Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Perfect Weekend For Some Barnyard Fun!
One of the Greatest Children’s Books Ever Written
Adds Up!
by Sarah Snow
If I could weave words into a web to describe the first show of King George High’s dramatic season, I would ask Templeton, the rat, to find me these words from thrown-away clippings:
Really Great! Exuberant! Precious!
Under the direction of the locally famous math teacher, Mr. Mac, you would automatically assume that he would require the students to show their work and to always triple check their answers. It seems that the students have come to opening night well prepared and right on target to ace his test. A flawless opening night, full of charm and wonder, this classic piece of literature’s magic never really fades for readers and audiences in life.
Only 11 weeks in to the school year, amid a busy fall season, the cast and crew of this show took on the play adaptation of what most people call the 20th century’s version of Thoreau. Known for his poetic and calming pace in his writing, along with a sentence structure that makes you feel like you are swaying back and forth on a tire swing, E.B. White has been bringing together families for years now.
It took Elwyn Brooks White 3 years to write this story. Ultimately, he published it in October of 1952. He knew farm life well and had a passion for the lessons we learn from animals. Years earlier, he had tried and failed to save a pig. The experience affected him so deeply, he decided to write.
The story of a runt pig that is saved by an eager, starry-eyed little girl and then later a kind spider, weaves together a blend of characters from human to animal. All talking, of course, as if life has two dimensions, the realistic one with all the humans running around doing their normal earthly tasks and the magical, miraculous animal one.
The play handles all the themes of the story well. Mr. Mac and his talented crew kept the goal of staying true to text and true to story. The realities of death and loss are gracefully worked through amid a bubbly, lively barnyard and county fair. The character development work produced by these talented kids had me surprised when the lights came on for intermission. I could not believe we had already gotten that far into the show.
I hesitate to write about all the little wonderful things throughout the show for fear of ruining the best parts. But, if stars were awarded based on the giggles and delight of the little girl behind me, it wouldn’t be any less than 4. Most of the older “tweens” that sheepishly said their parents forced them to come, all walked out with big smiles and a spring in their step. Family members of all ages will enjoy the energizing theater production of this great novel.
“Well,” I asked Mr. McNamara on a busy rehearsal night while the crew worked to get the roof on the farmhouse, “What is the biggest lesson from this show? What is the takeaway?”
“Friendship,” he quickly replied, “The importance of friendship.” And on that crisp October night, I checked my math and realized that 66 years ago in this exact month, the world was poignantly reminded again that the greatest gift you can give someone in life is to be their friend. Come on out and see the show!
King George High School, 10100 Foxes Way
Thursday - Saturday, 7pm October 25-27
Kids 6 and under are free.
Tickets $8 at door or at eventbrite.com
$5 dinner before show, 530pm
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
2018-10-16 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 7:25pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment began with John Marlowe speaking as the President of the Potomac Landing Home Owners Association (HOA). He said that Planning Commission had approved the subdivision application of Section 4 of Potomac Landing despite 72 residents attending the meeting in opposition. He said eleven people made comments at the meeting against the planned subdivision and said the developer would be in violation of the HOA rules by turning the existing 18 lots into 87 lots. Marlowe said the investment company that purchased the lots said they had invested millions of dollars in the property and had no intentions of being stopped. Marlowe also said the HOA had been threatened with legal action by the investment company and that they claim to have the money to sidestep the HOA if needed. He closed by asking the Supervisors to not approve the subdivision.
Next to speak was a resident of Potomac Landing Drive who endorsed the previous statements but wanted to add that the additional homes would impact school needs as well as increase the number of cars on the road. He said when entering Route 218 (Caledon Road) from Potomac Landing Drive, it can sometimes be dangerous.
Richard MacDonald spoke next, stating that the Planning Commissions approval to change ten acre lots into two acre lots was a 500% increase. He said the additional homes meant additional traffic and additional water runoff into the existing retention pond. He said one of the main attractions of King George was the rural setting and didn't want us to turn into Stafford County. He said the development company would increase their profits at the cost of the County and homeowners in the area. He closed by saying the developers should be forced to live with what they bought.
Glenna Marlowe was next to speak, stating she made comments at the Planning Commission meeting. During that meeting she shared photos from behind her house showing the runoff that was already present and that additional runoff from new homes would be dangerous. She shared the concerns of those that spoke before her but also wanted to add her concerns about the amenities. She didn't feel that the existing amenities could handle such a large number of people. Marlowe also said that she felt the attorney from the investment company minimized residents' concerns and that it felt like he questioned why they were even there to raise issues. She said a lot of people felt like their intelligence was questioned at the meeting.
Geoffrey Florschutz was next to speak simply stating that he wanted to voice his opposition to the proposed subdivision and that he concurred and agreed with the comments made before him.
The next resident spoke about their runoff concerns and the increase in non-permeable surfaces a large subdivision would bring.
Alice Austiff added that she concurred with those speakers before her and added that the runoff that goes to the pond is only held back by a dirt berm. She said any overflow goes directly into the Potomac River. She closed by saying that there are no bathrooms at the small beach below them and that with the additional people using it, it could contribute to the contamination in the river.
The next speaker against the proposed development also mentioned the potential increase in run-off as an issue as well as the flaunting of the covenants by the developer.
The next speaker was Reverend Leonard Bland, the pastor of Salem Baptist Church. He said the proposed gun range off Salem Church Road could be neighbors with the 150 year old church. Reverend Bland said they're concerned about the sound of gun shots and felt they would be detrimental to church services, funerals, burials, and children. He prayed the Board would not partake of this proposal. He then asked for the church members in the audience to stand and they did so.
John Jenkins thanked everyone for coming out to speak. As he did so, many in the audience began to leave to which Ruby Brabo said they could stay and listen to the Board's responses if they wished. A few continued to leave while some returned to their seats.
Jenkins continued by again thanking those that spoke and voiced their opinions. He said it gave him motivation to look further into the matter. Regarding the gun range, he reiterated that the Board has not received any plan or proposal but when that moment comes, he would certainly take the concerns to heart. On October 7th, he attended the KG Que Fest and that he looked forward to seeing it progress in the coming years. He then congratulated Jeff Bueche and Dr. Neiman Young for taking third place.
Dr. Young jokingly asked if he said the barbecue was "pretty good" to which Jenkins said "really good." Jenkins also thanked law enforcement for their help during the festival. He added that he attended the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) work session on the 9th, the Fall Festival parade on the 13th, and a George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting on the 15th.
Jeff Bueche thanked everyone that gave public comment and said that when it does come before the Board, it gives them something to look at. Regarding the gun range, he also said that nothing has been brought before the Supervisors but that he has gotten numerous emails both for and against the potential gun range. He said that while he is interested in the opinion of neighbors in the region, the opinion of King George residents matter more.
Bueche said October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that he was wearing a pink tie in honor of his cousin who is currently fighting breast cancer.
On October 6th and 7th, Bueche attended the KG Que Fest. He said it was an honor to compete with Dr. Young and they placed 3rd in pork. He also thanked the numerous sponsors, the Sheriff's Office, Fire and Rescue Department, and the many other people that worked to make the event a success. He noted that Tim Smith, Ryan Gandy, Dr. Young, and Annie Cupka went above and beyond to help. Bueche then presented Dr. Young with a pig trophy to recognize their efforts.
On the 9th, Bueche attended a Social Services meeting and the CIP work session. He thanked the emergency services crews for their help during the remnants of Hurricane Michael. On the 12th he attended a team building exercise with department heads and on the 13th participated in the Fall Festival parade. On the 14th he noted the Commonwealth Foxhounds group sponsored a trail ride in Caledon State Park and that the Dahlgren Naval base would celebrate their 100th anniversary on the 19th.
Ruby Brabo began her report by saying the Planning Commission makes their decision based on how a project fits with the Comprehensive Plan while the Board of Supervisors make their decision based on what citizens want. She said it is important to make sure residents get involved early and was glad to see so many citizens speaking. Regarding the potential gun range, she also echoed previous comments that no proposal has been put before the Supervisors yet. She then said that petitions don't help. She said that in the past, some Supervisors have just thrown them in the trash but hoped that wouldn't be the case with the current Board. She said the real issue is that an online petition doesn't show the address of the person signing it so Supervisors don't know if they're King George County residents or not. She also said with a written petition that it was difficult to verify the signatures were valid. Brabo said that because of these issues with petitions, voicing concerns in person or via email were the best.
Brabo then asked if Dr. Young had an update on Port Conway Road and the damage done by recent storms. Dr. Young said that he had been in contact with VDOT and that currently there was no estimate on when final repairs would be made.
On October 3rd and 9th, Brabo participated in conducting interviews for the Service Authority General Manager position. On the 9th she also attended the CIP work session. During a conference call on the 11th for the National Association of Counties (NACo), there was hope that the current population limit of 16,000 would be raised to 40,000 for grants. She said this would help King George "pursue improving our broadband infrastructure" as well as fire house and Service Authority needs. On the 13th, Brabo participated in the Fall Festival parade and on the 15th she attended a GWRC meeting.
Brabo closed her report by saying Canterbury would be submitting an application in the future for approval as a golf cart community.
Cathy Binder thanked everyone for coming out to speak at public comment and that she would take their thoughts on Potomac Landing into consideration. Regarding the potential gun range, Binder said she has also gotten a lot of emails, noting that at one point she received over 75 in one day.
On October 6th and 7th, Binder attended the KG Que Fest and her daughter really enjoyed the bounce house and pony rides. Binder enjoyed speaking with residents and thanked law enforcement for their help in keeping the event enjoyable. Binder attended the CIP work session on the 9th, the team building event on the 12th, and the Service Authority General Manager interview session on the 16th.
Binder then resigned from her position on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees representing the James Madison District and asked to be appointed to the Trustees as a representative from the Shiloh District. The Board approved.
Richard Granger thanked the residents from Potomac Landing for coming out and said he would investigate the issue further. To Reverend Bland who had already left the meeting, he thanked him for the prayers saying he could really use them.
On October 7th, Granger attended the KG Que Fest and judged the competition. He said it was a lot of fun and that the tasting was a blind tasting so there was "no collusion." He said the barbecue was delicious but said "I think I had a barbecue hangover" by the end.
Granger attended the CIP work session on the 9th, the Fall Festival parade on the 13th, and an FRA meeting on the 15th. He said he now has open positions on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and the Social Services Board and asked anyone interested in serving to reach out to him. He then nominated Kris Parker to serve on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees and the Board approved.
Granger then asked for a moment to recognize County staff and had Brad Hudson come forward to speak. Hudson then spoke of the accomplishments of Travis Self, stating he was the only inspector he's known to become fully certified within a one year period. He said that not only did Self need to attend multiple modules and take four exams, he did it all while working a new job. Because of Self's determination, Hudson nominated him for the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy and he was accepted.
Hudson then went on to celebrate the accomplishments of Heather Hall. Hudson said she started with the County as a permit technician in 2005 and has been promoted several times since. He said she has also made great strides by improving the process for permits and planning and zoning. As part of his nomination letter to the Virginia Association of Zoning Officials (VAZO), Hudson said Hall was "firm, fair, and consistent." He said VAZO only gives five awards each year and said Hall had earned the Annual Achievement Award for Certified Zoning Officials from them.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next on the Agenda was the Capital Budget Presentation by Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator. Dr. Young said he invited Sheriff Dempsey and Chris Dines, Director of Information Technology (IT), to the meeting to provide answers to some outstanding questions from the Supervisors. Dr. Young also said that he researched the potential for a 50,000 square foot Courthouse and the estimated cost was $306 per square foot for a total of $21.9 million but cautioned the Supervisors that his estimate was based on 2017 prices. Young said with an industry standard inflation increase of 3%, it would be closer to $22.5 million.
Sheriff Dempsey then came forward to answer questions regarding his CIP request for new laptops. Brabo said that some of the Supervisors couldn't remember how old the current laptops were and also wanted to know if there was a cost savings to making a bulk purchase and what the benefits were for training officers on matching devices.
Sheriff Dempsey said a bulk purchase allows them to use the same docking equipment as well as a 25% cost savings. He said the current laptops were six years old and seven of them no longer worked. The Supervisors seemed pleased to hear his answers.
Chris Dines then came forward to answer questions about his IT requests. Brabo asked the same question, if it was necessary to do both projects, related to fiber and server upgrades, at the same time. Dines said both projects don't need to be done at the same time, however the point of the projects was to create redundancy for the County, including for emergency services. Brabo asked Dines to explain, for herself and for citizens, the reason for redundancy and if the project was split over multiple years how that would impact redundancy. Dines said the idea behind having a back-up was for emergencies and natural disasters. He said by virtualizing the servers to a secure cloud platform, it would allow employees to access data and systems from anywhere. Dines also said that it would act as a backup for data and provide increased connection speeds which would be essential for the next generation 911 system.
Dr. Young added that the 911 Dispatch Center went offline twice last year and King George had to rely on neighboring Counties for assistance. Young said he tasked Dines with creating a redundancy plan to ensure the County could still operate should something happen, like a loss of a fiber connection. He said he really didn't want to rely on neighbors to address their needs in the future.
