2018-08-21 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Board of Supervisors opened their August 21st meeting at 7:14pm.

There was no Public Comment.

John Jenkins began his report by jokingly saying he thanked everyone for their comments. In a more serious tone he did thank those in the audience for attending. He attended a George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting on August 20th and that ended his report.

Jeff Bueche began his report by saying school recently started. He thanked all the educators and those who worked through the summer to get ready for the school year and wished them luck. On the 14th he attended the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors Joint Meeting to discuss the upcoming updates to the County's Comprehensive Plan. The current Comprehensive Plan is from 2013 and is required by state law to be reviewed and updated. On the 16th he attended a Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Summit. He ended his report by moving to appoint Renee Parker to the Social Services Board of Directors. Her appointment was approved.

Cathy Binder attended the same joint meeting with the Planning Commission on the 14th as well as the VACo Summit on the 16th. She also hosted a Town Hall with Ruby Brabo regarding the purchase and plans of the former Cameron Hills Golf Course. She added that nothing is currently before the Board and that she enjoyed meeting with citizens and hearing their concerns.

Richard Granger reported that he also attended the joint meeting with the Planning Commission on the 14th and the VACo Summit on the 16th. From the joint meeting, he noted that he appreciated the streamlined process for plat approvals and thanked Jenkins for mentioning the Board's desire to remove the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area from the future Comprehensive Plan. For the VACo Summit, he noted several education statistics, including that state aid for education has fallen in recent years and that instructional pay increases have slowed since 2009. He also attended a meeting on the 16th where he learned about the REAL ID rules and how they would impact residents in Virginia.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Chief Lynd gave the Board an update on the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or drone program. He said they had purchased a DJI M210 and already taken delivery. Unfortunately, he said the FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) system was on back order. Despite this, he said they had already flown several missions, including the recent J. C. Bean Sprouts fire and the collapsed roof at the old King George Pharmacy next to Rankin's True Value. He said several team members have taken and passed their FAA certification tests and several more are in the process. Lynd said Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have been developed and refined.

Lynd said they have already met several benchmarks, including a meeting with Dahlgren officials. He said they had a good discussion with them and their no-fly zones as well as made sure they had an open line of communication. Lynd said the department's FAA exemption application has been approved as well. Going forward, he said they will continue training, conduct a lost person exercise, and schedule a demonstration for the Supervisors.

Granger thanked him for reaching out to the base and making sure communication lines were open with them. He asked how many pilots were planned to which Lynd said they hoped to get six pilots to ensure 24 hour coverage.

Next, Darren Coffey and Shaina Schaffer of the Berkley Group gave a presentation on the Mixed Use Development (MUD) ordinance. Coffey joked that it was hopefully more fun than the water and sewer update but probably less exciting than the drone update. Schaffer gave the basic timeline of events since they started the project in November of 2017. After researching existing MUD rules, architectural guidelines, best practices, and more, they presented a proposed ordinance to the Planning Commission and held a Public Hearing on June 12, 2018. The Planning Commission voted to forward the proposed MUD ordinance to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation to reject the ordinance.

Their presentation continued with a few highlights of the proposed MUD rules where density could be 18 units per acre or five units per acre for single family homes. These density limits would be allowed by-right under the new rules and could be increased if the developer allows for more open space. Additionally, the MUD rules would require specific landscaping guidelines to be followed, increased pedestrian movement, bike lanes, and underground utilities.

Granger asked if the updated Comprehensive Plan removed the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area, would the proposed MUD ordinance be in conflict by specifying the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area as an area where mixed use was allowed. Coffey said the new MUD ordinance could be amended to reflect any changes in the Comprehensive Plan.

A long discussion regarding the traffic issues in Dahlgren, the base security concerns, and the general consensus to limit development in the area ensued. Additionally, there was back and forth discussion among the Supervisors and Eric Gregory, County Attorney, regarding the legalities of potential conflicts between the proposed Mixed Use Development ordinance and the future Comprehensive Plan. This conversation boiled down to Gregory saying that the Comprehensive Plan was a guiding document, not a legal set of rules. While it should be used to guide development, it was not strictly the only limiting factor in allowing, or disallowing, development. That fell to the zoning ordinances. With the Board's plan to update the zoning ordinances after the Comprehensive Plan is updated, there could be a short period of time where an approved MUD ordinance is in conflict with the updated Comprehensive Plan, thus opening the Board to a potential conflict.

