* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [1. ROLL CALL] [00:00:05] I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO MARCH 19TH, UH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING TO ORDER. WE'LL GO OPEN WITH THE, UH, I MEAN, ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. HERE MR. LEE. HERE. MS. EBRA BONNER. HERE MR. DOOLEY. MR. CHAVIS. HERE. FOUR BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT. PLEASE JOIN ME FOR INVOCATION FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. FATHER, FATHER REGARDING HEAVEN, HALLOW, BE THAT NAME. THY KINGDOM COME. I WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASSED AGAINST US. AND LEAD US NOT TO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM AMEN PROVIDES THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL GIVE MR. DAN LEE A FEW SECONDS. HE, UH, HE'S BACK FOR HIS FIRST TIME FOR A WHILE, AND TURN IT OVER TO MR. LEE. WELL, THANK YOU. UM, I, I THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THE ROOM KNOW MY STORY AND, UH, SO, UM, I HAD DAYS, UM, FROM NOVEMBER THE THIRD TILL NOW THAT I DIDN'T THINK I'D EVER BE BACK IN THIS SEAT. AND, UH, ALONG THE WAY, UM, I FOUND THAT HOW SPECIAL DENWOODY IS AND WHAT, WHAT A GREAT COMMUNITY IT IS. UM, EARLY ON WHEN I WAS HOSPITALIZED, WE DECIDED TO DO A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND JUST TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND MY PHONE DIDN'T BLOW UP BECAUSE I THINK MOST PEOPLE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT MY WIFE'S PHONE JUST BLEW UP. AND I WAS ACTUALLY, UM, GETTING AN, AN IMPELLA PUMP FOR MY HEART WHEN THE PRE, UH, NEWS WENT OUT. SO I WAS ABOUT FOUR DAYS LATE WITH SEEING ALL THE RESPONSES, BUT, UM, JUST UNBELIEVABLE I POURING FROM THIS COMMUNITY. AND SO IN ORDER I'D LIKE TO THANK GOD FOR ME BEING HERE. MY WIFE GETS SECOND ON THE LIST 'CAUSE SHE STUCK WITH ME FOR 83 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL AND I KNOW IT WAS HARDER FOR HER THAN IT WAS FOR ME. AND THEN I'LL SAY MY FAMILY. AND WHEN I SAY MY FAMILY, THAT'S EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE, PLUS MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND THEN THE COMMUNITY. UM, FOR ME BEING BACK HERE, I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT. UM, BUT I'M GETTING STRONGER EVERY DAY. UM, SO, UM, AND, AND I KNOW GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR ME. UM, AND HOPEFULLY IT, IT'S MAKING DEWY COUNTY A BETTER PLACE, WHICH IS, ISN'T GONNA BE HARD TO DO BECAUSE IT'S A PRETTY SPECIAL PLACE ANYWAY, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. JUDGE. HE IS MY SIDEKICK WHEN HE IS OUT, I'M HALF, SO THAT'S NOT MUCH. SO, [4. AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA] UH, DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA? YES, SIR. MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HAVE, UM, AN ADDITION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, TO MAKE AND THAT'S UNDER EIGHT D AND THAT'S AN ACTION ITEM AND IT'S THE PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN. WE HAVE ART THATCHER WITH BARRY DUNN. UM, THAT'LL BE HERE. AND THAT YOU'LL SEE THE MEMO THAT'S LAID AT YOUR DESK. OKAY. AGAIN, EIGHT D OKAY. ALRIGHT, MR. CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE AMENDED AGENDA. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MR. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. OKAY. [5. CONSENT AGENDA] THE CONSENT AGENDA. WE'VE HAD TIME TO READ OVER, UH, FROM A TO C, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR THAT? I AM MOVED. THAT WE ACCEPT CONSENT AGENDAS PRESENTED. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. SO [6.A. Virginia Department Of Transportation] WE MOVE ON TO REPORTS AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION? I DON'T THINK MR. FRENCH IS HERE TODAY. ? NO. MR. FRENCH IS NOT HERE TODAY. NOT GOOD TO HAVE YOU DIANE. SO, GOOD AFTERNOON MR. CHAVIS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MR. MASSENGILL, HOW ARE YOU? UM, I AM HERE IN PLACE OF MR. FRENCH TODAY, [00:05:01] AND I'M GONNA PROVIDE YOU A FEW UPDATES AND, UM, FOR IN, IN, IN PLACE OF HIS BOARD REPORT. UM, ROUTE FOUR 60 UNDERCUT THERE, UH, AT 2 26 IS COMPLETE. THE RIDE IS STILL A LITTLE BIT ROUGH, UM, BUT ADDITIONALLY, IF ANY ADDITIONAL SETTLEMENT OCCURS, WE WE WILL WORK TO, UH, SMOOTH THAT OUT. UM, THE ENTIRE SEGMENT OF WESTBOUND FROM 85 WATKINS EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED FOR AN ASPHALT TO OVERLAY NEXT SEASON. UM, THIS WILL COVER THE LAST OF THE EXPOSED CONCRETE, UM, PLANNING ON FIXING THE DITCH WHERE THE TRACTOR TRAILER WENT THROUGH THERE. UM, WE GOTTA GIVE IT SOME TIME TO DRY OUT A LITTLE BIT THOUGH, BUT THAT IS ON THE LIST OF THINGS TO BE REPAIRED. UM, THE SHOULDER CLIPPING ON ROUTE 2 26 AND ROUTE ONE IS COMPLETE AND MOVING TO ROUTE FOUR 60. NEXT, UM, THE PIPE REPLACEMENT ON ROUTE SIX 60, HARDAWAYS MILL HAS FINALLY STARTED. MM-HMM . UM, I THINK THEY'VE CUT OUT THE PAVEMENT AND THEY'VE STARTED DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EXCAVATION. UH, ROUTE 6 93 WILLIAMSON ROAD THAT IS SCHEDULED NEXT WEEK FROM THE 25TH TO THE 28TH FOR A PIPE REPLACEMENT. THE TRAFFIC'S GONNA BE DETOURED ONTO ROUTE 7 0 3 FROM ROUTE 7 0 3 OVER TO OLD STAGE ROAD AND THEN BACK TO WILLIAMSON. UM, THERE SHOULD BE A TRAFFIC ALERT THAT'S OUT WITH ALL THAT INFORMATION ON THERE. UH, WORK BEGAN ON 7 0 3, THE BRIDGE THERE LAST WEEK. UH, THE REPLACING THE RAILS AND THE DECK ON THAT BRIDGE, UM, CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETE IN THE SPRING OF 25. UM, THE TRAFFIC ON THIS BRIDGE IS CONTROLLED BY THE TEMPORARY SIGNAL, SO HOPEFULLY THAT'LL WORK OUT REAL WELL. UM, THERE WAS A MEETING HELD WITH SOUTHSIDE ELECTRIC ON BAIN ON THE BAIN BRIDGE PROJECT. UTILITY RELOCATION IS GONNA BE NEEDED BECAUSE CONSTRUCTION, UM, THE POWER LINES OUT THERE ARE TOO LOW AND THEY'RE DIRECTLY OVER THE WORK SITE, SO THAT'S GONNA EXTEND IT A LITTLE BIT. UM, SO CONSTRUCTION MAY BE INITIATED IN ABOUT SIX MONTHS OR SO. UM, THE HALIFAX ROAD THROUGH TRUCK RESTRICTIONS SUPPORT LETTER FROM CITY OF PETERSBURG, UH, HAS BEEN RECEIVED, UH, PROCEEDING WITH THE NEXT STEPS IN THAT PROCESS. UM, JUST A REMINDER, THE THREE TRUCK RESTRICTIONS CAN TAKE AS LONG AS 10 TO 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE. UM, AND THE LAST THING IS THE SIX YEAR PLAN. UM, THE PROCESS WILL KICK OFF NEXT MONTH ON THE SECOND AT THE BOARD, UH, WORK SESSION. UM, AND THEN AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING, WE'LL NEED, UM, APPROVAL FOR V OS RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE MEETING ON THE 16TH. AND THEN WE'LL PLAN ON HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING WITH A RESOLUTION AT THE MAY 21ST BOARD MEETING. UM, AND THAT'S ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT I HAD. SO DO YOU ALL HAVE ANYTHING? ONE, JUST THANK YOU FOR THE WORK ON FOUR 60 AND WHATEVER WE DO GOING FORWARD. MUCH APPRECIATED. YES, THANKS MR. AARON. FOR ME, UH, HE DID GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH, UH, MR. BEAN. MM-HMM . HE WAS A LITTLE BIT HAPPIER. THAT MADE ME HAPPIER. SO, BUT, UH, BRICK ROAD, UH, SO CUTBACKS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. I GOT A COMPLAINT ON THAT BRICK ROAD. WHICH ROAD WAS THAT? BRICK BRICK, BRICK ROAD OFF 7 0 3. OKAY. AND THANKS FOR THE POTHOLE FIX ON HALIFAX. WE HAD A MAJOR HOLE THERE, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? NO, I DO HAVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DO HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION. YES. UM, WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE TREE LIMBS THAT ARE HANGING OVER THE ROAD, DO YOU ALL, UH, GO UP AND DOWN THE ROADS FROM TIME TO TIME AND JUST KIND OF LOOK AT THOSE? I KNOW IF WE HAVE STRONG WINDS, THEY MAY, YOU KNOW, BLOW DOWN AND IT'S SOME NICE CAR. WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF TREE TRIMMING MM-HMM . IN, IN THE, THE LAST FEW MONTHS. UM, THAT'S, IT'S BEEN ONGOING IN A LOT OF LOCATIONS AND THEY DO TAKE, TAKE DOWN LIMBS THAT, THAT APPEAR TO BE, UM, DANGEROUS OR MM-HMM . IN, IN, UM, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY FALLING. BUT, UM, THAT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROCESS. OKAY. SO IS THERE ANY PLACE IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT? I'VE SEEN SOME OF, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO GET BACK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE DRIVING, YOU MAY SEE SOMETHING, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES WHEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STRONG WINDS, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY, UH, FALL SO MM-HMM . BUT I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU. [00:10:01] OKAY. OKAY. [7.A. Virginia State University] MOVING OUT. UH, OUTSIDE AGENCY REPORT, UH, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, DR. AB. YEAH. HOW ARE YOU DOING? FANTASTIC, SIR. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. GREAT. WELL, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL HAVING ME. UH, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF, UH, STRONG HOKEY FANS UP HERE, . I JUST WANTED YOU ALL TO JOIN WITH ME AND, AND MISS IRAN, MAN ON, ON REALLY BEING STRONG VIRGINIA STATE FANS TOO. AND I KNOW THAT YOU ARE. YES, YES. , UM, FORGIVE ME, I'M A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER AND, UM, THE GENTLEMAN WHO MAKES MY SLIDES, UH, TRADITIONALLY CHANGES THEM RIGHT BEFORE I SEE THEM. SO WE WILL BE SEEING THESE FOR THE FIRST TIME TOGETHER. OKAY. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MAN. THANK YOU. UH, AND THE NEXT ONE, UH, WE ARE, UH, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IN NOVEMBER THAT WE HAD AN, AN EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT ON CAMPUS. UM, AND OFFICER BRUCE FOSTER REALLY STOOD IN THAT GAP, UM, AS A POLICE OFFICER AND HELPED TO KEEP OUR CAMPUS SAFE. UH, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF HIM, AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW ONE THAT, UH, HE'S DOING BETTER. HE DOES HAVE SOME, SOME, SOME LIFETIME INJURIES THAT, THAT HE WILL HAVE TO, TO DEAL WITH, AND HE AND HIS FAMILY ARE WORKING THROUGH THAT. UH, BUT THAT WE AT VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ARE GOING TO DO JUST AS YOU WOULD EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT HE AND HIS FAMILY, UH, ARE ARE OKAY. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I SHARED THAT. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT IT. BUT, UH, UH, HE IS DOING WELL AND HE IS REALLY A HECK OF A, OF A MAN. IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO MEET HIM, HE'S REALLY A GOOD MAN. NEXT SLIDE. UM, OUR ENROLLMENT, UM, WE HAD OUR HIGHEST YEAR TO YEAR ENROLLMENT GROWTH, UH, IN THE FALL. UM, WE ARE IN FACT THE FASTEST GROWING INSTITUTION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. AND WE'RE, AND WE'RE PRETTY PROUD OF THAT. UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO, UH, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY AS A PLACE TO GO TO SCHOOL. UM, I THINK I'VE MENTIONED IT TO YOU BEFORE, IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN A, TRADITIONALLY A VERY STRONG UNIVERSITY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS, WHETHER IT'S IN VIRGINIA OR OUTSIDE OF VIRGINIA. UM, BUT MANY OF OUR NEW RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, INCLUDING OUR, UH, NEW MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM, NEW MEN'S AND WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM, ARE ALSO ATTRACTING A DIVERSE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM, FROM ALL AREAS INSIDE OF VIRGINIA. SO WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE HAVE SOME NEW BUILDINGS GOING UP ON CAMPUS. IF YOU COME BY CAMPUS, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE SOME CRANES. UH, WE HAD ONE COMPLETED THE MT CARD AT ANNEX, WHERE YOU SEE US STANDING OUTSIDE OF AND, AND WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY, UH, TO COMPLETING THE NEW ALFRED W HARRIS ACADEMIC COMMONS BUILDING. UH, IT'LL BE ALMOST, UH, I THINK 180,000 SQUARE FEET. IT'LL BE THE BIGGEST BUILDING ON CAMPUS, ACADEMIC BUILDING. AND IT IS, UH, UH, WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH ABOUT A YEAR IN, WE GOT ANOTHER YEAR TO GO. SO WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THE, UH, GIVING OUR STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO HAVE AN EDUCATION IN A, IN A WONDERFUL FACILITY, SUCH AS THIS ONE NEXT LAW, HOMECOMING, . YEAH. AND HOMECOMING. UH, AND WE LOVE HOMECOMING. UH, I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALL ALWAYS, UH, INVITED. UH, WE SHALL MAKE SURE THAT, UH, ANY ARRANGEMENTS THAT WE CAN MAKE FOR ANY EVENT THAT WE HAVE ON CAMPUS THAT WE INVITE OUR, OUR FRIENDS FROM, FROM DENWITTY. UM, WE REALLY HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT IN OCTOBER, UM, AND WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF CHALLENGE. UH, I THINK YOU, YOU MAY HAVE KNOWN THAT THE BRIDGE BETWEEN PETERSBURG AND VIRGINIA STATE HAD BEEN OUT. IT IS NOW BACK OPEN. OH, GREAT. AND SO HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE A LITTLE BETTER WITH TRAFFIC. YEAH. A LITTLE BETTER WITH TRAFFIC. THAT'S GREAT. NEXT SLIDE. LOT. UM, UH, YOUR BAND, UH, THE BEST BAND, UH, IN THE LAND, THE VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, TROJAN EXPLOSION WAS ONE OF ESPN'S BANDS OF THE YEAR. UH, UH, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOT OF EXCELLENCE ON CAMPUS. OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING SOME GREAT WORK, AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE ON CAMPUS. NEXT SLIDE. OH, I TALKED ABOUT THESE FINE, UH, MEN AND WOMEN ALREADY, UH, BUT I SHALL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEM. UH, MEN'S SOCCER WILL START OFFICIALLY IN THE FALL. THE OTHER THREE, UH, HAVE STARTED. LACROSSE SEASON IS IN THE MIDDLE OF HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. UH, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF OUR, WELL, WE'RE PROUD OF ALL OF THEM. AS I, AS I TOLD ALL OF OUR TEAMS, UH, WE'LL HAVE LOSING SEASONS AND WINNING SEASONS. WE'LL HAVE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS, UM, BUT WE'LL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER FIRST SEASON. AND SO THESE ARE OUR FIRST TEAMS. UH, BUT OUR WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM, THEY WON THEIR FIRST GAME. THEY'RE CURRENTLY FOUR AND THREE. UH, AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HOW WELL THEY'RE DOING, UH, IN THEIR FIRST YEAR. NEXT SLIDE. AND I, IF I KNOW ELDON WELL ENOUGH, THIS IS EITHER THE LAST ONE, THE NEXT TO LAST SLIDE. UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING THE, UM, PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, UH, TO VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY'S CAMPUS. AND FOR AT LEAST ONE DAY, UH, OCTOBER 1ST, 2024, UM, OUR CAMPUS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA, CENTRAL VIRGINIA, WILL BE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD. UH, WE'RE PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT THE IDEA THAT THE ANNOUNCERS ON TELEVISION WILL SAY, LIVE FROM VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY. THAT'S PARTICULARLY GONNA BE A GREAT TIME. I THINK WE'LL START CHEERING. I'M NOT SURE WE'LL HEAR ANOTHER WORD AFTER THEY SAY THAT. . UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THOUGH, AND I THINK YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THIS, IS THAT, UH, THE BUILDING, THE MULTIPURPOSE CENTER, WHETHER THE DEBATE [00:15:01] IS BEING HELD, IS ALSO A POLLING PLACE. MM-HMM . UH, AND SO UNLIKE MANY OTHER TIMES, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TIE ALL OF THOSE CIVICS TOGETHER. THAT WHERE THE PRESIDENTS WILL, WILL BE, WILL ALSO BE WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO CAST THEIR VOTE, UH, FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. SO, WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UH, AND LET'S SEE IF I WAS, NOPE, I WAS WRONG. , THIS WAS THE LAST ONE. UH, WE'VE GOT THINGS COMING UP, UM, IN MARCH. WE'VE GOT OUR VOTER EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE. UH, WE CELEBRATE OUR FOUNDER'S DAY ON THURSDAY. UH, OUR FOUNDER'S DAY IS ACTUALLY, I THINK MARCH 6TH, 8 18 82 IS THE DAY WE WERE FOUNDED. UM, YOU MAY KNOW, I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU DO THAT. UM, DEN WITTY, OF COURSE, IS A BIG PART OF OUR FOUNDING. UM, OUR FOUNDER, ALFRED W HARRIS WAS THE DELEGATE FROM, FROM DEN WITTY COUNTY, UH, WHO READ THE, THE, THE SPEECH ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES TO ESTABLISH OUR, OUR WONDERFUL INSTITUTION. AND SO THAT'S, UH, WE HAVE COMMENCEMENT ON MAY 11TH AND LAST, BUT, SO NOT LEAST THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON OCTOBER 1ST. NEXT SLIDE. YES. . UH, I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, UM, OF VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS GREAT SEEING YOU. IT'S GOOD SEEING YOU TOO. YEAH. I, I WAS TALKING TO EL AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, UH, WHERE'S, UM, DR. ABDULLAH? I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM. HE SAID, OH, HE, HE'LL BE THERE. HE'S COVERED. HE'S COVERED. SO, THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, AND REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE DEBATE ON OCTOBER THE FIRST AS WELL. MM-HMM . YES, MA'AM, WE ARE, I, I, WE HAVE HAD INQUIRIES ABOUT TICKETS AND WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK YET, BUT AS WE LEARN IT, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE TO THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GO RIGHT AHEAD. I'M GOOD. NO, I'M FINE. ANYTHING GOOD? I JUST WANTED TO SAY MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER BOTH GRADUATED FROM VIRGINIA STATE. SO , THE HOKEY CONNECTION IS STRONG, BUT MAYBE NOT THAT STRONG. . I LOVE IT, SIR. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR. NO, TROJAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. MUCH. WELL, MY, MY WIFE'S A GRADUATE HAS TWO DEGREES FROM, FROM VIRGINIA STATE. ALRIGHT. WELL, NOTHING BUT TROJANS UP HERE. OKAY. THAT SCHOOL TEACHERS. SCHOOL TEACHERS. YEP. WELL, MR. CHAIR AND, UH, MR. MAGA, IF, UH, IF YOU WANT TO COME TO CAMPUS, WE HAVE SCHOLARSHIPS WAITING ON BOTH OF YOU. WE CAN DO, IT'D LIKE TO COME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, . YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. YEAH, HAVE A GOOD ONE. ALRIGHT. [7.B. Brightpoint Community College] WE HAVE BRIGHT POINT COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEXT. OKAY, MR. FIGE. AND YOU HAVE A FRIEND WITH YOU, MR. TAYLOR. GREAT. THANK YOU. BEFORE DR. ABDULLAH, UH, GOES, I MUST SAY THAT BRIGHT POINT COMMUNITY COLLEGE UNDEFEATED IN ALL SPORTS SINCE 1967, YES. WE DO NOT HAVE AN ATHLETIC PROGRAM, BUT WE DO DO QUITE A BIT OF INTRAMURALS IN, IN THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS. , SO I COULDN'T RESIST. UH, THAT'S RIGHT. SAYING THAT. UH, AND MR. LEE, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A BRIGHT POINT FOR YOU BEING HERE TODAY, AND IT'S, AND IT'S GREAT SEEING YOU. WE HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE MET PERSONALLY, BUT READ ABOUT YOUR STORY AND, AND, AND JUST SO GLAD TO SEE YOU AND BE ABLE TO PRESENT IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY AN HONOR. UM, AND TO ALL OF YOU, IT'S, IT'S A PLEASURE BEING HERE. UM, WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT, UH, THAT YOU GIVE BRIGHTPOINT. UH, FIRST I WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, TAMMY COLLINS, UH, WHO SERVED ON OUR BOARD FOR EIGHT YEARS MM-HMM . UM, AND, UH, SHE'S NO LONGER ON OUR COLLEGE BOARD, BUT SHE'S STILL ON OUR REAL ESTATE FOUNDATION BOARD. SO, UH, IT'S GREAT SEEING HER TODAY. AND ALSO FOR THE BOARD, UH, BRINGING ON, UH, MORGAN INGRAM IS NOW OUR COLLEGE BOARD REP FROM, UM, DEN WHITTING. AND WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE HAVE MORGAN IN PLACE AS WELL. MM-HMM . GREAT. UM, SO WITH THAT, WHAT I WANNA DO IS, UH, JUST WE'RE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH DR. WESTON JUST BEFORE, UH, THE MEETING. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE. UH, AND THEN JUST GIVE SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BRIGHTPOINT, UH, AND SOME OF THE GOOD WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AT, AT THE INSTITUTION. UH, FIRST WE HAVE A CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS FROM, UH, DENWITTY AND THE REST OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE ABLE TO BE BUSED TO OUR CAMPUS AND BE ABLE TO DO THE PROGRAM THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN. UH, NEW FOR THIS, UH, COMING FALL, WE'RE GONNA, UH, INTRODUCE ENGINEER EN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY. UH, AND STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO EARN INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS, GET A CAREER STUDY CERTIFICATE BEFORE THEY GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE KNOW, I BELIEVE IT'S GONNA BE THREE, UH, THAT ARE GONNA BE GRADUATING FROM DEN WITT AND PARTICIPATING IN OUR COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES ON, ON MAY 13TH. UM, IT'S ALL ABOUT CAREER PATHWAYS. HOW DO WE HELP STUDENTS BE ABLE TO GET WHERE THEY WANT TO GO, UM, AND AVAILABLE FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. UH, THIS NEXT COMING YEAR, UH, WE'RE GONNA, UH, BE OFFERING WEB DESIGN, COMPUTER AIDED DRAFTING AND MODELING FOUNDATIONS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE. UH, AND EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT IS GONNA HAVE THREE SLOTS IN THESE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO. AND WE'RE WORKING WITH YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS. UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITHIN OUR ENTIRE SERVICE AREAS TO OFFER MORE DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS WHERE, UH, STUDENTS DO THE ACTUAL, UH, COLLEGE COURSES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE CREDENTIALED FACULTY MEMBER. UM, AND AGAIN, INSTRUCTORS MUST BE, MUST BE CREDENTIALED. YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU TAKE ENGLISH ONE 11 AT THE HIGH SCHOOL WITH A CREDENTIALED TEACHER OR ON OUR CAMPUS OR ONLINE, IT'S THE SAME COURSE. UM, SO AGAIN, [00:20:01] IT'S PROVIDING THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO GET AHEAD WHILE THEY'RE, WHILE THEY'RE IN SCHOOL. UH, WE HAVE 16 DENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN OUR, IN OUR CONCURRENT PIPELINE PROGRAM THAT I JUST MENTIONED. AND AGAIN, PURSUING CAREER STUDY CERTIFICATES IN INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY, BASIC PRECISION MACHINING AND WELDING. AND THEN THERE ARE 11 STUDENTS WHO ARE DOING IT THROUGH DUAL ENROLLMENT AT ANTE. UH, AND THEY'RE IN 54 CREDITS TOTAL, WHICH IS SAVING THEM ABOUT $8,429 IN TUITION, UH, BECAUSE WE DO A REDUCED COST WHEN IT'S AT THE SCHOOL WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL, UH, FACULTY MEMBER WHO'S, WHO'S CREDENTIALED FOR THE COLLEGE COURSES. UH, WE HAVE A COLLEGE AND CAREER, UH, CAREER AND COLLEGE NAVIGATOR, UH, IN MANY OF OUR SCHOOL AREAS. AND WE HAVE ONE HERE IN DENWITTY. UH, MR. WARREN MURDOCH IS THAT INDIVIDUAL. AND THEN WE SPONSOR MANY SCHOOL VISITATIONS. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PATHWAYS, WE'VE GOTTA SHOW KIDS WHAT'S OUT THERE. WE GOTTA GET 'EM TO CAMPUS EARLY. AND SO WE'VE HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, HAVE, UH, TO DO DIFFERENT EVENTS, RECRUITMENT EVENTS, AND TO INTRODUCE THEM TO WHAT THE OFFERINGS ARE AND WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREERS. AND WITH THAT CAREER, WHAT EDUCATION MIGHT BE AVAILABLE, UH, THROUGH BRIGHTPOINT. UM, WE SPONSORED, UM, THE INDUSTRY DAY. UH, I KNOW WE'VE DONE SIGNING DAYS, UH, FOR DENWITTY. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ATHLETIC PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, MANY SCHOOL SYSTEMS DO SIGNING DAYS FOR ATHLETICS. BUT WHAT ABOUT SIGNING DAYS FOR THOSE GOING FOR A CAREER? AND WE'RE VERY PROUD TO SPONSOR THAT FOR MANY OF OUR SCHOOL, UH, SYSTEMS. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, WE INVITE MANY STUDENTS TO CAMPUS, AS I JUST MENTIONED, BRINGING KIDS IN WHEN THEY'RE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. UM, AND THEN CERTAINLY AS THEY GET INTO HIGH SCHOOL, INTRODUCING THEM TO WHAT WE HAVE IS SO, UH, VITALLY IMPORTANT. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO, UH, OFFERED MANY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS, UH, FOR SEVERAL OF THE TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR LEARNING, UH, AS THEY WORK WITH, WITH THEIR STUDENTS. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR MAJORS OVERALL, WE ALSO KNOW WE NEED TO HIT OUR ADULT STUDENTS, NOT JUST THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. YOU KNOW, UM, AGAIN, WE'RE HERE TO SERVE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY COMMUNITIES, OUR MIDDLE NAME. WE HAVE OVER 80 CAREER, UM, CAREER STUDIES, CERTIFICATES, CERTIFICATES AND OR DEGREE PROGRAMS THROUGH BRIGHT POINT WIDE VARIETY OF, OF AREAS IN WHICH STUDENTS MIGHT FIND INTEREST. SO AGAIN, WHATEVER PATHWAY THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO, WHETHER TAKE ONE CLASS OR TO GET A CREDENTIAL, OR TO GET A DEGREE TO THEN BE ABLE TO MOVE DIRECTLY INTO A JOB AND OR TO A TRANSFER INSTITUTION. AS FAR AS OUR WORKFORCE TRAINING, MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE, WHICH IS THE WORKFORCE PARTNER OF REYNOLDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND BRIGHT POINT COMMUNITY COLLEGE. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE WE KNOW MANY COMPANIES ARE, ARE IN SPECIFIC LOCALITIES, BUT WE ALSO KNOW MANY OTHERS WORK WITHIN THE ENTIRE RVA REGION. AND SO, PARTNERING WITH REYNOLDS, WITH THEIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE IS SO VITALLY IMPORTANT. UM, WE HAVE OVER 33 FAST FORWARD PROGRAMS, UH, THAT WE OFFER WITH FAST FORWARD PROGRAMS. THIS IS A STATEWIDE PROGRAM WHERE, UH, STUDENTS ARE ON THE HOOK FOR THE FIRST THIRD, AND THERE ARE SOME FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THEN THE SECOND THIRD IS PAID BY THE STATE WHEN THEY COMPLETE THE COURSE. AND THE SEC, THE LAST THIRD IS PAID WHEN THEY ACTUALLY GET THE, GET THE CREDENTIAL. UH, SO GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING FOR THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING, MANUFACTURING TECHNICIAN, ONE, MEDICAL CODING, UH, CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL CODER. WE HAVE CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANT. AGAIN, MANY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AVAILABLE, UH, FOR STUDENTS. AND THIS HAS FOUND SIGNIFICANT GROWTH. 'CAUSE WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS STUDENTS NEED TO GET A JOB. AND SO THEY COME AND GET A, AN INDUSTRY CREDENTIAL, GET AN ENTRY LEVEL JOB. AND THEN WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IS HOW DO WE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS TO ADVANCE THEIR EDUCATION, TO BE ABLE TO PROMOTE IT AND TO ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREER. AND SO THAT'S ALL PART OF OUR WORKFORCE PLANNING. HOW DO WE HELP STUDENTS GET THERE? HOW DO WE HELP THEM, UH, GET THESE OPPORTUNITIES? UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, PURCHASED A MOBILE LAB, UH, THAT'S GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DRIVE IT TO OUR COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO OFFER SOME OF THESE FAST TRACK CREDENTIALING TYPE PROGRAMS. UH, AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, DEVELOPING THIS PROGRAM. WE'RE WORKING ON THE PROGRAMMING NOW. AND, AND CERTAINLY WE'LL BE SURE THAT WE, UH, HAVE, HAVE OUR MOBILE LAB HERE IN, IN DENWITTY, UH, TO PROVIDE SOME IMPORTANT, UH, TRAINING. SO OUR CULTURE, IT'S ALL ABOUT SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS. YOU KNOW, OUR VISION STATEMENT IS A SUCCESS STORY FOR EVERY STUDENT. AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT WHAT IS THEIR PATHWAY, WHERE THEY WANT TO GO, HOW DO WE HELP THEM GET THERE? UH, THIS YEAR, OUR YOUNGEST STUDENT IS 14 YEARS OLD. OUR OLDEST STUDENT WAIT FOR IT IS 101 YEARS OLD. WOW. YEAH. ISN'T THAT SOMETHING? AND SO, SO WE HAVE STUDENTS OF WIDE VARIETY OF AGES, WIDE VARIETY OF REASONS OF WHY THEY'RE, WHY THEY'RE COMING THROUGH, UH, TO GET, TO GET AN EDUCATION. UH, AND EVERY PERSON IS, IS IMPORTANT TO HELP THEM ON THEIR CAREER PATH. UM, GREAT VALUE, $164 AND 61 CENTS PER CREDIT HOUR. SO A THREE CREDIT COURSE IS, IS RIGHT AROUND $500, JUST, JUST UNDER MANY OF OUR TEXTBOOKS ARE NOW OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. AND SO LOW COST FOR, FOR STUDENTS, FOR, FOR THEIR TEXTBOOKS, FOR THOSE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES THAT ARE OFFERED AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. OUR PRICE FOR OUR STUDENTS [00:25:01] IS $8 AND 50 CENTS A CREDIT. UM, AND SO, AGAIN, A GREAT VALUE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE, UH, IN THEIR EDUCATION. AND WE ALSO KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT 'CAUSE WE KNOW OVER 80% OF STUDENTS WHO COME THROUGH BRIGHT POINT STAYED DIRECTLY HERE IN OUR, OUR COMMUNITIES. AND SO, UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR INSTITUTION, UM, AS WELL. AND SO WE WANT PEOPLE TO CONNECT TO US. WE WANT, I WANT EVERYBODY AS, AS THE NEW PRESIDENT, I'VE BEEN IN MY JOB TWO AND A HALF MONTHS. I WAS, UH, PREVIOUSLY THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER FOR THE INSTITUTION FOR 12 YEARS. SO DIFFERENT ROLE, UH, BUT, BUT PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR MISSION AND OUR VISION AND, AND, AND REALLY BRINGING THINGS FORWARD. AND WE WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW, EVEN IF THEY, UH, CHOOSE TO GO TO VIRGINIA TECH, VIRGINIA STATE, WHEREVER, IF THAT'S A PATHWAY, THEY CAN COME THROUGH US TO GET TO THOSE INSTITUTIONS, IF THAT'S WHAT MAKES SENSE TO THEM. MM-HMM . AND SO MY DAUGHTER, UM, IS 11TH GRADER. WHEN SHE GRADUATES NEXT YEAR FROM HIGH SCHOOL, SHE'LL HAVE 37 CREDITS BECAUSE IT MAKES SENSE FOR HER PATHWAY. MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER MIGHT BE ON A LITTLE DIFFERENT PATHWAY BASED ON HER, UH, CAREER CHOICE. SO AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING, HAVING ALL THE INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES, UH, FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR, AND THEIR FAMILY. SO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TAKE A, A TOUR OF CAMPUS REQUEST INFORMATION. I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO READ THERE, BUT I THINK YOU ALL HAVE THE INFORMATION AND CERTAINLY EVERYBODY, UH, ON THE BOARD AND, AND IN THE AUDIENCE CAN CERTAINLY FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, SO WITH THAT, I KNOW THAT WE COME TO THE END. I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR, OR TAKE ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU HAVE. BILL, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES AT THROUGH BRIGHT POINT? GREAT. I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. YES. SO PHARMACEUTICAL IS A, IS A GREAT CONCEPT IN THAT AS WE LEARNED ABOUT, UH, BUILDING BETTER MEDICINES AND THE ALLIANCE, WERE BUILDING BETTER MEDICINES AND, AND, AND THE TRUE PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT'S NEEDED IN THIS COMMUNITY. CCWA AND BRIGHTPOINT WORK TOGETHER ONE WEBSITE, BRIGHTPOINT.EDU/PHARMA SO THAT THERE'S A CAREER, UH, A CAREER STUDY CERTIFICATE, 17 CREDIT CAREER STUDIES CERTIFICATE ON THE ACADEMIC SIDE, THAT AFTER OUR NEXT CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION MEETING WILL ACTUALLY ARTICULATE DIRECTLY INTO A TECHNICAL STUDIES ASSOCIATE DEGREE. IN ADDITION, WE CREATED A FAST TRACK, FAST FORWARD PHARMA PROGRAM, AGAIN, A FOUR TO SIX WEEK PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS TO GET WHERE THEY CAN THEN GET THAT ENTRY LEVEL TO GO DIRECTLY TO WORK AT THAT SAME CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION MEETING IN APRIL. THAT, THAT, UM, CCWA PROGRAM WILL ARTICULATE INTO OUR CAREER STUDY CERTIFICATE. SO WHICHEVER PROGRAM YOU GO TO FIRST, THEY, THEY, THEY ALIGN TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO HELP STUDENTS ADVANCE AS THE PHARMACY CLUSTER CONTINUES TO GROW IN THIS AREA. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? NO, THAT'S GOOD. MR. CHAIRMAN, JUST A, JUST A STATEMENT. I, YOU KNOW, SELECTING A COLLEGE PRESIDENT'S NOT EASY. AND I, I COULD TELL YOU FROM OUR BOARD'S PERSPECTIVE, SOMEWHAT BEHIND THE SCENES, WE, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED AT LEAST THE SELECTION COMMITTEE TO KNOW OUR THOUGHTS. SO WHEN YOU EARLY ON, UM, WHAT A GREAT PROCESS, WHAT A OPEN PROCESS, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE GLAD THEY GOT IT RIGHT. YEAH. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD DR. ABULA JUST A SECOND AGO, RIGHT? BUT THIS, THIS REGION IS TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE SOME DYNAMIC LEADERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREAS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO STATE THAT. AND I THINK, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WASN'T YOUR FATHER LIKE THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF EASTERN SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE? THAT IS, THAT IS CORRECT. I'M THE FIRST LEGACY, WHICH IS A HUGE, HUGE HONOR. THAT'S, YEAH. THAT'S AMAZING. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. BUT, YOU KNOW, FOR US, AND YOU KNOW, MORGAN, TAMMY AND I TALK ABOUT A LOT, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM TRULY UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THEY SERVE. MM-HMM . ESPECIALLY AS WE, WE TRY TO MOVE FORWARD AND, AND REALLY GETTING JOBS READY FOR OUR INDUSTRIES AND BRIGHTPOINT GETS IT RIGHT. AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR COLLABORATION WITH US ON THAT. WELL, I REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE, THOSE COMMENTS AND YEAH, IT'S ONWARD AND UPWARD AND, AND SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY COMMITTED TO. I'M FROM THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA, SO, SO A SMALLER COMMUNITY. UM, I DO LIVE, LIVE IN CHESTERFIELD, BUT I'M PROMISING ALL OF OUR JURISDICTIONS WE'RE GONNA BE OUT AND ABOUT IN ALL OF OUR SERVICE AREA TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES. WELL, IF YOU EVER WANNA MOVE AWAY FROM CHESTERFIELD TO COME TO GOD'S COUNTRY, WE, WE'VE GOT SOME SPOTS FOR YOU. THIS IS A GREAT COMMUNITY. SO ONE DAY, YOU NEVER KNOW. THAT'S RIGHT. GOOD SEEING YOU. THANK YOU. BEST COUNTY IN STATE OF VIRGINIA. THAT'S WHAT THE GOVERNOR SAYS THAT. THERE YOU GO. I LIKE IT. , CONGRATULATIONS ON YOU. NO APPOINTMENT. AND EAST SHORE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES. WE USED TO CAMP OVER THERE ALL THE TIME AT, UH, KICK PEAK AB. ABSOLUTELY. I LOVE IT. SO, VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. AND I APPRECIATE FRED TAYLOR, UH, JOINING TODAY. HE'S, UH, CHARGE OUR GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND, AND HAS BEEN AT THE COLLEGE FOR, FOR A LONG TIME AND ABSOLUTELY. SO I APPRECIATE HIS SUPPORT AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. GOD BLESS. OKAY. AMANDA [7.C. CARES Inc.] CARES. UM, MS. KENYA HAYWOOD. [00:30:01] GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. HOW ARE YOU? KENYA HAYWOOD, AND THIS IS MY PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, SHAKA WEATHERS. SO WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE, UH, SHELTER THAT'S BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE 2020. AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF RENOVATIONS FOR THE SHELTER. WE DO NOT HAVE AN OPEN DATE AS OF YET, BUT WE STARTED THE RENOVATIONS OCTOBER OF 2023. SO IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S GONNA TAKE US SOME TIME TO GET THE SHELTER TOGETHER. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. AND IF, UM, ANYONE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE, UM, CARE STANDS FOR IS THE CRISIS ASSISTANCE RESPONSE EMERGENCY SERVICES THAT CONSISTS OF THE SHELTER. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A SERVICE CENTER THAT CONSISTS OF THE CLOTHING CLOSET AND THE FOOD. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE SERVICE CENTER LOCATED ON WASHINGTON STREET. SO, AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO OPENING UP THE SHELTER AND IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE A WHILE, BUT WE'RE GETTING IT TOGETHER. AND WE ALSO, UM, AT THIS POINT WE ATTEND THE, UM, WE PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY, DIFFERENT COMMUNITY OUTREACH. AND SHA CAN TELL US ABOUT THE PARTNERS THAT WE NOW HAVE BECAUSE OF THOSE OUTREACH. MM-HMM . SO MOST DEFINITELY. WE HAVE SEVERAL, UH, BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH. WE HAVE AN, UM, GOALS INITIATIVE. UM, MOST CERTAINLY THEY ASSIST, UH, THE WOMEN'S WOMEN THAT HAVE WENT THROUGH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. UM, WE HAVE THE JAMES HOUSE, OF COURSE. WE ALSO HAVE ST. JOSEPH VILLA, UH, WHO COMES IN AND TRAINS US, UH, WITH THE HMIS CONCERNING, UH, THOSE THAT NEED SHELTER. UM, WE HAVE OTHER PARTNERING AGENCIES, CRISIS AGENCIES THAT WE CAN LINK OUR CLIENTS TO, UM, THAT COMES IN. SO WE, WE CONNECT THEM WITH ALL RESOURCES, WHETHER WHATEVER RESOURCES THAT INDIVIDUALS NEED OR FAMILIES NEED, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, UH, CONNECTED MM-HMM . UH, TO THOSE RESOURCES. AND BEFORE WE ONLY HOUSE, UM, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HOUSE MEN THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE FAMILY. OKAY. AND THE, UM, PARTNER AGENCIES THAT WE HAVE, IF THEY DO NOT HAVE A JOB, WE HELP THEM FIND A JOB. AND THEY ALSO COME IN AND HELP THEM WITH RESUMES. AND THEY ALSO HELP THEM WITH HOUSING. AND WE ALSO PARTNERING WITH THE, UM, PEOPLE'S CREDIT UNION THAT WILL OFFER THEM A SMALL LOAN IF THEY NEED TO PAY A DEPOSIT OR THE FIRST MONTH'S RENT. SOME PEOPLE WANT THE DEPOSIT, SOME PEOPLE WANT TWO MONTHS RENT NOW AND THE DEPOSIT. BUT WE ARE ALSO PARTNERING WITH THEM, WITH THEM TO COME IN AND GIVE THEM FINANCIAL COUNSELING, OF SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, CHECKING ACCOUNTS. SO IT'S SOME RESOURCES WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, BUT WE ARE NOW HAVING A LOT OF RESOURCES FOR THEM TO MOVE ON. AND THEY HAVE 30 DAYS TO STAY AT THE SHELTER. MM-HMM . BUT I DO BELIEVE IN AN EXTENSION. SO IF YOU DID EVERYTHING YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, THEY CAN GET MAYBE A 15 OR ANOTHER 30 DAY EXTENSION TO FIND HOUSING, TO FIND DAYCARE TO GET THEIR KIDS IN SCHOOL. AND THAT'S WHAT JUST, UM, MISS WEATHERS HELPS THEM WITH TO GET THE KIDS IN SCHOOL. SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING. WHEN THEY COME TO THE SHELTER, WE HELP THEM GET THE KIDS INTO SCHOOL AND WE IMMEDIATELY, IF, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB, WE HELP THEM FIND A JOB. MM-HMM . IF YOU DON'T HAVE HOUSING, WE REACH OUT TO OUR PARTNERS THAT WILL TAKE OUR LADIES OR OUR FAMILIES IN THE SHELTER TO HELP THEM. AND AT THIS TIME, WE ARE JUST LOOKING TO, UM, RAISE FUNDS SO WE CAN COMPLETE THE RENOVATIONS OF THE SHELTER. AND WE HAD A 25 BED SHELTER AND WE WOULD TURN IT INTO A 33 BED. GOTCHA. SO IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WHAT IS THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL ADDRESS I'M TRYING TO PICTURE IN MY MIND OF THE SHELTER? UHHUH, IT'S ON WASHINGTON STREET. 2 4 4 HALIFAX STREET. OH, HALIFAX STREET. THAT IS WHERE THE SHELTER LOCATED. HALIFAX, THE SERVICE CENTER WITH THE FOOD PANTRY AND THE CLOTHING CLOSET. AND THE ADMIN OFFICE IS LOCATED AT ONE 20 EAST WASHINGTON STREET. OKAY. AND ONE 18 EAST WASHINGTON STREET. WE SIT RIGHT BESIDE THE BATTERY BARN AND ACROSS FROM TRU BANK. YEP. MM-HMM . GOTCHA. BUT THE SHELTER ITSELF ON, UP ON HALIFAX STREET, SIX ON 2 4 4 HALIFAX STREET, 2 4 4 HALIFAX. THANK YOU. AND ALSO, WE DO PROVIDE POST CARE AS WELL, UH, ONCE THE CLIENTS LEAVE OUT OF THE SHELTER, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ON TASK, UH, WITH BUDGETING. AND, UM, SO WE, WE KEEP THAT POINT OF COMMUNICATION ALSO WITH THE LANDLORDS AS WELL, JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS RUNNING SMOOTHLY. OKAY. AND WE USED TO GET POST SHELTER SERVICES FOR A YEAR, BUT SHAKA TENDS TO HAVE POST SHELTER SERVICES FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS, MAYBE LONGER, TO HELP THEM STAY ON TRACK. MM-HMM . SO WE, WE JUST DON'T FORGET ABOUT 'EM. WHEN THEY LEAVE, WE STILL STAY WITH THEM. OH, THAT'S GOOD. YES. OH. UM, AND I NOTICED, UM, ON EAST WASHINGTON STREET, I SOMETIMES I'LL PASS BY AND I'LL SEE A LINE OUTSIDE. DO YOU HAVE CERTAIN DAYS THAT YOU DO THINGS? YES, MA'AM. [00:35:01] UM, WELL, I WILL SAY CRISIS CAN BE ANY TIME. MM-HMM . SO WE ALREADY AND ABLE AT ANY TIME TO, UH, PROVIDE THE RESOURCES THAT THE FAMILIES OR INDIVIDUAL MAY NEED. BUT TUESDAY, THURSDAY IS FOR THE FOOD PANTRY. OKAY. UH, FROM 11 TO TWO. UM, AND THEN WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY IS FOR THE CLOTHING CLOSET. THAT IS FROM 10 TO TWO. BUT MOST CERTAINLY, ANYONE THAT'S IN CRISIS, THEY CAN MAKE THAT CALL. AND WE WILL MOST CERTAINLY MEET THEIR NEEDS. SO IF THEY NEED FOOD ANY DAY, WE WILL TAKE CARE IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY NEED. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THOSE ARE OUR TWO DAYS THAT WE HAVE THE FOOD PANTRY OPEN. OH, WELL THAT'S GOOD. AND, AND THE, UH, FOOD PANTRY 11 TO TWO. YES, MA'AM. ON TUESDAY AND THURSDAY? YES. OKAY. UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE DO ASK, SO, WELL, WE DO TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND THURSDAY. TUESDAY IS BY APPOINTMENT IF THEY HAVE A COUNSELOR WITH THEM. OKAY. SO THEY WON'T HAVE TO WAIT TOO LONG. OKAY. GET 'EM IN, GET 'EM OUT. OKAY. UM, HOW ABOUT THE WEEKEND? UNFORTUNATELY, WE CLOSE ON THE WEEKEND. I NEED A BREAK. I'M GONNA BE HONEST, . OKAY. BUT WE DO GET CALLS ON THE WEEKEND AND SHAKA IS AROUND THE CORNER, SO IF THEY CALL ME, I'LL CALL HER. IT'S NOTHING. IT TAKES FIVE OR 10 MINUTES JUST TO MAKE A FOOD BOX AND GET IT OUT. OH, OKAY. THAT'S GOOD. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ASK SOMETIMES ON WEEKENDS, AND YOU WANNA BE ABLE TO, TO DIRECT THEM. WE'RE CLOSE ON WEEKENDS, BUT OKAY. YEAH. TO TRY TO DIRECT THEM. SO YES, MA'AM. OKAY. HOW ABOUT ON THE WEEKEND WHEN DEALING WITH THE SHELTER? OH, THAT'S 24 7, RIGHT? YEAH. WHENEVER THE SHELTER OPENS BACK UP, IT WILL BE 24 7. YOU GOT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. IT WAS NICE MEET. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. MM-HMM . APPRECIATE IT. WE HAVE FEED MORE. THEY DON'T HAVE ANYONE FOR FEET ANYMORE. MM-HMM . HOW [7.E. Friends Of The Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR)] ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE LOWER APPOMATTOX? WE'RE HERE. THEY'RE HERE. . . GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. THE AUSTIN WITH FRIENDS OF THE LOWER UP MAX RIVER. AND I'M HERE WITH HEATHER BARRAR, OUR TECHNICAL EXPERT. YOU KNOW, WE TRAVEL TOGETHER AND MAKE THINGS HAPPEN TOGETHER. THANKS FOR HAVING US HERE AND HAVING US, BOY, COME IN WITH ALL THESE GREAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. I THINK IT SHOWS THAT YOU'RE SUPPORTIVE. ALL OF US HELPS MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY STRONGER. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I AM THANKS ALSO FOR, UH, HAVING US HERE TO UPDATE YOU ON OUR WORK TOWARD ACHIEVING OUR SHARED COMMUNITY VISION OF AN AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL AND WELCOMING APPOMATTOX RIVER. UH, BLUEWAY GREENWAY OF EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTY AND CULTURAL RICHNESS THAT FOREVER CONNECTS NATURE PEOPLE AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES. WE'RE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS RIVER OF EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTY, CONNECTING AND SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES. UH, FRESHWATER IS, IS A REAL ASSET TO HAVE. AND WE HAVE IT RIGHT HERE AT OUR, AT OUR, UH, FOOTSTEPS AWAY. UM, OKAY. AT FLAR, WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING ALL THAT WE CAN TO MAKE IT A WELCOMING AND SUSTAINED ENVIRONMENT AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ACTIVELY CONNECT, LEARN, SHARE, AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY APPOMATTOX RIVER. BLUEWAY GREENWAY. UH, WE DO THIS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCALITIES, UH, D WITTY, A GREAT PARTNER, THE OTHER FIVE LOCALITIES, UH, LISTED THERE ALONG THE RIVER, 25 MILE LONG RIVER. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE, UH, OTHER LARGER ENTITIES OF, UH, FORT GREG ADAMS, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NA, AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE THERE. UM, FLAR SERVES AS A REGIONAL CONVENER, COLLABORATOR, COLLABORATOR, FUNDRAISER, IMPLEMENTER FOR THAT, APPOMATTOX RIVER, BLUEWAY GREENWAY. IT'S OUR ONE FOCUS. YOU ALL HAVE A LOT OF THINGS ON YOUR MIND. WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE MAKING THAT BLUEWAY GREENWAY BEAUTIFUL AND WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. UM, OUR COLLABORATIVE WORK IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF, UH, THE AMAZING BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT WE HAVE THAT REPRESENT OUR COMMUNITY. AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE I'M GOING. UM, WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE TAMMY COLLINS SERVE ON THE BOARD, UH, HER ENGAGEMENT AND, UM, KNOWLEDGE IS JUST AMAZING. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SAM HAYES FROM YOUR PLANNING COMMISSION SERVING, UH, AS CHAIR ONE MORE YEAR. HE IS HANGING IN THERE ONE MORE YEAR AS CHAIR. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. UM, LAST YEAR, 2022, WE DID, UM, WE CREATED A STRATEGIC PLAN, FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FLAR, WORKING WITH OUR BOARD AND COMMUNITY. UM, SO WE CREATED FOUR [00:40:01] OVERARCHING GOALS. UH, THE FIRST ONE SERVE A LEADING ROLE IN CONSERVING AND DEVELOPING THE APPOMATTOX RIVER BLUEWAY GREENWAY, OF COURSE, OUR MAJOR PARAMOUNT GOAL. AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING WE DO STEMS FROM THAT EFFORT. UH, THE, THE PROGRAMS AROUND THAT, OF COURSE, HEATHER'S GONNA COME UP IN A SECOND AND GIVE A FEW MORE DETAILS ON, UH, THE ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRAIL, UH, THE LAND CONSERVATION, SOME MORE ON, UH, NATURAL RESOURCES. BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY IS INVOLVED, IS SO IMPORTANT. THEIR INVOLVEMENT. UH, WE DO MONTHLY STEWARDSHIPS, UH, UH, DAYS, SATURDAYS EACH MONTH OUT THERE, REMOVING INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES FROM THE RIVER. UM, THAT HELPS, UM, OUR, THE RIPARIAN STRENGTH OF THE, UM, SHORELINE. THEN WE HAVE QUARTERLY CLEANUPS ALL ALONG THE RIVER. WE'LL BE UP THERE AT FERNDALE ON APRIL 6TH, COME ON OUT AND VOLUNTEER, HELP US CLEAN SOME TRASH AND REMOVE DEBRIS. AND THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE CREATED, WE, UH, CREATED THESE NATIVE SEED PACKETS TO SORT OF EXPAND OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU CAN PROPAGATE NATIVE PLANTS, POLLINATOR PLANTS IN YOUR OWN YARD, BACKYARD, UH, TO BRING, AGAIN, MORE HEALTHY PLANTS TO THE REGION. SO SOME OF THOSE ACTIVITIES AROUND THAT FIRST GOAL. THE SECOND GOAL, ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH RECREATION, UH, OUTDOOR RECREATION, EDUCATION, CONSERVATION BASED ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT HEALTH AND WELLBEING. REALLY, ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL ASPECTS OF DEVELOPING OUR APP, MAX RIVER, BLUEWAY GREENWAY, IS THAT IS THE BENEFITS TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS. IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT AND EASY, REALLY A PRETTY EASY THING TO GET OUT AND WALK AND, AND BE IN NATURE. AND HOW IMPACTFUL ON YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS. UM, SO WE HAVE OUR SIGNATURE EVENTS COMING UP AGAIN, JUST NEXT MONTH IS OUR RUN WALK 5K OVER THERE IN PRINCE GEORGE. I LOVE, LOVE TO SEE YOU OUT HERE OUT THERE. UM, IT'S A LITTLE COM FRIENDLY COMPETITION, UH, WALKING OR RUNNING. AND THEN OUR SIGNATURE EVENT, THE PADDLER BATTLE IN OUR 16TH YEAR AT, UH, FLOATING FROM PETERSBURG TO HOPEWELL. AND THEN, OH, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SCHOLARSHIP. WE'RE IN OUR EIGHTH YEAR OF, UH, PROVIDING TWO, $2,000 SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. WE ENCOURAGED IN WITTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO, UM, APPLY FOR, AND YOU CAN USE IT FOR ANY HIGHER EDUCATION, BRIGHTPOINT, VSU, . SO, UM, OUR THIRD AND FOURTH GOALS, UH, THROUGH THE STRATEGIC PLAN. UH, THE THIRD PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY, COMMUNICATION, MARKETING AND PHILANTHROPY. REALLY THAT'S ABOUT MAKING CONNECTIONS, MAKING RELATIONSHIPS, UH, PARTNERING WITH GROUPS AND PEOPLE AND BRINGING THEM AND MAKING THEM AWARE OF OUR GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL, UH, RIVER BLUEWAY GREENWAY. AND THEN WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE IT AND, AND MAKE IT BETTER AND SUSTAIN IT. AND ONE EXAMPLE IS THE FALL LINE TRAIL COMING DOWN 40 A 42 MILE TRAIL. GONNA BRING LOTS OF, UH, EXCITEMENT. AND AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT MORE LATER, OUR FINAL GOAL OF INVEST IN OUR ORGANIZATION, STRENGTHEN THE ORGANIZATION SO WE CAN CONTINUE THIS WORK, EXPAND THIS WORK. AND OUR BIG, BIG NEWS THERE IS THAT WE HAVE A PLACE CALL TO CALL HOME. NOW, UH, WE HAVE WORKED OUT OF THE WE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR 24 YEARS, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? UM, WHICH HAS BEEN WONDERFUL. BUT NOW WE, UH, YOU KNOW, AS CONVENERS, AS PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE A PLACE BETTER, WE FELT IT WAS TIME TO HAVE A PLACE OF OUR OWN TO WORK FROM. SO, YAY, WE'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, UH, AT THE CENTER OF THE 25 MILE TRAIL. IT'S JUST A BLOCK AND A HALF UP FROM THE TRAIL. IT'S IN OLD TOWN PETERSBURG. OUR, UM, OUR, UH, LO IT'S 2 3 5 NORTH MARKET STREET. IT'S ON A, IT'S A 5,900 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING ON A HALF ACRE OF LAND THAT SITS RIGHT ON BROOK BROOK HOUSE, RUN THE CREEK THAT RUNS INTO THE APPOMATTOX RIVER. SO JUST AN OPPORTUNITY WE COULD NOT PASS UP. IT'S A WHOLE NEW STEP FOR US. UM, WE'VE HAD HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF VOLUNTEERS COME OUT TO, UM, IMPROVE AND, AND REPAIR THE PLACE. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO MAKE IT A, A WELCOMING SPACE FOR EVERYONE. AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD A WORKSHOP, HANDS-ON, UH, TRAINING. WE GOT OUR VOLUNTEERS OUT WITH, UH, VIRGINIA FORESTRY TO LEARN HOW TO PRUNE TREES ON OUR SPACE. WE HAD A LOT OF TREES THAT NEEDED SOME PRUNING, SO WE GOT THAT WORKING. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT. UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO MOVING IN, IN APRIL NEXT MONTH, AND WE WILL BE HAVING A RIBBON [00:45:01] CUTTING MAY 31ST. SO YOU MARK YOUR CALENDARS, WE'LL BE SENDING IN INVITE. AND THAT'LL ALSO BE THE DAY OF OUR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY LEADERS AWARD. UM, I MENTIONED VOLUNTEERISM, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF HOURS ON OUR BUILDING, BUT WE ARE STILL WORKING ON OUR CONSERVATION, BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY OUT TO HELP WITH CONSERVATION AND, UM, IMPROVEMENTS. AND LAST YEAR HAD OVER 260 VOLUNTEERS, OVER 1200 HOURS, UH, ENGAGEMENT. AND THAT, UH, IS THE EQUIVALENT OF NEARLY 39,000 IN LABOR VALUE FOR THE YEAR. ALMOST LIKE A FULL-TIME PERSON HELPING US OUT HERE, UM, BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THEY CARE ABOUT THE RIVER. UM, THE OTHER VERY IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER EFFORT IS OUR TRAIL COUNTS. UH, UH, WE DO TWO TYPES OF TRAIL COUNTS. THE TRAFFIC COUNTERS ARE THE AUTOMATIC COUNTERS THAT COUNT THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE YEAR. AND WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS WHO GO OUT AND COLLECT THAT, AND THEY ANALYZE IT AND REPORT ON IT. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE ACROSS THE, THE SCREEN. THERE ARE THE COUNTS AND THAT COUNTS VOLUME TRAFFIC, SORT OF THE EXTENT OF, OF, UM, UH, BACK AND FORTHS ON THE, ON THE TRAILS AT THE TRAIL HEADS. AND SO WE LEARN ABOUT WHAT DRAWS PEOPLE IN, WHAT ARE THE POPULAR AREAS. AND AS HEATHER SAYS, WE LEARN, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT THE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND FINISHED, UM, TRAILHEAD THAT ARE FEELING SAFE. THOSE ARE OUR HIGHER NUM VISITED, UM, POINTS OF, OF THE TRAIL. SO LIKE THE HOPPO RIVER WALK AND THE UM, UH, COLONIAL HEIGHTS, ROSALYN LANDING. THE SECOND TYPE OF COUNTS WE DO IS JUST TO FILL IN WHAT IT'S SORT OF THE HUMAN ASPECT OF THE COUNTS. THE, OUR VOLUNTEERS GO OUT TWICE A YEAR AND, AND COUNT PEOPLE AND TALK TO PEOPLE AND WHAT, WHO IS, WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS ENJOYING THE, THE TRAIL. UH, WE SEE FOLKS ON BICYCLES IN WHEELCHAIRS AND, UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT TO FISH OR GOING FOR A WALK. SO ALL KINDS, OR JUST TO GO AND SIT ON A ROCK AND ENJOY THE ENJOY NATURE. SO LOTS OF, UH, IMPORTANT INFORMATION THERE. SO NOW I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO HEATHER TO GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES ON OUR TRAILS AND AS I SAID, LAND ACQUISITION AND, UM, NATURE NATURAL RESOURCES. GOOD, GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE THIS AFTERNOON. AND DAN, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK. AND, UM, UM, GOOD, GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE. SO DAN AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER PROBABLY OVER 20 YEARS. WE USED TO RIDE AROUND IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY AND DAN'S PICKUP TRUCK COUNTING HORSES AND FARMS TOGETHER AND HELPED ME MAP ALL THAT WHEN I WORKED FOR CHESTERFIELD COUNTY. SO, UM, SO I'M GONNA PICK UP WITH THE TECHNICALS. LIKE WENDY SAID, IF MOST OF YOU REMEMBER, WE ADOPTED A NEW, UM, REGIONAL MASTER PLAN IN 2017. IT'S BEEN ADOPTED AND INTO YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESS, UM, INTO YOUR MASTER PLAN PROCESS. AND, AND THAT REALLY IS WHAT'S GUIDING THE ENTIRE REGION TOGETHER. THAT'S ALSO A MASTER PLAN FOR WHERE THE TRAIL GOES. AND ALSO SIGNAGE OF WHERE THE SIGNAGE GOES FOR THE WHOLE SYSTEM. SO WE'RE NOT JUST SIX LOCALITIES OUT THERE, WE'RE ONE REGIONAL ASSET GOING IN TOGETHER. UM, THIS YEAR WE ARE STARTING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE ON THE WATER SIGNAGE GOES. SO THIS MASTER PLAN TOLD US WHERE THE SIGNS GO ON THE ROADS AND ON THE TRAIL, BUT WE REALLY HAVE THE OTHER BLUE WAY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE REALLY NEED TO START FOCUSING ON. SO WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH THE, UM, CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION TO REALLY FIGURE OUT WHERE THOSE ON THE WATER SIGNS GO. THAT'S ALMOST MORE IMPORTANT AS A REGIONAL ASPECT BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA PUT YOUR BOAT IN AND CHESTERFIELD MAYBE GET OUT IN DINWOODY, RIGHT? SO YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE TO GO TO SIX DIFFERENT PARKS AND REC SITES TO FIGURE IT OUT. AND YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE SIX DIFFERENT SIGNAGE SYSTEMS ON THE WATER. AND THAT'S A VERY, UM, SAFETY ASPECT TOO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, JUST QUICKLY A, A MAP. SO AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT SERVICE DISTRICT GO DOES GO FROM THE DAM, BRASSFIELD DAM AT LAKE CHEIN ALL THE WAY TO WHERE THE, UH, RIVER MEETS THE JAMES RIVER IN HOPEWELL. SOMETIMES WE'RE ON ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER, UM, IN CHESTERVILLE AND DENWITTY, SOMETIMES WE'RE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER WHEN WE'RE SOMEWHERE MORE DENSE LIKE COLONIAL HEIGHTS IN PETERSBURG. UM, SO I'M GONNA KIND OF GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE, YOU GUYS ALL KNOW, A VERY LONG, LONG-TERM PLANNING PROCESS TAKES LOTS AND LOTS OF STEPS. I'M GONNA KIND OF GO THROUGH OUR, OUR STEPS AND OUR PLANNING PROCESS. AND THE FIRST REALLY IS PLANNING. SO I TALKED ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN. IT'S A HIGH LEVEL PLAN. YOU CAN'T BUILD A TRAIL FROM THAT. YOU HAVE TO GET MORE INTO THE WEEDS AND MORE PLANNING EFFORTS. AND SO THE NEXT LEVEL REALLY IS MASTER PLANNING. WE DID, UM, MASTER PLANNING IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, AND WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO DESIGN PHASE THIS YEAR. AND AS YOU REMEMBER, WE DID A MASTER PLAN FOR FERNDALE PARK WITH YOUR STAFF AND, AND RESIDENTS A COUPLE YEARS AGO. AND WE REALLY HOPE TO BE MOVING INTO DESIGN PHASE FOR THAT THIS YEAR. IN FACT, WENDY AND I ARE LEAVING THIS MEETING AND WE'RE GOING TO PETERSBURG CITY COUNCIL AFTER THIS TO HAVE A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR A CONGRESSIONAL, UM, FUNDING [00:50:01] GRANT TO, UM, ASK CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT TO FUND, UH, FERNDALE PARK. SO WE ARE OFF FROM THIS BOARD MEETING TO A COUNCIL MEETING, UM, HOPEFULLY MOVE THE APPLICATION FORWARD AND GET SOME FUNDING GOING AND GETTING THAT DESIGN FORWARD, UM, MOVING FORWARD THIS YEAR. UM, YOU KNOW, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO CONSERVE LAND, RIGHT? SO WE ARE A DESIGNATED SCENIC RIVER. UM, NOT EVERY RIVER IN VIRGINIA CAN BE DESIGNATED. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT AND WE KNOW WE NEED TO REALLY SAVE THAT SCENIC VIEW SHED, WHETHER THAT'S FROM THE WATER OR FROM THE LAND. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN REALLY FOCUSING ON BETWEEN, UH, PETERS BURGUNDY, MAKING SURE WE'RE SECURING THAT SEVEN MILE STRETCH, WHICH I CAN SAY WE ARE DONE. WE HAVE DONE THAT THIS LAST YEAR. WE'VE, UM, GOTTEN THE LAST PRIVATE PARCEL. UM, WE HAVE, UH, AN AGREEMENT WITH DOMINION THAT WE NEED TO GO BACK AND GET ON PAPER, BUT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT AND WE, WE HAVE CLEAR, UM, EASEMENT BETWEEN PETERSBURG AND DENWOODY, WHICH IS JUST A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. WE DO HAVE MORE WORK TO DO ON LAND CONSERVATION AS ALWAYS, AND SOME OF THAT IS IN DENWOODY COUNTY. UM, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE PROTECTING THAT V SHED. UM, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN WORKED INTO YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AS SOMETHING IMPORTANT FOR US TO WORK ON, UM, WITH OTHER PARTNERS LIKE CAPITAL REGION, LAND CONSERVANCY, UM, IN THE REGION, UM, TRAIL CONSTRUCTION WITH WHAT EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT. RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THE PLANNING TAKES A LONG TIME AND THE FUNDING, BUT THE TRAIL CONSTRUCTION'S WHAT YOU WANNA SEE ON THE GROUND IN 2023. HOPEWELL REALLY WAS THE LEADER IN CONSTRUCTING MORE OF THE RIVER WALK YOU CAN SEE HERE, AND ALSO PUTTING IN BIKE LANES. SO, UM, THE ONLY PART OF THE, OF THE TRAIL SYSTEM THAT'S ON ROAD REALLY IS IN HOPEWELL. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY BUILT OUT. THEY HAVE A LOT OF BLUFFS, SO WE REALLY HAVE TO COME ON ROAD FOR THE HOPE WHALE SECTION. AND THOSE BIKE LANES ARE IN PLACE IN 2024. WE THINK THAT, UH, COLONIAL HEIGHTS SHOULD BE HAVING A SECTION GOING ON THE GROUND. UM, SO TRAIL FUNDING IS WHAT MAKES THAT CONSTRUCTION HAPPEN IN 2023. WE NOT ONLY SECURED THE LAST PIECE OF LAND, WE ALSO SECURED $20 MILLION, UM, WITH THE MPO AND CREATOR PLANNING DISTRICT ON BEHALF OF THE REGION, HOPEWELL, PETERSBURG, AND, UH, COLONIAL HEIGHTS ALL GOT FUNDING FOR THE APPOMATTOX RIVER TRAIL CONNECTION. SO REALLY, REALLY EXCITED FOR THAT. AND THEN THIS YEAR WE'RE WORKING WITH PETERSBURG, LIKE I MENTIONED ON THE CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING REQUEST. THAT WOULD BE PARK AND TRAIL IN DENWOODY COUNTY, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER OUTDOOR RECREATION, UH, FUNDING AVAILABLE IN PETERSBURG. SO REALLY, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME LARGE APPLICATIONS THIS YEAR AND CROSS YOUR FINGERS ON SOME GOOD, SOME GOOD GRANT REQUESTS COMING BACK ON THAT. AND CAN I JUST JUMP IN AND SAY THAT, UM, PART OF OUR EFFORT IS TO MATCH THE, WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN GOOD, GOOD POSITION TO BRING SOME OF THIS FUNDING BECAUSE WE DID SPEND THAT TWO YEARS RAISING A MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS THAT WE CAN BRING NOW THAT WE WANNA SPEND IN DI WITTY, SO WE CAN BRING IT TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND SAY, LOOK, PLEASE MATCH THIS FUNDING THAT WE HAVE SO WE CAN GO FURTHER FOR, FOR TAX PLAYERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, YEP. YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD, AND ANOTHER POINT TO MENTION WITH WENDY THERE IS, IS, UH, OTHER JURISDICTIONS BRINGING, UH, RESOURCES FORWARD. SO PETERSBURG IS USING THEIR ON-CALL CONSULTANTS, UM, TO HELP US WRITE THESE GRANTS AND PUT IN FUNDING, START THE NEPA ON THIS. SO, SO REALLY SEEING THAT, AND PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY ALSO HAS A NEW, UH, DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR REALLY TASKED WITH FIGURING OUT THEIR SECTION. SO WE REALLY ARE SEEING OTHER LOCALITIES BRINGING RESOURCES TO THE TABLE, UM, FOR THIS PLANNING PROCESS. UM, WENDY MENTIONED THE FALL LINE TRAIL. SO THAT IS, UH, COMING THROUGH VSU WITH, UH, DR IS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT COMING RIGHT ALONG CAMPUS. AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S GONNA, UM, END OR BEGIN IN, UH, PATTON PARK IN PETERSBURG. UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE EAST COAST GREENWAY, YOU KNOW, THAT LINE CONTINUES ON AND COMES INTO DENWITTY, UM, COUNTY FROM THERE. SO WE KNOW THAT SAM HAYES IS EXCITED AND, AND WE'RE BOTH ON COMMITTEES TOGETHER TO SEE HOW WE CONTINUE THIS FALL LINE TRAIL, UM, DOWN THROUGH THIS LOCALITY. THIS PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED. IT'S GONNA BE 10 MILES FROM PETERSBURG TO CHESTER. UM, VDOT IS PUTTING THAT OUT TO BID THIS YEAR, AND WE THINK WE'LL SEE CONSTRUCTION START IN 2025. SO THIS IS, THIS IS REAL, THIS IS COMING. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH, UH, THE RICHMOND REGION TO PUT IN A CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANT TO FIGURE OUT, UM, FUNDING HOW TO CONNECT THIS TO OLD TOWN PETERSBURG. AND WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION FOR THAT FUNDING TOO. UH, SO LET'S MOVE A LITTLE FROM THE TRAIL TO NATURAL RESOURCES. SO, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY ARE WE BUILDING A TRAIL SYSTEM, WE HAVE AN AMAZING, UH, RIVER CORRIDOR THAT WE'RE PRESERVING. UM, WE ALSO KNOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMING. THERE'S, THERE'S CHANGES HAPPENING IN OUR ENVIRONMENT AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT CORRIDOR IS AS RESILIENT AS AS POSSIBLE. UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A LOT OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE FOREST. THAT MEANS THAT YOU CAN SEE THESE BEFORE [00:55:01] PICTURES. OUR FOREST JUST HAS A LOT OF PLANTS AND OUR NATIVE PLANTS CAN'T THRIVE. AND THAT ALSO MEANS THAT OUR NATIVE POLLINATORS DON'T HAVE, UM, PLANTS TO USE. AND THAT ACTUALLY IMPACTS YOUR AGRICULTURAL LAND HERE IN DENWOODY. SO RESTORING THE NATIVE PLANTS ALONG THE RIVER CORRIDOR ACTUALLY HELPS, UM, OUR AGRICULTURE LAND AND MAKE SURE WE ARE A THRIVING COMMUNITY. AND SO WE ARE REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES WITH VOLUNTEERS, LIKE WENDY MENTIONED. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO DOING NATIVE PLANTINGS WITH PARTNERS LIKE THE JAMES RIVER ASSOCIATION, UM, WITH OUR SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT. WE'RE ACTUALLY HOPING TO DO A PLANTING THIS WEEKEND, UM, IF THE RAIN HOLDS OUT. SO WE HAVE SOME, SOME GREAT NEW PLANTINGS COMING. AND AS WE WORK ON FERNDALE PARK, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PART OF THE FERNDALE PARK PLANNING IS WE KNOW WE HAVE INVASIVES, AND THEN AS WE DO NEW LANDSCAPING, THE LANDSCAPING WILL BE NATIVE LANDSCAPING AND INVOLVE VOLUNTEERS. WE ALSO ARE GONNA BE BRINGING THIS NEW INVASIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT PLAN TO YOUR STAFF THIS YEAR, UM, DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY FUNDED THIS, UH, THIS PLAN. WE HAD CONSULTANTS GO OUT, IDENTIFY ALL OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES ON ALL PUBLIC PROPERTY ON THE RIVER. UM, YOU CAN SEE ALL THESE DOTS, TALK ABOUT WHAT INVASIVES ARE OUT THERE, HOW MUCH THEY ARE OUT THERE, AND THEN GIVES US A PRESCRIPTION OF HOW TO CONTROL THEM. SO WE'LL BE COMING OUT TO YOUR PUBLIC WORK STAFF, YOUR PARKS AND REC STAFF, AND FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS AND, AND, AND YOUR STAFF, AND REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO START TACKLING THESE TOGETHER ALONG THE RIVER. SO THAT WILL BE SOMETHING WE'RE ROLLING OUT THIS YEAR, UM, AND REALLY, REALLY, UM, APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT FROM DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY. UM, JUST WANNA DO A COUPLE REMINDERS AS I WRAP UP AND WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, WE DO HAVE THIS INTERACTIVE MAP ON OUR WEBSITE. IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE ON YOUR CELL PHONE. SO IF YOU'RE EVER ON THE TRAIL AND YOU ARE NOT SURE WHERE YOU ARE, YOU CAN CLICK THAT TRAIL MAP BUTTON ON THE WEBSITE AND YOU CAN, TAKES YOU DIRECTLY TO WHERE YOU ARE ON THE TRAIL. IT ALSO TELLS YOU ALL THE PARKS ALONG THE RIVER. DOES A PARK HAVE A BATHROOM? DOES IT HAVE A PLAYGROUND? DOES IT HAVE PICNIC SHELTERS? ALL THOSE THINGS THAT HELP YOU PLANT A TRIP ON THE RIVER ALSO HAS RAPIDS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. IF YOU WANNA PADDLE THE RIVER HELPS YOU WITH THAT. UM, AS WENDY MENTIONED, OUR SIGNATURE EVENTS. UM, THE NEXT ONE IS THAT WALK IN, UH, PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, OUR RUN. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU COME TO THAT RIBBON CUTTING IN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS, UM, AT THE END OF MAY. THIS SLIDE IS BUSY. THIS IS ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEER EVENTS. SO DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY SUPPORTS A POSITION. WE HAVE A FULL-TIME PERSON WORKING ON, UM, IN, IN VOLUNTEERING IN THE STEWARDSHIP, WHICH IS JUST AMAZING TO HAVE FULL-TIME STAFF. THERE WERE TREE PLANTINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR. WENDY AND I WERE NOT AT THEM. IT WAS JUST AMAZING. WE HAD VOLUNTEERS OUT LAST WEEKEND. AND THEN WE HAVE STAFF THAT ARE OUT THERE, UM, RUNNING THESE PROGRAMS. AND THAT REALLY IS AMAZING. AND WE ACTUALLY ARE GETTING, UH, AT CAPACITY AT ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEER EVENTS. WE HAVE A WAIT LIST FOR VOLUNTEERS TO COME PLANT TREES. SO IT REALLY, REALLY IS GOOD. UM, THE NEXT THING WE'LL BE HAVING IN DENWOODY WILL BE THE APRIL 6TH EVENT. UM, A CLEANUP AT FERNDALE PARK. AND THEN THIS, JUST LEAVE YOU AGAIN WITH THAT. UM, SAVE THE DATE AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS, ANY S JUST DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, GUYS. THANK YOU. UH, WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO. THE RIVER IS SCENIC. IT TOUCHES A LOT OF OUR LIVES, UH, AND MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES. AND WHAT ER HAS DONE OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS HAS BEEN UTTERLY AMAZING AND GREAT THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. THANK YOU. WE'RE JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR END OF COMING UP. DENWOODY COUNTY IS NEXT. THANK YOU. WE ARE TOO. AND I'LL JUST SAY I KIND OF LEFT Y'ALL HANGING, UM, AFTER THE LAST MEETING WE HAD, BUT HOPEFULLY I'LL HAVE SOME ENERGY TO, TO HELP Y'ALL DO SOME STUFF MOVING FORWARD. WE NEED FEEDBACK . YEP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB AND IF I GET A CHANCE TO COME AND VOLUNTEER, I WILL. GOOD. THANK YOU. GREAT. LOVE TO SEE YOU HERE. NPO WAS EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HELP Y'ALL, SO THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. WE NOW HAVE [7.F. Virginia Cooperative Extension] VIRGINIA CORPORATE EXTENSION, MR. MIKE PARISH. GOOD AFTERNOON. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATORS THAT ARE HERE TODAY. UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME. TAMMY KNOWS I'M A TALKER, SO I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT BRIEF. . UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT, WE HAVE AN IMPACT STATEMENT FROM LAST YEAR THAT WE PROBABLY SENT Y'ALL BY EMAIL, BUT IT JUST HAS SOME KEY FACTS. I'VE GOT SOME FOR THE COMMUNITY IF THEY WOULD LIKE THEM ALSO. UM, BUT IT IS ALSO ON OUR WEBSITE. THE, UM, ONE OF THE TWO OF THE HIGHLIGHTS HERE IS WE DO HAVE COMMENTS FROM, UH, MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, GETTING FEEDBACK DIRECTLY. SO IT'S IN WRITING HERE, UM, WHAT OUR OFFICE HAS DONE TO IMPACT EITHER THEIR [01:00:01] FARM OR THEIR FAMILY. AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SURPRISING ON THE BACK PAGE, UH, CLOSE TO $200,000 IN VOLUNTEER TIME. SO THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE. WE HAVE OVER 250 VOLUNTEERS THAT, UH, ASSIST US BETWEEN AG FOUR H AND FCS EACH YEAR. UM, AND A LOT OF 'EM, MORE YOUTH THAT ARE GIVING BACK THEIR TIME TO COME IN AND HELP WITH PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING WITH EXTENSION. UH, YOU MAY RECOGNIZE THE PRESENTATION. I KNOW TAMMY WILL A LITTLE BIT, BUT I KIND OF REGURGITATED THE, UH, CITIZENS ACADEMY, UH, SESSION THAT I DID, UM, THIS YEAR WITH THE COMMUNITY. I REALLY ENJOYED BEING THERE. UH, IT WAS VERY WORTHWHILE TO, TO SEE HOW THEY UNDERSTAND HOW, HOW THINGS WORK WITHIN THE COUNTY. UM, EVERYBODY ASKS WHY MY FRONT PAGE IS ALWAYS, UH, CROWDED. I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR DEPARTMENT THAT WE HAVE AND THE SECTIONS OF OUR OFFICE, BUT DEFINITELY THE AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY. I DO ALWAYS WANNA MAKE THAT SHINE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT VOLUNTEERS WITH THEM, WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT, A LOT OF 'EM SERVE IN CAPACITIES WITH THE LEGISLATION. THEY SPEAK TO THE LEGISLATORS. UM, A LOT OF 'EM ARE ON COMMITTEES, UM, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, COUNCILS, COMMODITY BOARDS. SO A LOT OF OUR FARMERS ARE GIVING BACK AND BRINGING INFORMATION FROM DENWOODY TO THE, TO THE STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. SO THEY DO RECOGNIZE US ON A LOT OF ISSUES. AND WE DO HAVE GOOD LEADERS IN THE COUNTY FOR AGRICULTURE, UM, FOR DENWOODY PROGRAM AREAS. EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS RECOGNIZES FOUR H. AND I'VE, I'VE MADE IT KIND OF A, A A CAUSE OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS OR SO TO REALLY FORTIFY WHAT WE DO TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE MOST EVERYBODY RECOGNIZES THE CLOVER. BUT WE ARE AGRICULTURE AND WE'RE FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCES, SO WE REACH MORE THAN JUST THE YOUTH IN THE COUNTY. WE, UM, I'M TRAINED ALL THE WAY FROM SENIOR CITIZEN EDUCATION ALL THE WAY TO, YOU KNOW, PRE-K. SO I TALKED TO KIDS FROM FARM DAYS LAST YEAR. I HAD OVER 20,000 FACE-TO-FACE CONTACTS TEACHING YOUTH AND ADULTS ABOUT AGRICULTURE. AND EVERYTHING I TALKED ABOUT WAS FROM DENWITTY COUNTY TO LET YOU KNOW. SO I BRAG ABOUT WHAT WE DO HERE CONSTANTLY, EVEN AT THE STATE FAIR. WE TALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING ABOUT DI COUNTY, WHY WE WERE THERE FOR AN ENTIRE DAY WITH MY STAFF. IF I DON'T GET TO THOSE SLIDES, I'VE GOT IT OUT THERE EARLY FOR YOU. BUT THIS IS OUR STAFF THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY, UM, HERE IN DENWITTY. UM, AS HANNAH ONLY LEFT MELISSA, SHE'S JUST LEFT US. UM, I'M HOPING SHE MIGHT COME BACK, BUT I DON'T THINK, BUT SHE IS. UM, AND THEN MYSELF, JESSICA, AND ANGELA ARE OUR UNIT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. WE DO HAVE A WEBPAGE THAT HAS INTERACTIVE, UH, VIDEOS THAT ARE PRODUCED. I'D SAY 90% OF 'EM ARE FROM DENWITTY FARMERS THAT THESE VIDEOS ARE MADE WITH OR INFORMATION ABOUT DENWITTY WITHIN THESE. AND THIS IS A RESOURCE FOR STATEWIDE, UH, USE AND NATIONAL USE FOR TEACHERS ABOUT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. UH, COVID KIND OF STIMULATING THIS ACTIVITY, AND WE'RE STILL LEADING THE CHARGE THROUGH DENWITTY, UH, TO GET THESE VIDEOS DONE FOR MORE TEACHERS ACROSS THE STATE. UM, JUST SOME BULLET POINTS. I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF 'EM, BUT THIS WAS THE, UH, BOOTH THAT WE HAD AT THE STATE FAIR THIS YEAR. WE HAD A 10 BY 40 AND ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE BACKGROUND AND THE PUBLICATIONS THAT WE PUT TOGETHER HAD DIM WIDY PHOTOGRAPHS IN IT. SO SINCE I WAS CHAIR, UM, I SELFISHLY USE A LOT OF OUR DIM WIDY, UH, CITIZENS IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS. I AM WORKING WITH SOME DRONE WORK I'M TEACHING FOR STEM CLASSES. THESE ARE OTHER CLASSES THAT I'VE, I'VE TAUGHT DURING THE YEAR FOR AGRICULTURE. BUT, UM, THIS IS A DRONE THAT I WE'RE LOOKING AT PURCHASING THAT CAN ACTUALLY SPRAY SEED AND IT'S, UM, APPLY PESTICIDES AND I'LL BE ABLE TO TEACH FARMERS HOW TO MAYBE UTILIZE SOME OF THIS ON THEIR OPERATIONS. SO HOPEFULLY THAT GRANT'S GONNA COME THROUGH. AND I'M WORKING ACTUALLY, UM, BEFORE WE LEFT WITH THE EASTERN SHORE, UM, IS WHERE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE ONE HOSTED THERE AND ONE WITH ME HERE IN IN DINWITTY. WE DID SOMETHING NEW LAST YEAR CALLED THE BIG BUG EVENT. THIS IS A KIND OF A COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM. AND SO WE HAD PEOPLE FROM THE RESEARCH STATION OUTTA BLACKSTONE. UH, WE HAD A COUPLE MEMBERS FROM VIRGINIA STATE THERE TO TALK TO THE, UM, CHILDREN. WE ALSO HAD A GRAD STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATES FROM VIRGINIA TECH TO COME OUT AND EDUCATE ABOUT INSECTS. AND WE USE THE EAST SIDE ENHANCEMENT CENTER AS OUR LOCATION. AND WE'VE TALKED WITH, UH, RAY, HOPEFULLY THE MASTER GARDENERS CAN WORK SOME THIS YEAR TO PLANT A FEW MORE POLLINATOR PLANTS. 'CAUSE WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT POLLINATORS HAVING A COUPLE OTHER TALKS, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN IMPROVE THAT SO THE KIDS HAVE MORE TO FIND AND HUNT AND LOOK THROUGH. AND I CAN EXPLAIN TO HOW, HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO OUR ENVIRONMENT. UM, I'M ON A, A THINK TANK WITH FOR THE SOILS. AND, UM, SO WE GOT SOME PICTURES IN FROM DIMITY ON THIS. THIS IS JUST PROMOTING SOIL HEALTH AND IT'S CALLED FOR THE SOILS. AND THEY ALSO HAVE A BLOG THAT WE POST RECORDINGS. AND I'VE BEEN ON THERE TWICE TALKING ABOUT DENWITTY, UM, SOILS. AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE HAD REPRESENTATION ON THAT ALSO. UM, THERE'S PROBABLY SOME MUCH BETTER LOOKING PEOPLE THAT YOU'LL SEE THIS WEEK FOR THIS IS NATIONAL AG WEEK AND [01:05:01] WE'RE DOING THIS PROMOTION WHERE WE CAN DO FOR THE SOILS ON THAT WEBSITE, ANYWHERE FROM KIDS TO ADULTS TO CAN POST. UH, THE FAIR WAS SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR. UM, Y'ALL HAD AN INCREASE AND WE DID TOO. A NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS THAT CAME THROUGH, UH, THIS YEAR. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN KEEP BUILDING ON WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE FAIR EACH YEAR. UH, THAT'S JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SOME OF THE THINGS BETWEEN AG AND FOUR H AND FCS AT THE FAIR. UM, JUST IN MENTIONING A FEW INVASIVES, UH, WE DO HAVE FIRE ANTS. Y'ALL KNOW THAT WE HAVE 'EM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY NOW. THEY ARE MOVING NOW TODAY I GOT CALLS, BUT SOME THAT ARE STILL ACTIVE. UM, IF YOU NEED ANY POINTERS FROM YOUR, UH, CONSTITUENTS IN YOUR DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, PLEASE SEND THEM MY WAY. I CAN EDUCATE 'EM ON A BETTER WAY TO CONTROL 'EM INSTEAD OF GASOLINE. UM, 'CAUSE GAS DOES CAUSE 'EM TO SPREAD. IT MIGHT KILL A FEW AND MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD. BUT THE, THE, THE DEN IS SO DEEP IN THE SOIL AND SO WIDE, UM, A GALLON OF GAS IS NOT GONNA SPREAD ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE COLONY. THEY'LL JUST DIVIDE AND MOVE ON. SO WE DO HAVE METHODS, UM, TO, TO HELP WITH THAT. ALSO, THE SPOTTER, LANTERN MOTH IS THE ONE THAT'S THE RED AND THE WHITE. UM, THEY ARE IN APPOMATTOX NOW, AND HOPEFULLY WE DON'T SEE 'EM HERE, BUT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY GET HERE. UM, THEY'RE PRETTY RESILIENT INSECTS. SO I DO A LOT OF INVASIVE SPECIES WORK. AND I DID FIND FIRE ANTS ON THIS PHOTOGRAPH. IT'S INCORPORATED IN WITH THE, UH, MOUND DANCE. WE DID FIND SOME WITH PARKS AND REC AND SOME OF THE, UM, ATHLETIC FIELDS AROUND. SO IF YOU SEE MOUNDS OF DIRT AROUND A FENCE AND YOU'RE STANDING THERE WATCHING YOUR CHILDREN PLAY BALL, DON'T KICK AND POKE AT THE, UH, LITTLE MOUND OF DIRT. 'CAUSE UM, UP HERE BY THE OLD MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE FOUND ABOUT 15 MOUNDS OF FIRE ANTS OUT THERE IN THE GRASS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN PRACTICING FOOTBALL AND ET CETERA, AND PE WHATEVER ELSE THEY'RE DOING. SO HOPEFULLY WE GOT RID OF THOSE WITH THE APPLICATIONS. MAYBE RAY WASN'T INFORMED ON THAT. UH, THAT'S A LITTLE VIDEO SHOWING MOUND DANCE . UM, SEE, WE'RE GOING UP. SO THIS IS OUR STATE FAIR EVENT. I WAS IN CHARGE OF THE BOOTH THIS YEAR AT, AT, AT THE, UH, STATE FAIR. AND SO WE HAD A DAY FOR ENTIRE COUNTIES. AND SO DENWITTY WAS REPRESENTED AN ENTIRE DAY. SO WE TALKED ABOUT PROGRAMS FOR DENWITTY COUNTY. OUR MASTER GARDENERS ARE VERY ACTIVE. UM, THESE ARE ON FARM, UH, TOURS THAT WE GIVE. SO WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN TO DENWITTY TO SEE WHAT OUR AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE, UH, COMMUNITY ARE, ARE DOING. AND WE ARE LEADING IN A LOT OF ACTIVITIES WITH CONSERVATION AND COVER CROPS AND ET CETERA. WE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL WELL WATER TREAT, UH, TESTING PROGRAM. WE'LL DO THAT AGAIN THIS FALL. UH, WE HAD 45 WELLS TESTED LAST YEAR IN TWO SPRINGS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. WE STILL HAVE HERE, WE'LL HAVE SPRING FED WATER SOURCES. THAT'S ALL THEY HAVE. SO WE DO DO TESTING ON THAT. AND THEN WE DID SPRAY WATER TESTING FOR THE FARMERS. SO ANYTHING THEY'RE USING EITHER FROM A POND OR FROM A WELL, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT THAT, UM, COMBINATION OF CHEMICALS WORK PROPERLY SO THEY DON'T USE TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE CAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. UM, APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT WITH SOME OF THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS THAT TY HELPS US WITH. UM, THE TIRE RECYCLING, WE WORKED WITH THE COUNTY ON THAT WITH GENE. UH, DO HAVE TWO POSSIBLE NEW FUNDERS TO HELP CONTRIBUTE. SO THEY'LL BE COMING ON BOARD HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR. I NEED TO LET ANN KNOW THAT . UM, AND THEN WE DO A, A, A DISPOSAL OF WASTE OIL FOR THE FARMERS. SO WE, WE GET RID OF THAT FREE TO THEM SO THEY DON'T DUMP IT SOMEWHERE OR USE IT SOMEWHERE. IT SHOULDN'T BE, UH, USED THE PLASTIC CONTAINER RECYCLING THAT KEEPS THE, UH, WASTE OUT OF THE LANDFILL SYSTEM. SO IT SAVES THE COUNTY MONEY. WE GOT RID OF CLOSE TO 10,000 PLASTIC CONTAINERS PROPERLY LAST YEAR, AND WE WON AN AWARD FROM, UH, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE CLEANLINESS OF THE CONTAINERS AND THE QUALITY OF THE, UH, HOW THE PROGRAM WAS RUN, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND EXTENSION. SO SOME MORE PICTURES OF THE FAIR. UM, HANNAH'S GOT A GREAT OUTSTANDING PROGRAM WITH FOUR H. SHE HAD A BOOTH JUST HERSELF AT THE FAIR. WE DID ONE OF OUR, EACH OF OUR PROGRAM AREAS SO PEOPLE COULD TALK ABOUT IT. UM, HANNAH'S DONE A GREAT JOB WITH HER PARTICIPATION AT THE FAIR. SHE HAD A 62, UH, PERCENT INCREASE, UM, IN PARTICIPATION WITH FOUR H AND THE CAMP THIS YEAR. UH, AND I'M, HOPEFULLY SHE'LL GET ON TO, UH, I GUESS WITH THE, UM, MEETING SCHEDULE AND SHE'LL COME AND GIVE AN ACTUAL REPORT FOR HER. AND THEN JESSICA WILL, WILL GIVE ONE ABOUT WHAT SHE'S DOING WITH F-C-F-C-S IN THE FUTURE. UM, JUST SOME CLUB INFORMATION. SHE'S GOT SOME NEW THINGS WHERE SHE'S PARTNERED. UM, WANNA THANK THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND, AND HAVE SOME VOLUNTEERS THAT COME OUT AND HELP US WITH CAMP. UM, YOU CAN SEE THE SIZE OF OUR CAMP. WE'VE GOT THE LARGEST CAMP, UM, THAT'S AT THE FOUR H CENTER, UM, IN, IN SUSSEX COUNTY. AND THEN SHE HAD A NEW, IN A COUPLE OF NEW INITIATIVES THIS YEAR WHERE SHE WAS TRYING TO REACH, UH, A BROADER SCOPE OF, UH, PARTICIPANTS THIS YEAR. SHE DID THE GOLDEN TICKET. AND SO I THINK Y'ALL SAW THAT ON MM-HMM . THE, UH, WEBSITE. BUT THE RESOURCE OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO NOMINATE SOME KIDS THAT THEY THOUGHT WERE WORTHY TO GO TO, UM, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO CAMP AND ENJOY THAT. [01:10:01] UM, SHE ALSO RECEIVED AN AWARD WITH FOUR H FROM THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK SHE'S DONE TO TO, TO RECEIVE THAT. AND HER, HER VOLUNTEERING, UM, WITH THE CHAMBER OVER THE YEARS TOO, HAS BEEN VERY ADVANTAGEOUS. UM, VOLUNTEERS MAKING COMMENTS. WE DO SOME PUBLICATIONS ACROSS THE STATE AND THESE ARE JUST COMMENTS FROM HER GOOD VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT THE PROGRAM IS, HOW GOOD IT IS TO WORK AND PARTICIPATE WITH THINGS LIKE THAT WITHIN DEITY COUNTY. UM, JUST SOME MORE VOLUNTEER, UH, PHOTOGRAPHS. I'LL SPEED UP A LITTLE BIT 'CAUSE I GOT A HUNDRED IF YOU'D LIKE TO LOOK AT ALL OF 'EM. . UM, AND THEN FINALLY I'LL WRAP UP WITH JESSICA. SHE'S OUR FCS AGENT. SHE'S BEEN HERE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, ALMOST TWO. SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB WORKING WITH SOCIAL SERVICES. I THINK SHE'S WORKED WITH LASHONDA TOO, WITH SOME PROGRAMS THAT SHE'S HAD. SO SHE RECOGNIZES, UH, JESSICA, UM, SHE'S A LEADER, UM, IN FCS. SHE'S TRAINING A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THE STATE. THIS IS HER BOOTH SHE HAD AT, AT THE STATE FAIR THIS YEAR AND WAS, WAS IN, UM, VERY VITAL TO, UH, GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT NUTRITION AND WELLNESS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE AND FOR THEIR COUNTY. SHE'S ALSO DONE SOME PROGRAMS DOWN AT THE, UH, RAGSDALE CENTER. SHE'S DONE THE HEALTHY SHEET PAN SUPPERS. IT'S TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO COOK QUICKLY AND STILL HEALTHY AT THE SAME TIME. SO SHE HAD A QUITE, QUITE A GROUP, A BIG GROUP THAT SHE TAUGHT WITH THAT SHE ALSO DID A CROCKPOT FOOD SAFETY WORKSHOP AND WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR TOO, TO WORK WITH FOOD SAFETY. AND SHE DOES SOME PERSONAL FINANCE AND PRESERVATION, AND SHE ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE HEALTH FAIR. QUESTIONS, TAMMY'S OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? AND I'M GLAD TO SEE DAN HERE AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. JUST A GREAT PROGRAM FOR THE PEOPLE OF DENWITTY COUNTY. YOU DO A LIGHT CROSS SECTION FROM THE KIDS. MM-HMM . ALL THE WAY UP TO SENIOR ADULTS. JUST THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. YEAH. WE DON'T DO IT BY OURSELVES. WE DO IT WITH YOUR HELP. A LOT OF Y'ALL HAVE VOLUNTEERED AND HELPED US, AND THE COMMUNITY BEHIND ME HERE HAS ALSO HELPED US TOO. SO IT'S NOT ALL US, BUT IT'S A TEAM EFFORT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IN THAT WITH IT. SO THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR TIME. YEAH, IT IS. YEAH, IT'S GOOD. UM, IT WAS A, UM, IT WAS GOOD SEEING EVERYTHING. YOU DO A GREAT JOB. UM, I JUST DON'T LIKE THE BUGS . I AM NOT, NO, I'M, I'M TERRIFIED OF BUGS. , YOU KNOW, SPIDERS. AND WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT, THAT BRING 'EM IN. WE EVEN HAVE, WE HAD TWO CLIENTS THIS YEAR THAT HAD, UH, WHAT DO THEY CALL OC PSYCHOSIS. SO THAT'S THE IMAGINARY BUG. SO SOME PEOPLE GET DRY SKIN AND FEEL THEIR INSECTS. SO WE HAVE TO WORK WITH SPECIALISTS AT TECH TO GET THOSE PEOPLE SOME, SOME HELP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. YEAH. YEAH. I SAW SOME OF THE PICTURES, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PEOPLE WERE HOLDING THE BUGS IN THE HAND AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING. THAT WOULDN'T BE ME. YEAH. PEOPLE BRING ME A LOT OF BUGS THAT LOOK LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO THEY'RE ALREADY CRUSHED AND MASHED AND THEY EXPECT ME TO IDENTIFY EM. THEY'RE SO SCARED OF THEM. NO, I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT. , MIKE, HOW, HOW, UM, HOW FAST DID FOUR H FILL UP THIS YEAR? THREE HOURS OR LESS. OH MY GOODNESS. AMAZING. MM-HMM . YEP. BUT SHE DOES A GREAT JOB OF NOTIFYING THE COMMUNITY WAY AHEAD OF TIME TO REALIZE THAT IT'S FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. AND SO SHE'S GOT SEVERAL WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO GET REGISTERED, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE INTERNET SITUATION. UM, BUT YES, IT WENT, WENT VERY WELL THIS YEAR. I THINK SHE'S GOT A PRETTY LONG WAITING LIST TOO. MM-HMM . AND, UM, SHE'LL PROBABLY BE OUT FOR A FEW MONTHS ON MATERNITY LEAVE. AND SO, UM, BE PATIENT WITH MY OFFICE. KEY PERSON IS DOWN TO ENJOYING TIME WITH HER NEWBORN. SO, BUT SHE, SHE'S DONE A LOT OF LEG WORK TO GET READY FOR CAMP TO BE TAKEN CARE OF, IS WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE GONNA COME BACK AND HELP GET US THROUGH, THROUGH CAMP THIS YEAR. GOOD. BUT MISS BUN DON'T LIKE CANOES EITHER, SO IT'S JUST THE WHAT CANOES, YOU KNOW, SHE DIDN'T, SHE GOT IN THE CANOE AT FOUR H. FOUR HII HEARD ABOUT THAT. I, AND I, SHE DID GOOD. AND I WAS ABLE TO GET ON A HORSE THIS TIME DOWN, NOT BY MYSELF. SO, AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY AMAZING. OUR, OUR BOARD HERE AT DENWITTY HAS VISITED MORE TIMES THAN MOST EVEN THEIR LOCAL BOARD. OH, OKAY. TO COME OUT AND SEE WHAT, WHAT THE KIDS ARE ABLE TO DO AND HOW THEY PERFORM AND, UM, BE POSITIVELY IMPACTED BY THE STAFF. WELL, HANNAH TOOK US ON A TOUR ONE DAY AND NOT WITH THE GOLF CART. OKAY. YOU DO A LITTLE WALKING. OH MY GOODNESS. OH, YEAH. YEAH. YOU WALKED. YEAH. BUT ANYWAY, YOU DO A GREAT JOB. WE ENJOY IT EVERY YEAR. A LOT OF KIDS. IT'S FUN. WISH WE COULD BRING, YOU KNOW, ALL THE KIDS. YEAH. HOPEFULLY ONE DAY THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A WHOLE MONTH JUST TO DEWIN COUNTY. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MIKE. OKAY, WE'RE MOVING ON TO [8.A. Contract Award, Basketball Courts] ACTION ITEMS. CONTRACT AWARDS, BASKETBALL COURTS, [01:15:01] MR. RAY VINES, MR. CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS. MR. VILLE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. LEE. AFTERNOON. IT'S A BLESSING TO SEE YOU. I, I THINK I SAW YOU LAST WEEK AT THE BOARD SCHOOL BOARD JOINT MEETING. YEAH. AND I MET YOU AT THE DOOR AND I SHOOK YOUR HAND AND I, I GRABBED YOUR HAND IN MY HEAD. I'M LIKE, I'M SHAKING THIS HAND TOO HARD, . AND, UM, IT WAS, I WAS JUST SO AMAZED TO SEE YOU. SO IT WAS GREAT TO SEE YOU THEN I SAID TO MYSELF, HE'S SHAKING MY HAND JUST AS HARD AS I'M SHAKING HIS RIGHT. . AND SO I SAID TO GOD, BE THE GLORY. IT'S JUST GREAT. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. YEAH. AND SO IN FY 24 AND THE CIP, UH, COUNTY, UM, ALLOCATED FUNDS TO CONSTRUCT BASKETBALL AND PICKLEBALL COURTS AT THE SPORTS COMPLEX. SO THE RFP, UH, WAS PUT OUT IN NOVEMBER OF 2023. UH, WE HAD A ONE RESPONDENT VENDOR IN 2024. WE ACTUALLY HAD A SELECTION COMMITTEE THAT WE PUT TOGETHER TO REVIEW THOSE, THE PROPOSAL FOR US AND WITH US. UM, WE ALSO ENGAGED THE PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY TO GET THEIR INPUT, LET THEM KNOW ABOUT RULES, REGULATIONS, AND, UH, TIMES THAT THEY WANT TO PLAY THOSE KIND OF THINGS. AND SO, BASED ON THAT ONE PROPOSAL, UM, CUSTOM COURT'S CONSTRUCTION WAS DETERMINED, UH, THAT THERE HAD A SOLID PROPOSAL AND THE PRICE WAS GREAT. AND SO WE SELECTED THEM ONE AWARD. AND SO WE'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE AND DIRECT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE THAT CONTRACT, UH, TO CONSTRUCT THE BASKETBALL AND PICKLEBALL COURTS WITH CUSTOM COURTS CONSTRUCTION MOTION. SURE. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RESOLUTION AS PRESENTED. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. OKAY. THANK YOU. BOARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CONTRACT REWARDS [8.B. Contract Award, MDTs For Sheriff's Office] FOR MDDS, FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. MAGI COME TO YOU, UH, TODAY ON BEHALF OF SHERIFF ADAMS, UH, TO, UH, ASK FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSAL THAT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING. UM, THE IT DEPARTMENT IN ALL OF OUR PATROL VEHICLES, UH, WE HAVE LAPTOP COMPUTERS. THEY'RE SEMI RUGGED PANASONIC LAPTOP COMPUTERS, UH, THAT IT HAS TOLD US A COUPLE YEARS AGO ARE COMING TO THE END OF LIFE. UH, THEY'VE LOST THEIR SUPPORT THROUGH PANASONIC AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED, UH, AS THEY'RE DYING OUT. SLOWLY. WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS A NEW PROJECT TO IDENTIFY, UH, A NEW ITEM, UH, TO PUT INTO THESE VEHICLES. UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UH, APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS AGO, UH, WE RECEIVED SOME GRANT FUNDING AND PURCHASED TWO UNITS THROUGH, UH, A COMPANY CALLED PATROL PC OUTTA MASSACHUSETTS. UM, IT, THESE UNITS THAT WE'VE DECIDED WE WANTED TO PUT INTO THE VEHICLES, OR A, A MOUNTING THAT, A MOUNT THAT ATTACHES TO THE, UH, DA THE DASH AREA OF THE VEHICLE. UH, A DOCK OF A LAP, UH, TABLET THAT ATTACHES TO THE DOCK AND A KEYBOARD. SO IT'S A FOUR PIECE COMPONENT. UM, THERE'S CER WE LOOKED AT SEVERAL, UH, COMPANIES THAT PROVIDED THE, THESE, UH, THE ONE THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO US THROUGH TESTING AND, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD FIND OUT ABOUT IT. SUPPORT. UH, AND ALL OF THAT WAS, UH, THIS, UH, ADVANCED ELECTRONIC DESIGN INCORPORATED, UH, OUTTA MASSACHUSETTS. THAT THEY DO BUSINESS AS PATROL PC. UM, THESE VEHICLES HAVE, UH, OR THESE ITEMS, THE, THE UNITS HAVE REALLY STOOD UP TO THE TESTING THAT THAT COMPANY'S DONE. AND WE DID A LITTLE OF OUR OWN IN-HOUSE TESTING, UH, AS WELL. AND ONE OF THE UNITS THAT WE, IN A VE VEHICLE UNFORTUNATELY STOOD UP TO, UH, 72 MILE AN HOUR IMPACT, SIDE IMPACT OUT ON INTERSTATE 85. UH, INVESTIGATOR APONTE WAS IN THAT VEHICLE. UH, HE SURVIVED. THE VEHICLE DIDN'T, BUT THE PATROL PC UNIT DID SURVIVE COMPLETELY. UH, AND SO WE WERE, WE WERE, WE PUT IT TO THE TEST AND IT, IT, UH, MET THAT, UH, STANDARD. UH, WE LOOKED AT SEVERAL OTHER UNITS THROUGH THE ASSISTANCE OF, UH, NORCO AND THE IT DEPARTMENT. AND WHEN EVERYTHING WAS SAID AND DONE, WE, WE FELT THAT, UH, THE, UH, PATROL PC UNIT WAS THE BEST SERVICE, UH, RELIABILITY, STABILITY AND SAFETY FOR OUR DEPUTIES THAT ARE IN, IN HAVING THESE, IN THEIR VEHICLES. 'CAUSE IF THEY'RE INVOLVED IN A HIGH SPEED IMPACT, THE, THE UNIT COULD COME LOOSE. IT COULD CAUSE OTHER INJURY. I DON'T THINK THIS UNIT'S GOING TO GOING TO MOVE A BIT IF, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS. UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UH, DURING THIS, IN THE 2024 CIP BUDGET, UH, FUNDING WAS GRANTED FOR $130,709. WE ALSO RECEIVED, UH, GRANT FUNDING THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES FOR $218,000 FOR A TOTAL BUDGET OF $348,709. UH, WE GOT, UH, THE PROCUREMENT FOR THIS, UH, PROJECT IS DOING, BEING DONE THROUGH GSA. UM, THEIR PRICE TO, FOR 45 UNITS TO GO [01:20:01] INTO OUR PATROL VEHICLES WAS $345,639 AND 10 CENTS. UH, SHERIFF ADAMS IS ASKING THAT YOU, UH, CONSIDER THAT AND, AND APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF THESE UNITS FOR OUR PATROL VEHICLES FOR THAT AMOUNT. ANY QUESTIONS? NO. WELL, WE TRUST YOU. WE, UH, HAVE TO DEPEND ON YOU TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. SO, WELL, WE, WE DID QUITE A BIT OF TESTING. WE, WE PUT SEVERAL, A COUPLE OTHER UNITS IN, UH, TALKED TO SEVERAL COMPANIES AND, AND, UH, UH, AGAIN, UH, INVESTIGATOR PONTE COULD SPEAK TO THE, UH, THE STABILITY OF THE UNIT THAT WAS IN HIS VEHICLE. 'CAUSE HE, HE UNFORTUNATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THAT WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE SLAMMED INTO HIM. UH, A SIDE IMPACT 72 MILES AN HOUR AND THE UNIT DID NOT, DIDN'T MOVE, WAS STILL OPERATIONAL, UH, AND STILL IS PUT BACK IN HIS NEW VEHICLE. NOW. THAT'S, THAT WAS AMAZING. GOOD. THANK GOD HE WAS SAFE. YES. CORRECT. YES. ABSOLUTELY. HIT THE COMPUTER. YEAH, I SEE WHY YOU LIKE IT. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION? MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL. DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE [8.C. Employee Health Insurance Plan For FY 2025] PLAN FOR FY 25. MS. ANN, GOOD AFTERNOON BOARD. UM, OUR HEALTH INSURANCE INTER INTERMEDIARY, THE LOCAL CHOICE HAS PROVIDED OUR EMPLOYEE, UH, HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN PREMIUMS FOR FY 25. AND THEY NEED OUR, OUR CONTRACT BY APRIL 1ST. SO WE'RE BRINGING THIS BEFORE YOU TODAY. UM, THE OVERALL PREMIUMS ARE GONNA INCREASE BY 2.6%. SO NOT AS GOOD AS LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD A ZERO AMOUNT, BUT SLIGHTLY HIGHER. UM, STILL, STILL NOT A BAD VALUE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. WE ARE PROPOSING TO CONTINUE TO OFFER THE KEY ADVANTAGE 1000 PPO PLAN AND THEN THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN AS WELL. AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DENTAL SERVICES THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT. UM, THE COST COMPARISON IS ATTACHED IN YOUR BOARD PACK. LAST YEAR'S COST TO THIS YEAR'S COST. THE, UM, THE EMPLOYEE ONLY PLAN WILL ONLY BE GOING UP $4 FOR THE EMPLOYEE FOR THE MONTH. SO THAT'S, THAT'S NOT TOO BAD. THE OVERALL COST FOR THE COUNTY ON THE EMPLOYER SIDE IS ABOUT $60,000 BASED ON OUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT WITH ALL OUR FOLKS. AND THERE'S SOME ENROLLMENT INFORMATION IN YOUR BOARD PACK AS WELL. ABOUT 83% OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE ENROLLED IN THE, UM, THE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN. MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE, THE KEY ADVANTAGE, 1000, 1000 PLAN. SO WE ARE, UM, JUST ASKING FOR APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION THAT'S IN YOUR BOARD PACK. WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? SO MOVED. DO YOU HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ROLL CALL. DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. BRU BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE'RE MOVING ON TO [Additional item] ACTION ITEM PARTS AND REC MASTER PLAN. MR. ART THATCHER BOARD. GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN. UH, BACK IN FY 1920 BUDGET, UH, THE BOARD APPROVED FUNDING TO, UH, SECURE A CONSULTANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR MASTER PLAN. AND SO GOING INTO MARCH OF 2020, WE KNEW THAT THE WORLD CHANGED. WE PAUSED THAT PROCESS, UH, WE REENGAGE THAT PROCESS IN 2022, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, GET THE SERVICES OF THEN GREEN PLAY, WHICH IS NOW BARRY DUNN, UH, TO WALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITH US. AND SO, UH, IT HAS BEEN, UH, A LONG PROCESS, BUT IT'S BEEN A FRUITFUL PROCESS. I HAVE ART THATCHER HERE WITH ME. HE IS OUR PROJECT MANAGER, UM, AND NOW AN OFFICIAL DUTY COUNTY EMPLOYEE FOR MY ALL MY THOUGHTS AND PROCESS. UM, BUT HE HAS A QUICK PRESENTATION FOR YOU ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE. OKAY. I, I WAS RELIEVED TO HEAR THAT THE, UH, THE EXTENSION HAD A HUNDRED SLIDES. I ONLY HAVE 47, SO ON BEHALF OF THAT. SO MAYOR, UM, SUPERVISORS, UH, MR. MASSENGILL, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND PRESENT THIS TO YOU. IT HAS BEEN A, A LABOR OF LOVE. UM, IT'S BEEN GREAT WORKING WITH THE COUNTY. JUST REAL QUICK, I'M, I'M A FORMER PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR FROM DOWN, DOWN IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER, SO MET YOU GUYS AND ITS BEEN A, A GOOD AFTERNOON WITH YOU. AND LADIES, SORRY, . SO, UM, JUST REAL QUICKLY, KIND OF THE LOOK AT THE, THE FIVE STAGES THAT WE WENT [01:25:01] THROUGH TO, TO GET TO THIS PROCESS, OUR DATA COLLECTION, OUR ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I'LL GO INTO IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, OUR ANALYSIS PROCESS OF, OF ALL OF THE ENGAGEMENT PIECES AND THEN DEVELOPING THAT ACTION PLAN AND, UM, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTIONS, WHICH WE WENT OVER AND REVIEWED. SO WE'RE NOW IN THIS FINAL ADOPTION PIECE OF THE, OF THE FINAL PLAN. WE DID, UM, TAKE THE PLAN, PUT IT ON OUR, UM, ON OUR SOCIAL PINPOINT SITE TO, TO RECEIVE COMMUNITY COMMENT. AND SO I'LL, I'LL, UM, GO THROUGH THAT AT THE END OF THIS, UM, AS WELL. SO JUST REALLY QUICKLY, KIND OF THE REGIONAL CONTEXT OF, UH, OF THE COUNTY AND, UM, WHERE YOU LIE WITHIN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. UM, AS PART OF THIS, WE LOOKED AT DEMOGRAPHICS. UM, THE COUNTY WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE AND SO YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. AND SO WE USED THE WELDON COOPER FIGURES SO THAT THE TWO WERE, UM, WOULD MATCH. AND, UM, AND SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A SLIGHT DECLINE. UM, AND THEN ABOUT A 9% GROWTH INCREASE, UM, THROUGH THE NEXT 20 YEARS. AND SO THROUGH OUR PUBLIC, UM, ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, WE, WE HAD SEVERAL STEPS IN THAT. WE DID AN INTERNAL STAFF SWOT ANALYSIS WHERE WE USED A SURVEYMONKEY SURVEY. UM, AND THEN WE DID A WORKSHOP WITH THE STAFF. WE DID OUR LEADERSHIP INTERVIEWS. UM, UNFORTUNATELY I WASN'T ABLE TO BE HERE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS, BUT ONE OF OUR, UM, OTHER CONSULTANTS WAS, SO WE INTERVIEWED WITH THE SUPERVISORS AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND THE ADMINISTRATION FROM, UM, THE COUNTY AND FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. UM, WE DID, WE USED THE DATA FROM THE COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN. WE DECIDED NOT TO DO A, A SURVEY AS PART OF THIS PROCESS. WE USED THE SOCIAL PINPOINT SITE BECAUSE THE COUNTY HAD JUST SENT OUT A SURVEY AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO GET THAT S SURVEY FATIGUE. SO WE USED THE RESULTS FROM THOSE AND, UM, AND ALSO THE DRAFT, UM, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. AND SO WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND DO A SURVEYMONKEY SURVEY FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS. THE SCHOOLS SENT THAT OUT, UM, THROUGH THEIR SYSTEM AND WE GOT A GOOD RETURN ON THAT. WE HAD THE INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, SOCIAL PINPOINT, AND THEN WE DID STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS AND, UM, AND FOCUS GROUPS WITH THE, WITH THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM, UM, NEW AMENITIES FROM THOSE FOCUS GROUPS AND FROM THOSE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS. UM, ADDITIONAL TRAILS, UM, THE LIGHTING ON YOUR ATHLETIC FIELDS, OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURTS, WHICH YOU'VE ALREADY STARTED TO PUT INTO MOTION. UM, DOG PARKS, UM, AND AN INDOOR RECREATION FACILITY, AN INDOOR OR OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL. UM, ADDITIONAL WATER ACCESS AND THEN ADDITIONAL PLAYGROUNDS. SO HERE'S THE SOCIAL PINPOINT SITE. YOU CAN SEE THIS IS KIND OF THE LANDING PAGE FOR THAT. AND WE HAD SEVERAL FEATURES WITH THAT. WE HAD, UH, THE FORUM WHERE CITIZENS COULD LEAVE A COMMENT. WE HAD A SURVEY SECTION WHERE WE HAD SOME, UM, SOME SURVEY QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED THEM FROM THE INFORMATION THAT WE GOT FROM THOSE FOCUS GROUPS AND STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS. AND THEN, UM, WE HAD AN IDEAS WALL WHERE CITIZENS COULD, UM, COULD PUT IDEAS UP AND OTHER, UM, PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH IT COULD, LIKE FACEBOOK COULD DO A THUMB