by Neil Richard
The King George County Board of Supervisors opened their meeting at 8:02 pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment opened with Phyllis Cook stating she had lived in King George going on 34 years. She said she joined the Ralph Bunch Alumni Association (RBAA) as a lifetime member and eventually became an officer. She said she was invited to serve as a member of the Ralph Bunch Arts and Humanities Center (RBAHC) and that the Board heard from her at the last meeting but she had more to say. She said the Alumni Association wanted to believe in Marsha Stonehill's project to uplift Ralph Bunche and to tell the County's role in desegregation. Cook said that many factors went into the Alumni Association's increasing doubts and that forward progress was never made. She said the unauthorized removal of school plans was the final straw and provoked some to voice their concerns. Cook said the proposal looks very different than it is now and that the Alumni Association withdrew their letter of support after a vote of no confidence. Cook emphasized that it means the Alumni Association has no confidence in the proposal's success. Cook added that the University of Mary Washington also withdrew their letter of support but continues to support RBAA. She said the $2.5 million dollar pledge from Green Coal Solutions is highly unlikely since the company is not in business anymore and the co-owner that serves on the Arts and Humanities Board has never attended a meeting. Cook added that three other individuals quit the Arts and Humanities Board and that just making up a name and registering it doesn't make it happen. Cook said there is no timeline, no future operating costs, and no viability after the project is finished. She also urged the County to reflect on past mistakes. Cook said that the land giveaway with ProjectFAITH and the hundreds of thousands given to Virginia Broadband were prime examples. She said they have big ideas and hope for the best but it must thoroughly be planned and not be a waste of time and money. She said the current proposal is not the one that Dr. Young submitted for approval. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association and is a Board member of the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center.]
Next to speak was Perry Scranage who said he was not only a lifetime member of the RBAA but also a part of the history. Scranage said that in 1965 he was part of the transition of students that went to King George High School as part of desegregation. He said the alumni want to have a place to call home for memories of Ralph Bunche and that a lot of alumni have departed their life. He was just echoing what was just said about the lack of confidence and that they wanted a developer to create a dynasty or a museum for their culture in King George. Scranage said he lived here his whole life except for four years when he served in the military in Vietnam. He said he worked on base, owns land here, and is begging the Supervisors to make a decision that will create something to be proud of.
Next was Otis Penn. He said he came to let them know that he had a few words to say about the project. He then repeated "funds availability, memorandum of understanding, capital improvement, and county budget." He said he sat through several meetings when Wiley Wilson gave their report in 2017 and Echelon after that. Penn said that based on what he saw, there were a lot of good ideas that came before the Board.
Mark McDowney was next to speak and said he started at Ralph Bunche in 1959. He said he went to school there until integration and that he had a lot of memories. He said they played games, had May Day activities, and that the teachers meant a lot to the students. He said that even the older students were important to him. McDowney said that even though he graduated from King George he always says he got his start at Ralph Bunche. He said the school means an awful lot to him and that there's no other place he can show his kids. He also said he was an electrician and that the Board could call him day or night and he would do anything to help with the school.
Ernestine Jefferson was next to speak saying that in her five years as President of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association, she always prefaced her remarks by saying she was a landowner and tax payer. She said she sat through the last meeting and heard that the Board didn't want to take tax dollars. Jefferson said that the majority of people involved with RBAA are land owners and tax payers in the County and even shop here and vote here. She said the members that live in Maryland shop here, eat here, get gas here, and help the economy in King George. She said when the Supervisors talk about tax dollars, some of the people have a vested interest. She said that she knows it is County property and a County building and that the Alumni Association doesn't own it. Jefferson said that RBAA worked with the School Board to give the building to the County and that when the alumni were offered ownership of the building they declined because they never wanted it. She said they don't want the building torn down, they just want a space to memorialize the school as it was. She said the mention of a power struggle between two non-profits over a County building is not true. She said the RBAA does not own Ralph Bunche but they do have a vested interest. Jefferson said they had no heat, hand-me-down books and instruments, and everything else King George didn't want. She said they got all of that and thrived. She said the alumni are stakeholders and that the nonprofits are not fighting over County property. She said she had personally donated $2,700 to Ralph Bunche for scholarships for King George students. She said money was raised to build a museum. Jefferson again said there was no power struggle. She said they had a meeting with Stonehill and it ended up being a business plan and proposal and there was skepticism about it. She said even though she was skeptical about the plan, she was on board because Green Coal Solutions was there with $2.5 million. She said she doesn't have any partiality to what goes in the building, just to not tear it down. She said she hasn't seen the $2.5 million and doesn't have 6 years to wait for the project to be funded. Jefferson said they needed an established developer with money up front that can put shovel to dirt and hammer to nail. She said it's been going on for 22 years and doesn't know of any other project that's been going on so long. She said you can't unring the bell and was asking the Supervisors to vote no on the Letter of Intent.
Pat Simone was next to speak saying that she first got interested in Ralph Bunche when she heard the presentation by the University of Mary Washington where they unveiled the panels that are now on the Dahlgren Campus. She said the video was good and felt it was the Supervisors responsibility to consider the integrity and accomplishments of those working on Ralph Bunche. She said they've worked hard and want to preserve the history and legacy.
Claudette Jordon, President of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association, was next to speak. She said she's in King George two or three times per week and said that everything said tonight was heartfelt. She said there was no power struggle and it was all about the legacy and integrity of Ralph Bunche. Jordon said the jails and fire and rescue stuff didn't give King George the national claim that Ralph Bunche did. She said the state of Virginia and the nation recognizes that and the Alumni Association also has supporters in other countries because they understand it too. Although Jordon never mentioned the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center by name in her comments, she said she meant no disrespect to "Stonehill or those in her group." She said it's a wonderful concept but it's not ready to go. She said the County owns the property but it doesn't own the blood, sweat, tears, and souls that put together Ralph Bunche. Jordon said the alumni went to Ralph Bunche but the association is multicultural. She said 73 years ago it took a lawsuit to make things proper and equal but it still hasn't happened yet. She said it takes compassion and common decency and so she didn't think it was that critical to sign the Letter of Intent tonight. Jordon said the Alumni Association is just asking for some leeway to go back to the drawing board to find a developer with the money and experience. She asked the Supervisors to table the decision for 90 days and asked to be included in the process. She said a lot of things should be in the Request For Proposal (RFP) like experience and funds. Jordon said Ralph Bunche was in a crisis and gave an analogy of it being like a heart patient. She asked if an inexperienced heart surgeon should do the surgery or if an experienced one should. She again asked to be given a chance. Jordon concluded that Jeff Bueche asked her two weeks ago what she wanted and she said to win the lottery and solve it all. Instead she asked again for 90 days and said that she had been contacted by people with ideas and funds.
