Company will use local contractors only

Published 10:02 am Wednesday, February 3, 2010

ISLE OF WIGHT—American K-9 Interdiction LLC, the dog-training company that is relocating its operations from Carrollton to Walters, says it will only be using local contractors to build a new facility on Burdette Road.

The company’s owners, Nigel Rhodes and Paul Roushia, said they wanted to only use local contractors because of the impending closure of the International Paper Co. mill in Franklin and the negative economic impact that closure was going to have on the community.

The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors agreed to sell a former detention camp site and more than 50 acres to the company in November for $200,000. The board also approved the company’s move there by issuing a special-use permit for a commercial dog-training kennel, storage of high explosives and the boarding of military and civilian trainees.

To control noise, the company will construct a 2-foot earthen berm along three sides of the facility, with dense landscaping of trees and vegetation atop the berm to mitigate noise for surrounding residential areas. The fourth side to the facility will be open toward existing forest.