UP OR THUMB DOWN. THEY COULD, THEY COULD INCLUDE, UM, ADDITIONAL COMMENTS WITH THOSE. AND SO 90% OF, UM, THOSE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE, UM, IN THE SOCIAL PINPOINT SITE HAD PARTICIPATED IN A PROGRAM, UM, OVER THE PAST YEAR, 72%, UM, PARTICIPATE IN YOUTH SPORTS. AND THEN 86%, UM, RATED YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AS EITHER EXCELLENT OR GOOD THROUGH THIS PROCESS. UM, THIS IS KIND OF A SUMMARY OF, UM, OF SOME OF THE, THE DETAILS THAT WE GOT OUT OF THAT. UM, WE HAD 669 SITE VISITS, 152 UNIQUE USERS. SO THOSE ARE UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS WITH URLS THAT SIGNED UP FOR THE SITE. WE GOT 41 COMMENTS. WE HAD 499 OF THE SURVEYS, UM, FILLED OUT. THE HIGHEST INTEREST WAS THROUGH WAS FOR A RECREATION AND AQUATIC FACILITY. WE ALSO HAD STRONG INTEREST IN PARKS AND TRAILS, YOUTH AND ADULT PROGRAMMING. AND THEN, UM, IN OTHER OR MISCELLANEOUS, WE OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF PROVIDE OTHER INFORMATION. AND THOSE, THE, THOSE COMMENTS, ESCAPE PARK, PICKLEBALL COURTS, AGAIN, WHICH YOU'RE ADDRESSING IN BASKETBALL COURTS, WERE, UM, WERE SOME OF THOSE WRITE-INS IN THAT MISCELLANEOUS. SO WE ALSO LOOKED AT SPORTS TOURISM. WE KIND OF LOOKED AT IT IN A REGIONAL CONTEXT. SO TAKING, UM, ITY COUNTY AND LOOKING AT A 90, UM, A 90 MILE RADIUS AROUND, UM, WE DID AN INVENTORY, UM, WITHIN THE STATE. AND SO AS WE LOOKED AT THAT, THERE ARE 41 RECTANGLE FACILITIES, UM, WITHIN THAT 90 MILE RADIUS. AND THOSE RECTANGLE FACILITIES ARE THREE OR MORE FIELDS, OKAY. [01:30:01] NOT, NOT JUST A SINGLE FIELD. UM, SAME WITH THE DIAMOND FACILITIES. THERE WERE, THERE ARE 32 DIAMOND FACILITIES. THERE ARE 21 INDOOR FACILITIES. SO THOSE ARE MULTIPLE INDOOR COURTS. SO NOT JUST A SINGLE BASKETBALL COURT, SO MULTIPLE, AGAIN, THREE OR MORE BASKETBALL COURTS, UM, VOLLEYBALL COURTS. AND THEN, UM, THE COURT FACILITIES. SO TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL, THERE ARE 11 MULTI COURT FACILITIES, A MINIMUM OF EIGHT. UM, WITHIN THAT 90 MILE THERE ARE NINE AQUATIC CENTERS. AND THEN THERE ARE FOUR INDOOR HOCKEY RINKS WITHIN THAT 90 MILE RADIUS. SO JUST GIVES YOU A, A, A FEEL FOR WHAT'S IN THE AREA. AND WE USE 90 MILES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S TYPICALLY WHAT SOMEBODY'S WILLING TO DRIVE FOR A DAY TRIP. THEY'RE WILLING TO GO FURTHER FOR OVERNIGHTS, BUT FOR A DAY TRIP, A SMALL TOURNAMENT OR SOMETHING, UM, THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, THOSE FACILITIES. SO WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE, UM, AT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AT YEAR ENGAGEMENT. AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT WE LOOKED AT THAT WE HAD ALSO HEARD THROUGH OUR ENGAGEMENT WERE MORE TRAILS AND OPEN GREEN SPACES. UM, NEW HIKING, WALKING AND BIKING TRAILS, CONNECTIVITY, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTY. UM, MORE ACTIVE RECREATION FACILITIES, UM, AND NEW PLAY FIELDS, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTH SPORTS, THERAPEUTIC RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. UM, A CENTRALIZED VENUE WITH SPACE FOR MEETINGS, UM, AGE INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING AND ACTIVE RECREATION. AND THEN CONTINUED PRESERVATION OF YOUR HISTORIC CIVIL WAR SITES. SO WE ALSO HAD TWO OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS THAT CAME AND WENT TO ALL OF YOUR FACILITIES. THEY WENT AROUND AND WALKED THOSE. THEY GIS MAPPED THEM AND, UM, AND THEN ALSO WENT TO YOUR OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS. AND SO, UM, WE DID A, A FULL INVENTORY. SO YOU CAN SEE ON THIS MAP ALL OF THE FACILITIES THAT WE WENT TO. AND SO WE LOOKED AT THE COUNTY FACILITIES, WE LOOKED AT THE SCHOOLS, WE LOOKED AT THOSE PRIVATE PROVIDERS, WE LOOKED AT THE STATE, UM, DWR FACILITIES IN, IN THE AREA AS WELL AS THE MILITARY. AND SO WE, WE MAPPED ALL OF THOSE, UM, AND PROVIDED AN INVENTORY FOR YOU. AND SO SOME OF THE, THE KEY, THE HIGHLIGHTS OUT OF THAT, UM, THAT YOUR SPORTS COMPLEX IS DEFINITELY THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR SYSTEM. MANY OF YOUR OTHER FACILITIES, UM, ARE IN NEED OF SOME SIGNIFICANT REPAIR AND THERE'S DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. UM, MOST OF YOUR FACILITIES ARE, UM, ARE DRIVABLE. THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT WALKABLE. AND THEN, UM, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE OTHER, UM, FACILITIES THAT, THAT WE, UM, THAT WE LOOKED AT THAT ARE PROVIDED BY, UM, BY OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS. AND SO WE PROVIDED AN ATLAS TO, UM, TO THE STAFF. AND SO WE DID AN AERIAL OF EACH ONE OF THE PARKS. WE, WE DID THEIR GIS BOUNDARIES AND THEN WE DID AN INVENTORY AND A, AND A QUALITY RATING ON EACH ONE OF THE COMPONENTS WITHIN THAT INVENTORY. AND SO WE'VE PROVIDED THAT TO, UM, TO, TO RAY AND TO THE STAFF. AND THEN WE WILL ALSO PROVIDE IT DIGITALLY SO THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO, TO MAINTAIN AND KEEP UP. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS AS, AS WE FINISH THAT, WE'RE ABLE TO SORT FOR SPECIFICS. SO THIS ACT, THIS SHOWS YOU, WE JUST, WE PULLED A, A SORTING FOR JUST PLAYGROUNDS AND IT SHOWS YOU THE SITE. UM, IT'S ACTUALLY GIS MAP AREA. AND THEN THE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS WITHIN THAT AND THE RATINGS FOR THOSE. AND THEN ANY COMMENTS THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE. SO HERE ARE YOUR, UM, YOU SAID KIND OF A LIST OF YOUR, UM, OF YOUR FACILITIES THAT WE, THAT WE INVENTORIED. THERE WERE 38 TOTAL, UM, THAT WE, UH, THAT WE INVENTORIED. THERE ARE 138, UM, COMPONENTS WITHIN THAT THAT WE LOOKED AT AND INVENTORIED WITHIN THE SYSTEM THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO, UM, TO THE COUNTY. WE ALSO LOOKED AT YOUR INDOOR FACILITIES, LOOKED AT THOSE COMPONENTS WITHIN THE INDOOR FACILITIES, UM, AS, AS WELL. AND SO AS WE KIND OF LOOK AT OUR LEVEL OF SERVICE ANALYSIS, KIND OF THE NATIONAL TREND IS THIS 10 MINUTE WALK, WE KNOW THAT IS NOT REALISTIC AT ALL WITHIN A COUNTY SYSTEM. UM, AND SO AS WE BEGIN TO, TO LOOK AT THAT, SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, WHERE THOSE COLORS ARE, THE, THOSE PE THOSE CITIZENS HAVE A 10 MINUTE WALK TO A RECREATION FACILITY. SO WE LOOK AT DRIVE TIME IN THESE RURAL, UM, SETTINGS. AND SO THIS IS A, A FIVE MINUTE DRIVE TIME, UM, TO, UH, A RECREATION COMPONENT WITHIN THE COUNTY. NOT NECESSARILY A COUNTY COMPONENT, BUT SOME SORT OF A RECREATION COMPONENT. AND YOU CAN SEE IT INCREASES THAT, UM, THAT, THAT AREA AND, AND PROVIDES FOR THOSE RESIDENTS. NOW, WHEN YOU INCREASE THAT TO A 15 MINUTE DRIVE, YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH GREATER COVERAGE YOU HAVE, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE COUNTY. AND SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD ASKED IN THAT SURVEY WAS, HOW DO YOU PREFER TO [01:35:01] GET TO A RECREATION FACILITY? AND THEY SAID DRIVING. AND SO THIS KIND OF FITS WITH YOUR CITIZENS' HABITS OF DRIVING TO A FACILITY. AND SO YOU'VE GOT REALLY GOOD COVERAGE, UM, WITHIN THAT 15 MINUTE DRIVE. SO AS WE LOOK AT THIS A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, UM, WE CAN LOOK AT OUTDOOR RECREATION ACCESS AND KIND OF SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS AROUND THAT. AND YOU CAN SEE THE MAP, THE GRAY AREA, UM, ON EITHER SIDE IS THERE THAT THEY'RE OUTSIDE OF THAT 15 MINUTE DRIVE. SO I THINK IT'S, UM, IT'S A LITTLE SMALL. IS IT LIKE 12%? SO 80, UM, I SAID 88% OF YOUR RESIDENTS ARE WITHIN THAT UP TO A 15 MINUTE DRIVE TO SOME SORT OF AN OUTDOOR RECREATION COMPONENT, WHICH IS GOOD COVERAGE. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, UM, THAT'S REALLY GOOD. UM, AND THEN IF, IF WE LOOK AT KIND OF THAT SAME ACCESS TO INDOOR RECREATION, UNFORTUNATELY THAT GOES DOWN A LITTLE BIT. YOU SEE THE GRAY AREA GROWS. UM, 27% OF THE, UM, OF THE POPULATION AREN'T, ARE OUTSIDE OF THAT 15 MINUTE DRIVE TO AN INDOOR FACILITY, WHICH IS, WHICH KIND OF CORRESPONDS TO WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY. THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ANOTHER INDOOR FACILITY, UM, WITHIN THE SYSTEM. AND SO JUST KIND OF SOME OF THE SUMMARIES. AGAIN, THE SPORTS COMPLEX IS GREAT. UM, MOST OF YOUR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES NEED TRANSPORTATION. UM, MANY OF YOUR COMPONENTS NEED UPGRADING OR REPLACEMENT. UM, WE IDENTIFIED SOME OF THOSE KEY CORE SERVICES, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE ASSURE THAT THEY'RE QUALITY IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS WITHIN THE COUNTY. UM, AND THEN CONSIDERATION OF THAT CONNECTIVITY, UM, BETWEEN INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND YOUR PROGRAMMING NEEDS. AND SO AS WE LOOKED AT SOME OTHER KIND OF RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES TRAIL THROUGH THE, THROUGH OUR TRAILS ASSESSMENT, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR EXISTING TRAILS, NATE, MAKING SURE THAT, I KNOW WE HAD SOME, SOME CHALLENGES IDENTIFYING ALL YOUR TRAIL SYSTEM. SO, UM, AS WE KIND OF CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO IDENTIFY THOSE, UM, LOOK FOR COUNTY OWNED PROPERTIES, UM, FOR POTENTIAL TRAIL DEVELOPMENT, AGAIN, WORKING WITH YOUR PARTNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE, UM, WITHIN THE COUNTY TO CONNECT COUNTY TRAILS TO THOSE LARGER REGIONAL, THE APPOMATTOX TRAIL, EAST COAST GREENWAY. AND, UM, THE FALL LAND TRAIL ARE A COUPLE, UM, THAT WE, THAT WE POINTED OUT. AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD TWO MEETINGS WITH THE, UM, THE OPERATIONS STAFF FROM YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, ALIGNING STAFFING, UM, THE ACRES THAT ARE BEING MAINTAINED, LOOKING AT BUDGETS AND CAPITAL TO, TO MAKE THE, THE BEST INVESTMENT OF COUNTY DOLLARS IN THOSE ATHLETIC FIELDS AND THOSE GROUNDS, UM, FOR BOTH, FOR BOTH ORGANIZATIONS. AND I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF IT IS, UM, THE COUNTY AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM USED THE SAME CONTRACTOR FOR SOME OF YOUR, YOUR OUTSIDE MA MAINTENANCE. AND SO SEEING IF YOU CAN COMBINE THOSE AND GET A, A, A BETTER DISCOUNT FOR INSTEAD OF TWO CONTRACTS FOR A SINGLE CONTRACT. UM, AND THEN SOME OF THOSE OTHER PIECES THAT WE LOOKED AT, UM, AREAS FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE, UM, THE ACREAGE BEHIND THE, THE SPORTS COMPLEX, WE WERE ASKED TO DO A CONCEPTUAL PLAN FOR THAT, WHICH IS, UM, INCLUDED AS A STAFF DOCUMENT OF, OF WHAT THAT CAN BE. UM, KIND OF LOOKING AT THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE FOOTPRINT, UM, THE HISTORIC HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT PLANNED GROWTH AREA, UM, NEAR THE, THE PAMPHLET ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, THE 62 ACRES, AND THEN OTHER AREAS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED BY, UM, THE COUNTY LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR, UM, FOR POTENTIAL RECREATION GROWTH. AND SO WE TAKE ALL OF THAT AND WE HAVE THIS KEY ISSUES MATRIX THAT WE PULL TOGETHER. WE LOOK, WHICH LOOKS AT THAT QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA. AND THIS IS HOW WE BEGIN TO MAKE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. AND SO I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH THESE RECURRING THEMES 'CAUSE WE'LL TALK ABOUT, WE'LL KIND OF GO OVER THOSE, BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE HEARD KIND OF THROUGHOUT MAINTAINING AND UPGRADING, DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL TRAILS, INDOOR FACILITIES, ALL OF THOSE ARE THOSE RECURRING THEMES. SO WE TAKE THOSE AND WE LOOKED AT AND WE DEVELOPED FOUR GOAL AREAS, AND THEN WE DEVELOPED, UM, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND THEN ACTION STEPS FOR EACH OF THOSE. AND WE LOOK AT THIS TIMETABLE OF SHORT TERM, MIDTERM LONG TERM, AND THEN ONGOING. SO ZERO TO THREE, FOUR TO SIX, SEVEN AND GREATER. AND SO, UM, THE FIRST IS INVESTING IN YOUR CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ADDRESSING YOUR AGING FACILITIES. SO MAINTAINING YOUR EXISTING FACILITIES, MY EYES AREN'T THAT GOOD. . UM, MAINTAINING YOUR EXISTING FACILITIES, RENOVATING AND REPLACING, UM, [01:40:01] UPDATING YOUR FAILING FACILITIES AND AMENITIES, EXPANDING YOUR OPEN SPACE AND PARKS OF EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES TO ADD TRAILS. UM, DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES AND AMENITIES, PROVIDING IMPROVED SIGNAGE, AND THEN EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL SPORTS. UM, THIS WAS THE LONGEST WE HAD 14 OF DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES, DEVELOPING NEW, UM, AMENITIES IN YOUR EXISTING PARKS, ADDING INDOOR RECREATION SPACE, UM, UPGRADING YOUR COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE, CUSTOMER SERVICE AMENITIES, CREATING PARK IDENTITIES, UM, SO THAT IT WOULD GAIN YOUR EXISTING AND YOUR NEW PARKS. UM, ADDRESSING YOUR CURRENT FUTURE NEEDS FOR ATHLETIC FIELDS, GATHERING FEEDBACK ON A REGULAR BASIS, UM, ON YOUR FACILITY USE. AND THEN MONITORING YOUR A DA ACCESS, UH, WITHIN YOUR PARK, STRS AND WATERWAYS. UM, THE SECOND GOAL WAS IMPROVING AND ENHANCING YOUR PROGRAMMING OUTREACH. UM, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO IMPROVING YOUR, YOUR DEPARTMENTAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION. UM, UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE, EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL RECREATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, CONTINUING TO GROW, UM, YOUR PROGRAMS AND YOUR SERVICES, UM, FOR ACCESS TO, FOR ALL CITIZENS. UM, CONTINUING TO ADDRESS RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS, UM, ENHANCING YOUR SPECIAL EVENT PROGRAMMING, UM, PARTNERING WITH THE, UM, DIY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS WHERE POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. WE'VE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OF THOSE PARTNERS ALREADY TODAY. UM, AND THEN GATHERING FEEDBACK AND DATA ON YOUR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION. THE THIRD IS IMPROVING YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL, UM, OPERATIONS. SO STAFFING APPROPRIATELY TO MEET YOUR CURRENT DEMAND, MAINTAINING YOUR, UM, YOUR EXISTING QUALITY OF SERVICE. I KNOW YOU'VE HAD, LIKE EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY HAD A REALLY HARD TIME RECRUITING AND, AND, AND MAINTAINING STAFF. AND SO CONTINUING THOSE PROCESSES, REEXAMINING AND DOCUMENTING, UM, YOUR DEPARTMENTAL POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES, MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE UPDATING THOSE ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND THEN REVIEWING YOUR OPERATION, UM, YOUR OPERATING AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR PARTNERS AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE GETTING THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT OUT OF THAT. THE LAST GOAL IS TO INCREASE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES. SO EXPLORING THOSE ADDITIONAL, UM, FUNDING THROUGH PURSUITS OF GRANTS, PHILANTHROPIC, PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES, AND THEN LOOKING AT EXPLORING, UM, AND IMPLEMENTING A COST RECOVERY AND PRICING POLICY, UM, FOR YOUR, UM, FOR YOUR FEES FOR SERVICE. SO, UM, I, WE WERE ASKED TO KIND OF LOOK AT A, AT A, AT A TOP 10, UM, CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND SO THESE TOP UM, THE TOP THREE CAME OUT OF THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS. SO KIND OF DEVELOPING, UM, DEVELOPING AND FUNDING AN ONGOING CAPITAL MAINTENANCE TO MAINTAIN, ENHANCE, AND UPGRADE YOUR FACILITIES, UM, AS PART OF AN A DA TRANSITION PLAN, CONTINUING TO EVALUATE YOUR EXISTING FACILITIES AND AMENITIES, ENSURING THAT THEY'RE UNACCESSIBLE TO ALL CITIZENS. AND AS PART OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE PATHWAY AND BIKEWAY PLAN, CONTINUE TO IMPROVE YOUR CONNECTIVITY, UM, BOTH IN BIKEWAYS AND AS WE HEARD IN BLUE WAYS. UM, AND THEN THE NEXT FOUR, NEXT THREE CAME OUT OF YOUR CURRENT CIP. UM, AND THEY, THEY'RE RELEVANT TO, UM, TO, TO THE PLAN ITSELF. SO ADDING NEW AMENITIES AT THE EAST SIDE ENHANCEMENT CENTER, UM, IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE CIP, UM, AGAIN, UM, MAKING ADDITIONS TO THE ENHANCEMENT CENTER, UM, SOCCER FIELDS, FENCING THOSE THINGS, AND THEN MAKING ADDITIONS TO THE SPORTS COMPLEX. UM, ADDING WALKING TRAILS, ADDITIONAL BASEBALL FIELDS, OUTDOOR BLEACHERS, UM, AS WELL AS OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURTS AND FOOTBALL COURTS. AND THEN, UM, LOOKING AT ADDING HVAC TO THE MCKINLEY GYM TO INCREASE ITS USE DURING THE, THE SUMMER. AND THEN A COUPLE OF OTHER, UM, CONDUCTING A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR, UM, FOR THAT PHASE TWO OF THE, OF THE SPORTS COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT AND USING THE, THE CONCEPTUAL PLAN THAT WE'VE PROVIDED AND THEN ALSO CONDUCTING A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A PUBLIC AQUATIC FACILITY. UM, AND, AND, UM, INDOOR, INDOOR RECREATION FACILITY. SO, UM, SO THROUGH THE PUBLIC PROCESS, UM, THROUGH ALL OF THOSE PIECES AND AS WE LOOK AT THOSE PRIORITIES, AGAIN, THEY MATCH UP WITH, WITH WHAT WE'VE HEARD, UM, ADDRESSING YOUR A DA ACCESSIBILITY, ADDING TRAILS, BIKEWAYS WALKING LOOPS, ADDING OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURTS, ADDITIONAL PLAYGROUNDS, A RECREATION CENTER TO INCLUDE AN AQUATIC CENTER, ADDITIONAL, UM, RECTANGLE FIELDS, SPORTS LIGHTING, PICKLEBALL, COURTS, SPLASH PADS AND DOG PARKS. AND SO WE [01:45:01] PROVIDED WORKING WITH, UH, UM, WITH ONE OF OUR OTHER SUBS ON THIS PROJECT, WE PROVIDED A KIND OF A CONCEPTUAL LIST OF WHAT THOSE PRICES MIGHT BE, UM, AS, AS YOU LOOK AT THOSE FACILITIES. AND SO THESE ARE IN TWO, 2023 FIGURES. AND SO THERE WILL BE SOME ADJUSTMENTS, BUT THIS WILL GIVE, GIVES YOU AN IDEA AS YOU BEGIN TO KIND OF LOOK AT THOSE PIECES, UM, IN THE, IN THE MASTER PLAN, AND THEN SOME, SOME OTHER KIND OF, SOME OF THOSE POTENTIAL FUNDING. SO EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE, UM, FUNDING SOURCES, UM, THAT STRATEGICALLY ALIGN WITH THE TARGET SERVICES, UM, WITH WITHIN THE COUNTY. UM, LOOKING AT THOSE ALTERNATIVE FUNDING, UM, STRATEGIES, UH, IDENTIFIED THROUGH GRANTS, UM, KIND OF REVIEWING AND EXPANDING YOUR PARTNERSHIPS, EXPLORING ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, EXPLORING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE, AND THE USE OF, UM, ADDITIONAL SPONSORSHIPS. AND THEN, UM, CONSIDER A BOND REFERENDUM FOR EXPANDING, EXPANDED IN NEW FACILITIES. SO, UM, SO FOR THAT, UM, RECREATION CENTER, AQUATIC CENTER, THOSE THINGS, UM, WOULD, WOULD NEED TO EXPLORE THAT, UM, BOND REFERENDUM PIECE. AND SO THESE ARE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. THIS IS MY LAST SLIDE. UM, AND, AND SO WE RECEIVED NINE COMMENTS. UM, I THINK WE HAD 12 OR 15 PEOPLE THAT ENTERED THAT, THAT READ IT, DOWNLOADED THE, THE SURVEY, AND THEY WERE ALL POSITIVE. AND I KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PUT IN BLUE KIND OF THOSE KEY PHRASES, EXPAND YOUR OUTDOOR FACILITIES, UM, IS A GREAT IDEA. ADDING MORE BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL FIELDS. BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT A SPORTS COMPLEX, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE SHADE AREAS AROUND BASEBALL. UM, AND, AND SOFTBALL. UM, KIND OF THE, THE PARKS, YOU KNOW, WE IN PLACE FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY IN SHAD AREAS, SO AROUND THOSE PLAYGROUNDS. AN INDOOR SPORTS FACILITY, AGAIN, UM, BASKETBALL COURTS SEEM TO BE HARD TO COME BY. INDOOR SWIMMING, UM, BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, SOCCER AND TENNIS. UM, A SPLASH PAD SWIMMING AREA, UM, AT ONE OF OUR EXISTING FACILITIES. UM, LOOKING AT THOSE WALKING AREAS FOR SENIORS, UM, NEED MULTIPLE SPLASH PADS. UM, THIS WAS THE ONLY REAL KIND OF NEGATIVE, UM, WAS, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER, WHAT'S THE POINT OF DOG PARKS? UM, YOU KNOW, AND NO LEASE LAWS. UM, PEOPLE, PEOPLE COULD JUST LET THEIR DOGS ROAM ANYWAY. UH, BUT THAT WAS REALLY THE ONLY NEGATIVE. THESE LAST TWO CAME IN FIVE MINUTES APART, AND THEY CAME FROM TWO DIFFERENT URLS. MY GUESS IS, IS THAT, UM, THEY WERE SITTING WITH EACH OTHER OR SITTING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY'RE ALMOST IDENTICAL. SO THE ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND, INDOOR POOL, ZERO ENTRY, UM, MEET CHILDREN'S INTERACTIVE CENTER, UM, CENTER. AND SO THERE IS THE, THE MASTER PLAN IN OUR YEAR PLUS WORK IN A NUTSHELL. SO I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, YOUR INTEREST AND THE ABILITY TO KIND OF WORK WITH YOU ALL THROUGH THIS PROJECT. YEAH, IT WAS GOOD. IT WAS GOOD. A LOT OF INFORMATION. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. I GUESS, GO AHEAD. I'VE GOT A QUESTION IS I THINK, I THINK YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF GOOD WORK HERE AND I THINK, UM, WE'VE KIND OF GOT A BLUEPRINT, BUT WITHOUT SOME PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT GOING FORWARD, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO, TO, I GUESS, JUSTIFY, UM, DOING THINGS ON THE PLAN AND, AND AS THE TROUBLE, I THINK EVERYBODY WANTS RECREATION. NOBODY WANTS TO PAY FOR IT, RIGHT? AND SO MOVING FORWARD, IS THERE A WAY TO GET THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES THE ONLY WAY YOU GET THE PUBLIC IS WE'RE GONNA SHUT DOWN RECREATION, THEN THE ROOM GETS FULL OF PEOPLE . UM, BUT I THINK IT'S A CHANCE, UM, TO DO SOME GOOD WORK. UM, WHAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE USING RIGHT NOW HAVE TO BE IN INVOLVED, INVESTED IN IT, ARE THEIR IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO, TO DO THAT. SO YES. AND, AND I THINK, UM, USING THOSE, THOSE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER TOOLS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE PROVIDED CONTINUING THAT ENGAGEMENT, CONTINUING TO ENGAGE YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR STAKEHOLDERS. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ATHLETIC FIELDS, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS, LITTLE LEAGUE, YOUR GIRL, SP FISH, SOFTBALL, THOSE PEOPLE IN, IN THAT CONVERSATION, ONE OF THE, UH, I'M DOING, I DID A PROJECT IN SANDPOINT, IDAHO, [01:50:01] AND THEY BUILT A, A THREE TENNIS COURT COMPLEX AND DIDN'T REALLY ENGAGE THE TENNIS COMMUNITY IN IT. AND SO THE COURTS ARE POSITIONED SO THAT FROM 11 TO THREE, THE SUN IS IN THE SERVER'S EYES, YOU KNOW, AS KIND OF LIKE BUILDING A BASEBALL FIELD, YOU KNOW, AND HAVING THE, HAVING THE YEAH. THROWN INTO THE SUN. IT'S JUST NOT, YOU KNOW, SO YOU NEED TO INVOLVE THOSE, THOSE USERS. AND I, AND AGAIN, RAY DOES A GOOD JOB OF, UM, OF GETTING COMMENTS FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS. AND SO CONTINUING TO, TO GET THOSE, UM, THOSE COMMENTS, ENGAGING THEM, UM, THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, GREAT ONLINE TOOLS THAT YOU CAN USE TO, TO CONTINUE THAT. UM, SURVEYMONKEY IS A GREAT TOOL THAT WE USE, UM, ON A REGULAR BASIS TO, TO SURVEY BOTH STAFF AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY. YOU GET A GOOD FEEDBACK FROM, FROM PEOPLE. AND SO I THINK THAT'S, BUT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, IF YOU KIND OF, AS YOU LOOK AT THIS LIST AND LOOK AT THOSE ACTION STEPS UNDERNEATH, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT, THAT DON'T, THAT AREN'T BOND WORTHY, RIGHT? UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, I MEAN, THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE HEARD WAS MAINTAIN WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE, FIX AND MAINTAIN WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE. SO THAT KIND OF LOW HANGING FRUIT, YOU KNOW, AND SO THE INVENTORY PROVIDES YOU WITH ALL OF THOSE FACILITIES THAT ARE A ONE THAT NEED TO BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. AND SO IT GIVES YOU THAT INITIAL STEP, AND THEN IT JUST NEEDS TO BE BUILT INTO THE, INTO YOUR CIP. OKAY. YEAH. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMING FROM, FROM RAY'S SEAT IS I GOT TOO MANY PLANS THAT WERE JUST SUPER ASPIRATIONAL AND, AND I KNEW WE COULD NEVER GET ACCOMPLISHED. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE TRY AND PROVIDE THOSE THINGS THAT YOU CAN, THAT YOU CAN GET ACCOMPLISHED, YOU KNOW, OVER THE, OVER YOUR TIME PERIOD, OVER THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD. AND, AND AS YOU SEE, THESE BIGGER ONES ARE THOSE LONG TERM, THOSE, THOSE STRETCH. IF YOU, YOU KNOW, LUCK OUT AND GET A-Y-M-C-A IN HERE, THERE'S YOUR INDOOR FACILITY IN YOUR POOL, YOU KNOW, IN THAT PARTNERSHIP, YOU KNOW, SO THERE, THERE ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO REALIZE SOME OF THESE THINGS WITHOUT THE COUNTY BEING, UM, ALL IN FANTASTIC JOB. THANK YOU. UM, WITH THE ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE, I MEAN, I SEE IT AS A 5, 10, 15, 20 YEAR TYPE PROGRAM. UM, YOU GOTTA HAVE PEOPLE, WE'VE GOT GREAT STAFF NOW, BUT ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT YOU SAID WAS HAVE KEEPING THOSE PEOPLE AND BEING ABLE TO FIND PEOPLE TO COME ON TO WORK IN OUR REC DEPARTMENT, UM, IS A MONUMENTAL TASK TODAY. MM-HMM . UM, BUT IT'S A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE AT A TIME. IF WE WENT BACK 20 YEARS AGO, MR. MOODY, WHO IS NO LONGER ON THE BOARD, THERE WAS NO REC DEPARTMENT IN D WHITTY COUNTY. HE WAS ONE OF THOSE SUPERVISORS THAT SAW A VISION. YOU'VE BROUGHT ANOTHER VISION WHERE TO EXPAND THE VISION GOING FORWARD. UH, YES. IT TAKES DOLLARS. IT TAKES CORPORATE SPONSORS, IT TAKES GRANTS, WELLNESS GRANTS AND OTHER THINGS. BUT THOSE ARE THINGS WE'VE GOTTA LOOK, LOOK TOWARDS. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU GOTTA MAINTAIN WHAT YOU GOT RIGHT NOW. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, THOSE FIELDS, OUR FIELDS ARE PRETTY MUCH MAXED OUT, UM, FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON NOW. SO YES, ANOTHER FIELD AT SOME POINT IS PROBABLY SOMETHING IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, BUT THAT'S JUST ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. YES, SIR. YOU KNOW? YEP. FOR ME, THOSE OF US HAVE GRAY HAIRS. UM, THE, THE WALKING THING IS IMPORTANT. UM, THOSE PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY THAT I REPRESENT, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER SO WE CAN WALK. I PERSONALLY WALK AROUND AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MOST OF THE TIME. SO THEY KNOW THAT I'VE TOLD THEM. BUT THAT'S PART OF THIS PLAN. YES. UH, AS WE GO FORWARD. SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR PRESENTATION WAS NO, IT WAS GREAT. NEAT. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO BOARD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN BEFORE YOU FOR SOME TIME. UM, THE GREAT PART IS, IS THAT WE JUST THANK YOU FOR THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU'VE MADE IN THIS PLAN. UM, I THINK WE'VE ECHOED THAT THIS JUST GIVES US THE ROADMAP INTO THE FUTURE AND, UM MM-HMM . WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A GREAT LEGACY. I THINK THE NEXT PART OF IT IS CONTINUING TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY THAT IT DOES TAKE FUNDING TO MAKE THIS WORK. UM, YOU KNOW, WE AS A STAFF HAVE TO PUT, YOU KNOW, OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND, YOU KNOW, FIND ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO, TO MAKE THIS PROCESS WORK. UM, BUT WE'RE JUST THANKFUL, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FINISH THIS PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. UM, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 17 YEARS NOW AND I'VE SEEN WHERE RECREATION WAS AND WHERE WE'VE COME. UM, AND THE ONE THING I SAY IS IT'S BEEN ULTRA. YOU ALL HAVE BEEN ULTRA SUPPORTIVE OF THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT. YOUR COMMITMENT TO SEEING THROUGH THE 17 YEARS WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. UM, AND I TRY TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON THAT. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S JUST, WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE. [01:55:01] UM, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE. SO THE WORK IS JUST BEGINNING, UH, WITH THIS MASTER PLAN. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT ARTED, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS THROUGH, UM, WORKING WITH MARIE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY GROUP THAT WE BRING TOGETHER, UM, UH, WITH THE, THE CIVICA ORGANIZATION. UM, WHEN WE BRING ALL THE, THE, THE CITIZENS TOGETHER, THOSE ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE THE EDUCATION POINT AS WELL. AND SO JUST USING THOSE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THE INFORMATION NOW IS GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT. UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION AS PRESENTED, THAT WE ADOPT THE COMPLETED MASTER PLAN, UH, FOR THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT. SO, MOVE, SECOND. ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, RAY. THANK YOU. I DIDN'T REALIZE WE HIRED RAY AT 12 . NOW WE WAITED. HE WAS 16 WHEN HE CAME TO WORK. THAT'S RIGHT. HE WAS EARLY YOUNG CITIZENS' [9. CITIZEN COMMENTS] COMMENT HERE. DIDN'T HAVE ANY. ANYONE SIGNED UP? YES. MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HAVE MS. SHARON YATES. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. CHAIRMAN CHAVIS, UM, BOARD MEMBERS AND, UM, MR. MASSING. AND WELCOME BACK MR. LEE. WE ARE SO GLAD TO SEE YOU. WELL, GOD IS TRULY GOOD, ISN'T HE? AMEN. AMEN. YES, HE IS. SO ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK TWO SPECIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS OF ITY COUNTY. AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY'RE STILL HERE OR NOT, BUT I WANT TO THANK, UM, MR. VINES. UM, CHRIS, SAM AND THE ENTIRE DENWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND SHERIFF ADAMS AND THE ITY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR THE OUTSTANDING AND EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES. PROVIDED AT THE LAST MINUTE, SOMEHOW OUR ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM HELD IN FEBRUARY, I REALLY DO THINK IT WAS MY FAULT. I FORGOT TO FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK. SOMEHOW WE WERE SCHEDULED DURING THE SAME TIME THAT THE LITTLE, LITTLE LEAGUE, UM, WAS HAVING THEIR BASKETBALL GAME. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY CROWDED AND, AND NOISY. BUT THAT PARTICULAR GROUP PULLED TOGETHER AND WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY PUT UP SIGNS, AND THIS WAS LAST MINUTE. THEY PUT UP SIGNS, THEY HAD PARKING CONES OUT. THEY HAD, UM, PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE AND THE INSIDE DOING NOISE CONTROL. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SENT NOT JUST ONE, UM, UH, PERSON DOWN, BUT THEY SENT TWO PEOPLE DOWN. THEY DID FOOT PATROL ON THE OUTSIDE AND IN THE INSIDE. WOW. AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE ELDERLY PEOPLE, BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THAT GROUP, A MUCH, MUCH, MUCH OLDER THAN I AM. SO THEY'RE PROBABLY BETWEEN THE AGE OF 70 AND ABOVE. HOWEVER, UM, WE ARE JUST SO THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT THAT THEY GAVE US. AND WE JUST DIDN'T THINK A, A, A CARD, UM, TO BE POSTED ON THE BULLETIN BOARD WAS ENOUGH. I DO KNOW THAT SOMETIMES YOU GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT I FELT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR US TO COME AND PUBLICLY THINK THE REC DEPARTMENT AND THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT FOR SUCH AN EXCEPTIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL JOB THAT THEY DID FOR US THAT DAY. AND WE JUST LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, WORKING, UM, MORE WITH THEM IN THAT CAPACITY AND KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE THOSE TWO SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE WAY THEY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO ASSIST US. SO AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THEM AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE HAVE MR. HC HOLLOWAY. GUESS THAT'S MY CLOCK. YEAH. TO, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN. TO THE COMMISSIONER TO, UH, MR. MA. MR. MASSENGILL. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I EVER ADDRESS YOU BY YOUR LAST NAME. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. I APOLOGIZE. KEVIN'S FINE. . AND, UH, IT'S A SISTER GRANT WHO IS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING MY VIEW. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THIS AREA, I MET KEVIN FIRST AT THE MARKET. I TELL THAT STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN 'CAUSE IT'S A GOOD STORY. HE DIDN'T WEAR A HAT AND T-SHIRT THAT DAY WHEN WE WERE SHOPPING TOGETHER. HE JUST WAS KEVIN AND I WAS HARVEY. WE WERE BOTH IN A LONG LINE. IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE MOVING TOO FAST. , UH, BUT, UH, AS AN OUTSIDER AND PEOPLE, A FEW PEOPLE, NOT ANYONE HERE OF COURSE, BUT A FEW STRAY, UH, RESIDENTS REMINDED ME THAT I WAS AN OUTSIDER BECAUSE I CAME FROM A DIFFERENT AREA CODE THAT WAS ABOVE THE MASON DIXON LINE. QUITE TO MY SURPRISE, ONCE I MET MS. GRANT AT A SEPARATE EVENT ALTOGETHER AND WANTED TO SIGN UP FOR A CITIZENS ACADEMY THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN FILLED UP, SHE SAID, WE'LL HAVE TO GET TO YOU NEXT TIME. IF [02:00:01] THERE IS A NEXT TIME WE HAVE TO WAIT, BECAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME. WELL, I THINK IT WAS LIKE THREE DAYS BEFORE IT WAS TO START. SHE SAID, IF YOU CAN GET TO THIS ROOM BY A CERTAIN TIME, WE'LL HAVE WATER AND CHIPS. AND YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME JOIN US. IT HAS BEEN MY JOY TO JOIN YOU. AND, AND SINCE I HAVE COME HERE, YOU ALL HAVE MADE ME FEEL VERY WELCOME HERE. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, IRONICALLY. AND I SAY IRONICALLY, BECAUSE I WAS DISMAY AT THE COMMENTS OF THE, OF THE NAYSAYER, BUT THE NAYSAYERS NEVER A NAYSAYER, RIGHT? MM-HMM . AND SO, UH, TO GOD'S CREDIT AND MY PARENTS CREDIT IN REARING ME. I HAVEN'T COME HERE WITH MY HAND OUT. I'VE COME HERE AND PULLED MY BRITCHES UP AND FASTENED MY BELT AND MY SUSPENDERS, WHICH I HAVE ON TODAY, . AND I'VE GONE TO WORK. AND I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO WORK. I'M VERY THANKFUL TO BE A PART OF THE ELECTION BOARD. I'M VERY THANKFUL TO BE A PART OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE FINEST LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, OPERATIONS IN THIS COMMONWEALTH. DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO KNOW THAT THE LAW IS BEING UPHELD IN A, IN A HONEST AND VERY RESPECTFUL WAY. UH, PERSON THAT'S DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ME AS CHAPLAIN IS RIGHT OVER HERE, MY LIEUTENANT. BUT I JUST WANNA STAND AND SAY THANK YOU. AND AS YOU CONSIDER THIS UPGRADE TO THE SPORTS THING UP IN MASS OR NOTHING, THEY HAVE A, A GOLF COURSE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE, OF THE RESORT. MM-HMM . I BELIEVE, BUILD THINGS WHERE THINGS ALREADY ARE AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO TEAR UP THAT MUCH GROUND. TRUE. THANK YOU. AND GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS YOU HERE. THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. I HAVE NO ONE ELSE SIGNED UP. THANK YOU. COUNTY [10. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS] ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS. MR. KEVIN SUGGEST. YES. MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UM, FIRST MS. YATES, SHE TEXTED YESTERDAY, I WANNA MAKE SURE IT WAS OKAY. I, SHE ASKED WHAT TIME SHOULD I GET THERE TO MAKE CITIZEN COMMENTS? , I FORGOT WE HAD SO MANY OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE ACTUALLY, UM, REPORTING TODAY, BUT SHE PATIENTLY WAITED TWO HOURS TO GET TO THAT, THAT PERIOD OF TIME. UM, SO MY APOLOGIES MS. YATES ON THAT. BUT, UH, HOPE, HOPEFULLY IT WAS A GOOD, A GOOD MEETING. UM, WHEN I TALK ABOUT OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, JUST, JUST A MINUTE, UM, AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS THROUGH THE WHOLE BUDGET PROCESS, RIGHT? BUT I'M ALWAYS AMAZED AT THE OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE FACT THAT WE COULDN'T DO THIS AS A COUNTY ANYWHERE NEAR, UM, THE WAY THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING IT. AND SO IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IF GOVERNMENT HAS TO OPERATE LIKE A BUSINESS, IT'S GOTTA FIND WAYS TO PARTNER WITH PEOPLE TO GET THINGS DONE. AND I THINK THESE TYPES OF PARTNERSHIPS MAKE THAT HAPPEN. UM, MIKE PARRISH ISN'T HERE. I WAS GONNA TELL A FUNNY STORY ABOUT HIM. UM, AND LIKE YOU, I WASN'T BORN IN DEWINE COUNTY, SO I I'M CONSIDERED TO COME HERE TOO, EVEN THOUGH I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN I GOT HERE. UM, AND LIKE, MS, EVEN BONNER, I THINK WE NEED A SUPPORT GROUP WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUG THING. 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN ACCUSED AS A CITY BOY, NOT A COUNTRY BOY. BUT WHEN, WHEN I MOVED INTO MY HOUSE A FEW YEARS BACK WITH MIKE, I, I CALLED MIKE ONE DAY BECAUSE I STEPPED OUT OF THE HOUSE AND IT LOOKED LIKE THE EIGHTH PLAGUE OF EGYPT. EXCEPT IT WASN'T LOCUST, IT WAS JUNEBUGS. OH YEAH. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE. LET THE DOG OUT. THE DOG WOULDN'T GO OUTSIDE. JUST BUG JUNEBUGS EVERYWHERE. SO I, I CALLED MIKE AND HE SAID, WELL, TAKE A PICTURE. I SAID, MIKE, IT'S A JUNE BUG. I KNOW WHAT JUNEBUG IS. AND HE SAID, WELL, JUST TAKE A PICTURE. SO I TOOK A PICTURE AND HE SAID, WELL, YOUR PROBLEM ISN'T JUNEBUGS. YOUR PROBLEM IS GRUB, WORMS, GRUB, WORMS. CAUSE JUNE BUGS, THAT'S WHAT THEY MATURE INTO. I'M LIKE, OH, HE TOLD ME WHAT TO PUT DOWN. I DIDN'T DO IT. WELL, GUESS WHAT? THAT NEXT YEAR, UM, DO YOU KNOW WHAT EATS GRUB? WORMS SKUNKS. SO THEN I HAD A WHOLE FAMILY OF SKUNKS DECIDED TO EAT MY WHOLE YARD TO GET TO THE GRUB WORMS. SO THE NEXT YEAR I DID GET THE RIGHT STUFF TO GET RID OF THE GRUB WORMS. AND NOW I DON'T HAVE THE LOCUST OF THE JUNE BUGS ANYMORE, AND I DON'T HAVE SKUNKS. SO TO, TO MIKE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ABLE TO DO IF YOU, YOU PARTNER WITH IF YOU LISTEN, IF YOU LISTEN. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. UM, I, I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT TODAY, UM, ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS. SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, Y'ALL HAVE TO READ YOUR DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS, UH, DR. MOORE AND MS. LEE. I'LL GO FIRST. AT THE MARCH 19TH, 2024 MEETING OF THE DE WITTY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. I'M MARK E. MOORE. INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE TAX RATE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2025. THE TAX RATE WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH MONEY IS APPROPRIATE TO DIMITY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MY WIFE IS EMPLOYED BY THE DIMITY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. THE TAX RATE WILL AFFECT ALL THE EMPLOYEES OF THE DI COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, AND I AM ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANSACTION FAIRLY OBJECTIVELY. AND IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST [02:05:01] AT THE MARCH 19TH, 2024 MEETING OF THE DEITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, I, DANIEL B. LEE, INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE TAX RATE WILL CALENDAR YEAR 2025. THE TAX RATE WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH MONEY IS APPROPRIATED TO THE DEITY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. MY WIFE IS EMPLOYED BY THE DEITY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. THE TAX RATE WILL AFFECT ALL THE EMPLOYEES OF DEITY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. AND I AM ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANSACTION FAIRLY OBJECTIVELY. AND IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. I AM EMPLOYED BY THE APPOMATTOX RIVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT. AND AS SUCH, I WILL NOT ANTICIPATE IN ANY DISCUSSION PERTAINING TO THE APPOMATTOX RIVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION BOARD. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. SO THE BOARD, YOU, YOU ALL KNOW THAT LAST WEEK WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME GOING OVER BUDGET. WE STARTED LAST TUESDAY TALKING TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SPECIFICALLY WITH THEIR BUDGET REQUEST. AND THANK GOODNESS, THE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE STATE OF VIRGINIA STEPPED UP A LITTLE BIT. IT'S NOT BEEN SIGNED YET THAT I KNOW OF BY THE GOVERNOR, BUT IT LOOKS AS IF THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM MAY GET SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO $4.2 MILLION, WHICH IS A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN THEY'VE, THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET IN, IN YEARS PAST, WHICH PUTS A LOT OF RELIEF ON US THIS YEAR. UM, WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC AT HOME. AND THOSE HERE, UH, THE BOARD SPENT THREE, FOUR DAYS GOING OVER EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUDGET. UH, WEDNESDAY NIGHT WE HAD FIRE AND RESCUE ASSOCIATION. WE WERE TO MEET WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF. AND THEN THURSDAY NIGHT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE COUNTYWIDE TON MEETING WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT REASSESSMENT. SO I JUST WANTED TO DOVETAIL THAT IN THAT WE KNOW THAT THE REASSESSMENT IS COMING. UM, THAT BEING SAID, FOR THOSE THAT SUBMITTED THE BUDGET, AND OF COURSE WE'RE VERY EARLY IN THE PROCESS, UM, I THOUGHT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, I'VE SAID TO YOU ALL AS A BOARD THAT THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT BUDGETS. I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR 22 YEARS. I THINK IT'S THE 22ND BUDGET I'VE HAD. UM, MAY WILL BE 18 YEARS AS ADMINISTRATOR. AND ANN AND I HAVE WORKED ON A TON OF BUDGETS. UM, I LIKE TO THINK WE'RE GOOD AT IT. I LIKE TO THINK WE'RE, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED TO KEEP AT ANY WAY POSSIBLE, UM, TAXES LOW INTO THE COMMUNITY. UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW SHE AND I PRIDE OURSELVES ON. AND I KNOW THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PRIDE YOURSELVES ON, ON KEEPING THE TAX RATE LOW. UM, BUT WHAT MADE THIS REALLY DIFFICULT THIS YEAR IS, AND I I'M GOING TO JUST HAND THIS OUT. THIS IS THE, THE INFORMATION THAT I THINK I HANDED OUT BEFORE. AND I, WE'LL HAVE ONE FOR THE PUBLIC TOO. UM, THIS, THIS JUST SUMMARIZES WHERE WE ARE BUDGET WISE. UM, TOTAL PROPOSED REVENUE FOR THE COUNTY. AND THIS IS, THIS IS, AGAIN, THIS ARE PROJECTIONS. IT'S ABOUT $58.1 MILLION IN PROPOSED REVENUE. THE FIRST THING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO DO IS TO TAKE CARE OF SOME OF WHAT WE CALL OUR TRANSFERS. AND SO OUR TRANSFERS, IF YOU PAY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UM, WHAT, WHAT IT NEEDS, YOU PAY DEBT SERVICE, WHICH IS AGAIN, YOUR MORTGAGE PAYMENT BOTH ON THE COUNTY AND AND SCHOOLS. IF YOU LOOK AT CHILD SERVICES AND SOCIAL SERVICES AND A LITTLE BIT TO OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND, YOU KNOW, THAT IN AND OF ITSELF IS $23.9 MILLION. UM, WE LOOKED AT JUST THE EXISTING STAFF THAT YOU HAVE, NOT ADDING ANYONE NEW, BUT JUST THE EXISTING STAFF. AND TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WITH THE STATE, THE STATE'S GONNA GIVE A 3% INCREASE IN SALARIES TO STATE COMP, BOARD FUNDED POSITIONS, UH, AS WELL AS STATE AGENCIES SUPPORTED, SUCH AS SOCIAL SERVICES. AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS GONNA TRY TO DO THEIR, THEIR 3% ON THE SOQ FUNDED POSITIONS JUST TO GIVE THEM THE RAISE. UM, AND THEN LOOK AT OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT MAYBE AREN'T SALARY, BUT IT COULD BE YOUR REGIONAL JAIL. IT COULD BE JUST OPERATIONS, ELECTRICITY, GAS, JUST OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. UM, AND THEN, UM, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, WHAT WE CALL INTERNAL CAPITAL, WHICH IS, COULD BE THE FIRE MARSHALS VEHICLE. IT COULD BE A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE FOR, UH, BUILDING INSPECTIONS. YOU KNOW, IT'S THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT YOU HEARD THAT ADDS UP TO 34 MILLION. SO AGAIN, YOU HAD 58 TO START WITH. AND IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT FUNDING ANY OF THE NEW POSITIONS THAT WERE WERE BEING PROPOSED TO YOU, WE KNEW THAT. AND THAT THESE ARE NEW POSITIONS THAT ARE HEAVILY DOMINATED IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY FIELD. SO IN PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, YOU HAVE A, A LOT OF ROUND TWO FIRE AND EMS, YOU HAVE, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT PAY THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY BEING LOOKED AT TOO. AND SOME OTHER POSITIONS. IF YOU ADD THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE BEFORE WE START CUTTING [02:10:01] ANYTHING, IT'S 59.8 MILLION. SO THAT GIVES YOU A DEFICIT OF 1.6 MILLION. UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT THE LAST MEETING, AND THE FACT THAT ONE'S PENNY ON THE TAX RATE IS $258,000. UM, IF YOU WERE TO DO A 5 CENT TAX INCREASE, YOU WOULD BRING IN JUST UNDER 1.3 MILLION AND THAT WOULD STILL SHOW A DEFICIT IN THE OVERALL COUNTY BUDGET OF ABOUT $338,000 THAT STILL WOULD NEED TO BE CUT. I WANNA PUT THIS A LITTLE BIT IN CONTEXT. 'CAUSE WE, YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY, I WOULD JUST SAY IN 18 YEARS, I DON'T THINK I'VE, ANN AND I HAVE EVER COME AND SAID THAT A TAX RATE INCREASE WAS NECESSARILY WARRANTED. UM, BUT THIS IS THE YEAR THAT IF YOU'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU, YOU REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THE TAX RATE. UM, SO JUST PUT IN CONTEXT. SO I, I CALLED THE COMMISSION OF REVENUE. WE'VE SPOKEN A COUPLE TIMES, TALKED TO HER AGAIN THIS MORNING. YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE AVERAGE HOME PRICE IN DIMITY COUNTY? AND SO NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION WE KNOW IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT. UM, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE AVERAGE 1500 SQUARE FOOT HOME NOW IS GOING FOR 2 25 TO TWO 30 A SQUARE FOOT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY COMPARED TO WHERE SOME OF US CAN REMEMBER WHEN A HUNDRED DOLLARS A SQUARE FOOT WAS A LOT. RIGHT? BUT LEMME PUT IN CONTEXT. SO A, A HOUSE AND LAND THAT'S WORTH $200,000 IN THIS COUNTY AT 79 CENTS TAX RATE IS PAYING $1,580, UM, A YEAR IN TAXES. IF YOU WERE TO GO TO THE, THE 5 CENTS INCREASE THAT AT 84 CENTS, THAT SAME HOUSE WOULD BE PAYING A HUNDRED DOLLARS MORE A YEAR, UH, OR $8 AND 33 CENTS A MONTH. SO YOU MAY SAY, WELL, KEVIN, OUR HOUSE IS WORTH MORE THAN 200,000, SO DOUBLE IT. SO IF YOU'RE THE $400,000 HOUSE, YOU WOULD LOOK AT $200 MORE A YEAR OR $16 A MONTH. SO NOW I SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL YOU, WELL, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT YOU GET FOR IT? SO I THINK WHAT'S WHAT'S ON THE TABLE FOR YOU ALL TO CONSIDER IS THIS, IF YOU WERE TO RAISE TAXES, IT WOULD TRULY BE COMMITTED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORT. YOU KNOW, FROM A FIRE AND EMS PERSPECTIVE, LAST YEAR YOU MADE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT OF NINE NEW FIRE MEDICS. AND IF YOU RECALL, THAT WAS ABLE TO ALLOW US TO MORE ADEQUATELY STAFF THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAD, BUT IT REALLY DIDN'T BRING ANY NEW FIRE AND EMS TO THE NORTHERN END OF THE COUNTY. SO WHERE WE SET PRESENTLY AND WHERE WE'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES THAT WE'VE, AND SINCE WE'VE GONE TO FIRE MEDICS, PAID VERSUS VOLUNTEER, UM, NOW WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS ONLY AS FIREFIGHTERS IN AT INE. SO IN MS. EBRA, BONNER'S DISTRICT AND DR. MOORE'S DISTRICT, EVERY TIME THAT A VOLUNTEER DUE TO THE WORK DEMANDS, DUE TO TRAINING, UH, NOT BEING AVAILABLE EVERY TIME THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR A FIRE CALL IN THE MOST HEAVILY POPULATED PART OF THE COUNTY, SOMEONE FROM COMPANY ONE, WHICH IS DIM WITTY, HAS TO TRAVEL ALL THE WAY TO THE NORTHERN END OF THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, SOMEONE FROM MCKINNEY HAS TO BACKFILL, DENWOOD HIM TO PUT SOMEONE THERE, WHICH LEAVES THE SOUTHERN END OF THE COUNTY COMPLETELY, UM, WITHOUT COVERAGE AT THAT POINT. SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT, I THINK DUE TO THE FACT OF REALLY SMART STRATEGIC PLANNING, GETTING ASSETS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE AS LONG AS VOLUNTEERS COULD VOLUNTEER. AND, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S GETTING MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THESE DAYS. AND WE, WE HEARD THAT FROM THE FIRE AND RESCUE ASSOCIATION MEETING THE OTHER NIGHT. MM-HMM . SO WHAT THIS PLAN DOES FOR NINE ADDITIONAL FIRE EMTS AND BEING ABLE TO PUT SOME MID-LEVEL MANAGEMENT INTO THIS, IT, FOR THE FIRST TIME, PUTS PAID FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS, UH, PARAMEDICS AT INE TO COINCIDE WITH THE OTHER PARAMEDIC CREW THAT WE HAVE, UM, OR EMT STAFF THAT WE HAVE AT, AT INE. SO HOPEFULLY THE RESPONSE TIME GREATLY IMPROVES BECAUSE THEY'RE THERE, RIGHT? WE HAVE ASSETS THERE, WHICH KEEPS DI WHAT HE HERE AND KEEPS MCKINNEY IN THE SOUTHERN END OF THE COUNTY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S A, A HUGE OPPORTUNITY. THAT'S, BUT BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, THAT'S $2 MILLION. JUST IN THAT INVESTMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT, I THINK LASHONDA DID A, MS. LEE DID A GREAT JOB TALKING ABOUT RECRUITMENT AND, AND RETENTION AT THE, AT YOUR BUDGET MEETINGS. UM, FROM A LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, WE KNOW THAT WE PROBABLY CAN'T BE COMPETITIVE TO RICHMOND CITY, TO HENRICO, TO HANOVER. BUT WHEN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT [02:15:01] IN DENWOODY IS GETTING PAID LESS THAN, UH, AMELIA, NOT AWAY, BRUNSWICK, SUSSEX, MAYBE SOME MORE RURAL LOCALITIES, THEN WE, WE MIGHT NOT BE DOING THE BEST THING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO WHAT THIS PROPOSAL BY THE, BY SHERIFF ADAMS LOOKS AT DOING IS NOT ONLY WOULD EVERYBODY GET A 3% ADJUSTMENT IN PAY, BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THOSE UNDER COMMAND, UH, TOP COMMAND STAFF WOULD GET, UM, ABOUT A $5,000 INCREASE, UH, TO GET THOSE PAYS A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION TO THAT AREA. I TOLD YOU THAT THE JAIL HAD GONE UP. I MEAN, THE JAIL IS STILL SHOWING AN INCREASE. LAST YEAR, UH, MR. CHAVIS AND I, WE WERE LOOKING AT JUST OVER $1.5 MILLION, UM, IN, IN THE BUDGET. LUCKILY WE FUNDED A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT LAST YEAR, THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S GOING TO NEARLY $2 MILLION THIS YEAR. SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, I'M TALKING ABOUT FIRE AND EMS, I'M TALKING ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE JAIL. AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO TO THE 5 CENTS, ANN AND I STILL HAVE TO FIND SOME CUTS. BUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, I'D ASK, YOU KNOW, I THINK TYLER SOUTHALL DID THIS AT, AT OUR ADVANCE AND WE ASKED HIM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, WHAT IS REALLY THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX DONE SINCE 2021, AND IT'S GONE UP 18.7% IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME. SO AS WE'VE DONE, I THINK A, A VERY GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO KEEP COSTS DOWN, UM, TO, AND THE, AND THE HOPE WAS TO BRIDGE US UNTIL WE COULD GET TO A REASSESSMENT JUST TO SEE WHERE VALUES MAY COME IN AT. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T THINK THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS PUBLIC SAFETY PACKAGE WITHOUT LOOKING AT SOME TYPE OF AN ADJUSTMENT. AND AGAIN, EVERY HOME'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT. BUT I JUST WANNA PUT IN PERSPECTIVE, WHEN PEOPLE HEAR A 5 CENT TAX ADJUSTMENT, YES, IT'S MORE MONEY, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. AND, AND YOU KNOW, THE EQUITY AND FAIRNESS PIECE IS, IS THE MORE THAT THAT YOU OWN, THE MORE THAT YOU PAY THE LEAST THAT YOU HAVE THE LEASE THAT YOU PAY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THAT AVERAGE $200,000 HOME, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $8 AND 30 CENTS A MONTH. UM, SO MY RECOMMENDATION, YOU'LL SEE BEFORE YOU, THERE'S A NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING. UM, MY RECOMMENDATION AS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IS THAT WE POST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT THE PROPOSED REAL ESTATE MOBILE HOME MINERALS AND PUBLIC SERVICE, RATHER THAN BEING 79 CENT, WHICH IS OUR CURRENT TAX RATE, THAT WE ADJUST THAT TO 84 CENT. AND YET YOU KEEP YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY MACHINERY AND TOOLS, HEAVY CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY AND AIRPLANES AT THEIR PRESENT DAY RATES. AND THAT YOU LOOK AT A OVERALL TAX RELIEF RATE OF 32%. AND REMEMBER THAT IF YOU HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AND THE THE CONCERNS ARE TOO GREAT, YOU CAN ALWAYS LOWER THAT 84 CENTS AT TIME OF VOTING DOWN. BUT IF PEOPLE, IF YOU WERE TO SAY, WELL, WE'RE GONNA KEEP IT AT 79 CENTS, AND PEOPLE COME IN AND SAY, NO, WE REALLY WANT FIRE AND EMS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, INMATE JAIL POPULATION TAKING CARE OF THAT, YOU COULDN'T GO THE OTHER WAY. SO WHAT YOU WOULD BE ADVERTISING IS YOUR, YOUR KIND OF WORST CASE SCENARIO. NOW, EVEN AT THE 5 CENT, WE STILL GOTTA FIND SOME ADDITIONAL CUTS. SO IT'S NOT LIKE EVERYONE GETS WHAT THEY WANT. 'CAUSE WE, WE, ANN AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT TODAY, THERE'S, THERE'S STILL GONNA BE A NEED AND MOST PRUDENTLY. SO WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD MAKE SOME CUTS AS, AS WE FEEL NECESSARY. UM, BUT MR. CHAIRMAN, I JUST WANT TO KIND OF START A CONVERSATION, SEE WHAT YOU ALL FEEL ABOUT IT. IF THERE IS CONCURRENCE TO DO WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING, AND AGAIN, IT'S OBVIOUSLY IF IT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT WISH TO DO, THEN WE CAN GO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. WHAT I DID JUST HAND OUT IS, AGAIN, FROM A ONE PENNY DIFFERENTIAL, IF YOU DID ONE PENNY, WE, WE NEED TO FIND $1.3 MILLION IN CUTS. IF YOU DO 5 CENTS, YOU STILL NEED TO FIND 338,000 IN CUTS. THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK EVEN WHERE THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY CUTS, WHICH I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND AS, AS OVER A SIX TO 7 CENT INCREASE. UM, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN GO FROM THERE. ANY ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? I AGREE WITH ADVERTISING AT THE 84 CENTS PER A HUNDRED AND ALL THE OTHERS MAINTAIN THE SAME AND THEN THE 32% TAX RELIEF. UM, FOR THE I AGREE. I, I THINK, UM, THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS, IS HAVE A NEED AND IT, AND IT NOT BE FULFILLED. AND, AND I COMPARE IT TO VDOT IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, WE'VE GOT THE WORST ROADS IN THE, IN ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORING STATES. YOU GO, AS [02:20:01] SOON AS YOU STOP BUMPING IN VIRGINIA AND GET INTO CAROLINA, YOU RIDE JUST AS SMOOTH AS YOU CAN, CAN RIDE. YET THE STATE OF VIRGINIA HAS A SURPLUS OF MONEY, BUT THEY WON'T SPEND IT ON THE ROAD SYSTEM. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DEFINITELY, PUBLIC SAFETY IS, IS A PRIORITY. AND UNFORTUNATELY, UM, THE VOLUNTEER SYSTEM HAS BEEN A GREAT SYSTEM FOR US FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE SAVED THE TAXPAYERS OF THIS COUNTY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. UM, BUT WITH THE WAY THE WORLD IS NOW AND, AND TIME AND, AND THE EDUCATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE, YOU USED TO JUST GET A RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL NOW THEY'RE DOING LIFE SAVING STUFF LONG BEFORE YOU EVER GET TO THE HOSPITAL. SO, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY IS A, IS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. SO I'M, YOU KNOW, I DON'T LIKE IT, BUT I UNDERSTAND. YEAH, I, I AS WELL, UM, I AGREE WITH THE, UM, 84% AND EVERYTHING BEING THE SAME AND THE 32%. AND YOU KNOW, I, WHEN I THINK ABOUT VOLUNTEERS, AT ONE TIME PEOPLE COULD VOLUNTEER, BUT AS OF NOW, SOME PEOPLE JUST CAN'T AFFORD IT. THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IT, BUT THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO DO IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE ON THEIR JOB AND, AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILY. SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT, UM, UM, WE, WE HAVE A NEED. AND, UH, IT'S IN MY AREA, DR. MOORE'S AREA, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HEAVILY POPULATED AND I KNOW I HAVE TALKED TO CITIZENS AND THEY HAVE SAID THAT WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS, THEY WANT TO SEE A FIRE TRUCK THERE, THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY WANNA SEE THAT. AND, UM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE, BUT, UM, I HAVE TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, THEY, THEY WANNA SEE PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S IT. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR EVERYONE. SO, SO, WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, BEING THOSE COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE, I I WILL, WE WILL MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT TO THE, THE PUBLIC HEARING TAX RATE, UH, ADD AND, AND, AND GET THAT OUT. I, I, YOU KNOW, I STARTED OUR BUDGET ADVANCE THIS YEAR TALKING ABOUT JUST ONE SIMPLE WORD AND THAT'S SUSTAINABILITY. AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE CPI GOING UP OVER 18% AND AT THE SAME TIME OUR RATE OF REVENUE GROWTH HASN'T BEEN, IT'S, IT'S NOT, THE CPIS OUTPACED IT. AND EVEN THOUGH I, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GONE BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR 'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S A GREAT SENSE OF PRIDE FOR THIS BOARD. 'CAUSE THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU ALL WILL HAVE VOTED TO INCREASE TAXES, IF THAT'S WHAT YOUR DESIRE IS TO DO. AS STAFF, WE, WE LIKE TO, TO NOT PRESENT BUDGETS WHERE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO CONSIDER. UM, JUST UNFORTUNATELY THIS YEAR, IT, I DON'T, I JUST FROM A SUSTAINABILITY STANDPOINT, I DON'T THINK THAT YOUR, IF YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT THIS YEAR, UH, THESE INVESTMENTS THAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT IT, UM, NOW AGAIN, YOU GOT A REASSESSMENT COMING IN, THAT'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, TO LOWER THAT TAX RATE AS YOU SEE FIT NEXT YEAR. BUT IT DOESN'T HELP YOU, UM, FOR THE ISSUES AROUND THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. SO WE'LL MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT. THE HEARING WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 2ND, THAT'LL BE AT 7:00 PM HERE. AND WE WOULD HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY, UM, WOULD COME AND EXPRESS ITS OPINIONS AS GOOD STAFF. WE'RE GONNA DEVELOP CONTINGENCIES, UM, AND HAVE THOSE CONTINGENCIES IF NEED BE, JUST TO BE ABLE TO TALK 'EM THROUGH WITH YOU ALL AS WE GET TO BUDGET ADOPTION. UM, THE ONLY OTHER THING I HAVE, MR. CHAIRMAN, IS JUST BEFORE WALKING IN, I THINK I WAS REMINDED THAT TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR THE 10 EXPO, OR FRIDAY, FRIDAY'S THE LAST DAY TO DO THAT. UM, IT'S GONNA BE APRIL 13TH THIS YEAR BACK AT RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE. IT'S FREE TO ATTEND, UM, THE SESSION'S, NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS, BUT PARENTS TOO. UM, LOT OF FUN OVER THE YEARS. AND SO IF YOU GO TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE, YOU'LL SEE HOW TO REGISTER THAT WAY, TAMMY. OKAY. UH, SO I JUST WANTED TO, IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY OR ANY OF THE, ANY FOLKS IN SCHOOL OR PARENTS, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW THAT THAT'S GOING ON. AND THANK YOU ALL. I APPRECIATE IT. MM-HMM . YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RAISING TAXES. 12 YEARS IS A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE, UH, RAISED AND WE WENT DOWN WHEN WE FIRST GOT ON THE BOARD, SO THAT'S, UH, SO THAT'S A LONG TIME. BACK WHEN I MOVED TO THE COUNTY, IF YOU WENT BY A FIRE STATION, [02:25:01] YOU HAD A LOT OF KEY PEOPLE WANTING TO, TO VOLUNTEER, BUT SO MUCH EDUCATION HAS GOT INTO IT NOW, SO IT'S CAUSING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO BACK OUT AND NOT NOT DO IT. SO, OKAY. [11. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] WE'LL MOVE ON TO BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS. LET'S START WITH DR. MOORE. ALRIGHT, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. JUST THANK YOU TO OUR TWO COLLEGE PRESIDENTS THAT CAME TO VISIT US THIS AFTERNOON. UM, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, THE LIVES THAT ARE TOUCHED THROUGH VSU AND THROUGH BRIGHT POINT, JOHN TYLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE THERE TODAY, UM, ARE GREAT. AND WE ARE JUST GREAT TO BE PARTNERS WITH THEM. UM, THEY BOTH TOUCH OUR COMMUNITIES IN A, IN A, A GREAT WAY. UH, I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY. UM, BOTH, ALL THREE OF MY CHILDREN HAVE TAKEN COURSES THROUGH, UH, BRIGHTPOINT, UH, AND ARE USING IT AT THE NEXT LEVEL OF EDUCATION. AND OF COURSE, MARRIED TO ALUMNUS OF, UH, VSU. SO THANK FOR THEM, ALL OF OUR OUTSIDE AGENCIES, WHAT THEY DO, THE QUALITY OF LIFE THAT THEY SHARE, UH, FOR DEN WITTY COUNTY, JUST THANKFUL TO THEM. AND I'M GONNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO RAY AND TO THE REC DEPARTMENT FOR WHAT THEY DO, THE AMOUNT OF LIVES THAT THEY TOUCH ON A DAILY BASIS. AND OVER THE YEARS OF HIS SERVICE TO DENVER WITTY COUNTY. UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE BASKETBALL COURTS COMING ON, THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. UH, IT'LL BE AT THE SPORTS COMPLEX AND I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER EVOLUTION OF, OF REC, UH, THAT WE'LL BE ADDING IT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. UM, AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA MOVE, LET MR. LEE TAKE THE FLOOR. THERE YOU GO. WELL, I JUST, I LIKE THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES COMING IN. I THINK IT KEEPS US IN TOUCH WITH, WITH WHO WE'RE GIVING MONEY TO AND, AND WHO IS DOING WORK. AND THEN WHEN THE COUNTY, UM, I'M SUPPOSED TO, UM, THROW OUT, ROLL OUT THE FIRST PITCH, UM, FRIDAY FOR DIXIE. AND SOME OF THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH ARE GONNA BE, THIS IS YOUR TAX DOLLAR AT WORK HERE, AND IT SHOULD BE A CROWD OF PEOPLE THERE. IF IT DOESN'T RAIN, IT IS A CHANCE OF RAIN. BUT IT IS, UM, I'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST AND KIND OF THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS BECAUSE, UM, MEREDITH IS GOING TO BE MY CATCHER, SO SHE'S GOTTA CATCH A BALL ROLLING ON THE GROUND . BUT, UH, ANYWAY, AS A FATHER OF A DIXIE, A GIRL THAT PLAYED DIXIE AND WOUND UP PLAYING A YEAR OF COLLEGE SOFTBALL, UM, AND THEN, UM, AS A BOARD MEMBER AND THEN AS A COACH FOR DIXIE, UM, IT, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO, TO DO THAT. AND AGAIN, SPORTS COMPLEX IS SUCH A NICE FACILITY AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE USING IT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED TO REALIZE THAT IT JUST DIDN'T APPEAR. UM, THAT'S RIGHT. YEP. AND GLAD TO BE, LIKE I SAID, GLAD TO BE BACK. AMEN. GLAD TO BACK. OH, YES, YES, YES, YES, HONOR. UM, UH, AGAIN, WITH ALL THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES, WE'RE JUST GLAD TO SEE THEM AND GLAD THEY DECIDED TO COME AND PRESENT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE COLLEGES, EVEN DOWN TO THE FOOD AND, UM, UH, HELPING PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND AND EVERYBODY. SO GLAD TO SEE EVERYONE AND, UH, GLAD THAT THEY DECIDED TO COME AND SHARE WITH US. UM, UH, AS KEVIN MENTIONED, WE DID HAVE OUR BUDGET MEETING LAST WEEK, UM, WELL, YEAH, LAST WEEK. YEAH, IT WAS LONG , IT WAS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE DAYS AND EVERYTHING, BUT YOU HAVE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TALK WITH PEOPLE AND, UM, SEE WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY NEED AND, AND OF COURSE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. UM, AND ONE THING THAT KIND OF STRUCK ME, BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, MY BACKGROUND IS ALWAYS MENTAL HEALTH, SO I'M ALWAYS GONNA ALWAYS TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE AS YOU, YOU SEE IN THE NEWS, YOU SEE THINGS HAPPEN WITH PEOPLE, UM, UH, EVEN UNFORTUNATELY, CRIMES AGAINST FAMILY MEMBERS, I LOOKED AT THAT THIS WEEK AND JUST, UM, JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN SOMEBODY'S MIND. BUT WHEN, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY WAS HERE, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IF SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, UM, TALK TO PEOPLE IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON, UM, BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS THEY SEE POLICE, THE FIRE, THE 9 1 1, UM, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO SOMEONE AND THINGS HAPPEN THAT AFFECTS YOU, AND IT'S, AND IT'S, UM, IT'S HARD SOMETIMES. AND WHEN YOU GO HOME AND SOMETIMES YOU ARE JUST DOING A PLAYBACK LISTENING TO THOSE, UM, LISTENING OR SEEING THAT. AND, AND I DID THAT ON MY JOB AS, AS I SAID, THAT, UM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING, UM, I SAW TWO PEOPLE, UM, [02:30:01] DO SUICIDE ON MY JOB. AND, UM, BUT WE HAD PEOPLE TO TALK TO AND, UM, AND SO FORTH. SO, UM, I KNOW HOW IT CAN BE, BUT, UM, THE NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT NUMBER, PEOPLE CAN CALL AND TALK TO SOMEONE. AND OF COURSE, I, I INCLUDE, UM, PRAYER MINE. AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE DO, BUT I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE PRAYER DOES HELP YOU TO GET PAST THAT. AND UM, SO, UM, WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT THAT AND THINGS THAT THEY HAVE SEEN OR THEIR EMPLOYEES JUST, YOU KNOW, IF YOU SEE SOMEONE STRUGGLE AND TALK TO THEM, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE PUTTING YOUR WAY FOR A REASON TO HELP. SO WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND, UM, SO THE LAST THING I WANTED SAY, OF COURSE, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, RECREATION. RECREATION IS JUST GREAT. UM, YOU GO OUT, YOU GO TO A WALK, YOU SWIM, YOU DO WHATEVER. AND, UM, I THINK, UM, RAY AND HIS APARTMENT'S DOING A GOOD JOB WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, GETTING PEOPLE OUT, BECAUSE I THINK THE OTHER DAY WHEN WE WERE THERE, WE SAW A WHOLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE, I SAID, WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING? BUT THEY WERE, THEY WERE BUSY DOING DIFFERENT THINGS. SO, UM, WE WANNA CONTINUE TO, UM, UH, PUSH THAT AND GET MORE PEOPLE TO, UM, ENGAGE IN, IN RECREATION. AND, UM, I, I THINK THAT IS MY POINTS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. KEVIN AND DR. MOORE AND I WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THE, UH, FIRE AND EMS AWARDS RECOGNITION. UH, THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN, BUT A LOT EMOTIONAL TOO. YOU SIT AROUND AND YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THESE FOLKS, WHAT THEY DO, UH, RUSH INTO HOUSES, FIRES, MM-HMM . AND, UH, SOMEONE IN THE BACK OF A EMS CALL TRYING TO SAVE ONE SOMEONE'S LIFE AND, AND A POLICE OFFICER THAT GOES OUT. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GO RUN INTO. YEAH. SO THAT WAS A, A NICE EVENT TO, TO CELEBRATE WITH ALL THESE BRAVE FOLKS. UH, WE ALSO ATTENDED ROUND TABLE, UH, TOWN HALL MEETING AND HOSTED BY, UH, MS. JENNIFER MCKEAN, CONGRESS LADY. UH, WE HAD SOME, UH, GOOD FEEDBACK FROM HER. UH, ALSO PRESENT WAS PRINCE GEORGE. UH, AND, AND CHARLES CITY PROVIDED UPDATES ON THEIR PRIORITIES TOO. SO, UH, THAT WAS A GREAT TIME TO MEET WITH HER AND TELL HER A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR, OUR DREAMS AND WHAT WE NEED TOO. SO, BUDGET ADVANCE LAST WEEK, AS MS. BONNER SAID, UH, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT IT'S HIS DAN'S FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR. AND LIKE, AND, UH, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S, UH, ALMOST LIKE CHRISTMAS TIME. EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR HANDS OUT AND, AND IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT OUR FAVORITE TIME. SO, AND LIKE KEVIN SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE, UH, REALIZED WHAT WE HAD TO DO. UH, SO, UM, DURING THAT IS NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES EITHER. WE'RE EXCITED TO, UH, RECOGNIZE THE VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM THIS AFTERNOON AT SEVEN O'CLOCK. UH, THEY MADE HISTORY BY COMING IN SECOND PLACE IN THEIR REGIONAL TOURNAMENT. YOU KNOW, WE ALL SIT UP HERE. WE LIKE OUR FAVORITE BASKETBALL TEAMS. UH, MINE LOST THE OTHER NIGHT, CAROLINA. AND, BUT THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CELEBRATE AND CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT COMING IN SECOND PLACE? IT'S, UH, IT'S SOMETHING TO BE EXCITED ABOUT. UH, AGAIN, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE, UH, MY DEAR FRIEND, THE CHAIR'S BEEN EMPTY FOR QUITE A FEW MONTHS AND MM-HMM . GLAD TO BE BACK. IT'S LIKE A CHRISTMAS TIME AND, UH, HAVING YOU BACK INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE HOSPITAL, CUTTING YOUR HAIR WITH SCISSORS THAT I PUNCHED YOU EVERYWHERE. SO, UH, YEAH, GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. , PLEASE KEEP CASEY DOOLEY. UM, WE HAVE AN EMPTY SEAT OVER HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE OF A DEATH IN HIS FAMILY. THEY HAD TO, I THINK IT'S IDAHO. IDAHO, IDAHO. YEAH. THAT IS A LONG WAY TO HAVE TO GO FOR A DEATH. HEAD OF DEATH IN HIS FAMILY TOO. YEAH. MM-HMM . AND TO, YOU KNOW WHAT, GUESS WHAT? TOMORROW IS FIRST FULL DAY OF SARE, SO, WOW. SO AT THIS TIME, [12. CLOSED SESSION] WE HAVE A NEED CLOSED SESSION. CLOSED SESSION. THE BOARD WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED SESSION UNDER 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1 A ONE, PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS DESIGN REVIEW BOARD, PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM, PART 2.2 DASH 3 7 180 5, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION CONCERNING PROSPECTIVE BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY, OR THE EXPANSION OF EXISTING BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY WHERE NO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS UPDATE 2.2 DASH 3 7 180 3. DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY FOR A PUBLIC PURPOSE OR OF THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLICLY HELD REAL PROPERTY WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 2.2 DASH 3 7 88. CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EMPLOYED OR RETAINED BY A PUBLIC BODY REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS REQUIRING [02:35:01] THE PROVISION OF LEGAL ADVICE BY SUCH COUNSEL. LEGAL ADVICE CONCERNING REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, BROADBAND AND REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES AUTHORITY. AND 2.2371 A 29, DISCUSSION OF THE AWARD OF A PUBLIC CONTRACT INVOLVING THE EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC FUNDS, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS OF BIDDERS OR OFFERS AND DISCUSSION OF THE TERMS OR SCOPES OF SUCH CONTRACT WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN SESSION WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY BROADBAND CONTRACTS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSE PLEASE? SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. WE'LL BE BACK IN SESSION AT SEVEN O'CLOCK. NEED A MOTION TO COME OUTTA CLOSE? SO MOVE. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. WHERE IS THIS BOARD CONVENED IN A CLOSED MEETING UNDER 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 A ONE. PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS DESIGN REVIEW BOARD PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM, PART 2, 2 3 7 A FIVE. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION CONCERNING PROSPECTIVE BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY OR THE EXPANSION OF EXISTING BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY WHERE NO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS UPDATE 2.2 7 83. DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY FOR A PUBLIC PURPOSE OR OF THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLICLY HELD REAL PROPERTY WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 2.2 DASH 3 7 8 8 CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL EMPLOYED OR RETAINED BY A PUBLIC BODY REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS REQUIRING THE PROVISION OF LEGAL ADVICE BY SUCH COUNSEL. LEGAL ADVICE CONCERNING REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, BROADBAND REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES AUTHORITY 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1 A 29 DISCUSSION OF THE AWARD OF A PUBLIC CONTRACT INVOLVING THE EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC FUNDS, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS OF BIDDERS OR OFFERS AND DISCUSSION OF THE TERMS OR SCOPE OF SUCH CONTRACT WHERE DISCUSSION IN AN OPEN SESSION WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY BROADBAND CONTRACTS. AND WHEREAS NO MEMBER HAS MADE A STATEMENT THAT THERE WAS A DEPARTURE FROM THE LAWFUL PURPOSE OF SUCH CLOSED MEETING OR OF THE MATTERS IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION DISCUSSED NOW BE CERTIFIED THAT ONLY THOSE MATTERS AS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED, OR CONSIDERED IN THE MEETING. I NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT PLEASE. SIMILAR SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALRIGHT. WE HAVE [13.A. Dinwiddie Varsity Boys Basketball Team] SOME SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS TONIGHT FOR SOME REALLY NEAT FRIENDS OF OURS. UH, I THINK THEY REALLY PLAYED HARD THAT THEY DID. YEP. CAN WE GO DOWNSTAIRS? ALRIGHT, DOWN THERE. . DOWNSTAIRS. DOWNSTAIRS. SO, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UM, IT'S REALLY MY, MY PRIVILEGE TO, TO RECOGNIZE THE, UH, THE VARSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM. SO BEFORE I, I ACKNOWLEDGE YOU GUYS FOR YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT, I WANT TELL YOU A QUICK STORY. UM, I PLAYED FOR DEWIN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE YEAR I PLAYED, OR A COUPLE YEARS I PLAYED, I ACT, WE ACTUALLY SET A RECORD TOO, AND WE, WE LOST TO PETERSBURG 116 TO 20. SO THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DEFEAT INDEMNITY HISTORY. SO I, I WAS CO-CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM, SO I LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE AND I SCORED 10 POINTS , BUT WE LOST 116 TO 20. THAT'S NOT WHY WE'RE RECOGNIZING YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO FOR THE DIMITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHO IS THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, THE HIGHEST BOARD IN DIY COUNTY IS THE DIMITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. AND WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT OUR VARSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM MADE IT FURTHER THAN ANY BASKETBALL TEAM WE HAVE EVER HAD THIS, THIS YEAR, WE SAID THAT WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOU ALL. AND SO WHAT, WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO NOW, WE'RE GOING TO CALL MADAM CLERK'S, GONNA CALL EACH OF THE PLAYERS ASSISTANT COACH AND COACHES FORWARD. WE'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOU A CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION. I'M GOING TO [02:40:01] READ THE FIRST ONE AND THEN EACH OTHER NAME, WE WON'T READ EVERY ONE OF THEM, BUT THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION DATED 2024. THIS, THIS YEAR BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND DIMITY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, THERE IS HEREBY OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED COLIN BUTLER FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK AS A MEMBER OF THE DIY GENERAL'S BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM. WITH YOUR SUPPORT, THE TEAM PLAYS SECOND IN THE VHSL DISTRICT FOUR B REGIONAL TOURNAMENT, FARTHER THAN ANY OTHER VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF DEWINE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. AND IT'S SIGNED BY WILLIAM D CHAVIS, CHAIRMAN OF THE DEWINE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AS WELL AS MYSELF, KEVIN MASSING AS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. COLIN, IF YOU SHOULD COME FORWARD, WE GET ROUND APPLAUSE. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. YEP. COPY. I WANT YOU TO STAY IN COPY. JORDAN CLAYTON, HOW MANY UH, POINTS DID YOU SCORE THIS YEAR? THAT'S A THOUSAND POINTS, MAN. GOOD. GREAT, GREAT. JOSH COLLINS, DID YOUR FATHER PLAY WITH RALPH SAXON ? HE SAYS SO, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT. . DAVE MION GANT. AM I HERE? AUSTIN HARRIS, CONGRATULATIONS. JAYDEN HOBBS, CONGRATULATIONS. BRYCE JTS. JAYLEN JOHNSON. MIKEL JOHNSON GLASS CHRISTIAN LEWIS, SHANNON MCDOWELL, TYLEE PARISH FAST GUARD. RIGHT. , CONGRATULATIONS. DAMARI PHILLIPS TYRUS SAMPSON. CONGRATULATIONS. GOOD JOB. HEAD COACH. ELLE LOVE. [02:45:11] AWESOME JOB ASSISTANT COACH. FRANK BARKSDALE, ASSISTANT COACH TRELL CLAIBORNE, ASSISTANT COACH DEONTE LEWIS AND ASSISTANT COACH TYVAN. OKAY. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING COACH. LOVE THAT. UM, SEVERAL PLAYERS HAVE SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY WISH TO GIVE TO YOU AND WHILE THEY'RE GOING TO GET THAT, HOW, HOW MANY YEARS YOU BEEN THE HEAD COACH? UH, THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR. UH, FIRST YEAR. MM-HMM . YOU BE STATE CHAMPION. MM-HMM . SEASON. COACH THIS SO WE, WE'D LIKE TO GET SOME PICTURES OF YOU GUYS JUST LIKE WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA STAND BEHIND YOU. STAND UP TALL, SAY EVERYBODY'S TALL. SO YEAH, EVERYBODY, WE ARE ALL TALL. EVERYBODY. LET ME WISH YOU ON THE END. I CAN'T BEHIND THE SPOT. SEE MARIE, I'M UP ON THE CHAIR. OH NO, I'M NOT SAYING YOU GET THE BOARD TO COME DOWN THE BOARD. YEAH, WE DON'T USUALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM. HOW ABOUT WE GO DOWN TOO? OKAY. YEAH, I WAS GETTING READY TO SAY NO, THEY CAN'T SEE ME. DON'T GET ONTO THE LEFT OF THIS GENTLEMAN OR THE RIGHT OF EACH GENTLEMAN BECAUSE I WON'T BE ABLE TO GET YOU IN MY FRAME. YES. GET KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OR IN. OH, THAT'S GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? TALL. ALL READY? 1, 2, 3. WE GOOD? ONE MORE. WHO'S THAT TALL MAN OUT THERE? I LIKE THAT. THANK YOU IS THANK YOU COACH. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHTY. YEAH, THIS WAS TALL. THAT WAS A GOOD JOB FOR HIM. YEAH. [02:50:01] OH, THAT'S AN AMAZING SEASON. JUST OPEN. READY? ALRIGHT. OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING [14.A. Rezoning Request, P-23-9, 6711 Trinity Church Road] MARK. THANK YOU MR. CHAIR. GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIR. BOARD MEMBERS. MR. INGAL, HOW ARE YOU? THANK YOU. KAISHA. MM-HMM . UH, WE HAVE A SLIDE, UH, JUST SHOWING THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. OOPS. GOT THAT ONE. HOLD UP. IS THIS THE WRONG ONE? YOU, I THINK YOU HAD IT RIGHT. YEAH, I DID HAVE IT RIGHT, BUT I DON'T KNOW. IT'S NOT LIKE YEP, YOU'VE GOT IT. YOU'VE GOT IT. THAT'S THE, UH, ONE ACRE PORT PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT THIS EVENING FOR. UM, ZONING ACTION IS ON TRINITY CHURCH ROAD, UM, JUST NORTH OF RUTH HILL ROAD. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, AS YOU PROBABLY CAN SEE, UH, RELATED TO THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY IS PART OF A FIVE LOT SUBDIVISION CREATED IN AUGUST, 1975. AND AT THAT TIME, UM, IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE, UH, FOR PROPERTY THAT WAS ZONED A TWO AGRICULTURAL, THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE IS ONE ACRE. SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, THE AVERAGE LOT SIZE OF ALL THOSE, UH, PROPERTIES, UM, ALONG RUTH HILL ROAD, UM, AND INCLUDING THE SUBJECT PROPERTY ARE LITTLE JUST FRACTION OF OVER AN ACRE IN LOT IN AREA. AS YOU CAN TELL, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY FOR THIS REZONING REQUEST IS SURROUNDED BY PROPERTIES HAVING AGRICULTURAL AND SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LAND USES ALL OF THE, UH, PROPERTY INCLUDING THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS OWNED. A TO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL STAFF BELIEVES THAT THE SUBJECT PROPERTY WAS NEVER ACTUALLY ZONED RESIDENTIAL GENERAL DISTRICT R TWO AS IT'S CURRENTLY SHOWN ON THE THE COUNTY'S ZONING MAP. A 1983 ZONING CASE, WHICH WAS CASE P DASH 83 DASH THREE CLEARLY INTENDED TO REZONE A PARCEL LOCATED ON STERLING ROAD DUE TO A SCRIBNER'S ERROR INVOLVING THE TAX MAP NUMBER. THE SUBJECT PROPERTY WAS INCORRECTLY LABELED AS RESIDENTIAL GENERAL DISTRICT R TWO ON THE DEWIN COUNTY ZONING MAP AND THAT WAS THE TAX MAP NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY AND THE TAX MAP NUMBER SHOWN BACK IN 1983 WAS TAX MAP PARCEL 16 DASH TWO DASH ONE. GIVEN THIS ERROR, THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING TO HAVE THE PROPERTY ZONED A TWO AGRICULTURAL IN GENERAL IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY. STAFF BELIEVES THAT HAVING THE PROPERTY LABELED AGRICULTURAL GENERAL A TWO ON THE ZONING MAP IS MORE CONSISTENT WITH THE COUNTY'S LONG RANGE PLAN OF ENCOURAGING LARGE LOT RESIDENTIAL AND AGRICULTURAL USES FOR THIS PART OF THE COUNTY. UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UH, PUBLIC UTILITIES, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM PUBLIC SAFETY, THE PROPOSED USE IS EXISTING AND THEREFORE WILL NOT IMPACT PUBLIC UTILITY SCHOOLS OR PUBLIC SAFETY. UM, SUBJECT TO THIS ZONING ACTION, TRANSPORTATION IS THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS ALREADY DEVELOPED WITH EXISTING ENTRANCES. THE REQUEST WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE EXISTING TRANSPORTATION NETWORK. PLANNING STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO REZONE THE SUBJECT PROPERTY GIVEN THAT ONE STAFF FOUND THAT THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS IN FACT ALREADY ZONED AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT A TWO OWING TO A SCRIBNER'S ERA ARISING FROM CASE P DASH 83 DASH THREE. UM, THAT TOOK PLACE IN 1983. STAFF IS DESIROUS THAT THE BOARD LEGISLATIVELY CORRECT THE SCRIBNER'S ERROR FROM CASE P DASH 83 DASH THREE AND TO BE REFLECTED IN THE MINUTES [02:55:01] OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THE REQUESTED ZONING CLASSIFICATION A TWO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDING ZONING PATTERN SURROUNDING LAND USES. AND FINALLY, THE PROPOSED USE CONFORMS TO THE UNDERLYING USES RECOMMENDED IN THE RURAL CONSERVATION AREA IN THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN FOR THIS GENERAL AREA OF THE COUNTY. AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THE PLANNING COMMISSION VOTED UNANIMOUSLY, UM, TO, UH, CORRECT THE ZONING MAP AND SHOW THE A TWO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL ZONING ON THE ZONING MAP AS WE BELIEVE IT'S CURRENTLY ZONED A TWO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL. NOW THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR OUR STAFF REPORT AT THIS TIME. UH, THE APPLICANT'S HERE THIS EVENING AS WELL TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AND I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AS WELL. GOOD APPLICANT LIKE TO SPEAK. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE IN OPPOSITION? YEAH. NO. OKAY. I'LL GO AHEAD AND SPEAK. UM, GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MY NAME'S CLEMMY HALL JR. I MOVED DOWN HERE COMING UP IN JUNE. THIS WILL BE GOING ON THREE YEARS THAT, UH, MOVED DOWN HERE WITH MY FIANCE AND HER KIDS. AND WE MOVED DOWN HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE, UM, EVERYTHING THAT THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY CAN OFFER US. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE ONLY BEEN THERE, WE MOVED DOWN IT, IT WAS MIDDLE OF SUMMER WHEN WE MOVED DOWN HERE, SO WE COULDN'T REALLY DO MUCH, BUT WE'VE BEEN GOING STEADY EVER SINCE. THIS WILL BE, UH, COMING UP ON OUR THIRD YEAR AND UM, AND WE'VE INVESTED A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY IN THE PROPERTY. YOU KNOW, IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS WE'VE GOT FIVE DIFFERENT FRUIT TREES PLANTED ON THE ONE SIDE OF THE YARD. WE GOT BLUEBERRIES, ELDERBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND WE A LOT ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE GOT OUR VEGETABLE GARDEN IN THE BACK AND ANOTHER SECTION WHERE WE'VE GOT MINTS AND HERBS AND DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, AMY, MY FIANCE, SHE'S DESIGNED LIKE A REALLY NICE FLOWER GARDEN OUT BACK IN THE, OUT BACK. IT'S A LITTLE RELAXATION AREA FOR US WITH A FIRE PIT OUT THERE. UM, BUT THE, ASIDE FROM THE, UM, THE GARDEN AND EVERYTHING, THE REAL, THE BIG THING WITH THE REZONING WOULD BE WOULD BE OUR ANIMALS. AND WE'VE GOT OUR DAIRY GOATS THAT WE WANT TO USE. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE CHEESES AND SOAPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SHE'S GOT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT, UM, MOLDS AND SCENTS AND THEY'VE BEEN USING COCONUT MILK TO MAKING SOAPS DIFFERENT KIND OF SCENTS AND MOLDS AND DESIGNS AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING. WE, UM, WENT UP TO A FARM IN PELOTON LAST YEAR. THERE WAS A LADY UP THERE, DID A GOAT MILKING CLASS AND A HO TRIM CLASS. SO WE LEARNED HOW TO MILK THE GOATS AND HOOF AND UH, DO THEIR HOSE. AND I BUILT THE STAND AND MILK 'EM ON AND I'M IN THE PROCESS OF STILL GETTING, I'M STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING 'EM USED TO IT. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, WE'VE GOT OUR DUCKS AND OUR CHICKENS FOR EGGS AND THE GIRLS, THEY'RE ALWAYS BAKING COOKIES AND PIES AND EVERYTHING, SO THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING OUT AND GRABBING EGGS. AND WE'VE GOT, UH, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE HERITAGE BREED TURKEYS. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE HERITAGE BREEDS, BUT UM, BACK IN 1997 THEY WERE CONSIDERED A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES AND A LOT OF 'EM ARE STILL CONSIDERED ENDANGERED TO AN EXTENT. WE'VE GOT A, UM, WE CURRENTLY GOT A BREEDING PAIR OF RURAL PALMS AND A BREEDING PAIR IN THERE AND GUSTED AND WE'RE TRYING TO HELP REPOPULATE SOME OF THE, UH, THE TURKEYS. UM, WE GOT TWO LITTLE PIGS THERE, BASICALLY PETS, THEY DON'T REALLY SERVE ANY OTHER PURPOSE IN ENTERTAINMENT. UM, BUT I MEAN, THEY'RE FUN TO WATCH OUT. I'LL SIT ON THE BACK PORCH IN THE MORNING AND DRINK COFFEE AND JUST WATCH ALL THE ANIMALS DO THEIR THING. AND IT'S RELAXING, YOU KNOW, WATCHING THEM ALL. UM, SHE'S LOOKING INTO DOING A FARM PODCAST AND TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES WITH THE ANIMALS FOR SHE'S EX-MILITARY. IT'S, UM, SOMETHING THROUGH THE MILITARY FOR PEOPLE WITH EX-MILITARY MEMBERS OF PTSD. UM, SHE COULD PROBABLY TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS OF IT, BUT, UM, ALL OF OUR ANIMALS, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN YARDS, BUT THEY'RE IN, THEY'RE, IT IS CONNECTED TO OUR BACKYARD AND THEY'LL HAVE, THEY CAN ALL COME INTO THE BACKYARD WHERE IT'S LIKE A COMMON AREA. SO WE'RE OUT THERE WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, ALL THEY'RE, THEY'RE RIGHT THERE ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OUT, LIKE KEPT OFF IN THE FIELD SOMEWHERE. THEY'RE, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE OUT THERE WITH THEM EVERY DAY AND THEY GET THEIR INTERACTION AND EVERYTHING FROM US. UM, BUT DRIVING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ONE OF THE THINGS I LOOK AT A LOT OF THE YARDS WHEN I'M DRIVING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET IDEAS FOR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AND EVERYTHING. AND I DON'T, THERE'S A COUPLE BIG FARMS, UM, PEOPLE GOT SOME COWS AND EVERYTHING, BUT I DON'T SEE A LOT OF THE HOUSES WITH GARDENS OR GOATS OR ANIMALS OR ANYTHING. UM, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE, I [03:00:01] MEAN, THIS IS WHY WE MOVED HERE TO AN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THIS. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY JOINED AT THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE AND APPRECIATE IF YOU GUYS WOULD SUPPORT US IN THIS REZONING SO WE CAN CONTINUE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING. OKAY. OKAY. QUESTION. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. AND IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M SORRY. NOT RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OPEN THE HEARING OR OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. MR. CHAIRMAN, I HAVE NO ONE SIGNED UP FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING. CLOSE IT, MR. CHAIRMAN. MR. BASSETT, UM, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NORMAL CASE, UM, ADJOINING LANDOWNERS WERE NOTIFIED OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING IN THIS MEETING, CORRECT? YES. MR. LEE? YES. OKAY. AND MY ONLY STATEMENT AND AND MY CONSCIOUS WILL MAKE ME, UM, SAY THE STATEMENT, AN ACRE IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF LAND FOR ANY ANIMALS. UM, SO OBVIOUSLY IF THE ANIMALS ARE THERE NOW AND YOUR NEIGHBORS KNOW THERE ARE ANIMALS THERE, THEN THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THOSE ANIMALS. BUT AGAIN, FROM A FARMING BACKGROUND, UM, I KNOW THE MORE, THE MORE LAND YOU HAVE, THE BETTER NEIGHBOR YOU ARE WITH ANIMALS. UM, SO YEAH, I SEE NOBODY HERE TO OPPOSE IT, SO I HAVE NO, NO PROBLEM WITH IT. BUT, UM, I HOPE IF YOU HAVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT ANIMALS, UM, YOU'RE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND YOU, YOU TREAT YOUR NEIGHBORS, UM, WITH RESPECT. SO, UM, 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN LOTS OF INSTANCES, THE ANIMALS ARE FINE ON YOUR LAND, BUT WHEN THEY GET ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S LAND, THEY'RE NOT APPRECIATED AS MUCH AS, AS THEY ARE WHEN THEY'RE ON YOUR LAND. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S ALL, ALL I HEARD. YES SIR. WE AGREED A HUNDRED PERCENT. OKAY. JUST TO COMMENT, YOU GOT A LOT OF ACTIVITY GOING ON ONE ACRE. YOUR, YOUR RESIDENCE IS ON THE PIECE OF PROPERTY, YOUR HOME? YES. OKAY. SO YOUR HOME'S TAKEN UP AT LEAST A THIRD OF THAT ACRE. AND SO I JUST, YOU JUST GOT A LOT GOING ON AND JUST KEEP THAT IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. THE ANIMALS NEED A CERTAIN AREA IN WHICH TO BE ABLE TO HABITAT, SO DON'T GET SO ACTIVE IS WHAT I'M GETTING AT. WE IN CHECKED WITH THE, UM, WE SCA AND WE'RE WELL WITHIN STANDARDS. YEAH. YEAH. OUR, OUR VETS COME DOWN, UM, WE'VE HAD A VET THERE. WE HAD A LA ANOTHER LADY THAT'S A VET COME OUT OVER THE WEEKEND AND THEY'VE SEEN THE AREA. I, I KNEW YOU GUYS ARE WELCOME TO COME OUT. I MEAN, I KNOW IT SOUNDS SMALL, BUT THE ACTUAL AREA THAT THEY'RE IN, LIKE I SAID, IT'S IN OUR BACK. IT'S ALL FOR THE BACKYARD AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN AREAS AND THEY HAVE THE REST OF IT ALL TO RUN AROUND INTO. WE DON'T BELIEVE. YEAH. WE, WE, WE USE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GROW EITHER FOOD OR WELL TO GROW FOOD. I GOT YOU. OR HERBS, WHATEVER WE CAN, I MEAN, WE DON'T, NOT A PROBLEM, BUT GUESS ANY, ANY USER WELCOME TO COME OUT AND YEP. THE WAY SHE'S LAID THE YARD OUT WITH THE GARDEN AND EVERYTHING, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NEAT. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. MS. BONNEY YOU HAVE IS, OH, THE, THE ONLY THING I WAS GONNA ASK, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF ANIMALS. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ANIMALS? UM, UM, COMING TO BOTHER YOUR ANIMALS? YES. OH, YOU DO? NEIGHBOR, THE DOGS MAINLY. OH, OKAY. MM-HMM . A WHILE AGO, THE NEIGHBORS DOG KEPT COMING OVER ON THE PROPERTY. THAT'S WHAT STARTED THE DISPUTE BETWEEN OH US. BETWEEN US. UM, HE'S NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH ANY OF OUR ANIMALS. MM-HMM . IF I, IF BEFORE THAT, IF I MAY, WE HAD, WE HAD OUR NEIGHBORS COME BY WHEN WE VERY FIRST MOVED IN MM-HMM . TO ASK IF WE WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HAWKS, EAGLES, THINGS LIKE THAT. MM-HMM . UM, AND WE DIDN'T, UM, ME BEING EX-MILITARY, I WAS ABLE TO USE, UM, CAMO NETTING AND TO COVER AROUND A LOT OF THE AREAS, USE BIRD NETTING AND USE, UM, THERE'S THESE LITTLE THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE CATS AND THEY HAVE LIKE THESE LITTLE GLOW RED LIGHTS. THEY'RE SOLAR AND PUT THEM AROUND. WE HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH COYOTES. OH, WONDERFUL. UM, THE NEIGHBORS HAVE TOLD US ABOUT COYOTES. THEY HAVE TOLD US ABOUT FOXES. UM, WE'VE NEVER SEEN OR HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF 'EM. WE DO SEE THE RED TAIL HAWKS, EAGLES OCCASIONALLY, WHICH IS ACTUALLY REALLY BEAUTIFUL TO SEE, YOU KNOW MM-HMM . I LOVE IT. UM, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, ANY OF [03:05:01] OUR BIRDS WHATSOEVER. OH GOOD. BUT IT'S BECAUSE WE KEEP EVERYTHING ENCLOSED AND SAFE. GOOD. AND, UM, IF YOU COULD SEE WHERE ANIMAL'S AT OUR AREA IS ACTUALLY HUGE. I MEAN, IT'S PROBABLY MORE THAN HALF OF OUR YARD AND EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY ENCLOSED. EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN PERFECTLY SAFE SPACE AND WE DON'T LOSE ANIMALS. UM, PEOPLE AROUND US WHO FREE RANGE, THEY LOSE ANIMALS CONSTANTLY FROM NOT TAKING CARE OF THEM. BUT EVERY SINGLE VETERINARIAN, ANYBODY WHO'S EVER COME BY OUR HOUSE SAYS, WOW, YOU GUYS HAVE A REALLY NEAT SET UP. EVERYTHING IS SET UP SO COOL. EVERYTHING IS SO CLEAN. EVERYTHING IS JUST IT. AND, AND IT, IT IS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE DID PLAN FOR IT REALLY WELL AND WE HAVE EVERYTHING SO FENCED IN AND WE, I DIDN'T SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY AND THIS MUCH TIME ON PUTTING ANIMALS INTO MY YARD AND THEN MY GARDENS AND MY FLOWERS AND YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING FOR MY KIDS. I MEAN, MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, SHE EVEN HAS A CHICKEN THAT SHE CAN CALL, WHICH I'M UNFORTUNATELY NOT ALLOWED TO EAT. UM, SHE CAN CALL IT, SHE CAN CALL IT FROM ACROSS THE YARD AND IT'LL COME RUNNING, YOU KNOW, TO HER IT'S AN ANIMAL. UM, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WE, WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE PETS. WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT I WANTED PERSONALLY. THE TURKEYS ARE MINE BECAUSE I AM, I'M A LITTLE BIT OF A HIPPIE CONSERVATIONIST, YOU KNOW, SO LIKE, I, I LOVE THE HAWKS. I LOVE THE EAGLES, UM, UH, OWLS, UM, WE JUST PUT UP A BAD HOUSE IN THE BACKYARD TWO YEARS AGO. SO WE HAVE BATS THAT, YOU KNOW, WILL, YOU KNOW, COME UP IN THERE. BUT THEY ALSO EAT MOSQUITOES. BUT I LOVE ALL THE CREATURES. MM-HMM . SO I DON'T WANNA HURT ANYTHING. I WANT EVERYTHING TO BE BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT IN THIS WONDERFUL LITTLE ECOSYSTEM THAT THAT'S GOOD, BUT WITH NO WASTED SPACE. SO IT'S NOT IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY CONCERNS AT ALL, REST ASSURED IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I MEAN, BY ALL MEANS COME BY AND LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON. 'CAUSE I CAN TELL YOU, I MEAN I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY NICE AND WE HAVEN'T HAD A SINGLE PERSON COME BY WHO DISAGREED. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID. UH, LIKE DAN SAID, THERE'S NO ONE HERE AGAINST IT. SO, UM, WHAT IS YOUR PLEASURE, JUST, JUST TO COMMENT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT EVERYTHING AROUND IT AS A TWO, IT IT, IT STRIKES YOU AS, OKAY, HOW DID THIS END UP BEING ZONED WHAT IT IS NOW? SO THIS IS TO ME IS IT'S A CORRECTION OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED 40 YEARS AGO AND I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF, OF CHANGING IT TO A TWO. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. YOU GOTTA READ THE STATEMENT. SO, YEP. I'LL READ THE STATEMENT. BE IT RESOLVED AT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FUNDS THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS A SCRIVENER'S ERROR IN CASE P 83 DASH THREE, THE ZONING CLASSIFICATION OF TAX MAC PARTIAL NUMBER 16 DASH TWO DASH ONE WAS NEVER CHANGED TO RESIDENTIAL GENERAL DISTRICT R TWO FROM AGRICULTURAL GENERAL DISTRICT A TWO BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVE THAT IN ORDER TO ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 15.2 DASH 2286 A SEVEN. IT IS STATED THAT THE PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR WHICH THIS RESOLUTION IS INITIATED IS TO FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC NECESSITY, CONVENIENCE, GENERAL WELFARE, AND GOOD ZONING PRACTICE. I MOVE THAT THE ZONING MAP CLASSIFICATION OF TAX MAP PARTIAL NUMBER 16 DASH TWO DASH ONE BE LABELED ON THE ZONING MAP AS AGRICULTURAL GENERAL DISTRICT A TWO. I'LL SUCK AT THAT. ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. WELCOME. UH, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T EAT HER PET CHICKEN NOW. SHE WOULD, SHE WOULD KILL ME IN MY SLEEP. . OKAY. THE FUNNY THING IS HER CHICKEN'S NAME IS NUGGET. OH OKAY. CHICKEN NUGGET. CHICKEN NUGGET. NUGGET CHICKEN. CHICKEN NUGGET. CHICKEN [03:10:01] NUGGET. I LOVE IT. . I KNOW. WHOLE NEW BUSINESS. HAPPY EASTER. I ALRIGHT MR. [15.A. Appointments] CHAIRMAN. NEXT WE HAVE ALL NEW BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS AND WE HAVE A SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD. ALL I'D LIKE TO PRESENT THIS SLATE OF, UM, OFFICERS FOR UH, A TERM TO EXPIRE 4 30 20 26 IS HAROLD FARMER, JESSICA, LINDSAY, JOHN CHAPEL AND LORNA CORNETT AS ALTERNATE. I'LL SECOND THAT. ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HAVE A NEED TO APPOINT UH, FOR THE PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND I MOVE TO APPOINT MR. COLLIN ROENICK TO A TERM TO EXPIRE. THREE THIRTY ONE TWENTY TWENTY SEVEN. SECOND ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE A, MS. EBRA, BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. THAT'S ALL THE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE CITY CITIZEN'S COMMENT PERIOD. MR. CHAIRMAN, I HAVE NO ONE SIGNED UP FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS TONIGHT. BOARD [17. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] MEMBER COMMENTS? I'M GOOD. HAPPY EASTER. I JUST WANNA SAY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK. GLAD TO HAVE YOU. GLAD TO STAY. THAT'S RIGHT. MM-HMM . BROTHER. EVA? UH, ADJOURNMENT. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT? SO MOVED. ROLL CALL. I NEED A SECOND. SECOND. SECOND TO SECOND. RIGHT HERE. SHE'S GOT THE MOTION GOING SECOND. I SAID SO MOVED. I'M CONFUSED. SO MOVED. SO MOVED. SECOND. . SECOND. ROLL CALL. ROLL CALL DR. MOORE. AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. MEETINGS ADJOURNED. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE. THAT'S THE HARDEST THING WE HAD TO DO WAS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.