2020-02-18 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Supervisors began their regular meeting at 6:32pm.

There was an amendment to the Agenda to add a Closed Session.

The sole speaker for Public Comment was Don Shelton. Shelton said he's been traveling through the intersection at Indiantown Road and Dahlgren Road since 2001 and it's an extremely dangerous one. He said he was almost involved in an accident there a few weeks ago. He said he did some research on the turn-about [meaning the proposed round-about] and felt the intersection could use it. He also asked if local law enforcement could slow drivers down in the meantime, perhaps by sitting in the American Legion parking lot running radar.

Q&A With Nick Minor

by Neil Richard

I had the chance to sit down with Nick Minor to ask him a few questions related to economic development and tourism. What I expected to be a brief interview turned into a 90 minute discussion! Here are the questions I had along with some from your neighbors.

Question: What is your role within the County government?
Answer: I'm the Director of Economic Development and Tourism. I promote the County in the best possible way I know how and involve the appropriate stakeholders like the Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority, etc. I plan and direct the County so it's prepared for future growth but also for potential setbacks in the economy. King George is heavily dependent on the government with the base in Dahlgren so a hit to them will be hard on all of us. If we can diversify the County so it's a mix of residential, retail, industry and more. Also a mix between government and non-government.

OPINION - Economic Development Town Hall

by Neil Richard

The Department of Economic Development has been hosting Town Halls in each voting district over the past two weeks, beginning with the James Madison District on December 6th. That Town Hall was followed by an At-Large Town Hall on December 10th and the Dahlgren District on December 11th. The last Town Hall, for the Shiloh District, is to be held on December 17th at 6:30pm at the Fire Department's Company 1 building.

The purpose of these Town Halls is to gather feedback from residents regarding the draft Economic Development Strategic Plan. For those residents that are unable to attend a Town Hall, the County has provided a survey in the news section of their website. During the December 14th Town Hall, hosted by Supervisor Jeff Bueche, there was a brief presentation on how and why the plan was created. Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, gave the presentation with Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, and Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, giving a few extra points along the way.

After the short presentation, the floor was opened for public comment from the small audience of about ten to fifteen people. The questions asked, answers given, and comments made were all productive and amiable in nature. That's not to say that the questions were easy as some of them challenged Gandy and the rest on how they arrived at their plan and what the path forward was going to be.

For those that have not read the draft plan, its purpose is to develop a guideline for the County to make smart development decisions and to encourage different sources of revenue for the County all while preserving the rural and historical aspects. All of this is being driven by the impending increase in traffic because of the major construction projects on Interstate 95 and the new Nice Bridge. Without doing an in depth analysis of the plan, here are a few highlights from the Town Hall and the applicable portions of the draft Strategic Plan.

• The Mission Statement includes "rural character." It was mentioned that at previous Town Halls, residents wanted to know how that was defined. No clear definition was given.
• "Appendix A" is mentioned but not included in the draft plan.
• There are six priorities listed in the draft plan but they are not listed in any particular order. Although it may be easy for someone to assume the County feels "Healthcare" is lowest on the list of priorities because it is listed last, that's not the case. The overall feeling during the Town Hall is that all six topics are equally important as each other.
• Two of the priorities list a desire to "stunt telecommuting." Dr. Young clarified that it was a typo and it should read "stunt commuting." He further clarified that this was specifically directed towards those individuals that work in King George but live elsewhere. He said the desire was to make King George attractive enough for those individuals to live in the County and thus spend more of their money here.
• It was noted that under the Tourism and Recreation section, there was no agritourism listed. It was also noted that the desire to "Foster the continued expansion of all of the County's museums." was listed twice.
• It was noted that the school system was not mentioned in the Strategic Plan even though it would be a crucial point of it being successful. This led to a lengthy discussion on education in the County, including primary grades, secondary grades, post-secondary education, and vocational courses.
• There was some discussion and debate over the definition of affordable housing and how best to reflect the desired state of more housing options for those at various income levels. Just as different people have different definitions of "rural," the same can be said for "affordable housing."

A few key resources were either missing or only mentioned in the draft plan. In addition to the schools being missing, emergency services and the Service Authority were also missing. Dr. Young clarified these absences a bit at the beginning of the meeting and later in the evening. First, he said the school system was working on their own strategic plan. Second, both the schools and the Service Authority were their own separate entity. So even though the Service Authority was mentioned in the draft plan, and even though the schools and emergency services are vital to the success of the plan, the primary focus of the Economic Development Strategic Plan was economic development. Young said that these services would be impacted by any economic growth but if everything was included in the strategic plan, it would be too complex and too much of a burden to read.

The biggest news from the meeting came from Bueche who alluded to a plan in the works to bring a major healthcare provider to the County. Although he wasn't privy to all the details and couldn't share all of what he did know, it did sound like a promising development.

Overall, this draft Strategic Plan is one of many steps forward the County has been making. An updated Comprehensive Plan, new zoning ordinances, and other updated documents are either in progress or complete. By looking towards the future, the County is finally taking its proverbial head out of the sand and aiming to make intelligent decisions on growth. And even though growth is inevitable, this plan aims to control it in a way that is best for the residents now and into the future.

2018-05-01 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

After another lengthy Closed Session of the Service Authority Board of Directors, the Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 8:38pm. Richard Granger, Chairman, took a quick moment to recognize the former Shiloh Supervisor, Cedell Brooks, who was in the audience. He joked that maybe Mr. Brooks missed coming to the meetings.

Public Comment began with Richard Granger reading a prepared statement submitted by Carol Werle. Mrs. Werle said that the County was $130 million in debt and that two months ago she was "told that debt mitigation was going to occur and I have heard nothing in the papers about that!" She took affront to the bullying and yellow journalism she felt are the new standards for the County. She said Dr. Neiman Young [County Administrator] came to the previous Tourism Advisory Committee meeting to present "a $100k Roob [sic] Goldberg project to fulfill the promise that was made to the Ralph Bunch [sic] Developer." She said the plan was not viable based on her four points. The first was that legal counsel was not shown a copy of the Tourism Advisory Committee Charter when asked. Second, the $100,000 does not cover the cost of building 22 housing units and that the funds should be used to generate tourism, not accommodate a developer. Third, she said Dr. Young told her that the Service Authority would benefit from the project. She said this was untrue as maintenance, lab tests, and billing would cost additional money. Her fourth and last point was that the Tourism Advisory Committee Election "was done with only 4 of its 7 voting members present." She said one was "directly associated with Ralph Bunch [sic]" and that Dr. Young's presentation was not on the Agenda.

