HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1078Mrs. Pressly has been aggressive in her determination to see that new opportunities are given
through program services for children and adults with developmental disabilities for over four
decades -- not only in Iredell but across North Carolina. "
Senator Forrester said Lee Derby, the President of LifeSpan, was also attending the
meeting. Forrester said LifeSpan had nominated Mrs. Pressly for the award, but he was pleased
to represent the Governor in presenting the award. He commended Mrs. Pressly for her
outstanding work. Senator Forrester said the state award began early in the 1960s, during
Governor Tent' Sanford's administration, and later in 1962, the long leaf pine was recognized as
the official North Carolina tree. He said this was how the award received its name, "I'he Order
of the Long Leaf Pine." Forrester said he had presented only four of the awards in the past 16
years, and the Governor was very particular about who was chosen to receive them. He said the
award was the highest that could be presented to a North Carolina citizen, and past recipients had
included Maya Angelou, Dale Earnhardt, Andy Griffith, and Dr. Billy Graham. He then
presented the award to Mrs. Pressly.
Mrs. Pressly said there had been much joy in her volunteer work, especially in seeing
youth and adults developing new skills and becoming more self-confident. She said the
mentally and developmentally disabled enjoyed making friends and they cared about one
another. She said they also enjoyed sports activities and participation in the Special Olympics
where everyone brought home a prize. Pressly said the older individuals learned job skills at the
sheltered workshop, they learned ways to retain their jobs, and they learned how to manage their
money. She expressed concerns about Medicaid and funding cuts and how this action would
affect the programs. Mrs. Pressly said LifeSpan was a private, non-profit organization that had
a mission to provide a continuum of services for learning disabled individuals from birth until
death. She said the organization had been in existence for 30 years, and it was operating in 26
counties. Pressly thanked the county, the municipalities, and the local college for the many ways
they had assisted in the past. She also thanked the churches, the United Way, and the parents of
the disabled. She said it had been a joy to live in a community that was inclusive of people who
were different, a community that did not marginalize, exclude, tease, or bully the disabled, but
instead welcomed them.
Chairman Tice praised Mrs. Pressly for her many years of commendable work and
congratulated her for being awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.
Recognition of Sheriffs Department Retirees Bob Fromme and Mike Phillips &
Presentation of Appreciation Plaques: Chief Deputy Rick Dowdie said Retirees Fromme and
Phillips would be greatly missed at the sheriff's department.
Chairman Tice thanked Fromme and Phillips for their many years of service and for their
assistance in keeping the citizens safe.
Presentation from Mr. Ron Starner, General Manager of Conway Data, Ine.,
Regarding Site Selection Magazine's Designation of Mooresville and Statesville as Being #1
for Small Micropolitan Areas: Ron Starner said two years ago Jack Schultz wrote a book
entitled, `Boom Town USA' that outlined the keys for success in small towns. He mentioned
that Chapter 10 cited Mooresville, NC, as an example of what could happen when a small town
decided to reinvent itself. Starner said Schultz had written, "Among the keys to success was the
town's ability to leverage its resources, raise up strong leaders, maintain local control, shape its
vision, and encourage an entrepreneurial approach to business." He said Site Selection
Magazine was an international business journal that reached 44,000 corporate real estate
executives. Mr. Starner said that since 1999, Iredell County had been home to one of America's
greatest small town success stories, the Statesville -Mooresville Micropolitan Area, that included
Troutman, Lake Norman, and every other community in the county. Starner said the U.S.
Census Bureau designated a county as a micropolitan area if it was a non -metro county with an
urban cluster of at least 10,000 people and had a large, self-sustaining economy. He said thanks
to such economic engines such as the Lowes Corporate Headquarters, the motor sports industry,
and the rapidly growing distribution corridor at the convergence of I-77 and I-40, the Statesville -
Mooresville Micropolitan Area stood alone as the leading micropolitan area in the nation. Mr.
Starner said that for the calendar year 2005, the Statesville -Mooresville area recorded 40 new or
expanded corporate facility projects of 1 million dollars or greater. He said to better understand
the ranking, it should be stated that the second largest micropolitan area, Tupelo, Mississippi,