After more discussion, the Board seemed to want to move forward with the Public Hearing for a proposed MUD ordinance with the expectation that it would remove the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area before being passed. Gregory and Coffey felt that this would not be a substantive or more restrictive change that would require the ordinance to go through the public hearing process from the beginning. The Board also felt that by doing this, they could use the Courthouse Primary Settlement Area, the only other area being considered for Mixed Use Development, as a pilot for future iterations.

While the conversation was lengthy, Bueche did ask a crucial point for the future MUD rules. Seeing Chief Moody in the audience, he asked if the County had the ability to respond to an emergency in a building that's three stories, which is the highest allowed under the proposed MUD rules. Moody said that King George had a 35 foot extension ladder but had no ladder truck. However, he did say they rely on mutual aid and that there are several in the area they could ask to use. Moody cautioned that for an ordinance like this that allowed a 35 to 45 foot structure, public safety needs to be brought to the table to discuss things like sprinkler systems, rescues from a third story, and deploying water from a height greater than the 45 foot peak. He also said that as the County develops more, and taller  buildings go up, there needs to be a discussion about getting an aerial asset here in the County so that there was no need to rely on outside help.

In the end, the Board voted to hold a Public Hearing on September 18th regarding the proposed Mixed Use Development ordinance.

Chief Lynd then asked for approval to participate in the NACo Disaster Services program. The Board approved.

Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, asked the Board to approve the purchase of a new school bus to replace the one damaged in an accident. The Board approved.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, asked the Board to approve a new County Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Policy that would allow the County to charge for the amount of staff time it takes to meet the FOIA request. The Board approved.

Eric Gregory, County Attorney, then gave an update on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) the County had entered into for the upcoming construction of the new Route 301 bridge. Gregory said the revisions would result in a loss of park land at Wayside Park and Barnesfield Park and that VDOT would mitigate that loss of land by transferring land to the County. Additionally, land held by Virginia Tourism Corporation, would be impacted, resulting in them acquiring a part of Barnesfield Park, therefore increasing the amount of land lost by the County and increasing the amount of replacement land VDOT would be replacing it with. The Board approved of the amendments to the MOA.

Dr. Young gave his report by stating he wanted to partner with the University of Mary Washington by creating an internship program for students to work for the County. He said the cost, $8,000 for four students, would be covered by the staff compensation budget. The Board approved.

With no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 8:12pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on September 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-08-21 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Service Authority Board of Directors held their second meeting after a summer break on August 21, 2018. They opened the meeting at 6:31pm.

There was no public comment and the only report from the Board came from Chairman Chris Werle. He stated he attended a South Potomac Community Relations meeting on August 9th and met with Service Authority staff on the 13th. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, also attended the staff meeting where Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, gave the same report to staff that he had given to the Board of Directors the previous week. Werle said the meeting was productive and helped improve communication between staff and the management team. Werle met with Wiley Wilson and Draper Aden on August 14th to review the Utility Master Plan which should be complete by October. On the 15th, Werle created a spreadsheet to track the outstanding debt. He said, assuming there was no new borrowing and payments were made on time, the debt over the next 17 years amounts to $32.7 million dollars. He said about $2.3 million is paid in debt service every year with about $1.4 million going to principal and $900,000 going to interest. Werle closed his report by stating he wrote a Service Authority Customer Corner article for Ruby Brabo's newsletter on the 16th. Although this was his first newsletter published since April 2017, Werle did have a draft article created for June 2018 regarding fire hydrant operations and maintenance.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, then began his lengthy and detailed report. Unlike reports of applause after his previous presentation on August 7th, there was no applause from the audience. Despite the lack of applause, there were several Service Authority employees in the audience that would be recognized for their efforts during Hingley's presentation.

Hingley began his report by saying there continues to be improvements in both water and wastewater systems. He said they are also continuing to address the corrective actions given by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in their Consent Order dated July 11, 2018. The Consent Order has over one hundred actions to be taken and is open for public comment until September 5, 2018. Hingley said training will occur at the end of the month for staff and that overall, the numbers from the wastewater treatment plants have improved since July when compared to the numbers from January through July. He also said they are working to increase in-house testing capabilities, specifically for phosphorus.

