Congressman Rob Wittman honored Cedell Brooks of the King George County Board of Supervisors this morning, December 19, 2017. The crowd of well-wishers filled the County's Board room with only a handful of empty seats. The crowd mingled and enjoyed food and drink while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Congressman Wittman began his presentation with a few remarks about how local officials had a "special place in Heaven" for all of their hard work. Wittman then said members of Congress could honor important people in three ways. The first way was his Extension of Remarks that were made for the Congressional Record on October 4, 2017. After reading them aloud, he presented copies to Supervisor Brooks.
The next presentation was of a flag flown at the U. S. Capitol. Congressman Wittman and Sheriff Steve Dempsey worked together to fold the flag and placed it into a shadow box before presenting it to Brooks. Wittman's final award was a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for public service.
Once he finished presenting his three awards, Congressman Wittman "yielded the floor" to Supervisor Brooks. Brooks, full of emotion, kept his comments short but repeatedly thanked those in the community for being present.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the four protestors standing outside the Revercomb Building. The protestors were not there to voice their opposition to Supervisor Brooks but rather to stand against the pending tax bill. Their goal was to "let Wittman know that we strongly disapprove of the Tax Bill that is being pushed through Congress." Aside from some supporters taking their photos, the protestors remained pleasant and out of the way. Many local deputies and State Troopers were on hand for the ceremony and did keep tabs on the protestors but remained professional in dealing with them.
On November 7, 2017, the citizens of King George County made history by electing Cathy Binder to the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor-elect Binder will become the fourth woman to serve on the Board when she is sworn in on December 19, 2017. Joined by current Chairwoman Ruby Brabo, the two will make history as the first two women to serve on the Board simultaneously.
King George saw it's first female elected to the Board in 1979 when Diane Shields was selected to serve on the then three-person board with Reginald P. Hayden and Woodrow "Woody" W. Saft (the Board didn't grow to five seats until 1987). She would go on to serve on the Board until 1987 when she didn't seek reelection and was replaced by Russell M. Vaughn.
The Board wouldn't see another woman on the Board until 1995 when Marilyn Eichelberger was elected. The 1995 election was an oddity as two women ran for the same seat with Eichelberger narrowly defeating Pearl Smith. The voting was so close that Smith called for a recount but by January of 1996, Eichelberger was serving on the Board. She would only serve one term.
The third female elected to the Board, Supervisor Brabo, was elected to her first term in 2011. She became the first female Chairwoman in 2016. She retained her leadership position in 2017, marking the first time anyone, man or woman, has served as Chairperson two years in a row.
Regardless of any criticism they may encounter while serving, they certainly deserve recognition for breaking new ground in the history books.
Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill star as Rey, and Luke Skywalker in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
What I disliked so intensely about “The Force Awakens” was
that it seemed to miss the point of Star Wars.
It looked like a Star Wars movie, but it struck me as rather soulless
and empty, and the abiding feeling I had as Rey held out Anakin’s lightsaber to
Grumpy Old Man Luke, and we irised out to the end credits, was, tragically,
“meh.”
I remember shrugging a lot.
I remember writing several articles and various Facebook rants about why
they’d gotten it wrong. So much so that
it also sparked some writing from me, on my blog, about the deeper themes in
Lucas’s Star Wars trilogies. JJ Abrams
is a Star Wars fan, but he’s the kind of fan I dislike. He obviously is no fan of the prequels and
thus discounts all the wonderful ideas buried beneath the clumsy, stilted
storytelling of those films.
But wait, you say. I’m supposed to be
reviewing “The Last Jedi.” Well, you’re
right. And the reason I’ve spent my
first two paragraphs on setup is so you understand that I’m a hard sell for
Disney Star Wars. Hopefully that adds
the necessary weight when I say that I absolutely loved Episode VIII: The Last
Jedi.
It isn’t a perfect film.
Some of the dialogue, particularly in the opening scenes with Domhnall
Gleason’s General Hux and his bridge crew, is so tin-eared it would make even
George Lucas cringe. BB-8 is still a
cartoon drawing of all the worst things about R2-D2. But Rian Johnson did what JJ Abrams couldn’t
do (and likely was forbidden from doing) with The Force Awakens: he surprises
us.