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Granger then read the same prepared statement from Howard Yarus that was read at the Service Authority meeting earlier. Mr. Yarus was present in the audience but did not stand to read his statement. Granger read the statement verbatim. Mr. Yarus pointed out in his statement that according to the Service Authority Regulations, the Purpose section defined the obligations of the Service Authority and included a line, as he pointed out in his attachment to the statement, that stated customers should be charged the full cost of providing the service. He closed his statement by again requesting that the Service Authority become "... a department under County Administration."

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John Jenkins began his report by thanking Granger for reading the public comments. On April 19th he met with Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development about potential small business incentives. On April 24th he attended the work session regarding small businesses. Jenkins was present for Gandy's presentation on potential small business incentives during the Service Authority meeting and said he supports it. He said if the first two options have legal issues, that's fine but he still wants to do something. Jenkins said he knows Orange County has an incentive program. He said that simply giving money to a business defeats the purpose and that the connection fee is a small part of what we should be doing to support small business. He said it's hard to measure those that don't consider King George because of the connection fees if they never contact the County first. He closed by saying he has two positions open for his district, one for the Planning Commission and one for the Library Board of Trustees. Jenkins said if anyone is interested in serving, to please contact him via private message on Facebook or via email (jenkinsje@co.kinggeorge.state.va.us).

Jeff Bueche said he concurred with what Jenkins said and said that we need to incentivize businesses coming to King George County. He said there are a lot of empty storefronts in the County already and that was something prospective businesses look at in their research. He attended the same work session on April 24th. Bueche said he and Dr. Young met with the Fall Festival Committee on April 26th and were in the early stages of planning a two day barbecue festival the weekend prior to Fall Festival. On April 28th he met with the Fairview Beach Residents Association and had great discussions and heard their concerns. He said the invitation is open for him to visit with any other Home Owner's Association or civic association in the county. He said May 3rd is the National Day of Prayer and that, as Americans, we can all pray for our country.

Ruby Brabo began her report by saying she attended the bomb threat exercise and mock Town Hall on April 18th and thanked those that helped make it a success. She met with Linda Frost and Jim Lynch on April 19th about potential funding for the purchase of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.]. She attended the out-brief of the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion on April 22nd. Brabo said she looks forward to them returning but would love to have them stay for two weeks next time. She met with the Virginia Association of Counties Board of Directors on April 21st. She said the manual for Supervisors was last revised in 2007 and that it is currently being revamped. She said this was a huge undertaking and that many local County Attorneys, including our own Eric Gregory, were helping. She attended the work session on April 24th and the Virginia Department of Transportation Public Hearing on the 25th. She said she met with other interested parties on April 27th in an effort to address the health care needs of the County, specifically regarding the pending closure of Dr. Ayanna McCray's pediatric office and Dr. Rosier Dedwylder's office. She said they developed five "doable and pursuable options" but they aren't sure which option will happen.

Cathy Binder said she also attended the mock Town Hall on the 18th and felt like it taught the soldiers valuable lessons. She also attended the out-brief on the 20th and said that tourism, staff, and citizens will all benefit. Binder attended the work session on the 24th and the Tourism Advisory Committee meeting on the 25th.

Richard Granger said he attended the Town Hall on the 18th and thanked all that came out and participated. He said it was a lot of fun. He also attended the work session on the 24th and was invited by Judy Hart, Commissioner of the Revenue, to attend a meeting of the Northern District Commissioners meeting. He said he was impressed and amazed at Hart's ability to decorate cakes. Regarding the recent confusion over the Library Board of Trustees, he said he would like to nominate Cathy Binder to serve on the Board to fill a vacancy in his district. The nomination was approved. Granger then invited Love Thy Neighbor to step up and be recognized. Gina Panciera Introduced Chris Hoover, President, and his wife Tracy. She said every third Sunday they operate out of the Recreation Department's Citizens Center. She said Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation, has been generous enough to offer the facility for them to prepare their food. Panciera said they noticed that the stove at the Citizens Center wasn't working and they decided to raise funds to purchase a new stove. She said she "didn't want to bring the stove in here" so instead brought the receipt and brochure to present to Smith. Smith thanked them and noted that he has a great relationship with them and appreciates their work.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

The Public Hearing for  Case Number 18-01-Z01, regarding the zoning ordinance amendment, was next on the Agenda. Heather Hall, Zoning Administrator, presented the staff recommendation of an updated Article 5, specifically an updated set of notification requirements for developers. Essentially the amendment will require developers to use clearly defined signage that is larger, brighter, and weatherproof. They must also notify adjoining property owners and use the new website. Brabo asked if the developer would have to pay for all the signage and mailings and Hall said the developer would need to send a notice to adjoining property owners however the County would still mail a reminder five days prior. There being no public comment nor further questions from the Board, the amended ordinance was approved.

Dr. Young then began his Ralph Bunche High School Project presentation by stating that eight local communities have or are working through public-private partnerships to fund their community needs. He said this new way of thinking is fitting to a new Board that has a new way of thinking. He said it fits us culturally but meets our needs. Young said some citizens have critiqued it and some citizens don't want to listen to it. He said he even invited one to his office to enjoy lunch he had ordered for them to discuss it. He said the statements that he's catering to developers is simply untrue. "I eat developers for lunch. No developer is going to come to the County and take advantage of our citizens on my watch." Young said he didn't want to find ourselves in another Virginia Broadband situation and that the Ralph Bunche project is a different kind of animal.

Young said the project came to a standstill and that he comes before the Board to have their help in moving the project forward. He said the bottom line was that a new well was needed and that it was too costly for the developer. The developer shared their projected annual profit of $30,000 with him and Young cautioned that the profit was assuming no maintenance issues and all condos were rented. In his presentation he said that the nearby Circle Water System was already at capacity and that a new water line from Route 3 and 301 would cost $1.5 million. His proposal was to instead put in a new well that is public, not just for the future development at Ralph Bunche. He said the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association (RBAA) has voted to commit $10,000 from their Restoration Fund [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the RBAA.]. He added that the Tourism Advisory Committee has voted to commit $100,000 from their Tourism Fund. This would bring the total cost to the County to $210,000 or less. He added that the Service Authority has committed to take over ownership and management of the new well.