Mike Bennett interrupted, stating Hingley knew he would and was okay with it, and asked how often the testing should be done. Hingley said ideally it should be done daily at some facilities but generally speaking it should be done when the facility discharges. He continued by stating that the annual average limit for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) can't be met for the Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) but recent numbers are well below the limits.

Bennett asked how the limits were set and if they were higher or lower than normal. Hingley said the limit is set by the permit issued from DEQ and it was a reasonable limit but about as low as possible. When asked why they were so low, he said that the Dahlgren WWTP was subject to more strict limits because of a Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) Grant. Werle added that Hingley was correct and that the limits are for about 20 years. Hingley also said that if the limits were exceeded, grant funding had to be repaid. Fairview Beach WWTP also has WQIF limits imposed and has exceeded those limits as recently as March of 2017.

Hingley continued his update by saying that they are working to control algae growth, which was one of the DEQ corrective actions required. He said the Hopyard WWTP will need to work hard to meet the annual average limit for TP. The Fairview Beach WWTP won't be able to meet the annual average limit for TP but it served as a good example of how Service Authority staff voiced ideas that resulted in improvements. Hingley said this was a positive sign that the culture is changing for the better. He said the Purkins Corner WWTP TN and TP measurements are slightly above the limits but they are working to bring them into compliance. The Oakland Park WWTP has seen a big turn around thanks to Tim Maciejewski and his maintenance staff. Hingley said Tim, one of the staff members present in the audience, has worked to make repairs and improvements, resulting in reduced chemical usage.

Hingley then proceeded to report on the water supply system. He said the chief water operator was also present in the audience and has also worked to make improvements on that side of the Service Authority. Hingley said the Oakland Park system is operating at adequate capacity and has no significant operational issues. The Canterbury system has one well functioning and a second well that will be repaired shortly.

Bennett asked why there was a second well to which Hingley responded that it was required by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). He said that VDH requires a second well to be available for use, but not necessarily in use, when there are more than 49 user connections. He also said that permits may stipulate how many wells need to be available.

Hingley continued with the Circle system, stating that it is at the maximum number of connections allowed per the grandfathered permit, however the usage is currently "in excess of existing assets." He said that if it were to be permitted now, it would need additional wells to meet the needed capacity.

The Dahlgren system had a large failure at the Saft well recently and was the source of numerous King George Alerts. He said the well pump failed and they've identified the root cause and made emergency repairs for the short term. He also said that several other wells on the system are running at about half of their capacity due to age.

The Fairview Beach system has one well in service but to meet permit requirements needs two more wells. Hingley said there are two more wells but they have been out of service for over a year. He said bringing them online may prove difficult because they are located in areas with high iron and manganese. Bennett asked if all three wells need to be functioning even though the single well meets capacity needs. Hingley said yes, all the wells need to be functional but not necessarily in use to comply with the permit. He said the sand filters may be seized due to the length of time they've sat idle.

Hingley continued that the Hopyard system has one well in service and it meets capacity. Two other wells are offline and one should be able to be fixed quickly.

Hingley made another positive impression by giving an update on the Ninde's Store system. Not because he said the system was operating at capacity to meet the needs of the 36 connections, but rather because he pronounced the name Ninde correctly. He did caution that a failure of the single well for that system could result in an outage for those customers and that the aged infrastructure needs to be rehabilitated.

He then proceeded to discuss the St. Paul's and Owens systems. He said both systems are small and directly adjacent to each other. Hingley said that in years past, they had been interconnected however, for reasons unknown to him, the isolation valve was closed, therefore separating both systems. He said they flushed the connection line, tested for bacteria, and when the test results came back clear, they opened the valve. He said it has been in operation like that since Friday, August 17th. He said the outage that occurred in June would have had a minimal impact had this interconnection been functional.

Werle chimed in that the Walnut Hill subdivision would also connect the St. Paul's, Owens, and Dahlgren systems when it was complete.

Bennett added a pertinent point about the St. Paul's and Owens systems by saying that the complaints they received recently needed explaining. He said customers complaining about a lot of Service Authority management being present in the area and lots of spraying water led customers to believe this was behind the water issues in Dahlgren. He wanted to "put that rumor to bed" by saying it had nothing to do with the Dahlgren system or recent issues, but was rather the staff working on the connecting line between the Owens and St. Paul's systems.