Throughout the film’s 155-minute runtime, Johnson makes bold
choices and leaves us constantly in fear for the safety of characters young and
old. Things happen that the audience
absolutely does not expect. And through
it all, none of these choices ever rings false.
In fact, although Johnson breaks in various ways from what we by now
think of as the Star Wars formula, he does so with the full understanding of
the weight of those decisions. Rian
Johnson gets Star Wars. This is a man
who has watched all of Lucas’s Star Wars movies and, like me, has found
something to appreciate in all of them, even the prequels; likely even Attack
of the Clones, with its broken pace and confounding love story.
Luke Skywalker tells Rey something like, “at the height of
their power, the Jedi allowed a Sith Lord to take over the Republic and turn it
into an Empire. That’s their
legacy. Hubris.” Yeah, Luke Skywalker just explained the
prequels to Rey. Everything about that
pleases me. I’ve written before about
one of the broader ideas in the original six films being that the Jedi were not
so wonderful, and that Anakin, as the Chosen One to restore balance, had to
destroy both the Jedi and the Sith, from within. Although Luke never says that as such, he
does confess that he believes it’s time for the Jedi to end. A surprise cameo from a beloved character –
and I won’t spoil it here – leads to the understanding that failure is the
greatest teacher, that the burden of all mentors is to see their students grow
beyond them, and that we must let go of the past. It’s bittersweet, it’s wrenching, and it’s
absolutely dead-on.
I echo the sentiments of my favorite entertainment
journalist, Drew McWeeny, when I say that I was ready to concede that Star Wars
no longer belongs to my tribe, that it’s somebody else’s now for better or for
worse, and that I’d probably never really love anything new that the brand had
to offer. But Rian Johnson and “The Last
Jedi” proved me wrong. I couldn’t be
happier to be so mistaken.
Tonight's special joint session of the King George County School Board and the Board of Supervisors began at 6:04 pm, shortly after Supervisor Cedell Brooks arrived. There was no public comment.
Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Ruby Brabo started things off with the newly elected officials making short introductions. Jeff Bueche (pronounced BUSH) is the new Supervisor for the James Monroe District, replacing Jim Howard. Cathy Binder is also a new Supervisor and will represent the Shiloh District replacing Cedell Brooks. Gina Panciera will replace Mike Rose as the Shiloh District's representative for the School Board.
Chairwoman Brabo then went to the heart of tonight's meeting by announcing that the Board of Supervisors will be moving to a two year budget cycle for the county. She also noted that, according to law, only one year can be voted on and approved. The second year would be more of a draft or projected budget.
The discussion then began between both boards with most of the talking being done by Dr. Robert Benson, Superintendent of Schools, T. C. Collins, Chairman of the School Board, and Chairwoman Brabo. Other attendees did add to the discussion as well as ask or answer questions throughout the meeting.
The general consensus seemed to be that the two year budget was acceptable by both boards with the assurances that the Supervisors could only approve one year at a time and that the second year would likely see some changes. Despite those changes being expected, there was still some concern over not knowing exactly what those changes would be. One example given for expected but unknown changes was the funding the schools received from the State and Federal governments. The amount of these funds change yearly based on attendance and the budgets of those government entities.
Chairwoman Brabo also announced that the Board of Supervisors would like to appoint five citizen advisors to help with the two year budget discussions. Her expectation was that these citizens would drive discussions and help bring new ideas to the table as well as communicate back to the community about the budget. She did clarify that even though these citizens would participate in the meetings, they would not be able to vote on the budget. She also stated that if a citizen would like to be on the committee, they should speak to the Supervisor for their district that will represent them in 2018.
Next on the Agenda was a request for the County Administrator, Dr. Neiman Young, and Dr. Benson to work together to develop a list of property owned by the School Board and property owned by the County but leased or used by the School Board. This brought about a request from Chairman Collins to get a final answer from the Board of Supervisors on their offer to sell the County part or all of the old King George Middle School. He said the School Board made the offer last year but never heard back from the County.
The final two items on the Agenda were about Capital Improvement Projects and Cost Cutting Ideas. The School Board said they had no major improvements planned other than those already in progress (such as the new track, bus replacement, and the improvements at King George Middle School). In regards to reducing costs, both Boards agreed that the goal was to think outside the box and reduce waste. Dr. Benson said the schools are already working on this in some areas and gave the example that the schools no longer provided printed paystubs for teachers and instead used an online platform.