Young said the project would add $31,000 in annual revenue to the County, thus allowing the County to see an even return on the investment in five or six years. In addition to this, the Service Authority would add 20 customers to their base and see increased revenue. Young added that there is also an option to install a well that can be expanded for future demand at a relatively low cost and could potentially be used to expand the capacity of the Circle Water System, thereby allowing future growth.

Young said the issue at hand is not a developer problem, but rather a problem for the Service Authority and the County. He said if there isn't the infrastructure available to service our own Ralph Bunche museum, then attracting future business development will be impacted.

Saundra Pearson, Tourism Advisory Committee Chair, then addressed some of the earlier comments by Carol Werle regarding the Committee's Agenda. She said Dr. Young was listed as making a presentation however he didn't have the slides that were shown tonight. She said there was an excellent exchange of dialogue during their meeting and that only one person objected. She said she sees this as a legacy for education as well as tourism and felt that many of the funds expended on this will be replenished by future grants.

Claudette Jordan, Ralph Bunche Alumni Association (RBAA) President, then asked for all the RBAA members in the audience to stand. She shared that she and her sister were graduates along with many of those standing. She said it's not just a soccer field or a museum and asked "let's get this done." Jordan said we're all invested in this project and the RBAA, though not wealthy, is kicking in what was available to make the partnership work. She closed by saying "let's send good money after good" and "if not now, when."

Granger said Mrs. Werle's concerns were related to one of the Tourism Advisory Committee members having connections with RBAA and that, per Eric Gregory, County Attorney, there was no legal recourse and the vote was valid. Jordan commented thanking Dr. Young and added it's "not a conflict, it's a vested interest." Pearson added her thanks to Dr. Young and wanted to speak a moment about the vote. She said that because all of the Tourism Advisory Committee members are involved in various things, there is always going to be somebody that has a connection to something they vote on. Brabo interrupted by saying it was similar to the Supervisors and the various committees and boards they serve on. She then asked Pearson if there was a quorum present for the vote. Pearson answered that there was a quorum present and that the motion was made, properly seconded, and discussed. When the vote was made, it was three to one in favor.

Bueche made one of the more important points by stating that the Tourism Advisory Committee was just that, advisory, and therefore there was no need for recusal since the Board of Supervisors isn't obligated to expend any funds. According to the Tourism Advisory Committee Charter, under the heading "Limited Authority," it states "The Committee shall be advisory only and shall have no authority to establish or declare policy, enter into any contract or incur any obligation or otherwise speak for, represent, bind and/or obligate King George County, or its departments, employees or agents of any kind."

Dr. Young thanked Jordan and Pearson for their words, but cautioned that his presentation wasn't over just yet. He said there were two options to consider. The first is a non-expandable well that would cost $140,000 to $210,000 and the second was an expandable well that would cost $240,000 to $310,000. He also said the expected completion date would be prior to the County's 300th anniversary in 2020. He recommended pursing this public-private partnership as a win-win for the County and the Service Authority.

Brabo said she was in favor of the expandable well, especially seeing as the Circle System was at capacity. She said there needs to be the ability to expand the area in the future and investing $100,000 now sounded more responsible than $1.5 million later. Granger said it makes sense but clarified they aren't voting to obligate the money now, just discussing it. Binder said she supported the project but wanted to make sure the County had assurances from the developer. Young said that none of the money will be going into the hands of the developer but instead would be paid to an engineering firm to do the work. He also said that payment wouldn't happen until the developer is already in the process of developing Ralph Bunche.

Bueche said the expandable well makes sense and didn't want to consider the non-expandable well. He said if we do it, let's do it right. He thanked Jordan for her comments and said she makes him nervous sometimes because she's always so passionate. He said there are a lot of projects and scarce funds but that this is the only way to make the project come to fruition. Bueche repeated a point from Dr. Young's presentation that if the project didn't work, the County would be saddled with a vacant building that would cost millions to repair and make functional again. He then commented that he wanted to see if the organizations could put more funds into the project. Brabo reminded him that the Tourism Advisory Committee works for the Board so there's no need to go back to them for more money. She also said that, regarding the RBAA, it is related to their focus of the museum and they will also be responsible for furnishing the museum. Brabo said it would be bad manners to ask for more. There was some cross-talk where Bueche questioned fundraising and Brabo said he might be creating tension when there shouldn't be. Bueche said he wasn't trying to create tension, just discussing finances. Jenkins finally commented that he was in favor of it as presented and that he can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Granger said he was in favor of the expandable well.

Next to the podium was Lavita Cobb, Purchasing Manager. She was there to ask the Board to award a construction contract for the King George Middle School Expansion Project. Giving a brief overview of what was already in the Agenda, she said the base price was $18 million and the recommended budget was $20 million. The Board approved the contract.

Chief Moody was next to speak giving the Board an opportunity to ask questions or make comments about the mutual aid agreement between the King George County and the Commandant Naval District Washington. He said this was a standard agreement that his department, the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services, has with surrounding emergency services. The Board approved the agreement.

Moody then discussed the proposed ordinance amendment regarding open burning. He said complaints from Potomac Elementary School have dated back several years where staff, faculty, and students have had to deal with neighbors near the school burning leaves and brush. Moody said the smoke is problematic and has been the cause of altered recess times, instances of asthma, burns from floating embers, and the school's HVAC system sometimes pulls the smoke into the building. He said as things are now, they are in a reactionary mode where burning takes place, a complaint is made, and the burning stops. Moody said the amendment would allow for a proactive approach by not allowing open burning within 1,000 feet of the school building, not the property line, when school is in session. He said one item of note that was not addressed in the amendment was the Parks and Recreation use of school property after school hours for their events. Moody also noted that Potomac Elementary School was more tightly bounded by neighboring homes than the other schools, such as Sealston Elementary School.

Jenkins asked if Spotsylvania and Stafford have similar rules in place. Moody said they mostly enforce the rules based on the zoning of the property. He said the minimum is 50 feet from a structure and in some cases up to 300 feet from a structure. Moody also noted that the statewide burn ban just ended.