Hingley continued his update by discussing the Courthouse system. He said it was permitted as a single water system but has been unofficially operating as two separate systems. He said about ten years ago, a three inch section of pipe was abandoned in place and never replaced, thus creating two distinct systems. He said the "western" half had three wells and the "eastern" half had two wells. In the west side, he said two of the three wells are operating while only one of the two wells in the east side were working. Hingley said he is working to bring the backup wells into service and that despite there being two halves, bacteria samples have been taken from both halves to ensure the water is safe for consumption. He also said VDH is aware of the split system and the Service Authority will work to install the 650 feet of pipe necessary to reconnect the two halves.

Richard Granger asked if all five wells needed to be online to which Hingley responded that all five need to be capable of going online but may not necessarily need to be in use all at the same time.

Hingley concluded his report by saying that they are continuing to make operational improvements, continuing staff training and staff workload adjustments. He said progress has been made and that he intends to continue to operate with full transparency. He closed by saying while he may be making some changes, it's been thanks to the employees helping that the improvements have been made and that they have been eager to do so.

Werle also echoed Hingley's praise thanking the staff present in the audience.

Bennett clarified an earlier point that the staff training at the end of the month is being conducted by DEQ at no cost and here in King George. He said this was part of their negotiation with DEQ and they were willing to make it easier for the County due to the limited Service Authority staff.

There being no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 7:10pm.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on September 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

King George Education Foundation Opens FoxSmart Center

by Neil Richard

Thanks to an invitation from the King George Education Foundation (KGEF), I had the chance to learn more about their FoxSmart Center. The KGEF's center is designed to provide students in need primarily with school supplies, although they do offer personal hygiene products and have a small collection of clothing to choose from. School staff can also get supplies that they may need for their classroom. Everything inside is free of charge as their primary "customer" will be somebody without the funding to get the necessary supplies on their own.

The FoxSmart Center opened this month inside of what I affectionately call "the old vo-tech building." Despite my many years as a student of King George County Schools, I have never set foot inside the building that sits between the current King George Middle School and the tennis courts. While the building was still full of stuff left behind after the new high school was built ten years ago, it was in fairly good shape for being built in 1969. The presence of the FoxSmart Center clearly had a beneficial impact on the building.

A Splash of '91 - 1991 King George High School Yearbook, page 131

Despite a heavy wave of nostalgia whenever I go to my old stomping grounds, the current Farmer's Market combined with the Middle School Expansion Project quickly put me on track to focus on my tour. Greeted by Annie Cupka, KGEF President, and Caroline Phelps, KGEF Director of Communication, we first saw the unused portions of the building. The Parks and Recreation Department and the Middle School Wrestling Team use one room on occasion and we weren't sure if the High School's NJROTC cadets used another but their wall mural was still there. The back room was used primarily for storage for the Tennis Team, Middle School Athletic Director, and whoever forgot their gym shorts on the bench.

The NJROTC mural still stands.

Continuing down the hall, we got a tour of the bathroom. Unlike my previous bathroom tour at the Citizen's Center, my photographer felt it necessary to take pictures. Although I felt uncomfortable being in the Ladies Room, absent of anyone using it of course, I quickly learned how important a toilet could be. When the Foundation moved into the building, there was nothing but a hole in the ground. While some may dwell on how bad things were in the vo-tech building, it was clear during the tour that the Foundation's message was much more positive. And their hard work in getting a toilet installed was rewarded by numerous compliments from the mothers and athletes that used the building in the past, but without the toilet.

Many people expressed their joy over the new toilets.

One final note about the tour was the old metal shop portion of the building. Even though it was cluttered and full of everything conceivable, it had great potential on many levels. Some of the items stored there should be put into a museum. Some items can be re-used by the schools for education or athletic needs. Some items could even be sold for a major profit. But the room itself had potential to be used by future students in vo-tech, or CTE if you prefer. Other non-profits could also benefit from such a large space, or even any of the other vacant rooms in the building.

There were countless artifacts like this left in the metal shop.

The same cabinet as seen in the 1991 photo above.

While not all of the graffiti was appropriate, we found the tribute to Sgt. Nick Mason touching.

