More school funding is approved

The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners approved an incentive deal with Charleston Forge Monday that could lead that company to create 45 or more new jobs here by next year.

Charleston Forge, which is located currently at two places in the county, on Andrews Ridge Road in the former Pioneer Eclipse building and on Memorial Park Drive in the former Carolina Narrow plant, will also be expanding into the current NAPCO facility by the first of next year.

In turn, NAPCO is purchasing the Spring Ford (Hanes) building and plans to add an additional 25 jobs. The commission approved an incentive deal with that company last December.

As for Charleston Forge, that company expects to invest an additional $1.5 million in the county, including $780,000 in machinery and about $720,000 in the building on Memorial Park. The deal on the NAPCO building is not included in the incentive agreement, but County Manager Don Adams said it is an integral part of making the entire chain of events happen.

Part of the jobs coming here on the part of Charleston Forge will be due to a plant closing in Boone. That plant handles woodworking for the company.

Charleston Forge is required to create 45 new jobs by Sept. 30, 2006, but expects to have that done sooner than the deadline.

Company Owner Art Barber noted that he feels like 45 new jobs is a conservative number. “I feel like it will be more employment than that,” he said. “We’re ready to start hiring people right now.” Between eight and 12 new positions are expected to be created in the next three months.

Budget

The commissioners approved a budget totaling $12,235,530 at a meeting on Monday. That amount included a school increase of $31,262, raising the total school allocation to $1,919,225.

Two school board members, Clarence Crouse and Chair Charles Joines, attended the meeting, along with Superintendent Duane Davis.

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