Jenkins then said he didn't understand the point of the leaf collection portion of the ordinance and asked if that could be removed if the new amendments were adopted. Brabo, Moody, and Gregory said that the annotated version in the Agenda wasn't quite labeled correctly and that the leaf collection portion was a relic from old state law that allowed for such a thing. Seeing as this no longer applied, and as Jenkins joked wouldn't be funded by the County, Gregory said the leaf collection portion would be removed and replaced by the amended paragraphs.

Jenkins then commented on the Parks and Recreation practices being a limiting factor and suggested including those since these were the "same kids we're trying to protect." Brabo said it might be too much of a can of worms if something like that were included. Bueche added that at some point you have to take into account the property owner and their rights. He said it makes sense during school hours but beyond that he would defer to the property owners.

Moody then continued his presentation by stating that the amendment included rules on burning structures as a method of demolition. He said when this is done, it is often without notifying him and sometimes results in a 911 call. He also said that as development continues, lot sizes continue to shrink, causing this method of demolition to be more hazardous. The amendment would require prior written approval from the County fire official.

The Board approved the publishing of a proposed ordinance.

Dr. Young then presented an updated Secondary Six-Year Plan (SSYP) from VDOT. The update would include the completion of Chatterton Lane in FY18/19, moving Peerless Road from the Unpaved Roads spreadsheet to the SSYP, moving Ivy Hill Loop up in priority on the Unpaved Roads Spreadsheet, and the consideration of using the VDOT Revenue Sharing Program to address the needed improvements on Peerless Road and Ivy Hill Loop. The Board approved these changes for the upcoming Public Hearing.

Dr. Young then did some housekeeping in his County Administrator's Report by reminding the Board of the upcoming King George County Business Appreciation Dinner. Brabo encouraged her counterparts to attend as this would be the first one that's she's missed. Young said he also received a letter from the Dahlgren Naval Support Facility inviting the Board to a community stakeholder meeting. Brabo asked Dr. Young to ensure Cathy Binder has access to the base. Brabo then asked about an email she received from Delegate Ransone about declining an invitation to a meeting and Dr. Young said he would research it.

There being no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 10:04pm.

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)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 15, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

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

Military Exercises Part III - The Conclusion

The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion provided local leaders with an outbrief, or summary, of their recent exercises in King George County. The summary of their Validation Training Exercise (VTE) was introduced by Major Hernandez who gave an overview of their main Lines Of Effort (LOE). In civilian terms, the LOE is simply what they were tasked with researching before providing an end-product analysis. These major topics were Recreation, Transportation, Security and Health, Tourism, and Economic Development.

The Recreation Team, led by Captain Perez and supported by Sergeants Macias, Obcena, and Hancock, reviewed the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT]. Based on their interviews and analysis during the week they found that there was not a centralized area or park for residents and families to use and develop a sense of community. They found that activities for teens was lacking. Their recommendation was to host a free event on the DRHT to enable the King George County Board of Supervisors to make an informed decision about acquiring the trail. Captain Perez and his team felt that this proof-of-concept would allow local leaders to gather data from those that attend while building a sense of community for local residents as well as drawing residents in the region to promote tourism and economic development. The data could be gathered by surveys and interviews as well as vendor demonstrations. In the end, they felt the DRHT could serve as a major corridor in the area and could serve as a foundation for economic development.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, asked what the team meant by no centralized area. They explained that the YMCA and King George High School were really the only central points in the County that served as a social area for the County citizens. They felt the trail had “untapped potential” as a main artery to connect the community as a whole.

Next to present was the Transportation Team, led by Captain Cruz. His team summarized what many of us already knew, that with more construction planned for Interstate 95 and a new bridge on Route 301, traffic would be an issue. Their recommendation to reduce the traffic congestion was to implement public transit in the area that would be operated by King George County. By providing a shuttle that ran between Fredericksburg and Dahlgren along with ride-sharing options and incentives, the number of cars traveling through the County could be reduced. The team felt that it could also be used as a more local transit option, especially within the Dahlgren area.

Dr. Young said it sounded a lot like the idea he was presented from Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) that was too expensive. He asked if they had just used their idea or if this was something they arrived at independently. The team explained that yes, it was similar to the FAMPO concept, however it was based on their analysis that this was the best option they could find in the short time they had. They also said it differed from FAMPO’s idea in that King George would be operating the services, not FAMPO.

The Security and Health Team, led by Captain Enicks, presented a simple idea to install blue light emergency call boxes on the DRHT. He said they could be as simple or as complex as desired and could be powered by running electricity or use solar panels. He said installing these at regular intervals along the trail would increase security and allow better monitoring of the trail. It would also provide faster response times for emergency services.

Dr. Young thanked them but did speak up that the team’s true deliverable at the end of the week was a detailed security analysis of the various facilities they visited during the week. While it wasn’t disclosed publicly, Dr. Young said it was enlightening and worth the time involved.

The Tourism Team, led by Captain Chua and aided by Sergeants Valenzuela and Nazario, began their presentation by handing out a brochure. They said they worked primarily with Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, but also talked to numerous other people in the County such as Elizabeth Lee and Dr. Rob Gates. They also met with Claudette Jordan, Don Shelton, and others that Captain Chua said knew an incredible amount of information about the local area. Their recommendation had two major parts, a race series and a tour. The race series plan was was simple, just four races a year with a different focus, but drew an immediate positive response with applause from the crowd. The runners would get a medal at each race and at the end of each year, the four medals would form a larger medal. While this may not be a new concept, many races around the world use it, the combination of this idea with the idea of focusing on different areas of history, like Armed Forces and African American history, was what really drew the great response. Not to be overshadowed by such a great idea, their second recommendation was to have a guided bus tour through the County. Their catch phrase “Where Everything Started” fed off the history of the early Presidents born in the area up to more recent history with the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). This phrase tied to their brochure which included several historical points in the County along with places to eat and spend the night.

The final presentation came from the Economic Development Team led by Captain Baskelwhite. They primarily focused on the three priorities of the industrial park, natural gas lines, and broadband internet. They said several companies they spoke to mentioned the lack of natural gas and broadband as a reason why they did not have a location in King George County. As with the other teams, they brought up the DRHT as a great place to hold challenge events, such as an obstacle course race, and health events, like a fundraising walk for autism research. They also mentioned bring in other vendors, like microbreweries, and hosting festivals, like a bluegrass concert, as potentially beneficial events that could provide not only tourism but also economic development. Personally, I enjoyed the idea of a food event that would give residents and tourists the opportunity to sample local foods and recipes.

