By John Peters
Editor
Just days after local officials expressed concern the Window Fashion Resources Inc. project in Littleton could be in jeopardy, the owners of the company have signed a contract to proceed with the project.
Monday, the Halifax County Board of Commissioners followed suit, authorizing the chairman to sign the contract once some minor changes are made to it.
County Manager Matthew Delk characterized the needed changes as nothing more than “administrative in nature. It involves things like where a signature is on one page, where some initials are on another page,” he said.
The substance of the contract will stay the same, with the actual signing only a formality that could be done in a matter of days.
The contract is for construction work at the former Rugged Sportswear facility to bring the facility up to code and to make necessary modifications for use by Window Fashion.
Once modifications are complete and the county hands the building over to Window Fashion, the company has committed to create at least 100 jobs, paying an average of at least $11, within three years.
The news that the contract was signed was greeted with general enthusiasm by town officials.
“It’s a big day for Littleton,” Mayor Mason Hawfield said at Monday night’s town board of commissioners meeting. With a smile on his face, Hawfield told the town board and those in attendance that everything has been agreed to. He said the Yaugers, (Don and Cindy, who own the company) are satisfied, the town is satisfied and the county approved everything in its meeting earlier in the day Monday.
In announcing the deal the mayor said he wanted to make special note of Don Willis for all his work. Willis handles economic development efforts for the town.
“Don Willis deserves a lot of credit for his hard work,” Hawfield stated. He then added that there were many people who played a part in bringing the firm to Littleton.
“It’s a big day, I’m really excited,” he said.
Town Commissioner Betty Willis, who has also met with the Yaugers and county officials on several occasions regarding the project, was equally pleased.
“After four long years of negotiations, it is with thankfulness that we can say the factory building in Littleton is to serve a purpose once again,” she said Tuesday morning.
“Today is a new day and with positive attitudes we should all go forward,” she said. “Don Willis, economic development director for the town of Littleton, should be given special thanks for his perseverance throughout these long negotiations.”
Although many officials, including Halifax County Manager Matthew Delk, have long wanted to bring the project to fruition to provide jobs for Littleton area residents, Betty Willis said the plant will spur even additional growth.
“This will open the door for other businesses to follow,” she said.
Mayor Hawfield, too, has long maintained that once the plant opens other businesses will follow. He has said in the past he believes the increased daily traffic in town will bring about the opening of restaurants and additional shops.
Betty Willis also pointed to other things the plant will bring to the town.
“We can now apply for the CDBG grant for storm water infrastructure,’ she said.
The Community Development Block Grant is a federally funded program that offers money to towns and counties for infrastructure development. She said the town had put together a grant application, but could not submit the grant until the construction contract had been signed.
Monday’s contract signing was a welcome change from just a week ago, when Delk questioned whether the project would come to fruition.
At issue was the construction cost estimated given to the Yaugers. The county had received a combination of grants for $776,150 for construction and refurbishing at the facility. Any cost above that would have to be borne by Window Fashion.
The initial construction bid, based upon architectural drawings, came in at more than $1.3 million, the bulk of which was construction costs submitted by Heaton construction Inc. of Roanoke Rapids.
The Yaugers said were much of what was included in the bid was not necessary, and on July 16 county officials sent a revised estimate, which lowered the construction bid from $1,187,000 to $786,000.
Though the Yaugers still had questions about the bid and had asked for the project to be rebid as late as July 17, last week they agreed to the project.
Attempts to reach the Yaugers for comment, or to learn of a planned timetable for opening the plant, were not successful.
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