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By KEN WOODLEY
     FARMVILLE — The final four.
   Longwood University has narrowed its presidential search from an original field of 124 applicants to just four.
    They are:
    Dr. Thomas J. Botzman, Vice President for Business and Finance at St. Mary’s College, in Maryland.
    Dr. Emily Fourmy Cutrer, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University in San Marcos.
    Patrick Finnegan, Brigadier General, United States Army, Dean of the Academic Board, United States Military Academy, at West Point.
    Dr. James F. Conneely, Associate Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University.
    The candidates are visiting the campus, though not as a quartet, during these first two weeks of February.
    The university’s Board of Visitors expects to announce the successor to Dr. Patricia Cormier, next month, according to LU spokesperson Dennis Sercombe.
   Barry J. Case, who chairs the Presidential Search and Screening Advisory Committee, announced on LU’s website that the 124 applications are a record for the consulting firm, Academic Research, Inc., which was hired to work with LU’s and its presidential search.
   Each of the final four candidates is meeting with community and campus members, including open forums for faculty, students and staff.
    Candidate evaluation forms are available at each forum, Case noted. “I encourage you to complete a form immediately after each open forum and provide your comments and impressions of each candidate to the Search Committee,” he told the campus.
   “The feedback received from these evaluations will be taken into consideration as the Search Committee makes its final recommendations to the Board of Visitors,” Case said.
   The search committee, with assistance from consultants, had solicited input from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and others on “the characteristics that would be desired in the next president and the challenges facing the next president,” Case noted. “The information gathered from the University constituents has been very helpful.”
   The pool of 124 applicants had been reduced to nine individuals, who were interviewed in December.
   And now there are four.
   The search committee is comprised of five members of the Board of Visitors, joined by faculty and administration representatives, with representation from LU’s citizen boards.
    “It’s a pretty diverse group of folks,” search committee member and Board of Visitors Vice Rector Otis Brown told The Herald.
   Brown, who has gone through a presidential search process at another institution of higher learning, said it was important to hire a consulting firm that specializes in academic searches.
   Brown called picking Dr. Cormier’s successor “a once in a lifetime opportunity for Board of Visitors members. I’ve hired a lot of people to do a lot of things, but a college president is a different ballgame. There are so many components to the thing.”
    The key quality to look for, Brown believes, “is having a good decision-maker. I don’t care what race or sex they are. I just want a good decision-maker who can assess things, make contributions and get on with it.”

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Three Members
Join PE’s Board
Fore Selected Chairman

By ROB CHAPMAN
   PRINCE EDWARD — It’s a new year for County Supervisors and—with three newly-installed members—a new board.
   Among the additions were Prospect Supervisor Howard “Pete” Campbell, Leigh District Supervisor Don Gantt, and Farmville District (701) Supervisor Jim Wilck.
   Still, with three additions to the eight-member board there were only a few changes in the organizational structure of the County’s governing body at the board’s January 12 meeting. The board re-elected Buffalo Supervisor William “Buckie” Fore as its chairman without opposition and re-elected Farmville District (101) Supervisor Howard Simpson as vice-chairman.
   “Board members, thank you again for your confidence in my leadership,” Fore said after being chosen again without opposition. “I do appreciate it ever so much.”
   Simpson, elected without opposition, also thanked board members for putting their trust in him to be their vice-chair.
   The board will continue to meet the second Tuesday of each month in the board room at the courthouse at 7 p.m. Also, without change, the board adopted by-laws, agreed to operate as a committee of the whole (with one standing committee for personnel), adopted board rules of procedure for public hearings, adopted board rules of protocol for public participation, protocol for board of supervisors comments, and a conflict of interest policy.
   Fore recommended Campbell and Wilck with previous members Simpson and Mattie Wiley to work on the personnel committee
                                    Audit Report
   Matthew McLearen, a CPA from Robinson, Farmer, Cox, presented the results of the County’s audit for the 2009 fiscal year. It was noted that they presented an unqualified or clean opinion in the financial statements. It was also noted that there were no significant deficiencies reported in the internal controls. He cited that they found the records intact and accurate.
   McLearen also reported a total fund balance in the general fund (the main operating fund of the county) of approximately $9.2 million.
   Among the highlights of the audit in a memo to Supervisors from County Administrator Wade Bartlett were:
   *Cash in primary government increased from $8,529,790 to $8,806,906.
   *Cash in the school fund decreased from $703,651 to $602,595.
   *Long-term liabilities—with the addition of a library, increased by $1,934,702.
   *Revenues from local sources exceeded the budget by $494,477.
   *State revenues were $469,621 below the budgeted amount.
   *The required contribution to the schools was $643,475 less than the budget.
   *And expenditures in all departments except the registrar/board of elections were below budget. . . . . .

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Revitalization Efforts
Dillwyn Continues Making Progress

By TANA KNOTT
   DILLWYN — One of the first items on the town council’s January agenda was the appointment of a vice mayor.
   After Diane Holman James nominated Linda Paige, new council member Sandra Moss followed with a second and Council unanimously elected Paige to continue serving as the town’s vice mayor.
   As part of its annual reorganization, Council also agreed to continue meeting on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m., in the Town Hall. In the event there is a conflict, the meeting will be held on the third Tuesday—same time, same place.
                   Enhancement Bids Opened
   Todd Fortune, a planner with the Commonwealth Regional Council, assisted Council in opening and reviewing bids for the third phase of the town’s enhancement project.
   The project, which is receiving Federal Transportation Enhancement funds administered by the Department of Transportation, is a continuation of an enhancement plan that included the town plaza and clock.
   Phase three focuses on the demolition and replacement of the old sidewalks along Main Street in the town’s business district. The new sidewalks will feature stamped and colored concrete with curbing and gutters, curb ramps, pedestrian scale lighting, and related improvements.
   Fortune announced that four bids were received. As he opened each bid, he shared the name of the contractor and the amounts of the base bid and the three alternates.
Those bidding included Keith Barber Construction, Inc.; Farmville Excavation; Pearson Construction; and Harold W. Collins Clearing and Grading.
   The bids, with the base bid and three alternates, ranged from $106,378 to $148,000.
   Clerk Peggy Johnson explained that the bids would be sent to Land Planning & Design Associates, Inc., the consulting engineer for the project. She said the bids must also be re-viewed by VDOT.
   Johnson explained that Council does not officially accept the bid until after the re-view. . . . . . . .

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Fire Season Starts
On February 15
Report Given To Cumberland

By MEGAN HARRIS
   CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland County Board of Super-visors received a forestry report during the January meeting just in time to give notice that February begins the fire season.
   Fire season officially begins on February 15 and ends on April 30, according to Justin Funk, with the Virginia Department of Forestry. Open air burning before 4 p.m. is illegal during this period.
   “As our spring fire season quickly approaches, individuals should plan to make their homes fire-safe to ensure further protection from a potential wildfire,” noted Funk. “There are several activities that can be done to protect homes located within a wildland environment.”
   Funk described that citizens can clean off roofs and gutters, locate woodpiles away from structures, clean under decks and other areas where fuel accumulates, and remove limbs and leaves from around the house.
   “Any steps taken before the actual fire can greatly improve the odds for survival,” Funk stated. . . . .

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