Major Hernandez summarized the presentation by saying the DRHT provided a “centralized point of access across the County” and could potentially connect various historical sites. He also said the teams saw the DRHT as a potential connector between the “blue and green” spaces, water and land respectively, to areas of commerce.

Dr. Young and Major Hernandez then opened the discussion up for feedback. The feedback from the Staff at the table was positive, especially from Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation who joked that they had “done all of his work for him.” Personally, I apologized for misleading them earlier in the week and thanked them for entertaining my wife during the Town Hall and asked them to come back next year. Major Hernandez said he would certainly speak to his command staff about returning in the future and Dr. Young said they were more than welcome.

Captain Oh, Cathy Binder, Ruby Brabo, Dr. Neiman Young

Major Hernandez and Captain Oh then presented the Board of Supervisors and the County with plaques to show their appreciation. The command staff also presented Dr. Young with a static line hook, a device used to ensure an airborne trooper’s parachute deploys when they jump from the plane. Dr. Young “gave it a try” and proceeded to do a mock jump to the delight of those watching. The crowd slowly began to disperse and the exercise was at an end. With luck, their upcoming deployment will go smoothly and they’ll return to their families safely. And maybe the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion will return again next year to test their soldiers’ mettle against the issues King George County is facing.

Military Exercises Part II - The Town Hall

An impromptu Town Hall was called together at the last minute to play host to the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion. This group of Army soldiers, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was told by Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, that the local citizens just wanted to talk to them and get to know them. He sold it as more of a meet and greet and that the public was singing their praises for the group’s presence in the County.

In reality, it was part of the week-long training exercise and the local citizens that attended were told to be more aggressive and pointed in their questions in an effort to simulate a more stressful environment. There weren’t many “gotcha” moments during the evening as the soldiers did well in handling themselves and answering questions. However, as one King George High School student noted later, they gave a lot of “non-answers.” I have to concur with the young lady and was impressed that a Senior in high school would be present enough in the conversation to pick up on that, not to mention just being present for such an event. As I heard later, and agree with, “there’s hope for our future” if these are the students we have in our local school system.

The mock Town Hall began with Board of Supervisors Richard Granger, Cathy Binder, and Ruby Brabo making introductions along with Dr. Young. Granger and Dr. Young gave some opening remarks before turning things over to Major Hernandez. The Major gave an overview of their operations but mainly focused on the Company’s motto of “the bridge between” by saying they were here to act as the bridge between the community and their needs. Major Hernandez introduced his staff from Headquarters and the teams that were present. Each team consists of four people and is led by a Captain with the other three being Sergeants. Most of the teams have a designated Medic but not all.

At the Town Hall, each of the five teams participating in the exercise were represented by the Captain and one of the Sergeants. Captain Babb worked under Major Hernandez in Headquarters. Captain Perez led the team focused on Recreation. Captain Enicks led the team focused on Security and Health. Captain Cruz led the team focused on Transportation. Captain Baskelwhite led the team focused on Economic Development. And Captain Chua led the team focused on Tourism. In the audience were several observers that were there to monitor each team and to provide them with feedback as part of the exercise. These observers were not introduced and did not participate by asking questions but simply sat there taking notes on their teams.

With the introductions out of the way, the questions from the citizens in the audience began to flow. I was a little disappointed that the first question was one that I had posed to some of the teams earlier in the week, specifically about a military take over. The Major answered by saying that no, it was just a training exercise. From there, the questions began to get a little harder and a lot less scripted.

For the most part, the teams were able to answer fairly well. There was clearly a dearth of available time for them to find out all of the facts about their assigned tasks, but in the short amount of time they had, they did fairly well. They were also honest enough to be upfront in how a week was certainly not long enough but they felt confident in their skills to be able to provide the County with an end product that would benefit everyone.

There were some questions that, scripted or not, stood out among the rest. One student from the High School asked if they would attend the walk-out planned for April 20th as he felt there were concerns over security. Major Hernandez said they were not planning to do so based on their schedule but would certainly be willing to see if there was an opportunity to do so. Another question raised by Yvonne Richard had a bit of a surprising answer [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]. None of the teams was working with, or appeared to plan on working with, the Service Authority. Many in the audience seemed surprised but Major Hernandez again said time was a severely limiting factor. He did provide some hope though by saying that if 98th Civil Affairs Battalion returned in the future for more exercises, they would be happy to explore the needs related to the Service Authority or anything else we could recommend.

Another question that sparked an interesting answer was regarding school security at the local elementary schools. Captain Enicks said his team had met with Dr. Boyd at King George High School but had not visited any of the elementary schools. Dr. Young asked Major Hernandez if that could be added in place of another area of focus. The Major said he could certainly make a recommendation on which topic could be replaced but deferred to Dr. Young’s judgement on the decision. It wasn’t clear if this was part of the training exercise in the sense of putting the soldiers in stressful situations by making last minute changes. At the end of the exchange, I didn’t feel confident that there was a final decision to have a team visit an elementary school but I did feel confident in the group’s ability to react to sudden changes in their mission.

The last set of questions that caught my attention was from the young lady mentioned earlier. She asked the teams where they had visited but the answers never specified any exact location. Brabo chimed in and tried to redirect the conversation by pointing out that they never gave an actual answer and Major Hernandez stepped up to have each team talk about where they went and what they learned. Again the teams struggled a bit to pinpoint exactly where they went and who they had worked with but with enough prodding finally began to get into specifics.

After nearly 90 minutes of questioning, Dr. Young called a “tactical pause” and announced an end to the staged Town Hall. The audience applauded but the troops didn’t appear too fazed at being duped. In fact, I would say some of them were not. There was mention of the recent Free Lance-Star article announcing the mock Town Hall and it appeared Major Hernandez knew about it. Regardless of how much foreknowledge the soldiers had, I was confident enough in their performance, and the audience’s, that they learned something. Dr. Young even asked the citizens for their feedback.

For me personally, this event was another enjoyable experience. Just like the interviews I held earlier in the week, asking pointed, sometimes difficult, questions was exactly what the soldiers needed to endure. As I told a few of them after the meeting, when running these exercises stateside, it’s hard to simulate a stressful environment. Regardless of where they are deployed, from Afghanistan to Thailand, the people, languages, and cultures they encounter may not be as welcoming as we were. My advice was to keep it human. Using military jargon takes away a little bit of the personal connection they may need to make to accomplish their mission.

