Unlike previous years when Mount Airy found itself having to endure one plant closing after another, the city escaped 2009 without further economic catastrophe and managed to add about 300 jobs along the way.

After devoting much effort throughout 2009 to recruiting new industries, along with preparing sites and approving incentives packages to accommodate them, local leaders saw such efforts reach fruition by the end of the year.

Announcements came in September, November and December from three companies agreeing to launch operations in Mount Airy, building momentum officials hope will carry into 2010. This includes an expansion decision being awaited from a fourth company, reportedly a local bakery manufacturer.

“Our future is looking brighter,” said Deborah Cochran, who recently was installed as the city’s mayor after serving two years as a commissioner.

Cochran was in agreement with other Mount Airy officials this week that the new-company announcements were the highlight of the year for city government, which is working with Surry County and Economic Development Partnership (EDP) representatives on job recruitment.

“There is a reason for hope, because of some of the industries that are expanding,” Cochran said. But with thousands of jobs lost in textile and other industries previously, she acknowledged that “it does take a while to turn the unemployment rate around.” That rate has hovered in the 12-percent range recently.

Other members of the city council also are excited about Mount Airy ending the year on a positive note economically.

“I don’t know of another small city that has had the recruiting success we’ve had in the past six months,” said Commissioner Jon Cawley, who is happy with the city’s partnering efforts with the county and EDP to bring jobs to Surry.

Todd Harris, another city commissioner who listed the coming of the new industries as the highlight of the year, believes an effective formula has been developed to achieve even more recruitment success. “That’s what I hope we can look at going forward,” Harris said.

Everyone agrees that despite the recession strengthening its grip on the nation during 2009, the local area fared better this year than in 2008 when $4 gas prices and other setbacks emerged.

“Let’s put it this way,” Harris said: “I don’t have as much trepidation about 2010 as I did about 2009.” In an interview in late 2008, the veteran city commissioner had said the best thing about that year was the fact it was ending.

Aside from economic issues, 2009 also saw the retirements of both Mount Airy’s fire and police chiefs and the appointment of their successors, and a municipal election that resulted in two new people on the city council in addition to Cochran becoming mayor.

Meanwhile, a project was launched to restore banks of the Ararat River while developing the city’s second greenway.

Granite Tactical Project

It was announced on Dec. 11 that Granite Tactical Vehicles Inc., a Pilot Mountain company manufacturing armored vehicles for the Defense Department and other customers, would be expanding in Mount Airy.

Granite Tactical is making use of 181,000-square-foot manufacturing facilities formerly known as the Kentucky Derby Hosiery No. 2 and 3 plants on Newsome Street.

After the move is complete, the company plans to employ 200 people and invest $2.5 million in the first three years of operation at its new location. The expansion will allow more space for manufacturing as well as research and development of new products for the military.

Granite Tactical designs, develops, manufactures and delivers armored vehicles for a broad spectrum of clients, including private security contractors, law enforcement and various government agencies. Its vehicles have been used in convoy protection, personnel movement and relocation, rescue operations and cargo delivery.

Officials say the Granite Tactical project, boosted by local incentives of nearly $120,000, will provide employment-diversification for local residents while making use of existing space.

Central States Breaks Ground

On the morning of Sept. 25, a crowd gathered under a large tent on Mountain View Lane for a groundbreaking ceremony by Central States Manufacturing Inc. at a site in Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park.

That came after an announcement just days before that the Arkansas-based company would be building a 40,000-square-foot metalworking plant to hire 45 people when it opens next spring.

Both the city and county governments provided a combined incentive package to Central States of nearly $1 million. In return, the community is gaining a firm that will pay its employees an average of $40,656 per year, not including benefits, in addition to granting them ownership in the company.

Central States President Donna Leger said that when a location for a new East Coast manufacturing facility was sought for the company that now has plants in Arkansas, Texas, Alabama and Indiana, Mount Airy seemed to offer the right fit. “We are so glad to be here,” the industry president said at the September ceremony.

Operations at the new metalworking plant will include forming, cutting and assembling coated steel parts and panels for commercial and residential customers.

Catalina Tempering

On Nov. 3, Catalina Tempering announced that it would be opening a 67,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mount Airy, employing 20 people.

The company, a large-scale manufacturer of heat-tempered glass, acquired the former Kentucky Derby Hosiery building on Derby Street, which is off Factory Street.

Catalina Tempering is part of a larger group of companies called Glasswerks, headquartered in South Gate, Calif. Glasswerks has seven tempering and fabricating facilities in the United States and has been providing glass and mirror products for four decades.

An official of Catalina Tempering said the operation here fulfilled a desire to expand to the East Coast and serve customers in this part of the country.

Catalina Tempering has set a January opening date for its plant in Mount Airy.

The company plans to create up to 20 full-time jobs by 2012 and make a taxable investment at the site of $1 million to $4 million.

Potential incentives totaling nearly $160,000 were provided by the city and county for the project.

Maintaining Momentum

Among Mount Airy officials’ goals for 2010 is trying to build on the success achieved in the latter portion of 2009.