Jim Lynch was next to speak saying that later in the evening there would be a presentation about an event on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT). He said there was a number of other activities taking place on the trail as well. Lynch said a group recently produced a video about biking the length of the trail. He said there was also an event with Dr. Neiman Young for County employees. His phone alarm went off and he said his three minutes were up much to the amusement of the audience. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]
A letter from Lester Harvey was read by Cathy Binder. Harvey said he regretted he could not attend the meeting but wanted to share his support for Marsha Stonehill and the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center. He said he is not a member of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association but was a former Ralph Bunche student and supported the school's preservation.
John Jenkins opened his board report by thanking Lynch for his non-Ralph Bunche comments. He immediately apologized for making a terrible joke. Jenkins then wanted to recognize his father, a King George resident, for competing in the International Power Lifting competition in Tokyo. He said not only did his father qualify to compete in the Masters Division but he also won. He said he was super proud of his father and not just because he can out bench him at the age of 61. Jenkins said he was proud of the hard work he put into the process and that he was very determined. Jenkins said his father did it all on his own with maybe a little help from his mother yelling at him.
Richard Granger thanked everyone for coming out to speak and thanked Marsha Stonehill and Julie Chatman and other for meeting with him. He said Ralph Bunche was an important topic. He clarified that it was not a six year plan but a 3 year plan in the Letter of Intent with benchmarks every year. Granger said that if the Arts and Humanities Center does not meet those benchmarks then the deal falls through. He also clarified that the land would not be handed over until the end, not at the start. He said that has been problematic in the past. Granger said he would love to have someone bring a shovel and hammer but there was only one response to the County's RFP. He said he put his faith in Dr. Young and the County staff and that if they didn't believe it would be successful, they would not have brought it to the Supervisors. He said he heard everyone say there's no animosity between the groups. Granger ended his comments by saying he attended a meeting on the 13th and the King George Education Foundation Evening of Excellence on the 14th. He thanked the schools for all that they do.
Cathy Binder said she was on the Education Foundation but wasn't able to attend. She said a lot of the people that won awards had an impact on the lives of her kids. She wanted to point out Katina Wynes for her work in the humanities. Binder also went to the Small Business Appreciation Dinner where she talked to the owner of Tink's Catering who found her new calling in doing catering work. She said that Wynes worked with the Opp Shop to get clothes for her school products and then returned them. She said memories were important and that only two high schools are named after Ralph Bunche in the United States, one in King George and one in Oakland, California. She said the stories are important and the wished she could tie all three museums together to tell the whole story of the County. She said we need to think about saving Ralph Bunche. She circled back to Jordon's heart patient analogy and closed out her comments by saying the patient could die in 90 days.
Ruby Brabo met with Jay Jarrell on the 9th about a public-private partnership for capital infrastructure needs. On the 13th she went to the Central Park Insurance ribbon cutting and on the 15th went to the Small Business Appreciation Dinner. She also attended the Spotsylvania Hospital meeting and the County employee running event on the DRHT. Brabo said she ran the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon with Ainsely's Angels and attended GWRC and FAMPO meetings on the 20th. On the 21st she attended the COMREL meeting and a White House conference call. She also mentioned that the Mary Washington Healthcare system signed a lease with Jessica Herrink at the Journal Office Building for an urgent care center that will open in June. Brabo then appointed Amberleigh Scheungrab to the Economic Development Authority. The Board approved.
Jeff Bueche thanked everyone who came out to speak. He said it's always a hot topic and that he gave public comment before he was elected. He said there are a lot of things to do in the County with taxpayer dollars and that he isn't opposed to the County paying for Ralph Bunche but only if there's money for it. He said he didn't want to continue to go through cycles every three or four years where developers come in and deals fall through like Echelon. Bueche said the building is just sitting there decaying and we should maintain it as long as the County owns it. He suggested that maybe the County should look into why there are broken windows on a County building and that he looked forward to the discussion later in the evening.
Bueche continued his report by saying that Public Comment didn't happen until 8:15 pm and he felt citizens should be afforded the opportunity to talk to the Supervisors at a reasonable hour. He said he did appreciate the thoroughness of the Service Authority, especially after what they inherited. Bueche said they are doing a phenomenal job and that's he glad it's not the short five minute meetings that it used to be years ago. He suggested flipping the meetings so the Supervisors would meet first followed by the Service Authority so that citizens could talk to elected officials at a reasonable hour. Bueche said it wasn't an effort to be self-serving but rather to serve the citizens. He asked his peers to take it into consideration and that he wasn't asking for a decision tonight. Brabo interrupted and said the Bylaws say they meet until midnight. She then suggested the citizens may appreciate earlier meetings like some surrounding counties. Jenkins said he disagreed that earlier meetings may not appeal to citizens who may be working. Brabo said she thought the reason the meetings went so late was because of the variety of issues that come before the Board. She also said she had not heard a citizen complain about how late the meetings are. She said citizens now have the convenience of attending meetings online and submitting public comment via email. Brabo said there was no disenfranchising and that when she held Town Halls, residents said a later start time was better for them. Bueche then tried to explain himself again by saying the Service Authority and the Supervisors swap meeting times since most people don't attend the meetings to hear the Service Authority. Jenkins suggested taking the discussion offline. Brabo then said it was an offline discussion and that they had already voted on the calendar for meeting dates. She said if Bueche wanted to change it in January, that's when it needs to be done as she had told him many times before. She chided Bueche for continuing to bring the topic up. Bueche said he did continue to bring the topic up because the meetings are going longer and longer. Brabo responded "because of things like this." Jenkins said "let's move on please." Although Brabo didn't speak into the microphone, it was audible to the audience when she said "somebody act as Chair." With a bit of a gasp from the audience, Bueche looked at her like a child acting up and said "Really?" Brabo looked at him and said "Really." This was not the first time Bueche and Brabo sparred at Supervisors but Bueche held his composure this time and remained professional.
Bueche continued his report by saying that he appreciated everyone's enthusiasm over the employees running on the DRHT but that he wouldn't be participating. He congratulated everyone that did it. He then thanked the Education Foundation for their hard work. Bueche said he attended a meeting on the 15th with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the National Park Service regarding the Nice Bridge project. Bueche then appointed Christina Buck to the 2020 Census committee and the Board approved.
While the Consent Agenda is normally approved without any discussion there was some cross-talk and discussion about the Consent Agenda and the Meeting Minutes. In the end, the Consent Agenda was approved without the Meeting Minutes and then the Meeting Minutes were approved with the amendment that they reflected that all the Supervisors voted for the Resolution.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, gave an update on the Mallows Bay action from a previous meeting. Gregory said the Supervisors submitted comments on the proposed marine sanctuary in Mallows Bay, the home of many scuttled ships. He said there are several options in the proposal but namely there are three main options for the sanctuary size; 100 miles, 50 miles, or 18 miles. He said the Supervisors had expressed their concern over the size of the proposed designation and that a 50 mile or 100 mile option would impact the Dahlgren firing range in the Potomac River. He said the comments were in opposition to the larger footprint. Gregory said that while he could not commit to where the process will wind up, he felt confident that the 18 mile option was the most likely choice.