UPDATE: Photos of the event added. Credit Yvonne Richard.

Military Exercises Part I - The Interviews

Several weeks ago, I was approached by Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, to participate in an upcoming military exercise that would be held in King George County. I knew about the exercises and their general time frame having attended previous Board of Supervisors meetings but I never expected to be involved. I also never expected to learn so much or have so much fun doing it.

The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion is based in Fort Bragg, just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is part of the United States Army Special Operations Command. Skipping the military jargon, the group is tasked primarily with supporting civilian authorities in foreign countries. Their operations are broken down into six main areas of focus. They include Rule of Law, Economic Stability, Infrastructure, Governance, Public Health and Welfare, and Public Education and Information. They provide support to the civilian authorities during war and peace and they also support their fellow troops by sharing information about the local population. Dr. Young’s previous service with the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion serves as a good example. As a Captain in Afghanistan, Dr. Young and his group learned from local residents that while the US Army was asking them to stand up against the insurgent forces, there was a trust issue with the locals and they had a fear of abandonment. By recognizing the needs of the local populace and building a stronger relationship with them, they were able to use that closer bond to get the locals to help in the fight against the insurgents. They were able to build that strong relationship by doing things like making repairs to bridges and roads and boosting the local economy. Except the US troops didn’t do the building, they only facilitated by helping local leaders find local contractors. They helped the local authorities document the process, publish the budget documents publicly, and have the finished work inspected. In a nutshell, the US troops were simply there to help locals by being a guiding hand.

With Dr. Young’s experience in this specific field, he was the leading force in bringing the troops from the 98th to King George for their exercise. My involvement was to be there as a member of the Press and to ask questions that would stress them. Dr. Young was admittedly nervous about asking me to do it and I’ll admit I was nervous too. Having been tasked with being an aggressive person of the Press was out of character for me personally but I did my best because I want to share the experience with my fellow residents.

Leading up to the exercise, I was given my role in the exercise and was told to develop a list of questions. Dr. Young was not sure my questions would be hard enough and asked for a preview so he could provide feedback before the exercise. I gladly obliged but was not too keen on my list of questions being shared before I could ask them. Dr. Young did a good job of only striking a few of them from my list and after re-reading those questions, I realized they had no bearing on the exercise and would likely end up with me getting no answers from the soldiers.

Aside from the questions, I was also directed to be aggressive and obnoxious but was warned “don’t do anything to get arrested.” I was also asked to not share any of the final outcomes related to the Security and Health, especially those related to school security. Having several members of my family in local schools, I was more than happy to oblige with the request. In fact, I’m taking it a step further and will only mention in general terms that they will be studying various scenarios at various locations in the County. This team will also work with the Sheriff’s Office, Fire and EMS, and other local authorities to develop an outline for future plans and procedures to be put into place. While I won’t mention where they will be working, I will say it involves important areas other than just the schools.

Aside from the Security and Health team that I interviewed, I also listened to and interviewed a team that was working on Tourism and another that was focused on Recreation. I missed the presentation from the team working on Economic Development and the team working on Transportation.

All of the teams did well in answering my questions. While I was instructed by Dr. Young to not ask them a question regarding their Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) training, I managed to work it into my introduction to help break the ice. It was also a way for me to help lay the groundwork of confusion. I then pulled the proverbial Crazy Ivan by asking them a question from my “crazy uncle.” Although it was actually a seed planted by my father, the test was to see if they laughed when I asked them about overthrowing the local government and building internment camps. Everyone passed the test with a straight face or stunned silence. Although one soldier did laugh, I think he was just laughing at the absurdity of the question.

I also asked all of them if there was any sort of kick-back or sweetheart deal between them and Dr. Young for doing the exercise here. None of them knew of any graft but it spoke volumes to me that Dr. Young didn’t ask me to remove this question from the list I submitted to him. I never expected there to be any backroom dealings but it made me feel better that he had no issue with the question. I also asked a few sporadic, general questions about training accidents, merging Civil Affairs Reservists with Active Duty for training, and the tedious “what’s your biggest challenge this week” question. All of them answered concisely and coherently.

Along with these more general questions, I also asked more specific questions for each group. I asked the Security and Health team why they were training here instead of Puerto Rico when that is their usual training ground and Puerto Rico still needed help after the hurricane. They gave a somewhat rote answer of it being a national issue that was being handled by the National Guard and other groups. With a little more probing I was able to get the impression that if they did go to Puerto Rico it would not be beneficial for them to have a training exercise while emergency personnel were still needed for a real-life emergency.

For the Tourism team, I asked where they felt their area fit into their group’s main focus and they saw it fall under the Economic Development section. They said they were staying and eating locally and that all of their encounters with residents were positive. They were meeting with Dr. Gates from the Dahlgren Heritage Museum later in the day but were not aware of the upcoming Route 301 Bridge project [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is also an employee of the Dahlgren Heritage Museum. Sean Gates, a co-founder of Project94, is also the son of Dr. Gates.]. They quickly tapped into this thread and began asking detailed questions to get more information. They quickly had a grasp of the potential issues of traffic in the area.

For the Recreation team, I apparently threw them off their game when I addressed one of the Sergeants by name and directed her to lead the team back to the room for questions. Each team was lead by a Captain and apparently this was an unexpected, and unintentional, breach of protocol. Since I was oblivious to this at the time, I didn’t hear about it until later. Had I known this could be a potentially stressor, I would have applied it to all of the teams I interviewed. The team adapted well and was able to come back with questions of their own during the conversation and were knowledgeable of some of the main points of concern for the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT]. As with the Tourism team, they were able to ask questions that dove deeper into their specific area of focus and I felt confident in their abilities.

Overall, I felt somewhat like a fraud sitting there with Dr. Young introducing me as an “influential citizen.” I felt confident that Dr. Young was not going to pull any punches with the soldiers as he repeatedly told them this wasn’t an exercise, this was real life for our community. As I learned with my children long ago, you can throw somebody off their train of thought simply by having detailed knowledge about something people assume you know nothing about. Knowing names, dates, acronyms, and other military minutia or slang came from my doing hours of research about the 98th Civil Affairs group and the work they’ve done in the past. I also leaned heavily on my family’s past military experience with a smattering of pop culture thrown in for good measure. While I don’t feel like I am a cocky, arrogant, or abrasive person, I feel like I can pretend to be one for at least a little bit. And when things get tough, I can always fall back on my tried and true, and truthful, statement that I’ve been to prison and I’ve worked at the FBI Academy.

