Growth & Development
Related
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- Franklin / Southampton County
Regional Report
Virginia Business
September
2004
New
technology, expanded treatment space unveiled
Southampton Memorial Hospital recently unveiled its
60,000 square foot expansion following four years of
planning, design and construction. The addition gives
the hospital its first major upgrade in more than 10
years.
Along with expanded treatment and diagnostic departments,
the hospital has acquired new equipment that will enhance
the capabilities of the Imaging Department. One device
is a 16-slice computed tomography (CT) machine that
produces images every half second and offers advantages
in speed, accuracy and early detection of disease and
trauma. And new nuclear medicine technology has also
been added.
The first floor includes a lobby and waiting areas,
admitting and registration, as well as an emergency
department, surgery and post anesthesia care, and outpatient
surgery.
The second floor includes 21 medical/surgical patient
rooms and a central nurses station Construction began
on the building in June 2003, at a cost of $17 million.
Phase II of the renovation will begin in 2005 when the
remaining patient rooms will be made private and other
modifications are made to the building at an approximate
cost of $3 million.
Franklin
Business Incubator to open in 2005
Construction is underway to renovate a former buggy
factory into a 40,000-square-foot business incubator
in downtown Franklin. The Federal Economic Development
Administration, the Virginia Department of Business
Assistance and the city of Franklin are funding the
$2.7 million renovation project. When open, the facility
will offer low-cost space for start-up and existing
operations in the area. The city wants to attract small
businesses in the service, light industry and retail
areas. Along with the rental space, businesses will
benefit from administrative support services, access
to professional equipment — telephone, fax and
copier services — and a convenient central location.
Business owners can also take advantage of mentoring
services and guidance in securing business financing.
The facility is currently accepting tenant applications
and plans to open in January 2005.
Deerfield
expansion awaits governor’s signature
A planned $21 million expansion of the Deerfield Correctional
Institute in Capron has been approved by the General
Assembly and is currently awaiting Gov. Mark R. Warner’s
signature. The 600-bed expansion is part of an overall
$123 million construction program approved earlier this
year. According to the Virginia Corrections Corpora-tion,
jobs will be created in Southampton County, with local
businesses given the opportunity to perform construction
and supply materials for the renovation.
Workforce
Development Center brings much-needed training facility
to the region
Located on the Paul D. Camp Community College campus
in Franklin, the Regional Workforce Development Center
supports the training needs of local businesses and
non-profit organizations. Through the college, a variety
of credit and noncredit training programs and educational
services are available to local residents. The $5.28
million center offers state-of-the-art computer training
equipment and customized training curricula. The 33,000-square-foot
facility also offers a variety of classroom sizes, two
computer labs with high-speed Internet, compressed video
and distance learning capabilities. The center includes
a 6,800-square- foot, multi-purpose conference hall
and a tiered technology theatre that can accommodate
up to 124 people seated at tabletops wired for data,
power and microphones.
Money
Mailer invests $8.5 million in new Franklin plant
Money Mailer, a California-based direct mail company,
opened an East coast operation in the city of Franklin’s
Pretlow Industrial Park. The $8.5 million direct mail
facility encompasses printing, packaging and mailing
operations to support Money Mailer’s more than
250 franchises. Production at the new facility started
in April with an initial investment of $3 million in
an existing shell building at the industrial park. The
operation is expected to generate 160 new jobs over
the next five years.
Pretlow Industrial Park supports region’s
economic growth
Providing convenient access to U.S. 58 and U.S. 258,
and within 45 miles of downtown Norfolk, the Pretlow
Industrial Park offers 158 acres of level, cleared land
that is ready for development. The park includes a downtown
peak generation plant and a Pretlow peak generation
plant. Both facilities are for peak electric sharing
and can be used as backup power for the Pretlow Industrial
Park.
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