The joint meeting concluded with both Boards adjourning at 6:30 pm.
Meeting Attendees:*
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Chairwoman, Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Dr. Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Dr. Robert Benson (School Superintendent)
T. C. Collins (Chairman, School Board)
Tammy Indseth (School Board)
Kristin Tolliver (School Board)
Gayle Hock (School Board)
Cathy Binder (Supervisor-elect)
Jeff Bueche (Supervisor-elect)
Gina Panciera (School Board-elect)
*Other officials were present but not introduced.
Meeting Agenda [Editor's Note: No Agenda was found online however one was handed out to those present. We scanned our copy for your review.]
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on December 19, 2017 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is slowly progressing through their study of the Route 301 and Route 207 corridor through King George and Caroline Counties. Phase 1 of the study covers the section of Route 301 from the Harry W. Nice Bridge to Office Hall (the intersection of Routes 301 and 3). Phase 2 of the study will examine the section of Route 301 south of Office Hall to Bowling Green and then continues from there to Interstate 95 via Route 207. Both phases will look at existing conditions and future land use in the corridor and Phase 1 will also include a look at access management.
Both phases have public meetings scheduled. The next public information hearing is scheduled for December 14, 2017 from 5pm to 7pm. The meeting will be held at:
Port Royal Volunteer Fire Station 435 King Street Port Royal, VA 22535
Tonight's Board of Supervisors Meeting began with a few words from resident Jim Lynch. Mr. Lynch gave a brief overview of Wilson's Disease, the upcoming Big WOW event on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail, and the King George High School Cheerleaders [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Friends of DRHT]. Mr. Lynch expressed his praise for the cheerleaders and their volunteer efforts to make previous Big WOW events successful.
With that being the only public comment, the Board gave their reports on recent activities. Supervisors John Jenkins and Richard Granger had nothing to report but thanked Mr. Lynch for his comments. Supervisor Jim Howard's report was lengthy and included attending meetings of COMREL (more formally known as Military-Civilian Council Community Relations) and the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC). Howard also attended the King George Winter Festival and Tree Lighting Ceremony as well as a meeting of the Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging (RAAA).
Supervisor Cedell Brooks followed with an apology for missing the last meeting due to a family emergency. He extended his thanks to everyone involved with the Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park dedication, especially the County employees that attended. He also received a call from Congressman Rob Wittman's office about a presentation that will be made to Mr. Brooks on December 19th at 9:30am in the Board Room. The event is open to the public.
Chairwoman Ruby Brabo was next with her report. She attended COMREL and GWRC meetings as well as a White House meeting on taxes. She commented that she enjoyed seeing the new mural at Mary's Cakery and Candy Kitchen and said it helped support the vision of revitalizing the downtown area.
The Board then formally recognized Ted Lovell for his efforts to acquire and deploy the LUCAS Chest Compression Device. The device will allow first responders to administer first aid while the device delivers chest compressions. The Board also recognized Mark Senarich who was not present.
Sheriff Steve Dempsey gave a brief report on extra funding from the state to help pay his employees.
Judy Hart, Commissioner of the Revenue, gave a report about the recent reassessment notices that were sent. The first batch of notices that were sent in mid to late November were incorrect. When Mrs. Hart first learned of the issue over the Thanksgiving holiday, she began working with Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal the following Monday to fix the problem. Blue Ridge absorbed the cost of their error in completing the forms as well as mailing the correct reassessment notices. The corrected versions have already arrived in many households. Some citizens have called asking for appointments to appeal their increased reassessments.
Major Michael Sarro, U. S. Army, 98th Civil Affairs Battalion, followed with a presentation on a proposed Validation Training Exercise (VTX) to be held in King George County. This introductory presentation gave an overview of how small teams of soldiers would parachute into Fort A. P. Hill, conduct their exercise in King George, then return to their home base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Major Sarro said they typically hold exercises in Puerto Rico but with the recent hurricane damage, they were looking for new locations. Their VTX exercise involves various military topics such as firearms and survival training but also covers humanitarian work and infrastructure studies. One interesting point from the presentation was the fact that they would operate in the county in civilian clothes and would not be armed nor use military vehicles. This supported the overall impression that this was not training for a military coup but rather a way for localities to gather vital information on what can be improved in their area while the military gains real-world training experience. The VTX is scheduled to take place in April 2018.