Next was a presentation by Jim Lynch and Chris Chalkey about the Sheetz to Sheetz run on the DRHT. Lynch went to the podium and said he was only there to introduce Chris. Chalkey then gave a presentation on the Sheetz to Sheetz event held a few months ago. He said it began at the Sheetz across from King George Middle School, went down Route 3 (Kings Highway) then Comorn Road before getting onto the DRHT. From there the runners took the trail all the way to the Dahlgren Sheetz just across from the base's B-Gate. He said this was a charity event that had no registration fee and no awards but instead was designed to raise money and awareness for Ainsely's Angels. Ainsely's Angels is a group that allowed athletes with disabilities to be included in running events. Volunteers will push a chariot with a rider at road races but this was the first time an event was held on a trail. Chalkey said there were 24 runners at last year's event and over 60 this year. He said enough money was raised this year to equip another chariot with special tires designed for trails. Chalkey said local resident and runner Michelle Tritt is the head of the Fredericksburg Chapter of Ainsely's Angels and it is one of the fastest growing in the country. Chalkey also went through the survey results from the event and said that the runners enjoyed not just the event but also the trail itself. He said they want to expend the event next year but keep the small town feel. He also said the Ainsely's Angels will be tackling a new event, an obstacle course race, this summer with Hunter Pitts as the star athlete. Chalkey thanked Dr. Cottrell for supplying shuttle buses for the runners, the Friends of DRHT for their support on the trail, and the Sheriff's Office for their help on the road.
Todd Gordon from the Berkley Group was next to present to the Supervisors. He shared a Fiscal Impact Profile presentation which essentially took all the variables involved in a development and calculated the fiscal impact. Although each project is different, he said this was using the base data available to come up with a template for the County to use. To make things a little easier to understand, he gave two different examples to illustrate his point. His first scenario was a residential subdivision with 100 homes, 251 residents, and 43 students. He said that based on those figures, the County would realize over $293,000 in revenue yet have over $417,000 in expenses. In other words, the County would lose about $124,000, namely because of the service it would need to provide such as teachers and police officers. In his second scenario, he had a commercial shopping center with a main grocery store and eight other retailers. There was a mix of food, retail, and service companies and about 300 employees. With this scenario, he said the County would realize about $575,000 in revenue and have about $319,000 in expenses. This would net the County about $256,000 in income. Gordon said that the development industry has a general rule that building houses loses money for the locality but cautioned that every project is different and the variables are numerous. He said the model is made to assess future development applications which should have more concrete numbers that can be used. His alarm went off and he said his ten minutes were up.
Granger said he didn't have any questions but thanked him for his hard work and his warnings. He felt it would be a great tool that would allow the Supervisors to be more informed. Brabo said she reached out to Drew Williams, the COO of the Berkley Group and was glad to see the company come to present. Dr. Young said there was a flat fee to establish the profile and there would be an hourly cost to do any work on it after. Brabo said they may want to discuss the impact in the future but personally felt that every project was important enough to have a profile and felt it may be a good idea to put it into policy that each development have this profile included in their application. Bueche said there should be a threshold but concurred. He asked who would own the process and Dr. Young said he recommended that the County Administration should since there were a lot of departments involved. Bueche asked if the County would incur the cost or the developer and Young said he would rather take that question to the staff to see what they think. He also said it could be a good tool for future use but wanted to test it on existing projects first to see how it performs.
Next on the Agenda was an action item regarding the expansion of the Purkins Corner Convenience Center. Dr. Young began by saying that in 1993 the County executed an agreement with Waste Management. Jeff Jenkins, Director of Solid Waste and Recycling and no relation to Supervisor John Jenkins, said that the Purkins Corner Convenience Center would be expanded from Phase 1 to Phase 3 power which would help prolong the life of the trash compactors. He also said that by adding three compactors for trash and one for recycling will increase capacity. He said that drains would be installed under each compactor and that new lighting would be installed. Waste oil capacity would also be increased and a new trailer would be put in for the County employees. Best of all, Jenkins said that Waste Management would pay for these expenses as well as increase their contribution to the daily operating costs that would allow for two part time employees to be upgraded to full time. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Secretary of the Landfill Advisory Committee.]
Binder asked if there was a bin for metal there and if it would be bigger. Jenkins said that were two there already but an additional one just for metal wasn't part of the plan. Brabo asked if the expansion would allow residents to bring trailers to dump their trash. Jenkins said that two of the compactors can be made just for trailers but that the site still would not be able to take bulk items. He said that trailers of trash would be fine though. Dr. Young expanded on that by saying lanes would be expanded and that there can be a more deliberate plan for larger things like trailer. Jenkins added that Waste Management wanted a decision quickly so they could put it into their budget plan and start the expansion next year. Brabo said she was amenable as long as trailers were allowed. Granger agreed, especially with the drains. He felt there were enough benefits. Binder asked for more signs on what is acceptable as plastic in regards to recycling so citizens can understand what is and is not allowed. With that, the Board approved the expansion plan.
Next was Lavita Cobb from the Department of Finance who asked for approval to transfer funds from the King George Middle School Project contingency line to the King George County Middle School Construction project line. She said the transfer was for the track access road. The Board approved.
Next was Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, who asked the Board to approve the adoption of the budget by category for the FY2019-2020 King George Schools Operating Budget. Bueche asked about the debt transfer. There was some cross-talk discussion about the Honeywell program and whether it really saved the schools money or not before the Board approved.
Next on the Agenda was the topic of the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center (RBAHC) and the signing of the Letter of Intent. Brabo said she had questions regarding the Letter of Intent (LOI) and said she felt like she was always catching different aspects as they came. She said she noticed there was a clause under Number 2 that was related to the County not being liable for any damages to the developer's equipment but there was nothing about what happens if the developer damages County property. She also said under Number 3 that it doesn't define the property and that the only benchmarks were for fundraising, not for mold remediation or anything like that. She also said that under Number 6 there's a mention of a cost for the County but nothing says what that cost is. She said she felt remiss that she didn't catch these earlier but requested the County take a better look. She then asked why there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Echelon and an LOI with the RBAHC.
Dr. Young said there was no MOU with Echelon but rather a purchase agreement. He said the intent with RBAHC is to transfer ownership of the property if the project succeeds. Brabo said there were no benchmarks, just fundraising. She asked why there was no plan on what the first $2 million would be for. She said that caused her concern as the only benchmarks were for fundraising. She then asked why not give the Alumni Association three years.
