This is the third installment of a long evening of meetings and ceremonies held on December 19, 2017. The previous installments include the
Swearing-In Ceremony (Part 1) and the
Service Authority Meeting (Part 2).
The
Board of Supervisors opened their meeting around 7:20pm shortly after the Service Authority adjourned. Because this meeting was so lengthy, the abbreviated highlights include the Ralph Bunche proposal being passed, the Solar Farm Project proposal being passed, and an update from VDOT on the Route 301 Corridor Study. For more in-depth coverage, please continue reading.
Diving into the details of the meeting, Dr. Neiman Young,
County Administrator, briefly noted at the start of the meeting that the swearing-in ceremonies took place earlier in the evening at 6pm. The floor then opened for public comment. Jim Lynch spoke as a representative of the hiking and biking community and reminded the Board that VDOT would present later in the evening and asked the Board to recognize that there are no bicycle or pedestrian crossings in the Dahlgren area to safely cross Route 301. Mr. Lynch also pointed out that a recent newspaper article was partially incorrect in stating that the new Potomac River Bridge would include a bike lane when in fact the bike lane was part of the bid option package, meaning it was not guaranteed to be included. Mr. Lynch also encouraged the Board to reach out to the newly elected Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, to gain his support for bike lanes on the new bridge. Mr. Lynch had the only public comment.
Moving to the reports from the Supervisors themselves, Richard Granger said he met with a Cub Scout Pack on December 6th, the joint meeting between the School Board and Board of Supervisors on the 12th, and also thanked Cedell Brooks and Jim Howard for the opportunity to work together with them. Granger also said he looked forward to working with the newly elected Supervisors Cathy Binder and Jeff Bueche.
Jim Howard reported that this was his last meeting and wanted to thank his wife for all of her continued support. He said this was the first meeting she had ever attended and would also be her last. Howard said his wife "supported/tolerated his endeavors" and he greatly appreciated it. After nearly 48 years of living in King George County he has seen a lot of change and a lot of improvements. Despite the bad meetings or bad days, he said things have been overwhelmingly positive. He thanked everyone that has supported him over the years serving with twelve different Boards. Mr. Howard appeared to become emotional towards the end of his report and was graced with a standing ovation from the audience when he finished. Ruby Brabo, Chairwoman, interjected quickly before Mr. Brooks could give his report to present a resolution to Howard
for distinguished service from the Board. She
read Howard's various tenures on the Board of Supervisors and School Board as well as numerous accomplishments he helped with in the County. She then presented the resolution, another plaque, and his name plate as gifts.
After the applause died down, Cedell Brooks began his report by stating that 26 years ago he "stepped out on faith" and ran for Supervisor against his old high school teacher, Sid Peterson. When interviewed by the newspaper at the time, he told them he won by God's will and feels like he represented those in need over the years. He also said he hopes that there would be a positive vote for Ralph Bunche later in the meeting. Brooks then went on to say he attended Howard's retirement but remarked that Howard's claim that Brooks owed him $20 was false. After some laughs, Brooks then said he received awards from Congressman Wittman this morning and was unexpectedly full of emotion at the time and felt honored by the recognition. He thanked those in attendance and received a standing ovation of his own. Brabo then presented Brooks with the same awards given to Howard except for the resolution which was already awarded at a previous meeting.
Ruby Brabo then went into her report beginning with attending a government and military affairs dinner on December 6, 2017 where she learned that there is a need for an 80,000 square foot office space off-base and not near an entrance to Dahlgren. She also said that
Vice-Admiral Thomas Moore was unprepared to answer questions regarding the move of the Chemical Biological Radiological (CBR) Defense Division from Dahlgren to Indian Head, Maryland. CBR built an
$8.6 million building in 2002 and
employed about 100-150 workers as of July 2017. In a
2016 report, CBR listed many accomplishments including responding to and assisting with the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan as well as ongoing support. Brabo then said she attended the
National Association of Counties (NACo) on the 7th and 8th for a poverty summit, the joint budget meeting on the 12th, and a Chesapeake Bay Watershed meeting on the 13th. During this last meeting, she said 12 counties would be able to work together to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goals and that growth and county income is often curtailed when these goals are limited to a single county. Brabo also attended a holiday luncheon on the 12th where King George County Sheriff's Deputy Shriver and Anne Shooes, a member of the public, were awarded the Making A Difference Award. They received an embroidered hat, trophy, and gift card for there dedication to the community. Chairwoman Brabo also attended the award presentation for Cedell Brooks earlier in the day and wanted to thank both Brooks and Jim Howard for their service. She said that even though they may not have always agreed on everything over the years, they were always professional and respectful. She also reminded the current and future Board members to have a name of a citizen ready for the January meeting to be appointed to the Citizen Advisory Committee.
The Consent Agenda passed as presented.