“These companies mean dollars to us as a city,” said Cochran, “and they mean survival to our citizens and paychecks for them.”

“Trying to make use of some of the older manufacturing buildings that are empty right now,” is among the 2010 goals of Commissioner Dean Brown, who made economic development one of his priorities when running for office in 2007. He says the main objective now “is to continue the economic-development projects that we’ve started.”

One thing Brown plans along those lines is an economic forum he hopes will be held in the spring. This forum will be a follow-up to a well-attended meeting he organized with Cochran in the winter of 2008 in which various community residents brainstormed on ways to improve the economy.

The upcoming forum will explore ways in which Mount Airy citizens can become entrepreneurs. “We hope to have some big hitters here to help with that,” Brown said. “It’s really just in the planning stage right now.”

Brown also will continue an ongoing effort to recruit a state prison to Surry County. He is seeking to meet with Gov. Bev Perdue in the early part of 2010 as part of the project to provide several hundred jobs in the county.

The North Ward commissioner, who is a member of the governing board of the county Economic Development Partnership, added that much behind-the-scenes efforts accompany industry recruitment. That often includes making personal visits to out-of-town plant sites and other contacts.

Cochran said that since becoming mayor, she has attempted to improve Mount Airy’s networking capabilities by making contact with the mayor of Winston-Salem. She would like to have a “sister city” relationship with Winston-Salem which could lead to collaboration on industrial projects.

“I talk about economic-development all the time — that’s my top concern,” the mayor said.

She believes Mount Airy is part of an “outstanding team” assembled for that purpose, which includes the Economic Development Partnership; Martin Collins, the city’s director of community development; and the N.C. Department of Commerce.

“Right now, we’re aggressively pursuing economic development,” Cochran said.

In early November, city and county officials also finalized a joint $352,365 project to extend water and sewer lines to two remaining prime sites in Piedmont Triad West Corporate Park which they hope will attract tenants.

One setback that occurred during 2009 was the closing of the ASMO North Carolina plant in Westwood Industrial Park in the early portion of the year. This resulted in the loss of 86 jobs.

City-County Cooperation

Cochran and others also said an improved spirit of cooperation between Mount Airy and its neighbors, especially Surry County officials, continued to blossom in 2009.

That led to breakthroughs including agreements aimed at allowing Mount Airy to sell some of the water surplus it has due to the outsourcing of textile manufacturers that were its largest utility customers.

During 2009, Mount Airy finalized a general contract for the sale of municipal water to areas of the county through a “master meter” concept. The city also initiated the construction of water lines to serve the town of Dobson, and launched negotiations with Carroll County, Va., leaders for the sale of water to boost development along Interstate 77 in that county.

Such agreements will broaden the base of municipal utility customers and help prevent future rate increases for water and sewer services.

City Manager Don Brookshire stressed this week that the recession has presented a unique opportunity to complete such infrastructure projects more cheaply than usual, since tougher times have brought increased competition among construction companies.

Sports, Convention

Complexes

The city-county cooperation could pay dividends in 2010 through a plan to develop a major sports complex here. The idea of providing a venue to attract youth tournaments and other activities surfaced during a November meeting of the City-County Liaison Committee, a group of Mount Airy and Surry County officials who pursue joint projects.

“I hope that is something we can actually talk seriously about,” Harris said this week. Such a complex could include numerous baseball, softball, soccer or basketball facilities that would enable regional or national tournaments to be held locally.

The project would be costly to develop, but there would be a long-term payback with hundreds of teams and accompanying family members journeying here each year — spending money for food and lodging.

Both the city and county officials plan to discuss ways of getting the sports complex off the ground at their respective planning retreats in early 2010.

“I think the county is very interested in partnering with us on that,” said Harris, who explained that the multimillion-dollar project would be too big for Mount Airy to tackle on its own.

Officials of both entities have agreed to appoint a joint committee that will explore all aspects of what would be involved in building the sports complex.

“The impact of this is a given,” said Harris. A major girls AAU basketball tournament held in Mount Airy in March 2008 injected nearly $300,000 into the community during a single weekend. Meanwhile, a softball tournament that drew 44,000 people to Rock Hill, S.C., in one recent year had an overall economic impact of $5.2 million.

“I think we can do more in the area of attracting sports tournaments and I’m hoping we can do something about a convention center,” Steve Yokeley, a newly elected commissioner from the South Ward, said in outlining 2010 goals. “I think that would really help the economy in a lot of ways.”

While no location has been announced for the sports complex, properties in the downtown area — including former Spencer’s Inc. textile facilities — have been eyed for a business-retail development that would include a convention center.

Such complexes would allow Mount Airy to capitalize further on its status as a tourist destination due to the Mayberry phenomenon and other factors, supporters say.

“I think there are a lot of medium-sized conventions that would be interested in coming to Mount Airy if we had the facility,” said Yokeley. He pointed out that there is sufficient lodging space due to the recent construction of Holiday Inn Express in the U.S. 601 area.