The County attorney, Eric Gregory, said the transaction is staged. The first stage is the LOI. He said the next step was an option agreement that would have a deadline. During that time there would be more opportunities to assess the site and find out what exactly is needed and what terms each party would want for the option agreement. He said if that was successful, then there's also an option of a lease or lease-to-own for RBAHC. Bueche asked if the Supervisors would approve that option and Gregory said they would. He said the negotiation would be between the Supervisors and the Arts and Humanities Center so the LOI was not the end-all-be-all of an agreement.
Binder asked if the LOI could have a timeline of what was needed. She said the original three page agreement with Echelon showed that they wanted to charge the County for repairs. Gregory said it would be impossible to know what the expectation would be for the RBAHC as for their terms in an option agreement. Gregory said that would be negotiated during the period after the LOI was signed and before the option agreement was signed. He said the Arts and Humanities Center may have expectations and the County may need to do some things. Binder said that would be true with any developer and right now they're not asking for much, just an LOI. Brabo said the Supervisors wouldn't know until the option agreement stage.
Bueche said that if the Arts and Humanities Center is going to negotiate an option agreement with their developer and the County, the County may need to pay for some costs during that time frame. He said even with an LOI with the RBAHC, the Alumni Association could use that time to prepare a counter proposal with another developer since there is no contract. Gregory said the LOI is just that, an intent to negotiate. He said that if the two groups can't come to terms, then it's a no harm no foul scenario and both parties walk away. Gregory said there is no exclusivity clause so it's not exclusive to the Arts and Humanities Center.
Bueche said the LOI gives the RBAHC the ability to fund raise as a partner with the County and Gregory said he felt that was the intent of the RBAHC so they could approach potential donors and prove that it's a legitimate project. Gregory said it also gives RBAHC access to the facility for their developers and contractors.
Jenkins said he wasn't sure if there would be a motion or not later but felt it was an important issue for the County. He said he was very torn on what the correct decision would be tonight and that he had wrestled with himself and changed his mind twenty times today. He said the term 'no confidence' has been mentioned a lot and that he had confidence in the proposal. He said it's the most promising thing to date and that it would help the progress of Ralph Bunche greatly. He said that despite this, the Alumni Association are vested stakeholders and while they don't own the building, they represent Ralph Bunche. He said he thought it was a great deal but as a representative of the citizens who are part of the Alumni Association, he would have to vote nay.
Brabo said that during Public Comment, the School Board and Board of Supervisors were mentioned and their lack of maintenance. She said that the previous Supervisors promised they would maintain the building if they got the deed to it but that was the first year she was in office and they never kept that promise. She said that as she learned about the history of Ralph Bunche and the bravery of the parents involved, she had respect for those who lived it. Brabo said she had no understanding of segregation in that she never saw it or lived it but the alumni show up with a positive attitude and want to preserve it. She said she has a lot of issues with the LOI and no matter how people feel to either move forward or table it, she had to agree with Jenkins. Brabo said that the Stonehills have done a great job with the marina but Phyllis Cook reminded her that Joe Grzeika was touted for his ingenuity for the broadband deal that ended with six years of litigation and thousands of dollars spent. She said she herself jumped on board with the Project Faith project and she said she learned her lesson to be more cautious with an idea. She said if nothing else, the LOI should have the issues and concerns addressed.
Gregory said the LOI is binding that the two parties negotiate and if unsuccessful, they walk away. Binder said that she had to add her 70 cents. She said she felt like the County may have jumped too soon at an idea with a developer but maybe if the LOI gets approved the Arts and Humanities Center can do their fundraising. She said that during the same time the Alumni Association could look for a developer as well but that waiting for a miracle from heaven doesn't help preserve the story of Ralph Bunche.
Bueche said that there's no transfer of property like with Project Faith or Echelon and that the LOI is a way forward. He reaffirmed that if the benchmarks were not met, then it's null and void. He also said that in negotiations, new timeline goals can be set. Bueche said he didn't want to just write off an idea because there's no faith in the project when there was faith before. He said that the staff reviewed and approved the plan and that told him the subject matter experts approved it. Brabo again said the expenses are legally binding but not specified. Bueche said he talked to Dr. Young about that and Young said he was not an attorney but from his reading of the paragraph in question it simply meant that each party was responsible for their own expenses. Brabo asked again what costs and Gregory clarified again that the LOI is legally binding to negotiate. He said that it wasn't a contract where a product was being conveyed and that during the negotiation process each party may incur costs. He said, as an example, that the Arts and Humanities Center may hire consultants or engineers or architects but those expenses were their responsibility. Gregory said that if RBAHC hired somebody, RBAHC would have to pay them, not the County. He said that if the County hired somebody to do something, then the County would have to pay for them, not RBAHC. He said it was up to each party what to do and that the LOI was inherently vague because it's not a full-blown contract.
Brabo said that Echelon didn't drop out of the sky and that the Supervisors and Dr. Young recognized them as a potential developer. She said the Echelon project in Culpeper that started at the same time they were dealing with King George was completed. She said they have a proven track record but it just didn't work out for us.
With the discussion over, Binder made a motion to approve the Letter of Intent between King George County and the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center. With Jenkins and Brabo casting the only nay votes, the LOI was approved.
Next to the podium was Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development. He presented a brief overview of the finalized Economic Development Strategic Plan and asked for the Supervisors to approve it to go to print. Brabo asked if the business in the image on page 11 was still in business and if not they should use a different picture. She then noted a lot of typo errors and that on page 12 it talked about 'stunt commuting to Dahlgren.' Gandy said that was the wording the Supervisors previously approved. Brabo said she knew that but they have a lot to read and don't always catch everything. Jenkins suggested changing it to "mitigate commuting" instead and the Board agreed. After reading a long list of other formatting errors, Brabo said she would email them to Gandy. Young said there may have been some issues when scanning the document for the Board packet. The Board then approved the printing of the plan.
Gandy then presented an even shorter version of the Small Business Incentive Plan that he previously presented to the Service Authority Board of Directors. After some discussion among the Supervisors, they agreed to meet earlier in the evening on June 20th.
Dr. Young, County Administrator, then gave a very short update asking the Supervisors to approve the date for the County employee picnic. With the date approved, the Supervisors went into Closed Session at 10:20 pm with Young and Gregory attending.
The Supervisors returned from Closed Session at 10:37 pm.
Bueche then read a statement related to the Nice Bridge replacement project and that it was progressing. He said the County has been working to replace the property that would be lost at Wayside Park and the County now feels as though a reasonable replacement has been found. He said that he would like the County Administrator and County Attorney to take action on the transaction without untimely delay. The Board approved.