2018-04-17 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 9:11 pm after a long Closed Session of the Service Authority finally ended.

Opening up public comment was Jim Lynch who was there as a representative of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Friends of DRHT]. He stated that the National Trails Systems Act of 1968 was amended in the 1980s to provide for the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST) to run from the headwaters of the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay. He said a couple of years ago the Board of Supervisors supported PHNST routes through the County and that DRHT is considered the "spine" of these inter-woven routes. He said the National Park Service recently delivered two signs to be installed on the DRHT to show it's location on the PHNST. The sign was in the front of the room and he offered to stick around and answer any questions they may have.

Kim Dodge was next to speak at the podium. She said she was disheartened to hear that lowering the tax rate wasn't considered at all. She said she heard it would be kept at 70 cents per $100 and that next year it would be increased. She said that even if property taxes went down to 6.7%, she still wouldn't see any benefit. She said she wanted to know what the amount of taxes collected last year was and that the Supervisors should know this number "off the top of their head without looking it up." Dodge said that equalization is to protect taxpayers when there is going to be a big windfall for the County and wants to know the bottom-line figures. She said the County, statistically, is a group of people that have a political viewpoint of budgetary restraint. She said the majority of taxpayers follow this point of view and that she knows the County is in tons of debt but there's nothing to show for it. She said there was nothing wrong with paying off the debt early to save interest. Dodge also said the public hearing is a procedure and that the decision is already made. She said she wants to keep her money. Dodge closed by saying she wanted to know what the figures were for the real estate property taxes from last year, what's being brought in this year with the 70 cent rate, and what the windfall difference is between them.

Joe Frank was next to speak. He introduced himself as the King George County representative with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He handed the Board fact sheets showing the various programs offered by the USDA. He said one issue that has come up recently among local farmers is the closure of the fertilizer plant in Sealston. He said the concern wasn't that the plant is gone, it was that the site is contaminated. He said with it not being in use, there is nobody there to monitor the water which means it will eventually leach into the local water supply. He said the local farmers wanted County residents to know that if they test their water, the contamination isn't coming from them, it's the fertilizer plant that's the problem.

Representatives from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) then stepped forward to speak. They handed out a draft of their current plan showing projects and funding for the coming years. They began summarizing the projects, including Chatterton Lane, the replacement of the Pine Hill bridge, and countywide traffic services. Dr. Young, County Administrator, interrupted their presentation by saying this wasn't appropriate to use up public comment time nor to have a back-and-forth discussion. He said he wasn't being rude but suggested setting a date for a work session in the future to allow more time. Ruby Brabo suggested adding it to the already scheduled work session on April 24th and the rest of the Board concurred.

John Jenkins began his report by thanking all of those speaking for their comments. He attended the Farm Bureau dinner on April 9th and a GWRC and FAMPO meeting on the 23rd. He commented that there should be an update on the Route 301/Route 207 Study coming soon.

Jeff Bueche began his report by also thanking those who spoke during Public Comment. He then addressed Mrs. Dodge's comments by saying that a real estate tax rate of 70 cents on every $100 is low by comparison. He said comparing it to Westmoreland County isn't quite fair because of the different population sizes. He said home values went up, including his, and that was a good thing. Bueche said this was a sign that the economy was good and that the value of our largest investment went up. He said as the population grows, so does the need for personnel to provide services to the citizens. While he understood Dodge's point of view, he wanted to have an "intellectual discussion." He said she could afford the changes by buying two fewer cups of coffee per month and that if she was concerned about taxes going up, she should look at how the debt pertains to this. Bueche said he campaigned on reducing the debt and that for the first time, local leaders are finally addressing the debt instead of making promises. He said many things are required by Federal or State law but are not funded by those government entities. He said all five Supervisors and all of the citizen advisors [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee] wanted the same thing and he never had anyone say the rate should be lower. He said building a budget "was no easy task" and that it was hard and that you can't fund everything. Bueche continued by saying you need to assess the needs of the whole County and that they're elected to make the best but hard decision. He closed by saying he also wanted to address the constant reference to "Ruby taking your money" on social media. He said he took offense to this and that, even though he may not always agree with Ruby, they do the best they can and the Supervisors all have ownership and accountability to their constituents. Bueche then made a motion to appoint Jeremy Crowley to the Landfill Advisory Committee. Brabo commented that he attended the last meeting and was very engaged. The appointment was approved. Bueche said he attended the Senior Officials Workshop for All-Hazards Preparedness on April 9th, a Social Services meeting on the 10th, and the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion jump into Fort A. P. Hill on the 13th. He also asked for an update on the blighted property ordinances and Eric Gregory, County Attorney, said he should have a draft ready by the end of the week.

Ruby Brabo began her report by saying she attended a National Association of Counties (NACo) summit from the 4th to the 7th and learned a lot about sugar cane and rice products and crops as well as the proposed Farm Bill, SNAP program, and work force training. She attended the All-Hazards Preparedness Workshop on the 9th and the main question asked was "are you ready?" She said everyone needs to be ready and understand their role in a disaster and that local government is a key or main player. She said she would like to have the Sheriff's Public Affairs Office be the single voice during a disaster and all seemed to concur. She said she would also like to appoint a single Supervisor to act as a liaison with the Emergency Operations Center and volunteered herself with Cathy Binder as an alternate. Again, everyone seemed to agree. She also asked that the building codes be reviewed to make sure they were up to date for any local weather events. She said she also attended the Farm Bureau dinner on the 9th and the Landfill Advisory Committee meeting on the 10th. She said the Landfill Committee was excited to move forward and was already looking into finding a location for a Dahlgren convenience center and scheduling clean-up events. She said it was a very good meeting. Brabo said she attended a GWRC meeting, the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion jump on the 13th, and a lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. She said she learned of an upcoming FRED Transit pricing offset that started in 2019 and supposedly would make the cost cheaper to localities and wanted Dr. Young and others to meet with FRED.