The Foundation's mission to "unite the community to enhance public education" was clear from the hard work they put into making the building usable again. Aside from getting a new toilet, they also worked on lobbying to get new LED light fixtures installed as well as refurbishing the room they occupy for their FoxSmart Center. And the Foundation's efforts were clear elsewhere as well. Being the first group to use the building on a regular basis in a decade, they've spent long hours working to make improvements. By the end of the tour, it was clear that having the building occupied again was a benefit. A benefit that was more subtle than the school supplies they give to students and teachers in need.

The Foundation's FoxSmart Center has an office.

In talking about the goals of the center itself, Cupka said she felt the Foundation had exceeded their goal of uniting the community to help the schools. Despite exceeding that goal, nobody there looked like they were resting on their laurels. While we toured the room, the Foundation's Treasurer, Christina Arledge-Buck, welcomed a student that was referred by a Guidance Counselor. The student was able to get the supplies they needed for school. There were also stories of students getting everything on their school supply list in one visit, or a student getting supplies sent to their school, or a teacher getting something that they ran out of.

Annie Cupka, KGEF President, beams with pride.

The FoxSmart Center is primarily open Mondays from 2pm to 5pm as well as Thursdays and Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. On Fridays, when school is in session for only a half day, the center is open from 1pm to 4pm (unless it's a holiday weekend). The center is open to any student that's referred by a school Guidance Counselor. If the student or their family is unable to travel to the FoxSmart Center, arrangements can be made to deliver the supplies to the student at school. The center is also open to any member of the King George County School staff without a referral, including nurses.

School supplies for students and teachers.

The FoxSmart Center also has personal hygiene supplies.

The Foundation has had numerous donations from private citizens as well as local businesses. Even as we toured the room, Amanda Zuker and her daughter Paige arrived with a donation of supplies. Companies like Access Eye, BB&T, and the United Way have also made donations, earning the honor of being a Partner In Education.

(l to r) Christina Arledge-Buck, Amanda Zuker, and Paige Zuker.

Cupka and Phelps said they wanted to "get the word out" about the FoxSmart Center and the supplies they offer. They also wanted to shine a light on the Foundation's other work, including their grant offerings and their Evening of Excellence. They also said they need volunteers to work in the FoxSmart Center and that it was a great opportunity for students that needed community service hours.

The King George Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that earns less than $50,000 annually in income. Their brochure and donation needs are below.

[All photos, except the yearbook photo, (c) 2018 by Yvonne Richard. Used with permission.]

2018-08-14 - Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission Joint Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors began their joint work session at 6:01pm on August 14th. The first point on the Agenda was to discuss the Comprehensive Plan update. Angela Foroughi of Bagby, Foroughi, and Goodpasture, the vendor contracted to do the update, began her presentation with some aerial images of the development that's occurred over the past few decades at the Route 3 and Route 301 intersection. Foroughi was assisted by Brett Cox in sharing the generalities involved in the update process and the reasoning behind it. Foroughi said that even though the Comprehensive Plan is required by state law to be updated every five years, it's also good for the community. She said that input will be gathered from staff, residents, and various agencies and will be compiled with existing and new data to create a rough draft. That rough draft will then be presented for feedback which will then be used to create a final draft. Foroughi said the public will be involved at several stages and the whole process should take about a year to complete. Cox said after the new Comprehensive Plan is adopted, the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances would need to be reviewed and updated to reflect any changes.

And changes were clearly the desire of the Supervisors as they somewhat stunned the audience and Planning Commission by stating they were interested in removing the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area from the Comprehensive Plan completely. Their reasoning was that with encroachment becoming a growing concern for the base in Dahlgren, any increased development could result in the base's closure. Though never mentioned by name, it was clear that some of the Board was familiar with the history of the Navy's lab in White Oak and the reasons for its closure. Ruby Brabo, Supervisor, also mentioned that during a previous round of BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure), Dahlgren was never mentioned because "it was so rural" and that the current commander recently said that increased development could raise Dahlgren on the BRAC list in the future.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, asked if the strategic plan of the Economic Development department could be included in the Comprehensive Plan update. Foroughi said yes, and that Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) for the school system and Service Authority would also need to be considered.

