, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their July 16th TLT meeting:
April - June '03 quarterly summary
During this reporting period Cumberland County completed their Take Charge Process on April 3rd under the direction of P, Gibson, Community Development Specialist with the Virginia Tech Center for Innovative Governance. They held 2 other TLT meetings this quarter, on May 15th and June 17th. V. Petty, the retired VCE agent from Cumberland, has continued to provide leadership for TOP in this county assisted by J. Johnson, VCE Area Technology Specialist. The Cumberland TLT has moved forward in discussion of web site design and function, and the potential contribution of the web site to county economic growth. At their June meeting the test site of the Cumberland community network was reviewed and suggested changes communicated to J. Shetrone, the BEV Project Coordinator. TLT members discussed specific areas of information needed for the web site and made assignments within the group to collect and prepare this information and send it along for posting.
A community contest was used to select a name for the Cumberland community
web site. A gift certificate for $100 donated by the local Walmart store
was awarded for the name Cumberland First for Independence. Media promotion
of the TOP program was handled through the two local newspapers and the
two local radio stations.
The Cumberland TLT also surveyed 300 local businesses and 60 churches
and civic groups to determine their computer use and the Internet Service
Provider used. See survey results below.
Of the 300 businesses surveyed, 75 responded as follows:
67% used dial-up 1% used broadband 1% used satellite 68% used their computer for e-mail 45% used their computer for purchasing 49% used their computer for research.
Of the 60 churches and civic groups surveyed, 13 responded as follows: 85% owned or used computers 23% planned to purchase one 69% had Internet access 54% owned a website 31% were interested in having a website hosted 54% used dial-up 8% used DSL 7% used E-mail 31% used their computer for purchasing 8% used their computer for bill paying.
Mr. Petty is working with the County Information Technology Director and the Assistant Superintendent of public schools to get a high speed Internet Service Provider in the County.
June 24, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their June 17th TLT meeting:
May 27, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their May 14th TLT meeting:
April 17, 2003
This PowerPoint is a collection of the Take Charge participants work in action, and it is a summary of the ideas revealed through the process. Cumberland County participants continue to be stepping forward to work together to build a stronger and more vibrant community.
April 7, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their February 24th meeting:
Members Presents: Doris Seal, Elizabeth Jamerson, Phil Scarborough, Anita French, Linda Eanes, Aaron Hickman, Jill Matthews, Jon Johnson, Van Petty. Excused Members: Bruce Robinson, Doris Brown, Jo Smith, and Pat Bickel.
The above members of the Cumberland Technology Leadership Team met on February 24, 2003 7:00 p.m. at the Cumberland Extension Office to discuss the following:
- Permission Signature
- Preparing for “Take Charge”
- Survey of Civic Organizations/Churches
- Training of Leadership Team
The meeting was started with Jon Johnson conducting the Technology Opportunity
Program training for members for the Cumberland Technology Leadership
Team.
During the discussion of old business, Van Petty reviewed the request
for permission signatures and encouraged all TLT members to complete a
permission form so that their name would appear on the web site. It is
a requirement of the Technology Opportunity Grant that all TLT members
complete the permission form before their name can be placed on the web
site.
The following actions related to preparing for “Take Charge” were adopted:
- Media Promotion via Farmville Herald and Cumberland Bulletin Newspapers;
WFLO and WVHL Radio Stations - Development of a promotional flyer for schools and community
- Mail invitation letters with brochure to all elected and appointed local government officials, churches/civic groups, businesses, and other community leaders
- Doris Seal and Van Petty were assigned the task of getting food catered by three local restaurants from the Northern, Central, and Southern sections of the county. Suggestions included: Vito’s, Merk’s Place, and Ollie’s Restaurants
- Jill Matthews agreed to provide folders for the session handouts
- Van Petty will contact TLT members to serve as facilitators
- Doris Seal and Van Petty will contact civic groups to serve as host for registration (Suggestions included: Cumberland Woman’s Club, Cumberland Ruritans, and Redbud Garden Club)
- Get a local historian to speak at Session I and Sherry Swinson to speak on Economic Development
There was some discussion on charging participants $5.00 per session to attend the “Take Charge” sessions to offset the cost of the meals. Van Petty stated that he had gotten word from the Board of Supervisors via Phil Scarborough that they would cover the cost of the meals and materials for 40 participants. Although the exact cost was not known at this time, we hope the cost would be in the $1,000 range.