Dines also said that with Atlantic Broadband being the sole internet provider, it would be good to have a back up and would eventually save money by cutting costs. Jeff Bueche asked about the fiber lines that were installed by the schools and if the five year waiting period was over to tap into those lines. Dines said the section on Route 3 was available but the ones to Potomac and Sealston Elementary Schools were not. Bueche asked if there would be a cost savings if Dines only focused on providing fiber to the Fire and Rescue Department. Dines said there would be a cost savings to not do all of the upgrades but didn't have an exact number. Dr. Young interjected and said he would advise against splitting up the project like that because it would be like kicking the can down the road and added that later in the meeting he would explain that the County would be healthier than expected compared to last week. Brabo added that they would eventually pay more by doing the project in pieces. Bueche said he understood that but was thinking about the still undecided solution for the Courthouse and that installing new fiber to the Courthouse now may not be a benefit if they build a new building later. Dr. Young said that regardless of which Courthouse solution is chosen, faster internet would still be necessary as none of the plans call for the existing Courthouse to sit empty. The Supervisors appeared to come to a consensus on both the laptops and the IT upgrades.
Moving on, the Board then had a discussion on the future of the Courthouse. There was some discussion about funding and how much was needed, but in the end, they voted to approve funds to do a study to determine the best method of delivery for whatever solution is eventually decided upon.
The Board then approved the CIP projects and their respective budgets.
Brabo noted that this was the third year in a row that the Supervisors have cash funded projects without accumulating any new debt.
Dr. Young said they would still need to vote to adopt the CIP projects and appropriate their budgets but that no waiting period was required. He recommended the Supervisors do this prior to their training session on October 30th, thus giving County staff time to get the paperwork ready. Dr. Young also said that with the approvals tonight, there was no need for the previously scheduled meeting on October 23rd.
Next on the Agenda was an update from Eric Gregory, County Attorney. He said he had finalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County Parks and Recreation Department, the Friends of Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT), and the trail's owner, David Brickley. He said the DRHT, a trail over 15 miles long in the County, would continue to be privately owned and that the Friends of DRHT would continue to maintain it. The big change would be the Parks and Recreation Department would take over management of the trail as a County park and a DRHT Committee would be formed to ensure all parties would be represented. Jim Lynch, Friends of DRHT Secretary, was present to answer questions and said he felt that Gregory captured everything. Lynch also said that the Friends group felt this was the right step along the way to becoming a part of the State Park System. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]
The Supervisors approved the MOU. Brabo added that this was a "long time coming" and that for those that have been involved from the beginning, they now get to see the benefit. She also thanked everyone and said the Board sees the trail as an asset. Gregory added that the Parks and Recreation Department was enthusiastic about the addition of the trail.
Dr. Young then proposed a request to transfer funds so the Parks and Recreation Department could purchase a new gymnastic spring floor for the Quonset Hut, also known as the Old King George Elementary School Gymnasium. He said the current gymnastics team, the Astros, would be moving to a new location and they would be taking the spring floor with them because they purchased it. Young said the spring floor was an important part of the Parks and Recreation Department's gymnastics program. Brabo asked if the team was leaving because of the condition of the Quonset Hut and Young said no, they just got a better deal elsewhere. The Board approved of the expense.
Dr. Young then presented two amendments to the Landfill Agreement. The first amendment was for the County to assume operations at the convenience centers. He said the County would hire two full-time employees and three part-time employees. John Jenkins asked when the job announcement would go out and Young said very soon. Brabo said she heard rumors that the convenience center hours would be reduced. Dr. Young said that Jeff Jenkins, Director of Landfill Operations and no relation to Supervisor John Jenkins, and the Landfill Advisory Committee have been taking a hard look at the impact but would not be reducing hours. He said that the hours may change and there was discussion about holiday closures but he didn't want to get ahead of the Committee. The Board approved of the first amendment.
The second amendment was to accept additional tonnage at the landfill. The increase in trash being accepted would result in just over $3 million in additional revenue. The Board approved the second amendment.
Dr. Young began his report by asking for the Board to choose a representative for the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) to attend the annual business meeting. Jeff Bueche was chosen as the primary representative with Ruby Brabo as the alternate.
Dr. Young then informed the Supervisors of additional VACo communication and information from VDOT regarding upcoming meetings. He also recognized Amanda Sumiel, Director of Human Resources, for her work on getting King George County certified as a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certified employer. The audience applauded her efforts.
The Board went into Closed Session at 8:51pm. Darell Hertenstein and three others were invited to attend but were given hand signals to wait a few minutes before they did. Hertenstein and his associates eventually joined the Closed Session at 9:02pm and left at 9:19pm. The rest of the Board ended their Closed Session at 9:23 pm.
The meeting adjourned at 9:24pm.
The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 7:25pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment began with John Marlowe speaking as the President of the Potomac Landing Home Owners Association (HOA). He said that Planning Commission had approved the subdivision application of Section 4 of Potomac Landing despite 72 residents attending the meeting in opposition. He said eleven people made comments at the meeting against the planned subdivision and said the developer would be in violation of the HOA rules by turning the existing 18 lots into 87 lots. Marlowe said the investment company that purchased the lots said they had invested millions of dollars in the property and had no intentions of being stopped. Marlowe also said the HOA had been threatened with legal action by the investment company and that they claim to have the money to sidestep the HOA if needed. He closed by asking the Supervisors to not approve the subdivision.
Next to speak was a resident of Potomac Landing Drive who endorsed the previous statements but wanted to add that the additional homes would impact school needs as well as increase the number of cars on the road. He said when entering Route 218 (Caledon Road) from Potomac Landing Drive, it can sometimes be dangerous.
Richard MacDonald spoke next, stating that the Planning Commissions approval to change ten acre lots into two acre lots was a 500% increase. He said the additional homes meant additional traffic and additional water runoff into the existing retention pond. He said one of the main attractions of King George was the rural setting and didn't want us to turn into Stafford County. He said the development company would increase their profits at the cost of the County and homeowners in the area. He closed by saying the developers should be forced to live with what they bought.
Glenna Marlowe was next to speak, stating she made comments at the Planning Commission meeting. During that meeting she shared photos from behind her house showing the runoff that was already present and that additional runoff from new homes would be dangerous. She shared the concerns of those that spoke before her but also wanted to add her concerns about the amenities. She didn't feel that the existing amenities could handle such a large number of people. Marlowe also said that she felt the attorney from the investment company minimized residents' concerns and that it felt like he questioned why they were even there to raise issues. She said a lot of people felt like their intelligence was questioned at the meeting.
Geoffrey Florschutz was next to speak simply stating that he wanted to voice his opposition to the proposed subdivision and that he concurred and agreed with the comments made before him.
The next resident spoke about their runoff concerns and the increase in non-permeable surfaces a large subdivision would bring.
Alice Austiff added that she concurred with those speakers before her and added that the runoff that goes to the pond is only held back by a dirt berm. She said any overflow goes directly into the Potomac River. She closed by saying that there are no bathrooms at the small beach below them and that with the additional people using it, it could contribute to the contamination in the river.
The next speaker against the proposed development also mentioned the potential increase in run-off as an issue as well as the flaunting of the covenants by the developer.
The next speaker was Reverend Leonard Bland, the pastor of Salem Baptist Church. He said the proposed gun range off Salem Church Road could be neighbors with the 150 year old church. Reverend Bland said they're concerned about the sound of gun shots and felt they would be detrimental to church services, funerals, burials, and children. He prayed the Board would not partake of this proposal. He then asked for the church members in the audience to stand and they did so.
 |
| Reverend Bland speaks out against the potential gun range off Salem Church Road. |
John Jenkins thanked everyone for coming out to speak. As he did so, many in the audience began to leave to which Ruby Brabo said they could stay and listen to the Board's responses if they wished. A few continued to leave while some returned to their seats.
Jenkins continued by again thanking those that spoke and voiced their opinions. He said it gave him motivation to look further into the matter. Regarding the gun range, he reiterated that the Board has not received any plan or proposal but when that moment comes, he would certainly take the concerns to heart. On October 7th, he attended the KG Que Fest and that he looked forward to seeing it progress in the coming years. He then congratulated Jeff Bueche and Dr. Neiman Young for taking third place.
Dr. Young jokingly asked if he said the barbecue was "pretty good" to which Jenkins said "really good." Jenkins also thanked law enforcement for their help during the festival. He added that he attended the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) work session on the 9th, the Fall Festival parade on the 13th, and a George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting on the 15th.
Jeff Bueche thanked everyone that gave public comment and said that when it does come before the Board, it gives them something to look at. Regarding the gun range, he also said that nothing has been brought before the Supervisors but that he has gotten numerous emails both for and against the potential gun range. He said that while he is interested in the opinion of neighbors in the region, the opinion of King George residents matter more.
Bueche said October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that he was wearing a pink tie in honor of his cousin who is currently fighting breast cancer.
On October 6th and 7th, Bueche attended the KG Que Fest. He said it was an honor to compete with Dr. Young and they placed 3rd in pork. He also thanked the numerous sponsors, the Sheriff's Office, Fire and Rescue Department, and the many other people that worked to make the event a success. He noted that Tim Smith, Ryan Gandy, Dr. Young, and Annie Cupka went above and beyond to help. Bueche then presented Dr. Young with a pig trophy to recognize their efforts.
On the 9th, Bueche attended a Social Services meeting and the CIP work session. He thanked the emergency services crews for their help during the remnants of Hurricane Michael. On the 12th he attended a team building exercise with department heads and on the 13th participated in the Fall Festival parade. On the 14th he noted the Commonwealth Foxhounds group sponsored a trail ride in Caledon State Park and that the Dahlgren Naval base would celebrate their 100th anniversary on the 19th.
Ruby Brabo began her report by saying the Planning Commission makes their decision based on how a project fits with the Comprehensive Plan while the Board of Supervisors make their decision based on what citizens want. She said it is important to make sure residents get involved early and was glad to see so many citizens speaking. Regarding the potential gun range, she also echoed previous comments that no proposal has been put before the Supervisors yet. She then said that petitions don't help. She said that in the past, some Supervisors have just thrown them in the trash but hoped that wouldn't be the case with the current Board. She said the real issue is that an online petition doesn't show the address of the person signing it so Supervisors don't know if they're King George County residents or not. She also said with a written petition that it was difficult to verify the signatures were valid. Brabo said that because of these issues with petitions, voicing concerns in person or via email were the best.
Brabo then asked if Dr. Young had an update on Port Conway Road and the damage done by recent storms. Dr. Young said that he had been in contact with VDOT and that currently there was no estimate on when final repairs would be made.
On October 3rd and 9th, Brabo participated in conducting interviews for the Service Authority General Manager position. On the 9th she also attended the CIP work session. During a conference call on the 11th for the National Association of Counties (NACo), there was hope that the current population limit of 16,000 would be raised to 40,000 for grants. She said this would help King George "pursue improving our broadband infrastructure" as well as fire house and Service Authority needs. On the 13th, Brabo participated in the Fall Festival parade and on the 15th she attended a GWRC meeting.
Brabo closed her report by saying Canterbury would be submitting an application in the future for approval as a golf cart community.
Cathy Binder thanked everyone for coming out to speak at public comment and that she would take their thoughts on Potomac Landing into consideration. Regarding the potential gun range, Binder said she has also gotten a lot of emails, noting that at one point she received over 75 in one day.
On October 6th and 7th, Binder attended the KG Que Fest and her daughter really enjoyed the bounce house and pony rides. Binder enjoyed speaking with residents and thanked law enforcement for their help in keeping the event enjoyable. Binder attended the CIP work session on the 9th, the team building event on the 12th, and the Service Authority General Manager interview session on the 16th.
Binder then resigned from her position on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees representing the James Madison District and asked to be appointed to the Trustees as a representative from the Shiloh District. The Board approved.
Richard Granger thanked the residents from Potomac Landing for coming out and said he would investigate the issue further. To Reverend Bland who had already left the meeting, he thanked him for the prayers saying he could really use them.
On October 7th, Granger attended the KG Que Fest and judged the competition. He said it was a lot of fun and that the tasting was a blind tasting so there was "no collusion." He said the barbecue was delicious but said "I think I had a barbecue hangover" by the end.
Granger attended the CIP work session on the 9th, the Fall Festival parade on the 13th, and an FRA meeting on the 15th. He said he now has open positions on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and the Social Services Board and asked anyone interested in serving to reach out to him. He then nominated Kris Parker to serve on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees and the Board approved.
Granger then asked for a moment to recognize County staff and had Brad Hudson come forward to speak. Hudson then spoke of the accomplishments of Travis Self, stating he was the only inspector he's known to become fully certified within a one year period. He said that not only did Self need to attend multiple modules and take four exams, he did it all while working a new job. Because of Self's determination, Hudson nominated him for the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy and he was accepted.