The meeting adjourned at 10:39 pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on June 4, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The King George County Board of Supervisors opened their meeting at 8:02 pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Public Comment opened with Phyllis Cook stating she had lived in King George going on 34 years. She said she joined the Ralph Bunch Alumni Association (RBAA) as a lifetime member and eventually became an officer. She said she was invited to serve as a member of the Ralph Bunch Arts and Humanities Center (RBAHC) and that the Board heard from her at the last meeting but she had more to say. She said the Alumni Association wanted to believe in Marsha Stonehill's project to uplift Ralph Bunche and to tell the County's role in desegregation. Cook said that many factors went into the Alumni Association's increasing doubts and that forward progress was never made. She said the unauthorized removal of school plans was the final straw and provoked some to voice their concerns. Cook said the proposal looks very different than it is now and that the Alumni Association withdrew their letter of support after a vote of no confidence. Cook emphasized that it means the Alumni Association has no confidence in the proposal's success. Cook added that the University of Mary Washington also withdrew their letter of support but continues to support RBAA. She said the $2.5 million dollar pledge from Green Coal Solutions is highly unlikely since the company is not in business anymore and the co-owner that serves on the Arts and Humanities Board has never attended a meeting. Cook added that three other individuals quit the Arts and Humanities Board and that just making up a name and registering it doesn't make it happen. Cook said there is no timeline, no future operating costs, and no viability after the project is finished. She also urged the County to reflect on past mistakes. Cook said that the land giveaway with ProjectFAITH and the hundreds of thousands given to Virginia Broadband were prime examples. She said they have big ideas and hope for the best but it must thoroughly be planned and not be a waste of time and money. She said the current proposal is not the one that Dr. Young submitted for approval. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association and is a Board member of the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center.]
Next to speak was Perry Scranage who said he was not only a lifetime member of the RBAA but also a part of the history. Scranage said that in 1965 he was part of the transition of students that went to King George High School as part of desegregation. He said the alumni want to have a place to call home for memories of Ralph Bunche and that a lot of alumni have departed their life. He was just echoing what was just said about the lack of confidence and that they wanted a developer to create a dynasty or a museum for their culture in King George. Scranage said he lived here his whole life except for four years when he served in the military in Vietnam. He said he worked on base, owns land here, and is begging the Supervisors to make a decision that will create something to be proud of.
Next was Otis Penn. He said he came to let them know that he had a few words to say about the project. He then repeated "funds availability, memorandum of understanding, capital improvement, and county budget." He said he sat through several meetings when Wiley Wilson gave their report in 2017 and Echelon after that. Penn said that based on what he saw, there were a lot of good ideas that came before the Board.
Mark McDowney was next to speak and said he started at Ralph Bunche in 1959. He said he went to school there until integration and that he had a lot of memories. He said they played games, had May Day activities, and that the teachers meant a lot to the students. He said that even the older students were important to him. McDowney said that even though he graduated from King George he always says he got his start at Ralph Bunche. He said the school means an awful lot to him and that there's no other place he can show his kids. He also said he was an electrician and that the Board could call him day or night and he would do anything to help with the school.
Ernestine Jefferson was next to speak saying that in her five years as President of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association, she always prefaced her remarks by saying she was a landowner and tax payer. She said she sat through the last meeting and heard that the Board didn't want to take tax dollars. Jefferson said that the majority of people involved with RBAA are land owners and tax payers in the County and even shop here and vote here. She said the members that live in Maryland shop here, eat here, get gas here, and help the economy in King George. She said when the Supervisors talk about tax dollars, some of the people have a vested interest. She said that she knows it is County property and a County building and that the Alumni Association doesn't own it. Jefferson said that RBAA worked with the School Board to give the building to the County and that when the alumni were offered ownership of the building they declined because they never wanted it. She said they don't want the building torn down, they just want a space to memorialize the school as it was. She said the mention of a power struggle between two non-profits over a County building is not true. She said the RBAA does not own Ralph Bunche but they do have a vested interest. Jefferson said they had no heat, hand-me-down books and instruments, and everything else King George didn't want. She said they got all of that and thrived. She said the alumni are stakeholders and that the nonprofits are not fighting over County property. She said she had personally donated $2,700 to Ralph Bunche for scholarships for King George students. She said money was raised to build a museum. Jefferson again said there was no power struggle. She said they had a meeting with Stonehill and it ended up being a business plan and proposal and there was skepticism about it. She said even though she was skeptical about the plan, she was on board because Green Coal Solutions was there with $2.5 million. She said she doesn't have any partiality to what goes in the building, just to not tear it down. She said she hasn't seen the $2.5 million and doesn't have 6 years to wait for the project to be funded. Jefferson said they needed an established developer with money up front that can put shovel to dirt and hammer to nail. She said it's been going on for 22 years and doesn't know of any other project that's been going on so long. She said you can't unring the bell and was asking the Supervisors to vote no on the Letter of Intent.
Pat Simone was next to speak saying that she first got interested in Ralph Bunche when she heard the presentation by the University of Mary Washington where they unveiled the panels that are now on the Dahlgren Campus. She said the video was good and felt it was the Supervisors responsibility to consider the integrity and accomplishments of those working on Ralph Bunche. She said they've worked hard and want to preserve the history and legacy.
Claudette Jordon, President of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association, was next to speak. She said she's in King George two or three times per week and said that everything said tonight was heartfelt. She said there was no power struggle and it was all about the legacy and integrity of Ralph Bunche. Jordon said the jails and fire and rescue stuff didn't give King George the national claim that Ralph Bunche did. She said the state of Virginia and the nation recognizes that and the Alumni Association also has supporters in other countries because they understand it too. Although Jordon never mentioned the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center by name in her comments, she said she meant no disrespect to "Stonehill or those in her group." She said it's a wonderful concept but it's not ready to go. She said the County owns the property but it doesn't own the blood, sweat, tears, and souls that put together Ralph Bunche. Jordon said the alumni went to Ralph Bunche but the association is multicultural. She said 73 years ago it took a lawsuit to make things proper and equal but it still hasn't happened yet. She said it takes compassion and common decency and so she didn't think it was that critical to sign the Letter of Intent tonight. Jordon said the Alumni Association is just asking for some leeway to go back to the drawing board to find a developer with the money and experience. She asked the Supervisors to table the decision for 90 days and asked to be included in the process. She said a lot of things should be in the Request For Proposal (RFP) like experience and funds. Jordon said Ralph Bunche was in a crisis and gave an analogy of it being like a heart patient. She asked if an inexperienced heart surgeon should do the surgery or if an experienced one should. She again asked to be given a chance. Jordon concluded that Jeff Bueche asked her two weeks ago what she wanted and she said to win the lottery and solve it all. Instead she asked again for 90 days and said that she had been contacted by people with ideas and funds.
Jim Lynch was next to speak saying that later in the evening there would be a presentation about an event on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT). He said there was a number of other activities taking place on the trail as well. Lynch said a group recently produced a video about biking the length of the trail. He said there was also an event with Dr. Neiman Young for County employees. His phone alarm went off and he said his three minutes were up much to the amusement of the audience. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]
A letter from Lester Harvey was read by Cathy Binder. Harvey said he regretted he could not attend the meeting but wanted to share his support for Marsha Stonehill and the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center. He said he is not a member of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association but was a former Ralph Bunche student and supported the school's preservation.