Cumberland Extension Office 4-H program agreed to provide the break refreshments (paper plates, napkins, drinks, desserts, etc…)
The TLT decided to conduct a survey of churches/civic organizations similar to the business survey. Aaron Hickman agreed to draft a copy of the survey and make the suggested changes from the business survey. Jill Matthews agreed to mail the survey to the identified churches and civic organizations and have the results at the March 20th session of the “Take Charge” program.
The Cumberland TLT decided to conduct a name the web site contest for the Cumberland web page similar to the King and Queen County contest. Van Petty said he would find a $100.00 sponsor for the contest and conduct a promotional program in Cumberland County. The purpose of the contest is to make more county residents knowledgeable of the county web site.
The next regular meeting will be held after the “Take Charge” Sessions. Van Petty will work with Jon Johnson and make the necessary arrangements and contact the TLT members.
January - March '03 quarterly summary
his quarter, the Cumberland county Technology Leadership Team members met on Feb. 24, 2003 and discussed activities related to the project. On the same day VCE Area Specialist Jon Johnson conducted training on Introduction to Community Networks and Introduction to Basic Telecommunications. The TLT went through the first two sessions of Take Charge (March 20 and 27, 2003) with the last one scheduled for April 3, 2003. Details of the activities of the Cumberland county TLT can be found on the project Web site at http://top.bev.net/counties/cumberland.php.
January 17, 2003
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following minutes from their November 14th meeting:
Members Present: Pat Bickel, Doris Brown, Aaron Hickman, Liz Jamerson, Jon Johnson, Gary Larrowe, Van H. Petty, Doris Seal, Jo Smith.
The above members of Cumberland Technology Leadership Team met on November 14, 7:00 p.m. at the Cumberland County Extension Office to discuss the following:
- Conducting A Business Survey
- Community Support for the TOP Grant
- County Web Site
- Internet Service Providers (ISP) for Cumberland
- Take Charge Program
After much discussion on conducting a business survey, Aaron Hickman agreed to draft the survey and mail to the committee for their input. The Cumberland County Extension Office will be responsible for mailing the survey to county businesses. The survey will be conducted during the month of December. The results will be shared at the January committee meeting.
Gary Larrowe stressed the importance of having broad community support for the Techonology Opportunity Project. He suggested that we look at our committee and see which section of county that were not represented and recruit people to fill those voids.
It was suggested that it would be helpful to know how many internet service providers there were in Cumberland and find out if any provided high speed connection.
Each county participating with the TOP’s project must conduct the “Take Charge” program. This educational program is designed to enable leaders, decision makers and residents in a small community face the future. It will assist leaders to analyze the community, think about alternatives and plan an action strategy for community economic development. It will help rural residents take charge of their community’s destiny. After much discussion it was agreed to hold the three required meetings of the Take Charge Program in the center of the county preferably at Cumberland High School during February or March of 2003.
Van Petty agreed to serve as unit contact for the TOP’s committee.
The next meeting of the Cumberland TOP’s committee will be in January 2003. Van Petty will make arrangements and contact the committee.
October - December '02 quarterly summary
As a result of the budget reductions assigned to Virginia Cooperative Extension related to the downturn in the Virginia economy and state budget deficit, two Extension agents working with TOP accepted an early severance option. These losses have forced us to we revise our staffing patterns. We are gratified by the fact that one individual, Mr. Van Petty, who accepted the early retirement is so committed to the TOP project and its potential for the improvement of the economic situation of citizens in his county that he is continuing to carry out his assigned responsibilities on the project as a volunteer. This is especially helpful as he is a link to the substantial agricultural community in this county, and livestock and commodity sales using a web link could be an important application for these communities.
October 23, 2002
The Cumberland County TLT sent along the following agenda for their October 13th meeting.
July - September '02 quarterly summary
Cumberland County is in the process of choosing their Technology Leadership Team.
