Listening to a brief presentation by Rodgers Builders are some of the trades people and interested citizens who attended a meeting March 8 on the Sparta Teapot Museum construction. Seated at the table at left is Philip Hanes, who was responsible for steering the museum to Sparta. Locals Learn More About Future Of Sparta Teapot Museum Darrell Greene, owner of a grading company based in Laurel Springs, was among more than 70 people who attended a reception March 8 concerning the construction of the Sparta Teapot Museum. He had seen an article in the newspaper inviting those interested in work to come. “I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for a lot of folks,” he said. Chris Pirrera, who makes custom furniture, also dropped by to see if he could contribute knowledge and know-how to the project. “If something were to happen, it’d be fun. It’d be a nice challenge,” said Pirrera, who is opening a business in Sparta. Rodgers Builders, general contractor for the museum, hosted the reception at the Blue Ridge Business Development Center. Guests milled about with plates of hors d’oeuvres talking to Rodgers representatives, looking at sketches of the future museum and photos of other Rodgers projects, and listening to live bluegrass music. As the crowd swelled, David Page, senior vice president for business development, interrupted the music briefly to make comments. Construction is expected to start this fall, he said. “This is an important start in what will be a great community project for Sparta and Alleghany County,” he said. “We still have a ways to go before construction starts. This is a way of getting everybody together and beginning to establish relationships. “Sparta is not a new place to us,” Page continued. Rodgers was also general contractor for a recent expansion at Alleghany Memorial Hospital. The company is dedicated to “participating in the community and giving back to the community,” he added. Page introduced Ernie Crenshaw, superintendent of the project, and Eric Reichard, head of operations/prequalification. After Reichard made a few remarks he was greeted by Sparta Town Manager Bryan Edwards. “Good turnout,” Edwards said. “Real good turnout,” responded Reichard. “We just had one of these in Wilmington and we didn’t have near this turnout.” Vernetta Mitchell, head of subcontractor/prequalification, said she was also pleased with the turnout. “It is wonderful that the community is supporting this the way they are. I think we’ve had an equal number of community advocates and contractors. I see some great opportunities here for people to participate in the process.” Rodgers’s challenge will be to tailor the pieces and parts of construction so that those interested can bid on work that uses their particular skills, she said. Trades people who attended were asked to drop one of their business cards in a bucket at the entrance. By mid-reception the collection ranged from people who specialize in sprinklers to parking lot striping, from painting to electrical contracting. Betsy Bethune of Glade Valley and Winston-Salem, a member of the Sparta Teapot Museum’s board of directors, was also heartened by the turnout. “I’m pleased, very pleased,” she said. “I certainly hope it means a number of these subcontractors will be a part of the construction. That’s our goal, to get as many local people involved as possible.” Sparta Mayor John Miller also dropped by to lend his support. He said the good crowd was a positive sign. “It will mean so much to the community, not only in the near future but on down the road. It will help the economy and local people as much as anything we can do,” he said. The crowd included citizens who just came to support the project, along with subcontractors interested in work and the museum’s board members, said Jonathan Halsey, the museum project manager. “People from the community attended just to learn more about the status of the project and to learn more about the project’s economic impact,” he said. Several took advantage of an opportunity to look at some of the Kamm teapot collection. “They were surprised to learn that many of these teapots are works of art, some are antiques and a lot of them are pieces created for collectors,” Halsey said. Those interested in work on the museum who couldn’t get to the reception aren’t too late, Halsey said. They can call his office for more information at 372-8118, ext. 39. “Even though we’re not ready to break ground tomorrow, I encourage people to keep in touch with our office so they can know how they can be involved,” he said.