Ms. Kimberly Young of the University of Mary Washington (UMW) gave a short presentation on the GO! Virginia Grant Proposal. Ms. Young said UMW was looking for local support to help fund a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certification course. The CISSP certificate is required by many positions and the nearest training location is in Vienna, Virginia. By hosting the course at the UMW-Dahlgren campus and working with Rappahannock Community College, the goal was to fill a class of 30 to 40 students. Ms. Young said the total grant amount was roughly $243,000. Her bottom line for the Board was an in-kind request of $3,000 in marketing via the County website, media relations, and contact lists. She said this could be paid over four quarters or in a lump-sum. She asked that the Board consider the investment tonight and would return at the next meeting to ask for a commitment. There was some discussion among the Supervisors about this course helping fill vacant positions at Dahlgren.
Economic Development Director Ryan Gandy was next with an update on his Strategic Plan. His update included input from County employees, citizens, and others and primarily focused on a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Weaknesses). Top Strengths included Dahlgren and low property taxes. Top Weaknesses included high water costs and a variety of lacking services (connectivity, up-scale restaurants, and diverse entertainment). Top Opportunities included the 301 corridor and a main street. Top Weaknesses included an absence of affordable housing and lacking infrastructure (roads, broadband, etc.). Mr. Gandy said the next step was to have the Board create a Vision based on this analysis.
Mr. Gandy then gave a quick update on the Route 3 Beautification Project. He stated that the Tourism Committee asked for funding from the Board and was working with VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) to move the process forward. Currently VDOT wants a surety bond approved by the Board and a Land Use Permit before continuing.
Angela from the Department of Community Development then gave a quick presentation about the new Finish Line Environmental site plan. The new business would be located in the Industrial Park off of Dennis W. Kerns Parkway. Their plan for Phase 1 was a 9,100 square foot building with Phase 2 planned for 10,000 square feet. The Board approved their site plan and welcomed them to the County.
County Administrator Neiman Young gave his report next and began with the Rappahannock Area Health District asking for the usual contribution from King George County. He then asked that the January 2018 meeting of the Board be delayed to January 9th due to the New Year's holiday. Dr. Young said Dr. Benson and the School Board were willing to work with the Board of Supervisors in a joint meeting, focusing on the transition to a two year budget plan. This joint meeting will be on December 12th at the Fire Station.
County Attorney Eric Gregory had a short update that was rather confusing to the Board and those listening. It sounded like there were a few positions on boards and committees that needed to be filled by the Board but not all Supervisors had submitted candidates.
The meeting then moved to a closed session at 8:35pm with Christopher Werle and Christopher Thomas attending. The Board returned from closed session around 9:45pm and quickly adjourned until December 19th. They just as quickly realized their error in dates, reopened the meeting, and adjourned with their next meeting being December 12th, the joint meeting with the School Board.
One final note on the Consent Agenda, located in the Meeting Agenda below, that was approved by the Board. Buried in the expenses for the General Fund was a line item for over $2,400 for Verizon telephone service. The other five phone lines in this specific section averaged less than $250 per line with the highest being $491.62. Nobody questioned this amount. [2017-12-12 - Editor's Update: We received an update from Chairwoman Brabo that the specific expense of $2,414.87 is related to the 911 Operations Center.]
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Chairwoman, Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Tonight's meeting of the King George County Service Authority Board of Directors went quickly. Starting at 6:30pm, with no public comment, things moved into a short report by Christopher Werle, Chairman. He attended the repairs done to the Dahlgren Waste Water Treatment Plant overflow basin. The General Manager, Christopher Thomas, gave more details about the repairs, stating the liner needed to be repaired and the estimated cost was over $100,000. After the repairs were made, the final cost came in under plan at about $67,000 with only the bill for the necessary stone yet to be received. As this bill is expected to not be a large amount, the final cost should still be less than originally planned.
Not mentioned was the Service Authority's many violations at the Dahlgren Wastewater Treatment Plant (and other locations). The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued notices and fines as recently as 2006. The 2012 fine was over $5,000. The newest fine was in 2014.
Thomas also stated he attended an orientation meeting with the newly elected Board of Supervisors.
The Board then went into a closed session for some time before returning and adjourning just before 7:30pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman of Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