Ararat River Project

A major project unfolding in 2009 in Mount Airy combined a need to correct erosion problems along the Ararat River with the development of a new recreation facility.

Through the $4 million effort launched in late March, a 16,928-foot section of the waterway stretching from the northern side of Riverside Park was targeted for improvement in response to riverbank erosion which has been occurring at a rate of 15 feet per year.

The streambank restoration also presented the opportunity to tap into recreational opportunities along the river’s scenic path, including canoeing, kayaking, picnicking and others. A key addition is a greenway trail to accommodate walkers, runners and cyclists.

H.B. Rowe Environmental Park, the centerpiece of the greenway, also was included in the project plans in order to provide an outlet near Mount Airy Middle School including nature trails and habitats to aid science studies.

From Riverside Park, the greenway’s route bisects Hamburg Street and continues through Bannertown to B.H. Tharrington Primary School. The first leg of the greenway, a 1.5-mile section running from Riverside Park to H.B. Rowe Environmental Park, recently was opened to the public.

A Dec. 12 “rosy cheeks” 5K run to help raise funds for a Mount Airy Police Department toy drive was the first public event at the new facility.

Most of the money for the Ararat River project came from state sources.

Brown said that such efforts also will make this area more attractive to industrial prospects seeking quality-of-life elements along with a ready labor force.

“I think we have one of the best recreation programs of anywhere I’ve ever lived,” he said.

Key Personnel Changes

This year also saw numerous changes among the council as well as key departments in city government.

The changes among elected offices were set in motion through decisions during the summer by veteran Mayor Jack Loftis and South Ward Commissioner David Beal not to seek new terms.

This opened the door for Cochran’s election as mayor and Yokeley to replace Beal. Yokeley ran unopposed for that seat in November, as did Cawley, who had been appointed to his North Ward council position in 2008 to replace a commissioner who resigned for health reasons.

In December, Teresa Lewis, whom Cochran defeated in the mayor’s race, was appointed to replace Cochran as at-large commissioner for the remaining two years of her term.

“I think we’re going into the new year with a new direction,” Brown said.

The year 2009 also will be remembered as a time when two longtime city officials decided to hang up their badge and fire gear, respectively.

In June, Police Chief Roger McCreary, a 28-year veteran of the city police force who had started as a patrolman, announced he would be retiring effective Oct. 1.

A similar development arose in August when Fire Chief Benny Brannock announced his retirement after some 30 years. Brannock was a fourth-generation member of the city fire department.

Adding to those losses in 2009 were the retirements of Maj. Jeff Wolfe, a 30-year police veteran, and firefighter Larry Taylor, a 36-year member of the city department.

The four men were among municipal retirees receiving special recognition during the commissioners’ Dec. 17 meeting.

McCreary was replaced as police chief by Capt. Dale Watson, a member of the Mount Airy department whose appointment was announced in September.

Replacing Brannock was Chip Osborne, who began work on Nov. 30. Osborne, a native of Guilford County, is the former regional fire and rescue director for the Central Piedmont area of the North Carolina Community College System. Osborne also holds degrees from Gardner-Webb University and Guilford Technical Community College, where he earned an A.A.S degree in fire-protection technology.

Improved Finances

Along with pursuing major economic-development and other projects, Mount Airy leaders want to continue focusing on the day-to-day activities that keep the city operating.

One positive factor related to that objective concerns an improved financial position the municipality was able to realize in 2009 compared to the previous year.

A recent audit showed that Mount Airy’s fund balance as of June 30 — the end of the last fiscal year — stood at $9.6 million. That was an improvement of nearly $2 million from the corresponding period in 2008. The fund balance includes money legally reserved for specific uses as well as revenues that are unreserved.

The increase resulted from special measures that included putting off capital expenditures (for major equipment, building and infrastructure needs) and delays in filling personnel vacancies.

“I think it’s in better shape than it was last year,” Brown said of Mount Airy’s financial condition. “There’s still changes and adjustments that I think we ought to make,” he said, adding that specifics would be forthcoming.

But Brown said city officials will “remain very guarded” about capital expenditures.

The mayor pointed out that keeping utility rates and property taxes down not only will benefit citizens, but aid existing businesses while also helping recruit new ones. “When you increase the cost of business, that is not good,” Cochran said. “I am concerned about the well-being of citizens, jobs and taxes — that kind of says it all.”

Harris also agreed with fellow officials that a top goal for 2010 should be making sure Mount Airy is perceived as a “business-friendly city,” along with trying to address needs of local companies in a more timely manner.

He was encouraged by reports of higher holiday sales among local merchants. “The Christmas season was a fairly good one,” Harris said, citing the fact that Mayberry Mall “was just totally packed” with holiday shoppers. “I think that bodes well for the next year.”

Loftis, the former mayor, also is excited about recent economic gains that will help Mount Airy offset some of the past job losses. He added that it is reassuring to see various efforts finally “pay some dividends.”

“I expect it to continue,” Loftis said, explaining that the key will be the municipality’s ability to take advantage of opportunities that arise.

“I feel very positive about the outlook for our city going forward.”

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.