The first of three public hearings then began with the Port Conway Solar Farm Project. Things began with a
presentation from the
Community Development Office. The presentation states that the entire area in question covers about 610 acres but the solar panels would only cover about 333 acres. The location would be off of Port Conway Road and the solar company,
Community Energy Solar, would lease the land for 35 years from the property owner. During the presentation, it was clear that the solar company had reached out to the local land owners and used their feedback to change their original designs to better suit the concerns of citizens. The Community Development Office also noted that the Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve the Special Exception Permit and other groups such as VDOT, US Army Corp of Engineers, and the Community Development Office itself approved of the plan.
Community Energy Solar then gave their
presentation that included much of the same information but further detailed the impact to the surrounding neighbors as well as their efforts to reduce that impact. These efforts included additional meetings with the community, reducing their footprint near neighbors and roadways, and increasing landscaping to block line-of-sight of the solar panels. The landscaping would be of two different styles, one being more of a solid residential visual barrier and the other being a broken or staggered tree-line. It was questioned how large the trees would be when planted and they clarified the trees would be about one and a half inches around and stand about 4 feet high. The solar company also discussed their plans for decommissioning their facility and the funds they would have to ensure that process occurs. They closed their presentation with a list of community benefits, including an increase in tax revenue, local employment opportunities, and being a quiet and clean neighbor.
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| Blue represents the proposed solar panel coverage. |
The floor then opened for public comment with a written letter from Jim Lynch supporting the plan. Of those commenting in person, the support and opposition for the project was about evenly split. Some neighboring property owners supported it while others did not. Several citizens asked questions and listed concerns that would later be answered by either the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, or the solar company representatives. There was concern about how the project could impact the composite index and school funding but the County Attorney said that the project did not fall into that category due to its size and would therefore not have any impact. The solar representatives did clarify a concern about underground cables being left behind when they leave by stating that many of their cables are run above ground because it is cheaper. They did say that some cables would be buried but that removing them is part of their decommissioning plan. Towards the end of the discussion Supervisor Brooks stated he would rather wait until the new Board is sitting so they could vote on the project. Chairwoman Brabo reminded him that doing so would delay the project unnecessarily because the current Board has already done the research on solar energy and helped pass the
updated zoning regulations regarding solar farms. The Planning Commission's vote of 4-2 was clarified as well. The typically nine-person Commission's vote only totaled six because one person quit the group earlier in the year, one person was absent from the meeting, and one person abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.
The Board then concluded their discussion with all members voting in favor of the project moving forward.
The public hearing then began for the disposal of the Ralph Bunche property, a building on the
National Register of Historic Places and listed with the
Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Starting things off was Dr. Young reading a lengthy statement. His involvement began when working with the
George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) regarding the County's empty properties. GWRC advised Dr. Young should look into working with
Echelon Resources in an effort to preserve the Ralph Bunche High School. Echelon Resources, led by Edwin Gaskins, works to preserve and re-purpose historic properties in the state, including
Maury Commons in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Echelon submitted an unsolicited bid to purchase Ralph Bunche and thus negotiations began between Echelon, King George County (the property owner), and the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association (RBAA). Young stated that a voice against this project moving forward would be a voice supporting the planned museum to wait. He also stated that during his frequent visits to the site, the building was in such a state of disrepair that the previously planned funding to support the museum would not be enough to make the necessary repairs for the museum to safely occupy the building. On top of this, Young said the County would be relieved of the utility, maintenance, and insurance expenses as well as be able to begin collecting tax revenue from the new property owner.
The President of Echelon Resources, Mr. Gaskins, then spoke. He did admit that the site would be challenging and that he did not have all the answers. He said he enjoys working with historic properties because of their community ties. He explained that his desire to move more quickly than normal was due to historic preservation tax credits that will expire at the end of 2017.
County Attorney Gregory then spoke of the County's approach to the plan and that measures are in place to ensure that should the deal fall through or the developer not meet the requirements set, the County would regain ownership of the property. He explained that the process would be that the County would deed as a gift the existing building and the few small lots it sits upon. Then the County and the developer would negotiate the acquisition of about eight more acres by the developer. This negotiation would include sureties that the museum would be provided for as well as address any remaining concerns. The expected completion date would be 2020 although Mr. Gaskins said his desire was to be finished much sooner than that.
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| Aerial view of Ralph Bunche - April 2017 |
The floor then opened for public comment. Several speakers spoke for approving the plan with a few, including some supporters, voicing concerns about the speed at which things are going. One passionate speaker, Urzetta Lewis, said she had concerns about what felt like history being sold to the highest bidder but "it is a history that deserves to remembered and preserved." She also said that the "battle to preserve our history has been hard fought." Claudette Jordan, President of RBAA, began her comments by telling the Board that her grandparents were part of the legacy that began several courts cases and legal decisions culminating in
Brown vs. Board of Education mandating desegregated schools. She then clarified that there were reports of RBAA members going around speaking out against the proposed action and that these individuals were in fact not representing RBAA. She said all members of the Executive Board approved the pending plan and that several people in the community, across the country, and even internationally were supportive. She also said "there's nothing wrong with Ralph Bunche getting a face lift" and implored the Board to vote yes to save the school.
