The Crossing of the Dan Meeting of Volunteers

At the request of Douglas Powell, a meeting of community volunteers interested in the project was held at The Prizery on Tuesday evening, December 14, 2004. Attending were Douglas Powell, Dr. Ralph Wileman, Ted Daniel, Barbara Bass, Dan Shaw, Dr. Wyatt Osborne, Flora Osborne, Frank Slayton, Paul Johnson, Joe Morgan, Chris Jones, and Ronnie Vaughan.

Ted Daniel reported that the office of U. S. Congressman Virgil Goode had been able to have a $20,000 grant included in the recently approved and signed Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This will be a Small Business Administration economic development initiative grant and is to be used for the planning phase of the proposed exhibit project. Ted also reported that the Town of South Boston had agreed to administer the funds through a town account. The grant will reimburse expenditures approved by a project management team. The team membership, as listed above, was nominated and approved by those citizens present at the meeting.

Ralph Wileman presented an outline of his vision of the needed work to be done by the volunteers desiring to help on the project and the committees required. The first priority continues to be the completion and documentation of the research and development of the exhibit content including a time line to be covered by the exhibit. Those in attendance agreeing to work on that Research & Development Committee included Douglas Powell, Frank Slayton, Dan Shaw, Barbara Bass, and Ted Daniel. In addition, Larry Aaron from Danville will be a member. These, and any others desiring to join the committee, agreed to meet for work sessions, the first of which was scheduled for Monday, January 10, 2005, at 9 a. m. at The Prizery. (This date was changed later to Tuesday, January 11).

The next committee suggested by Ralph would be a Proposal Committee to work on a variety of needs for searching for private and public funding sources for the project. Those agreeing to serve on that committee were Ralph Wileman, Paul Johnson, and Ted Daniel. They will begin to work once the Research and Development Committee provides some completed work.

The attendees agreed that it would be important during this project planning phase to involve the National Park Service as much as possible, to continue to inform all those interested via a newsletter document of some type periodically, and to expedite the project now that planning funds are available promotion.

The work done by Dan Shaw on a web site for the project was acknowledged. All agreed this is a project that will surely be followed up with other phases involving the actual river site and other related projects being considered by others such as the town and Berry Hill.

The date of the next general meeting was not set but will be held when the need is determined.

Douglas Powell