John Jenkins opened his board report by thanking Lynch for his non-Ralph Bunche comments. He immediately apologized for making a terrible joke. Jenkins then wanted to recognize his father, a King George resident, for competing in the International Power Lifting competition in Tokyo. He said not only did his father qualify to compete in the Masters Division but he also won. He said he was super proud of his father and not just because he can out bench him at the age of 61. Jenkins said he was proud of the hard work he put into the process and that he was very determined. Jenkins said his father did it all on his own with maybe a little help from his mother yelling at him.
Richard Granger thanked everyone for coming out to speak and thanked Marsha Stonehill and Julie Chatman and other for meeting with him. He said Ralph Bunche was an important topic. He clarified that it was not a six year plan but a 3 year plan in the Letter of Intent with benchmarks every year. Granger said that if the Arts and Humanities Center does not meet those benchmarks then the deal falls through. He also clarified that the land would not be handed over until the end, not at the start. He said that has been problematic in the past. Granger said he would love to have someone bring a shovel and hammer but there was only one response to the County's RFP. He said he put his faith in Dr. Young and the County staff and that if they didn't believe it would be successful, they would not have brought it to the Supervisors. He said he heard everyone say there's no animosity between the groups. Granger ended his comments by saying he attended a meeting on the 13th and the King George Education Foundation Evening of Excellence on the 14th. He thanked the schools for all that they do.
Cathy Binder said she was on the Education Foundation but wasn't able to attend. She said a lot of the people that won awards had an impact on the lives of her kids. She wanted to point out Katina Wynes for her work in the humanities. Binder also went to the Small Business Appreciation Dinner where she talked to the owner of Tink's Catering who found her new calling in doing catering work. She said that Wynes worked with the Opp Shop to get clothes for her school products and then returned them. She said memories were important and that only two high schools are named after Ralph Bunche in the United States, one in King George and one in Oakland, California. She said the stories are important and the wished she could tie all three museums together to tell the whole story of the County. She said we need to think about saving Ralph Bunche. She circled back to Jordon's heart patient analogy and closed out her comments by saying the patient could die in 90 days.
Ruby Brabo met with Jay Jarrell on the 9th about a public-private partnership for capital infrastructure needs. On the 13th she went to the Central Park Insurance ribbon cutting and on the 15th went to the Small Business Appreciation Dinner. She also attended the Spotsylvania Hospital meeting and the County employee running event on the DRHT. Brabo said she ran the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon with Ainsely's Angels and attended GWRC and FAMPO meetings on the 20th. On the 21st she attended the COMREL meeting and a White House conference call. She also mentioned that the Mary Washington Healthcare system signed a lease with Jessica Herrink at the Journal Office Building for an urgent care center that will open in June. Brabo then appointed Amberleigh Scheungrab to the Economic Development Authority. The Board approved.
Jeff Bueche thanked everyone who came out to speak. He said it's always a hot topic and that he gave public comment before he was elected. He said there are a lot of things to do in the County with taxpayer dollars and that he isn't opposed to the County paying for Ralph Bunche but only if there's money for it. He said he didn't want to continue to go through cycles every three or four years where developers come in and deals fall through like Echelon. Bueche said the building is just sitting there decaying and we should maintain it as long as the County owns it. He suggested that maybe the County should look into why there are broken windows on a County building and that he looked forward to the discussion later in the evening.
Bueche continued his report by saying that Public Comment didn't happen until 8:15 pm and he felt citizens should be afforded the opportunity to talk to the Supervisors at a reasonable hour. He said he did appreciate the thoroughness of the Service Authority, especially after what they inherited. Bueche said they are doing a phenomenal job and that's he glad it's not the short five minute meetings that it used to be years ago. He suggested flipping the meetings so the Supervisors would meet first followed by the Service Authority so that citizens could talk to elected officials at a reasonable hour. Bueche said it wasn't an effort to be self-serving but rather to serve the citizens. He asked his peers to take it into consideration and that he wasn't asking for a decision tonight. Brabo interrupted and said the Bylaws say they meet until midnight. She then suggested the citizens may appreciate earlier meetings like some surrounding counties. Jenkins said he disagreed that earlier meetings may not appeal to citizens who may be working. Brabo said she thought the reason the meetings went so late was because of the variety of issues that come before the Board. She also said she had not heard a citizen complain about how late the meetings are. She said citizens now have the convenience of attending meetings online and submitting public comment via email. Brabo said there was no disenfranchising and that when she held Town Halls, residents said a later start time was better for them. Bueche then tried to explain himself again by saying the Service Authority and the Supervisors swap meeting times since most people don't attend the meetings to hear the Service Authority. Jenkins suggested taking the discussion offline. Brabo then said it was an offline discussion and that they had already voted on the calendar for meeting dates. She said if Bueche wanted to change it in January, that's when it needs to be done as she had told him many times before. She chided Bueche for continuing to bring the topic up. Bueche said he did continue to bring the topic up because the meetings are going longer and longer. Brabo responded "because of things like this." Jenkins said "let's move on please." Although Brabo didn't speak into the microphone, it was audible to the audience when she said "somebody act as Chair." With a bit of a gasp from the audience, Bueche looked at her like a child acting up and said "Really?" Brabo looked at him and said "Really." This was not the first time Bueche and Brabo sparred at Supervisors but Bueche held his composure this time and remained professional.
Bueche continued his report by saying that he appreciated everyone's enthusiasm over the employees running on the DRHT but that he wouldn't be participating. He congratulated everyone that did it. He then thanked the Education Foundation for their hard work. Bueche said he attended a meeting on the 15th with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the National Park Service regarding the Nice Bridge project. Bueche then appointed Christina Buck to the 2020 Census committee and the Board approved.
While the Consent Agenda is normally approved without any discussion there was some cross-talk and discussion about the Consent Agenda and the Meeting Minutes. In the end, the Consent Agenda was approved without the Meeting Minutes and then the Meeting Minutes were approved with the amendment that they reflected that all the Supervisors voted for the Resolution.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, gave an update on the Mallows Bay action from a previous meeting. Gregory said the Supervisors submitted comments on the proposed marine sanctuary in Mallows Bay, the home of many scuttled ships. He said there are several options in the proposal but namely there are three main options for the sanctuary size; 100 miles, 50 miles, or 18 miles. He said the Supervisors had expressed their concern over the size of the proposed designation and that a 50 mile or 100 mile option would impact the Dahlgren firing range in the Potomac River. He said the comments were in opposition to the larger footprint. Gregory said that while he could not commit to where the process will wind up, he felt confident that the 18 mile option was the most likely choice.