Hudson then went on to celebrate the accomplishments of Heather Hall. Hudson said she started with the County as a permit technician in 2005 and has been promoted several times since. He said she has also made great strides by improving the process for permits and planning and zoning. As part of his nomination letter to the Virginia Association of Zoning Officials (VAZO), Hudson said Hall was "firm, fair, and consistent." He said VAZO only gives five awards each year and said Hall had earned the Annual Achievement Award for Certified Zoning Officials from them.
 |
| Richard Granger, Heather Hall, and Brad Hudson. |
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next on the Agenda was the Capital Budget Presentation by Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator. Dr. Young said he invited Sheriff Dempsey and Chris Dines, Director of Information Technology (IT), to the meeting to provide answers to some outstanding questions from the Supervisors. Dr. Young also said that he researched the potential for a 50,000 square foot Courthouse and the estimated cost was $306 per square foot for a total of $21.9 million but cautioned the Supervisors that his estimate was based on 2017 prices. Young said with an industry standard inflation increase of 3%, it would be closer to $22.5 million.
Sheriff Dempsey then came forward to answer questions regarding his CIP request for new laptops. Brabo said that some of the Supervisors couldn't remember how old the current laptops were and also wanted to know if there was a cost savings to making a bulk purchase and what the benefits were for training officers on matching devices.
Sheriff Dempsey said a bulk purchase allows them to use the same docking equipment as well as a 25% cost savings. He said the current laptops were six years old and seven of them no longer worked. The Supervisors seemed pleased to hear his answers.
Chris Dines then came forward to answer questions about his IT requests. Brabo asked the same question, if it was necessary to do both projects, related to fiber and server upgrades, at the same time. Dines said both projects don't need to be done at the same time, however the point of the projects was to create redundancy for the County, including for emergency services. Brabo asked Dines to explain, for herself and for citizens, the reason for redundancy and if the project was split over multiple years how that would impact redundancy. Dines said the idea behind having a back-up was for emergencies and natural disasters. He said by virtualizing the servers to a secure cloud platform, it would allow employees to access data and systems from anywhere. Dines also said that it would act as a backup for data and provide increased connection speeds which would be essential for the next generation 911 system.
Dr. Young added that the 911 Dispatch Center went offline twice last year and King George had to rely on neighboring Counties for assistance. Young said he tasked Dines with creating a redundancy plan to ensure the County could still operate should something happen, like a loss of a fiber connection. He said he really didn't want to rely on neighbors to address their needs in the future.
Dines also said that with Atlantic Broadband being the sole internet provider, it would be good to have a back up and would eventually save money by cutting costs. Jeff Bueche asked about the fiber lines that were installed by the schools and if the five year waiting period was over to tap into those lines. Dines said the section on Route 3 was available but the ones to Potomac and Sealston Elementary Schools were not. Bueche asked if there would be a cost savings if Dines only focused on providing fiber to the Fire and Rescue Department. Dines said there would be a cost savings to not do all of the upgrades but didn't have an exact number. Dr. Young interjected and said he would advise against splitting up the project like that because it would be like kicking the can down the road and added that later in the meeting he would explain that the County would be healthier than expected compared to last week. Brabo added that they would eventually pay more by doing the project in pieces. Bueche said he understood that but was thinking about the still undecided solution for the Courthouse and that installing new fiber to the Courthouse now may not be a benefit if they build a new building later. Dr. Young said that regardless of which Courthouse solution is chosen, faster internet would still be necessary as none of the plans call for the existing Courthouse to sit empty. The Supervisors appeared to come to a consensus on both the laptops and the IT upgrades.
Moving on, the Board then had a discussion on the future of the Courthouse. There was some discussion about funding and how much was needed, but in the end, they voted to approve funds to do a study to determine the best method of delivery for whatever solution is eventually decided upon.
The Board then approved the CIP projects and their respective budgets.
Brabo noted that this was the third year in a row that the Supervisors have cash funded projects without accumulating any new debt.
Dr. Young said they would still need to vote to adopt the CIP projects and appropriate their budgets but that no waiting period was required. He recommended the Supervisors do this prior to their training session on October 30th, thus giving County staff time to get the paperwork ready. Dr. Young also said that with the approvals tonight, there was no need for the previously scheduled meeting on October 23rd.
Next on the Agenda was an update from Eric Gregory, County Attorney. He said he had finalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County Parks and Recreation Department, the Friends of Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT), and the trail's owner, David Brickley. He said the DRHT, a trail over 15 miles long in the County, would continue to be privately owned and that the Friends of DRHT would continue to maintain it. The big change would be the Parks and Recreation Department would take over management of the trail as a County park and a DRHT Committee would be formed to ensure all parties would be represented. Jim Lynch, Friends of DRHT Secretary, was present to answer questions and said he felt that Gregory captured everything. Lynch also said that the Friends group felt this was the right step along the way to becoming a part of the State Park System. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]
The Supervisors approved the MOU. Brabo added that this was a "long time coming" and that for those that have been involved from the beginning, they now get to see the benefit. She also thanked everyone and said the Board sees the trail as an asset. Gregory added that the Parks and Recreation Department was enthusiastic about the addition of the trail.
Dr. Young then proposed a request to transfer funds so the Parks and Recreation Department could purchase a new gymnastic spring floor for the Quonset Hut, also known as the Old King George Elementary School Gymnasium. He said the current gymnastics team, the Astros, would be moving to a new location and they would be taking the spring floor with them because they purchased it. Young said the spring floor was an important part of the Parks and Recreation Department's gymnastics program. Brabo asked if the team was leaving because of the condition of the Quonset Hut and Young said no, they just got a better deal elsewhere. The Board approved of the expense.
Dr. Young then presented two amendments to the Landfill Agreement. The first amendment was for the County to assume operations at the convenience centers. He said the County would hire two full-time employees and three part-time employees. John Jenkins asked when the job announcement would go out and Young said very soon. Brabo said she heard rumors that the convenience center hours would be reduced. Dr. Young said that Jeff Jenkins, Director of Landfill Operations and no relation to Supervisor John Jenkins, and the Landfill Advisory Committee have been taking a hard look at the impact but would not be reducing hours. He said that the hours may change and there was discussion about holiday closures but he didn't want to get ahead of the Committee. The Board approved of the first amendment.
The second amendment was to accept additional tonnage at the landfill. The increase in trash being accepted would result in just over $3 million in additional revenue. The Board approved the second amendment.
Dr. Young began his report by asking for the Board to choose a representative for the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) to attend the annual business meeting. Jeff Bueche was chosen as the primary representative with Ruby Brabo as the alternate.
Dr. Young then informed the Supervisors of additional VACo communication and information from VDOT regarding upcoming meetings. He also recognized Amanda Sumiel, Director of Human Resources, for her work on getting King George County certified as a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certified employer. The audience applauded her efforts.
The Board went into Closed Session at 8:51pm. Darell Hertenstein and three others were invited to attend but were given hand signals to wait a few minutes before they did. Hertenstein and his associates eventually joined the Closed Session at 9:02pm and left at 9:19pm. The rest of the Board ended their Closed Session at 9:23 pm.
The meeting adjourned at 9:24pm.
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)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on October 30, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
2018-10-16 - Service Authority Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The King George County Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting promptly at 6:30pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
The only Public Comment came via a written letter from James Holley that was read by Chris Werle, Chairman. In his letter, Holley recounted his experience during the recent repairs made near 4th Street in Fairview Beach. He said the crews worked for seven hours, long into the night, to get the leak under control. He said watching them was exhausting but they remained professional and friendly and were willing to answer questions from residents. Holley thanked them for their timeliness in making the repairs and felt their professionalism should be commended. He was encouraged by the poor management issues from the past being addressed. Holley said that when revenues allow for it, cut-off valves should be placed in Fairview Beach as leaks have been increasing and will no doubt continue to do so as time goes on.
Werle closed by thanking Dean Hougland, Senior Maintenance Manager, and his staff for their hard work.
Mike Bennett began his report by saying he participated in the first round of interviews for the new General Manager on October 3rd. On the 4th, he met with engineers in Fairview Beach regarding the upcoming stabilization project. He said the project was complicated in how best to access the construction area. Bennett said the recent cost estimate included $30,000 to clean the beach of debris but he felt confident he and fellow neighbors could work on that themselves to help reduce costs. On the 5th he attended a meeting on the water contamination issue in Fairview Beach and on the 9th participated in another round of interviews. On the 12th he attended a round table meeting regarding the Potomac River watershed and on the 16th he had another meeting on the contamination issue. Bennett said the issue will begin with a scientific study of the contamination to test for genetic markers from human waste in an effort to locate the source.
Richard Granger's report was limited to participating in interviews for the General Manager.
Ruby Brabo also participated in the interview sessions as well as an information meeting with AQUA and a conference call with the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Cathy Binder's report was limited to participating in interviews for the General Manager.
Chris Werle reported that he participated in a conference call on the 3rd regarding the stabilization project in Fairview Beach. He said there were two potential issues with the project. The first was if the construction disturbed more than an acre of land, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would require a storm water management permit. The second was the annual phosphorus removal process that was required. However, Werle felt confident that the phosphorus issue could be addressed by a one-time purchase of credits that would cost about $2,000. Werle also said the updated cost estimate was about ten percent more than the original estimate due to the expected removal of coffer dams and sea walls.
Ruby Brabo asked if these could be used elsewhere along the shore. Bennett said the Fairview Beach Resident's Association paid for 200 feet of wall several years ago and that it was holding up well. However, the engineers were reluctant to use that section since they were unsure how it was constructed. It was unclear if the walls could be used elsewhere.
Werle believed the design was impressive and should result in a permanent fix to the erosion problem. He also felt confident that the plan wold be approved by all regulating bodies and continue into Phase 2.
Werle continued his report by stating he met with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, to discuss Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) requirements on the 9th. On the 10th, Werle sent the water usage evaluation to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and thanked Hingley for preparing the report. On the 11th, Werle and others met to discuss the installation of gate valves in Fairview Beach but would discuss it in detail later in the evening.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next on the Agenda was a discussion on the addition of shut-off valves in the Fairview Beach water system. Werle said simply, we need valves. Bennett said he needed to clarify his comments from a previous meeting where he said there were no valves in Fairview Beach. He said in fact there were shut-off valves. However, he said some work, some don't, and some they don't know where they are. He added that some are even located under roads. Bennett said the bottom line was that they don't have enough valves to make repairs easier for workers and reduce the impact for customers. He also said it was a complicated issue that could be expensive. He said the estimated cost was $2,500 per valve.
Werle corrected him and said the estimated cost was $1,500 per valve. Brabo asked if that included installation and Werle said it did. Dr. Young, County Administrator, added that the estimate does not include those blocked by roads. Werle said if Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) made them mill each side of the road for repairs, it could raise the cost into the tens of thousands.
In answering Brabo's questions from the previous meeting, Werle added that the last major upgrade was in 2011 when a new eight inch main was installed. He said design drawings were done and presumably most of the existing shut-off valves were installed at that time. Werle said it was hard to say if any were installed originally and echoed Bennett's earlier comments that there aren't enough in the right locations to reduce customer impact. Werle said the problem was compounded by the fact that the water supply system was a loop so even if one valve was used, water may still make it's way around the loop to the other side. He said with the recent repair, there was still water pressure after the valve was used and they eventually had to turn off the supply plant. Despite this, there was still enough pressure in the lines that it was flowing like a fire hose at the repair site. Werle said he has tasked Dean Hougland with a two step project. Step one is to determine where valves could be installed on the looped area and step two would be to identify all of the other areas where valves could be installed. Werle said that depending on how many valves would need to be installed, it may become a larger capital project.
Bennett added that the related problem is that the recent repair was due to a leak that has been repaired twice since July. He said these same problems are probably throughout the entire cast iron system and that it won't last forever. He said that repairs will continue to be necessary in Fairview Beach and other systems like Dahlgren. Bennett said it was a pay for it now or pay for it later scenario.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, then began his report. He said on the waste water treatment side, progress was continuing to be made on the corrective actions from DEQ as well as improving system operations. The Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), Hopyard WWTP, Fairview Beach WWTP, and Purkins Corner WWTP all showed signs of reduced Total Phosphorus (TP) that were under the DEQ permit limits. Additionally, Dahlgren WWTP and Purkins Corner WWTP had reduced Total Nitrogen (TN) levels.
Bennett interrupted and said that he wanted to point out that all five of the WWTPs had problems and that four were fixed fairly quickly. He said his point was that the problems were complicated and that was why the Purkins Corner WWTP was taking so long to resolve because of the time needed to troubleshoot and experiment. He said the good news is that all five plants are now operating within their permit limits.
Hingley said that the Purkins Corner WWTP did have an unauthorized discharge around 2am the night the hurricane came through. He said the storm likely wasn't the cause of the issue but that it was cleaned and repaired within a few hours and the spill was reported to DEQ as required.
Hingley then provided a summary chart of the inflow and infiltration into the WWTP systems. This is simply ground water that gets into the WWTP process and unnecessarily gets treated with the waste water. While Hingley couldn't quite put a recommended amount on it for Bennett, he said the percentages were high enough to be noticeable as four of the five WWTPs had over 30%. Bennett did jokingly ask if there was any report where Fairview Beach wasn't number one.
