The Farmville office of the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), located at 221 Sunchase Blvd. in Farmville, will close on Feb. 24

According to VEC spokeswoman Joyce Fogg, the part-time office, which serves Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties, is only open three days a week.

“I was disappointed to learn that the VEC in Farmville is closing,” said Lunenburg County Administrator Tracy Gee. “It seems as technology and Internet access grows, more organizations transition to online communication and applications.  I believe that South Hill still has a part-time office open, albeit with very limited hours, and there is an office in Emporia and South Boston.  Residents can access the VEC website from home or from local library computers, but that is no substitute for a person to assist with the process in person.”

“There are two classified staff there. One has accepted a job in the VEC’s Tri-Cities office and the other will be transferred to another of the VEC offices, which is where these two staff work the other two days a week,” Fogg said.

“There are three reasons,” Fogg said of the closing. “We are mandated by the federal government to colocate with the workforce investment offices … Another reason is funding. Our funding is decreasing and we have some budget issues. And then the traffic in the office is less, you know, that was why it went to part time. We were seeing a decrease in the traffic there.”

Fogg said that those who need services in the region can visit VEC offices in South Boston, Lynchburg, Hopewell and Emporia.

“It’s job services, we assist people in finding jobs, and that’s for people who are currently employed or unemployed. They can both go in and we assist then … We assist with unemployment insurance claims,” Fogg said of what the office does for the public.

Many of the same resources are online and available over the telephone, she said. “You can go online and do your job search. You can also go online and file your unemployment insurance claims. So, it’s assisting people if you need that extra assistance.”

There are four wage staff who work 20 hours per week,  Fogg said. The wage staff will be laid off.

The office’s website lists Stanley Ragland as the manager/supervisor.