Next was a presentation by Jim Lynch and Chris Chalkey about the Sheetz to Sheetz run on the DRHT. Lynch went to the podium and said he was only there to introduce Chris. Chalkey then gave a presentation on the Sheetz to Sheetz event held a few months ago. He said it began at the Sheetz across from King George Middle School, went down Route 3 (Kings Highway) then Comorn Road before getting onto the DRHT. From there the runners took the trail all the way to the Dahlgren Sheetz just across from the base's B-Gate. He said this was a charity event that had no registration fee and no awards but instead was designed to raise money and awareness for Ainsely's Angels. Ainsely's Angels is a group that allowed athletes with disabilities to be included in running events. Volunteers will push a chariot with a rider at road races but this was the first time an event was held on a trail. Chalkey said there were 24 runners at last year's event and over 60 this year. He said enough money was raised this year to equip another chariot with special tires designed for trails. Chalkey said local resident and runner Michelle Tritt is the head of the Fredericksburg Chapter of Ainsely's Angels and it is one of the fastest growing in the country. Chalkey also went through the survey results from the event and said that the runners enjoyed not just the event but also the trail itself. He said they want to expend the event next year but keep the small town feel. He also said the Ainsely's Angels will be tackling a new event, an obstacle course race, this summer with Hunter Pitts as the star athlete. Chalkey thanked Dr. Cottrell for supplying shuttle buses for the runners, the Friends of DRHT for their support on the trail, and the Sheriff's Office for their help on the road.
Todd Gordon from the Berkley Group was next to present to the Supervisors. He shared a Fiscal Impact Profile presentation which essentially took all the variables involved in a development and calculated the fiscal impact. Although each project is different, he said this was using the base data available to come up with a template for the County to use. To make things a little easier to understand, he gave two different examples to illustrate his point. His first scenario was a residential subdivision with 100 homes, 251 residents, and 43 students. He said that based on those figures, the County would realize over $293,000 in revenue yet have over $417,000 in expenses. In other words, the County would lose about $124,000, namely because of the service it would need to provide such as teachers and police officers. In his second scenario, he had a commercial shopping center with a main grocery store and eight other retailers. There was a mix of food, retail, and service companies and about 300 employees. With this scenario, he said the County would realize about $575,000 in revenue and have about $319,000 in expenses. This would net the County about $256,000 in income. Gordon said that the development industry has a general rule that building houses loses money for the locality but cautioned that every project is different and the variables are numerous. He said the model is made to assess future development applications which should have more concrete numbers that can be used. His alarm went off and he said his ten minutes were up.
Granger said he didn't have any questions but thanked him for his hard work and his warnings. He felt it would be a great tool that would allow the Supervisors to be more informed. Brabo said she reached out to Drew Williams, the COO of the Berkley Group and was glad to see the company come to present. Dr. Young said there was a flat fee to establish the profile and there would be an hourly cost to do any work on it after. Brabo said they may want to discuss the impact in the future but personally felt that every project was important enough to have a profile and felt it may be a good idea to put it into policy that each development have this profile included in their application. Bueche said there should be a threshold but concurred. He asked who would own the process and Dr. Young said he recommended that the County Administration should since there were a lot of departments involved. Bueche asked if the County would incur the cost or the developer and Young said he would rather take that question to the staff to see what they think. He also said it could be a good tool for future use but wanted to test it on existing projects first to see how it performs.
Next on the Agenda was an action item regarding the expansion of the Purkins Corner Convenience Center. Dr. Young began by saying that in 1993 the County executed an agreement with Waste Management. Jeff Jenkins, Director of Solid Waste and Recycling and no relation to Supervisor John Jenkins, said that the Purkins Corner Convenience Center would be expanded from Phase 1 to Phase 3 power which would help prolong the life of the trash compactors. He also said that by adding three compactors for trash and one for recycling will increase capacity. He said that drains would be installed under each compactor and that new lighting would be installed. Waste oil capacity would also be increased and a new trailer would be put in for the County employees. Best of all, Jenkins said that Waste Management would pay for these expenses as well as increase their contribution to the daily operating costs that would allow for two part time employees to be upgraded to full time. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Secretary of the Landfill Advisory Committee.]
Binder asked if there was a bin for metal there and if it would be bigger. Jenkins said that were two there already but an additional one just for metal wasn't part of the plan. Brabo asked if the expansion would allow residents to bring trailers to dump their trash. Jenkins said that two of the compactors can be made just for trailers but that the site still would not be able to take bulk items. He said that trailers of trash would be fine though. Dr. Young expanded on that by saying lanes would be expanded and that there can be a more deliberate plan for larger things like trailer. Jenkins added that Waste Management wanted a decision quickly so they could put it into their budget plan and start the expansion next year. Brabo said she was amenable as long as trailers were allowed. Granger agreed, especially with the drains. He felt there were enough benefits. Binder asked for more signs on what is acceptable as plastic in regards to recycling so citizens can understand what is and is not allowed. With that, the Board approved the expansion plan.
Next was Lavita Cobb from the Department of Finance who asked for approval to transfer funds from the King George Middle School Project contingency line to the King George County Middle School Construction project line. She said the transfer was for the track access road. The Board approved.
Next was Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, who asked the Board to approve the adoption of the budget by category for the FY2019-2020 King George Schools Operating Budget. Bueche asked about the debt transfer. There was some cross-talk discussion about the Honeywell program and whether it really saved the schools money or not before the Board approved.
Next on the Agenda was the topic of the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center (RBAHC) and the signing of the Letter of Intent. Brabo said she had questions regarding the Letter of Intent (LOI) and said she felt like she was always catching different aspects as they came. She said she noticed there was a clause under Number 2 that was related to the County not being liable for any damages to the developer's equipment but there was nothing about what happens if the developer damages County property. She also said under Number 3 that it doesn't define the property and that the only benchmarks were for fundraising, not for mold remediation or anything like that. She also said that under Number 6 there's a mention of a cost for the County but nothing says what that cost is. She said she felt remiss that she didn't catch these earlier but requested the County take a better look. She then asked why there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Echelon and an LOI with the RBAHC.
Dr. Young said there was no MOU with Echelon but rather a purchase agreement. He said the intent with RBAHC is to transfer ownership of the property if the project succeeds. Brabo said there were no benchmarks, just fundraising. She asked why there was no plan on what the first $2 million would be for. She said that caused her concern as the only benchmarks were for fundraising. She then asked why not give the Alumni Association three years.
The County attorney, Eric Gregory, said the transaction is staged. The first stage is the LOI. He said the next step was an option agreement that would have a deadline. During that time there would be more opportunities to assess the site and find out what exactly is needed and what terms each party would want for the option agreement. He said if that was successful, then there's also an option of a lease or lease-to-own for RBAHC. Bueche asked if the Supervisors would approve that option and Gregory said they would. He said the negotiation would be between the Supervisors and the Arts and Humanities Center so the LOI was not the end-all-be-all of an agreement.