Bennett then asked if one of the sources was an underground stream of some sort at Fairview Beach and Hingley said yes, and it was blocked off. However, he noted that because it was blocked below ground, the water from the underground stream is now coming to the surface and creating mud and sink holes.
Continuing his report and moving to the water system side of the Service Authority, Hingley said they are continuing to identify maintenance and CIP needs as well as painting water tanks. Brabo took a moment to remind everyone that other counties solicit major corporations to pay for painting water tanks in exchange for having their logo painted on the tank. Hingley continued by adding that surface storage tanks are easier to find painting vendors for while the elevated tanks are harder.
Hingley said VDH conducted an inspection earlier in the day and they were happy to see progress being made in the right direction. He said the third well in Fairview Beach is still being worked on and the interconnect project for the Courthouse water system is scheduled to begin the week of the 22nd. Hingley also said that November 5th would be his last day, making this his last report for the Board, but he would continue to work on making improvements until then. He thanked the Board for indulging him and his complex reports.
Werle said he loved his reports and the public does too and thanked him for his hard work. Brabo also thanked Hingley adding "it has truly been a pleasure." Bennett said we weren't sure the Service Authority could meet the requirements set by DEQ but now knows it can and hopes to keep the momentum going. Bennett said Hingley had set a very high standard. There was a call from the audience to give Hingley a round of applause and the crowd in the Board room obliged.
The meeting adjourned at 7:19pm with no Closed Session.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on November 13, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
The King George County Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting promptly at 6:30pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
The only Public Comment came via a written letter from James Holley that was read by Chris Werle, Chairman. In his letter, Holley recounted his experience during the recent repairs made near 4th Street in Fairview Beach. He said the crews worked for seven hours, long into the night, to get the leak under control. He said watching them was exhausting but they remained professional and friendly and were willing to answer questions from residents. Holley thanked them for their timeliness in making the repairs and felt their professionalism should be commended. He was encouraged by the poor management issues from the past being addressed. Holley said that when revenues allow for it, cut-off valves should be placed in Fairview Beach as leaks have been increasing and will no doubt continue to do so as time goes on.
Werle closed by thanking Dean Hougland, Senior Maintenance Manager, and his staff for their hard work.
Mike Bennett began his report by saying he participated in the first round of interviews for the new General Manager on October 3rd. On the 4th, he met with engineers in Fairview Beach regarding the upcoming stabilization project. He said the project was complicated in how best to access the construction area. Bennett said the recent cost estimate included $30,000 to clean the beach of debris but he felt confident he and fellow neighbors could work on that themselves to help reduce costs. On the 5th he attended a meeting on the water contamination issue in Fairview Beach and on the 9th participated in another round of interviews. On the 12th he attended a round table meeting regarding the Potomac River watershed and on the 16th he had another meeting on the contamination issue. Bennett said the issue will begin with a scientific study of the contamination to test for genetic markers from human waste in an effort to locate the source.
Richard Granger's report was limited to participating in interviews for the General Manager.
Ruby Brabo also participated in the interview sessions as well as an information meeting with AQUA and a conference call with the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Cathy Binder's report was limited to participating in interviews for the General Manager.
Chris Werle reported that he participated in a conference call on the 3rd regarding the stabilization project in Fairview Beach. He said there were two potential issues with the project. The first was if the construction disturbed more than an acre of land, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would require a storm water management permit. The second was the annual phosphorus removal process that was required. However, Werle felt confident that the phosphorus issue could be addressed by a one-time purchase of credits that would cost about $2,000. Werle also said the updated cost estimate was about ten percent more than the original estimate due to the expected removal of coffer dams and sea walls.
Ruby Brabo asked if these could be used elsewhere along the shore. Bennett said the Fairview Beach Resident's Association paid for 200 feet of wall several years ago and that it was holding up well. However, the engineers were reluctant to use that section since they were unsure how it was constructed. It was unclear if the walls could be used elsewhere.
Werle believed the design was impressive and should result in a permanent fix to the erosion problem. He also felt confident that the plan wold be approved by all regulating bodies and continue into Phase 2.
Werle continued his report by stating he met with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, to discuss Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) requirements on the 9th. On the 10th, Werle sent the water usage evaluation to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and thanked Hingley for preparing the report. On the 11th, Werle and others met to discuss the installation of gate valves in Fairview Beach but would discuss it in detail later in the evening.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next on the Agenda was a discussion on the addition of shut-off valves in the Fairview Beach water system. Werle said simply, we need valves. Bennett said he needed to clarify his comments from a previous meeting where he said there were no valves in Fairview Beach. He said in fact there were shut-off valves. However, he said some work, some don't, and some they don't know where they are. He added that some are even located under roads. Bennett said the bottom line was that they don't have enough valves to make repairs easier for workers and reduce the impact for customers. He also said it was a complicated issue that could be expensive. He said the estimated cost was $2,500 per valve.
Werle corrected him and said the estimated cost was $1,500 per valve. Brabo asked if that included installation and Werle said it did. Dr. Young, County Administrator, added that the estimate does not include those blocked by roads. Werle said if Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) made them mill each side of the road for repairs, it could raise the cost into the tens of thousands.
In answering Brabo's questions from the previous meeting, Werle added that the last major upgrade was in 2011 when a new eight inch main was installed. He said design drawings were done and presumably most of the existing shut-off valves were installed at that time. Werle said it was hard to say if any were installed originally and echoed Bennett's earlier comments that there aren't enough in the right locations to reduce customer impact. Werle said the problem was compounded by the fact that the water supply system was a loop so even if one valve was used, water may still make it's way around the loop to the other side. He said with the recent repair, there was still water pressure after the valve was used and they eventually had to turn off the supply plant. Despite this, there was still enough pressure in the lines that it was flowing like a fire hose at the repair site. Werle said he has tasked Dean Hougland with a two step project. Step one is to determine where valves could be installed on the looped area and step two would be to identify all of the other areas where valves could be installed. Werle said that depending on how many valves would need to be installed, it may become a larger capital project.
Bennett added that the related problem is that the recent repair was due to a leak that has been repaired twice since July. He said these same problems are probably throughout the entire cast iron system and that it won't last forever. He said that repairs will continue to be necessary in Fairview Beach and other systems like Dahlgren. Bennett said it was a pay for it now or pay for it later scenario.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, then began his report. He said on the waste water treatment side, progress was continuing to be made on the corrective actions from DEQ as well as improving system operations. The Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), Hopyard WWTP, Fairview Beach WWTP, and Purkins Corner WWTP all showed signs of reduced Total Phosphorus (TP) that were under the DEQ permit limits. Additionally, Dahlgren WWTP and Purkins Corner WWTP had reduced Total Nitrogen (TN) levels.
Bennett interrupted and said that he wanted to point out that all five of the WWTPs had problems and that four were fixed fairly quickly. He said his point was that the problems were complicated and that was why the Purkins Corner WWTP was taking so long to resolve because of the time needed to troubleshoot and experiment. He said the good news is that all five plants are now operating within their permit limits.
Hingley said that the Purkins Corner WWTP did have an unauthorized discharge around 2am the night the hurricane came through. He said the storm likely wasn't the cause of the issue but that it was cleaned and repaired within a few hours and the spill was reported to DEQ as required.
Hingley then provided a summary chart of the inflow and infiltration into the WWTP systems. This is simply ground water that gets into the WWTP process and unnecessarily gets treated with the waste water. While Hingley couldn't quite put a recommended amount on it for Bennett, he said the percentages were high enough to be noticeable as four of the five WWTPs had over 30%. Bennett did jokingly ask if there was any report where Fairview Beach wasn't number one.
Bennett then asked if one of the sources was an underground stream of some sort at Fairview Beach and Hingley said yes, and it was blocked off. However, he noted that because it was blocked below ground, the water from the underground stream is now coming to the surface and creating mud and sink holes.
Continuing his report and moving to the water system side of the Service Authority, Hingley said they are continuing to identify maintenance and CIP needs as well as painting water tanks. Brabo took a moment to remind everyone that other counties solicit major corporations to pay for painting water tanks in exchange for having their logo painted on the tank. Hingley continued by adding that surface storage tanks are easier to find painting vendors for while the elevated tanks are harder.
Hingley said VDH conducted an inspection earlier in the day and they were happy to see progress being made in the right direction. He said the third well in Fairview Beach is still being worked on and the interconnect project for the Courthouse water system is scheduled to begin the week of the 22nd. Hingley also said that November 5th would be his last day, making this his last report for the Board, but he would continue to work on making improvements until then. He thanked the Board for indulging him and his complex reports.
Werle said he loved his reports and the public does too and thanked him for his hard work. Brabo also thanked Hingley adding "it has truly been a pleasure." Bennett said we weren't sure the Service Authority could meet the requirements set by DEQ but now knows it can and hopes to keep the momentum going. Bennett said Hingley had set a very high standard. There was a call from the audience to give Hingley a round of applause and the crowd in the Board room obliged.
The meeting adjourned at 7:19pm with no Closed Session.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on November 13, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Friday, October 19, 2018
OPINION - Citizen Budget Advisory Committee - Capital Improvement Program Part 3
by Neil Richard
The story of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) decisions is beginning to lengthen into an epic saga. During the first CIP meeting, we heard from all the County departments and their upcoming capital needs over the next few years. Some needs were more urgent than others, some needs were more expensive than others. During the second CIP meeting, we heard primarily from the school system what their capital needs were. We also heard Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, present his idea for solving the needs of the Courthouse staff.
The third CIP meeting, held on October 9, 2018, covered the Courthouse project in more detail with representatives from Moseley Architects going over several draft concepts, potential budgets, and completed assessments. As the evening wore on, it became clear that there was no clear answer or best solution to the problems in the Courthouse.
Tony Bell of Moseley Architects began his presentation with a basic outline of what has already been done and what might need to be done. First, they had already provided the County with four options for the Courthouse with the Courthouse staff preferring the option that cost about $31.5 million and would give them a brand new, stand-alone structure that would meet all of their space and security needs for the next thirty years. These four options were all based on data collected from the staff that uses the facility as well as backstopping or vetting those needs with industry standards as well as Virginia state guidelines. Bell gave a great example at one point of how the process worked by telling a story about a judge in an unnamed locality that asked for twelve court rooms. Bell said the guidelines and case load data only called for six court rooms. He said when they asked the judge why he asked for twice as much, the judge said that he always got half of what he asked for so he figured if he needed six, he better ask for twelve.
Bell's story was a great way to emphasize his point that they do fact-checking on their own to verify the needs are within the range of what is actually needed and not anything abnormal. Bell said this Space Needs Analysis was completed in August of 2017 and showed that the Courthouse currently has 24,274 square feet and currently need 58,119 square feet. In other words, the century old Courthouse is less than half the size of what staff needs to operate efficiently and safely. Additionally, the Space Needs Analysis showed that with expected growth rates for King George, the needs in twenty years would be for 65,836 square feet, roughly 8,000 square feet more.
In looking at the plan previously presented by Dr. Young, Bell said the budget for renovating the impacted buildings would range from $16 million to $43 million. But it's more complicated than just projected budgets. First, as a review, Dr. Young's proposal was to renovate the old King George Middle School and then move the County Offices into the building. Then, with the Revercomb building empty, renovate it into the new Circuit Court building. Then, with the current Courthouse building partially in use, renovate it to host the General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Dr. Young's idea essentially allows the County to meet the needs of the County staff and partially meet the needs of the Courthouse staff. It allows the County to extend the useful life of three buildings instead of leaving two buildings empty.
The complications come full swing when the projected price tag for the proposed plan is only slightly more expensive than a new, single-use Courthouse building. Plus, by splitting the courts between the Revercomb Building and their current home in the Courthouse, the staff still won't have the square footage they currently need. With this plan, they would end up with 42,500 square feet between both buildings, which is still shy of their current need for 58,119 square feet.
As Walter O'Reilly once said, the feathers hit the fan when Cathy Binder asked the Courthouse staff for an honest answer about if the plan would meet their needs. They obliged her and each answered honestly and succinctly with a "no."
This is where I feel the Supervisors will have a hard decision to make. They'll need to balance the needs of the Courthouse staff, who all support a new building, and the needs of the taxpayers, who all appear to not support spending so much money. I will keep my predictions to myself, but I feel that they will have some restless nights until a final decision is made.
There are a few other tidbits that further complicate the decision. First, the County is currently in good financial standing. Borrowing money to build a new Courthouse could hurt that standing. Borrowing slightly more money but spread out over several years may be easier on our rating. Second, renovating the existing Courthouse building while it is still in use will complicate the schedule. Third, when I asked why nobody mentioned the future use of the old King George Elementary School, it appeared that the Supervisors were in discussions behind closed doors about something. Fourth, as T. C. Collins from the School Board said from the audience, the School Board still hasn't heard any official presentation from the Supervisors about the potential move of the School Board Office and Pre-School to the old Middle School. Fifth, the Revercomb Building was designed to be expanded. This means it could be expanded to meet the needs of the Courthouse staff during the renovation. Finally, although it was a good suggestion by Ruby Brabo to consider moving the Courts to the 65,000 square foot old Middle School as it would meet their space needs, the cost to renovate that into a usable space for the Courts would be more expensive than renovating it for office space. In other words, the square footage might be right, but it would cost too much to make it meet the security needs of a Courthouse.
