Cruise missile factory ground breaking in JCC today
Good morning! Kongsberg factory to provide more than 180 jobs. Plus, free tax preparation for seniors at local libraries, and a list of MLK Day closings.
A Norwegian defense company will hold a VIP-only groundbreaking for its new cruise missile factory in James City County Friday.
The $101 million, 150,000 square-foot facility will be constructed in Toano at Old Stage Road, near the Upper County Park. The company said it will create more than 180 jobs at the site.
The factory is the first U.S. production facility for Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, a division of Norway’s Kongsberg Group, founded in 1814.
It will manufacture two types of cruise missiles for the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force. The Navy and Marines will be buying naval strike missiles for littoral combat ships and the Navy’s new Constellation-class frigate.
The Air Force will be buying Joint Strike missiles for their F-35 stealth fighters. Kongsberg said the Air Force selected the missile because it can be carried inside the airplane, preserving its stealth signature.
Local, national and state dignitaries have been invited to the event, which is not open to the public.
Free tax help for seniors coming to libraries
It’s not too early to start thinking about doing your taxes. And if you are a senior with a gross adjusted income of $89,000 or less, you can get free help at the Williamsburg Library through the auspices of the American Association of Retired Persons’ Tax Aide program.
This year the program comes in two flavors:
You can sign up for a full-service tax return program at the Williamsburg downtown library or the James City County Croaker branch.
The program hours are:
Williamsburg downtown: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
James City County branch: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
For the first time, the group is also providing a do-it-yourself service, where you can prepare the tax return at the library with help from a tax guide.
Do-it yourself will be available from 3 – 6 p.m. on these days:
Monday: James City County library
Tuesday: New Kent County library
Wednesday: Williamsburg Library
Thursday: Charles City County Library
You can make your own appointment by emailing: WilliamsburgJamesCityTaxaide.as.me
You can also call starting January 27. For Williamsburg appointments, call 757-354-1260. For the James City County branch call 757-561-0545. For New Kent, call 804-966-2480. For Charles City, call 805-652-2450.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day closings:
Monday, January 19, is a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. All banks, post offices and federal offices are closed as are courts.
Here are the local closings:
James City County:
County offices - closed.
Libraries – closed.
County parks, James City County Recreation Center and Abram Frink Jr. Community Center - open. Park stores and guest services offices are closed.
Jolly Pond Road and Toano Convenience Centers - open. No change to curbside recycling.
Williamsburg City
City Offices – closed
Waller Mill Park - open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Garbage and recycling will be collected on regular schedule.
York County
All county offices – closed
Library – closed
Garbage transfer station, recycling dropoff and CPPSA compost facility – open
Garbage and recycling will be collected on regular schedule.
Guest Link:
By Steven Wooley
This year—more than at any time in several decades—Martin Luther King Jr. Day ought to be a moment of deep national reflection on what it means to be a country whose government is of the people, by the people, and for the people, especially for those who have been marginalized by exclusion and institutionalized oppression. I do not know whether it will be.
Link to Steven’s essay here:
State headlines
Virginia Congressman Wittman among just 17 Republicans nationally to back ACA credits extension
Youngkin touts economic, education gains in final address to General Assembly
Capital Trail bridge reopened
The Virginia Department of Transportation re-opened a portion of the Capital bike trail Thursday that had been closed to replace a bridge on the Jamestown Leg of the trail between mile markers 3 and 4 .
Passings
Richard R. Sklar II, 85, Jan. 14.
Floyd Arthur Sprouse, 76, Jan. 14.
Charles E. Smith, 77, Jan . 14.
Benjamin Youngman Bigler Jr., 92, Jan. 10.
Interesting timing for Kongsberg to establish their first US facility given the recent shifts in defense procurement. The fact that the Joint Strike missile preserves F-35 stealth signature is a huge tactical advantage that's often underlooked in discussions of next-gen air combat. What stands out is how much defense manufacturing is becoming decentralized across smaller regional hubs instead of clustering in traditional aerospace centers. I worked near a similar Raytheon facility expansion few years back and the local economic impact went way beyond just the direct jobs, the supplier ecosystem that develops around these plants is where the real multiplicative effect happens.