Heather Hall, Zoning Administrator, asked the Supervisors what they did envision for Dahlgren if they wanted to remove the Primary Settlement Area. The Supervisors said they wanted to look at a three mile buffer around the base where development was limited. Jeff Bueche, Supervisor, said that while he felt the base should be a partner, he also didn't want to be held hostage by them. Richard Granger, Supervisor, said they had a partnership and would continue to work together to meet the needs of everyone. John Jenkins, Supervisor, also mentioned that the new Route 301 bridge was coming which would mean more traffic. Brabo summed things up by saying that they've heard overwhelmingly from residents that they don't want King George, and Dahlgren specifically, to turn into another Waldorf or Stafford.

The next item on the Agenda was the Plat Approval Process. For those unfamiliar with how the process currently works, it was difficult to understand how a change would benefit anyone. The general impression was that once a preliminary plat is approved, the approval of the final plat is essentially the same process all over again. As there are rarely any changes between the preliminary plat and final plat, this creates an undue burden on the County staff, the developer, and the Board of Supervisors. By making the approval of the final plat only go through the Planning Commission, it sounded like it would require less work from all involved. All agreed that any changes would warrant additional approvals.

The Board of Supervisors adjourned at 6:45pm and the Planning Commission rearranged the room to prepare for their regularly scheduled 7pm meeting.

While the audience began with maybe 20 residents, it quickly grew to about 40 or 50 with only a handful of seats available. The Planning Commission approved their previous meeting's minutes then dove into the heart of the evening with the request by Darrell Hertenstein to rezone 122 acres in Dahlgren. In the staff presentation, Heather Hall noted various details about the request from the developer's proffers to the history of the property to comments from VDOT.

One key point of the presentation was that, by right, the owner could build 60 dwelling units on the 122 acres. He was asking to build those 60 units, but instead of 60 single family homes, he wanted 50 town homes and 10 single family homes with the rest of the property undeveloped. Another key point was that this type of clustering was outside of the Dahlgren Primary Settlement Area that was in the current Comprehensive Plan. Another point was that it deviated from the Potomac River North Settlement Area recommendation of one dwelling unit per one to five acres without utilities or eight units per acre with utilities. Hall concluded her report by saying that staff recommended denying the re-zoning request.

Public comment opened and what followed was a stream of at least fifteen residents speaking against the proposed development. Over ten residents spoke in person while several sent in comments to be read for the record. The Navy's liaison officer also spoke against re-zoning. After ever resident spoke in person, the audience applauded.

Ryan Foroughi of Bagby, Foroughi, and Goodpasture, then gave a rebuttal response to a few of the concerns voiced by the residents. He argued that Hertenstein can build 60 units by right and that's all he was asking to do with this re-zoning request. He said that it would not increase population density and therefore followed the Comprehensive Plan. When he said it would not increase traffic, the audience erupted with countless outcries against this. Foroughi also said that storm water management would improve the drainage in the area, thus reducing flooding. He said the developer would be happy to entertain an increased right-of-way for VDOT if that was requested. He also said pedestrian facilities would be provided and a woman from the audience shouted loudly, asking how far down Owens would it go. Kristofer Parker, Vice Chair, presided over the meeting and asked for respect from the audience.

Ryan Foroughi continued his rebuttal by saying the Service Authority had approved of the project. He mentioned the concern over a sign that said no HOAs was referencing the 10 single-family dwelling units. He said the town homes would have an HOW and covenants. He closed by saying that he would look into addressing the Navy's recommendation on decibel reduction needs in housing around military installations.

Several of the members of the Planning Commission gave comments, with all stating they wouldn't support the re-zoning request. A motion was made and seconded and passed unanimously to forward the request to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation to deny the request by Hertenstein to rezone the parcels in question.

After the crowd clapped, many of them left.

The meeting moved quickly after that taking only a few moments to review the plat for the next section of Hopyard Farms.

There was no Old Business, no New Business, and the Director's Report only mentioned the tentative date of September 4th for the next Public Hearing on the Mixed Use Development ordinances.

There were two residents who spoke during Public Comment, voicing their concern over the proposed gun range at the former Cameron Hills golf course. Both residents said they did not want to see their idyllic and quiet part of the county disturbed by constant gunfire from the gun ranges.