All in all, it will be a tough decision for those that need to make it and for those impacted by it.
With the bulk of the meeting over, the discussion quickly moved through the other CIP projects on the list. The Board tentatively agreed to move forward with the request for a new school phone system and bus replacement, the CAT6 and fiber network upgrades for the County offices, and the ambulance and EKG/AED replacements. Dr. Young successfully lobbied for his low cost but high impact document scanning project and John Jenkins asked that the Sheriff's request for new laptops to be strongly considered. Richard Granger also asked that in the future, a discussion be held to include ambulance and bus replacements in their respective department budget. His thinking was that if they come up every year, they really should be part of their yearly budget instead of a CIP request. Ruby Brabo did caution him that doing so would likely mean an increase in taxes but the general feeling was that for something this important, it would be acceptable.
By holding the purse strings tight, the Supervisors were able to tentatively fund half of the ten projects marked as "urgent" leaving only the Courthouse solution as a major question remaining to be solved. The projects chosen also gave them a very small gap in funding that would be pulled from the gas pipeline fund.
The story of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) decisions is beginning to lengthen into an epic saga. During the first CIP meeting, we heard from all the County departments and their upcoming capital needs over the next few years. Some needs were more urgent than others, some needs were more expensive than others. During the second CIP meeting, we heard primarily from the school system what their capital needs were. We also heard Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, present his idea for solving the needs of the Courthouse staff.
The third CIP meeting, held on October 9, 2018, covered the Courthouse project in more detail with representatives from Moseley Architects going over several draft concepts, potential budgets, and completed assessments. As the evening wore on, it became clear that there was no clear answer or best solution to the problems in the Courthouse.
Tony Bell of Moseley Architects began his presentation with a basic outline of what has already been done and what might need to be done. First, they had already provided the County with four options for the Courthouse with the Courthouse staff preferring the option that cost about $31.5 million and would give them a brand new, stand-alone structure that would meet all of their space and security needs for the next thirty years. These four options were all based on data collected from the staff that uses the facility as well as backstopping or vetting those needs with industry standards as well as Virginia state guidelines. Bell gave a great example at one point of how the process worked by telling a story about a judge in an unnamed locality that asked for twelve court rooms. Bell said the guidelines and case load data only called for six court rooms. He said when they asked the judge why he asked for twice as much, the judge said that he always got half of what he asked for so he figured if he needed six, he better ask for twelve.
Bell's story was a great way to emphasize his point that they do fact-checking on their own to verify the needs are within the range of what is actually needed and not anything abnormal. Bell said this Space Needs Analysis was completed in August of 2017 and showed that the Courthouse currently has 24,274 square feet and currently need 58,119 square feet. In other words, the century old Courthouse is less than half the size of what staff needs to operate efficiently and safely. Additionally, the Space Needs Analysis showed that with expected growth rates for King George, the needs in twenty years would be for 65,836 square feet, roughly 8,000 square feet more.
In looking at the plan previously presented by Dr. Young, Bell said the budget for renovating the impacted buildings would range from $16 million to $43 million. But it's more complicated than just projected budgets. First, as a review, Dr. Young's proposal was to renovate the old King George Middle School and then move the County Offices into the building. Then, with the Revercomb building empty, renovate it into the new Circuit Court building. Then, with the current Courthouse building partially in use, renovate it to host the General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Dr. Young's idea essentially allows the County to meet the needs of the County staff and partially meet the needs of the Courthouse staff. It allows the County to extend the useful life of three buildings instead of leaving two buildings empty.
The complications come full swing when the projected price tag for the proposed plan is only slightly more expensive than a new, single-use Courthouse building. Plus, by splitting the courts between the Revercomb Building and their current home in the Courthouse, the staff still won't have the square footage they currently need. With this plan, they would end up with 42,500 square feet between both buildings, which is still shy of their current need for 58,119 square feet.
As Walter O'Reilly once said, the feathers hit the fan when Cathy Binder asked the Courthouse staff for an honest answer about if the plan would meet their needs. They obliged her and each answered honestly and succinctly with a "no."
This is where I feel the Supervisors will have a hard decision to make. They'll need to balance the needs of the Courthouse staff, who all support a new building, and the needs of the taxpayers, who all appear to not support spending so much money. I will keep my predictions to myself, but I feel that they will have some restless nights until a final decision is made.
There are a few other tidbits that further complicate the decision. First, the County is currently in good financial standing. Borrowing money to build a new Courthouse could hurt that standing. Borrowing slightly more money but spread out over several years may be easier on our rating. Second, renovating the existing Courthouse building while it is still in use will complicate the schedule. Third, when I asked why nobody mentioned the future use of the old King George Elementary School, it appeared that the Supervisors were in discussions behind closed doors about something. Fourth, as T. C. Collins from the School Board said from the audience, the School Board still hasn't heard any official presentation from the Supervisors about the potential move of the School Board Office and Pre-School to the old Middle School. Fifth, the Revercomb Building was designed to be expanded. This means it could be expanded to meet the needs of the Courthouse staff during the renovation. Finally, although it was a good suggestion by Ruby Brabo to consider moving the Courts to the 65,000 square foot old Middle School as it would meet their space needs, the cost to renovate that into a usable space for the Courts would be more expensive than renovating it for office space. In other words, the square footage might be right, but it would cost too much to make it meet the security needs of a Courthouse.
All in all, it will be a tough decision for those that need to make it and for those impacted by it.
With the bulk of the meeting over, the discussion quickly moved through the other CIP projects on the list. The Board tentatively agreed to move forward with the request for a new school phone system and bus replacement, the CAT6 and fiber network upgrades for the County offices, and the ambulance and EKG/AED replacements. Dr. Young successfully lobbied for his low cost but high impact document scanning project and John Jenkins asked that the Sheriff's request for new laptops to be strongly considered. Richard Granger also asked that in the future, a discussion be held to include ambulance and bus replacements in their respective department budget. His thinking was that if they come up every year, they really should be part of their yearly budget instead of a CIP request. Ruby Brabo did caution him that doing so would likely mean an increase in taxes but the general feeling was that for something this important, it would be acceptable.
By holding the purse strings tight, the Supervisors were able to tentatively fund half of the ten projects marked as "urgent" leaving only the Courthouse solution as a major question remaining to be solved. The projects chosen also gave them a very small gap in funding that would be pulled from the gas pipeline fund.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
The See Something, Say Something Award
by Neil Richard
I was recently invited to attend a ceremony at the Sheriff's Office to see a young County resident receive an award. While Sheriff Dempsey asked to protect the privacy of those parties involved, especially since it involves minors, I felt it was necessary to share a positive and uplifting news story about the youth in our community. The desire was even stronger since October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
Without disclosing too much information about the incident that took place, and changing names to protect the parties involved, I'll do my best to set the scene. Luke, Anakin, and Han were gathered with other youngsters in the locker room after lightsaber practice. Anakin then began to bully Luke. Luke repeatedly told Anakin to stop but Anakin wouldn't listen. In steps Han who tells Anakin to stop. When Anakin doesn't, Han physically inserts himself between the two to protect Luke. Han pushes Anakin off Luke and out of the way but during the scuffle, Anakin hits Han. In following the lessons learned from the teachers at school, Han reports the incident.
Fast forward to the real-life ceremony at the Sheriff's Office Quarterly Meeting. Sheriff Dempsey stands before his Deputies and awards this young individual the See Something, Say Something Award. The award is given to anyone, or group of people, that see something wrong and tell someone about it. The award is typically given during the Quarterly Meeting so Deputies and other Sheriff's Office staff can be there as well as to provide a more private setting to protect those involved. At the ceremony, Sheriff Dempsey said the awardee "removed the assailant" and saved the victim from further bullying. Sheriff Dempsey also said that because of their actions they made school a "safer place for all students" and was honored to award them for their "courage and heroic action."
And just like the end of the original Star Wars movie, our young hero received a standing ovation from the Deputies in the audience. Well deserved recognition for somebody doing the right thing.
I was recently invited to attend a ceremony at the Sheriff's Office to see a young County resident receive an award. While Sheriff Dempsey asked to protect the privacy of those parties involved, especially since it involves minors, I felt it was necessary to share a positive and uplifting news story about the youth in our community. The desire was even stronger since October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
Without disclosing too much information about the incident that took place, and changing names to protect the parties involved, I'll do my best to set the scene. Luke, Anakin, and Han were gathered with other youngsters in the locker room after lightsaber practice. Anakin then began to bully Luke. Luke repeatedly told Anakin to stop but Anakin wouldn't listen. In steps Han who tells Anakin to stop. When Anakin doesn't, Han physically inserts himself between the two to protect Luke. Han pushes Anakin off Luke and out of the way but during the scuffle, Anakin hits Han. In following the lessons learned from the teachers at school, Han reports the incident.
Fast forward to the real-life ceremony at the Sheriff's Office Quarterly Meeting. Sheriff Dempsey stands before his Deputies and awards this young individual the See Something, Say Something Award. The award is given to anyone, or group of people, that see something wrong and tell someone about it. The award is typically given during the Quarterly Meeting so Deputies and other Sheriff's Office staff can be there as well as to provide a more private setting to protect those involved. At the ceremony, Sheriff Dempsey said the awardee "removed the assailant" and saved the victim from further bullying. Sheriff Dempsey also said that because of their actions they made school a "safer place for all students" and was honored to award them for their "courage and heroic action."
And just like the end of the original Star Wars movie, our young hero received a standing ovation from the Deputies in the audience. Well deserved recognition for somebody doing the right thing.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
2018-10-02 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The King George County Board of Supervisors began their meeting a few minutes later than normal due to some technical difficulties. They finally began the meeting at 7:44pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda and there was no Public Comment.
John Jenkins was absent due to a death in the family.
Jeff Bueche began his Board report by saying he attended the water contamination meeting in Fairview Beach that was organized by Mike Bennett. Bueche said he was optimistic that there would be progress towards finding the source of the contamination. On the 30th, he celebrated his 18th wedding anniversary with his wife Anne. He felt it was appropriate to share because not only was she his wife and the mother of their children, but she was also his best friend and confidant.
Bueche then said he felt the Service Authority meeting held earlier was informative and that he was happy to see the duration of the meetings increase over what they were in the past. He said there was a lot of business to conduct that was important but felt a discussion should be had about separating the two Board meetings into two different nights. He said some citizens come only for the Service Authority meeting and some come only for the Supervisors meeting. Bueche said he didn't need a consensus tonight, just that he wanted the options explored and discussed.
Brabo interrupted and said the bylaws of the Board state that Supervisors have to be available until midnight and that, thankfully, they haven't needed that much time. She also said that, personally, she was unwilling to give up another night due to her numerous other commitments and meetings. Bueche said he understands that it makes it difficult but the two Boards are two separate bodies and hopefully in the future it wouldn't impact the Supervisors, meaning that hopefully in the future, Supervisors wouldn't sit on the Service Authority Board.
Bueche concluded his report by reminding everyone that the first annual KG QUE-FEST would be held on October 6th and 7th at Sealston Sports Complex and the Fall Festival will be on the 13th.
Ruby Brabo began her report by saying she attended the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) meeting on the 20th, a National Association of Counties conference call on the 21st, and the YMCA 10th Anniversary Gala on the 22nd. On the 24th she attended the contamination meeting in Fairview Beach and thanked Mike Bennett for the time and dedication he has invested in his role on the Service Authority Board. From the 25th to the 27th, Brabo attended the LGAC forum and assisted in the Community Clean Up Day on the 29th. She thanked Annie Cupka for her work in coordinating things and hopes that it will become an annual event.
Brabo also attended the memorial service for Ed Veazey on the 29th. She said "he will be missed but his influence lives on through everything he touched within the County." She also attended the 20th anniversary celebration at Mary's Cakery on the 29th and went to a Chem-bio meeting on October 1st. At this meeting she felt the bulk of the meeting was related to the lack of communication and was thankful for the base leadership being willing to sit down and talk. During the meeting she learned that the base hired 600 employees last year and about 500 more next year but their capacity is limited in their existing facilities. Brabo said she also learned that many of the contractors working on base are doing so because of current issues with the Virtual Private Network (VPN) making it cost prohibitive for them to be located off base.
Cathy Binder reported that she attended the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) workshop on the 20th, the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging on the 26th, and the Rappahannock Regional Jail Authority on the 27th. She said residents can attend an open enrollment event hosted by Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging to enroll in Medicare Part D. It will be held at the Citizen's Center on November 27th from 9am to 4pm. She said King George was also given the title to a van that can be used to transport prisoners to the Rappahannock Regional Jail. On October 2nd, Binder visited Brooks Park to see employees from Hilldrup Moving work as part of the United Way Day of Caring volunteer event. She also learned how to mulch and prune trees and shrubs from Master Gardener Linda Kline.