Binder asked if the LOI could have a timeline of what was needed. She said the original three page agreement with Echelon showed that they wanted to charge the County for repairs. Gregory said it would be impossible to know what the expectation would be for the RBAHC as for their terms in an option agreement. Gregory said that would be negotiated during the period after the LOI was signed and before the option agreement was signed. He said the Arts and Humanities Center may have expectations and the County may need to do some things. Binder said that would be true with any developer and right now they're not asking for much, just an LOI. Brabo said the Supervisors wouldn't know until the option agreement stage.
Bueche said that if the Arts and Humanities Center is going to negotiate an option agreement with their developer and the County, the County may need to pay for some costs during that time frame. He said even with an LOI with the RBAHC, the Alumni Association could use that time to prepare a counter proposal with another developer since there is no contract. Gregory said the LOI is just that, an intent to negotiate. He said that if the two groups can't come to terms, then it's a no harm no foul scenario and both parties walk away. Gregory said there is no exclusivity clause so it's not exclusive to the Arts and Humanities Center.
Bueche said the LOI gives the RBAHC the ability to fund raise as a partner with the County and Gregory said he felt that was the intent of the RBAHC so they could approach potential donors and prove that it's a legitimate project. Gregory said it also gives RBAHC access to the facility for their developers and contractors.
Jenkins said he wasn't sure if there would be a motion or not later but felt it was an important issue for the County. He said he was very torn on what the correct decision would be tonight and that he had wrestled with himself and changed his mind twenty times today. He said the term 'no confidence' has been mentioned a lot and that he had confidence in the proposal. He said it's the most promising thing to date and that it would help the progress of Ralph Bunche greatly. He said that despite this, the Alumni Association are vested stakeholders and while they don't own the building, they represent Ralph Bunche. He said he thought it was a great deal but as a representative of the citizens who are part of the Alumni Association, he would have to vote nay.
Brabo said that during Public Comment, the School Board and Board of Supervisors were mentioned and their lack of maintenance. She said that the previous Supervisors promised they would maintain the building if they got the deed to it but that was the first year she was in office and they never kept that promise. She said that as she learned about the history of Ralph Bunche and the bravery of the parents involved, she had respect for those who lived it. Brabo said she had no understanding of segregation in that she never saw it or lived it but the alumni show up with a positive attitude and want to preserve it. She said she has a lot of issues with the LOI and no matter how people feel to either move forward or table it, she had to agree with Jenkins. Brabo said that the Stonehills have done a great job with the marina but Phyllis Cook reminded her that Joe Grzeika was touted for his ingenuity for the broadband deal that ended with six years of litigation and thousands of dollars spent. She said she herself jumped on board with the Project Faith project and she said she learned her lesson to be more cautious with an idea. She said if nothing else, the LOI should have the issues and concerns addressed.
Gregory said the LOI is binding that the two parties negotiate and if unsuccessful, they walk away. Binder said that she had to add her 70 cents. She said she felt like the County may have jumped too soon at an idea with a developer but maybe if the LOI gets approved the Arts and Humanities Center can do their fundraising. She said that during the same time the Alumni Association could look for a developer as well but that waiting for a miracle from heaven doesn't help preserve the story of Ralph Bunche.
Bueche said that there's no transfer of property like with Project Faith or Echelon and that the LOI is a way forward. He reaffirmed that if the benchmarks were not met, then it's null and void. He also said that in negotiations, new timeline goals can be set. Bueche said he didn't want to just write off an idea because there's no faith in the project when there was faith before. He said that the staff reviewed and approved the plan and that told him the subject matter experts approved it. Brabo again said the expenses are legally binding but not specified. Bueche said he talked to Dr. Young about that and Young said he was not an attorney but from his reading of the paragraph in question it simply meant that each party was responsible for their own expenses. Brabo asked again what costs and Gregory clarified again that the LOI is legally binding to negotiate. He said that it wasn't a contract where a product was being conveyed and that during the negotiation process each party may incur costs. He said, as an example, that the Arts and Humanities Center may hire consultants or engineers or architects but those expenses were their responsibility. Gregory said that if RBAHC hired somebody, RBAHC would have to pay them, not the County. He said that if the County hired somebody to do something, then the County would have to pay for them, not RBAHC. He said it was up to each party what to do and that the LOI was inherently vague because it's not a full-blown contract.
Brabo said that Echelon didn't drop out of the sky and that the Supervisors and Dr. Young recognized them as a potential developer. She said the Echelon project in Culpeper that started at the same time they were dealing with King George was completed. She said they have a proven track record but it just didn't work out for us.
With the discussion over, Binder made a motion to approve the Letter of Intent between King George County and the Ralph Bunche Arts and Humanities Center. With Jenkins and Brabo casting the only nay votes, the LOI was approved.
Next to the podium was Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development. He presented a brief overview of the finalized Economic Development Strategic Plan and asked for the Supervisors to approve it to go to print. Brabo asked if the business in the image on page 11 was still in business and if not they should use a different picture. She then noted a lot of typo errors and that on page 12 it talked about 'stunt commuting to Dahlgren.' Gandy said that was the wording the Supervisors previously approved. Brabo said she knew that but they have a lot to read and don't always catch everything. Jenkins suggested changing it to "mitigate commuting" instead and the Board agreed. After reading a long list of other formatting errors, Brabo said she would email them to Gandy. Young said there may have been some issues when scanning the document for the Board packet. The Board then approved the printing of the plan.
Gandy then presented an even shorter version of the Small Business Incentive Plan that he previously presented to the Service Authority Board of Directors. After some discussion among the Supervisors, they agreed to meet earlier in the evening on June 20th.
Dr. Young, County Administrator, then gave a very short update asking the Supervisors to approve the date for the County employee picnic. With the date approved, the Supervisors went into Closed Session at 10:20 pm with Young and Gregory attending.
The Supervisors returned from Closed Session at 10:37 pm.
Bueche then read a statement related to the Nice Bridge replacement project and that it was progressing. He said the County has been working to replace the property that would be lost at Wayside Park and the County now feels as though a reasonable replacement has been found. He said that he would like the County Administrator and County Attorney to take action on the transaction without untimely delay. The Board approved.
The meeting adjourned at 10:39 pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on June 4, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
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ReplyDeleteReferring to Mr. Gregory's comment about the Mallows Bay options for a National Maritime Sanctuary. The units for the alternatives that have been made public are in square miles, not miles. So Alt B is 18 sq miles, C is 52 (not 50) sq mi, and D is 100 sq mi. Alts B and C have no areal interference with the Dahlgren range.
ReplyDeleteAlt D does not interfere with the active firing range, but does overlap part of the "Upper Danger Zone". The UDZ is roughly between the 301 bridge and Mathias Point.
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