The meeting adjourned at 8:41pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Kristofer Parker (Planning Commission)
Kevin Myers (Planning Commission)
Jason Williams (Planning Commission)
Doily Fulcher (Planning Commission)
Tara Patterson (Planning Commission)
Ross Devries (Planning Commission)
Gary Kendrick (Planning Commission)
Brad Hudson (Director of Community Development)
Heather Hall (Zoning Administrator)

Absent:
Josh Colwell (Chairman, Planning Commission)
Steve Wido (Planning Commission)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on August 21, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-08-11 - Cathy Binder Town Hall Notes

by Neil Richard

Cathy Binder, King George County Board of Supervisors, held her first Town Hall on August 11, 2018 along with her fellow Supervisor Ruby Brabo. Also there to give a presentation on their business plan was the Ognek brothers, Mike and Chris. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, and Chief Moody, Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services, were also present in the audience.

The Ogneks began their presentation with only a handful of people in the audience but it quickly grew to about 30 or 40 residents. It also became quickly apparent that most of those residents were not in favor of the Ogneks' plan to develop the former Cameron Hills Golf Course into a private outdoor club. During the presentation, the main source of discord appeared to be the noise from the potential gun ranges and the potential safety issues they may pose.

Over the course of roughly two hours, Mike Ognek, a retired Marine, spoke about many of the plans for their future venture. His brother, Chris, a retired Navy pilot, occasionally chimed in with salient points. The overarching theme for their endeavor was to provide members of the private club a clubhouse for events, a few camping spots and hiking trails, and some gun ranges. Additionally, they had hopes to add a pool, plant more vegetation like an orchard, and keep the driving range in place.

Despite a few instances of heated debate and raised voices, the following points were presented by the Ogneks:

• They have no intent to obtain an ABC license nor do they plan to serve alcohol. However, they did say that should an event be held in the clubhouse, alcohol could be served by those hosting the party.
• The gun ranges would consist of a pistol range, rifle range, and a compact skeet range. The pistol and rifle ranges would employ baffles, berms, and other environmentally sound methods to ensure safety to users, non-users, and wildlife. The skeet range would have a restricted area, require steel shot, and have a compact design.
• RV and tent camping spots were expected to number between eight and twelve of each. Stays would be restricted to members and limited to about ten days.
• Public events would be allowed, such as for local breweries, Scouting groups, or weddings, however shooting on the ranges would not be allowed to occur at the same time.
• Plans for a future pool, zip line course, and plot farms are being considered.
• Membership is currently expected to be about 500 people. They would not give a specific dollar amount for the cost but said it would be about as much as a membership to the YMCA.
• The property was purchased for $850,000 in early July 2018 and measures about 255 acres. Only about 12 acres in the middle of the property would be used for the gun ranges.
• Hunting will not be allowed however the Ogneks will hunt the property occasionally to control the wildlife population.
• Members will be subject to background checks and be required to take range safety training.
• 50 caliber guns and automatic weapons will not be allowed. Custom weapons will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Black powder rifles would be allowed.
• Alcohol would not be allowed until the gun ranges are closed.
• Gun range hours would begin at 10am. No closing time was given however they intend to close earlier than the normal half hour before sunset.
• Sound testing was done with the highest measurement coming in at 58.8 decibels, roughly the sound of a car ten meters away. The ambient sound was louder than the guns in roughly half of the test shots.
• No ATVs will be allowed. The Ogneks said they were too loud, too destructive, and too risky for insurance.
• The Ogneks are not asking for any money from the County. They are asking for design variances, such as planting trees instead of building a fence, and they're asking for the County to allow them to phase things in.

By the end of their presentation, the Ogneks had faced some tough questions, some harsh criticism, and a few suggestions. While they felt the gun range was a key feature that would make their venture financially viable, they reiterated their desire to be good neighbors. They also said they were in the very early stages of the process of beginning their new business. Brabo, Binder, and Young also reiterated that it would be a long process with several stages that would require a public hearing.

2018-08-09 - Town Hall Public Notice

Editor's Note - 2018-08-07 - Board of Supervisors and Service Authority Meetings

Unfortunately, we had prior commitments and were unable to attend the August 7, 2018 meetings for the Service Authority Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors. We hope you tune in for our coverage of the next pair of meetings on August 21, 2018.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Thank you.

2018-08-07 - Wetlands Board Public Notice

2018-08-06 - DEQ Public Notice

You can read the Consent Order here.