Richard Granger also attended the CIP meeting on the 20th as well as a meeting on the 26th regarding river gauges in the state. He said these gauges will improve safety for those using rivers and streams as heavy rains in one part of the state will impact those downriver. On October 1st, Granger attended the same Chem-bio meeting with Brabo and said that attrition on base is about 6%. He also said it was important to note that the Chem-bio move to Indian Head was mainly motivated by it being a better fit to that base's mission compared to Dahlgren's mission.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, reported that he has been working with David Brickley and representatives from the Friends of Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) to work on a cooperative management plan for the trail [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]. Gregory said things are under development and he is in communication with those parties and hopes to have something to present at the next Board meeting.
Next was a presentation by Steve Marzolf of Virginia Information Technologies Association (VITA). Marzolf said he was happy to hear he has until midnight to go through his presentation to which everyone laughed. His presentation was about the pending changes to the 911 system in the state and how it would impact King George County. He said the current network, which is analog, is going away and there's nothing anyone, himself included, could do about it. He was careful to emphasize that it wasn't Verizon's fault or anybody else's fault, it was just the nature of the the change in technology. He equated it to not being able to buy new movies on VHS tapes anymore. With that said, Marzolf said Fairfax County was the first to adopt the new system last year. After an intensive process, Fairfax found AT&T to be the best provider for the project.
Marzolf cautioned that deployment needed to be coordinated and that King George was part of the system that covered Fredericksburg and Winchester. He said there would be a period of time where both networks, analog and digital, would need to be supported as things are transitioned. The proposed schedule was for our region to make the change between January and June 2020, which was roughly in the middle of the schedule for the whole state.
Marzolf continued by complimenting the County's Geographic Information System (GIS), saying that only a few minor issues would need to be addressed. He said the new system would allow text-to-911, something that's important for the deaf and hard of hearing.
He then got down to the important part of the presentation, the cost. He said the current cost of the County's 911 system was roughly $368 per month. The new cost would be $5,481 per month. The good news is that the 911 Services Board would cover the cost increase for two years. He also said the 911 Services Board would cover the cost of the overlap between the new and old systems for six months and they were open to discussions if the County wanted to extend the newly installed fiber lines to schools, libraries, or government buildings. The 911 Services Board would also cover the cost of the new fiber being installed.
Marzolf said he was asking the Board to review the proposal and the contract Fairfax used. He said King George was able to do their own proposal request or use a vendor other than AT&T. He also said that if the County decided to work with AT&T and change their mind later, it was possible to do so, just like changing cell phone service providers.
He concluded his presentation by saying the new 911 system was here and not going away. He said everyone in the state and in the country would eventually need to switch to it.
Brabo asked about the cost of the new monthly fee and if that was based on the infrastructure that doesn't exist in the County from AT&T, noting that Verizon is the area's main service provider. Marzolf said no, it was just for the service being provided and that Verizon would actually be making the connection over the last mile. Brabo again noted the lack of AT&T infrastructure in the area and wondered if a regional procurement with Caroline County and other Northern Neck counties may be a benefit. Marzolf said Northern Virginia is experiencing the same issue with a lack of AT&T infrastructure and that was why Verizon was involved. In simple terms, he said that AT&T provides the service across the national network and pays Verizon for their local infrastructure.
Binder asked for clarity on the diverse connectivity and Marzolf explained it was a way to ensure the connection was safe from any harm. He said there are options for one connection, two connections in one path, or two connections in two paths. He said the latter was recommended because it provides for redundancy should something happen. He provided an example of an auger bit taking down the entire 911 system where a diverse connectivity system would bring the 911 connections into the building in two different locations.
Steve McKeever from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was next to present to the Board, regarding the Route 207 and 301 Corridor Study. He came before the Board to ask for their approval of the study. Brabo asked if a vote was needed and Dr. Young said he and Eric Gregory felt it was necessary to vote. The Board approved VDOT's Study.
Wilma Ward from the Finance Department was next before the Board, asking for their approval of a change order related to the Potomac Elementary School modular units. The Board approved.
Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then asked the Board to authorize him to sign the Agreement related to the King George Middle School Turn Lane Project. Brabo interjected and said it was about time that we applied for revenue sharing. The Board approved.
Dr. Young gave his report by starting off with an offer from Bill Robie, a professor from George Washington University, to give a brief course on Public Policy for the Supervisors. Brabo said this topic came up because as a new Supervisor, she was given no guidance or mentorship. As the most senior Supervisor now, she said she's doing the best she can but felt a course like this would help everyone. There was a discussion on scheduling the course later this month. Dr. Young also reminded the Board that there would be a team building event later this month for the Supervisors.
The Supervisors went into Closed Session at 8:39pm and invited Eric Gregory, Dr. Young, Chris Werle, and Mike Bennett to attend. They returned from Closed Session at 9:22pm and adjourned.
Meeting Attendees:
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)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Absent:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors) due to a death in the family
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on October 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The King George County Board of Supervisors began their meeting a few minutes later than normal due to some technical difficulties. They finally began the meeting at 7:44pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda and there was no Public Comment.
John Jenkins was absent due to a death in the family.
Jeff Bueche began his Board report by saying he attended the water contamination meeting in Fairview Beach that was organized by Mike Bennett. Bueche said he was optimistic that there would be progress towards finding the source of the contamination. On the 30th, he celebrated his 18th wedding anniversary with his wife Anne. He felt it was appropriate to share because not only was she his wife and the mother of their children, but she was also his best friend and confidant.
Bueche then said he felt the Service Authority meeting held earlier was informative and that he was happy to see the duration of the meetings increase over what they were in the past. He said there was a lot of business to conduct that was important but felt a discussion should be had about separating the two Board meetings into two different nights. He said some citizens come only for the Service Authority meeting and some come only for the Supervisors meeting. Bueche said he didn't need a consensus tonight, just that he wanted the options explored and discussed.
Brabo interrupted and said the bylaws of the Board state that Supervisors have to be available until midnight and that, thankfully, they haven't needed that much time. She also said that, personally, she was unwilling to give up another night due to her numerous other commitments and meetings. Bueche said he understands that it makes it difficult but the two Boards are two separate bodies and hopefully in the future it wouldn't impact the Supervisors, meaning that hopefully in the future, Supervisors wouldn't sit on the Service Authority Board.
Bueche concluded his report by reminding everyone that the first annual KG QUE-FEST would be held on October 6th and 7th at Sealston Sports Complex and the Fall Festival will be on the 13th.
Ruby Brabo began her report by saying she attended the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) meeting on the 20th, a National Association of Counties conference call on the 21st, and the YMCA 10th Anniversary Gala on the 22nd. On the 24th she attended the contamination meeting in Fairview Beach and thanked Mike Bennett for the time and dedication he has invested in his role on the Service Authority Board. From the 25th to the 27th, Brabo attended the LGAC forum and assisted in the Community Clean Up Day on the 29th. She thanked Annie Cupka for her work in coordinating things and hopes that it will become an annual event.
Brabo also attended the memorial service for Ed Veazey on the 29th. She said "he will be missed but his influence lives on through everything he touched within the County." She also attended the 20th anniversary celebration at Mary's Cakery on the 29th and went to a Chem-bio meeting on October 1st. At this meeting she felt the bulk of the meeting was related to the lack of communication and was thankful for the base leadership being willing to sit down and talk. During the meeting she learned that the base hired 600 employees last year and about 500 more next year but their capacity is limited in their existing facilities. Brabo said she also learned that many of the contractors working on base are doing so because of current issues with the Virtual Private Network (VPN) making it cost prohibitive for them to be located off base.
Cathy Binder reported that she attended the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) workshop on the 20th, the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging on the 26th, and the Rappahannock Regional Jail Authority on the 27th. She said residents can attend an open enrollment event hosted by Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging to enroll in Medicare Part D. It will be held at the Citizen's Center on November 27th from 9am to 4pm. She said King George was also given the title to a van that can be used to transport prisoners to the Rappahannock Regional Jail. On October 2nd, Binder visited Brooks Park to see employees from Hilldrup Moving work as part of the United Way Day of Caring volunteer event. She also learned how to mulch and prune trees and shrubs from Master Gardener Linda Kline.
Richard Granger also attended the CIP meeting on the 20th as well as a meeting on the 26th regarding river gauges in the state. He said these gauges will improve safety for those using rivers and streams as heavy rains in one part of the state will impact those downriver. On October 1st, Granger attended the same Chem-bio meeting with Brabo and said that attrition on base is about 6%. He also said it was important to note that the Chem-bio move to Indian Head was mainly motivated by it being a better fit to that base's mission compared to Dahlgren's mission.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, reported that he has been working with David Brickley and representatives from the Friends of Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) to work on a cooperative management plan for the trail [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]. Gregory said things are under development and he is in communication with those parties and hopes to have something to present at the next Board meeting.
Next was a presentation by Steve Marzolf of Virginia Information Technologies Association (VITA). Marzolf said he was happy to hear he has until midnight to go through his presentation to which everyone laughed. His presentation was about the pending changes to the 911 system in the state and how it would impact King George County. He said the current network, which is analog, is going away and there's nothing anyone, himself included, could do about it. He was careful to emphasize that it wasn't Verizon's fault or anybody else's fault, it was just the nature of the the change in technology. He equated it to not being able to buy new movies on VHS tapes anymore. With that said, Marzolf said Fairfax County was the first to adopt the new system last year. After an intensive process, Fairfax found AT&T to be the best provider for the project.
Marzolf cautioned that deployment needed to be coordinated and that King George was part of the system that covered Fredericksburg and Winchester. He said there would be a period of time where both networks, analog and digital, would need to be supported as things are transitioned. The proposed schedule was for our region to make the change between January and June 2020, which was roughly in the middle of the schedule for the whole state.
Marzolf continued by complimenting the County's Geographic Information System (GIS), saying that only a few minor issues would need to be addressed. He said the new system would allow text-to-911, something that's important for the deaf and hard of hearing.
He then got down to the important part of the presentation, the cost. He said the current cost of the County's 911 system was roughly $368 per month. The new cost would be $5,481 per month. The good news is that the 911 Services Board would cover the cost increase for two years. He also said the 911 Services Board would cover the cost of the overlap between the new and old systems for six months and they were open to discussions if the County wanted to extend the newly installed fiber lines to schools, libraries, or government buildings. The 911 Services Board would also cover the cost of the new fiber being installed.
Marzolf said he was asking the Board to review the proposal and the contract Fairfax used. He said King George was able to do their own proposal request or use a vendor other than AT&T. He also said that if the County decided to work with AT&T and change their mind later, it was possible to do so, just like changing cell phone service providers.
He concluded his presentation by saying the new 911 system was here and not going away. He said everyone in the state and in the country would eventually need to switch to it.
Brabo asked about the cost of the new monthly fee and if that was based on the infrastructure that doesn't exist in the County from AT&T, noting that Verizon is the area's main service provider. Marzolf said no, it was just for the service being provided and that Verizon would actually be making the connection over the last mile. Brabo again noted the lack of AT&T infrastructure in the area and wondered if a regional procurement with Caroline County and other Northern Neck counties may be a benefit. Marzolf said Northern Virginia is experiencing the same issue with a lack of AT&T infrastructure and that was why Verizon was involved. In simple terms, he said that AT&T provides the service across the national network and pays Verizon for their local infrastructure.
Binder asked for clarity on the diverse connectivity and Marzolf explained it was a way to ensure the connection was safe from any harm. He said there are options for one connection, two connections in one path, or two connections in two paths. He said the latter was recommended because it provides for redundancy should something happen. He provided an example of an auger bit taking down the entire 911 system where a diverse connectivity system would bring the 911 connections into the building in two different locations.
Steve McKeever from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was next to present to the Board, regarding the Route 207 and 301 Corridor Study. He came before the Board to ask for their approval of the study. Brabo asked if a vote was needed and Dr. Young said he and Eric Gregory felt it was necessary to vote. The Board approved VDOT's Study.
Wilma Ward from the Finance Department was next before the Board, asking for their approval of a change order related to the Potomac Elementary School modular units. The Board approved.
Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then asked the Board to authorize him to sign the Agreement related to the King George Middle School Turn Lane Project. Brabo interjected and said it was about time that we applied for revenue sharing. The Board approved.
Dr. Young gave his report by starting off with an offer from Bill Robie, a professor from George Washington University, to give a brief course on Public Policy for the Supervisors. Brabo said this topic came up because as a new Supervisor, she was given no guidance or mentorship. As the most senior Supervisor now, she said she's doing the best she can but felt a course like this would help everyone. There was a discussion on scheduling the course later this month. Dr. Young also reminded the Board that there would be a team building event later this month for the Supervisors.
The Supervisors went into Closed Session at 8:39pm and invited Eric Gregory, Dr. Young, Chris Werle, and Mike Bennett to attend. They returned from Closed Session at 9:22pm and adjourned.
Meeting Attendees:
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)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Absent:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors) due to a death in the family
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on October 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
2018-10-02 - Service Authority Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The King George County Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:32pm. There were no amendments to the Agenda and no Public Comments.