There were questions and comments from various Board members to which the County Attorney or Mr. Gaskins answered or addressed as needed. There was a slight break in protocol as Mrs. Jordan asked Ms. Brabo if the members of RBAA attending in the audience could stand. Allowed to do so, there was a good number that stood. The Board then moved to approve the measure and it passed with all of the Board supporting it.
There was a short recess as the meeting was already lengthy and there was some noise as many of the audience left. The Board returned from recess a few minutes later a 10:05pm.
Chairwoman Brabo asked if anyone in the audience was here to speak about the Public Hearing on the Board of Equalization. With nobody speaking up, she shuffled the Agenda a bit to allow the other presenters to give their reports at a semi-reasonable hour of the night.
Ms. Young returned to quickly re-state her request from the
last Board meeting for the Board to support the CISSP Grant. She did add that Fredericksburg did vote to support their own portion of the grant. The Board approved the motion to support the grant.
Andrew Grossnickle returned to give his annual audit update and, just as with the Service Authority's accounting, he said there were no major deficiencies or weaknesses. He said the General Fund was over budget on income and under budget on expenses.
Marcie Parker began her
presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). She started by saying the project has changed from a Corridor Study to an Arterial Preservation Plan. The major route from the Potomac River to Interstate 95 on Routes 301 and 207 was the focus of the study. The section of Route 301 from the river to Route 3 got most of the attention. The study uses existing plans from the region to stay inline with the localities but also looked at
crash data, traffic, and other logistics. During her presentation she said many of the involved stakeholders, such as the County, would expect to see more hearings and meetings as things progressed in the future to get feedback and give information.
The presentation showed several changes within King George that would be planned for but not necessarily immediate. These changes included removal of some cross-overs, modifying some cross-overs to restrict travel to certain directions, and improvements to some intersections. A few of the recommended changes included a restricted cross-over at the Route 301 and Market Center intersection (the corner where Murphy's Gas Station is in Dahlgren). Another change would be to improve the Route 301 and Dahlgren Road (Route 206) intersection to add another left-turn lane from Route 206 onto Route 301 north bound. The intersection of Route 301 and Washington Mill Road would be
realigned for a better approach angle. The Route 205 and Route 301
intersection would also see changes but it sounded like those were
causing the County some consternation.
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| Proposed changes to the Route 301 and Market Center cross-over would limit traffic flow for safety. |
Parker said the plan was to examine existing conditions to see how they measured up to current standards and changes would be recommended from there. With that in mind, she said several of the cross-overs should be closed or improved and the shoulders should be widened. After a comment from Brabo, Parker clarified that VDOT has not specifically advertised Route 301 as an alternate to Interstate 95 through the region. She said while VDOT does plan to reduce traffic on I-95 by five percent, Route 301 is not capable of handling that much volume and thus was not pinpointed as an alternate route. A finalized plan isn't expected until the summer of 2018 with several meetings and hearings planned prior to that.
The last Public Hearing on the Board of Equalization was then held with no presentation beyond the County Attorney stating that it just needed a motion and vote to be approved. After no citizen spoke for public comment, the motion was passed.
Eric Gregory, the County Attorney, had no report to give so the floor then went to Dr. Young,
County Administrator, for certain action items on the Agenda. First up was the authorization to proceed with Phase II of the County's Compensation Plan. There was some discussion from Supervisor Howard about how he felt the final part, Phase III, that is planned to take place in a few years would not meet the pay scale necessary then and instead suggested funding everything, Phase II and Phase III, this year. After some discussion, the motion to authorize the originally planned Phase II was passed.
Next was the approval to extend the option to buy Mount View. Again there was discussion among the Board as to why the Board of Supervisors needed to approve this when it was the
Economic Development Authority (EDA) that manages the Industrial Park. Gregory clarified that the original option agreement was with the Board of Supervisors and for simplicity's sake, it should remain there. A motion was made and approved to extend the option.
Other action items were quickly discussed and approved including the continuation of the Community Development Planner contract, SMART Scale Projects, and Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT) for Youth and Family Services. The SMART Scale Projects to be submitted will be a widening of the Route 3 and Route 301 intersection, a right-hand turn lane at
the new stoplight at Route 218 and Route 206 intersection, and a pedestrian crosswalk across Route 301 that parallels Commerce Drive.
Dr. Young then went on to report that Annie Cupka and Tim Smith obtained a grant to install an ADA compliant observation deck at the Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park. He asked the Board to sign the acceptance letter and they agreed to do so. Young also received notice from VDOT that the bridge on Ashland Mill Road over Pine Hill Creek would be closed for replacement. [Editor's Note: It was incorrectly stated during the Board meeting that Ashland Mill Road was in the area of Indiantown Road when in fact it runs between Ridge Road (Route 205) and Canterbury Loop.] The project will begin on December 27, 2017 and last eight to ten weeks depending on weather. Young's request for an official to take over for Supervisor Howard on the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board was tabled until January when the new Board meets for the first time.
The Board then went into Closed Session at 10:53pm for a personnel matter regarding the County Administrator. Mr. Gaskins was invited to attend. They returned from Closed session almost an hour later and adjourned.
Meeting Attendees:
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Chairwoman, Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Absent:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on January 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the
previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