Dr. Young said that he has already met with FRED three times and they still are not willing to listen to the needs of the County. He said FRED worked with FAMPO to get a consultant and presented the findings of their study but didn't talk to anyone in the County. He also said FRED offered to provide a shuttle from Dahlgren to Fredericksburg but the cost was too high and the bus would only drop passengers off at the gate and not drive on base.

Brabo summarized things succinctly by saying " I guess we're back to working without FRED."

Brabo continued her report by saying composting was still a topic of interest and wanted to have Jeff Jenkins, Director of Landfill Operations, and David Howard, Waste Management Landfill Manager, to attend a meeting to learn more. She had an update regarding the chem/bio department move from Dahlgren to Indian Head, Maryland and said the move still continues to progress and Congressman Wittman and Senator Warner were given a tour of the new facility despite local officials being excluded. She also reminded everyone that there were numerous vacancies on various Boards and Committees and that anyone interested should see the Agenda for a complete list. Brabo thanked Jim Lynch for speaking and sharing the new sign. She also thanked Joe Frank for sharing details regarding the plant situation. She then addressed Kim Dodge by saying "everyone up here is a taxpayer" and that if Dodge would like to give her questions to either of the employees in the room, Dr. Young could address them later. Brabo said that the Federal and State mandates have requirements and to maybe contact those entities to discuss why they aren't funded. She said most residents are happy in the direction of the County and that three years ago, the Board didn't support the Sheriff's need for more staffing but the current Board has.

Cathy Binder began her report by saying she attended the All-Hazards Preparedness Workshop on the 9th, the Smoot Library Board of Trustees meeting on the 10th, and the lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. Regarding the Library meeting, she said her goal is to provide dialog between the Board of Supervisors and the Trustees by sharing concerns and successes and to make everyone aware of the topics.

Richard Granger began his report by saying he attended the Farm Bureau dinner on the 9th and the lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. He then tried to appoint Dixie Lee Washington to the Smoot Library Board of Trustees and Brabo said he couldn't because Bueche already did it at the last meeting. Granger then gave an update on the last meeting's topic of appointing Beth Elkins to the RACSB. He said he spoke to both Elkins and leaders at RACSB and it was clear that Elkins had a passion for serving those with special needs. He also said she has served in the past but due to term limits had to rotate off the Board. He said Elkins is now serving again and this would be her second term. He also said there is still a vacancy on the Board. Her appointment was approved and Brabo suggested reaching out to former Supervisor Jim Howard to see if he would fill the vacancy.

The Consent Agenda was approved without comment.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

The Board them listened to KGI Telecommunications repeat their request from the previous Service Authority meeting. Steve and Michele Wido, asked the County to waive lease fees for tower space for 18 months and to waive other fees involved in setting up. They also asked the County to expedite permits. Dr. Young asked Brad Hudson, Director of Community Development, to give his recommendations. Brabo said only waiver of fees, permits, and speeding up the permit process was under the purview of the Supervisors. She asked Hudson if he could expedite permits with the staff he has and he responded that he can't give a specific date due to staffing. He said he works through permits as fast as he can. Brabo asked about waiving fees and Hudson said he was afraid it would set a precedent and that it's never been done before to his knowledge. Jenkins said they needed to support them and Bueche said it provides critical infrastructure to the entire County. Brabo said she doesn't think anyone disagrees but staffing is an issue. Mr. Wido added that due to the local topography, there are dead zones where people want service and that small towers or tall poles could do this. Mrs. Wido, the company's President, said that points two, three, and four on their slide showing their request came straight from the County.

Hudson said that expediting things may not necessarily work. Brabo said she felt that point was already addressed, that there was not enough staff to move permits through faster. Hudson said a new cell tower would cost less than $400 in fees. Brabo suggested that a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors could help save time. Hudson said the time to review a new tower would take longer than just adding an antenna to an existing structure. Dr. Young said his advice is that broadband is a priority in the County right now and that he knows there's a concern over setting a precedent. But he felt that there's only one internet company right now and he highly advises the Board to consider waiving fees. Jenkins agreed and Brabo made a motion to that effect that was approved.

Dr. Young began his comments by addressing Mrs. Dodge's comments. He said the prior year's tax resulted in roughly $18 million and the current tax would result in roughly $19 million with a "windfall" of just over $1 million. He said the tax increase based on the average value of a home in King George would be $88 per year. He said the information has been "exhaustively" given to the public then began to list some of the many dates where the topic was discussed at public meetings. He also said there is information on the County's website available for all citizens to view regarding the matter. He then began to address Mrs. Elkins' appointment to RACSB then realized it was already taken care of. He also said the liaison Supervisor for the Emergency Operations Center was addressed and moved on to the issue of Binder's place on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees. He said she was previously appointed to serve under the Shiloh District however after review, that seat was already filled. He then suggested Binder serve under the At-Large District. Brabo said she would like to defer until the next meeting making it sound like she already had somebody in mind to serve in that role.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 10:22 pm regarding the acquisition or sale of property, prospective businesses, and consultation with legal counsel. Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation attended the first portion of Closed Session and was replaced by Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development about fifteen minutes later. The Board returned from Closed Session at 11 pm and adjourned one minute later.

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)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

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

Five Picturesque Spots Around King George County

Out and About

Not too long ago, this little town was the perfect place to get away from it all.  When my parents moved here back in the summer of 1969, there was one stoplight, single lane roads, and farmland for miles.  My father specifically picked Dahlgren, VA for his employment because of it’s rural nature.   

Turns out a lot of people feel the same way…..

We all know why we are drawn to KG.  We all know the vibrancy and placement of this town is a magnetic pull to settle down and build memories.  One of my favorite parts is that I can get anywhere in 15 minutes.  

As Spring edges in this early March, I have a few spots that remind me of the beauty of KG every time and a new spot that inspires me to keep digging for the most picturesque areas of our hometown.

Here are my current favorites:

1. The old brick corner (The ruins of Office Hall) on Kings Highway past Tractor Supply.    

2. Wilmont Landing off of Kings Highway.  What a beautiful surprise to come upon while driving!  

3. The Marina at the end of Potomac Drive.   

4. The Wayside Beach and Park near the Nice Bridge.  Perfect spot for picnics. 

5. The kids creek jumping spot at Barnesfield Park.  All kids seem drawn to this little spot while their siblings are practicing ball.  

What say you?  What are the most picturesque spots in KG?  Which areas remind you of why you love living here?  Which little scenic overlooks inspire you the most?