Mike Bennett began his report by saying he would allow Chris Werle to expand on many of the meetings they attended together. Bennett said he met with Werle, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, and others on September 19th to discuss issues with the GIS (Geographic Interface System) system as it relates to the Service Authority. Bennett said he appreciated the efforts of Kyle Conboy, GIS Manager. The same day, Bennett toured the Purkins Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and the Oakland Park WWTP. He said while touring the Oakland Park facility, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was there for an unannounced inspection. He commended Tim Maciejewski for his hard work to clean, scrape, and paint everything and noted that it may look nice now but said that it is also preventative maintenance. Bennett also said Tim Maciejewski has made the plant work better and wanted to give Maciejewski special thanks. On the 20th, Bennett attended the State Water Control Board meeting where the DEQ Consent Order was approved. On the 21st, Bennett said the Service Authority turned off water to much of Fairview Beach and Potomac Landing to repair a section of pipe. He said he walked down to watch some of the work being done and noted the employee in the trench soaked and covered with mud working to repair the pipe while water was gushing out like a fire hose. He said that even though water had been turned off, the pressure was still high enough to make repairs problematic. He said he felt like a bit of a jerk for being upset about not being able to take a shower when the Service Employee was in a hole and covered in mud. Bennett went on to say that if more shut off valves were present, the repair could have been done much faster. He said it would probably be expensive to install shut offs for every street in Fairview Beach but he would still like to know what the cost is because it may save money in the long term, especially if repairs like this go long into the night.
On the 24th, Bennett coordinated a meeting with various government agencies, local leaders, and residents to discuss the water contamination issue in the Potomac River. He said he was able to convey that the contamination is a serious issue and that the source needs to be found. He said that out of 22 tests, ten resulted in a swimming advisory. Those advisories covered 30 days, roughly one-third of the summer. He said in prior years, it has been worse with advisories impacting half of the days in a summer. He said a previous suspect, the trailer park upriver, has a septic tank near the river but there seems to be no proof that it is the source. He said the Service Authority also has sewer pipes near the river and after leak testing, nothing was found. He said he wasn't a scientist but he can prove there is a health issue and the source needs to be found.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo said that, with the Board's consensus, she would like Dr. Young to investigate the engineering behind the water pipes and why there were no shut off valves installed. The Board agreed. Brabo continued her report saying she toured the Purkins WWTP and Oakland Park WWTP on the 19th. She said that Purkins was the shining star of the Service Authority in the past with no issues but it wasn't the prettiest place. She said Oakland Park was a stark contrast with everything in its place. In the past, Brabo said Oakland Park likely failed to work as designed due to tools being left out, or even left in the system, thus clogging it. She noted that John Pruitt at the Purkins facility was very transparent and was willing to show the good, bad, and ugly. Brabo shared a couple photos showing everyone an old refrigerator that was used to store samples and then showed the proper container for samples that was currently in use. Brabo said staff has taken it upon themselves to begin cleaning up the facility and she feels that the change in leadership has made a huge difference. She felt that everyone was ready to move to the next chapter and appreciated everyone's hard work. Brabo also attended a local government meeting on the 26th where there was a lot of discussion about how localities could work together to combine smaller projects into a larger one to get a better price from vendors. On the 28th she attended the meeting for the selection of the new General Manager and five people have been selected for interviews.
Brabo then asked Hingley if he knew what the procedure was for employees leaving early for appointments. Hingley said a time off request was submitted to the supervisor and they would ensure coverage was available, especially for positions that are required by permit. Brabo asked if that information was tracked and Hingley said it was. Dr. Young added that not only does the supervisor track the information, the Payroll Department tracks the leave available for each employee.
Cathy Binder had no report.
Chris Werle reported that he met with Dean Hougland, Senior Maintenance Manager, on the 19th regarding the online GIS system and the need to restrict access to some of the information for security reasons. Werle said Kyle Conboy will work with a third party GIS Manager to protect the information. On the 20th, Werle attended the State Water Control Board meeting in Richmond and noted that DEQ presented an overview of the Consent Order and it was approved without further questions or comments. He noted that the DEQ staff said they were pleased with the recent responsiveness from the Service Authority and that some deficiencies had already been corrected. Werle said DEQ was please with the improved posture and felt confident that progress will continue. Werle reviewed the current contract with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager on the 28th and said it was rapidly nearing the end of the agreement on November 5th. He said he also sent the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) the first three section of the the previously mentioned water plan. He said the next sections will include the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and budget information but would need to wait until the Master Plan is complete near the end of the year.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, began his report by saying it would mirror those of the past. Items of note included the Dahlgren WWTP tracking for a reduced Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) repayment thanks to improved numbers for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP). Hingley said that because the TN and TP numbers were down, the WQIF repayment would be about $39,000 instead of about $75,000. Hopyard WWTP was also showing improved numbers primarily because of improved timing of chemical usage. Brabo noted that it was stunning that only an adjustment to timing was needed to get better results and even use fewer chemicals. She asked if people should have known this in the past and Hingley said they should have known but he didn't know why it was done wrong in the past.
Hingley continued by sharing that the Fairview Beach WWTP had improved TP numbers and that the parts left in a building for over a year had finally been installed. The Purkins Corner WWTP had a DEQ inspection and deficiencies were noted but they were items that staff was already aware of and working on. Hingley said his primary focus was troubleshooting the performance issues at this plant versus the more cosmetic issues. He went on in some detail about how sewage flows through the processing facility and how changes were made to hopefully improve the end result numbers. Hingley said he would have more information at the next meeting.
Regarding the Oakland Park WWTP, Hingley said DEQ also inspected it and Tim Maciejewski was already working on a response based on their notes.
On the water side of the Service Authority, Hingley said the customer contact database is being populated with data from prior years. He said DEQ issued warning letters about missing information from 2017 audits for some of the water systems. Bennett noted that these were warning letters, not Notices of Violations. He also asked if the audits were due every year and Hingley said they were. Bennett noted that there seemed to be a trend where regular reports were missed in the past and these led to warnings or violations from the state. Bennett asked if there was a way to create a master list so they could stay on top of these items when Hingley is gone. Hingley said they should be able to do that. Werle added that it should be simple because a lot of the information sent to DEQ in the audits is the same as what VDH requires.
Continuing with the water portion of the report, Hingley said a boil water notice was issued for customers on the Ninde system due to a burst pipe in the well house. He said because water pressure was lower than 20 psi (pounds per square inch) for more than four hours, VDH requires a notice be issued. Hingley was careful to note that the notice was not because of any contamination and that all samples that were tested came back negative for contaminants.
In the Fairview Beach water system, Hingley said a second well is available for service and a third well is being worked on. The Courthouse system has four of the five wells working and the interconnect between the east and west halves should begin in the middle of October.
Hingley then shared a breakdown of water loss across all the systems noting that the industry average is about twenty percent. His slide showed that every system except Hopyard showed twenty four percent or more loss. Two systems, Canterbury and Ninde, did not have data available due to broken well meters. The overall average for all water systems was 29%. The percentage of water loss for the systems were:
Cathy Binder asked if the Service Authority was fined because of this and Hingley said no. Werle said the repercussions would be that the water isn't being delivered to customers and therefore is a loss of potential revenue. Hingley added that there will likely be a timetable given by VDH to investigate the cause of the high rate of loss but the bigger risk is the systems are limited in how much water can be withdrawn from the wells and therefore it may reach a point where there's a shortage because of the permit limits.
Brabo asked if the leaks in Dahlgren contributed to this and Werle said yes, along with periodic flushing. There was some discussion as to if the industry standard of twenty percent included flushing or not and Hingley said it likely did include flushing lines. Werle added that the most likely cause behind the loss was leaks.
Hingley added that he felt in the past, the Service Authority didn't have a good relationship with a contractor that could be called to repair leaks and that there now seems to be a good relationship with a contractor. Werle said that was important for pipes that had asbestos. He also noted that there had been reports of unmarked tankers at hydrants taking water.
Brabo added a closing remark that she knew there were issues and concerns in the past but it wasn't until touring Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs that she realized employees were working in sub-par conditions for years. She said those conditions were unacceptable and appreciated those that had stuck with it and said the employees have no idea how appreciated they are.
Bennett echoed much of Brabo's praise saying that every week he tries not to get frustrated but wants employees to know that he isn't frustrated with them. He said it's "amazing what obstacles were in your way" and appreciates their efforts. Bennett said he hopes that going forward the Board can get them the tools they need to do their job.
Werle's final comment was that all of those things need to be in play next year during the budget discussions.
There was no Closed Session.
The meeting adjourned at 7:37pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on October 16, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
The King George County Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:32pm. There were no amendments to the Agenda and no Public Comments.
Mike Bennett began his report by saying he would allow Chris Werle to expand on many of the meetings they attended together. Bennett said he met with Werle, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, and others on September 19th to discuss issues with the GIS (Geographic Interface System) system as it relates to the Service Authority. Bennett said he appreciated the efforts of Kyle Conboy, GIS Manager. The same day, Bennett toured the Purkins Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and the Oakland Park WWTP. He said while touring the Oakland Park facility, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was there for an unannounced inspection. He commended Tim Maciejewski for his hard work to clean, scrape, and paint everything and noted that it may look nice now but said that it is also preventative maintenance. Bennett also said Tim Maciejewski has made the plant work better and wanted to give Maciejewski special thanks. On the 20th, Bennett attended the State Water Control Board meeting where the DEQ Consent Order was approved. On the 21st, Bennett said the Service Authority turned off water to much of Fairview Beach and Potomac Landing to repair a section of pipe. He said he walked down to watch some of the work being done and noted the employee in the trench soaked and covered with mud working to repair the pipe while water was gushing out like a fire hose. He said that even though water had been turned off, the pressure was still high enough to make repairs problematic. He said he felt like a bit of a jerk for being upset about not being able to take a shower when the Service Employee was in a hole and covered in mud. Bennett went on to say that if more shut off valves were present, the repair could have been done much faster. He said it would probably be expensive to install shut offs for every street in Fairview Beach but he would still like to know what the cost is because it may save money in the long term, especially if repairs like this go long into the night.
On the 24th, Bennett coordinated a meeting with various government agencies, local leaders, and residents to discuss the water contamination issue in the Potomac River. He said he was able to convey that the contamination is a serious issue and that the source needs to be found. He said that out of 22 tests, ten resulted in a swimming advisory. Those advisories covered 30 days, roughly one-third of the summer. He said in prior years, it has been worse with advisories impacting half of the days in a summer. He said a previous suspect, the trailer park upriver, has a septic tank near the river but there seems to be no proof that it is the source. He said the Service Authority also has sewer pipes near the river and after leak testing, nothing was found. He said he wasn't a scientist but he can prove there is a health issue and the source needs to be found.
Richard Granger had no report.
Ruby Brabo said that, with the Board's consensus, she would like Dr. Young to investigate the engineering behind the water pipes and why there were no shut off valves installed. The Board agreed. Brabo continued her report saying she toured the Purkins WWTP and Oakland Park WWTP on the 19th. She said that Purkins was the shining star of the Service Authority in the past with no issues but it wasn't the prettiest place. She said Oakland Park was a stark contrast with everything in its place. In the past, Brabo said Oakland Park likely failed to work as designed due to tools being left out, or even left in the system, thus clogging it. She noted that John Pruitt at the Purkins facility was very transparent and was willing to show the good, bad, and ugly. Brabo shared a couple photos showing everyone an old refrigerator that was used to store samples and then showed the proper container for samples that was currently in use. Brabo said staff has taken it upon themselves to begin cleaning up the facility and she feels that the change in leadership has made a huge difference. She felt that everyone was ready to move to the next chapter and appreciated everyone's hard work. Brabo also attended a local government meeting on the 26th where there was a lot of discussion about how localities could work together to combine smaller projects into a larger one to get a better price from vendors. On the 28th she attended the meeting for the selection of the new General Manager and five people have been selected for interviews.
Brabo then asked Hingley if he knew what the procedure was for employees leaving early for appointments. Hingley said a time off request was submitted to the supervisor and they would ensure coverage was available, especially for positions that are required by permit. Brabo asked if that information was tracked and Hingley said it was. Dr. Young added that not only does the supervisor track the information, the Payroll Department tracks the leave available for each employee.
Cathy Binder had no report.
Chris Werle reported that he met with Dean Hougland, Senior Maintenance Manager, on the 19th regarding the online GIS system and the need to restrict access to some of the information for security reasons. Werle said Kyle Conboy will work with a third party GIS Manager to protect the information. On the 20th, Werle attended the State Water Control Board meeting in Richmond and noted that DEQ presented an overview of the Consent Order and it was approved without further questions or comments. He noted that the DEQ staff said they were pleased with the recent responsiveness from the Service Authority and that some deficiencies had already been corrected. Werle said DEQ was please with the improved posture and felt confident that progress will continue. Werle reviewed the current contract with Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager on the 28th and said it was rapidly nearing the end of the agreement on November 5th. He said he also sent the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) the first three section of the the previously mentioned water plan. He said the next sections will include the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and budget information but would need to wait until the Master Plan is complete near the end of the year.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Dan Hingley, Interim General Manager, began his report by saying it would mirror those of the past. Items of note included the Dahlgren WWTP tracking for a reduced Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) repayment thanks to improved numbers for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP). Hingley said that because the TN and TP numbers were down, the WQIF repayment would be about $39,000 instead of about $75,000. Hopyard WWTP was also showing improved numbers primarily because of improved timing of chemical usage. Brabo noted that it was stunning that only an adjustment to timing was needed to get better results and even use fewer chemicals. She asked if people should have known this in the past and Hingley said they should have known but he didn't know why it was done wrong in the past.
Hingley continued by sharing that the Fairview Beach WWTP had improved TP numbers and that the parts left in a building for over a year had finally been installed. The Purkins Corner WWTP had a DEQ inspection and deficiencies were noted but they were items that staff was already aware of and working on. Hingley said his primary focus was troubleshooting the performance issues at this plant versus the more cosmetic issues. He went on in some detail about how sewage flows through the processing facility and how changes were made to hopefully improve the end result numbers. Hingley said he would have more information at the next meeting.
Regarding the Oakland Park WWTP, Hingley said DEQ also inspected it and Tim Maciejewski was already working on a response based on their notes.
On the water side of the Service Authority, Hingley said the customer contact database is being populated with data from prior years. He said DEQ issued warning letters about missing information from 2017 audits for some of the water systems. Bennett noted that these were warning letters, not Notices of Violations. He also asked if the audits were due every year and Hingley said they were. Bennett noted that there seemed to be a trend where regular reports were missed in the past and these led to warnings or violations from the state. Bennett asked if there was a way to create a master list so they could stay on top of these items when Hingley is gone. Hingley said they should be able to do that. Werle added that it should be simple because a lot of the information sent to DEQ in the audits is the same as what VDH requires.
Continuing with the water portion of the report, Hingley said a boil water notice was issued for customers on the Ninde system due to a burst pipe in the well house. He said because water pressure was lower than 20 psi (pounds per square inch) for more than four hours, VDH requires a notice be issued. Hingley was careful to note that the notice was not because of any contamination and that all samples that were tested came back negative for contaminants.
In the Fairview Beach water system, Hingley said a second well is available for service and a third well is being worked on. The Courthouse system has four of the five wells working and the interconnect between the east and west halves should begin in the middle of October.
Hingley then shared a breakdown of water loss across all the systems noting that the industry average is about twenty percent. His slide showed that every system except Hopyard showed twenty four percent or more loss. Two systems, Canterbury and Ninde, did not have data available due to broken well meters. The overall average for all water systems was 29%. The percentage of water loss for the systems were:
- Courthouse - 24%
- Circle - 36%
- Fairview Beach - 34%
- Dahlgren - 34%
- Hopyard - 16%
- Oakland Park - 32%
- St. Paul's/Owens - 29%
Cathy Binder asked if the Service Authority was fined because of this and Hingley said no. Werle said the repercussions would be that the water isn't being delivered to customers and therefore is a loss of potential revenue. Hingley added that there will likely be a timetable given by VDH to investigate the cause of the high rate of loss but the bigger risk is the systems are limited in how much water can be withdrawn from the wells and therefore it may reach a point where there's a shortage because of the permit limits.
Brabo asked if the leaks in Dahlgren contributed to this and Werle said yes, along with periodic flushing. There was some discussion as to if the industry standard of twenty percent included flushing or not and Hingley said it likely did include flushing lines. Werle added that the most likely cause behind the loss was leaks.
Hingley added that he felt in the past, the Service Authority didn't have a good relationship with a contractor that could be called to repair leaks and that there now seems to be a good relationship with a contractor. Werle said that was important for pipes that had asbestos. He also noted that there had been reports of unmarked tankers at hydrants taking water.
Brabo added a closing remark that she knew there were issues and concerns in the past but it wasn't until touring Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs that she realized employees were working in sub-par conditions for years. She said those conditions were unacceptable and appreciated those that had stuck with it and said the employees have no idea how appreciated they are.
Bennett echoed much of Brabo's praise saying that every week he tries not to get frustrated but wants employees to know that he isn't frustrated with them. He said it's "amazing what obstacles were in your way" and appreciates their efforts. Bennett said he hopes that going forward the Board can get them the tools they need to do their job.
Werle's final comment was that all of those things need to be in play next year during the budget discussions.
There was no Closed Session.
The meeting adjourned at 7:37pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Dan Hingley (Interim General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on October 16, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Monday, October 1, 2018
OPINION - Citizen Budget Advisory Committee - Capital Improvement Program Part 2
by Neil Richard
After an earlier budget work session to discuss the upcoming Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the Board of Supervisors once again met to discuss more projected CIP projects for the coming years. First on the agenda for the evening was Dr. Benson, King George County Schools Superintendent, and Dan Hopper, Supervisor of Technology. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, once again apologized for not informing Dr. Benson of the previous meeting in time to present.
Dr. Benson began the school's presentation with the standard replacement of several school buses. He said they have a rotating schedule where every year they replace the oldest buses with the most mileage to ensure the fleet is as fully functional as possible. Next was a discussion about the need for a new phone system for all of the schools. Dr. Benson said the Middle School would be getting a new phone system with the expansion project and it would be compatible with the new system he proposes. Dan Hopper said it was a safety and security issue that calls could not be made out sometimes and that the system would randomly reboot. Although his concern was clear when he explained the need, Hopper's comment at the end that "it really concerns me" had the tone and inflection of somebody that truly was concerned about the safety of students and employees.
Hopper also asked for funding for new security cameras at Sealston Elementary and King George Elementary. Dr. Benson said there was a chance a grant would cover part of the costs but it wasn't guaranteed. The Supervisors suggested creating a replacement plan similar to the existing one for computers and buses and Hopper readily agreed to implementing that in the future.
Dr. Young then presented his previously discussed project to digitize and preserve the County's historical documents. The next item he added created a bit more discussion. The previously funded Trailways Feasibility Study was complete and he wanted to add the actual project itself to the CIP list. The Supervisors were split between putting such a large item on the list and actually following through with the study's findings. While they all seemed willing to make the money spent on the study count for something, some were not enthusiastic to put a project on the list for $36 million. In the end, they agreed to put it on there for now as a placeholder and revisit it next year to split it out into smaller pieces. Dr. Young felt this was the best course of action as it put the project on the list proving the money for the study wasn't wasted. He also said he didn't have the time to break it down into smaller projects before the CIP needed to be approved but would be able to do so by next year.
Dr. Young then presented some glowing news based on the hard work of Wilma Ward, Director of Finance. Mrs. Ward was able to scrub various capital project budgets that had been completed and found $148,090 in unused funds. Some of these funds dated back to 2007 and some were more recent. For example, the Ralph Bunche Study fund was last used in 2018 but only had a remainder of $329. On the other hand, the Government Complex Study fund was last used in 2008 and had $15,117 left over. The Board happily voted to return the unspent money back into the capital improvement fund.
The major news of the evening was Dr. Young's presentation on the Courthouse. As previously discussed at length by many of the workers in the Courthouse, it is in disrepair and there is a great need to either replace it or repair it. Dr. Young presented three different options for a potential solution. The first option was to build a new building next to the Sheriff's Office at an expense of about $30 million. The second option was to refurbish the Old Middle School at a cost of about $31 million. But it was his third option to reuse existing buildings at a cost of about $34 million, that he focused on.
While the details are still in flux and the Supervisors will later hear from architects, the end result Dr. Young presented was to move the Circuit Court to the Revercomb Building, keep the General District and Juvenile Courts in the Old Courthouse, and move the County Offices to the Old Middle School. In addition to the County employees moving to the Old Middle School off Dahlgren Road, he also proposed moving the School Board Offices and the Pre-School there as well. This would leave the current School Board Office, or the Old King George Elementary School, off St. Anthony's Road vacant.
Dr. Young said he had preliminary discussions with Dr. Benson but that nothing was set in stone and that this was his theory on how to best use existing space. While he admitted it would cost a little more to use this option, it provided for a better solution for the needs of the Courts. Additionally, it would allow them to expand in twenty to forty years off the Revercomb Building if the need arose. And if expansion was necessary, it would cost less than adding another brand new building.
There were a lot of questions the Supervisors had and they were all valid. From the security needs of Court employees to the security needs of the Pre-School students. From room for parking at the Revercomb building to potential future expansion at the Old Middle School. But in the end, even without having answers to all of the questions posed, this felt like a good plan. It may not be perfect and there are certainly wrinkles to iron out. However, if followed, it would leave the County with fewer abandoned assets to maintain and allow for future expansion needs, all while costing only slightly more than a brand new Courthouse building that would only be used by the Courts. As someone with a heavy interest in history, I felt relieved that it gave the County an option to use historical buildings without tearing them down.
After an earlier budget work session to discuss the upcoming Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the Board of Supervisors once again met to discuss more projected CIP projects for the coming years. First on the agenda for the evening was Dr. Benson, King George County Schools Superintendent, and Dan Hopper, Supervisor of Technology. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, once again apologized for not informing Dr. Benson of the previous meeting in time to present.
Dr. Benson began the school's presentation with the standard replacement of several school buses. He said they have a rotating schedule where every year they replace the oldest buses with the most mileage to ensure the fleet is as fully functional as possible. Next was a discussion about the need for a new phone system for all of the schools. Dr. Benson said the Middle School would be getting a new phone system with the expansion project and it would be compatible with the new system he proposes. Dan Hopper said it was a safety and security issue that calls could not be made out sometimes and that the system would randomly reboot. Although his concern was clear when he explained the need, Hopper's comment at the end that "it really concerns me" had the tone and inflection of somebody that truly was concerned about the safety of students and employees.
Hopper also asked for funding for new security cameras at Sealston Elementary and King George Elementary. Dr. Benson said there was a chance a grant would cover part of the costs but it wasn't guaranteed. The Supervisors suggested creating a replacement plan similar to the existing one for computers and buses and Hopper readily agreed to implementing that in the future.
Dr. Young then presented his previously discussed project to digitize and preserve the County's historical documents. The next item he added created a bit more discussion. The previously funded Trailways Feasibility Study was complete and he wanted to add the actual project itself to the CIP list. The Supervisors were split between putting such a large item on the list and actually following through with the study's findings. While they all seemed willing to make the money spent on the study count for something, some were not enthusiastic to put a project on the list for $36 million. In the end, they agreed to put it on there for now as a placeholder and revisit it next year to split it out into smaller pieces. Dr. Young felt this was the best course of action as it put the project on the list proving the money for the study wasn't wasted. He also said he didn't have the time to break it down into smaller projects before the CIP needed to be approved but would be able to do so by next year.
Dr. Young then presented some glowing news based on the hard work of Wilma Ward, Director of Finance. Mrs. Ward was able to scrub various capital project budgets that had been completed and found $148,090 in unused funds. Some of these funds dated back to 2007 and some were more recent. For example, the Ralph Bunche Study fund was last used in 2018 but only had a remainder of $329. On the other hand, the Government Complex Study fund was last used in 2008 and had $15,117 left over. The Board happily voted to return the unspent money back into the capital improvement fund.
The major news of the evening was Dr. Young's presentation on the Courthouse. As previously discussed at length by many of the workers in the Courthouse, it is in disrepair and there is a great need to either replace it or repair it. Dr. Young presented three different options for a potential solution. The first option was to build a new building next to the Sheriff's Office at an expense of about $30 million. The second option was to refurbish the Old Middle School at a cost of about $31 million. But it was his third option to reuse existing buildings at a cost of about $34 million, that he focused on.
While the details are still in flux and the Supervisors will later hear from architects, the end result Dr. Young presented was to move the Circuit Court to the Revercomb Building, keep the General District and Juvenile Courts in the Old Courthouse, and move the County Offices to the Old Middle School. In addition to the County employees moving to the Old Middle School off Dahlgren Road, he also proposed moving the School Board Offices and the Pre-School there as well. This would leave the current School Board Office, or the Old King George Elementary School, off St. Anthony's Road vacant.
Dr. Young said he had preliminary discussions with Dr. Benson but that nothing was set in stone and that this was his theory on how to best use existing space. While he admitted it would cost a little more to use this option, it provided for a better solution for the needs of the Courts. Additionally, it would allow them to expand in twenty to forty years off the Revercomb Building if the need arose. And if expansion was necessary, it would cost less than adding another brand new building.
There were a lot of questions the Supervisors had and they were all valid. From the security needs of Court employees to the security needs of the Pre-School students. From room for parking at the Revercomb building to potential future expansion at the Old Middle School. But in the end, even without having answers to all of the questions posed, this felt like a good plan. It may not be perfect and there are certainly wrinkles to iron out. However, if followed, it would leave the County with fewer abandoned assets to maintain and allow for future expansion needs, all while costing only slightly more than a brand new Courthouse building that would only be used by the Courts. As someone with a heavy interest in history, I felt relieved that it gave the County an option to use historical buildings without tearing them down.
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