* 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] [00:00:02] I HAD LIKE TO CALL THE DECEMBER 16TH, 2025 MEETING OF THE DENWOODY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO ORDER. COULD WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MR. CHAVIS? HERE. MS. EBRA BONNER. HERE. MR. JULIE. HERE. DR. MOORE. HERE. MR. LEE. HERE. FIVE BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT. ALRIGHT. IF I COULD GET EVERYONE TO STAND FOR THE INVOCATION, UH, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASSED AGAINST US. WE BELIEVE US. NOT TO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. FOR THOU IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. A PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. FLAG OF THE UNITED, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT, SO AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE HERE, UH, FOR THE MEETING. [4. AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA] AND DO WE HAVE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA? AND MR. CHAIRMAN, I HAVE, UH, TWO AMENDMENTS. ONE UNDER REPORTS WE'D LIKE TO ADD. UH, ITEM C AND WE HAVE ROBINSON FARMER, COX, UM, AND AARON, UH, HAWKINS, THAT'S HERE WITH US WITH RFC TO DO THE AUDIT PRESENTATION. AND THEN UNDER, UH, CLOSED SESSION UNDER 2.2 3 7 11 A ONE. PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS. WE'D LIKE TO ADD FIREARM SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR BACKSTOPS AND SHOOTING AT NIGHT. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DO THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN? DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. DO WE HAVE THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MR. CHAVIS? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, FIRST BEFORE WE GET STARTED, UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO, UM, SAY THAT, UM, THE MONTH OF DECEMBER HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO MY FAMILY WITH HEARTS. UM, BUT, UH, IT, IT'S KIND OF TRYING, UM, AS MOST OF YOU ALL KNOW, MY WIFE ALICIA, UM, HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY LAST, UM, WEDNESDAY, UM, TO FIX A VALVE. AND SHE'S AT HOME. UH, I TOLD HER TODAY THAT SHE HAD TO STOP BOSSING ME AROUND. SO I, I THINK SHE'S BETTER. UH, JUST A LOT OF PAIN FROM THAT OPERATION AND AS I TOLD HER, UM, NOTHING BUT TIME WILL WILL CURE THAT. SO, UM, SO I DO WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR ALL THE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS, UM, WHILE WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THAT. AND, UM, I'M GLAD THAT I'M HERE TODAY, WHICH MEANS SHE'S DOING WELL. SO, AMEN. UM, AGAIN, GLAD TO BE HERE. ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA, UM, YOU [5. CONSENT AGENDA] HAVE THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE YOU, UM, YOU'VE SEEN THIS AND, UH, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS OR MENTION? IF NOT, UM, WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALRIGHT, COULD WE HAVE THE ROLL CALL PLEASE? MR. CHAVIS? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. MR. LEE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. WE'RE [6.A. Virginia Department Of Transportation ] GONNA MOVE ON TO REPORTS AND WE HAVE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, UH, MR. AARON FRENCH, UM, TO GIVE THE REPORT, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. WE ARE STILL ON SCHEDULE TO ADVERTISE THE, UH, FERNDALE ROAD ROUNDABOUT PROJECT NEXT MONTH. SO HOPEFULLY BY OUR MEETING NEXT MONTH, I'LL HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS ON THAT PROJECT AND WE'LL GET SOME GOOD BIDS FOR THAT PROJECT. UH, THAT PROJECT DOES HAVE A SPRING CONSTRUCTION DATE. UM, SO NOT IMPACTING MUCH FROM A SCHEDULE STANDPOINT RIGHT NOW. WE WRAPPED UP THE CHERRY HILL ROAD ROLL RUSTIC, UH, LAST MONTH. UM, OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEERS WILL BE OUT ON THAT ROAD TOMORROW DOING A RIDE THROUGH, UH, CHECKING THE ROAD FOR GEOMETRY AND SETTING THE SPEED LIMIT IN ANY OTHER RELATED ADVISORY SIGNAGE. UH, WE ARE COMPLETE WITH OUR LITTER MOW LITTER AND MOWING CYCLE FOR THE YEAR. WRAPPED THAT UP A FEW WEEKS AGO. UM, DID TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, SOME ROADS IN WATERFORD LANDING. DO HAVE SOME PATCHING PLANNED FOR WATERFORD LANDING AND PLAN TO WORK THAT INTO A COMPLETE RESURFACING SCHEDULE IN THE COMING YEARS AS WELL. UM, ALSO PART OF A SAFETY STUDY THAT WE DID ON SUTHERLAND ROAD AT OXFORD DRIVE. TOOK SOME TREES DOWN OUT ON SUTHERLAND ROAD, GET BETTER SITE [00:05:01] DISTANCE AT THE INTERSECTION WITH OXFORD DRIVE AS WELL. WE ARE WORKING ON SCHEDULING A PRETTY BIG PIPE REPLACEMENT PROJECT ON 7 0 3. UH, THIS IS NEAR OLD STAGE ROAD, CARSON ROAD. UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I BELIEVE I MAY HAVE MENTIONED IT BEFORE, BUT WE HAD TO WAIT ON SOME CONCRETE HEAD WALLS TO BE CAST. UH, WE'RE DOING PRECAST HEAD WALLS FOR THIS ONE. SO LARGE CONCRETE STRUCTURES HAD TO BE CAST AND WE'LL PLACE 'EM IN WITH A VERY LARGE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. UM, WE, I DID CHECK THE SIGNS ON STERLING ROAD, UH, RELATIVE TO THE ADDITIONAL FINES AND EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD. SO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE MAY TAKE IT AWAY OUT ON STERLING ROAD. AND, UH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUR SNOW PLANS AND EQUIPMENT TO THE TEST PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AT VDOT. AND, UH, WE ARE NOT HOPING FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS . WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE BOARD THIS AFTERNOON? ANY QUESTIONS? UH, GREG, JUST, JUST TO PRAISE, UM, I JUST KNOW IN MY DISTRICT, UM, THE SNOW MAROO REMOVAL, UH, WENT WELL AND, UM, JUST APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THOSE THAT WERE INVOLVED, UM, WITH OUR SURPRISE SIX INCHES THAT WE GOT UP TO SEVEN, I THINK. UM, BUT THEY DID A GOOD JOB. THOSE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS AS WELL AS V RV O EMPLOYEES DID A GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY ANYBODY ELSE? MR. CHAIRMAN? JUST, UM, AARON HAD A, A CALL ABOUT 85 SOUTHBOUND FOUR THIRTY FIVE O'CLOCK MOST DAYS. THERE'S BACKING UP ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND IT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS LIKE, UH, BACK TO BACK TRAFFIC FOR A GOOD PART OF ALMOST A MILE. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THAT, BUT IT'S ALMOST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, I GUESS, COMMUTING HOME TIME AROUND THAT FIVE O'CLOCK HOUR. BUT IT'S, IT'S BEEN NOTICED MORE FREQUENTLY THAT THERE'S A, A LOT OF TRAFFIC BACKED UP AROUND A CERTAIN AREA ON YEAH, FROM THE, FROM THE, UH, EXIT TO GET ONTO FOUR 60. IT'S BACKING UP ALMOST A MILE IN SOME CASES IN SOME DAYS, UM, ONTO, UH, 85 SOUTH. OKAY. HMM. SO I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED IT, BUT I'VE ACTUALLY, I'VE EXPERIENCED IT TOO. SO I, YOU KNOW, COMING BACK FROM A MEETING LAST WEEK IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA, I STOPPED JUST BEYOND, UH, THE FIRST DIM WHEN HE EXIT AND IT WAS JUST ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC ALL THE WAY THROUGH. INTERESTING. UM, BUT THE, THE, THE INDIVIDUAL WHO TALKED TO ME WAS A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER MM-HMM . THAT GOES TO WALMART, BUT I THINK MOST DAYS IT'S, UH, IT'S BACKED UP ON THAT. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAS CHANGED, IF ANYTHING, BUT I'LL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. MAYBE IF WE CAN, MAYBE SOMETHING WITH A SIGNAL THAT'S JUST DOWNSTREAM ON FOUR 60, CAUSING 'EM TO BACK UP THE RAMP. UM, YEAH, I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND TALK TO SOME TRAFFIC ENGINEERS AS WELL AS THE INTERSTATE IF, IF THEY'VE BEEN AWARE OF ANY ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD OUT THERE OR HAD ANY WORK PLANNED IN THAT AREA THAT HAPPENS TO BE COINCIDENTAL . OKAY. I'D APPRECIATE IT. MR. CHAIR, JUST, JUST TO COMMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE BACK UP TO FULL EMPLOYMENT AT AMAZON IN PARTICULAR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. RIGHT. UM, WHICH MAY HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT TO THAT. UM, AS FAR, 'CAUSE I'VE, I'VE SEEN IT MYSELF, SO I, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE SPEAKING OF, BUT I KNOW WE HAD SOME EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS THAT HAD COME DOWN, SO I DON'T KNOW IF SHIFT CHANGES COME INTO PLAY OR ANYTHING RELATED TO THAT. UM, JUST WE COULD LOOK AT IT JUST, IT MAY BE A COMBINATION OF THINGS. SO WHEN YOU EXPERIENCED IT WAS A THAT FAR BACK ONTO INTERSTATE, YOU'RE BACK PROBABLY A FOOTBALL FIELD BACK ON THE INTERSTATE. OKAY. UM, SO, SO I, I KNOW IT EXISTS. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE'RE SHIFT CHANGE, TIMING HAS, HAS COME INTO PLAY AGAIN, BUT IT USED TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE THERE AT ONE TIME. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S ALL I HAD, BRENDA. NO, I'M GOOD THIS TIME. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. MERRY CHRISTMAS. THANK YOU. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO CHRISTMAS. ALRIGHT, UM, NEXT WE'LL [6.B. Dinwiddie County Fair Update] HAVE THE DI FAIR UPDATE. UM, STACEY ENGLISH, THEY WRITE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM ALWAYS LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR. HMM. AARON'S A BIT TALLER THAN ME. . GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIRMAN. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, MR. MASSENGILL STAFF. UM, TODAY I AM HONORED TO PRESENT THE 2025 DIMITY COUNTY FAIR AFTER ACTION REPORT. UM, SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, FROM OCTOBER 17TH [00:10:01] THROUGH THE 19TH, WHICH REALLY FOR US, KICKED OFF ON OCTOBER 12TH, UH, VIRGINIA MOTORSPORTS PARK TRANSFORMED INTO A LIVELY CELEBRATION OF FUN FOOD, FRIENDS AND FAMILY. WE DANCED WITH THE BANDS WE CHEERED ON JAW DROPPING ACROBATICS. WE ENJOYED FAIR FOOD FAVORITES AND CELEBRATED EVERYTHING THAT MAKES OUR COUNTY SPECIAL. DURING THESE THREE DAYS, FAIRGOERS EXPERIENCED AN EXCITING LINEUP OF ATTRACTIONS, INCLUDING, UM, AN ACROBATIC EXTRAVAGANZA WILD WORLD OF ANIMALS. THE FINE CORTEZ TRAPEZE SHOW, MISS MOLLY DAZZLE, VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUP PERFORMANCES, NIGHTLY LIVE MUSIC, AGRICULTURE EXHIBITS AND SHOWS, AND MORE REINFORCING THE FAIR'S REPUTATION AS A CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY EVENT. THE RIDES ANIMAL STAGES AND EXHIBITS BROUGHT OUT SMILES FOR EVERYONE. TRULY THREE DAYS OF SHARED MEMORIES PICTURED HERE IS THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE FAIRGROUNDS FROM A QUIET MONDAY MORNING BEFORE SETUP BEGAN TO A FULLY ENERGIZED SPACE READY TO WELCOME THE COMMUNITY. PUTTING ON THE COUNTY FAIR IS TRULY A YEAR ROUND ADVENTURE. IT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN, IT'S BUILT BY A VILLAGE. COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, VENDORS AND PARTNERS ALL CAME TOGETHER TO TURN THE FAIR INTO MORE THAN JUST AN EVENT INTO A COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE. AND SO WE'VE LISTED SOME OF OUR PARTNERS HERE ON THIS SLIDE. UM, SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO HOLLY AND PURCHASING AND TYLER, UH, FOR ANSWERING ALL MY CONTRACT QUESTIONS AND ASKING IF WE CAN BRING A HOT AIR BALLOON TO THE COUNTY FAIR . UM, ALSO A SHOUT OUT TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE TODAY FROM THE PLANNING TEAM. UM, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR FIRE PARKS AND REC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF HERE, NEW THIS YEAR. MR. LEWIS AND THE HIS EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM CREATED A COMMAND POST, UM, SO THAT WE COULD BETTER, UH, SERVE THE PUBLIC MORE SAFELY IN CASE AN EMERGENCY INCIDENT OCCURRED. UM, SO OUR YEAR-ROUND PLANNING TEAM THAT STARTS MEETING IN JANUARY INCLUDED MORGAN INGRAM, CHIEF BLAKE, SERGEANT GOODWIN, CORNELL HENDERSON, CHRIS WALTERS, KEISHA SCOTT, SAM CAIN, ISAIAH LEBLANC, DRE CAR HARVE, BARBARA MCKENDRICK, MARK HARRISON, AND MATT NORWOOD. WE ALSO HAVE AN EXTERNAL COMMITTEE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO MEET ALL YEAR. UM, AND THAT INCLUDES MELISSA EMMANUEL WITH OUR PETTING ZOO, GORDON BARNES, WITH THE DARVILLE WORTH CLUB. LAUREL BISHOP WITH FFA, CHRIS MEYER WITH, UM, FFA ALUMNI. JAY SCH NPP WITH FOUR H AND MR. AND MRS. MERRICK, WHO ARE SOME OF OUR FOOD VENDORS. UM, WHILE FAIR PLANNING AND SETUP CAN GET A LITTLE STRESSFUL AT TIMES, OUR TEAM KNOWS HOW TO KEEP THINGS FUN. LAUGHTER GOES A LONG WAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN KEVIN'S LEGENDARY PUNTS MAKE AN APPEARANCE. HEY KEVIN, HOW YOU DOING TODAY? DOING WELL. ALL FAIR, . AND EVEN DURING FAIR WEEK ITSELF, WE'RE STILL LEARNING, ADAPTING, ROLLING WITH THE SURPRISES BECAUSE NO FAIR WEEK IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A FEW TEACHABLE MOMENTS. HEY, ISAIAH, WHAT IS THAT? HECK, IF I OUT, WHAT? IT'S, I DON'T, I HAVE NO IDEA. A FLOPPY DISC, EVERYONE. SO THIS YEAR WE SAW BIG ENERGY AND EVEN BIGGER NUMBERS. GATE REVENUES JUMPED OVER 20% OVER LAST YEAR AND REPORTED ATTENDANCE GREW BY MORE THAN 1000 PEOPLE. WHEN YOU ADD IN VENDORS, PARTNERS, AND EARLY ARRIVALS, WE ESTIMATE THAT NEARLY 10,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE FAIR. THIS YEAR, OUR CARNIVAL PAYOUT ALMOST DOUBLED TO $19,894. OUR COMMUNITY REALLY SHOWED UP FOR US TOO. SPONSORSHIPS DOUBLED TO $10,500 THANKS TO OUR LOCAL PARTNERS WHO BELIEVE IN THE FAIR AND ITS IMPACT. WITH THE ADDITION OF A $10,000 GRANT FROM VIRGINIA TOURISM, OUR TOTAL REVENUES CLIMBED TO JUST OVER TO JUST UNDER $104,000 THIS YEAR, WHICH IS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THE FAIR. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WE INTENTIONALLY INVESTED A LITTLE MORE THIS YEAR. THOSE ADDED DOLLARS WENT DIRECTLY INTO EXPANDING EXPERIENCES AND CREATING AN EVEN BETTER FAIR FOR OUR COMMUNITY. BEYOND THE NUMBERS, THE FAIR MATTERS. IT'S WHERE LOCAL NONPROFITS CONNECT DEEPER WITH RESIDENTS, YOUTH AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS SHINE. FAMILIES MAKE MEMORIES, AND TOURISM BUZZ GROWS. [00:15:01] WE'VE CAPTURED SOME TESTIMONY FROM CHRIS MEYER WITH FFA ALUMNI, SHARING HOW THE FAIR LIFTS UP THEIR MISSION AND STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY BONDS. HEY, I'M CHRIS MEYER WITH DENVER WITH THE FFA ALUMNI. UH, WE'RE HERE THIS WEEKEND TO SUPPORT THE ALUMNI. WE'RE COOKING, UH, RIBEYE STEAK SANDWICHES, UH, HOME CUT FRIES AND OREOS. FRIED OREOS. UH, FAIR IS A GRAND OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL BUSINESS, LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO GET OUT HERE AND BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. ALSO, SEE PEOPLE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE COMING FOR ME. IT'S SOMETIMES LIKE COMING TO A A CLASS REUNION. YOU SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T SEE OVER A YEAR. SEE 'EM HERE. UM, IT ALSO IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME AND BUY FOOD FROM THE LOCAL VENDORS, UH, THAT SUPPORTS PROGRAMS LIKE WE SUPPORT THE FFA CHAPTER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, THE FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA. AND ALSO WE USE IT FOR OTHER THINGS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE IN NEED. UH, WE HAVE, UM, USED SOME OF THIS MONEY TO HELP WITH CHRISTMAS FOR FAMILIES THAT MIGHT HAVE LOST THEIR HOME, UH, DUE TO FIRE BEFORE CHRIS, BEFORE CHRISTMAS TIME AND LOST EVERYTHING. WE'VE USED IT A COUPLE TIMES FOR THAT. WE ALSO USE, UH, SOME OF THIS MONEY TO HELP SPONSOR TRIPS THAT THE FFA CHAPTER GOES ON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO COME OUT AND SUPPORT US. SO WHAT'S NEXT? WE'RE NOT SLOWING DOWN. WE'RE LEVELING UP FOR FUTURE FAIRS. OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE, BIGGER, AND EVEN MORE FUN. THAT MEANS BOOKING HIGH ENERGY, CROWD PLEASING ENTERTAINMENT, TEAMING UP WITH EVEN MORE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO GROW OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND DEEPEN OUR IMPACT AND BRING IN NEW DIVERSE EXHIBITS AND ATTRACTIONS THAT GIVE FAIRGOERS SOMETHING FRESH TO DISCOVER EACH YEAR. I'M STILL TRYING TO SELL THE PLANNING TEAM ON A TAYLOR SWIFT COVER BAND FOR NEXT YEAR. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GONNA BUY IT OR NOT. IN SHORT, WE'RE BUILDING ON THIS YEAR'S MOMENTUM TO MAKE SURE EVERY YEAR EVERY FAIR IS BETTER THAN THE LAST AND EVEN MORE WORTH THE WEIGHT. SO WE'RE PROUD OF WHAT WE BUILT TOGETHER THIS YEAR AND EXCITED TO KEEP GROWING THE FAIR INTO A BIGGER CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND FUN. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR STACY? UH, JUST A COMMENT. THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL THE HARD WORK TO EVERYBODY THAT, UH, CHIPPED IN. YEAH. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE HAD A CONE TOSSER AS THAT WAS AMAZING. WAS IT CHIEF BLAKE? I KNOW. I NEED TO, I I WISH YOU HAD THAT VIDEO 'CAUSE HE WENT LIKE A HUNDRED FOR A HUNDRED ON CONE TOES. HE DID, YEAH. WHEN HE WAS SETTING UP TRAFFIC CONES. BUT IT REALLY IS A, IT'S A, A TEAM EFFORT. AND I LOVE THAT OUR, OUR FOLKS, OUR STAFF ARE SO DEDICATED TO OUR COMMUNITY TO SEE THIS BE SUCCESSFUL. AND WITHOUT YOU GUYS, IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN. SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR STEPPING UP AND, AND MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. AND I WILL AGREE WITH THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT. IT TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE TO, TO, AS I SAY, PULL IT OFF. UH, WE HAD A VERY GOOD WEEKEND AS FAR AS THE WEATHER'S CONCERNED, WHICH THAT ALWAYS PLAYS A PART. UM, BUT THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT. I WAS ONE OF THOSE FFA THAT THAT ATE THE STEAK SANDWICHES AND THE FRIES AND ALL THAT WAS GOOD. BUT ALSO TO OUR OTHER VENDORS, WE HAD, WE HAD MULTIPLE VENDORS THAT WERE THERE AND, AND I THINK ALL OF THEM DID WELL AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, UM, THEIR ABILITY TO SELL THE PRODUCT AND, AND OUR PEOPLE BUYING THE PRODUCT. UM, BUT JUST FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S INVOLVED, UM, JUST, JUST A WARM THANK YOU. UH, IT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN LIKE THAT. I KNOW THAT, AND I KNOW WE'RE ALREADY IN THE STAGE OF PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR, SO, SO I THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT'S IN HERE AND THOSE THAT ARE NOT THAT PARTICIPATED AND THE, AND THE POPULATION FOR COMING OUT AND SUBORDINATE. MM-HMM . THAT'S GOOD. UM, YEAH. JUST THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. AND UM, UM, ONE LADY, SHE WAS, UM, TALKING TO OTHERS ABOUT THE TURKEY LEGS. SO, UM, THEY SOLD OUT MM-HMM . AND THEY HAD TO, YOU KNOW, UM, COOK SOME MORE AND EVERYTHING. I MEAN, PEOPLE WERE JUST LIKE, YEAH, I'M WAITING FOR MY CIRCULATE. CIRCULATE IS A BIG THING AT THE FAIR, I GUESS. BUT I MEAN, THEY, THEY, UM, THEY WERE REALLY INTO THAT. BUT THE FOOD WAS GOOD ALL THE WAY ACROSS. BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY WERE COMMENTING ON THAT AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WAS HAPPENING. SO THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU. AND THE TEAM FOR THAT. MY WIFE AND I ENJOYED IT. WE WENT EVERY NIGHT, SO WE HAD A GOOD TIME. SO SHE ENJOYED IT. THE FOOD WAS GREAT. LIKE I SAY, EVERYTHING WE ATE, SO DOING A GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. YEP. AND I'LL, I'LL JUST ECHO ALL OF THAT. UM, I'LL SAY THE FOOD WAS GREAT 'CAUSE I TRIED IT ALL AND, UH, I HAD FIVE OF THE NINE GRANDCHILDREN THERE AND THEY, THEY LOVED THE MIDWAY. I THINK THE MIDWAY WAS, WAS REALLY NICE AS, UM, VERY CLEAN. THE ATTENDANCE WERE, UH, WERE GREAT. AND, UM, [00:20:01] I JUST THOUGHT, I LOVE A FO MYSELF. AND, UM, E EVERY YEAR I, MY JOB I WORKED THE FO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S CALLED WORK, BUT I'M NOW . UM, AND THEN I USED THAT TIME FOR HUNTING, BUT THE LAST TWO, THREE YEARS NOW, I'VE USED THAT TIME FOR SICK TIME. SO WE'RE GONNA CHANGE THAT, UH, NEXT YEAR. BUT THE FOUL WAS REALLY GREAT. AND, AND I DO THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN GET MORE, UM, COMMUNITY BUSINESSES INVOLVED, UM, IN IT, IN THE FUTURE, I THINK THAT THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. AND, AND, UH, I THINK THE SKY'S THE LIMIT. JUST NEED GOOD WEATHER. LIKE WE, WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE OF THE WEATHER THIS YEAR, KEEP 'EM, KEEP 'EM IN CHARGE OF IT. SO KEVIN, YEAH, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY I CAPTAIN ROBERTS. I DON'T KNOW, I THINK, I WONDER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TOLD THAT THAT JOKE. 'CAUSE IT JUST HIT ME WHEN I ASKED YOU HOW YOU WERE DOING AND YOU SAID FAIR, THAT THAT'S WHAT THAT MEANT. SO I'M TEASING , BUT NO, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BOARD IS, HAS SAID IT ALL, STACEY, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A, IT TAKES A GREAT LEADER TO KIND OF PULL OFF A FAIR LIKE THIS. AND, AND SHE WON'T SAY THAT ABOUT HERSELF, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF ORGANIZATION TO, TO KEEP ALL OF THAT IN PLAY THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. AND IT STARTS OFF EARLY IN THE YEAR. AND SO STACEY JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE GONNA ASSEMBLE THE TEAM, BUT MARIE, CAN WE GET LIKE A PHOTO OF LIKE, EVERYBODY UP FRONT? BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD THING FOR NEXT YEAR TO JUST AS FAR AS THE PLANNING TEAM COULD ALL Y'ALL COME FORWARD. YEP. SO YOU COME, YOU GOTTA GET PUT YOU TO WORK. , JUST COME ON. COME ON, COME ON. YOU'RE THERE. RIGHT? THE TEAM, THE THING THAT TEAM TEAMED IN WITH IT. . PERFECT. READY? WE GO. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU GUYS. BEFORE WE START, COME UP HERE. A MY, YOU'RE GONNA SAY FAIR ON COUNT OF THREE. 1, 2, 3. GOOD JOB. ALL THANK YOU STACY. ALRIGHT, NEXT [Additional Item] WE HAVE, UM, C WHICH IS GONNA BE, UM, ROBERT ROBINSON, FARMER COX, UM, FOR THE, UM, AUDIT. YES. SO IF WE COULD ADD AARON HAWKINS AND HE'S, HE'S HERE. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS AFTERNOON. UM, YES, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT HERE TO PRESENT THE FINANCIAL REPORT AND AUDIT RESULTS FOR FY 25. I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A HARD COPY IN FRONT OF YOU. FINAL PDS IS ALSO IN CIRCULATION, UM, AS IS CUSTOMARY WITH, WHEN I DO THESE PRESENTATIONS, I'LL KIND OF JUST GO OVER A FEW KEY PAGES, UM, THAT I'VE FLAGGED TO KIND OF GO OVER AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS. UM, BUT FIRST OFF, JUST A, A BIG THANK YOU TO ANN HOWARDSON AND THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AT THE COUNTY. UM, TRULY A, A VERY EFFICIENT AUDIT PROCESS. UM, EVERYTHING'S WELL ORGANIZED, UM, WHEN WE COME DO THE AUDIT. SO, UM, FANTASTIC JOB. UM, NOT ONLY JUST PREPARING FOR THE AUDIT, BUT, BUT ALL, EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO IT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR. UM, THIS IS 170 SOME PAGE DOCUMENT. UM, BUT, BUT EVERYTHING THAT GOES IN IT, UM, IS A LOT OF HARD WORK, UM, ALL YEAR LONG TO GET TO THIS POINT. SO, UH, I'M GONNA START ON PAGE ONE AND, AND THIS HARD COPY DOCUMENT THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU MM-HMM . UM, IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE LOOKING AT A PDF, UM, IT WOULD, I'M NOT TALKING PDF NUMBER, I'M TALKING THE, THE PAGE NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM. AND, UM, YOU ALSO HAVE TO SKIP OVER SOME ROMAN NUMERAL TYPE NUMBERS TO GET TO THE ACTUAL, UM, STANDARD NUMBER ONE, WHICH, UM, IS OUR AUDITOR'S REPORT AND, AND THAT AUDITOR'S REPORT. THE FIRST PARAGRAPH IS OUR OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. WE AS AUDITORS GIVE. UM, WHEN WE DO THESE AUDITS, THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE'RE ULTIMATELY GETTING TO AT THE VERY END IS TO GIVE OUR OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT WE'RE AUDITING. AND, UM, IT'S AN UNMODIFIED OPINION, UM, WHICH IS, AS AUDITORS, IT'S THE BEST OPINION THAT, THAT WE CAN PUT IN THIS REPORT. UH, IT MEANS THAT, UH, BASED ON THE TESTING THAT WE'VE DONE, THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT FOLLOW THIS ARE [00:25:01] MATERIALLY CORRECT AND COULD BE RELIED UPON. YOU WILL ALSO SEE THOUGH, UM, IN THIS, IN THIS AUDITOR'S REPORT ON THE SECOND PAGE, YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW PARAGRAPHS THIS YEAR, UH, AT THE VERY TOP OF PAGE TWO, CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES. THERE WAS A NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARD IMPLEMENTED DURING THE YEAR, UM, RELATED TO COMPENSATED ABSENCES. AND, AND FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, COMPENSATED ABSENCES ARE RELATED TO, UH, A LIABILITY THAT'S CALCULATED FOR ACCRUED LEAVE, UH, VACATION, SICK LEAVE. AND, UM, HISTORICALLY WHEN YOU CALCULATED THAT THE COMPENSATED ABSENCES BALANCE, IT WAS, UM, FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SIMPLE. YOU KIND OF JUST TOOK, UM, WHAT EVERYONE'S VACATION LEAVE BALANCES WERE AT, AT THE END OF THE YEAR. AND YOU TOOK THEIR SALARY, KIND OF CAME UP WITH AN HOURLY RATE, MULTIPLIED IT BY EVERYONE'S LEAVE, AND YOU CAME UP WITH A LIABILITY. IF EVERYONE LEFT THE COUNTY OF DENWITTY ON JUNE 30TH OR JULY 1ST, THIS IS WHAT WE'D HAVE TO PAY EVERYONE. UM, THAT'S NO LONGER HOW YOU CALCULATE THIS LIABILITY. NOW YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY USE HISTORICAL DATA TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO USE AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN THEY ACCUMULATE THAT LEAVE AND USE IT. AND IT, IT REQUIRES A LOT MORE, UM, A SOPHISTICATED WAY I GUESS, OF, OF ESTIMATING THAT LIABILITY. SO, UM, SO THAT WAS A BIG CHANGE FOR THIS YEAR. GONNA SKIP TO PAGE 21, UH, WHICH IS EXHIBIT E. AND WE HAVE PAGES OF, OF EXHIBITS. UM, BUT I USUALLY HONE IN ON THIS ONE JUST BECAUSE IT CONTAINS YOUR GENERAL FUND BALANCE, JUST BECAUSE I FIGURE, UM, THAT'S USUALLY A, A KEY POINT OF INTEREST FOR, FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND, AND ALSO OTHERS THAT ARE THAT, THAT ARE IN THE ROOM AS WELL. SO, GENERAL FUND BALANCE FOR THE YEAR. IF YOU, YOU GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF EXHIBIT E, UH, WHICH IS ON PAGE 21, YOU BEGAN THE YEAR WITH A LITTLE OVER $27 MILLION IN YOUR GENERAL FUND BALANCE. YOU ENDED THE YEAR, UH, $29.3 MILLION IN YOUR GENERAL FUND BALANCE. SO AN INCREASE OF ABOUT TWO POINT, ALMOST $2.3 MILLION IN FY 25 OF THAT. IF WE FLIP BACK A PAGE TO PAGE 19, ALMOST ALL OF THAT IS UNASSIGNED. UM, ON EXHIBIT C, WHICH IS PAGE 19, YOU HAVE A, A COLUMN FOR YOUR GENERAL FUND AS WELL. THERE YOU STICK, YOU SEE THAT EXACT NUMBER THAT WE JUST LOOKED AT ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE, THE $29.3 MILLION OF THAT 28.1 OF IT IS UNASSIGNED FOR USE, UH, FOR USE AT THE COUNTY'S DISCRETION. I'M GONNA SKIP MUCH FARTHER AHEAD IN THE REPORT TO PAGE 1 68. AND ON THAT PAGE YOU SEE OUR NAME ROBINSON FARM, COX ASSOCIATES AT THE TOP. AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER REPORT THAT WE HAVE TO ISSUE WITHIN YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. AGAIN, IT'S PAGE 1 68. UM, AND THIS IS A REPORT THAT WE ISSUE BASED ON THE INTERNAL CONTROL TESTING THAT WE DO FOR THE COUNTY AS WELL AS STATE COMPLIANCE. AND IF WE HAD FINDINGS TO REPORT BASED ON THAT CONTROL TESTING AND COMPLIANCE TESTING, WE WOULD IDENTIFY THOSE HERE. UH, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY FINDINGS TO REPORT, UM, THIS YEAR. AND THEN ON PAGE ONE 70 IS ANOTHER REPORT THAT'S ISSUED BY US, UH, WITHIN YOUR FINANCIALS. THIS IS, UH, THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE, UH, REPORT THAT WE HAVE TO DO ON, ON SINGLE AUDIT, UH, UNDER UNIFORM GUIDANCE. UM, IF WE HAD FEDERAL FINDINGS TO REPORT BASED ON THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE WORK THAT WE DID, WE WOULD IDENTIFY THOSE, THOSE FEDERAL FINDINGS HERE, UH, IF WE DID NOT HAVE ANY FEDERAL FINDINGS TO REPORT. SO THOSE ARE THE KEY PAGES TO GO OVER. AGAIN, A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL REALLY TO ALL DEPARTMENTS THAT, THAT, THAT WE WORK WITH, UM, DURING THE COURSE OF THE AUDIT TO, TO MAKE ALL THIS HAPPEN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. SO, UM, I'M GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR ME. ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, JUST A COMMENT, MR. CHAIR. OKAY. ANN HOWERTON AND ALL OF ADMINISTRATION, ALL OF THE PARTNERS THAT WERE INVOLVED WITH THE AUDIT, JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIMELINESS, UM, IN GETTING THINGS TO THEM TO MAKE THINGS BE ON TIME. I KNOW THAT IS A PET PEEVE OF VANS. UM, BUT, BUT IN GENERAL, THE THANKS GOES TO ANNE IN A LOT OF WAYS AND, AND I SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT, UM, SHE TREATS THE DOLLAR, THE DENWITY TAX DOLLAR AS IF IT'S HER DOLLAR AND, AND SPENDS IT THE SAME WAY. AND THAT IS THRIFTY. AND UM, SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU ADAM. ANYBODY ELSE? I THINK WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT WITH WITHOUT WE IN, WE IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT. YEP. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. HAVE A NICE AFTERNOON. MERRY CHRISTMAS. ALRIGHT, WE'RE [7.A. Contract Award, Rescue Tools For Fire Truck] GONNA MOVE ON ALONG TO ACTION ITEMS OUR CONTRACT AWARD RESCUE TOOLS FOR FIRE TRUCKS. OKAY, [00:30:01] NER, CHIEF FIRE S CHIEF PIMAN. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON. CHAIRMAN LEE, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. MASSENGILL, MS. HOWERTON TYLER BEFORE YOU. TODAY IS A REQUEST FOR FUNDING FOR RESCUE TOOLS. IN JUNE, 2025, THE COUNTY PURCHASED A USED HEAVY RESCUE TRUCK FROM THE CITY OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN. IF YOU REMEMBER, THAT WAS KIND OF A VERY RUSHED TRIP TO GET DOWN THERE AND GET THIS ELITE TRUCK AND GET BACK HERE. WORKING WITH THE BOARD AND TYLER AND MS. HOWTON, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT PUT ONTO THE, UM, DOCKET TO GET THAT APPROVED THAT NIGHT THAT WE CAME BACK AND WE GOT THAT PURCHASED AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF GETTING THAT. THIS RESCUE ONE WILL BE IN ADDITION TO THE FLEET. IT WILL SERVE THE SERVE AT DENWOODY COUNTY'S FIRST HEAVY RESCUE TRUCK. IT'LL BE COUNTYWIDE RESCUE ONE WILL REPLACE A SMALL LIGHT DUTY SQUAD AT STATION ONE. SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT FROM THE OLD UNIT WILL, WILL BE REPURPOSED TO RESCUE ONE. HOWEVER, THAT SMALL COMPLIMENT DOES NOT MEET THE NEEDS OF A HEAVY RESCUE TRUCK. WITH THE AMOUNT OF VEHICLE EXTRICATIONS THAT WE RUN ACCIDENTS, THESE TOOLS WILL BE USED PROBABLY DAILY. THE COUNTY REQUESTED A QUOTE FOR RESCUE TOOLS AND MOUNTING HARDWARE FROM AIRCARE INCORPORATED TO EQUIP THE HEAVY RESCUE. THE TOTAL COST WAS 2 53, 1 64 AND 8 CENTS. THIS WILL BE PROCURED USING THE NPP GOV COOPERATIVE CONTRACT AND PAID USING FUNDS THAT REMAIN IN THE HEAVY RESCUE PROJECT. WE HAD A, A COMMITTEE THAT WENT OUT AND LOOKED AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT VENDORS AND DIFFERENT RESCUE TOOLS AND THEY SELECTED TRO AS THE TOOLS THAT WE WANTED TO PUT ON THIS TRUCK. THESE TOOLS WILL BE STATE OF THE ART, THEY'LL BE BATTERY OPERATED. YOU'LL HAVE SPREADERS, RAMS, UM, STABILIZER, UM, JACKS, EVERYTHING NEEDED TO MAKE THIS TRUCK FUNCTIONAL TO EXTRICATE FROM HEAVY VEHICLE ACCIDENTS. SO TECHNICALLY WHEN YOU GO TO A SCENE, WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE THE CAR OR TRUCK AWAY FROM THE PATIENT, NOT JUST PULL THE PATIENT OUT. BUT WE'RE TAKING THAT CAR APART AND THESE TOOLS WILL HAVE ENOUGH PRESSURE AND STATE OF THE ART STUFF TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET APPROVED. WITH YOUR APPROVAL, WE'D LIKE TO PURCHASE THAT AND GET INTO A CONTRACT WITH AIRCARE TO PURCHASE THESE TOOLS. OKAY. ANYBODY HAVE, UM, ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD? I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE CONTRACT AS PRESENTED. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SECOND TOGETHER PLEASE. MR. CHAVIS? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. MR. LEE AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. AT THIS [8. CITIZEN COMMENTS] TIME, UM, WE'LL HAVE, UH, CITIZEN COMMENT PERIOD, UH, THREE MINUTE. UM, FULL CITIZEN COMMENT. DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP? YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HAVE DON CATER. ALRIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIRMAN. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, MR. MASSENGILL'S STAFF AS THE DENWOODY AMERICAN LEGION POST 1 49 STRIVES TO COLLABORATE AND INTERACT MORE WITH OUR COMMUNITY. THIS YEAR WAS THE FIRST TIME SINCE I'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF OUR POST. WE ELECTED TO AWARD THE AMERICAN LEGION LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR AND THE FIREFIGHTER EMT OF THE YEAR AWARDS. WE RECEIVED THREE APPLICATIONS FOR THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AWARD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO RECOGNIZE A WELL-ROUNDED DIMITY COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED DEDICATION TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, PERFORMED ABOVE AND BEYOND NORMAL DUTIES FOR THEIR POSITION IN PROTECTING LIFE. PROPERTY. COMMUNITY SECURITY TO INCLUDE ANIMAL WELFARE HAS DEMONSTRATED A CONSISTENT RECORD OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP. IN ADDITION TO PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT. I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR COMMITTEE THAT WAS FORMED FOR THIS PURPOSE FROM THE THREE APPLICATIONS WE RECEIVED FROM THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SELECTED SERGEANT TERRELL COLES AS OUR 20 25, 20 26 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR. I WILL BE WORKING WITH SERGEANT COLES AFTER THE NEW YEAR TO ENHANCE HIS PACKET FOR SUBMISSION TO OUR VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION. WE RECOGNIZE SERGEANT COLES AND HIS FAMILY AND OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SOCIAL. WE'RE VICE CHAIR PERSON, BRENDA EBRA BONNER WAS OUR GUEST SPEAKER THIS PAST THURSDAY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO IMPROVING THE PROGRAM AND HAVING APPLICATIONS FROM BOTH THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT NEXT YEAR. ANY QUESTIONS? [00:35:01] THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHIEF. THANK YOU. I THINK OFFICER COLE WAS A GOOD, EXTREMELY GOOD CHOICE. YEAH. MM-HMM . YEP. UH, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE SIGNED UP? I HAVE NO ONE ELSE SIGNED UP, MR. CHAIRMAN. OKAY. UM, AT THIS TIME [9. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS] WE'LL DO, UM, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS. I WAS GETTING WORRIED WHEN I SAW KEISHA'S. THREE MINUTES ON MY, SHE'S KEEPING THAT ON NOW. MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO YOU. I'M NOT GONNA GO LONG, RIGHT? I'M GOING, IT IS GONNA BE SHORT FOR THIS . HELL YEAH. HEARD THAT BEFORE, RIGHT? , YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAD ROBINSON FARMER COX A LITTLE BIT AGO, AND, AND AARON, UH, HAW HAWKINS. UM, I JUST THOUGHT SOMEWHAT IRONIC THIS MORNING. I STARTED MY DAY WITH A, A COMMUNITY THAT'S GOING THROUGH SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES, UH, STAFF WISE. AND SO THEY CALLED AND ASKED, UM, I GUESS SOME, SOME HELPFUL TIPS, UH, ALL IN THE AREA OF MUNICIPAL FINANCE AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN SO FORTUNATE, SO BLESSED TO HAVE ANN IN THIS CAPACITY THAT OTHER NEIGHBORING LOCALITIES WILL LOOK AT US AND SAY, HEY, HOW CAN WE DO THINGS BETTER? UM, SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF THE REAL TESTAMENT. YOU KNOW, AS I WAS INDICATING TO THIS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TODAY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF FISCAL INTEGRITY AND, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS NICE AND IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT WE HAVE REALLY FOCUSED, ESPECIALLY THE LAST 12, 18 MONTHS, UH, FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE LOOKING AT OUR FUNDAMENTAL CORE VALUES AND THAT IMPORTANCE OF STEWARDSHIP. AND SO DAYS LIKE TODAY, WHEN YOU SEE THIS DOCUMENT, UM, YOU GET TO SEE THAT, YOU GET TO SEE HOW SOME OF THE NUMBERS PLAY ITSELF OUT. BUT AGAIN, ANNE, YOU KNOW, WE, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR, FOR WHAT YOU DO AND, AND JUST HOW FORTUNATE THE, THE TAXPAYERS AND THEM, WHAT YOU ARE TO HAVE, HAVE SOMEONE LIKE ANNE HOWTON, NOT JUST THAT CHRISTIE, UH, WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL SERVICES AND, AND ALL THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT TAKES A TEAM WHEN IT COMES TO THE FISCAL AFFAIRS OF, OF WHAT WE DO. SO I JUST WANTED TO, AGAIN, THANK ANNE AND THE TEAM FOR THAT. UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH WE HAD A CHANCE TO, UM, TO GO INTO TO WALMART DISTRIBUTION AND THEY HAD A REOPENING AND THE CHAIRMAN'S GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT EVENT FOR, FOR DENWOOD COUNTY. AND THEN YESTERDAY, UH, WE HAD AN ANOTHER BUSINESS THAT HAD A REOPENING FOUR 60, UH, WHICH IS THE VALERO OR FAST MART THAT'S THERE, THE INTERSECTION OF, UM, 2 26 AND FOUR 60. UM, I GUESS PROBABLY THE CHEAPEST GAS IN TOWN AT THE MOMENT, EVEN MADE IN THE STATE. IS IT, IS IT STILL THE LOWEST IN THE STATE? IN THE STATE. IN THE STATE? SO DR. MOORE KNOWS, 'CAUSE HE, I PROMISE YOU, I CHECK HE CHECKS EVERY DAY. SO HE, I ASKED DR. MOORE WHERE I GO GET GAS, SO, SO THE LOWEST IN THE STATE? IN THE STATE. SO GO GET GAS AT AT FOUR 60, DOESN'T IT WHEN I GET UP? BUT YEAH, RE REOPENING. WAS IT 2 2 23? 2 23 A GALLON. YEAH, THERE. BUT I WAS TALKING TO THE CHAIRMAN EARLIER AND HE SAID, WELL, I, I REALLY DON'T CARE AS MUCH ABOUT THAT. ARE THEY SERVING CHICKEN LIKE THEY USED TO? SO THAT WAS, THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIG PIECE. WE'LL SEE. WE'LL SEE. UM, WE, WE ALSO, THE SAME DAY WE, WE HAD THE WALMART, UH, UH, REOPENING, UH, WE, WE WERE ABLE TO ALSO, DR. MOORE AND I ATTENDED THE RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE AWARD OF DISTINCTIONS. AND SO THOSE, THOSE AWARDS, UM, HAVE BEEN SET, SET ASIDE FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. BUT DR. MOORE INDICATED SOMETHING I JUST WANNA MENTION TO YOU ALL TOO. THIS IS DEBBIE S THE PRESIDENT OF RBC. THIS IS HER LAST, UH, GRADUATING CLASS. AND SO SHE'LL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS GRADUATION. AND, AND DR. MOORE SAID IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE IF THE, THE DIMITY BOARD IN ITS ENTIRETY COULD COME TO COMMENCEMENT, UM, GRADUATION THIS YEAR. SO I WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA GET THAT DATE TO YOU AND CAN GO AHEAD AND GET IT ON YOUR CALENDAR EARLY. STACEY MENTIONED THE FAIR AND YOU KNOW, WHAT A, WHAT A TREMENDOUS EVENT THAT IS. AND YOU KNOW, I GET ASKED ALL THE TIME, WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU MEAN A LOT OF, SOME OF THE CITIZENS ARE ASSUMING THAT WE MAKE MONEY OFF OF THE FAIR. AND IT'S ALWAYS KIND OF BEEN THE, THE GOAL TO TRY TO COME CLOSE TO BREAKING EVEN. YOU CAN SEE IT'S GETTING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. UH, BUT REALLY THIS IS THE ONE THING THAT WE TRY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, HAVING, AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, CHRIS MEYER WAS A GOOD, GOOD PERSON TO SHOW HERE, BUT WHAT SOME OF OUR, UH, LOCAL NONPROFITS AND, AND WHAT THEY ACCUMULATE OVER THAT TWO, THREE DAYS AND HOW THEY PUT IT RIGHT BACK INTO THE THAN WHAT THE COMMUNITY. SO IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THAT DOLLAR FIGURE, I THINK WE'RE MORE THAN, THAN BREAKING EVEN THERE FOR THE FAIR, UH, TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. WHEN, WHEN DR. MOORE AND I WENT TO, TO, UH, RICHARD BLAND, SOME OF YOU STAYED BACK FOR THE TREE LIGHTING, UM, EVENT. [00:40:01] AND, AND ALSO MOST RECENTLY THE CHRISTMAS PARADE, YOU KNOW, WE ENDED UP HAVING TO CANCEL. AND THAT'S DUE TO THE REALLY SIGNIFICANT, UM, COLD FRONT THAT CAME IN DURING, DURING THAT TIME. AND I, I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THE PEOPLE WATCHING AT HOME AND AS WELL AS, UM, FOR THE BOARD, WE ALWAYS WANNA FIND WAYS TO DO THINGS BETTER. SO WE'RE ALREADY TRYING TO LOOK AT THE, THE TREE LIGHTING FOR NEXT YEAR AND FOR THE PARADE. AND WE'RE EVALUATING THE ROUTES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT TOO, AND CAN MAKE SOME DECISIONS ACROSS THAT. UM, I'M GLAD THAT DAWN MENTIONED THE, THE POST 1 49, UM, DUNNER THAT THEY HAD THE OTHER NIGHT. 'CAUSE I, AND I WAS SOMEWHAT WORRIED SHE WAS GONNA MENTION REESE ACROSS AMERICA 'CAUSE SHE WOULD'VE TAKEN UP MY TIME. BUT, UH, I WAS ASKED TO, TO SPEAK AT REESE REACH ACROSS AMERICA, WHICH WAS SATURDAY. UM, AND I WAS TALKING TO A COUPLE STAFF MEMBERS EARLIER TODAY ABOUT IT. AND IF I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'RE DOING NEXT YEAR, IT, AND IT'S, IT'S THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR. IT'S A SATURDAY. UM, I WILL TELL YOU I LEFT THERE DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY I WALKED, UH, INTO THAT, THAT CEMETERY WHEN, WHEN YOU SEE, UM, THE VOLUNTEERS FROM REESE ACROSS AMERICA FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE POST 1 49. UM, AND THEN YOU, YOU SEE ALL OF THOSE REASON, ALL THOSE TOMBSTONES. UM, AND HOW, HOW WELL IT WAS PUT OFF. UM, YOU KNOW, I SAID IT AT THE EVENT, AND I SAY IT AGAIN, EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS A DAWN CATER. AND SO DAWN, 88 YEARS, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT FOR POST 1 49. BUT, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO. BUT I, YOU KNOW, AND I, I WISH EVERYBODY COULD HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE THINGS SHE SHARED. 'CAUSE AGAIN, YOU, YOU DON'T LEAVE THE SAME WAY. UM, ALL RIGHT. LEMME GET TO A LITTLE MORE BUSINESS STRATEGIC PLANNING. UM, I'VE, I'VE MADE SOME CONTACTS. YOU'LL BE APPRECIATE THIS VIRGINIA TECH. UM, I'VE GOT A MEETING FIRST PART OF, OF JANUARY WITH VIRGINIA TECH TO HELP US POTENTIALLY WITH DOING SOME STRATEGIC PLANNING. UM, AND THERE'S THIS WHOLE CONCEPT OF AN ECONOMIC BASE ANALYSIS AND MORE OF A FISCAL REVIEW BEFORE YOU EVEN START STRATEGIC PLANNING. THEY'VE DONE THIS IN ALMAR AND GREEN, BUT, UM, THEY WANT TO PARTNER WITH DIMWIT TO, TO SPECIFICALLY LOOK INTO OUR ECONOMIC BASE. SO I THINK THIS IS A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR US. AND SO WE'RE GONNA KICK THAT OFF EARLY IN, IN JANUARY. UM, SPEAKING OF JANUARY, JANUARY 6TH IS YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING. AT THAT TIME, WE WILL PASS THE BATON, UM, OVER TO MS, UH, EVEN BONNER. BUT THAT'S YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING. UM, ALSO WANNA GIVE YOU ANOTHER DATE, UH, JANUARY 24TH AND WE'LL SEND THESE OUT TO YOU. I WAS CONTACTED BY, UH, DELEGATE ELECT KIM POPE ADAMS, AND SHE'S GONNA BE HAVING HER SWEARING IN CEREMONY ON THE 24TH, UM, JANUARY 24TH. THAT'S A SATURDAY. AND SHE WOULD LIKE THE MUNICIPALITY SHE REPRESENTS AND OBVIOUSLY DID WHEN IS HER HOME. SO WE, UM, I'VE, I'VE GOT IT ON MY SCHEDULE TO BE THERE, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S 11:00 AM AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, UH, IN THE, UH, HOUSE CHAMBERS. SO AGAIN, UH, THE 24TH, 11:00 AM FEBRUARY 5TH IS VACO GOVERNMENT DAY. SO I KNOW THAT, UH, MS. BROWN PUT THAT OUT YESTERDAY. BUT WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND RSVP, ALL THOSE THAT CAN, CAN COME TO THAT. AND, UH, AGAIN, WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, IT'S, IT'S MR. LEE'S, UH, THIS IS MR. LEE'S LAST MEETING AS CHAIR. SO WE FIGURE WE HAVE SOME TOWN, UM, SOME PUBLIC HEARINGS TONIGHT, AND THEN THAT WILL FINISH UP HIS YEAR AS AS CHAIR. UH, BUT I, I, WE WERE JUST HAD A MOMENT TO KIND OF JUST HE AND I EARLIER TODAY JUST TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED THIS YEAR. AND IT'S EASY FOR, TO FORGET. IT'S LIKE YOU, YOU WORK THROUGH ONE MONTH TO GET TO THE NEXT MONTH AND THEN GET TO THE NEXT MONTH. AND IN SOME WAYS IT'S, UM, I THOUGHT IT WENT BY PRETTY QUICK, YOU KNOW, FOR HIM, IT, I THINK IT, MAYBE IT PROBABLY DID TOO, BUT IN SOME, SOME WEEKS IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE YEAR THAT YOU'RE CHAIR, YOU TAKE ON A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESPONSIBILITY. AND, YOU KNOW, DAN DID IT PHENOMENALLY, AS HE ALWAYS HAS. AND SO DAN, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR WHAT YOU DO, UM, AND WHAT PEOPLE DON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE EVEN BEHIND THE SCENES OF, OF WHAT THE CHAIRMAN DOES. IT'S A, IT'S A LOT. IT'S A LOT. UM, ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT CHRISTMAS SHARING AND, UM, MR. CHAVIS AND DR. MOORE WERE ABLE TO GO TO THAT AS WELL. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO, AS WE WE TRANSITION TO CHRISTMAS, JUST, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT HOW MANY FAMILIES ARE GONNA BE BETTER OFF BECAUSE CHRISTMAS SHARE AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS DID WHAT, WHAT THEY DID. AND LAST THING I MENTIONED IS WE, [00:45:01] WE GET TO A NEW YEAR, AND I TALK ABOUT THIS EVERY YEAR, BUT IT, IT'S LIKE IT, I WAS TOLD EARLIER IN MY LIFE THAT WHEN YOU APPROACH A NEW YEAR, YOU THINK ABOUT, UM, KIND OF WHERE YOU COME TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU COME FROM, KIND OF WHERE YOU'RE AT IN THE MOMENT. UM, AND THEN TO THINK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE, WHERE YOU'RE GOING. SO DON'T, DON'T LET THAT CLOCK TICK PAST MIDNIGHT WITHOUT BEING VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AS FAR AS THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE AND WHAT THEY DO. AND, AND OF COURSE YOUR WORK FAMILY IS A BIG PART OF THAT FOR, FOR ALL OF US. UM, VERY, VERY MUCH THANKFUL FOR THAT. UH, MS. CHAIRMAN, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, ALRIGHT, WE'RE GOING [10. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] TO DO BOARD MEMBER OF COMMENTS. MR. CHAVIS, WE'LL START WITH YOU. OKAY. LET'S START OFF WITH STACY. UH, STACY WORKED SO HARD FOR THE FAIR AND IT WAS, UH, EVERY TIME I WENT I SAW HER THERE. YEAH. SO IT TAKES TIME TO BRING, UH, FORTH THE, THE ACTIVITIES THEY HAVE RIGHT THERE. UH, SATURDAY NIGHT I WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE FIRE PARTY AT FORD. MM-HMM . AND THAT WAS FUN, GOOD FOOD, GOOD FELLOWSHIP. AND, UH, MR. CASEY DID A GOOD LITTLE THANK TO EVERYONE THERE. UH, SO THAT WAS GOOD. THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. IT'S, UM, UH, CHRISTMAS SHARING. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS WENT UP AND SAW ALL THE STUFF, ALL THE TOYS, EVERYTHING THAT'S INSIDE THE ENHANCEMENT BUILDING ABOUT EVERY ROOM IS PACKED IN TWO DAYS OF SHARING THAT THEY CAN GO ALL DAY LONG SHOPPING. AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD SO MUCH LEFT OVER, SO FOR, AND THEY CUT IT OFF AFTER TWO DAYS, BUT IT WAS A, A GOOD TIME TO GO AND, UH, SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE TOO. SO, UH, THAT'S ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE. UM, ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MR. CHAVIS. MR. DOOLEY. UM, I, I, I DON'T WANNA SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, BUT I GUESS I WILL JUST 'CAUSE, UM, THIS COMMUNITY IS AMAZING. OUR STAFF IS SECOND TO NONE. MM-HMM . UH, TO SEE THE FOLKS THAT CONTINUE TO SHOW UP DAY AFTER DAY AND DO MORE THAN WHAT'S REQUIRED OF THEM, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITY IS, IS AMAZING. UM, AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, CHRISTMAS PARTY, YOU KNOW, OUR CHIEF WAS LATE, UH, TO THE PARTY. UH, SOME OTHER MEMBERS WERE LATE AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY HAD TO BE MM-HMM . IT'S BECAUSE EVEN IN THEIR DOWNTIME, THEY CHOOSE TO VOLUNTEER AND CAPACITIES THAT ARE NOT REQUIRED OF THEM AND THEY GO OUT AND THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE AND THEY PUT OTHERS BEFORE THEMSELVES. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES OUR COMMUNITY SPECIAL. THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS COUNTY SPECIAL. UH, WHEN I LOOK AT CHIEF CATER AND ALL THE YEARS THAT SHE SPENT INFLUENCING YOUTH AT, UH, AT THE HIGH SCHOOL WITH J-R-O-T-C AND INVESTING IN LIVES THERE TO COME OUT AND DO IT AGAIN IN A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO, BUT SHE CHOOSES THIS COMMUNITY. AND I COULD SAY THAT ABOUT EVERYBODY THAT'S SITTING IN THIS AUDIENCE AND, AND MANY OF THOSE THAT ARE, ARE WATCHING ONLINE. AND IF YOU BUY INTO THE LIVE THAT THE MEDIA SHARES THAT THE WORLD IS DOOMED AS WE LOOK AT NATIVE THINGS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. UH, DON'T BELIEVE THE LIE. BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK RIGHT, WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE AT THIS COMMUNITY, PEOPLE ARE STEPPING UP. PEOPLE ARE LOVING AND THERE IS HOPE. AND THAT HOPE IS JESUS CHRIST. AND IT'S EVIDENT IN THE FOLKS THAT SIT AT THIS TABLE AND THAT SIT IN THIS AUDIENCE. SO I PRAISE GOD FOR YOU. I THANK YOU. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR. WONDERFUL STATEMENT, WONDERFUL STATEMENT. CASEY, UM, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH WALMART REOPENING, AND I KNOW DAN'S GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, BUT IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT IS BEING PUT INTO THAT BUILDING AND WHERE WE ARE ADVANCING TO, UH, IN THE MANUFACTURING SIDE AS WELL AS DISTRIBUTION SIDE. UM, AND THE MORE IMPORTANT NUMBER THAT I HEARD WAS MAINTAINING THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE IN THAT BUILDING, UM, AND THEIR ENTHUSIASM, UM, THAT THEY HAVE, UH, IS VERY EVIDENT OF, OF HOW THAT FACILITY IS PRODUCING. AND, UH, THEY HAD PEOPLE THERE FROM BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS, WHICH IS THE HOME OFFICE FOR WALMART. AND, UM, THEY WERE EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE OF THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE AT SULLIVAN. 60 23, I THINK IS THE NUMBER OF THE WAREHOUSE. SO THANK YOU TO EVERY OTHER EMPLOYEE THAT IS THERE AND THE WORK THAT THEY DO BECAUSE IF THEY WEREN'T THERE DOING THAT, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE PRODUCT IN THE STORE THAT WE HAVE THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE. SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF THEM AND, AND THEIR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE, ARE RUNNING THE OPERATION 'CAUSE THEY'RE DOING A MAGNIFICENT JOB. UM, KEVIN [00:50:01] TALKED ABOUT THE RBC FOUNDATION AWARDS, UM, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT THERE, THE ALUMNI, THE, UM, WHAT'S THE, UM, THE AWARD? IT'S THE ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED, ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD. WENT TO A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF MARK STEVENS, AND I'VE KNOWN MARK FOR PROBABLY 40 YEARS AND HE'S BEEN IN THE BANKING BUSINESS, OF COURSE, HE IS ASSOCIATED WITH FIRST BANK, WHICH OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW IS, UM, BANK OF MCKINNEY. AND HE WAS HERE IN DENWOOD COUNTY AND NOW IS OVER AT THE QUE OFFICE. BUT YOU KNOW, THE WORDS THAT MARK SPOKE THAT EVENING ABOUT HIS WORK ETHIC AND THE PEOPLE THAT HAD INFLUENCED HIM AND HIS OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY SPOKE VOLUMES OF THE VALUE OF RBC. UM, AND I, I, I SAY THAT BECAUSE RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE IS AFFECTING ABOUT A HUNDRED OF OUR STUDENTS CURRENTLY IN THE DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM. AND HALF OF THAT CAMPUS IS IN DINWITTY COUNTY AND THE OTHER HALF IS IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY. SO I JUST WANNA SAY, AS A SUPERVISOR, I VALUE THE RELATIONSHIP THAT DENWITTY COUNTY HAS WITH RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE AND THE LIVES THAT THEY HAVE AFFECTED OVER THE MANY YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE AND THOSE THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED TODAY. UM, WHEN WE'VE GOT A CLASS THAT'LL COME BACK PROBABLY THIS YEAR WILL BE, I THINK OUR FIRST CLASS THAT'LL BE GOING THROUGH, THAT'LL GET AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, UH, AT THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL. PRINCE GEORGE IS A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF US. THEY'VE HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND THE DOLLAR SAVINGS IS ONE THING, BUT THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT I THINK IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO DE WITTY, UH, COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO, UH, JUST WANNA PUT THAT ON THE RECORD. UM, AS FAR AS RBC IS CONCERNED, AND DR. SADOW, UM, IN JUNE, I THINK JUNE THE 30 WILL BE HER LAST DAY RETIREMENT. AND I HAD MENTIONED TO KEVIN, AND I APPRECIATE HIM SAYING, MAKING THE COMMENT TODAY, BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD SHOW A LOT OF VALUE OF THIS BOARD TO BE THERE TO SAY THANK YOU TO HER FOR THAT LAST GRADUATION. AND I HOPE OUR SCHEDULES WILL ALLOW FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. UM, THEN WE CHRISTMAS SHARING, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY FAMILIES AND CHILDREN WERE INVOLVED, BUT I KNOW IT'S AROUND THE 400 MARK, SOMEWHERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. I WANNA THANK EVERY CHURCH THAT WAS INVOLVED, EVERY INDIVIDUAL THAT GAVE A DONATION, AS WELL AS EVERY PERSON THAT'S INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL MAKING OF IT HAPPENING. UH, IT'S A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AND, UM, THEN THE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE LIFE CHANGING BUSINESS AND THAT IS JUST PUTS THAT AS THEY SAY, THAT TWINKLE IN THE EYE, UM, FOR A LOT OF CHILDREN THAT ARE ASSOCIATED IN DANITY COUNTY. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT'S INVOLVED WITH THAT. UM, THE PARADE, OF COURSE, I KNOW THERE'S SOME DISAPPOINTMENT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE PARADE, BUT IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, UM, OF WHAT OCCURRED THERE. AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF COMMENTS, GOOD, BAD, OR IN BETWEEN. UM, BUT PUBLIC SAFETY COMES FIRST AND I THINK WE AS A, AS A BOARD AND AS A COUNTY AND THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARADE RECOGNIZE THAT. AND, UM, SO IT WILL HAPPEN. IT'S JUST SOMETIMES CIRCUMSTANCES GET IN THE WAY. WE CAN'T CONTROL THE WEATHER AND OTHER EVENTS. SO, UM, BUT I KNOW OUR TEAM WAS READY TO PUT IT ON, BUT SOMETIMES EVENTS HAPPEN. UM, AND LAST I'LL SAY IS EXACTLY WHAT CASEY SAID, THE REASON FOR THE SEASON IS JESUS CHRIST. YEAH. UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR WORLD TODAY, I WILL JUST TELL EVERYBODY, PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS, AND TELL 'EM THAT YOU LOVE THEM BECAUSE NONE OF US KNOW WHAT TOMORROW'S GONNA BRING. UM, SO JUST TELL 'EM THAT YOU LOVE THEM AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE. THANK YOU. YOU MEMBER MODEL. OKAY. UM, COURSE, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, THE, UM, TREE LIGHTING, THE CHRISTMAS, UM, ILLUMINATION. I WAS THERE AND, UM, I SPOKE, IT WAS A COLD DAY. WE LEFT WALMART, UH, GOING OVER THERE. SO, UM, UH, AND I WAS SURPRISED. I THOUGHT MAYBE A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE, IT WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. MM-HMM. A LOT OF KIDS RUNNING AROUND, YOU KNOW, JUST HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES, JUST, JUST HAVING A, A GRAND THYME. SO, UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THE LINING UP THE TREE AND SANTA CLAUS, THEY, THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND, UM, I ENJOYED, UM, SPEAKING AT THAT. UM, THE OTHER THING I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT IS, UM, I WENT TO THE AMERICAN LEGION 1 49. OF COURSE, MS. DON CATER IS HERE. AND, UM, SHE DOES A LOT OF THINGS. THAT ORGANIZATION IS THRIVING AND DOING WELL. UM, SHE HAD [00:55:01] A PACKED HOUSE THERE ON THAT NIGHT OF THE, UM, FOR THE AMERICAN LEGION. AND, UM, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THEY, UM, FOLDED THE FLAG AND, UM, THAT'S GIVING AT, UM, AT FUNERALS WHEN, UM, WHEN SOMEONE PASSES THE, AND IT'S 13 SQUARES IN THAT. UM, AND IT WAS JUST SOMETHING TO SEE AS THEY COMPLETED IT AND, AND PASSED IT OVER, UM, TO, UM, ONE OF THE SERVICEMEN JUST TO HOLD. BUT, BUT, UM, THAT WAS VERY, VERY INTERESTING. AND THEY, AND IT WAS SOMETHING SAID ABOUT EACH SQUARE AS IT WAS FOLDING. SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UM, I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, BUT IT WAS, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY ENJOYED LISTENING AND APPRECIATING WHY THAT'S GIVEN TO A PERSON WHO HAS SERVED OUR COUNTRY FOR, UM, UNTIL THE END. SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE. AND ALSO THEY, UM, THEY HAD A, UM, LITTLE, A LITTLE SLIDESHOW. WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, PEOPLE IN THE, UM, IN THE MILITARY AND THEY HAD A GENTLEMAN AND I, I CAN'T REMEMBER, I WAS TRYING TO REMEMBER. UM, HE DID SOMETHING FOR A LONG TIME, 22, UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE, THE HIKE THROUGH THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL. 22 A DAY. 22 A DAY. THAT'S WHAT HE DID. AND HE TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND, UM, UH, VERY EXTRAORDINARY. HE AND HE, HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE MILITARY. AND THIS IS WHERE I KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH PEOPLE. UH, THEY SAID IT WAS 22 PEOPLE A DAY THAT COMMIT SUICIDE, THAT'S MILITARY CONNECTED. AND THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. ONE PERSON IS A, IS A LOT, BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT 22 IS A LOT, AND, UM, WE, WE JUST HAVE TO BE THERE FOR PEOPLE JUST TO HELP THEM. UH, WE JUST, UH, SAW IN THE NEWS ABOUT A YOUNG MAN THAT HAD SOME SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES AND, UM, WHO UNFORTUNATELY, UM, KILLED HIS PARENTS. AND THAT'S BEEN ALL ON THE NEWS. UM, UM, THE, THE, UH, HE WAS A DIRECTOR AND, UM, KIND OF FAMOUS FOR ALL IN THE FAMILY, UH, GENTLEMAN, MR. ROBER. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT IS A SAD THING WHEN YOUR, YOUR CHILD HAS TO TAKE YOU OUT BEFORE HE LEAVES AND UH, FOR WHATEVER REASON, BUT IT'S A LOT OF, UM, SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS A LOT OF MENTAL HEALTH GOING ON, NOT IN THIS COUNTRY AND ACROSS, ACROSS THE WORLD. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST WANNA BE THERE AND TRY TO HELP PEOPLE IF NEEDED. SOME PEOPLE YOU CAN'T HELP AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE. UM, BUT SOME WE CAN, IF WE, UM, KIND OF REACH OUT AND THINK ABOUT THE, THE SEASON AND THINK ABOUT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GIVING AND AND SO FORTH. BUT IT IS, UM, UH, WHEN JESUS WAS BORN AND, UM, I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, YOUR BOARD ALWAYS TALK, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND JUST TALK ABOUT FAITH. AND I WISH OUR, THIS IS THE PERSON, OF COURSE I'M NOT GONNA CALL THEM NAME, THEY TALKED ABOUT THEIR BOARD. THEY SAID, I WISH WE WOULD EVEN ENTERTAIN EVEN MENTIONING SOMETHING, UH, ABOUT GOD. AND, AND WE KNOW IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELIEVE, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S FINE. BUT THE THING ABOUT IT IS THIS IS A SEASON THAT WE KIND OF CELEBRATE AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THAT. IF YOU GIVE A GIFT, THAT'S FINE, BUT ALSO JUST REMEMBER THAT THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE DO TRY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. AND, UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE AND HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU BRENDA. YES. UM, I'LL GO THROUGH, UM, SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH, BUT I, I, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMUNITY IS TRULY SPECIAL AND, UM, IT, UM, IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE AUDITOR COMES UP AND TALKS ABOUT WHAT A GOOD AUDIT WE HAD AND, AND YOU REALLY DON'T THINK ABOUT GOOD AUDITS TILL YOU HAVE SOME, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S NOT GOOD. AND SO THE EFFECTS OF OF DOING IT RIGHT ALL THE TIME IS, IS TRULY A GOOD THING. AND WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO AND, AND KEVIN STA AND EVERYBODY OUT HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT CASEY SAID IS TRUE. YOU, YOU, YOU, UM, DO NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO. YOU DO BECAUSE YOU WANT TO. AND THAT, AND THAT'S TRULY, UM, SPECIAL. AND JUST LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UM, THE TREE LIGHTING, I WAS, UM, SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. AND THAT WAS THE [01:00:01] NIGHT THAT, UM, AFTERNOON THAT ALICIA WENT IN THE HOSPITAL WAS THAT AFTERNOON. AND BRENDA FOUND OUT ABOUT, UM, HAVING TO DO THAT, UM, AT FOUR O'CLOCK. AND I GUESS IT STARTED AT SIX O'CLOCK. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF GOT DUMPED IN HER LAP. UM, BUT I TRULY APPRECIATE, UM, THE FACT THAT SHE DID THAT. AND I CAN COUNT THE SIX PEOPLE UP HERE. UM, FIVE PEOPLE I COUNT, I CAN COUNT ON MYSELF TOO, UM, CAN COUNT ON THEM AT ANY TIME, UM, TO, TO HELP ME. AND I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY NICE TO KNOW THEY'VE GOT MY BACK. BUT, UM, I DID GO TO THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE WALMART DISTRIBUTION, UM, SITTING AND GOT TO, TO SPEAK AT THAT. AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, IT'S BEEN BEEN THERE FOR 34 YEARS AND IF YOU LIKE ME, TIME JUST FLIES BY AND IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT LONG. BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN EMPLOYING PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR 34 YEARS AND, UH, IT'S BEEN REALLY A STEADY EMPLOYER FOR, UM, FOLKS, AND OF COURSE WE HAD ALL THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS WE GAVE ALL THE TAX BREAKS AND ALL, ALL THOSE THINGS. BUT, UH, THEY TRULY HAVE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER. UM, THE AUTOMATION, UM, I'VE GOT SOME VIDEOS THAT ARE A PRETTY, UM, CRAZY TO THINK WHAT MACHINES ARE DOING NOW. UM, AND THEY'RE IN THAT FACILITY. AND THE GOOD THING IS, UM, NOBODY'S JOB WAS, WAS LOST BECAUSE OF, OF, UH, THESE MACHINES. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE WALMART TEAM AND, AND, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO DO WHAT THEY DO IN DENWOODY. UM, OF COURSE THE GRAND ILLUMINATION, UM, WAS GLAD THAT BRENDA, UM, WAS ABLE TO DO THAT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT'S A PRETTY A BUILDING THAN THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE. UM, YOU KNOW, AND WITH THE SNOW, UH, I HAD A, UM, FRIEND OF MINE THAT, UM, SENT ME A PICTURE ABOUT A WEEK AGO, UM, WITH THE SNOW AND HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO ENTER IT IN THE, IN THE FILE FOR, UM, NEXT YEAR ONE ON THE PHOTO CONTEST. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY HE'LL, HE'LL WIN WITH THAT. UM, AND OF COURSE WITH, WITH THE WEATHER, UM, IT, IT, IT'S CRAZY. UM, I'D LIKE TO THINK THIS IS OUR WINTER AS THESE COUPLE OF WEEKS RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL HAVE, UH, SUMMER IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, BUT NOT SURE WE CAN COUNT ON THAT. UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE CLOSED THE COUNTY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, SO, UM, PEOPLE GOT TO LOOK AT THE MONEY A FEW MORE DAYS BEFORE THEY PAID THEIR TAXES. UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THREE DIFFERENT DAYS THAT IT, IT GOT PUSHED BACK. SO, UM, ANYWAY, UH, CHRISTMAS PARADE CERTAINLY WE'RE UPSET ABOUT THAT, BUT, UM, AS WE'VE HEARD, WE'RE ALREADY, UM, PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR, UM, AND HOPEFULLY TO, TO MAYBE DO SOME THINGS DIFFERENT AND, UM, HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PARADE. UM, SO THIS IS THE, UM, MY LAST, UM, MEETING AS CHAIRMAN, UM, FOR THIS GO ROUND. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO, UM, THANK EVERYBODY AND IT, IT'S BEEN A, A GOOD YEAR FOR ME. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, UM, HAVE SOME CHALLENGES WITH, WITH THINGS THAT I HAVE TO DO TO KEEP ME GOING. AND SO I MISSED SOME THINGS ALONG THE, THE WAY. UM, BUT AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, UM, MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS HAD MY BACK, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M PROUD OF THE YEAR WE'VE HAD AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, I I GET TO STAND UP AND POKE MY CHEST OUT AND TAKE CREDIT FOR IT, BUT IT'S A, IT IS, UM, A A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO ON THAT I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH. AND, YOU KNOW, I, AND, UM, WHEN I GOT ON THE BOARD 14 YEARS AGO, UM, I, I GOT ON IN MAY AND IN JUNE, AMAZON, UM, HAD THEIR, UM, THEIR ANNOUNCEMENT AND I TOLD EVERYBODY THE REST OF THAT YEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, IN MY ONE MONTH I WAS ABLE TO GET AMAZON HERE. AND, UH, BUT I, I DID FIND OUT IN THAT MONTH THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WANTS A CRACKER A BARREL, AND EVERYBODY WANTS THIS. AND I CAN TELL YOU THE REASON AMAZON IS HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE AMAZON WANTED TO BE HERE. AND THAT'S, [01:05:01] THAT'S THE THING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. IT, IT'S, YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS TO HELP THEM WANT TO BE HERE, BUT IN THE, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE COMPANY HAS TO WANT TO BE HERE TO BE HERE. AND, UH, I CAN'T THINK OF ABOUT A PLACE FOR ANYBODY TO BE THEN HERE. SO WITH THAT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYBODY A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. MR. CHAIRMAN. UH, MR. CHAVIS JUST WHISPERED TO ME WHEN WE WENT TO, WENT TO WALMART FOR, FOR THOSE THAT DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO GO, UM, AND I WANT Y'ALL TO THINK ABOUT THIS AS YOU GET READY TO HAVE YOUR CHRISTMAS, UH, THERE WAS ONE PARTICULAR FAMILY THAT WAS RECOGNIZED BY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, FIVE KIDS THAT HAD FIVE KIDS, SINGLE MOTHER WHO STARTED WORKING AT WALMART AS A TEMP AGENCY PLACEMENT. AND SO I HAD THE, THE PLEASURE TO STEP BESIDE THE DIRECTOR OF HABITAT. AND SO WALMART ENDED UP WORKING WITH HABITAT HUMANITY TO GIVE THE HOME TO THIS ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH HER, HER FIVE, UH, KIDS. AND PROBABLY THE OLDEST CHILD WAS EIGHT, NINE YEARS OLD, I WOULD SAY. AND MAYBE, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OLDER. MAYBE 10, YEAH, BUT 10 MAYBE. BUT WHAT STRUCK ME WHEN WE STARTED WALKING AROUND AND SHE WAS THINKING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS AND THAT TYPE OF THING, SHE'S LIKE, WHAT? YOU DID WHAT? THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU THE, THE EXECS FROM WALMART THAT HER HUSBAND WAS MURDERED, UM, A YEAR BEFORE SHE STARTED WORKING AT WALMART. SO SHE, SHE WAS A SINGLE MOTHER BECAUSE OF THAT. AND INSTEAD OF GOING IN A A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, YOU KNOW, SHE DUG DEEPER AND, AND GOT IN THERE AS A TEMP AND THEN HAS NOW BEEN PROMOTED TO EVEN A, A HIGHER POSITION AT WALMART, AND THEN NOW HAS A HOUSE GIVEN TO HER. BUT I, YOU KNOW, ON THE WAY BACK HERE, UM, MR. LEE AND MR. CHAVIS AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRENGTH AND CHARACTER OF COMMUNITY, I MEAN, THAT'S THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT, THAT LIVE IN DEWINE COUNTY, THAT THAT KIND OF PULL THEMSELVES BACK UP AND IT TAKES OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THAT. AND SO TO MS UH, EVEN BONNER'S POINT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, CHRISTMAS BRINGS ON A WHOLE LOT OF EMOTION FOR A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE. WE JUST ENCOURAGE YOU THAT IN YOUR COMMUNITIES, CHECK ON THOSE, THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY NOT HAVE SOME OF THE SUPPORT THAT YOU HAVE. UM, 'CAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU MS. CHAVIS FOR BRINGING THAT UP AND THAT WAS A TOUCHING PART OF THE CEREMONY. ALRIGHT, KAISHA, WE [11. CLOSED SESSION] HAVE A NEED TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION. THE BOARD WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED SESSION UNDER 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1 A ONE, PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS, CRATER PLANNING, DISTRICT COMMISSION PLANNING, AIRPORT AND INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY, DANITY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION, VIRGINIA'S GATEWAY REGION FIREARM SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, BACKSTOP SHOOTING AT NIGHT, 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 180 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 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. DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR GOVERNMENT COMPLEX. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSE PLEASE? SO MOVED. SECOND. DO WE ROLL CALL PLEASE? MR. CHAVIS? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. MR. LEE AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALRIGHT. AND WE'LL BE BACK HERE AT SEVEN FOR SOME RECOGNITIONS AND A COUPLE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS. THANK YOU. I MAY, WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. UM, WE NEED A MOTION TO COME OUTTA CLOSED SESSION. SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING AYE. WHEREAS THIS BOARD CONVENED IN A CLOSED MEETING UNDER 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1 A ONE. PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION, DENWOODY AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY, DENWOODY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION, VIRGINIA'S GATEWAY REGION FIREARM SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, BACK STOP AND SHOOTING AT NIGHT. 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 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 AND 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 180 3. DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION OF THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY FOR PUBLIC PURPOSE OR OF THE DISPOSITION OF PUBLICLY HELD REAL PROPERTY WHERE DISCUSSION IN [01:10:01] AN OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY ACQUISITION OR PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY FOR GOVERNMENT COMPLEX. 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 IT CERTIFIED, THAT ONLY THOSE MATTERS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED, OR CONSIDERED IN THE MEETING. I NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT PLEASE. SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. AND AT THIS TIME WE WILL RE RECESS UNTIL SEVEN, UH O'CLOCK. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. GOOD EVENING. I'M SIR. GOOD EVENING. HOW IS EVERYONE? UM, WELCOME TO THE SEVEN O'CLOCK SESSION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. [12.A. Resolution: Robert H. Spiers, Jr.-Dinwiddie County Industrial Development Authority] AT THIS TIME, WE ARE GOING TO START, WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS THAT WE, UH, THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO DO. MADAM CHAIR, IT PLEASES THE BOARD. IF WE COULD, IF WE COULD ALL COME DOWN TO THE PODIUM AND, AND I'LL DO THE RECOGNITIONS DOWN THERE. GOOD EVENING. SO MY NAME IS, UH, KEVIN MASSENGILL AND I HAVE THE, THE PLEASURE AT LEAST ALMOST THE LAST 20 YEARS TO BE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR HERE IN IN, IN DENWOOD COUNTY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT THIS BOARD PARTICULARLY LIKES TO DO IS TO, TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. AND SO WE HAVE THREE INDIVIDUALS TONIGHT THAT, THAT I'M HUMBLED TO, TO BE ABLE TO WALK YOU THROUGH AND BE, BE RECOGNIZED. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS ROBERT SPIERS JR. MS. SPIERS, IF YOU COULD COME FORWARD, YOU STAND RIGHT HERE. LOOK AT EVERYBODY. HOW YOU DOING? SO I, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF, OF WORKING A ALONGSIDE MR. SPIS FOR ALMOST MY WHOLE TIME HERE IN, IN DENWOODY. SO, UH, MR. SPIS HAD WORKED WITH THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND HE DID SUCH A GOOD JOB OVER THERE THAT WE, UH, KIND OF HOOKED HIM IN TO HELP US A LITTLE BIT WITH, UH, DOING OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLANNING FOR THE COUNTY. AND SO, A A A QUICK STORY ON THE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE, UH, IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHEN YOU LISTEN TO MR. SPIERS AND OF COURSE A RICH BACKGROUND IN AGRICULTURE. AND SO FOR ANYBODY THAT'S FROM DENWOODY, YOU KNOW, LOOK, WHEN I, I KNEW WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH DENWOODY SCHOOLS AND I TOOK AN AG CLASS, UM, AFTER I TOOK THAT AGRICULTURAL CLASS, I REALIZED WHAT KEVIN WASN'T GOING TO DO FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. I, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY AND THERE WAS NOTHING EASY ABOUT AG. UH, BUT THE BUSINESS SENSE OF OUR AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY IS PHENOMENAL, RIGHT? SO GREAT, GREAT ADDITION TO THE IDA. THEN HE, LIKE I SAID, THEN HE GOT ONTO THE PLANNING, UH, ON THE PLANNING SIDE WITH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. UH, ALWAYS DID. HIS HOMEWORK ALWAYS WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND. AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU ASKED A QUESTION, YOU, YOU, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD LISTEN 'CAUSE IT, IT, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO AT THIS TIME, MADAM CLERK, IF, IF YOU COULD, COULD YOU READ THE RESOLUTION, UM, AT THIS MOMENT. WHEREAS ROBERT J SPIS JR, A LIFELONG RESIDENT IN FULL-TIME FARMER IN DIMWIT COUNTY, HAS DEDICATED HIS CAREER TO ADVANCING AGRICULTURE THROUGH HIS FLU, FLU, CURED TOBACCO, CORN, SOYBEAN, MILO, AND WHEAT OPERATIONS SPANNING MORE THAN 1600 ACRES. AND WHEREAS MR. SPIERS HAS BEEN AN INFLUENTIAL LEADER WITHIN VIRGINIA'S AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY LENDING HIS EXPERIENCE AND INSIGHT TO NUMEROUS BOARDS, INCLUDING TOBACCO ASSOCIATES, INC. COLONIAL FARM CREDIT, A CA, THE NATIONAL FARM CREDIT COUNCIL, AND THE DIMITY COUNTY FARM BUREAU. AND WHEREAS HE HAS PROVIDED DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AS A GOVERNOR APPOINTED DIRECTOR ON BOTH THE VIRGINIA FLU CURED TOBACCO BOARD AND THE VIRGINIA TOBACCO REGION REVITALIZATION COMMISSION, WHERE HE SERVED TWO TERMS FROM 2011 TO 2019, CONTRIBUTING TO THE AGRIBUSINESS COMMITTEE FIRST AS VICE CHAIR, AND LATER AS CHAIR, AS WELL AS THE SPECIAL PROJECTS COMMITTEE. AND WHEREAS SINCE HIS ELECTION TO [01:15:01] THE TOBACCO ASSOCIATES BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN 2007, MR. SPIRES HAS CONTINUED TO DEMONSTRATE EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING HIS LONGSTANDING SERVICE AS THE ORGANIZATION'S TREASURER SINCE 2012, AND HAS REPRESENTED VIRGINIA FARMERS THROUGH EXTENSIVE TRAVEL AND PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. AND WHEREAS MR. SPIRES FAITHFULLY SERVED ON THE WITTY COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY IDA FROM FEBRUARY, 2017 THROUGH MARCH, 2025, OFFERING EIGHT YEARS OF STEADY LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING SERVICE AS SECRETARY TREASURER FROM 2019 TO 2020. AND WHEREAS DURING HIS TENURE ON THE IDA, HE ALSO SERVED AS THE IDA'S REPRESENTATIVE ON THE COUNTY'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTING TO LONG-TERM PLANNING EFFORTS THAT SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND INVESTMENT INDEMNITY COUNTY. AND WHEREAS ROBERT J SPIRES JR'S DECADES OF SERVICE REFLECT AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO AGRICULTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND THE PROSPERITY OF DIM WITTY COUNTY AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE DIM WITTY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE 16TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2025 DOES HEREBY RECOGNIZE AND EXTEND ITS DEEPEST APPRECIATION TO ROBERT J SPIRES JR. FOR HIS EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND DEDICATION TO THE CITIZENS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY OF M WITTY COUNTY AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE DEN WITTY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT THIS RESOLUTION BE PRESENTED TO MR. ROBERT J SPIRES JR. AND A COPY BE SPREAD UPON THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING FOR ALL ETERNITY. THE THE HARDEST THING WAS TO GET ALL THAT ON ONE PIECE OF PAPER , BUT AT THIS TIME, WE'D LIKE TO GET A PHOTO. AND MADAM CHAIR, OKAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, IT HAS BEEN MY PLEASURE TO SERVE AT THE COUNTY LEVEL. UH, I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED BEING AT THE TABLE. UH, PEOPLE NEED A LOT OF FOLLOWERS. UH, YOU NEED TO JOIN COMMITTEES TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, AND SPEAK UP AND ASK QUESTIONS. UH, THERE'S, THERE'S, YOU JUST NEED TO, UH, BE THERE AND, UH, DO YOUR PART MORE HANDS THAT WILLING TO WORK AT SOMETHING THAT MAKES IT, UH, A WHOLE LOT EASIER. AND WE JUST NEED TO BE, UH, A PART OF WHAT'S GOING ON. UH, YOU JUST NEED TO TRY TO MAKE TIME. UH, MY SON, UH, LEARNED TO FARM WHILE I WAS GONE. UH, AND HE'S TAKEN OVER THE OPERATION AND MY WIFE SUPPORTED ME, UH, DOING THIS. A LOT OF TIMES. THESE, SOME OF THESE POSITIONS HAD TO DO WITH MY CAREER IN AGRICULTURE. SO I FELT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT. UH, I LEARNED THINGS, BUT UH, I HAD TO SACRIFICE SOME THINGS TO, UH, TO DO THIS. BUT, UH, UH, DO APPRECIATE, UH, SOMEBODY DID A LITTLE BIT OF HOMEWORK. SOME OF THESE WERE DONE SOME TIME AGO, BUT, UH, DO APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. [12.B. Resolution: Andie Jones-Dinwiddie County Department Of Social Services Advisory Board] NEXT WE HAVE, UH, MS. ANDY JONES. ANDY, IF YOU WOULD STEP FORWARD. SO ANDY, UH, I'VE KNOWN MS. JONES FOR MOST OF MY LIFE. UM, GOT TO DEWIN COUNTY WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD, SO FOR SOME, I'M STILL GONNA COME HERE, BUT WHEN I GOT HERE EARLY IN MY LIFE, I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET BILL AND ANDY JONES. UM, AND IT'S THE GREATEST MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU GROW UP SOMEWHERE AND THEN YOU GET TO WORK WITH THE SAME PEOPLE THAT YOU EVEN LOOKED UP TO AS A, AS A YOUNGER PERSON. AND SO TO BE ABLE, MS. MS. JONES HAD AN UNBELIEVABLE CAREER WITH DENE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT WHEN SHE WAS LEAVING THAT WE THOUGHT THERE WAS MORE THAT COULD BE DONE. AND SO, UH, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF OF BEING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHAIR OF THE BOARD FOR THE DEPARTMENT [01:20:01] OF SOCIAL SERVICES. AND SO WE HAVE AN ADVISORY BOARD. THAT ADVISORY BOARD IS REALLY THE ADVOCACY OF, OF SOCIAL SERVICES. SO WE LIKE TO SAY IN SOCIAL SERVICES THAT, YOU KNOW, THE VOICE OF THE VOICE LIST, SOMETIMES YOU DON'T, YOU'LL JUST, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE COME UP TO THIS PODIUM AND SPEAK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY LIKE TO HAVE OR, OR, OR GET FUNDED IN THE COUNTY, YOU VERY RARELY SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE THE MOST DOWN TROTTED. AND SO THE SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD IS THAT VOICE. SO THEY HAVE BEEN STRONG ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, WHETHER IT'S ON THE BENEFITS SIDE OR THE SERVICES SIDE. AND SO ANDY, UM, ANYTHING, IF ANYBODY KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT MS. JONES, SHE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING HALFHEARTEDLY, RIGHT? SO SHE'S ANOTHER ONE. YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO MAKE SURE THE MINUTES ARE REG. ANDY'S GONNA DO THAT IF, IF YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE TASK THAT WE SAID LAST MONTH WAS GONNA BE DONE THIS, THIS MONTH, ANDY'S GONNA MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT. SO EVERY ASPECT OF SOCIAL SERVICES WHILE SHE WAS ON THE ADVISORY BOARD WAS LOOKED AFTER. UM, SO ANDY, IT IS JUST A PRIVILEGE. I, I SAW HER LAST WEEK AT CHRISTMAS YEAR AND STILL VOLUNTEERING AND, AND TOLD HER, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE GONNA BE WITH US NEXT TUESDAY NIGHT. SHE SAID, I DON'T NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED. AND I SAID, NO, YOU GET TO BE RECOGNIZED. SO, UM, AT THIS TIME, MS. BROWN, IF YOU'LL READ THE RESOLUTION, WHEREAS MRS. ANDY JONES HAS FAITHFULLY SERVED THE CITIZENS OF DIMITY COUNTY AS A DEDICATED MEMBER OF THE DIMITY SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD FOR SIX YEARS, OFFERING STEADY LEADERSHIP, COMPASSION, AND A DEEP COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING FAMILIES. AND WHEREAS DURING HER TENURE, MRS. JONES ASSISTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TWO GEN PROGRAM HELPING ENSURE THAT CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS ACROSS D WITTY RECEIVE VITAL RESOURCES AND SUPPORT. AND SHE FURTHER ENHANCED THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES BY CREATING A WELCOMING CHILDREN'S READING AREA IN THE LOBBY, PERSONALLY SECURING A BOOKSHELF, COLLECTING BOOKS AND ORGANIZING THE SPACE. AND WHEREAS MRS. JONES DEMONSTRATED EXTRAORDINARY GENEROSITY BY PARTNERING WITH LEBANON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH TO HELP ESTABLISH A CLOTHING CLOSET FOR FOSTER CARE YOUTH, WHILE ALSO WORKING WITH HER KNITTING GROUP TO CRAFT BLANKETS, WALKER SKIRTS AND HATS FOR DSS CLIENTS, OFFERING COMFORT AND DIGNITY TO THOSE IN NEED. AND WHEREAS SHE COORDINATED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM TO DELIVER MEALS TO SENIOR CITIZENS, ORGANIZED THE SPONSORING OF FAMILIES DURING THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS, AND SUPPORTED ONGOING FOOD PANTRY COLLECTIONS, CONSISTENTLY STEPPING FORWARD TO MEET THE NEEDS OF VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. AND WHEREAS MRS. JONES HAS LONG SERVED THE BROADER COMMUNITY THROUGH HER WORK WITH THE DIM WITTY CHRISTMAS SHARING FOUNDATION, SHE AND HER HUSBAND BILL WERE HONORED AS CHRISTMAS PARENTS IN 2019 FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SPIRIT OF GIVING. AND WHEREAS AS A GRADUATE OF THE DIMITY CITIZENS ACADEMY, LIFELONG RESIDENT OF DIMITY COUNTY, AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN NUMEROUS COUNTY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS, MRS. JONES HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE LIVES OF LOCAL CHILDREN THROUGH HER CAREER AS A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER. AND WHEREAS MRS. JONES AND HER HUSBAND OF 51 YEARS BILL HAVE RAISED THREE CHILDREN AND ENJOY FOUR GRANDCHILDREN, EXEMPLIFYING THE VALUES OF FAMILY, SERVICE AND COMMUNITY. AND NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE DENWOODY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY RECOGNIZES AND EXPRESSES SINCERE APPRECIATION TO MRS. ANDY JONES FOR HER OUTSTANDING SERVICE ON THE DENWOODY SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD, AND FOR HER LIFELONG DEDICATION TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF DENWOOD COUNTY CITIZENS AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD ON THE 16TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2025 EXTENDS HEARTFELT GRATITUDE AND BEST WISHES TO MRS. JONES FOR A CONTINUED HEALTH, HAPPINESS, AND FULFILLMENT IN ALL FUTURE ENDEAVORS. AND THAT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION BE SPREAD UPON THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING FOR ALL ETERNITY, BUT NOT MY THING TO PUBLIC SPEAK. IT'S ONE THING TO TALK TO ADULTS, IT'S ANOTHER TO TALK TO KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN. THEY'LL ACCEPT, UH, ACCEPT YOU AND LOVE YOU FOR ANYTHING YOU SAY AND DO. UM, I TRULY APPRECIATE THIS HONOR. IT IS AN HONOR NOT ONE I EXPECT BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE MANY [01:25:01] PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY WHO DO LOTS OF WONDERFUL THINGS, AND I KNOW THEY WILL GET THEIR RECOGNITION, BUT I WANNA GIVE MY HAND OUT TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES TEAM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFICULT JOB. AND I FOUND THAT OUT WHEN I WAS ON THE BOARD. I REALLY, I REALLY DO THANK THEM FOR ALL THEY DO. YES, THEY'RE EMPLOYEES, BUT THEY GO THE EXTRA MILE IN MANY OCCASIONS. AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I, I DESERVE THIS HONOR. AS I SAID, I FEEL LIKE ALL I'M DOING IS SHOWING THE LOVE AND THE RESPECT AND SERVING THOSE AROUND ME, WHICH IS WHAT GOD HIMSELF WOULD EXPECT OF EACH OF US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. [12.C. Resolution: Martha J. Burton-Crater Planning District Commission And Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART)] AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE MARTHA BURTON, MARTHA. SO, AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO SAY ABOUT MARTHA. SO I I'M ALMOST THE PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF, I I WAS BORN IN 1975. Y'ALL CAN DO THE MATH. YOU WERE BORN, I WAS . SO IF YOU LOOK AT ME, MARTHA, I'M LIKE THE PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF YOUR CAREER, RIGHT? SO THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. SO WHEN WE, WE WERE DOING THIS RESOLUTION, I, I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT IT FOR, FOR THOSE THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION, OR IT'S CALLED A PDC. SO IT'S A, IT'S A REGIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT REALLY PROMOTES, UH, OUR PART, OUR REGION OF VIRGINIA, UM, IS A ABSOLUTELY INSTRUMENTAL, UH, REGIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT ASSISTS NOT JUST DIM WOODY, BUT I THINK 10 OTHER LOCALITIES. UM, SO MARTHA STARTED OFF IN DIM WOODY, RIGHT? AND THEN WENT TO THE PDC. AND SO YOU'LL YOU'LL HEAR, UH, KIND OF JUST HER RICH PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT SHE'S DONE. BUT IN ADDITION, AT THE PLANET DISTRICT COMMISSION, MARTHA, UH, WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN LEGISLATION. AND SO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, AND REALLY GOT OUR REGION. AND I COULD TELL YOU ON SOMEWHAT ON THE MAP, SO AFTER I WENT TOY HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, I HAD THE UNIQUE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING FOR TWO GOVERNORS. AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, THERE ARE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT ARE JUST WELL KNOWN. UM, MARTHA BURTON WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE, SO SHE, SHE YOU FOR A GOOD REASON. IT WAS GOOD, IT WAS GOOD, IT WAS GOOD. NOT INFAMOUS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, 'CAUSE SHE WAS REALLY RELENTLESS WHEN IT CAME TO THIS REGION. AND IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF HER RICH FOUNDATION, WHICH IS TIED TO DENWOOD COUNTY. HER FATHER WAS SHERIFF HERE, HILL BURTON. UM, AND THEN LATER AGAIN, UH, WAS SERVING THE PDC. NOW YOU MAY LOOK AT MARTHA AND SAY, HEY, I'VE SEEN HER SOMEWHERE BEFORE. WELL, IF YOU EVER HEARD OF PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM OR THE BEST PART OF VIRGINIA, MARTHA BURTON, UH, WAS OUR TOURISM DIRECTOR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME FOR THE BEST PART OF VIRGINIA. SO AT THIS TIME, MADAM CLERK, IF YOU CAN KIND OF READ THAT RESOLUTION. WHEREAS MARTHA J. BURTON, A PROUD DIMITY COUNTY NATIVE, HAS DEVOTED MORE THAN FOUR DECADES TO STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONS OF THE CRATER REGION THROUGH EXCEPTIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE. AND WHEREAS SHE PROVIDED INFLUENTIAL LEADERSHIP WITH THE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION, SERVING AS THE REGION'S TRUSTED AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE. AND WHEREAS HER INTEGRITY, STEADY LEADERSHIP AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT HELPED SHAPE REGIONAL POLICY COOPERATION AND IDENTITY. AND WHEREAS MARTHA BURTON FURTHER ADVANCED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE AS TOURISM DIRECTOR FOR PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM, BRINGING UNMATCHED ENTHUSIASM AND PROUDLY PROMOTING THE REGION, INCLUDING HER BELOVED DIM WITTY COUNTY. AND WHEREAS HER GIFT FOR STORYTELLING RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND CHAMPIONING LOCAL CULTURE GREATLY ENHANCED REGIONAL TOURISM AND VISIBILITY. AND WHEREAS SHE HAS STRENGTHENED NUMEROUS COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS THROUGH EXTENSIVE BOARD SERVICE, INCLUDING THE BANK OF SOUTHSIDE, VIRGINIA, THE BATTER SEA FOUNDATION, THE HISTORIC PETERSBURG FOUNDATION, AND THE LONGWOOD COLLEGE FOUNDATION. AND WHEREAS SHE SERVED LONGWOOD COLLEGE WITH DISTINCTION ON ITS BOARD OF VISITORS FROM 1984 TO 1996, INCLUDING ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS CHAIR OF THE PRESIDENTIALS SEARCH COMMITTEE AND AS VICE RECTOR. AND WHEREAS SHE [01:30:01] HAS CONTRIBUTED TO REGIONAL PHILANTHROPY THROUGH HER SERVICE WITH THE CAMERON FOUNDATION, AND NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE DENWOODY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR EXTEND THEIR SINCERE APPRECIATION TO MARTHA J. BURTON FOR HER EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE, REGIONAL LEADERSHIP AND LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE COMMUNITIES OF DI WITTY COUNTY IN THE GREATER PETERSBURG AREA AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD IS PLEASED TO HONOR MARTHA BURTON ON THE 16TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2025 FOR A LEGACY OF DEDICATION, VISION, INTEGRITY, AND ENDURING IMPACT. AND THAT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION BE SPREAD UPON THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING FOR ETERNITY. THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH. UM, I, KEVIN SORT OF TOLD THE STORY I WAS GONNA TELL AND I WAS WONDERING IF HE HAD WAS BORN THEN. AND SO , I, UM, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AT CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION WERE IT NOT FOR THE FACT THAT IN THE SUMMER OF 1975, THE COUNTY GAVE ME A SUMMER JOB HERE IN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S OFFICE. AND I STAYED IN THERE TWO MONTHS. AND THEN MR. KNOTT, WHO WAS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AT THAT TIME, SUGGESTED AND TALKED TO THE PDC ABOUT MY COMING THERE FOR A MONTH BECAUSE THE PDC WAS A BRAND NEW ORGANIZATION, THERE HADN'T BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. AND SO HE WANTED ME TO HAVE THAT KNOWLEDGE BEFORE I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL. SO I WENT TO THE PDC FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST AND I GUESS THEY THOUGHT THAT I COULD DO SOMETHING. AND SO WHEN I GOT OUTTA COLLEGE, THAT'S WHERE I WENT. AND HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY AND EVEN EXPOSING ME TO IT, I PROBABLY MIGHT HAVE HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CAREER. AND, UM, AND THEN, I MEAN, THINGS JUST SORT OF HA IT WAS A HAPPENSTANCE KIND OF SITUATION. UM, OUR STATE SENATOR DIED THAT FIRST YEAR THAT I WAS WORKING AT THE PDC AND THERE WAS A SPECIAL ELECTION AND, UH, LOUIS RAWLES WAS ELECTED SENATOR FROM OUR AREA, BUT FOR, FOR OUR AREA, HE LIVED IN SUFFOLK. I HAD NOT KNOWN HIM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ALSO ALWAYS BEEN REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IS POLITICS. AND SO I HAD, I WORKED IN HIS CAMPAIGN, A COUPLE OF THE PEOPLE, HE, HERBERT WILLIAMS WAS THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY, OR EITHER HE WAS, I DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY THEN, OR JUST AN ATTORNEY, BUT HE SUGGESTED THAT I MEET SENATOR RAW AND WORK ON THAT CAMPAIGN. IT WAS, THE CAMPAIGN LASTED ABOUT THREE WEEKS BECAUSE AS I SAID, SENATOR RAWLINGS HAD DIED AROUND CHRISTMAS AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY STARTED IN THE SECOND WEEK OF JANUARY. SO THAT WAS A FAST RELATIONSHIP THAT WENT WELL. AND SO SENATOR RAW SAID, WELL, WHY DON'T I NEED A LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT? AND OF COURSE, I HAD A JOB AT THE PDC AND SO I WENT TO THE PDC AND I SAID, I HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND I, I, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A POLITICIAN AT THIS JOB. SO I GOT LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO WORK AT THE SESSION THAT VERY FIRST YEAR. AND THEN PEOPLE LIKE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS AND CITY MANAGERS SAID, WELL, GOSH, IF SHE'S OVER THERE AND SHE KNOWS LIKE WHERE STUFF IS, WHY DON'T WE LET HER GO OVER THERE AS PART OF HER JOB? AND SO I STAYED WITH HIM AND THEN IT WENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TILL I THINK PROBABLY THE PANDEMIC, IT WAS PROBABLY THE TIME THAT I SORT OF SHUT DOWN AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. BUT, UM, SO ALL OF IT REALLY STARTED RIGHT HERE, UM, AT DI IN THE DIY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S OFFICE. AND I HAD BEEN GOING TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETINGS 'CAUSE AS HE SAID, MY FATHER WAS SHERIFF. AND SO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS WAS WHAT I LOVED 'CAUSE I HUNG OUT WITH DAD AND WENT WITH HIM TO ALL KINDS OF MEETINGS AND THINGS. SO THAT'S HOW IT ALL BEGAN. AND I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR IT. AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ALL FOUGHT ENOUGH OF ME TO DO THIS TONIGHT. 'CAUSE I HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL CAREER, A WONDERFUL CHAIR. [01:35:07] SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I, I I THINK YOU CAN SEE WHY THE BOARD TAKES SO MUCH PLEASURE IN RECOGNIZING, UH, INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR WORK. IF WE CAN JUST GET ANOTHER ROUND APPLAUSE FROM MR. SPIERS, MS. JONES AND MS. BURTON. NOW IF YOU JUST INDULGE US FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES, WE'RE GONNA, IT'S LIKE ANY STAGE PRODUCTION. WE GOTTA TURN THE PODIUM AROUND IF ANYBODY WANTS TO GET A FEW PICTURES. WE'RE GONNA TAKE ABOUT A THREE TO FIVE MINUTE RECESS. AND THEN WE'VE GOT SOME PUBLIC HEARINGS TONIGHT OBVIOUSLY. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE THOSE. SO AGAIN, THREE TO FIVE MINUTES AND WE'LL BE BACK. SO THANK YOU. THEY WANT A PICTURE? YEAH, WE'LL GET 'EM ALL TOGETHER. CHAIR LADY? YES. OH, I SHOULD BE AT HOME WATCHING JEFFREY. I I KNOW RIGHT? I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH OKAY. THE RESOLUTION AND THEN WE OPEN HEARING. IS THAT FOR EACH ONE OR? YEP. I WILL WALK YOU THROUGH IT. OKAY. YES SIR. NO IT'S NOT. WHAT'S THAT? HIS LAPTOP. I GOT MY SEAT. I GOT MY SEAT. YEAH, WE GOTTA GO, GO BACK INTO IT. I JUST WONDERING. STRONG ONE. WE GOT ONE OF THESE AT HOME, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO DO THAT. AND IT'S ONE I BOUGHT , I BOUGHT DAILY. I BOUGHT BAILEY ONE OF THESE THINGS YOU TO [01:40:01] COLLEGE? YEAH. AND IT'S NOT, OH, I KNOW I DIDN'T, I GOT CHANGE ONE DOWN HERE. THESE ARE GOOD. I TELL YOU WE'VE GOTTA HAVE ONE DOWN THERE, BUT YOU GOTTA MOVE AROUND. YEAH, YOU DO. I GOT, YEAH, WE GOT CANDY. THAT'S NICE. I THINK IT'S GOOD. SHE GAVE IT TO US. SO THAT'S THE FIRST ONE, RIGHT? YES. SO, BUT I'M GONNA, PEOPLE ARE HERE FOR THIS. YES. YEAH, A LOT I'D SAY. YEAH. SO YOU WANNA LET DOWN CALL THE MEETING, BACK IT IN. NO, AT THIS TIME WE WILL CALL OUR MEETING BACK TO ORDER. MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UH, WE JUST, WE JUST HAD THREE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS AND WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON THOSE RESOLUTIONS. SO THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS, UH, UH, NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION FOR ROBERT H SPIRE JR. OF INDEMNITY COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL. MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. JULIE? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. ALL RIGHT. SECOND, A RESOLUTION FOR ANDY JONES, DEY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD. SO MOVED. . SECOND ROLL CALL. MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. AND LASTLY, A RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE MARTHA J. BURTON CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION AND PETERSBURG AREA REGIONAL TOURISM. SO WHO SECOND? YOU GOT SECOND? I SECOND. ROLL CALL MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. [13.A. Rezoning Request, P-25-12] AND MADAM CHAIR, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU NOW FOR ITEM NUMBER 13, PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. UM, AT THIS TIME WE WILL LOOK AT P 25 12, UH, REZONING REQUESTS. OBJECTION. GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR. BOARD MEMBERS MR. MASSING AS INDICATED. THIS IS REZONING P DASH 25 DASH 12. THE REZONING REQUEST IS FOR DW LOU JONES, LLC, WHICH IS A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF AMOR. AND, UM, THEY'RE HERE THIS EVENING, UH, TO ASK FOR, UH, A REZONING FROM THE A TWO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL ZONING DISTRICT TO THE SED DISTRICT. THAT'S THE UTILITY SCALE SOLAR ENERGY DISTRICT. UM, AS THEY INDICATED, AMOR IS PROPOSING TO DEVELOP, UH, IF GRANTED THE REZONING TO THE SED DISTRICT, UH, TO DEVELOP A 20 MEGAWATT, UH, UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PROJECT, UH, IN DIMITY COUNTY. ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS A 308 ACRE PORTION OF AN OVERALL 890 ACRE TRACK IDENTIFIED AS TAX MAP PARCEL 55 DASH 31. UH, YOU CAN SEE ON THE, UH, SLIDE THAT WE HAVE, UH, WITH THE SITE PLAN FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT, UH, THE 309 308 ACRE PORTION OF THE PROPERTY. THAT'S THE SOUTHERN PORTION THAT RUNS ALONG BLUE JONES ROAD, UM, FROM, UH, NORTH TO SOUTH. AND, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY AND, UM, THIS IS THE PORTION THAT'S PROPOSED, UH, FOR THE SED DISTRICT. THE REMAINDER OF THE PROPERTY WOULD REMAIN AS TIMBERLAND. UM, ALL THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY, UH, INCLUDING THE, UH, SUBJECT PROPERTY, AGAIN, IS OWNED A TWO AGRICULTURAL GENERAL. UM, THERE IS ADJOINING PROPERTY THAT HAS, UH, FORESTAL LAND USES AS WELL AS LARGE LOT, UH, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USES. UH, THE PROPOSED LIMITS OF DISTURBANCE FOR THE PROJECT WITHIN THE 308 ACRES IS 246.9 ACRES. [01:45:01] AND THEN THE FENCED ACREAGE THAT INCLUDES ALL THE PANEL ARRAYS, UH, IS 184 ACRES. SO EVERYTHING UNDER PANEL ON THE SITE WOULD BE A TOTAL OF 184 ACRES, AND THOSE ARE EAST, YOU CAN SEE ON THE SITE PLAN DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE SITE, UH, TO AVOID, UH, WETLANDS, ANY TYPES OF SLOPES, UH, CREEKS, THOSE TYPES OF IMPACTS. AND, UM, EACH AREA OF THE SOLAR PANEL RAYS, UH, WOULD BE SURROUNDED BY A SIX FOOT, UH, FENCE FENCING THOSE AREAS. THERE ARE OPENINGS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE SITE AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, HOPEFULLY TO ALLOW FOR WILDLIFE TO STILL BE ABLE TO PASS THROUGH THE SITE, UH, WITHIN DIFFERENT AREAS THAT ARE NOT UNDER PANEL AND NOT, UM, SURROUNDED BY FENCING THE ENTIRE SITE. UH, THE SETBACK FOR THE ENTIRE SITE, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE PANELS THEMSELVES WOULD BE AT LEAST 105 FEET, UH, FROM THE PROPERTY LINES. AND THEN THERE'S THE 75 FOOT BUFFER WITHIN THAT 105 FEET AROUND THE ENTIRE PORTION OF THE SITE, UH, EXCEPT FOR THE PORTION OF THE SITE THAT'S OWNED, UH, UNDER THE SAME OWNER OWNERSHIP THAT, UM, 809 ACRE PARCEL, UH, TO THE NORTH TO THE NORTHWEST THERE. UM, JUST TO NOTE, THERE IS NO PROPOSED SUBSTATION AS PART OF THIS PROJECT. UH, IT WOULD JUST INCLUDE, UH, THE PANEL ARRAYS AND THEN THE INTERCONNECTION, UH, TO THE EXISTING, UH, TH 30 34 0.5 KILOVOLT, UH, TRANSMISSION LINE POLE THAT'S LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE PROJECT ON LOU JONES ROAD. AND AGAIN, THIS IS A DOMINION, DOMINION ENERGY, UH, EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINE THAT THEY WOULD, THE INTERCONNECTION WOULD BE MADE. UM, AGAIN, ON LOU JONES ROAD, UH, THE PROPERTY WAS, UH, HARVESTED IN 2024. AND AGAIN, IT IS A, UM, ALL THE PROPERTY IS TIMBER PROPERTY. UM, SO THERE WAS NO, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE TIMBER OPERATION, THERE WAS NO OTHER AGRICULTURAL USES, UH, TAKING PLACE ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. UM, LOOKING AT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UH, WITHIN THE COUNTY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UH, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS WHEN, WHAT WE CALL THE RURAL CONSERVATION AREA, AND, UM, WHICH ALLOWS FOR AGRICULTURAL USES, ALSO LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL USES. UM, THOSE ARE THE PRIMARY USES RECOMMENDED, UM, IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IT DOES NOTE THAT SECONDARY LAND USE, UH, COULD POSSIBLY BE CONSIDERED WOULD BE, UH, ONE OF THOSE WOULD BE RENEWABLE ENERGY. UM, ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER SECTIONS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT RELATE TO THE, THE, UH, SUBJECT APPLICATION. WE DO TALK ABOUT PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND. UM, THIS DOES FALL UNDER THE, WITHIN THE COMP PLAN AS PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND SENSITIVE LANDS AND HABITATS. UM, AGAIN, THE, AS PART OF THE APPLICATION, UM, THEY DID LOOK AT, UM, NATURAL RESOURCES, UM, ARCHITECTURAL, UH, USES, UM, AND THEN ARCHEO ARCHEOLOGICAL USES AS WELL THE IMPACTS ON THOSE, UH, RELATED TO THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, AIR AND LIGHT. UM, THE, UM, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN INDICATES THAT PROJECTS SHOULD MAINTAIN VEGETATED BUFFERS ALONG MAJOR CORRIDORS, BOTH TO ENHANCE THE AESTHETIC BEAUTY AND PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, UH, TO THE COUNTY AS WELL. ALSO LOOKING AT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE. UM, THE LAND USE CHAPTER, UM, THERE ARE RELEVANT SPECIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS AND PLANNING GUIDELINES, UH, TO LOOK AT. ONE OF THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE FUTURE, UH, LAND USE FRAMEWORK WITHIN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS TO PROTECT THE COUNTY'S RURAL CHARACTER AND SENSITIVE NATURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES. UM, SO OF COURSE THAT, UH, HAS TO BE LOOKED AT AS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS, UH, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES TO INTEGRATE OPEN SPACE, UH, WITH IT WITHIN AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. UM, AGAIN, THE APPLICATION DID, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY ADDRESS, UH, THE OVERVIEW OF IMPACTS, UH, RELATED TO THE PROJECT. THOSE INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL [01:50:01] RESOURCES AND HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES. UM, JUST TO GO THROUGH A, A QUICK LISTING, THERE ARE NO FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL CONSERVATION OR RECREATIONAL LANDS INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT. NO AIRPORTS, NO CHURCHES, NO SCHOOLS, NO SCENIC BYWAYS, NO SCENIC RIVERS. IT'S NOT WITHIN THE COUNTY'S URBAN OR COMMUNITY PLANNING AREA. UH, THERE ARE NO THREATENED ENDANGERED SPECIES ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. UM, WETLANDS AND STREAMS, OF COURSE ARE SHOWN ON THE SITE PLAN, AND THEY DID TRY TO AVOID THOSE, UH, NOT, UH, USING ANY OF THOSE PORTIONS OF THE PROPERTY FOR THE PANEL ARRAYS AS PART OF THE PROJECT. UM, JUST TO NOTE, THERE ARE SEVEN PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES WITHIN A MILE OF THE PROJECT. ALSO ONE RECORDED ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCE, AGAIN WITHIN A MILE OF THE PROJECT. UM, AND THE TWO OF THE ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES HAVE BEEN DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR THE LISTING ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AND THE VIRGINIA LANDMARK REGISTER. WHILE THE REMAINING FIVE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE OR NOT YET EVALUATED. UM, JUST TO NOTE, NONE OF THESE RESOURCES WOULD BE IMPACTED BY THE PROJECT. UM, ALSO TO NOTE, UM, AS PART OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL PERMITTING, IF THE PROJECT'S APPROVED BY THE COUNTY, WE'LL HAVE TO DO IN-DEPTH CULTURAL SURVEYS AND, UH, HISTORIC RESOURCES AND CULTURAL RESOURCES. IF FURTHER, UH, SURVEYS ARE DONE, WHERE ANYTHING'S DISCOVERED ON THE PROPERTY THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE EVALUATED AND ADDRESS, UM, ANY IMPACTS TO THAT THROUGH THE, AGAIN, THE STATE PERMITTING AND FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS. UM, LOOKING AT, UH, FISCAL IMPACTS, UM, DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE, THE APPLICANTS HAVE ESTIMATED THAT THERE WOULD BE 12 DIRECT AND THREE INDIRECT, UH, LOCAL JOBS, UH, DURING CONSTRUCTION, UM, 892,000 APPROXIMATELY DOLLARS IN ASSOCIATED LOCAL WAGES AND BENEFITS, $5 MILLION IN LOCAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT AND $143,000 IN STATE AND LOCAL TAX REVENUE. AGAIN, DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE, UM, DURING OPERATIONS, UH, THEY'RE LISTING THAT, UM, LESS THAN ONE, UH, DIRECT AND INDIRECT, UH, LOCAL JOBS WOULD BE INCLUDED WITH THE PROJECT. UH, $32,000 AN ASSOCIATED LOCAL WAGES AND BENEFITS AND $102,000 IN LOCAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT. UM, LOOKING AT THE, UH, TAX REVENUE FROM THE PROJECT, UM, THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS RELATED TO SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS UNDER SCENARIO ONE. UM, $3.3 MILLION IS EXPECTED IN COUNTY REVENUE, UM, OVER THE, UH, LIFE OF THE PROJECT, WHICH IS 35 YEARS, AND THAT WOULD BE FROM TAXES LEVIED ON CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND MACHINERY AND TOOLS. UM, TAXES, SCENARIO TWO PROVIDES $2.5 MILLION, UM, IN COUNTY REVENUE OVER THE, AGAIN, THE 35 YEAR OPERATIONAL LIFE FROM TAXES LEVIED ON CAPITAL INVESTMENT IF THE PROJECT IS UTILITY OWNED. SCENARIO THREE ESTIMATES $2.2 MILLION IN LOCAL REVENUE OVER THE 35 YEAR ANTICIPATED LIFE OF THE PROJECT. UM, AND AGAIN, THAT IS BASED ON, UH, WHAT'S CALLED THE REVENUE SHARE. UM, IF THE COUNTY ADOPTED A REVENUE SHARE ORDINANCE, UM, BASED ON THE GENERATION CAPACITY OF THE PROJECT, UM, THAT'S THE ESTIMATED REVENUE, THE $2.2 MILLION OVER THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT. UH, THE CURRENT USE OF THE PROJECT AREA, UM, FOR THE TOTAL SITE IS APPROXIMATELY $25,000 IN TOTAL REVENUE OVER 35 YEARS. UM, LOOKING AT COMMUNITY IMPACTS, THEY, UM, THE COMPANY DID, UM, CONDUCT, UH, TWO COMMUNITY MEETINGS. UM, SIGNAGE ON THE PROJECT IS VERY LIMITED, UM, JUST TO WHAT'S REQUIRED, UM, BY, UH, STATE AGENCIES AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS. UM, NOISE IS VERY LIMITED. UH, IT'S JUST GONNA BE THE PANEL ARRAYS ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, UH, WITH THE INVERTERS. UM, SO THERE WOULD BE SOME NOISE, BUT IT IS LIMITED. UM, THEY DID INCLUDE GROUNDWATER MONITORING AS PART OF THE PROJECT. UH, THE PROJECT'S [01:55:01] APPROVED. UM, THEY WOULD BE CONDUCTING GROUNDWATER MONITORING AND, UM, THAT WOULD BE UPDATED ON A FIVE YEAR CYCLE. UM, IMPACT TO COUNTY SERVICES. WHEN WE TALK TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, UM, THERE WERE REAL NO IMPACTS NOTED AND THE APPLICANT HAS INDICATED IF THE PROJECT'S APPROVED, THEY WOULD BE PROVIDING, UM, TRAINING FOR FIRE AND EMS, UM, IF THEY EVER HAD TO RESPOND TO THE SITE. UH, SECURITY AGAIN, THERE WOULD BE A SIX FOOT FENCE AROUND, UM, ALL THE PANEL ARRAYS. UM, SO YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS ACCESS. THE PANEL WILL RAISE, UM, EXCEPT FOR, UM, EMERGENCY SERVICES AND OF COURSE THE, UH, PROJECT, WHOEVER'S OPERATING THE PROJECT, UH, THE APPLICANT, UM, IN THEIR APPLICATION DID ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS VISUAL IMPACTS BY LANDSCAPING SCREENING AND BUFFERING. AGAIN, THERE IS A BUFFER AROUND THE ENTIRE SITE. IT WOULD BE A 75 FOOT WIDE BUFFER. UM, AND THEN WITHIN THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A 25 FOOT VEGETATIVE BUFFER. AND, UM, THEN ALONG, UH, LOU JONES ROAD AND ANY, UH, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, THEY WOULD ALSO HAVE, UH, A 25 FOOT VEGETATED BUFFER ALONG THE FENCE LINE WHERE THE PROJECT IS, AGAIN, IS ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY THAT IS NOT PART OF THE PROJECT OR AS NEEDED TO SCREEN ANY OF THE SOLAR PANELS. TRAFFIC TRAFFICKED IMPACTS, THEY DID DO A, UH, TRAFFIC STUDY AND A, A ROUTE STUDY THAT WAS, UH, REVIEWED BY FDOT. UM, AND THEIR ROUTE WOULD BE, UM, GOING LOU JONES ROAD, UM, UP TO ROUTE ONE, HAMILTON ARMS ROAD, UM, AND THEN DOWN TO UM, I 85. UM, ALSO TO NOTE AS PART OF THEIR APPLICATION, UM, IF APPROVED, THEY WOULD HAVE TO, UH, SUBMIT A CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN AS PART OF THE PROJECT. AND, UM, THAT WOULD INCLUDE, UM, LOOKING AT ALL THE ROADS IMPACTED, UH, THE HAUL ROADS BY THE PROJECT, UM, NOTING THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THE ROAD AND THEN THEY WOULD, UM, HAVE TO MAKE ANY IMPROVEMENTS, UM, IF THE ROADS DAMAGED, UH, DURING CONSTRUCTION AS PART OF AGAIN CONSTRUCTING THE PROJECT. UM, ALSO SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE PROJECT WAS A COMPLETE DECOMMISSIONING PLAN. AGAIN, IF, IF APPROVED, UM, THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WOULD ADDRESS CONDITIONING, UH, DECOMMISSIONING OF THE PROJECT, UM, PLANNING COMMISSION AT THE, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, UH, WHEN THEY REVIEWED THE PROJECT IN OCTOBER. UH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS FOR THE REZONING OF THE PROJECT. UM, THEY DID VOTE, UH, TO, UH, RECOMMEND DISAPPROVAL, UH, TO THE BOARD, UM, AFTER REVIEW OF THE PROJECT THAT, THAT EVENING AT THEIR OCTOBER MEETING. THAT'S ALL I HAVE IS A SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT. I KNOW THE APPLICANT'S GOING TO, UM, GO OVER OTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE PROJECT. BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE NOW RELATED TO THE PROJECT. YEAH, ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING? OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, NOW THE APPLICANT COME FORWARD. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. ARE YOU EVENING? GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JARED BURDEN. I AM A PARTNER IN THE RICHMOND BASED LAW FIRM OF GREEN, HER LOCKER. WE ARE ATTORNEYS FOR APPLICANT DW LEG JONES SOLAR, LLC, WHICH IS, AS YOU'VE HEARD, A SUBSIDIARY OF AMOR. THANKS FOR HEARING THIS REZONING REQUEST AND OUR APPLICATION FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. I HOPE YOU'LL FIND THIS PRESENTATION TO BE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND FACTUAL. I'M HERE WITH BOBBY RODRIGUEZ AND TITO AND YANG OF AMOR, AND YOU'LL HEAR FROM BOBBY IN A MOMENT. AS WAS SAID EARLIER, LOU JONES SOLAR IS A PROPOSED 20 MEGAWATT SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE NESTLED WITHIN A 308 ACRE PORTION OF THE LANDLORDS WHO WOULD BE OUR LANDLORDS 890 ACRE PARCEL, WHICH HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN, UH, A TIMBER TRACT. I'M ALSO JOINED HERE BY A FULL GROUP OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WHO HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN DEVELOPING THE PLAN FOR [02:00:01] LOU JONES SOLAR AND PREPARING US TO RESPOND TONIGHT TO THE COMMENTS THAT WE HEARD IN OUR OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY AND OUR TWO COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AS WELL AS WHAT WAS SAID IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON OCTOBER 8TH. OUR EXPERTS WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO EACH CONCERN WE HEARD BROUGHT UP IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION, INCLUDING REGARDING LANDSCAPING, ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENVIRONMENTAL WETLANDS, STORM WATER, CULTURAL SOUND, AND PROPERTY VALUES, AS WELL AS AS OTHERS. EACH OF THE EXPERTS THAT WE HAVE HAS A ROLE HERE TONIGHT AND ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AND WE, WE DEFINITELY INVITE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. ONE THING THAT WAS APPARENT, APPARENT TO US FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON OCTOBER 8TH AND DISCUSSIONS WITH MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, AND, AND SOME OF YOU AFTER THAT MEETING WAS THAT THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BETTER EXPLAIN WHAT THIS PROJECT IS AND, AND ALSO WHAT IT IS NOT. SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL TO MAINTAIN A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, OF COURSE WE'VE HEARD DIALOGUE WITH CONCERNED CITIZENS ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE PROJECT ON PRIME, UH, AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE COUNTY. AND THE FACT IS THAT ON THAT FACT, FOR EXAMPLE, IS LOU JONES SOLAR WILL IMPACT LESS THAN ONE 10TH OF 1% OF THE PRIME AG LAND IN THE COUNTY. THE COUNTY WORKED HARD ON DEVELOPING ITS COMPLETE AND THOUGHTFUL SOLAR ORDINANCE, CREATING A UTILITY SCALE SOLAR ENERGY DISTRICT, UH, ZONING CLASS, WHICH PLACES SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS ON SOLAR, ALL OF WHICH AMOR WILL COMPLY WITH OR EXCEED. ADDITIONALLY, THE COUNTY'S COMP PLAN CONTEMPLATES, AS YOU'VE HEARD, THAT SOLAR DEVELOPMENT CAN EXIST AS A SECONDARY USE IN THE RURAL CONSERVATION AREA IF APPROVED WHERE AS IS CASE HERE, THERE IS MINIMAL IMPACT TO SCENIC VIEW, SHEDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES. IN OUR PRESENTATION, WE HOPE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IF DWE COUNTY IS EVER TO APPROVE A SOLAR PROJECT, LOU JONES SOLAR, WHICH IS A MODEST SIZE SCREENED BY VEGETATION QUIET, AND AS OTHER MINIMAL IMPACTS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF PROPOSAL, THE SORT OF SOLAR PROJECT THAT THE COUNTY SHOULD APPROVE. IF YOU APPROVE THIS REZONING, YOU WILL THEN CONSIDER OUR APPLICATION FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. WE'VE APPRECIATED THE PROCESS WITH YOUR STAFF IN DEVELOPING THE PROTECTIVE CONDITIONS THAT WOULD BE PLACED ON OUR PROJECT AT THAT TIME. AND IT'S YOUR DECISION. OF COURSE, THE COUNTY HAS PROVIDED FOR SOLAR DEVELOPMENT IN ITS ORDINANCE AND IN ITS COMP PLAN. AND THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED WHERE SOLAR SHOULD BE AND REZONING TO SCD FOR LOU JONES SOLAR WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE ACTION FOR THE BOARD TO TAKE UNDER ITS STANDARDS OF DECISION DECISION MAKING. AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND AT THIS TIME I WANT TO INVITE BOBBY RODRIGUEZ UP TO THE PODIUM. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF HANDOUTS, JUST, UM, NEIGHBOR SUPPORT LETTERS. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS BOBBY RODRIGUEZ AND I'M HERE FROM AMOR. I COME FROM RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD IN RICHMOND. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE THIS EVENING. I'M HERE WITH A FEW PEOPLE, INCLUDING MY BOSS, TITO, UH, OUR LANDOWNERS, INCLUDING THE GILMAN FAMILY AND CAROL KAUR WHO HAS AN EASEMENT OPTION WITH US AT THE OUTSET, I WANNA SAY THAT I HOPE WHAT WE'VE DEMONSTRATED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS IS A WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND TO WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. I ALSO WANNA THANK EACH OF YOU FOR THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN WILLING TO SPEND SPEAKING WITH US, WHETHER AT TOWN HALLS, [02:05:01] COMMUNITY MEETINGS, OR INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS. I KNOW EACH OF YOU BALANCES MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES AND I APPRECIATE THE, THE OPENNESS YOU'VE SHOWN AND THE WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE WITH AN AMERICAN OWNED BUSINESS PROPOSING TO INVEST HERE. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROJECT. WE'VE MADE A POINT OF SHOWING UP ATTENDING SUPERVISOR HOSTED TOWN HALLS, MEETING ONE-ON-ONE WITH NEIGHBORS AND STAYING AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. OUR FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING WAS HELD BACK IN JUNE AT THE RAGSDALE COMMUNITY CENTER. OUR SECOND COMMUNITY MEETING WAS HELD ON DECEMBER 3RD AT THE ROCKY RUN ROTAN CLUB. AHEAD OF THAT MEETING, APPROXIMATELY 34 INVITATIONS WERE POSTED ON NOVEMBER 22ND. SO NEARBY RESIDENTS HAD A SECOND OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECT, ASK QUESTIONS, AND SHARE FEEDBACK. I'D LIKE TO THANK SUPERVISOR DOOLEY FOR ATTENDING THAT MEETING AND ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS WHAT WE HEARD THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS, DIRECTLY INFORMED CHANGES TO THE PROJECT. I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS PROJECT MEANS FOR THE COUNTY, NOT JUST FINANCIALLY, BUT IN TERMS OF LAND USE. LOU JONES SOLAR REPRESENTS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT THAT WILL GENERATE MEANINGFUL TAX REVENUE OVER THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT. THOSE DOLLARS STAY LOCAL AND HELP SUPPORT SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND OTHER COUNTY PRIORITIES. THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH SUPERVISOR LEE, SUPERVISOR DOOLEY AND PLANNING COMMISSIONER BISHOP, I'VE HEARD CLEARLY HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEP FARMLAND IN CIRCULATION. THAT'S SOMETHING WE AGREE ON. AS WE CAN ALL RECOGNIZE, BEES ARE AN AGRICULTURAL MULTIPLIER. THEY SUPPORT CROPS PASTURE, AND THE BROADER FARMING ECONOMY. SEVERAL LOCAL BEEKEEPERS HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN EXPANDING THEIR COLONIES AT THIS SITE, AND THE PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PLANTINGS BENEATH THE PANELS PLANTINGS THAT ARE ALSO COMPATIBLE WITH MANAGED GRAZING, INCLUDING SHEEP. IN THIS WAY, THE LAND CAN CONTINUE CONTRIBUTING ECONOMICALLY, AGRICULTURALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY, RATHER THAN BEING TAKEN OUT OF USE OR CONVERTED TO A MORE INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT. I WANNA BRIEFLY ADDRESS SAFETY AS YOU'LL HEAR LATER DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. MODERN SOLAR PANELS ARE MADE PRIMARILY OF GLASS AND METAL MATERIALS THAT ARE NOT FLAMMABLE. THIS PROJECT ALSO DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY BATTERY STORAGE. ONCE PERMITTED, THE PROJECT WILL HAVE A SITE SPECIFIC SAFETY PLAN COORDINATED WITH THE COUNTY AND SHARED WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES. AFTER CONSTRUCTION, THE FACILITY IS MONITORED REMOTELY IS QUIET AND GENERATES VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC. DECOMMISSIONING IS A REASONABLE QUESTION AND IT'S SOMETHING WE PLAN FOR FROM THE OUTSET. THE PROJECT INCLUDES A DECOMMISSIONING PLAN AND FINANCIAL ASSURANCE TO ENSURE THAT AT THE END OF THE PROJECT LIFE'S THE EQUIPMENT IS REMOVED WHERE POSSIBLE MATERIALS ARE RECYCLED. THERE IS ALSO A SOLAR PANEL RECYCLING FACILITY IN NEARBY HENRICO, WHICH PROVIDES A LOCAL OPTION FOR RESPONSIBLE END OF LIFE HANDLING. THE AMOUNT THE PROJECT IS BONDED FOR IS CALCULATED BY A QUALIFIED ENGINEER AND IS RECALCULATED EVERY FIVE YEARS TO REFLECT CURRENT CONDITIONS AND COSTS. AFTER DECOMMISSIONING THE SITE WOULD THEN BE RETURNED TO A CONDITION THAT ALLOWS FOR FUTURE AGRICULTURAL OR OTHER USES. THIS IS NOT A WALKAWAY PROJECT, IT'S REGULATED, BONDED, AND LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE DURING CONSTRUCTION. ACTIVITY IS TEMPORARY AND CAREFULLY MANAGED. ONCE OPERATIONAL, THE PROJECT GENERATES NO EMISSIONS, MINIMAL SOUNDS, AND VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC BEYOND OCCASIONAL MAINTENANCE VISITS. THE FACILITY IS MONITORED AND MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE TO ENSURE CONTINUED COMPLIANCE WITH COUNTY AND STATE REQUIREMENTS. I NOW WANNA WALK THROUGH HOW THE COMMUNITY SHAPED THIS PROJECT. THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE ORIGINAL SITE PLAN, THE VERSION WE STARTED WITH BEFORE RECEIVING DETAILED NEIGHBOR INPUT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW YOU THIS SO YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE HOW THE PROJECT EVOLVED. AFTER HEARING FROM A NEIGHBORING LANDOWNER ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE PROJECT, [02:10:01] WE ADJUSTED THE LAYOUT BY RELOCATING THE ACCESS ROAD. THAT CHANGE WAS MADE SPECIFICALLY, SPECIFICALLY TO RESPOND TO THAT FEEDBACK AND REDUCE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY. THE FINAL SITE PLAN REFLECTS ANOTHER MEANINGFUL CHANGE AT THE REQUEST OF NEIGHBORS. ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PROJECT, WE REMOVED A SECTION OF PANELS ALTOGETHER. THIS WASN'T A MINOR ADJUSTMENT, IT WAS A SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE THAT REFLECTS HOW SERIOUSLY COMMUNITY IMPACT INPUT WAS TAKEN. THE FINAL LAYOUT BALANCES THOSE REQUESTS WITH THE COUNTY'S REQUIREMENTS AND PROJECT OBJECTIVES. I'D NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR PROJECT ENGINEER COLBY FROM THE TIMMONS GROUP. GOOD EVENING STEM MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT. UM, I KNOW SOLAR IS A BIT OF A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY AS WELL AS INDUSTRY. UM, AND SORRY, LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF. UH, MY NAME IS COLBY DERA. I'M A PROJECT MANAGER AT TIMMONS GROUP. UM, I STARTED WORKING HERE ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AND MY ENTIRE TIME IN THIS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN IN UTILITY SCALE SOLAR. UM, I'VE GOT TO SEE THE EVOLUTION OF SOLAR DESIGN FROM PRETTY MUCH DAY ONE TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND, UM, I WANT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT IN BOTH THE CHALLENGES WE FACED AS WELL AS THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE AHEAD OF US. UM, WHAT I'VE SEEN IS THERE'S REALLY NO DEVELOPMENT THAT'S QUITE EXACTLY LIKE SOLAR. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK DEVELOPMENT, YOU THINK HIGH LEVEL IS IMPERVIOUS, UH, HIGH QUANTITIES OF RUNOFF AS A RESULT OF THAT IMPERVIOUS AND NEEDING TO MITIGATE FOR THAT ON YOUR PROPERTY. UM, SOLAR KIND OF FITS SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN BECAUSE THERE ARE SUCH LARGE QUANTITIES OF GRASS AREA, UH, AND THE FACT THAT A LOT OF THESE LANDS ARE IN A BIT OF A GRASS CONDITION AND BEFORE WE START DEVELOPING THEM. UM, AS SUCH, ALL OF THE REGULATIONS AND RULES FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL WERE DEVELOPED FOR HIGHLY IMPERVIOUS LOTS AND DIDN'T DIRECTLY ALIGN WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THESE PROJECTS. UM, AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE EARLY PORT PARTS OF MY CAREER, WE'RE TRYING TO DETERMINE THE BEST WAY TO TREAT STORMWATER ON SITE WHILE OPERATING OFF OF A FAIR, FAIRLY LARGE QUANTITY OF ASSUMPTIONS. UM, THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE WITH THE RELEASE OF THE VIRGINIA STORMWATER MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK IN JULY OF 2024. WE NOW HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE GUIDANCE ON THE DESIGN OF THESE SITES BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE WE'VE HAD ON THESE SITES. UH, MOST RECENTLY THERE WAS A STUDY RELEASED IN NOVEMBER FROM VIRGINIA TECH OF A FEW OF THE SITES THAT WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION TO EVALUATE THE CURVE NUMBERS AND HOW MUCH STORM WATER WAS ACTUALLY BEING GENERATED ON THESE SITES VERSUS WHAT WE ASSUMED ON THE FOREFRONT. UM, GOING INTO A COUPLE OF THE LARGER CHANGES OR DEVIATIONS TO THE REGULATIONS, EXCUSE ME, UH, THROUGH THIS TIME, UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, IS LISTED THE HYDROLOGIC SOIL INCREASE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PROJECTS. UM, EVERY SOIL HAS A HORIZON ASSOCIATED WITH IT BASED ON THE INFILTRATED QUALITIES OF THOSE SOILS. UH, AND ULTIMATELY HOW MUCH WATER IS GOING TO STAY IN THE GROUND AS IT TRICKLES OUT OF OFFSITE. UH, WITH THE RELEASE OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK, WE NOW HAVE TO TAKE THAT SOIL HORIZON AND BUMP IT UP ESSENTIALLY TO ACCURATELY ESTIMATE HOW MUCH FLOW IS BEING GENERATED ON SITE AND THEREFORE FORCE US TO TREAT MORE ON SITE BEFORE RELEASING TO THE SURROUNDING, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES. UM, ADDITIONALLY, PANELS ARE NOW CLASSIFIED AS IMPERVIOUS, WHEREAS ENTIRE SITES WERE CLASSIFIED AS MANAGED TURF IN THE PAST. UM, THOSE ARE TWO OF THE LARGER IMPACT ITEMS THAT HAVE SHIFTED AND I FEEL ALLOW US TO MORE ACCURATELY ESTIMATE HOW MUCH WATER IS BEING GENERATED AND THEREFORE LEAVING OUR SITE. UM, AND ON TOP OF IT, THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, IF YOU GUYS CAN SEE IT, IS WHAT THIS SITE WOULD LOOK LIKE. WITH THE BMPS IN PLACE. UH, WE ARE ANTICIPATING ABOUT 17 BASINS ON THIS PROJECT. UM, OBVIOUSLY THAT CAN SHIFT AS THE LAYOUT IS REVISED AND 21 DIVERSION DITCHES TO PUSH THOSE FLOW WHERE THEY NEED TO GO IN ORDER TO BE TREATED BY THOSE BASINS. UH, THE TWO PARTS OF THE REGULATIONS [02:15:01] THAT I THINK ARE OF, UH, CRITICAL IMPORTANCE HERE IS ONE CHANNEL PROTECTION. UM, THAT IS THE ANALYSIS OF LOW LEVEL STORMS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN FREQUENTLY. THAT'S BASED ON THE ONE YEAR STORM EVENT AND FLOOD PROTECTION, WHICH IS BASED ON THE 10 YEAR STORM EVENT. UM, THE EQUATION ON THE SCREEN LISTED IS THE ENERGY BALANCE EQUATION, WHICH IS PART OF CHANNEL PROTECTION FOR OUR PROJECTS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S ALL DEPENDENT ON A RATIO OF THE PRE TO POST DEVELOPMENT CONDITION OF THE SITE. SO ESSENTIALLY IF YOU ARE RAISING A CURVE NUMBER FOR THE POST DEVELOPMENT CONDITION OF THE SITE, YOU'RE GOING TO GREATLY RELEASE WHAT'S ALLOWED TO LEAVE THAT SITE BASED ON THAT CRITERIA. UM, ADDITIONALLY, THE, SO THE 10 YEAR STORM EVENT, THAT'S FLOOD PROTECTION AND UM, THAT REALLY ALLOWS US TO ANALYZE IF WE'RE GOING TO BE CREATING OR OR GOING AGAINST ANY FLOOD CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT BE OCCURRING. UM, I, I KNOW SPECIFICALLY I BELIEVE I'VE HEARD OF SOME CONCERN OVER A CULVERT ON LOU JONES ROAD. UM, OUR REQUIREMENT WOULD BE THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE THE SITE TO A POINT WHERE IT'S DRAINING LESS THAN THE PRE-DEVELOPMENT CONDITION AND THEREFORE THE CONDITIONS OF THAT FLOODING SHOULD GO DOWN, UH, BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE HAVE OCCURRING. UM, GOING A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO, UH, SOMETHING THAT, THAT BOBBY TALKED ABOUT THE PHASING OF PROJECTS. UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS A STATISTIC FROM DEQ THAT SAID 30% OF OF SOLAR SITES HAVE REGULATORY ISSUES AND TYPICALLY THEY LUMP EVERYTHING INTO STORM WATER MANAGEMENT. UH, THAT'S ONE THING I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE TO HIT ON HERE. THERE'S A LARGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PORTION OF A PROJECT AND THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT PART OF A PROJECT. UH, THAT CONVERSION TIMING IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PRODUCING A STABLE SITE. WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN MY CAREER IS CONVERSION HAPPENING TOO SOON BEFORE A BENCHMARK HAS BEEN ACHIEVED FOR PERMANENT STABILIZATION, WHICH IS DEPICTED BY THE RIGHT PICTURE. UM, AND ULTIMATELY WATER DOESN'T HAVE THE TIME IT NEEDS TO INFILTRATE INTO OUR SITE BEFORE LEAVING THE PROJECT. THE MEASURES LISTED ARE TYPICALLY THE ONES WE SEE ON THESE PROJECTS. UH, DIVERSION DITCHES AS WE TOUCHED ON PREVIOUSLY, SEDIMENT BASINS, UH, WHICH ARE INTENDED TO BE THERE WHILE YOU'RE ACTIVELY WORKING THE SITE. UH, THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR IN FOOTPRINT TO OUR RETENTION PONDS, WHICH ARE THE PERMANENT FEATURES, BUT THE OUTFALL ELEMENTS ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN A WAY THAT, UH, WE CAN SKIM WATER OUT OF THE BASIN WITHOUT RELEASING SEDIMENT. AND THEN ONCE WE ACHIEVE THAT STABILIZATION ON SITE, THAT'S WHEN WE CAN CONVERT THE BASIN AND WATER WILL LEAVE MORE AT IN A GROUNDWATER CONDITION THAN THROUGH THE OUTFALL OF THE BASIN, ULTIMATELY WITH THE UPDATES TO THE REGULATIONS, UH, ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE AND KIND OF WHERE THE INDUSTRY IN GENERAL IS. I FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT IN THE NEW REGULATIONS, ESTIMATING RUNOFF FOR THESE SITES. AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE SOME OF THE CONDITIONS THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING OUT THERE, UM, IN THE, IN THE PROCESS. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR GUYS' TIME. UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS A LITTLE BIT LATER IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY, BUT, UM, UNTIL THEN, I'D LIKE TO PASS IT OVER TO NEIL BEASLEY, WHO, UH, IS LANDSCAPING EXPERT ON THE PROJECT. THANK YOU. COLBY. THIS AN ENGINEERING FUND. ? YES. DID YOU GET ALL THAT? YEAH, MOST OF IT. MM-HMM . I'M SURE HE WILL STAY AFTER AND ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WELL. UM, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT MORE FUN STUFF. THE LANDSCAPING. UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, TWO PRIMARY FOCUS AREAS WHEN IT COMES TO LANDSCAPING ON THESE PROJECTS IS WHAT WE DO WITHIN THE PANEL ZONE. 'CAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF ACREAGE. AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO ON THE EDGES? HOW DO WE SCREEN IT? 'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T WANNA SEE IT. LET'S JUST BE REAL. THE SCREENING REQUIREMENT COMES STRAIGHT OUT OF YOUR ORDINANCE OF SECTION 22. YOU CAN SEE WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE THERE. LET YOU GUYS READ THAT FOR A SECOND. PLANT MATERIALS GO IN AT FOUR TO SIX FEET, TYPICALLY AT THE BEGINNING, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO GROW IN OVER TIME. THAT'S, THAT'S ALL COMING RIGHT OUTTA YOUR ORDINANCE. HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT THIS? ON THIS PROJECT? YOU CAN SEE IN THE TOP RIGHT IS A LAYOUT. THERE ARE THREE [02:20:01] ROWS OF BOTH EVER EVERGREEN AND DECIDUOUS, UH, TREES. UH, THEY ARE STAGGERED TO WITH THE INTENT THAT WE SCREEN IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME. SO WE THINK ABOUT ANGLES AND VIEWS INTO THE SITE. THAT'S HOW IT WOULD BE PLANTED. IF IT IS A COMPLETELY VOIDED AREA OF NO VEGETATION, UM, AND AREAS THAT WE HAVE EXISTING VEGETATION, WE WILL SUPPLEMENT MANY TIMES IN OUR BUFFERS, WE ARE LACKING EVERGREENS. AND SO WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS AMONGST THE DECIDUOUS TREES IN THESE SCREENING BUFFERS, WE WOULD PLANT THE EVERGREENS TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT GOOD ENOUGH, UM, WITHIN THE PANEL ZONE. UM, WE HAVE WORKED, UH, FOR MANY YEARS TO TRY TO MASTER THE ART OF, UH, GETTING VEGETATION TO ESTABLISH WITHIN THE ARRAY FIELDS. UM, BECAUSE THE SOLAR PANELS ARE SO LOW TO THE GROUND, IT MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR MAINTENANCE. SO THESE MIXES THAT WE USE NOW ARE VERY LOW GROWING. THE PRIMARY FLOWERING SPECIES IS CLOVER, UH, WHICH IS PART OF THE POLLINATOR ASPECT OF THE PROJECT. YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THAT IMAGE RIGHT THERE. I USED TO MOW MY YARD AT NIGHTTIME 'CAUSE I HAD ALL CLOVER IN MY YARD. AND EVEN UNDER MOONLIGHT, I COULD TELL WHERE I'D MOWED 'CAUSE I HAD CHOPPED THE BLOOMS OFF. AND SO THAT'S HOW I USED TO CUT MY GRASS AT NIGHTTIME, WAS BY THE, THE LIGHT OF THE CLOVER. INTERESTING ENOUGH, AND YOU GUYS PROBABLY DON'T CARE TO HOW WHEN I MOW MY GRASS, BUT I THINK IT'S FINE. , HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE IMPLEMENT THESE BUFFER PLANTINGS. UM, I BELIEVE THIS IS ABOUT AT 13 3 0 7 LOU JONES ROAD. THAT'S THAT MAILBOX THAT YOU SEE THERE TO THE LEFT. YOU SEE AN EXISTING CONDITION AND THEN ON THE RIGHT YOU SEE HOW THAT BUFFER IS GREEN AND PLANTING WHERE THE EVERGREENS AND THE TREES ARE, ARE FILLING THOSE VOIDS. YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE TO THE RIGHT HAND OF THAT RIGHT HAND IMAGE, A LONG VIEW INTO THE SITE. THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION, THE REASON THAT THAT'S THE CASE IS THAT IS WETLANDS. SO WE WOULDN'T BE PLANTING NOR PUTTING PANELS IN THOSE WETLANDS. WHAT YOU SEE AT THE VERY DISTANCE IS A LITTLE SORT OF HINT OF EVERGREENS. THAT'S WHERE THE PANELS ARE WAY BACK THERE. BUT EVEN BACK THERE, WE'RE STILL PLANTING THAT SCREENING, EVEN IF IT'S A HUNDRED, 200 FEET OFF THE ROAD. SO THAT'S IN A NUTSHELL WHAT THE, UH, SPRINGING AND BUFFERING AND THE PANEL AREAS ARE, HOW THEY'RE VEGETATED. GOOD ENOUGH. ISN'T THAT MORE FUN THAN THE ENGINEERING ? SERIOUSLY, I'D NOW LIKE TO INVITE TARYN FROM THE TIMMONS GROUP UP. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. I'M TARYN PAYNE. I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST AND PROJECT MANAGER WITH TIMMONS GROUP. MY TEAM PERFORMED THE HABITAT ASSESSMENT ON SITE FOR THE ATLANTIC PICTO MUSCLE. UM, I'M A PROFESSIONAL WETLAND SCIENTIST. I'M A CERTIFIED ARBORIST AND A WETLAND DELINEATOR IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA AND JUST AN ECOLOGIST AT HEART. SO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THREATENED ENDANGERED SPECIES IS ONE THAT'S NOT JUST IMPORTANT TO ME ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, BUT VERY MUCH A PERSONAL LEVEL AS WELL. SO IT'S REALLY GREAT TO BE WORKING ON A PROJECT LIKE THIS WHERE THINGS ARE DONE THE RIGHT WAY, . BUT ANYWAY, BACK TO THE MUSSELS. UM, THE ATLANTIC PIG TOE MUSSEL IS A FRESHWATER MUSSEL THAT IS CURRENTLY LISTED AS THREATENED, BOTH AT A FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL. UM, THE SPECIES IS KNOWN TO INHABIT VERY PRISTINE, VERY CLEAN, UM, VERY LARGE STREAMS WITH A PERMANENT FLOW. UM, ADDITIONALLY THESE STREAMS, IT REALLY REQUIRES A GRAVELLY OR VERY COARSE SAND SUBSTRATE. IT NEEDS SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL TO SORT OF ADHERE TO. UM, ALSO AT LIKE A LIFECYCLE LEVEL, THE ATLANTIC PIG TOE, LIKE ANY FRESHWATER MUSSEL, REALLY RELIES ON THE PRESENCE OF HOST FISH. SO IT HAS A LARVAL STAGE WHERE IT NEEDS TO ATTACH TO THAT SPECIFIC HOST FISH SPECIES IN ORDER TO DEVELOP, DISPERSE, AND ESTABLISH POPULATION. AND WITHOUT THOSE FISH PRESENT, THE PIG TOE MUSSEL CAN'T SURVIVE OR REPRODUCE. SO ACCORDING TO, UM, THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES, THERE WAS ONE RECORDED OBSERVATION IN SY CREEK WITH WITHIN A TWO MILE RADIUS OF THE SITE. UM, I'M SURE A LOT OF YOU HERE TONIGHT ARE FAMILIAR WITH SANI CREEK. IT'S A VERY LARGE, VERY SUBSTANTIAL [02:25:01] STREAM, HAS VERY PERMANENT FLOW, IT'S ALWAYS FLOWING. AND BECAUSE OF THIS NEARBY RECORD, MY TEAM WENT ON SITE AND PERFORMED A HABITAT ASSESSMENT. WHILE WE WERE ON SITE, WE IDENTIFIED TWO POTENTIAL HABITAT FEATURES. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTOS ON THE SCREEN, THERE ARE TWO INTERMITTENT STREAMS, ONE IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER AND ONE IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER. AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE STREAMS LACK PERMANENT FLOW. IN FACT, DURING OUR ASSESSMENT, THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH BONE DRY. UM, ADDITIONALLY, THEY'RE VERY MUCH DOMINATED BY SILTY SUBSTRATE, SO THERE WAS NO, NO CORE SAND, NO GRAVELLY SUBSTRATE, NO COBBLES, IE NOTHING, NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL FOR THE MUSSEL TO REALLY ATTACH TO IN THE STREAM BED. AND BASED ON THESE CONDITIONS, THEY'RE ALSO NOT CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING HOST FISH, HOST FISH POPULATIONS. THEREFORE, IT'S OF OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION THAT SUITABLE HABITAT FOR THE ATLANTIC PIG TOE IS NOT PRESENT ON SITE AND THE PROPOSED PROJECT PROJECT IS UNLIKELY TO HAVE ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE SPECIES. ADDITIONALLY, JUST AT A LARGER KIND OF WATERSHED LEVEL, THIS PROJECT DOESN'T PROPOSE ANY IMPACTS TO STREAMER WETLANDS. SO WITHOUT ANY INSTREAM WORK AND WITH IMPLE IMPLEMENTATION OF STANDARD EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL MEASURES LIKE THAT COLBY DISCUSSED EARLIER, UM, ANY POTENTIAL PICTO HABITAT DOWNSTREAM WOULD ALSO BE PROTECTED FROM SEDIMENTATION OR FLOW RELATED IMPACTS. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO PASS IT OVER TO RAY GOLDMAN. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. UH, MY NAME IS RAY GOLDMAN AND I AM A BOARD CERTIFIED, UH, NOISE CONTROL ENGINEER, UM, WITH THE, UH, MY COMPANY'S WESTWOOD, BUT I'M BOARD CERTIFIED WITH THE INSTITUTE OF NOISE CONTROL ENGINEERING. UM, AND I CONDUCTED THE SOUND STUDY FOR THIS PROJECT. UM, I CONDUCTED THE SOUND STUDY USING PRETTY MUCH THE MOST COMMON, UH, NOISE SOFTWARE, UM, FOR PROJECTS, UH, OF THIS TYPE. I'VE CONDUCTED NOISE STUDIES FOR SOLAR PROJECTS, UM, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY OF, UH, ALL DIFFERENT SIZES FROM TWO MEGAWATTS UP THROUGH HUNDREDS OF MEGAWATTS. UM, AND THE WAY THAT THE SOFTWARE WORKS IS IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE CUMULATIVE IMPACTS OF ALL OF THE INVERTERS OPERATING AT ONCE ON THIS PROJECT. UM, WHICH BECAUSE, UH, INVERTERS ONLY OPERATE WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING, THEY ONLY OPERATE DURING THE DAYTIME, AND THAT IS WHEN, UH, NOISE WILL BE GENERATED. UM, SO I'LL SAY A BUNCH OF NUMBERS AND THEN I'LL PUT IT IN CONTEXT FOR Y'ALL. . UH, SO THE MAXIMUM PROJECT GENERATED NOISE LEVEL FROM, UH, ALL OF THESE INVERTERS OPERATING AT ONCE IS 39, UH, A WEIGHTED DECIBELS. AND, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, JUST KIND OF A DISTRIBUTION OF ALL OF THE PREDICTED SOUND LEVELS AT RESIDENCES. UM, AND THOSE ARE RESIDENCES WITHIN, I BELIEVE A HALF MILE OF THE PROJECT. AND MINIMAL IMPACTS ARE ANTICIPATED TO ALL OF THESE, UM, NEARBY RESIDENCES. BUT LIKE I SAID, I'LL PUT THAT IN CONTEXT FOR YOU 'CAUSE THOSE ARE ALL JUST NUMBERS. UM, HERE'S SOME TYPICAL OUTDOOR NOISE LEVELS OF DIFFERENT, UM, SOURCES. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, TYPICAL QUIET RURAL NEIGHBORHOODS FALL, UH, GENERALLY UNDER 40 A WEIGHTED DECIBELS. SO THE FACT THAT THE LOUDEST PROJECT GENERATED LEVEL IS 39, UH, MEANS THAT IT WILL FALL BELOW TYPICAL LEVELS IN THE AREA. AND, UM, IT'S NOT EXPECTED TO BE AUDIBLE, UH, OR PERCEPTIBLE BY, UM, ANY OF THE RESIDENCES IN THE AREA. AND THEN HERE'S A MAP OF THE SOUND LEVELS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING. THAT 40, UH, LEVEL I WAS TALKING ABOUT IS THAT GRAY, LIKE YELLOWISH LINE. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST OF THE HOMES WITHIN THIS PROJECT FALL, UH, EVEN LOWER THAN I WAS TALKING ABOUT BELOW 35 DECIBELS. UM, SO YEAH, LIKE I SAID, UH, THESE LEVELS, UH, GENERATED BY THE PROJECT ARE NOT ANTICIPATED TO BE ABLE TO BE HEARD BY ANY OF THOSE RESIDENCES, UH, LOCAL TO THE PROJECT. NOW I WOULD LIKE TO PASS IT ON TO NICK, I BELIEVE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS NICK KIRKLAND WITH KIRKLAND APPRAISALS. I'M A STATE CERTIFIED GENERAL APPRAISER IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, AS WELL AS EIGHT OTHER STATES. I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED AS AN EXPERT IN PROPERTY VALUE IMPACTS FOR PROPOSED USES, UM, FOR A RANGE OF USES FROM SOLAR FACILITIES TO PROPOSED SUBDIVISIONS PROPOSED, UM, LCID LANDFILLS, YOU NAME IT. AND WE'VE SHOWN UP. UM, IN FACT, WE'VE TESTIFIED BASED ON THE RESEARCH WE FOUND BEFORE IN OPPOSITION TO SOME PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS WHEN THE RESEARCH SAYS THAT, UM, WE ARE HERE STRICTLY JUST TO PRESENT THE RESEARCH THAT WE HAVE DONE ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS WOULD [02:30:01] IMPACT PROPERTY VALUES. SO TO THAT END, WE HAVE DONE, UH, THE MARKET STANDARD FOR HOW YOU WOULD DO SUCH A THING. THIS IS, UH, CALLED A MATCHED PAIR OR PAIRED SALES ANALYSIS. THIS IS A METHODOLOGY SUPPORTED BY THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE AND STRAIGHT OUT OF THEIR TEXTBOOK REAL ESTATE DAMAGES. YOU COMPARE A HOME THAT IS SOLD RIGHT NEXT TO AN EXISTING SOLAR FACILITY TO SEVERAL NEARBY HOMES TO SEE IS IT SELLING FOR A DIFFERENT VALUE. UH, IF YOU'VE EVER HAD YOUR HOUSE OR YOUR LAND APPRAISED, IT'S A VERY SIMILAR PROCESS WHEN YOU'RE GETTING YOUR HOME APPRAISED, THEY'RE GOING TO FIND THREE TO FIVE NEARBY COMPARABLES AND SAY, WE THINK THAT YOUR HOUSE WOULD BE WORTH ABOUT THIS MUCH BASED ON THESE COMPS. A PAIRED SALE IS VERY SIMILAR TO THIS. WE FIND SIMILAR NEARBY SALES THAT ARE NOT NEXT TO THE SOLAR FACILITY AND SAY, OH, OKAY, WELL IT LOOKS LIKE THE PROPERTY NEXT TO THE SOLAR FACILITY SHOULD HAVE SOLD FOR ABOUT THIS MUCH. NOW HOW MUCH DID IT ACTUALLY SELL FOR MORE, LESS, OR ABOUT THE SAME? UH, AND THIS PROVIDES AN INDICATION OF IMPACT OR LACK THEREOF DUE TO BEING ADJACENT TO THE SOLAR FACILITY. THE SECOND METHODOLOGY THAT'S UTILIZED IS CALLED THE SALE RESALE ANALYSIS. THIS INVOLVES COMPARING A HOME THAT IS SOLD BEFORE ANY SOLAR FACILITY IS EVER BUILT. THEN A SOLAR FACILITY IS BUILT RIGHT NEXT DOOR. THEN THAT SAME HOUSE SELLS AGAIN, WE MEASURE USING A MARKET BASED APPRECIATION RATE. WELL, HOW MUCH SHOULD IT HAVE SOLD FOR THE SECOND TIME? AND DID IT SELL FOR MORE, LESS, OR ABOUT THE SAME? UH, WE'VE GOT A RANGE OF EXAMPLES SPECIFICALLY FROM VIRGINIA WITHIN THE IMPACT STUDY THAT WE PERFORMED. I'M JUST GONNA BRIEFLY RUN THROUGH THE CONCLUSIONS AND WHAT WE FOUND. SO WHEN LOOKING AT THE PAIRED SALE OR MATCH PAIR ANALYSIS, WE LOOKED AT 23 SALES THAT RANGE FROM A NEGATIVE 5% TO A POSITIVE 8% FOR BEING ADJACENT TO A SOLAR FACILITY. AND THIS HAS AN AVERAGE IN MEDIAN OVERALL OF POSITIVE 1%. WHEN TALKING ABOUT THE SALE RESALE ANALYSIS, WE'VE GOT FOUR EXAMPLES OF THAT. AND THEY RANGE FROM NEGATIVE 6% TO POSITIVE 6% FOR BEING ADJACENT TO THE SOLAR FACILITY WITH A MEDIAN AND AVERAGE OF 0%. SO TYPICALLY WITHIN PLUS OR MINUS 5% WOULD BE CONSIDERED WITHIN THE TYPICAL REAL ESTATE VARIATIONS IN THE MARKET. UH, GIVEN A COOKIE CUTTER NEIGHBORHOOD, EVEN WITH HOUSES ON THE SAME SIZE, LOTS THE SAME FLOOR PLAN, THEY'RE NOT GONNA SELL FOR QUITE THE SAME AMOUNT. THEY TYPICALLY ARE GONNA SELL FOR VERY SIMILAR AMOUNTS THOUGH, AND THROUGH DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER APPRAISERS AND BROKERS, THAT AMOUNT TYPICALLY IS ABOUT 5%. IF YOU EVER LOOK AT THE TOP END COMPARABLE AND THE LOWEST END COMPARABLE IN AN APPRAISAL, THEY TYPICALLY VARY GREATER THAN THAT 5% AFTER ALL ADJUSTMENTS BEYOND WHAT WE HAVE DONE. WE'VE ALSO LOOKED AT SEVERAL UNIVERSITY STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE TO ADDRESS THIS FROM A NON APPRAISAL STANDPOINT. UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THESE THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. I, I'D BE HAPPY TO GO THROUGH ANY OF THEM, BUT FOR JUST SAKE OF TIME, I'M JUST GONNA HIT THE, THE, THE ONES MOST LIKELY TO HAVE QUESTIONS. UM, THE MOST LIKELY, UH, OR THE MOST RECENT ONE THAT HAS COME OUT WAS THE VIRGINIA TECH STUDY THAT WAS DONE. AND I'D LIKE TO JUST BRIEFLY KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT THEY DID, THEIR FINDINGS AND, UH, MY THOUGHTS ON THAT. SO WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE LOOKED AT WITHIN THREE MILES OF EXISTING SOLAR FACILITIES AND COMPARED THAT TO EVERYTHING JUST BEYOND THREE MILES, UP TO SIX MILES. SO IMAGINE A BIG THREE MILE RADIUS CIRCLE, WHICH IS SIX MILE DIAMETER ACROSS AROUND SOLAR FACILITIES AND COMPARED THAT AREA PRIOR TO ANY SOLAR FARM EVER THERE AND COMPARED THAT AREA AFTERWARDS TO, UM, ITSELF AFTER THE SOLAR FACILITY IS BUILT, THEY ALSO COMPARED THAT TO A DONUT HOLE OR A DONUT AROUND THIS AREA, CONCENTRIC CIRCLE OF 3.01 MILES TO SIX MILES BEYOND, AND LOOKED AT THAT TO SEE, WELL, HOW DOES THAT AREA CLOSEST TO THE SOLAR FACILITY APPRECIATE OR DEPRECIATE COMPARED TO THAT AREA FURTHER AWAY? UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS, UH, THE SAME METHODOLOGY UTILIZED WITHIN THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB STUDY THAT, UH, PRESUPPOSES THAT THE AREAS CLOSEST TO THE SOLAR FACILITY ARE COMPARABLE TO THOSE AREAS IN THE OUTER DONUT. AND UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO THE TYPICAL SIDING LOCATIONS OF A SOLAR FACILITY LIKE THIS, IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE THAT THEY ARE COMPARABLE. UH, THE REASONS BEING, UH, MOST SOLAR FACILITIES THAT ARE DEVELOPED AT THIS SCALE AND OF THIS SIZE ARE A COUPLE MILES AWAY FROM THE NEAREST MUNICIPALITY. IF YOU WERE TO TAKE A A THREE MILE PIN AND DROP IT AND DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND IT, WHICH IS WHAT THESE STUDIES HAVE DONE PREDOMINANTLY THE VIRGINIA TECH ONE, IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS NO NEARBY TOWN WITHIN THAT THREE MILE RADIUS. BUT IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THE SIX MILE AND GO ALL THE WAY AROUND, OFTENTIMES THAT INCLUDES MORE SUBDIVISIONS, LAND CLOSER TO MUNICIPALITIES, AND IN A LOT OF CASES IT INCLUDES NEARBY MUNICIPALITIES. SO WHAT HAS BEEN CAPTURED IS THAT THE AREAS CLOSEST TO THESE SOLAR FACILITIES, THE MOST RURAL AREAS, [02:35:01] ARE SELLING FOR WHAT THEY FOUND IS A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THOSE AREAS CLOSER TO TOWN AND SOMETIMES INCLUSIVE OF NEARBY TOWNS. AND IT WOULD BE UNREASONABLE TO COMPARE LAND SALES FROM A LOCAL MUNICIPALITY TO THE MOST RURAL LAND SALES THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THAT MUNICIPALITY. AND TO CONSIDER THOSE COMPARABLE I IS A FAULTY PREMISE. UH, THEY HAVE FOUND THAT, UH, AGRICULTURAL LAND SHOWS A A MASSIVE INCREASE IN VALUE OF APPROXIMATELY 20%. THEY'VE SHOWN THAT, UM, RESIDENTIAL VALUES DROP REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, SOLAR FACILITY AND JUST IF YOU'RE WITHIN A TWO MILE RADIUS OF FOUR TO 7%. HOWEVER, UH, ONE OTHER, UH, ISSUE WITH THESE STUDIES, SPECIFICALLY THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB AND THE VIRGINIA TECH IS THEY DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY OTHER USES WITHIN THAT CIRCLE. SO WHEN THEY ATTRIBUTE A NEGATIVE TO THOSE PROPERTIES THAT ARE CLOSEST TO THE SOLAR FACILITY, IF THERE ARE INDUSTRIAL USES, COMMERCIAL USES, MULTIFAMILY USES, LANDFILL USES, THOSE ARE NOT CONSIDERED, THOSE ARE NOT CONSIDERED TO BE POTENTIAL CAUSERS OF DAMAGES TO THE NEARBY PROPERTY VALUE. ALL POTENTIAL DAMAGE IS ATTRIBUTED SOLELY TO THE SOLAR FACILITY. AND SO GIVEN THIS, THERE ARE CERTAINLY LIMITATIONS WITH UTILIZING THAT. UM, HOWEVER, WHEN LOOKING AT ALL OF THE, UH, UNIVERSITY STUDIES THAT HAVE COME OUT, UH, THEY SHOW A RANGE OF AVERAGE IMPACTS TO RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES FROM NEGATIVE 3% TO NEGATIVE 0.1%, UM, WHICH IS AGAIN, WITHIN THE RANGE OF TYPICAL MARKET VARIATION. UH, AND THEREFORE IT'S MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION THAT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ADJOINING OUR NEARBY PROPERTY VALUES. AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER UNIVERSITY STUDIES AND I, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. BUT FOR CLOSING REMARKS, LET ME PASS IT BACK TO BOBBY AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO COME BACK UP. HELLO AGAIN, I'LL KEEP THIS BRIEF BECAUSE YOU'VE HEARD A LOT TONIGHT. WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO SHOW THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION IS NOT JUST WHAT THIS PROJECT IS, BUT HOW IT WAS DEVELOPED. WE SHOWED UP, WE LISTENED WHEN, WHEN CONCERNS WERE RAISED, CHANGES WERE MADE. THIS PROJECT REFLECTS MONTHS OF CONVERSATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS, COUNTY STAFF, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, AND MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD. IT REFLECTS AN EFFORT TO BALANCE PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS, COMMUNITY VALUES, AND THE LONG-TERM INTERESTS OF THE COUNTY. WE RECOGNIZE THAT NOT EVERYONE WILL SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AND WE RESPECT THAT, BUT WE DO BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN SHAPED THOUGHTFULLY, RESPONSIBLY, AND IN GOOD FAITH. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS A LOCALLY INFORMED AMERICAN OWNED INVESTMENT THAT KEEPS LAND PRODUCTIVE, PROVIDES LONG-TERM REVENUE FOR THE COUNTY, AND AVOIDS MORE INTENSIVE FORMS OF DEVELOPMENT. WE APPRECIATE THE TIME AND CARE YOU'VE GIVEN OUR APPLICATION AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? NOT AT THIS TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA OPEN, UH, THE PUBLIC HEARING. DO, UH, DO WE HAVE ANYONE THAT HAS SIGNED UP, PLEASE? YES, MADAM CHAIR, WE HAVE SCOTT LEWIS. GOOD EVENING. I'M SCOTT LEWIS, THE SOLAR FARM. IF IT'S PUT IN OR JOIN MY FAMILY FARM, I'M PROBABLY ABOUT SIX GENERATIONS AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. I GOT PEOPLE BURIED ON THAT FARM AND I DON'T THINK IT'LL BOTHER ANY OF THEM. AND, UH, FOR MY PART IT'S ALREADY WITH ME. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU SIR. TRENT MILLS. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS TRENT MILLS AND I'M THE OFFICE MANAGER OF GILMAN LAND IN TIMBER, WHICH OWNS PROPERTY OFF OF LOU JONES ROAD IN DENWOODY COUNTY. AND I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A FAX TONIGHT ON HOW THE COMPANY GOT HERE. ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 1999, WILLIAM B GILMAN PURCHASED 890 ACRES OF TIMBERLAND FROM NORTHERN AMERICAN TIMBER CORPORATION ON LOU JONES ROAD IN DENVER COUNTY TAX MAP ID 55 31. ON JANUARY THE SECOND OF [02:40:01] 2006, MR. GILMAN TRANSFERRED THE PROPERTY TO GILMAN LAND AND TIMBER ON A DEED OF GIFT. IN 2020 GLAD PATH VENTURES, LLC APPROACHED MR. GILMAN ABOUT A SOLAR PROJECT ON THIS PROPERTY. AT THIS TIME, THE PROPERTY CONSISTED OF 771 ACRES OF LIVE VALLEY PINE PLANTATIONS AND 119 ACRES OF UPLAND HARDWOOD. WITH THE LARGE PINE LOG MARKET PRICES BEING LOW, MR. GILMAN DECIDED TO TAKE A CHANCE ON JUST SPECIFYING SOME OF HIS ASSETS AND SIGN THE OPTION TO LEASE AGREEMENT. GLAD FEDERAL VENTURES LLC HAS SINCE SIGNED ITS INTEREST TO LOU JONES, LLC. IN 2023, AFTER THE LARGE PINE MARKET PRICES INCREASED, MR. GOMAN DECIDED TO SELL 150 ACRES TRACK OF THE TIMBER. FRED B MEADOWS AND SUN LOGGING HAD A SUCCESSFUL BID ON THIS TRACK. AFTER SEEING THE PROFESSIONAL JOB THAT WAS DONE ON THE TRACK, MR. GILMAN DECIDED TO ALLOW FRED B MEADOWS AND SUN LOGGING TO CONTINUE HARVESTING THE REMAINING TIMBER. AT THIS TIME, 630 ACRES OF TIMBER HAVE BEEN SOLD TO FRED V MEADOWS AND SONS WITH THE UN UNFORESEEN DEATH OF MR. GILMAN ON AUGUST THE 30TH OF 2024, AND HONOR AND MEMORY OF MR. GILMAN GILLAND AND TIMBER DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THE TIMBER HARVESTING AND SOLAR OPTION. THE PORTION OF THE PROPERTY NOT BEING USED FOR SOLAR WILL BE REFOREST WITH BLAH BLAH PINE SEEDLINGS STARTING IN 2026. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IF ANY OF THE NEIGHBORS, IF ANY OF THE NEIGHBORS HAD THE LAND THAT WOULD SUPPORT THIS PROJECT, THEY WOULD BE HERE TONIGHT. SPEAKING IN FAVOR INSTEAD OF AGAINST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MICHELLE GILMAN. HELLO. HELLO, MY NAME IS MICHELLE GILMAN. I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF GILMAN LANDON TIMBER AND MY FAMILY. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND OTHERS HERE TONIGHT FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED SOLAR PROJECT. WHILE I UNDERSTAND MANY IN THIS ROOM MAY BE AGAINST SOLAR FARMS, I ASK EACH OF YOU TO LISTEN TO MY POINTS AND REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY, NOT SOLAR FARMS IN GENERAL. FIRST, THE PROPERTY IS 890 ACRES. WE ARE ONLY PUTTING 307 ACRES INTO THIS SOLAR PROJECT. THAT MEANS 583 ACRES WILL REMAIN IN TIMBER. SOME ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SEEING THE PANELS. WE HAVE AGREED TO THE BUFFERS AND KEEPING TREES TO HIDE THE PANELS FROM THE ROAD. WE'VE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT RUNOFF AND AS LANDOWNERS, IT WAS SOMETHING WE TOOK SERIOUSLY. MUCH OF THE LAND WILL REMAIN VEGETATED WITH BOTH TREES AND FOREST UNDERBELLY. BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE LAND, WE'RE COMFORTABLE THAT RUNOFF WILL BE HANDLED RESPONSIBLY AND WON'T IMPACT NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES. HERE'S THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREST INDUSTRY. WE HAVE MORE TIMBER TODAY THAN WE DID YEARS AGO. SO MUCH THAT MOST LANDOWNERS ARE NOT GETTING TOP DOLLAR FOR THEIR TIMBER. 117 PAPER MILL CLOSURES OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, CHESAPEAKE, WHICH IS NOW WESTROCK, WAS BUILT IN 1918. THAT WAS 107 YEARS AGO. IF THAT OPERATION SHUTS DOWN FOR CLOSURE OR FOR LONG-TERM BREAKDOWN, SAWMILLS IN THE AREA CAN'T GET RID OF BYPRODUCTS CAUSING THEM TO SHUT DOWN IN THE US THERE ARE ONE OR MORE SAWMILL CLOSURES PER WEEK. LUMBER SALES ARE DOWN, EXPENSES ARE UP. PEOPLE ARE USING NON-WOOD PRODUCTS FOR MANY THINGS LIKE VINYL, COMPOSITE FLOORING, AS WELL AS DECKING MATERIALS. WITHOUT THE SAWMILLS AND PAPER MILLS, WE NEED LESS TIMBERLAND WHILE THEY HAVE IMPROVED PRODUCTION. WE ARE IMPORTING LUMBER AND USING LESS. IF WE CAN'T GET RID OF TIMBER, LANDOWNER WILL LOOK AT DEVELOPING PROPERTIES INTO SUBDIVISIONS, COMMERCIAL OR OTHER UNDESIRABLE MEANS FOR MONETARY GAINS. BY CONVERTING A SMALL PATCH OF THIS TRACK INTO SOLAR, WE ARE TAKING A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIMBER OFF THE MARKET, KEEPING THE VIEW RULE, MAINTAINING THE SOIL AROUND THE PROPERTY, MOST IMPORTANTLY, [02:45:01] ADDING THE MUCH NEEDED POWER TO OUR GRID. LET'S FACE IT, WE ARE ALL USING MUCH MORE ELECTRICITY THAN EVER BEFORE. WE NEED A SOLUTION. AND SOLAR IS ONE WE FEEL WOULD FIT ON THIS PROPERTY. MY FATHER-IN-LAW WAS A LEGEND IN THE FORCE INDUSTRY. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, HE JOINED THE NAVY. UPON RETURNING HOME, HE STARTED LOGGING AND CONTINUED FOR OVER 60 YEARS. HE WAS A HARD WORKER WHO ACCUMULATED LAND IN MULTIPLE COUNTIES. HE DID NOT WANT TO SEE DEVELOPMENT AND FOUND SOLAR DESIRABLE BECAUSE IT KEPT THE LAND AN AREA RULE WHILE SOLVING OUR POWER NEEDS. IF MY FATHER-IN-LAW WERE HERE TONIGHT, HE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I HAVE SAID AND MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THE GROWING ENERGY NEEDS AND THE SMALLER AMOUNT OF LAND WE PROPOSE FOR SOLAR POWER AND NOT THE TALKING POINTS OF THOSE THAT DON'T WANT CHANGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WILLIAM GILMAN, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK. UH, I'M WILLIAM GILMAN AND I JUST WANTED TO LET Y'ALL KNOW THAT I'M FOR THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU BRANDON CHESTER. GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'D LIKE TO START BY APOLOGIZING FOR MY ATTIRE THIS EVENING. I LITERALLY WALKED IN MY HOUSE, PUT ON A SWEATSHIRT FROM COMING IN FROM WORK AND CAME STRAIGHT BACK OUT. SO TRYING TO MAKE IT HERE ON TIME. UH, SO I LIVE AT 1 2 0 5 5 LOU JONES ROAD, APPROXIMATELY A HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE WEST OF THIS PROJECT. UM, I WANNA START BY SAYING I I DO NOT FAULT THE GILMAN FAMILY FOR TRYING TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM. UM, I'M HERE TRYING TO REPRESENT WHAT I FEEL IS BEST FOR MY FAMILY AND MY CONCERN IS NOT NECESSARILY IMMEDIATE IMPACT. UH, I HAVE FOUR GRANDKIDS THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME FOR DECOMMISSION FOR THIS SITE, IT'S GONNA BE ON THEIR PLATES. THEY'LL BE IN THEIR MID THIRTIES BY THEN FOR THEM TO HAVE TO CONTEND WITH WHAT IS POTENTIALLY GONNA HAPPEN WITH THIS SITE. UM, MY OTHER MAJOR CONCERN IS AMOR HAS BEEN VERY UPFRONT ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS SITE IS VERY LIKELY GOING TO BE CHANGING HANDS BY THE TIME IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE. MY CONCERN IS WHOSE HANDS DOES THAT END UP IN? DOES THAT END UP IN SOME PORTFOLIO FOR A, UH, FOREIGN COMPANY OF SOME SORT? UH, DOES THAT END UP STILL IN THE HANDS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS? UH, IS IT SOMETHING THAT WILL BECOME, BECOME A POINT OF LEVERAGE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE NEXT 15, 20, 30 YEARS? UM, I, I DON'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT SOLAR POWER IS ONE OF OUR OPTIONS AS WE MOVE INTO THE FUTURE. UM, I DISAGREE SOMEWHAT WITH THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED. I UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE ARE PRESENTED BY PEOPLE THAT DO THAT FOR A LIVING AND I ACCEPT THAT AS THEY PRESENT IT. HOWEVER, JUST HALF A MILE DOWN THE ROAD, THE TWO CREEKS THAT FORM MY EASTERN AND WESTERN BOUNDARIES OF MY PROPERTY DO HAVE VERY GRAVELLY SOIL IN THE CREEKS. I FIND THE MUSSEL SHELLS IN MY CREEKS ALL THE TIME. I'VE GOT A JAR FULL OF 'EM IN MY HOUSE THAT MY GRANDKIDS PICK UP OUT OF THE CREEK AND MY CREEK'S DRAINED DIRECTLY INTO SIP CREEK RIGHT BACK BEHIND MY HOUSE. SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS SOME DISTANCE THERE. UH, HOWEVER, IF WE START EXPERIENCING THESE LARGER, MORE SEVERE FLOOD EVENTS, UH, I WAS ONE OF THE FOLKS THAT TALKED ABOUT THE FLOODING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN AN ISSUE JUST WITH THE TIMBER PROJECT NEAR THE INTERSECTION WITH SNAP LODGE ROAD TO THE POINT THAT YOU CANNOT DRIVE ON YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD TO GET AROUND IT. WHEN IT RAINS, YOU HAVE TO DRIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD 'CAUSE IT PONDS A FOOT TWO FEET DEEP SOMETIMES. SO I, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE THE BOARD TO CONSIDER THE, UH, [02:50:01] THE OPINION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THEIR DECISION. UH, I THINK THAT ABOUT DOES IT FOR ME. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FAYE DONAHUE. GOOD EVENING, FA DONAHUE 26 5 10 REAMS DRIVE. UM, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU GUYS TAKE GOOD MINUTES BECAUSE I CAN LOOK BACK AT THE LAST MEETING AND CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN I SAID BEFORE. UM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE EXPERTS THAT ARE HERE. THERE ARE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT, I RESPECT THEIR OPINIONS, UM, AND I RESPECT THE LANDOWNERS AND THEIR POSITIONING ON, UH, THIS PROJECT. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, AND I REMIND YOU, I TAKE YOU BACK TO, UM, THE, UM, PLAN THAT WE ADOPTED, THIS DENWITTY FORD COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WE HAVE FOR DENWITTY AND THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT. UM, AND THAT WE VALUE OUR HERITAGE, WE EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY. UM, AND WHAT YOU HEARD, I THINK WHEN THAT PLAN WAS DEVELOPED WAS THAT RURAL CHARACTER MEANS SOMETHING TO THE PEOPLE OF DEITY COUNTY. UM, THERE'S A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND IT'S A SAFE PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY OR RETIRE TO. AND IT'S THAT AGRICULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CHARACTER THAT I WANTED TO REMIND YOU OF TONIGHT. UM, I THINK WE ARE A GENERATIONAL COMMUNITY. I THINK WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FAMILIES WHO'VE BEEN HERE FOR SIX GENERATIONS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO US. AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST IS, AS I HAVE DONE A BIT OF RESEARCH ON INDUSTRIAL SOLAR, IS THE THINGS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN THE COUNTIES AROUND US FROM LOUISA TO SUSSEX TO PRINCE GEORGE. AND THERE ARE ISSUES ABOUT STORM RUNOFF. AND I WOULD, I I THINK TONIGHT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE, UM, THE GRANT THAT'S BEEN GRANTED TO VIRGINIA TECH, TO RESEARCH STORM RUNOFF AND THE IMPACT TO AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES. AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO YEARS INTO THAT SIX YEAR STUDY, BUT SO FAR WHAT THEY'RE FINDING IS NOT GOOD. UM, AND WITH SOLAR PANELS BEING NOW CLASSIFIED AS IMPERIAL SURFACES, RUNOFF SIGNIFICANT, AND IT'S DAMAGING NOT ONLY THE FARMS WHERE THE SOLAR PANELS ARE, BUT IT'S SURROUNDING FARMS AS WELL. AND THAT'S, THAT'S A REAL IMPACT TO ALL FARMERS WITHIN AN AREA AROUND INDUSTRIAL SOLAR. SO I GUESS WHAT I'VE COME BACK TO SAY IS I THINK I'M A PROPONENT OF SOLAR PANELS AND SOLAR POWER, BUT NOT INDUSTRIAL SOLAR AND THE HUGE, HUGE, UH, FOOTPRINT THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING IN COUNTIES AND IN, IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS BECAUSE THERE IS AN IMPACT. AND I THINK THERE'S MORE RESEARCH THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. I HEAR ALL THE EXPERTS, BUT THEY'RE EXPERTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE. I THINK THERE'S INDEPENDENT RESEARCH THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH VIRGINIA TECH AND OTHER COMMUNITIES. I KNOW THAT, UH, DR. MARY BURROUGHS, HEAD OF DIRECTOR OF, OF VIRGINIA AGRICULTURE EXPERIMENTAL STATION RESEARCH, DINA FOR RESEARCH, THEY'RE COMING OUT WITH THINGS EVERY DAY AND WE NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT AND WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN TO DI WITTY COUNTY. SO I'LL JUST SAY THAT I, I LOVE DI WITTY COUNTY. I WOULD LIKE OPPORTUNITY IN DITTY COUNTY, BUT I CONTINUE TO THINK THAT INDUSTRIAL SOLAR IS NOT THE BEST USE FOR AG OUR AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. PAUL WILSON, WHERE DO I STAND HERE? I'M BLIND AS THE BAT GUYS. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. HI, MY NAME IS PAUL WILSON AND I'M KNOWN AS THE BLIND FARMER. UM, I HAVE A 65 ACRE FARM. I HAVE IT BROKEN IN THE PASTURES AND I'M RAISING SHEEP. ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE SEEN ON MY FARM WHEN I FIRST TOOK IT OVER THERE WAS EROSION GOING ON. IT WAS, HAD BEEN CROP, IT HAD BEEN CROP LAND FOR A LONG TIME WITH MY SHEEP ON IT, WHICH THEY PROMOTE GOOD GROWTH OF GRASS. [02:55:02] MY, MY EROSION HAS STOPPED. WHAT I'M PROPOSING IS I WANT TO PUT SHEEP INTO A SOLAR FIELD AND TURN THAT LAND INTO GOOD AGRICULTURAL LAND WHERE GRASS IS GROWN, MAINTAINED PROPERLY, WHERE ROTATIONAL GRAZING IS DONE ON A, ON A DAILY BASIS SO THAT THE LAND IS NOT SO GRASS IS ALWAYS THERE AT A CERTAIN HEIGHT. MOVE TO THE MOVE YOUR SHEEP TO THE NEXT SECTION AND IT KEEPS GOING AROUND. WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO TRY TO DO IS GET YOUR SHEEP BACK TO THE FIRST PLACE WHERE YOU STARTED. BUT EVERY 33 TO FOUR TO 33 TO 40 DAYS, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M PRACTICING ON MY FARM. MY ULTERIOR MOTIVE IN A LOT OF THIS IS THAT I'VE BEEN BLIND FOR 58 YEARS AND I'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS MY WHOLE LIFE. FARMING IS MY PASSION. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'M TRYING TO DO IS TO SHOW OTHER PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHAT THEY CAN DO IN AGRICULTURE. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I SEE AS GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ORDER TO HANDLE SHEEP. UM, I ALSO, I ALSO HAVE, UH, UH, GREENHOUSES. I HAVE LARGE GARDENS. I RAISE CHICKENS, I RAISE PIGS. AND I'M OUT ON MY FARM ALL DAY, ALL DAY AS A TOTALLY BLIND PERSON WITH MY DOG WHO HELPS. UH, THE BORDER COLLEAGUE, HER NAME IS SADIE, AND SHE, SHE HERDS MY SHEEP FOR ME. AND, UH, I'M DOING IT SO I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES COULD DO IT. I THINK THIS OPPORT, THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT SHEEP ONTO THE, ONTO A SOLAR FUEL WILL DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR THE PROP, GOOD FOR THE LAND, IT WILL KEEP IT IN THE AGRICULTURE AND IT WILL HELP MAINTAIN VALUES THAT WE HAVE AS PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, LIVE IN THE COUNTRY AND ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE EVERY DAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. LANE GUNN. GOOD EVENING BOARD. I'M LANE GUNN. I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA BUSINESS ALLIANCE AND A PROJECT MANAGER FOR RED OAK EXCAVATING IN RED OAK, VIRGINIA. I'VE BEEN BUILDING SOLAR PROJECTS FOR ALMOST SEVEN YEARS NOW. THERE IS NO BETTER CONTRACTOR THAN A LOCAL CONTRACTOR TO BUILD THESE PROJECTS. AMLI FORMM WILL PUSH FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES REGARDLESS IF THEY OWN THE PROJECT OR NOT, TO BUILD IT FOR YOU. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR LAND AT HOME. YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT EROSION RUNOFF, EVERYTHING ELSE. I'M DEQ CERTIFIED AS A RESPONSIBLE LAND DISTURBER. IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA BEFORE YOU CAN MOVE A BUCKET OF DIRT, BLADE OF DIRT OR, OR EVEN BUILD ONE OF THESE PROJECTS. ALRIGHT? WHEN YOU PUT A RESPONSIBLE LAND DISTURBER ON THESE PROJECTS, NOW DEQ REQUIRES A A QP QUALITY PROTOCOL INSPECTOR. OKAY? SO NOW WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING OUR OWN RESPONSIBLE LAND DISTURBER, ALRIGHT? IT MAKES US SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL ON THESE PROJECTS. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU HAVE A SWIP, WHICH IS A STORM WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN, WHICH I'M SURE MOST OF Y'ALL KNOW FROM YOUR MUNICIPAL PROJECTS. YOU KNOW, ALL THIS STUFF IS BEING PUT IN PLACE BECAUSE OF SOLAR. IF IT WASN'T FOR SOLAR PROJECTS, WE'D HAVE SEDIMENT AND EVERYTHING ELSE RUNNING ALL OVER THE STATE, YOU KNOW, LOGGING PRACTICES OVER THE YEARS TO CUT ALL THE TREES, THEN ALL YOUR TOP SOIL GOES THROUGH YOUR STREAMS ANYWAY. THERE'S NOTHING THERE TO STOP IT. SOLAR PROJECTS, STOP IT. THEY PLAN EVERYTHING WITHIN SEVEN TO 14 DAYS. THEY HAVE TO BY DEQ MINIMUM STANDARDS. WE HAVE TO KEEP THESE TYPES OF RULES AND REGULATIONS IN OUR MINDS WHEN WE'RE DISCUSSING THESE PROJECTS. YOU KNOW, NOW LET'S GET TO LOCAL BUSINESSES. OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS BETWEEN HALIFAX, CHARLOTTE, PENNSYLVANIA COUNTY SOLAR PROJECTS HAVE GENERATED FOR LOCAL BUSINESS OVER $40 MILLION. HOW DO I KNOW THAT? BECAUSE MY COMPANY GROSSED OVER $17 MILLION IN THOSE TWO YEARS OF SALES. LEMME GIVE YOU TWO NUMBERS. SEVEN AND 41. SEVEN YEARS AGO, I HAD SEVEN EMPLOYEES WORKING UNDER ME AT THIS TIME. I HAVE 41 SOLAR GENERATES JOBS. THEY'LL SIT THERE AND SAY THEY'RE SHORT TERM BECAUSE THEIR PROJECTS ARE SHORT TERM. I'VE SUSTAINED RED OAK EXCAVATING OWNED BY GENE HALL JR. OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, MAINLY BECAUSE OF SOLAR PROJECTS. JUST LIKE THIS ONE, [03:00:02] YOUR LOCAL CONTRACTORS CAN BENEFIT SO MUCH BECAUSE YOU GOT EVERYTHING FROM HAULING AGGREGATES, YOU'VE GOT GRADING CONTRACTORS, EVEN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT. IF YOU GIVE IT A CHANCE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA SPEAK OUT EVERY WHICH WAY THAT THEY CAN BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT CHANGE. THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT CAN BE GENERATED FROM THESE PROJECTS IS UNREAL, NOT ONLY FOR THE COUNTY, BUT FOR ITS CITIZENS, BECAUSE LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO HIRE LOCAL PEOPLE. I JUST ASK THAT YOU SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT GIVING THIS PROJECT A CHANCE BECAUSE IT'S NOT LARGE SCALE. YOU KNOW, IT'S 300 AND SOME ACRES TOTAL. WE'RE FIXING TO START ONE IN RANDOLPH, THAT'S 13,000 ACRES AND 6,000, THAT'S A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EASEMENT. BUT 3000, 40 ACRES OF IT IS PANELS. I'M PRETTY SURE WE'VE GOT IT FIGURED OUT HOW TO BUILD THESE THINGS. IF Y'ALL GIVE US A CHANCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND BE BLESSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOAH TOMBS. GOOD EVENING BOARD. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. I'M NOAH TOMBS. I'M ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA BUSINESS ALLIANCE WITH LANE. I'M ALSO A BOARD MEMBER. I'M ALSO A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER IN RED OAK, VIRGINIA. WE DO A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, TREE CARE, TREE REMOVAL, ROLL OFF, CONTAINER BUSINESS, CRANE SERVICE. AND WE ALSO DO 40 BEEF CATTLE. NOW, WHEN I WAS COMING UP IN HIGH SCHOOL, I NOTICED A LOT OF MY FRIENDS GETTING INTO A LOT OF BLUE COLLAR WORK. WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE GOING TO COLLEGE. WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO WORK WITH THE HANDS. IT WASN'T A LOT OF COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES IN MY AREA, BUT I NOTICED A LOT OF THEM COULDN'T DO IT IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY. THEY HAD TO GO, THEY HAD TO GET THE EXPERIENCE SOMEWHERE ELSE. I, I WAS BLESSED ENOUGH TO COME UP WITH THAT BUSINESS NOW AT FIRST, BEFORE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE SOLAR PALMS PROVIDED, WE WERE, UH, REMEMBER ALL WE HAD WAS ONE BUCKY TRUCK, 1 29 55. IT WAS ME AND DAD. I WAS PICKING UP LIAMS ALL DAY AFTER SCHOOL. IT WAS HARD. AND, UH, COME THESE SOLAR FARMS THAT'D GIVE US SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW OUR BUSINESS WITH EMPLOYEES, BETTER EQUIPMENT, THE ABILITY TO HIRE, HIRE PEOPLE THAT I EVEN WENT TO SCHOOL WITH PEOPLE THAT I KNEW AND WITH THE BETTER EQUIPMENT, THEY GIVE US BETTER OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE CITIZENS IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. SO I THINK SOLAR FARMS ARE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO GET OUT THERE, GET THE EXPERIENCE, AND HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS. AND I HOPE THAT IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO GO WITH SOLAR FARMS, YOU USE THE BUSINESS ALLIANCE TO HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES GET IN ON THESE PROJECTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JILLIAN STICKLEY, I PASS OUT SOME PAPERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. UM, MY NAME'S JILLIAN STICKLEY AND I WORK AT TIMMONS GROUP. I'M HERE TO PRESENT YOU SOME INFORMATION ON THE PHASE ONE, A CULTURAL RESOURCE ANALYSIS THAT'S BEEN PERFORMED FOR LOU JONES AND ON THE PERMIT BY PROCESS. SO DUTTON ASSOCIATES, WHICH IS A TIMMONS GROUP COMPANY, PERFORMED A PHASE ONE, A CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT ON THIS SITE. AND THE ASSESSMENT HELPS TO CONFIRM EXISTING CONDITIONS, NOTE SURFACE EVIDENCE OF CULTURAL ACTIVITY, AND IDENTIFY RECOMMENDED SURVEY METHODS. ADDITIONALLY, THE ASSESSMENT IDENTIFIES THE LOW, MODERATE AND HIGH PROBABILITY AREAS FOR ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES. AND THERE ARE TWO MAIN PARTS OF THE PHASE ONE, A BACKGROUND RESEARCH AND FIELD RECONNAISSANCE. UM, THE BACKGROUND RESEARCH CONSISTS OF AN ANALYSIS OF HISTORIC MAPS AND A REVIEW OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE CULTURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION. RESULTS [03:05:01] OF THIS SHOW THAT THE SITE HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY TIMBERED AND THAT THE PROJECT AREA DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES. ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ARE BATTLEFIELD, UH, THE LIMITED PEDESTRIAN RECON, RECONNAISSANCE, AND SHOVEL TESTING IDENTIFIED ONE LOCATION WITH SURFACE EVIDENCE OF CULTURAL ACTIVITY. AND THIS CONSISTED OF A SCATTER OF ROOFING DEBRIS. NO OTHER CULTURAL ATIF ARTIFACTS WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY CONCLUDED IN THE ARCHEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL MAP THAT I PASSED AROUND AND THE TABLE SHOWS THE ACREAGE OF HIGH, MODERATE AND LOW POTENTIAL OF ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND THE AMOUNT OF SHOVEL TESTING PROPOSED ON SITE FOR EACH CATEGORY. IN TOTAL, SYSTEMATIC UH, SUBSURFACE TESTING SHOULD BE DONE ON 34.8 ACRES OF THE SITE. THE PHASE ONE, A CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT, HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC RESOURCES FOR THEIR REVIEW AND THEY HAVE CONCURRED WITH OUR FINDINGS. THE NEXT STEP FOR LOU JONES AS IT PERTAINS TO CULTURAL RESOURCES IS TO REFORM THE PHASE ONE CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY. UM, AS PART OF THE, UH, STATE PERMIT BY RULE PROCESS, THE APPLICANT MUST CONDUCT A PHASE ONE CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY. AND THIS PHASE ONE A THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED IS ALWAYS RECOMMENDED AS A FIRST STEP AS IT PROVIDES THE SHOVEL TESTING PLAN, UH, FOR THE FIELD WORK CONDUCTED IN THE PHASE ONE SEGWAYING INTO THE PERMIT BY RULE PROCESS. THE PERMIT BY RULE OR PBR IS A STREAMLINED REGULATORY MECHANISM FOR SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS THAT ARE GREATER THAN FIVE MEGAWATTS AND LESS THAN 150 MEGAWATTS. AND THE PBR PROCESS INVOLVES COORDINATION AMONG STATE AGENCIES SUCH AS THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC RESOURCES, THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION, AND IT IS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. THE PBR R PROCESS HAS 15 KEY APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL LAND USE ORDINANCES IN THE FORM OF CONDITIONAL USE, PERMIT APPROVAL, PROOF OF COMPLETED INTERCONNECTION STUDIES, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN AN ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, ALONG WITH A MITIGATION PLAN, IF THERE ARE ANY LIKELY ADVERSE IMPACTS ACCORDING TO THE ANALYSIS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU D DEBBIE LAGERFELD. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS DEBBIE, EXCUSE ME. MY NAME IS DEBBIE WILLIAMSON LAGERFELD AND MY HUSBAND AND I LIVE AT 16 2 1 4 HUDGINS ROAD. AS THE CROW FLIES, OUR FARM IS JUST OVER A THIRD OF A MILE AWAY FROM THE 890 ACRES OWNED BY GILMAN LANDING TIMBER. I STAND TONIGHT IN OPPOSITION TO BRINGING THE SOLAR PROJECT INTO OUR RURAL COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT ABOUT REJECTING PROGRESS, IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING THE LAND, THE PEOPLE, AND THE RURAL CHARACTER THAT DEFINE US. WE ALSO RAISE SHEEP AND WE HAVE OVER 150 SHEEP AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THE DIFFERENCE IS I HAVE SEEN THE VIDEOS OUT OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA OF SHEEP FARMERS WHO HAVE REGRETTED THEIR DECISION TO GRAZE THEIR SHEEP ON SOLAR FARMS FARM AND TIMBERLAND ONCE LOST, CANNOT BE RECLAIMED. COVERING IT WITH SOLAR PANELS WOULD CHANGE OUR LANDSCAPE FOREVER. WHILE RENEWABLE ENERGY IS IMPORTANT, SOLAR FARMS DISRUPT ECOSYSTEMS, REDUCE BIODIVERSITY AND CREATE RUNOFF ISSUES. WE SUPPORT CLEAN ENERGY, BUT IT MUST BE PURSUED RESPONSIBLY ON ROOFTOPS, BROWNFIELDS, AND NON-AGRICULTURAL SITES. PROTECTING FARMLAND MEANS PROTECTING OUR FUTURE AND THE VERY IDENTITY OF OUR RURAL COMMUNITY. WOULD YOU WANT THIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND IN YOUR BACKYARD? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU BRANDON TOMLIN. I DO ALSO APOLOGIZE FOR MY ATTIRE. IT WAS GRINCH DAY AT WORK AND THE THEME OF CHRISTMAS. CAN YOU CHANGE THAT TO CATLIN TOMLIN? I'M SO SORRY, . UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT WE LIVE AT 13 3 0 7 LOU JONES ROAD. WE LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE NEWLY CLEARED ACREAGE. UM, AND WE ARE HERE NOT IN SUPPORT OF THE SOLAR FARM. UM, THE ONLY THING I REALLY HAD TO SAY AFTER LISTENING TO EVERYONE SPEAK TODAY, I UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM, BUT EVERYONE THAT I HEARD IN SUPPORT OF THIS WILL SOMEHOW BENEFIT FINANCIALLY FROM THE PROJECT. WHETHER IT IS BUILDING IT, UM, CLEARING THE LAND, SELLING THE LAND, IT'S THEIR PROPOSAL, WHATEVER. SO I FEEL LIKE EVERYONE THAT'S IN OPPOSITION OF IT IS NOT BENEFITING AT ALL. AND SO MAYBE THOSE [03:10:01] ARE THE PEOPLE WE NEED TO LISTEN TO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. RANDY JONES. UH, RANDY JONES. I'M IN OPPOSED TO PUTTING SOLAR PANELS AND THEN WITTY. I MOVED OUT HERE TO GET AWAY FROM STUFF LIKE THAT. I DIDN'T MOVE TO CHESTERFIELD BECAUSE OF ALL STUFF LIKE THIS. 'CAUSE I LIKE BEING OUT HERE WITH RURAL. I'VE BEEN OUT HERE 40 YEARS AND I THINK IF YOU LET ONE IN, THERE'S GONNA BE 15 OTHERS TRYING TO COME BEHIND IT. WE'VE GOT SOLAR PANELS IN THE COUNTIES NEXT TO US AND THEY'RE AN ISO WHEN YOU RIDE BY. I DON'T, JUST DON'T APPROVE OF 'EM AND DON'T SEE WHERE IT'S GONNA BENEFIT THIS COUNTY AT ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JOHN DAVIS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE BOARD. I'M JOHN DAVIS. I'M NOT IN THE COUNTY. I LIVE IN PALATAN, BUT I AM THE DIRECTOR OF THE VIRGINIA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION'S MASTER OF BEEKEEPING PROGRAM. I AM THE SECRETARY OF THE VIRGINIA BEEKEEPING TEACHING CONSORTIUM, WHICH IS A GROUP OF 16 CLUBS THAT WORK TO TEACH PEOPLE TO BE SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPERS. I STARTED KEEPING BEES WHEN I WAS 16. I JUST TURNED 75. SO I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE. ANYWAY, THE REASON THAT I'M HERE TO SPEAK IS TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. I WILL WANT TO HELP TO EXPLAIN SOME THINGS. THE USE OF THE PROPERTY THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. REZONING TONIGHT IS GOING TO MAINTAIN AGRICULTURAL CHARACTER. ONE OF THE OPTIONS IS TO PLACE BEEHIVES ON THAT PROPERTY. THE BEEHIVES LOCATED ON THAT PROPERTY. APA CULTURE IS THAT CULTURE AND GRAZING IS ANOTHER PART THAT YOU'VE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TONIGHT. OKAY? THE THING THAT WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THAT IS AFFECTING OUR FOOD SUPPLY IS THE LOSS OF POLLINATORS AND IT AFFECTS EVERY ONE OF US AS FAR AS INCREASING THE COST OF OUR FOOD. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BIG COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPING OPERATIONS THAT MOVE HIVES TO CALIFORNIA TO POLLINATE ALMONDS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LOCAL FOLKS HERE THAT HAVE PRODUCTS TO SELL WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, SO THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A BENEFIT FROM THAT. WHAT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT ARE THE UNSEEN CONSEQUENCES OF THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS. PUTTING BEES ON THAT PROPERTY BENEFITS FOLKS THAT LIVE IN A THREE TO FIVE MILE RADIUS AROUND THE PROPERTY, NOT JUST THAT 300 ACRES. BEES FLY 303 TO FIVE MILES TO FORAGE FOR FOOD. SO THE PEOPLE AS FAR OUT AS DEPOT ROAD, DEWITT, BORTHWICK, BOYDEN, PLANK ROAD SAND DOLLAR LANE, HOME GARDENERS AND FARMERS IN THAT RADIUS, IT'S ALMOST 18,000 ACRES, HAVE THE BENEFIT OF POLLINATORS THAT ARE ESTABLISHED WITH THOSE HOME HOME COLONIES THAT CAN BE LOCATED THERE IN THAT YARD. SO THIS IS A BENEFIT THAT IT'S VERY HARD TO PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT ON. WHEN I MOVED BACK TO VIRGINIA FROM MICHIGAN, THE GARDEN THAT I HAD IN MY BACKYARD, I WAS GETTING CUCUMBERS THAT LOOKED LIKE A GOLF BALL WITH A PENCIL STUCK IN 'EM BECAUSE OF LACK OF POLLINATORS. SO ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT'S GOING ALONG WITH THIS PROJECT IS TO DO GRAZING FOR SHEEP AND AQUACULTURE RAISING BEES THAT BENEFIT FOLKS IN THAT 18,000 ACRE RANGE. FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE HEARD HERE TONIGHT IS THAT THE LOW END, IT'S EASY TO ESTIMATE ON HIGH END AND MAKE PROJECTS SOUND GOOD, BUT ON THE LOW END, THE BENEFIT OF $2.2 MILLION ON THE LOW SIDE VERSUS $25,000 OVER THE 30 YEAR LIFE OF THE PROJECT, IF WE DON'T DO THE PROJECT AGAIN, THAT MAY BE ON THE LOW SIDE. SO DOUBLE IT TO GET THE BENEFIT. SO IF YOU MAKE 2.2 MILLION ON THE HIGH SIDE, 50,200 ON LOW SIDE, THAT'S 44 TIMES AS MUCH REVENUE COMING INTO THE COUNTY FROM DOING THIS PROJECT AS NOT DOING THE PROJECT. IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER BENEFITS [03:15:01] WE'VE HEARD FROM TWO DIFFERENT SHEPHERDS HERE TONIGHT, OKAY? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHEPHERDS CAN DO AS PART OF GRAZING THIS PROJECT IS TO HAVE ACCESS TO LAND WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY MORE FARM LAND AND MAKING THAT PERSONAL INVESTMENT. THEY DON'T HAVE TO LEASE MORE ACREAGE. THEY ACTUALLY CAN GET PAID FOR THE SERVICE OF MAINTAINING THE VEGETATION LEVEL AT MANAGEABLE LEVELS SO THAT THEY HAVE INCOME IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE MORE MUTTON OR MORE LAMB, WHICH RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT HALF THE PRICE OF BEEF IN THE GROCERY STORE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. MARY GILMAN. GOOD EVENING BOARD. I'M MARY FRANCIS GILMAN, UM, DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM B GILMAN AND FRANCIS GILMAN. I WASN'T GONNA COME UP HERE AND SAY ANYTHING, BUT THAT I WAS IN FAVOR OF THE PROJECT AND SIT BACK DOWN. MY SISTER-IN-LAW SAID IT WELL, BUT I AM IN AWE OF THE SHEPHERD AND I AM ON AWE OF THE BEEKEEPER, AND I SEE THAT YOUNG NOAH, THE CONTRACTOR, AND THE BENEFIT THAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR PEOPLE WHEN WE DO PROJECTS LIKE THIS. UM, I AM, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO BE IN FAVOR OF THIS PROJECT. WHEN I WAS 26 YEARS AGO WHEN MY MOM AND DAD BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, HE WAS A STRUGGLING LOGGER, WORKING HARD EVERY DAY. UM, THEY, THEY'VE PAID, PAID FOR IT. THEY PAID THE TAXES ON IT. THOSE LOB LOLLY PINES WERE PROBABLY THIS TALL. IF YOU'VE GONE OUT TO THE SITE, THE BUFFER LOB LOLLY PINES THAT ARE THERE ARE TALL, AS YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE, AND SO STRAIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT THE SAWMILLS WANT. UM, IF YOU GO TO THE SITE, MY FATHER WOULD LOVE THE THOUGHT OF THE LOW SOLAR PANELS. HE REALLY ONLY LOVED TREES, BUT HE LOVED FARMING. HE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO SEE GRAZING SHEEP FIELDS OF CLOVER AND BEEHIVES. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU . REBECCA DAVIS, THE BOARD. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU, I AM IN FAVOR OF THE SOLAR PANEL FARM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK, I APOLOGIZE IF I MISPRONOUNCE ANYBODY'S NAME. UH, THIS LOOKS LIKE DONALD THOMPSON. YEP. OKAY. DAVID, NO, WAIT MINUTE. OH, SOME, OH YEAH, I GOT YOU. OKAY. . SORRY. I'M, I'M TRYING TO MAKE OUT EVERYBODY'S HANDWRITING. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN. GOOD EVENING ALL MERRY CHRISTMAS. UH, MY NAME IS DAVID DRIO. I'M FROM LEESBURG, VIRGINIA, AND I AM, UH, PART OF THE AMOR TEAM HERE TONIGHT. TONIGHT, UM, I WAS JUST GOING TO READ INTO THE RECORD A, UH, LETTER FROM THE SOUTHERN, UH, VIRGINIA REGIONAL CHAMBER AND JOHN BRANDT, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WHO WAS UNFORTUNATELY NOT ABLE TO BE HERE WITH US THIS EVENING. I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE A COPY OF IT. BUT WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST HIGHLIGHT, UH, MR. BRANDT'S WORDS. DEAR MEMBERS OF THE DEN, WITTY COUNTY BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATION. ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTHERN VIRGINIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, I AM PLEASED TO EXPRESS OUR STRONG AND ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT FOR THIS PROPOSED 20 MEGAWATT SOLAR FACILITY TO BE LOCATED ALONG LOU JONES ROAD IN NEAR DEWITT, VIRGINIA. THIS PROJECT PRESENTS A MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR GIN WITTY COUNTY TO STRENGTHEN ITS LEADERSHIP IN RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT, WHILE ADVANCING LONG-TERM ECONOMIC ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR OUR REGION. AMOR HAS BEEN A VALUED MEMBER OF BOTH THE CHAMBER AND THE WIDER SOUTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY. THEIR CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT, PROFESSIONALISM, AND COMMITMENT TO RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT HAVE EARNED THEM THE RESPECT AND CONFIDENCE OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS. I WILL SKIP DOWN TO THE LATER PARTS. OVER ITS ANTICIPATED 30 YEAR OPERATIONAL LIFESPAN, THE FACILITY IS PROJECTED TO GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION IN LOCAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT THROUGH CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY, PERMANENT OPERATIONS, AND RELATED SERVICES. BEYOND THE FINANCIAL [03:20:01] IMPACT, THE INVESTMENT SUPPORTS JOB CREATION, BOLSTERS LOCAL BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT, AND PROMOTES STRATEGIC ECONOMIC GROWTH ELEMENTS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO DD WITTY COUNTY'S CONTIN CONTINUED PROSPERITY. WE ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED BY THE INCORPORATION OF LANDSCAPED AND NATURAL BUFFERING OF UP TO A HUNDRED FEET IN CRITICAL AREAS. THESE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS NEIGHBORHOOD LAND LANDOWNER CONCERNS AND HIGHLIGHTS, A THOUGHTFUL APPROACH TO PRO PROJECT PLANNING THAT RESPECTS COMMUNITY INTERESTS. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THE PROJECT ALIGNS WITH DINWOODY COUNTY SOLAR ORDINANCE AND MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. THIS DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO REGULATORY COMPLIANCE REINFORCES TRANSPARENCY AND STRENGTHENS TRUST BETWEEN THE PROJECT DEVELOPER AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY. AND I'LL CONCLUDE, OR I WILL CONCLUDE JOHN'S WORDS. IN SUMMARY, THE SOUTHERN VIRGINIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTS AMOR SOLAR FACILITY PROPOSAL. IT'S PROVEN ECONOMIC BENEFITS, COMPLIANCE WITH COUNTY STANDARDS, COMMUNITY-MINDED DESIGN, AND THE COMPANY'S DEMONSTRATED RECORD AS A RESPECTED CHAMBER MEMBER. MAKE THIS INITIATIVE A VALUABLE ASSET FOR DINWITTY COUNTY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO ITS SUCCESSFUL ADVANCEMENT AND THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IT WILL BRING TO OUR REGION. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD EVENING. I'LL CIRCLE BACK. DONALD THOMPSON, 1 1 3 0 4. LOU JONES ROAD. I, GOOD EVENING BOARD. UH, SORRY ABOUT THE SPELLING. I LEFT MY GLASSES AT HOME. , UH, I'M HERE IN OPPOSITION OF THE SOLAR FARM. I LIVE ABOUT, UH, A MILE, MILE AND A HALF FROM THE, UH, FACILITY, UH, WHERE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. UH, AND MY CONCERN IS PROPERTY VALUES, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT. UH, THE, THE ROAD IS IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT FOR SOMETHING THIS SIZE. UH, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST NOT THERE. UH, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. UH, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ROBERT MOORE. HI, MY NAME'S ROBERT MOORE. I'M PRESIDENT HERE AT DINWOODY COUNTY. THANK YOU FOR, UH, ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK HERE WE ARE HERE AGAIN TALKING ABOUT SOLAR PANELS IN DINWOODY COUNTY, WHICH IS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTY. WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT'S WHY MOST OF US LIVED HERE. UM, I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS AND WE CONTINUE TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT SOLAR PANELS. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE GOOD FOR AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTY. UM, THEY'RE, AND I, I DO HAVE TO SAY THIS COMPANY, THEY MUST HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TO HAVE ALL YOUR PEOPLE COME HERE AND TALK FOR 'EM. . UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT SOLAR, UH, SOLAR FIELDS. THEY, UM, THEY'RE AN EYESORE. UM, RESIDENTS DON'T LIKE 'EM. PROPERTY VALUES GO DOWN. UM, UM, AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DECOMMISSIONING OF 'EM. NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT'S GONNA BE LIKE IN 30 OR 40 YEARS, HOW THESE ARE GONNA BE TAKEN, BE BE ABLE TO BE SAFELY TAKEN CARE OF. AND ONCE THE SOIL IS GONE, ONCE THE SOIL'S DESTROYED, IT CAN'T BE, IT CAN'T BE FARMED AGAIN. THEY, UM, THERE ARE, THERE ARE LOTS OF STUDIES THAT SAY THAT, UM, THE REPRESENTATIVES TALK ABOUT HOW SAFE IT IS, BUT THEY CAN'T GUARANTEE ANYTHING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THAT THEY'VE DONE. THEY JUST HAVEN'T BEEN THERE LONG ENOUGH TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT IT CAN DO TO THE LAND. UM, I'M STRICTLY AGAINST SOLAR FIELDS AND I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF ALL OF YOU WOULD VOTE, JUST LIKE THE, THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PANEL DID THAT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA AGRICULTURAL COUNTY, WE'D LIKE TO STAY THAT WAY. WE SHOULDN'T CHANGE WE ZONING RULES, JUST SO A COMPANY CAN MAKE SOME MONEY. AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I CAN'T MAKE THIS NAME OUT AT ALL. ADDRESS. 2 2 9 7. I CAN'T MAKE OUT THE STREET NAME EITHER. IT'S, IS IT [03:25:01] CLARK THOMPSON? CHARLES THOMPSON. CHAD. CHAD. YES. SORRY, SORRY ABOUT THE . . GOOD EVENING MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. MY NAME IS CHAD THOMPSON. MY COLLEAGUES AND I WERE BROUGHT ONTO THE AMOR TEAM WITH A VERY SPECIFIC MANDATE TO FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY FROM DAY ONE. OUR GOAL HASN'T JUST BEEN ABOUT THE PROJECT ITSELF, BUT ABOUT HOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE PEOPLE OF DENWITTY. SHARING ACCURATE INFORMATION AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS FACE TO FACE HAS BEEN THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF OUR EFFORTS. WE BELIEVE THAT TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE TO MEET THE PEOPLE WHERE THEY LIVE. THAT'S WHY WE FOCUSED HEAVILY ON THE RESIDENTS ALONG LOU JONES ROAD. WE HAVEN'T JUST DRIVEN BY, WE'VE WALKED THOSE DRIVEWAYS. NOW, IF YOU'VE BEEN TO LOU JONES ROAD, NOT ALL OF THOSE DRIVEWAYS CAN YOU WALK BECAUSE THERE'S SIGNS THAT SAY, SO SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WE MAY NOT HAVE HIT BECAUSE THEY, UH, ASK THAT THE, UH, FOLKS DO NOT APPROACH THEIR PROPERTY. BUT OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE COMMUNITY AT LEAST SIX TIMES, KNOCKING ON DOORS, HANDING OUT INFORMATION, AND MAKING OURSELVES AVAILABLE FOR CONVERSATION. THROUGH THOSE EFFORTS, WE'VE HAD SOME VERY GOOD, HONEST CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS AND MANY OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTY. I THINK YOU HEARD ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORS ON EACH SIDE AND HOW WE WORK TO MODIFY OUR PLANS. OUR GOAL WAS SIMPLE TO BE TRANSPARENT AND AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY STAND ON THE PROJECT. WE TOOK THE SAME APPROACH WITH OUR TWO OPEN HOUSES, AND WE WANTED TO GO FAR BEYOND THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS. WE MAILED 3,400 INVITATIONS TO RESIDENTS IN DENWITTY, DEWITT, AND MCKINNEY. A RADIUS MUCH LARGER THAN TYPICAL FOR A PROJECT LIKE THIS. WE BROUGHT THE SUBJECT MAG EXPERTS TO RESIDENTS SO THEY COULD GET REAL TECHNICAL ANSWERS ON THE SPOT. AND WE DIDN'T STOP WHEN THE MEETINGS ENDED. WE MAILED A SUMMARY OF THE JUNE OPEN HOUSE TO ALL THE DIRECT ABUTTERS WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT. AND AFTER OUR MOST RECENT MEETING, WE HAND DELIVERED SUMMARIES TO ENSURE NO ONE WAS LEFT OUT OF THE LOOP. BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS. WE'VE ENGAGED WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE THIS COUNTY TICK. WE PRESENTED TO THE ROCKY RUN RUTAN AND WE MET WITH THE ROCKY RUN HUNT CLUB. UH, THE HUNT CLUB ACTUALLY. WE MET WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THEY, UH, YOU KNOW, GAVE US SUGGESTIONS ON THE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS THAT WE ESTABLISHED, AS WELL AS AREAS WHERE WE COULD CREATE BETTING FOR THE PROJECT. WE'RE ALSO PROUD TO HAVE RECEIVED THE LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM THE SOUTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, RECOGNIZING THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS. ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE RECEIVED LETTERS OF NEUTRALITY FROM SOME OF OUR DIRECT NEIGHBORS, WHICH I THINK WE SHARED, WHICH SPEAKS TO THE WORK WE'VE DONE TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC CONCERNS TO CLOSE. I WANNA REITERATE THAT AMPL FORMM ISN'T JUST HERE TO BUILD. WE'RE HERE TO PARTICIPATE. WE'VE GENUINELY ENJOYED THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD SO FAR, AND WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO FULL TRANSPARENCY AND AN OPEN DIALOGUE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. I WISH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED HOLIDAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ME TOO. DAVID THOMPSON, THAT NAME MADAM CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, MR. MADISON GILL. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT. I AM DAVID THOMPSON. MY, UH, PHYSICAL ADDRESS IS 18,607 STONEWALL DRIVE, BUT I'M ALSO A PROPERTY OWNER ON 15,000 3 1 9 ROAD, WHICH IS AN ADJACENT PROPERTY, UH, TO THE REQUEST THAT YOU'RE REVIEWING TONIGHT. UH, AND IT'S ALSO MY, UH, HOME PLACE THAT I GREW UP, UH, FROM THE AGE OF THREE. AND BEFORE THAT I LIVED OVER JUST OFF OF LOU JONES ROAD ON SNAP LODGE ROAD, WHICH IS ALSO WOULD BE ADJACENT. UM, SO I AM OBVIOUSLY IN OPPOSITION OF THIS PROPERTY, ALTHOUGH AT GLEAVE ROAD IT WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED, UM, BY THE LOCATION THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING. THE SOLAR FARM. UM, 300 PLUS ACRES, THAT'S A LOT OF ACRES. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT 15, 25 ACRES. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 300 ACRES OF FARMLAND OR TIMBERLAND, AS SOMEBODY SAID, THOSE TIMBERLAND WAS I HUNTED ON WHEN I WAS A CHILD, UH, BEFORE HUNT CLUBS. AND ALL OF THAT CAME ABOUT WHEN YOU COULD JUST SIT AND CALL ON CB. SO, UM, MY BROTHER LIVES AT THAT, AT MY HOME PLACE. UM, I TAKE CARE OF HIM AND I WANT TO SAY I DID NOT RECEIVE A SINGLE LETTER ABOUT A TOWN HALL MEETINGS OR ANY OF THESE OTHER LETTERS AND REPORTS. UM, HE DID NOT RECEIVE THEM, NOR DID I RECEIVE THEM. I DID RECEIVE THE MEETING NOTICE ABOUT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING AS WELL AS THIS MEETING, UH, AT MY HOUSE AND AT HIS HOUSE. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR. AND I KNOW A COUPLE PEOPLE OUT HERE ALSO WERE [03:30:01] SURPRISED ABOUT THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND OTHER MEETINGS. UM, SORRY, I'M TRYING TO READ OFF MY PHONE. I DID IT. UM, I CALCULATED A, A ONE MILE RADIUS, AND THIS IS JUST ME DOING IT BACK HERE ON GIS WHILE I WAS SITTING BACK THERE, UM, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER A HUNDRED HOMES IN THAT AREA. WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO CHURCHES. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TON CLUB JUST RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM IT, AS WELL AS YOUR BALLPARK. YOU, YOU, YOU, UH, ROCKWOOD ROCK RUN THE OLDEST BALL FIELD THEN WHAT IS, SO, IT IS, THERE ARE RESIDENTS, THERE ARE LOTS OF RESIDENTS, AND THERE'S AN ANOMALY WITH MR. LEWIS THAT SPOKE THAT HE WAS IN A FAVOR OF IT. 'CAUSE HE IS RIGHT THERE AT IT. UM, THAT WAS SURPRISING. AND, AND NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM HIM, BUT THE OTHER THING YOU HAVE HEARD FROM THE PEOPLE THAT AFFORD, I DON'T THINK ANY OF 'EM, AND I'LL STAND CORRECTED IF I'M WRONG, LIVE IN THE COUNTY. I GREW UP IN THE COUNTY. THEY'RE EITHER AFFORD BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL GAIN AND I RESPECT THEM FOR THAT, AND I RESPECT THESE PROPERTY OWNERS. UM, BUT I'VE LIVED RIGHT THERE ACROSS FROM THAT PROPERTY THAT I AGREE WITH. WHOEVER SAID, YOU KNOW, LATER ON THEY'LL COME BACK IN AND WE'LL DO EVEN, WE'LL END UP DOING MORE SOLAR PANELS. AND ONCE YOU DISTURB THAT FARM LAND, IT'S DONE. YOU'RE NOT GONNA BRING IT BACK. I KNOW WE HAVE THE, UH, THE DECOMMISSIONING. UM, BUT AS, AS SOMEBODY MENTIONED, WHEN, WHEN THAT BUSINESS GETS CHANGED OVER AND THEY GO BELLY UP OR WE FIND A BETTER TECHNOLOGY THAN SOLAR FARMS, GUESS WHAT IT'S GONNA BE. Y'ALL. AND I'VE, I'VE BEEN THERE WITH YOU, AS MOST OF YOU HERE KNOW AS I'VE WORKED HERE AND WE'VE SEEN IT, AND I SAW IT IN HOPEWELL WHERE I WORKED IN PLANTING FOR, FOR 15 YEARS. AND I'LL TELL YOU ONE BIG EXAMPLE, THE ETHANOL PLANT, YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THAT PLANT THAT SITS THERE DORMANT OWNED BY A COMPANY IN ENGLAND NOW WITH TENS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF METAL WHERE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SUBDIVISION, COULD HAVE BEEN A MIXED DEVELOPMENT. BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL OVERCAME WHAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE, UH, PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED. SO I KNOW, UH, YOU'VE HEARD WHAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION SAID. YOU'VE, UH, PROBABLY READ ALL OF THEIR COMMENTS. UM, AND I'VE HEARD THIS ABOUT CHANGE. I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED CHANGE, BUT, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE COMP PLAN. THERE ARE OTHER AREAS THAT THEY CAN GO WHERE THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT HOMES AROUND THEM OR THERE ARE VERY FEW, UM, VERY SPARSE. BUT THIS IS, WE'RE TALKING OVER A HUNDRED HOMES IN THAT AREA AND 40 RESIDENTS THAT HAVE HOMES THAT ARE ADJACENT TO IT. SO, AND I WOULD BE AGAINST IT AND I AM AGAINST IT, WHETHER I WAS AFFECTED BY IT OR NOT. I JUST DON'T THINK THEY ARE MEANT FOR THIS AREA OF, OF DEWINE COUNTY. SO, UM, LET'S SEE. YES, THAT'S ABOUT IT. I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND I WOULD, UH, ASK THAT YOU FOLLOW THE, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SUNNY HAYES. HELLO, MY NAME IS SUNNY HAYES. I RESIDE AT 1 1 9 1 4 SCOTTS ROAD. I'M APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MILES FROM THIS PROJECT, ROAD WISE, AS THE CROW FLIES WAY LESS. I NEVER RECEIVED ANYTHING ABOUT THE TOWN HALL MEETING. NOTHING. I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT IT COULD HAVE TO MY CHILDREN. MY 3-YEAR-OLD, MY 18 MONTH OLD. RIGHT NOW, I'M GONNA PRESENT YOU WITH SOME THINGS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN PRESENTED. IN AUGUST, 2025, A STUDY WAS CONCLUDED, UM, REGARDING SOLAR PANELS IN THE FIELD IN POLAND. WHAT THEY FOUND THAT THERE WAS CADMIUM AND OTHER ELEMENTS CONTAMINATING THE SOIL. A STUDY PUBLISHED MAY, 2024, SHOWS THAT CADMIUM LEVELS IN THE SOIL TRIPLED IN A YEAR'S TIME, ONE YEAR IN RICE AND POTATO FIELDS. AND THEN IT WAS A FIVE TIME INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF CADMIUM IN AN APPLE FIELD IN SOUTH KOREA. THESE ARE RECENTLY PUBLISHED WITHIN THE PAST TWO YEARS. CADMIUM IS KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER. WE ARE A COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA THAT RELIES ON OUR WATER. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT CADMIUM GETS LEACHED INTO THE SOIL AND THEN INTO THE WATER TABLE AND THEN GOES INTO MY, WELL, IT GOES INTO MY CHILDREN'S WATER [03:35:01] AND MY CHILDREN'S BATH WATER AND MY CHILDREN'S FOOD. THIS IS WHERE I HAVE A BIG ISSUE WITH SOLAR. IT SOUNDS GREAT. I GET IT. WE NEED MORE ENERGY RESOURCES FOR THE DATA FARMS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, NOT FOR DENWOODY COUNTY, FOR THE DATA FARMS THAT ARE IN HENRICO, NOT IN DUNWOODY COUNTY. SO IF YOU WANNA BUILD SOLAR PANELS, BUILD 'EM OVER HENRICO AND PLACES WHERE THOSE DATA FARMS ARE USING THAT ENERGY. NOT HERE, NOT WHERE IT'S GONNA AFFECT MY KIDS, MY KIDS, ALL OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS AND GRANDKIDS. IT'S NOT RIGHT. AND IT'S NOT FAIR. BOTH OF THESE STUDIES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH. SO YOU CAN GOOGLE THEM AND THEY WILL COME UP. THEY'RE RIGHT THERE. WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEBODY FROM ROCKY RUN HUNT CLUB GETS REALLY SUPER EXCITED? 'CAUSE THEY LEASE THAT LAND AND THEY SEE THIS BIG MASSIVE BUCK AND THEY SHOOT AT IT AND THEY MISS WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT BUCKSHOT GOES THROUGH THE FENCE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENS AND HITS THAT SOLAR PANEL. THERE WE GO. THERE'S THE CONTAMINATION RIGHT THERE. THEY WANNA TALK ABOUT WATER TESTING EVERY FIVE YEARS THAT STUDY ONE YEAR. SO IN THAT FIVE YEARS THAT GROUNDWATER COULD HAVE BEEN SO CONTAMINATED THAT WE COULD ALL HAVE FRICKING CANCER. CANCER. EXCUSE MY LANGUAGE. CANCER IS NO JOKE. IT'S NOT FUNNY. IT'S NOT PRETTY. MY DAD CURRENTLY HAS CANCER. MY SISTER DIED FROM CANCER AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW DIED FROM CANCER. DO WE REALLY WANNA PUT THAT RISK? YOU KNOW, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW PRETTY IT IS. I DON'T CARE. I CARE ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THIS COMMUNITY AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT. I WAS ALSO HERE BACK IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE OTHER PROJECT CAME UP ACROSS FROM WALMART DISTRIBUTION AND DR. MOORE, YOU SAT THERE AND SAID, IF I HAD AN EMPLOYEE WHO WORKED 25% OF THE TIME, 25 TO 50% OF THE TIME, HE WOULDN'T BE AN EMPLOYEE ANYMORE. WHY WOULD WE WANT SOMETHING THAT WORKED 25 TO 50% OF THE TIME AND COULD CAUSE US CANCER? I HARM OUR COMMUNITY. WHY WOULD WE WANT THAT HERE? SO I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST THIS PROJECT FOR THOSE REASONS. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. UM, AT, AT THIS TIME, I KNOW WE HAVE OTHERS, BUT, UM, WE, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE A JUST A FEW MINUTE BREAK, A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, OKAY. AND THEN, UM, RESUME WITH THE, UH, THE PEOPLE ON THE, UM, ON THE LIST. OKAY. HELLO. WE'RE GONNA RESUME WITH, UM, WE'RE GONNA RESUME WITH THE MEETING. 2 3, 2 3 TOGETHER. 1 3, 2 0 3. LOU JONES. FIRST NAME'S CAROL. I AM SORRY. MY NAME IS CAROL KAHO AND I LIVE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS PROPERTY. I HAVE BEEN TO THREE PLACES. NUMBER ONE IS I WANNA KNOW IF I'M GONNA LOSE MY LAND, LOSE MY LAND, USE MY TAXES, GO UP. THIS COMPANY DOES NOT CONTROL DINWOODY TAXES. AND IF THEY THINK THEY DO, THERE'S ENTIRELY MISTAKEN. AND I, THAT'S THE ANSWER THAT I, THAT I WANNA KNOW. SO WHERE COULD I GET THAT? I'VE BEEN TO, UM, UM, PERKINS. SHE, SHE SAYS, CAN'T ANSWER ME UNTIL IT GOES THROUGH IF IT DOES. SO I DON'T KNOW. MM-HMM . SO I, I AM NOT, I AM NOT GOING TO SAY YES OR NO, PROBABLY NO, BECAUSE IF MY TAXES GO UP, I OWN 47 ACRES AND THAT, AND, AND I'M STAYING, I'M THIS, THIS OUTFIT'S NOT GONNA SHOW ME OFF THE PROPERTY. GOTCHA. SO DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE I CAN GET THOSE ANSWERS? [03:40:05] SO, AT, AT THIS POINT, CAROL, THIS IS JUST A, YOU, YOU MAKE YOUR COMMENT AND THEN IT'S NOT A QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD AT THIS POINT. OKAY. AND, BUT AFTER THE MEETING, IF YOU WANT TO TALK, YOU AND I CAN TALK. OKAY? OKAY. WE'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. FIRST NAME IS ALLISON. GOOD NIGHT, . GOOD NIGHT. IT IS GOOD NIGHT. . I DON'T KNOW HOW Y'ALL DO THIS. IT IS PAST MY BEDTIME, BUT I'M HERE HANGING IN BECAUSE I WANT TO LET Y'ALL KNOW ABOUT MY COMPANY. WE'RE A VIRGINIA BASED COMPANY CALLED SOLAR POLLINATOR COMPANY. UM, WE ARE BASED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE. I'M A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR, JUST LIKE THE OTHER YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WAS TALKING ABOUT. MY BUSINESS IS FEASIBLE BECAUSE OF SOLAR CONTRACTS. WE WENT FROM WONDERING IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT THROUGH THE YEAR TO BOUGHT A NEW TRUCK LAST WEEK, RIGHT? MM-HMM . SO THERE IS OPPORTUNITY, THERE'S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING I WANNA SAY. BUT WHAT WE SPECIALIZE IN IS HONEYBEES AND POLLINATOR HABITAT, WILD FLOWERS. SO ABOUT HALF OF MY BUSINESS IS WE RUN ABOUT 400 HONEYBEE COLONIES ALL ACROSS THE STATE. AND WE HAVE CURRENTLY GOT TWO BEEKEEPING CONTRACTS IN SOLAR. SO WE ARE RUNNING SOLAR AERIES RIGHT NOW. IT IS ACTUALLY REAL, AND IT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON THOSE SAME FARMS. THERE ARE ALSO SHEEP GRAZING AND THAT IS ALSO REAL AND IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. AND THE FOLKS THAT I KNOW THAT ARE GRAZING THE SITES THAT I HAVE BEES AT, I DON'T DO SHEEP, BUT THEY'RE IN THE SAME SITUATION I AM, WHERE THEIR FAMILY'S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES EXIST BECAUSE OF THESE CONTRACTS. AND THEY'RE REALLY PROUD OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE SHEEP AND BRINGING LAMB TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND WE'RE PROUD OF BRINGING HONEY TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY TOO. AND SOLAR CAN BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR POLLINATORS. IT'S DONE RIGHT. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE VIRGINIA POLLINATOR SMART SOLAR PROGRAM. UM, IT'S A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM UNLESS YOU MAKE IT MANDATORY. AND IT'S BASICALLY ENSURES THAT POLLINATORS ARE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING AND IN THE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT. AND WHEN THOSE STEPS ARE TAKEN TO PUT NATIVE WILD FLOWERS INTO THESE SITES, TO SORT OF REWILD AND RENATURALIZE THESE SITES, THEY ACTUALLY PROVIDE BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR POLLINATORS THAN SAY A TIMBER FARM WOULD, OR A SOYBEAN FARM OR A CORN FIELD. RIGHT? UM, OF COURSE THERE'S OTHER ADVANTAGES TO THAT, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT THERE ISN'T, BUT IN TERMS OF THE INSECT RESIDENTS OF DENWOODY COUNTY, IT'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THEIR HEALTH TESTING HABITAT, FORGING HABITAT. UM, THERE REALLY IS A VERY DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN PLANTING NATIVE WILDFLOWERS AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. AND VIRGINIA HONEY IS DELICIOUS. AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING AS WE CAN, AS A STATE, AS A COMMUNITY TO REALLY BOLSTER THAT PRODUCT. AND THE CONTRACTS THAT I HAVE, THEY ACTUALLY IN, IN INJECT THE HONEY INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY THROUGH FARMER'S MARKETS AND ALSO THROUGH DONATION TO THE, UH, THE FOOD BANK THERE. SO THAT'S PRETTY COOL. UM, I'M A RESIDENT OF LUVANA, NOT DENWOODY. UM, I, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN P TAN, BUT UH, I HAVE DRIVEN UP AND DOWN LOU JONES MANY, MANY TIMES 'CAUSE I USED TO DOG SIT FOR ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS OF THIS PROJECT. SO FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. VERY FAMILIAR. SO THANK YOU. I'M GONNA GO TO SLEEP . THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU . MICHAEL CHASTAIN. HELLO, UH, ARE YOU? GOOD EVENING. MAD CHAIR. UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UM, THANK YOU FOR HANGING IN THERE WITH US. MY NAME IS MICHAEL CHEST STONE. I'M WITH BOW RENEWABLES. I AM HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT, UM, AND ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT, AMOR, UH, I'M HERE TONIGHT WITH OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MATERIALS, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, DEVELOPMENT, AND CONSTRUCTION [03:45:02] OF JUST THESE VERY TYPES OF SOLAR FACILITIES. UH, SO, UH, I'M HERE TO, UH, AND HAPPY TO DISCUSS ANY OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE MATERIALS, THE COMPOSITION, THE DESIGN, UH, COMPONENTS, THE ELEMENTS OF WHICH THE, THE PANELS ARE MADE, UH, WHICH IS LARGELY, UM, ALUMINUM POLYS, SILICON GLASS INERT MATERIALS FOR WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING HERE. UH, WELL, ADMITTEDLY, THERE ARE SOME TYPES OF SOLAR PANELS THAT CONTAIN CADMIUM. UM, AND WE ARE NOT PROPOSING THOSE HERE. AND THOSE ARE NOT, UH, AS CONSIDERED AS PART OF THIS PERMIT PACKAGE. UM, SO, UM, TO ADDRESS THE BREAKAGE, CONTAMINATION LEAKAGE ISSUE, I ASSURE YOU WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING HERE IS A VERY DIFFERENT CATEGORY IN A VERY DIFFERENT PART OF THE WORLD AND A VERY DIFFERENT STAGE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THESE MATERIAL, THESE MATERIALS, THEIR ENCAPSULANTS, HOW THEY'RE TREATED, HOW THEY'RE PERMITTED. UM, ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEET UL I-E-C-E-T-L-R-O-H-S MATERIALS, UH, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL STANDARDS. UH, I'VE SEEN PANELS SHOT BY GUNS. I'VE SEEN THEM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR NOT. UM, I'VE SEEN BASEBALLS, GOLF BALLS, YOU KNOW, YOU NAME IT. THESE THINGS GET BROKEN. TORNADOES HAILSTORMS, I'VE WITNESSED TESTED, UM, YOU KNOW, PNEUMATIC HALE TESTING AND FACTORIES HAVE BEEN A PART OF THIS INDUSTRY FOR A VERY LONG TIME. UM, I ASSURE YOU THAT THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF PANELS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING HERE DO NOT CONTAIN THOSE ISSUES. BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON IT. UM, ALSO, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, UM, PERHAPS SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE, UM, SOIL COMPACTION AND, UH, TYPE OF APPROACH TO CONSTRUCTION HERE IS VERY, YOU KNOW, LIGHT TOUCH. UH, WE ARE NOT PERMANENTLY SCORCHING THE EARTH HERE. WE ARE NOT SCRAPING ALL OF THE TOP SOIL, UM, EXPORTING IT AS CUT, MOVING IT OFF SITE FOR USE SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE INTENTION VERY MUCH IS TO LEAVE THE SOIL AS INTACT AS POSSIBLE, ROLL IT, USE LIGHT TRACK EQUIPMENT THAT HAS A TOLERANCE WITHIN ABOUT A CENTIMETER NORTH TO SOUTH EAST, WEST, AND A GPS THAT CAN DRIVE A POST TO A HEIGHT THAT YOU NEED. IT MOUNT A PIECE OF STEEL AND ALUMINUM ON TOP AND COLLECT EVERYTHING ELECTRICALLY. SO THIS IS, THIS IS NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, NECESSARILY PERMANENT. THIS PERMIT PACKAGE THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING HERE TONIGHT CAN REMOVE THIS AFTER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. AND WHILE I WOULD MAINTAIN, UM, AGAIN, AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM, UM, SOME OTHER FOLKS IN THE ROOM, UM, UH, COMMERCIAL, A AREAS, UM, GRAZING, ALL DEFINED AGRICULTURAL USES, MAINTAINING, UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE THERE MIGHT NOT BE A HOG FARM OR CATTLE GRAZING, THERE IS ILLEGAL AGRICULTURAL USE AS DEFINED BY THE STATE OF VIRGINIA THAT WILL BE MAINTAINED THROUGH THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT. UM, YEAH, AGAIN, UM, ON THE, THE FINANCIAL SECURITY SIDE OF THINGS, I HAVE SEEN THESE PLANTS RUN FOR AS LONG AS ANYBODY, I'VE BEEN AROUND THEM FOR DECADES NOW SINCE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE MEGAWATT WAS NEVER HEARD OF. AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT EVEN UTILITY SCALE, SEEING SOME OF THE GOOD, SOME OF THE BAD, SOME OF THE UGLY. AS YOU CAN TELL HERE TONIGHT. UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, QUALIFIED FOLKS IN THE ROOM. THIS IS NOT A FLY BY NIGHT DEVELOPMENT. I'VE SEEN THOSE. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. AND I WOULD, UH, RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REZONING AND, UH, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I HAVE RANDY ROBINSON ON CITIZEN COMMENTS. DID YOU WANT TO SIGN UP FOR A PUBLIC HEARING INSTEAD OF CITIZEN COMMENT? NO, I, AND I CAN JUST SAY I'M HERE. I'M PRETTY LOUD. I JUST, UM, AM ALSO OPPOSED TO THE ASSIGNMENT 1 3 2 0 7, AND I'M DIRECTLY ACROSS WHERE THERE IS NO BUFFER CURRENTLY. UM, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO IMAGINE, OH, MA'AM, UH, MA'AM, YOU, YOU HAVE TO COME HERE SO THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU. YEAH, I'M SORRY. YOU'RE GOOD. YOU'RE OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. MY NAME'S RANDY ROBINSON AND I AM AT 1 3 2 0 7 LOU JONES, WHICH IS A DIRECTLY ACCO ACROSS FROM ME FROM MY FARM. IT'S A 72 ACRE FARM. AND, UM, THE, THE VIEW OF THIS TIMBER GETTING CUT AND WHATNOT, THAT WAS ALREADY HARD. BUT LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT IS PROPOSED TO COME ACROSS THE [03:50:01] STREET FROM ME AND THE CHANGE THAT IT HAS MADE ALREADY TO THE WILDLIFE THAT COMES THROUGH MY FARM, THE DEER, UM, IT'S A, WE ALREADY HAVE A CHANGE JUST WITH THE TIMBER GONE. SO I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE TREES OVER THERE. UM, HOW IT'S GONNA IMPACT US PERSONALLY. WE MOVED OUT HERE FOR COUNTRY. WE MOVED OUT HERE FOR AGRICULTURE, AND I JUST DON'T WANNA SEE OUR WAY OF LIFE CHANGED. I DO HAD, I DO HAVE CONCERNS AS WELL ABOUT THE TAKING DOWN OF THE STUFF. HOW INSIGHTLY, WHAT IS IT GONNA BE LIKE WHEN THEY'RE CHANGING, UM, PANELS OUT. WHAT'S THAT KIND OF NOISE LEVEL GONNA DO? NOT TO ME, 'CAUSE MY FARM SITS BACK PRETTY MU MUCH, BUT WHAT'S THAT NOISE LEVEL GONNA DO TO THE ANIMAL AND WILDLIFE THAT WE'VE BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING ON OUR FARM? SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER FOR ME. AND I AM OPPOSED TO IT BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY IMPACTING US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE NO ONE ELSE SIGNED UP. UM, AT THAT TIME, I'M GONNA CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND IF THE APPLICANT, UH, WISHES TO ADDRESS THE CITIZEN'S COMMENT, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT CAME FORTH. HELLO EVERYBODY. THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS BRIEFLY THAT WERE BROUGHT UP BY SOME CITIZENS, AND I'M HAPPY TO DO SO. NOW. UH, THE LAST ITEM THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS ABOUT THE VIEW. AND I THINK I'LL STRESS AGAIN THAT THE AREAS THAT DON'T HAVE TREES WILL HAVE TREES. AND WE COULD BRING, UH, NEIL THE VERY ENTERTAINING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT BACK UP TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON THAT IF NEEDED. BUT WE JUST WANNA REALLY STRESS THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE ANY OF THESE PANELS WHEN THOSE TREES ARE GOING UP. NOT ONLY BECAUSE THE TREES WILL BE PLANTED, BUT BECAUSE THE SETBACK IS SO MUCH IN THOSE AREAS BECAUSE OF THE WETLANDS IN BETWEEN LOU JONES ROAD AND WHERE WE START THE PANELS. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE IMAGES THAT NEIL HAD UP IN HIS PRESENTATION. THE OTHER ITEM THAT I WANTED TO ADDRESS WAS ABOUT THE, THE PANELS, WHICH MICHAEL HAS GONE INTO A LITTLE BIT DETAIL ABOUT. BUT I JUST WANTED TO STRESS AGAIN THAT WE ARE USING MODERN PANELS AND THOSE PANELS DO NOT HAVE CADMIUM IN THEM. SO, AND I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT ALL OF THE PANELS ARE REMOTELY MONITORED 24 7. SO IF ANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO ANY OF THE PANELS, THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO BE DETECTED RIGHT AWAY. AND OF COURSE, BECAUSE THIS IS A BUSINESS, THOSE WOULD WANT TO BE, THOSE WOULD BE TRADED OUT FOR NEW ONES RIGHT AWAY. THE OTHER ITEM IS ABOUT THE DECOMMISSIONING. WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM PEOPLE ON THAT, AND I MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT IN MY PRESENTATION EARLIER, BUT I WANT TO READ JUST A SHORT SECTION. UH, THAT'S IN OUR DECOMMISSIONING PLAN THAT, UH, WAS IN OUR APPLICATION. WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF INITIATING THE DECOMMISSIONING, THE PROJECT OWNER, US WILL SAFELY HAVE THE RELEVANT COMPONENTS REMOVED FROM THE LAND AND WILL THEN RESTORE THE SITE AS DESCRIBED BELOW. THIS PLAN LAYS OUT THE PROCEDURES FOR RESTORING THE SITE TO ITS ORIGINAL USE BASED ON THE RECENT HISTORICAL LAND USE OF THE PROPERTY OR OTHER ECONOMICAL LAND USES AS DESIRED BY THE RELEVANT LANDOWNER AT THE END OF THE FACILITY'S OPERATIONAL LIFE. THE PLAN DESCRIBES PROCEDURES FOR THE REMOVAL OF FACILITY COMPONENTS. THE DECOMMISSIONING PLAN WAS DEVELOPED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECOMMISSIONING PROVISIONS OF THE DIN WITTY COUNTY ORDINANCE. THE DECOMMISSIONING PLAN ENSURES THAT WHEN THE PROJECT IS DECOMMISSIONED, THE SITE RESTORATION WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED IN A WAY THAT IS ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND SAFE AND PROTECTS THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. SO WE DID EVERYTHING THAT THE ORDINANCE US TO DO AND COMING UP WITH THE DECOMMISSIONING PLAN. AND THE LAST LAST BIT, I PROMISE, IS IN CLOSING, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS NOT THE REMOVAL OF LAND FROM PRODUCTIVE USE. IT'S A CONTINUATION OF FARMING THROUGH POLLINATOR PLANTINGS, BEEKEEPING, AND LAND MANAGEMENT THAT KEEPS THE SOIL HEALTHY AND THE LAND ACTIVE. WE'VE WORKED TO DESIGN A PROJECT THAT ALLOWS AGRICULTURE AND ENERGY PRODUCTION TO COEXIST, AND WE APPRECIATE THE BOARD'S CONSIDERATION OF [03:55:01] THAT BALANCE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY. THANK YOU. ANY THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS. YOU WANT TO START? YOU WANT ME TO START? UM, I, SO I, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE GILMAN FAMILY AND MY CONDOLENCES FOR THE LOSS OF, OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE CORNERSTONE OF YOUR FAMILY. UM, MY QUESTION IS, IS IN THE 26 YEARS THAT YOUR FAMILY HAS OWNED THIS PROPERTY, UM, JUST GENERALLY, WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN WITH THIS COMMUNITY? VERY NICE. YEP. VERY NICE. SO YOU FIRST I'VE MET SOME OF THEM VERY NICE. MM-HMM . NICE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I, I ASK THAT QUESTION TO SAY THAT, UH, WHEN I GET PHONE CALLS ABOUT PROJECTS LIKE THIS, AND MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU, FIVE OF YOUR TEAM, YOU, AND ABOVE AND BEYOND IN A LOT OF WAYS TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND GET OUT THERE IN FRONT OF IT. AND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD, UH, I THINK I WAS VERY FORTHCOMING IN THAT THIS IS A TOUGH SELL. 'CAUSE THIS IS A COMMUNITY, THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP. UH, WHEN I TEACH PEOPLE, UH, I TEACH THAT IF YOU HAVE TO FORCE IT, IT'S PROBABLY WRONG. AND WHAT I SEE IS A, A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A COMMUNITY THAT WAS VERY NICE. AND I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS RESISTANCE TO ENTERING INTO A NEW RELATIONSHIP OUTSIDE OF WHAT THE ORIGINAL RELATIONSHIP WAS. AND OUR DUTY AS A BOARD IS TO MAINTAIN THE RELATIONSHIP OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR, UH, FOLKS COMING IN, WHETHER THAT'S BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY. AND OUR JOB AS BOARD MEMBERS IS TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY THAT IS EXISTING HERE. UM, I, I THINK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN A GOOD STEWARD OF THE LAND FOR A LONG TIME, AND MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU FOR THAT, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, BUT AS WE LOOK AT THIS CASE, MY JOB IS TO REPRESENT THE WANTS AND DESIRES OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ELECTED ME TO THIS POSITION. SO THAT'S ALL THE COMMENTS I HAVE AT THIS TIME. MM-HMM . UH, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS GOING FORWARD. UM, I PRESUME THE END, I SHOULDN'T PRESUME, WHO IS THE END PRODUCT BEING SOLD TO? WHERE IS THE ENERGY GOING AFTER? YES, MA'AM. IT'S CREATED, IT WOULD GO INTO THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION. UH, SO THE WHERE WE'RE INTERCONNECTING IS OFF OF ROUTE ONE, AND THAT IS INTO THE NY SUBSTATION, UH, WHICH IS OWNED BY DOMINION. OKAY. UM, WILL THE POWER THAT'S GENERATED FROM THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY, WILL A HUNDRED PERCENT OF IT GO INTO THE SYSTEM? ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PANELS? NO. OKAY. ARE YOU, THE, THE POWER THAT'S GENERATED, WILL A HUNDRED PERCENT OF IT GO INTO THE SYSTEM? ALL THE ENERGY THAT IS GENERATED FROM THE LOU JONES SOLAR PROJECT WILL GO INTO THE DOMINION, UH, SUBSTATION? YES. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. LISTEN TO YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR DAD BUYING LAND. YES, SIR. AND WHAT HE LOVED MOST. AND LIKE YOU SAID, SIN, THOSE LITTLE VISIT PINES, GHOST STRAIGHT UP. YEAH. SO, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING TO GET RID OF THAT VIEW TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO TO THE LAND? I DON'T, I THINK MY FATHER WAS A STEWARD OF THE LAND. I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WOULDN'T HAVE AGREED TO EVEN HAVE A DISCUSSION IF HE HADN'T SEEN OTHER SOLAR FARMS. MM-HMM . AND REALIZED THAT THE LAND, HE WAS A VISIONARY HIMSELF. MM-HMM . TO THE LAND. HE COULD SEE, HE WOULD KNOW HOW TO BUILD A ROAD. HE COULD SEE WHAT COULD BE THAT DIDN'T BOTHER HIM BECAUSE THE, THE FOREST STILL GREW AROUND IT. MM-HMM . AND THE BUFFERS THAT ARE THERE, AND THE UNDERBELLY OF THE PINE GROVE. HE DIDN'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. BUT HE ALSO KNEW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE FUTURE, WE'RE CHANGING, WE NEED MORE ENERGY. SO, BUT HE DIDN'T, HE WASN'T UPSET BY THE WAY IT WAS GONNA LOOK TO HIM. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, I, I KNOW YOU BROUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE, UM, ON YOUR BEHALF TO TALK ABOUT, UM, EVERYTHING THAT'S, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, BUILT DOWN IN MCKINNEY AREA. AND, UM, I'M PRETTY, THAT'S A, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE, SO, UM, AND I KNOW YOUR BUSINESS IS, UM, PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS, SO I'M, I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A LOT FOR PEOPLE TO COME OUT, ESPECIALLY ON TONIGHT IN THE DISTANCE, BECAUSE I THINK YOU HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHO, WHO [04:00:01] CAME A DISTANCE, UH, HERE TO, UM, SPEAK ON YOUR BEHALF. AND, UM, I, I'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE SAYING, I KNOW YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, YOU SENT OUT NOTICES, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY SAID THEY DIDN'T GET THOSE. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT. BUT THEY SAID THEY NEVER SAW THOSE THINGS. UM, SO, UM, IT, IT, IT IS A LOT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, SOME PEOPLE FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST, WHICH THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THESE PUBLIC. SO I, UM, AT THIS TIME, I JUST HAVE TO SEE EXACTLY HOW THE BOARD WOULD WANTS TO VOTE ON THIS. COULD I BRING, UH, JUST IN CLOSING OUR ATTORNEY, JARED, UP TO GIVE JUST HIS LAST, OUR LAST REMARKS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. MM-HMM . THANKS BOB. SU SUPER BRIEF. I JUST THOUGHT MAYBE AFTER ALL THIS INFORMATION THAT'S COME OUT, WANTED TO REFRAME KIND OF THE POSTURE THAT Y'ALL ARE SITTING UP THERE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT WHAT, WHAT YOUR DECISION MAKING IS ABOUT. AND REMIND YOU THAT YOU, YOU ADOPTED A COMP PLAN VERY THOUGHTFULLY DRAFTED COMP PLAN, WHICH DID CONTEMPLATE THAT ALTERNATIVE ENERGY USES MAY BE APPROPRIATE IN RURAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT WITH YOUR DISCRETIONARY APPROVAL. AND THE GUIDELINE FOR THAT WAS CITING RENEWABLE ENERGY USES IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZES IMPACT TO SCENIC UCH SHEDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES. AND, AND PART OF WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO DO TONIGHT IS, IS BRING IN, UM, IMPARTIAL FACTS. FACTS THAT ARE FACTS TO DEMONSTRATE, UM, THAT THOSE UCH SHED AND NATURAL RESOURCES IMPACTS ARE LOW. SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S YOUR COMP PLAN. UH, YOU HAVE A SOLAR ORDINANCE, WHICH YOU TOOK THE TIME TO ENACT, WHICH TALKS ABOUT CREATING A, A SOLAR ENERGY, UH, OVERLAY DISTRICT, THE DISTRICT IF YOU CHOOSE TO REZONE A PROPERTY INTO THAT. AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE REASON THAT THE PREAMBLE OF THAT ORDINANCE SAYS YOU DID THAT WAS TO FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AS LONG AS, UH, HEALTH SAFETY AND WELFARE, UH, YOUR USUAL CHARGE IS, IS PROTECTED. AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED TO LAY OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS A 20 MEGAWATT PROJECT. UM, NOT, NOT LARGE, LIKE YOU SEE A LOT OF OTHER PROJECTS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND QUIET AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS WE BROUGHT UP. WE'VE TRIED TO LAY OUT WHY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT HITS THOSE, UH, THAT ORDINANCE STANDARD OF, UM, THE KIND OF PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO BE THE KIND THAT YOU WANT TO FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND WE CAN, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IF, IF WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE SIDING AGREEMENT LATER, BUT WE HAVE COMPLIED. UM, ANDOR WILL COMPLY WITH EACH AND EVERY ELEMENT THAT'S IN THIS ORDINANCE. BUFFERS, GROUNDWATER MONITORING, UH, WETLANDS, ET CETERA. I COULD GO THROUGH THE LIST, BUT IF YOU GO THROUGH THE ORDINANCE, IT'S, IT'S ALL LAID OUT THERE. AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE THERE TO, TO COMPLY OR OVER COMPLY. AND, AND THEN LASTLY, IF WE, UM, DO TALK ABOUT THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND THE CONDITIONS THERE, THERE ARE 11 PAGES OF CONDITIONS THAT WE'VE AGREED TO WITH, UM, 20 DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. AND AS A LAWYER, I LOVE THE SUBPARTS TO THE CONDITIONS. SO THERE'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, 45 CONDITIONS IN THERE, REALLY BY THE TIME YOU GET TO THE END OF IT. AND, AND WE'RE PREPARED TO, TO LIMIT OUR PROJECT BY, BY AGREEING TO ALL THOSE, YOU KNOW, CONDITIONS. SO I HOPE YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT JUST WANTED TO LAY THAT OUT. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, AT THIS TIME, UH, BOARD, WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE AT THIS TIME? MADAM CHAIR? JUST WANNA, CAN MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS NOW THAT THE, UM, PUBLIC HEARING IS OVER WITH AND THE APPLICANT HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK AND ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I HAD A PROJECT THAT WAS IN MY DISTRICT, UH, IN A MOSTLY, UH, INDUSTRIALIZED AREA. AND YES, I DID MAKE THE COMMENT PERTAINING TO SOMETHING. IF YOU HAD AN EMPLOYEE THAT WORKED 25% OF THE TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU BE THINKING? IF YOU HAD A CAR THAT WORKED RAN 25% OF THE TIME, YOU'D PROBABLY BE THINKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING. UM, THAT BEING SAID, THE REASON I ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT FEEDING INTO THE SYSTEM, BECAUSE THE SYSTEM AT SOME TIME CANNOT TAKE ALL THAT'S BEING PUT INTO IT. SO I DON'T THINK IT CAN TAKE A HUNDRED PERCENT ALL THE TIME. UM, IF [04:05:01] YOU, IF YOU TALK TO THE ENTITY WHICH ACCEPTS THE POWER. UM, SO THAT BEING SAID, THERE'S TWO WORDS THAT COME TO MY MIND WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR COMP PLAN, AND THAT IS THE RURAL INTEGRITY OF THIS COUNTY. SO WE'RE GOING TO ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE AREAS, RELATIVELY SPEAKING OF OUR COUNTY, VERY AGRICULTURAL IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA. AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SPECIFIC SPOT AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED ACRES AND WE'RE GONNA PUT SOLAR PANELS ON IT TO FEED INTO THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THERE'S AN ACCESS POINT THAT'S RELATIVELY CLOSE TO IT. IS THAT THE BEST FOR DENWITTY COUNTY? OKAY. I APPRECIATE ALL THE EXPERTS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM THAT HAVE COME IN AND TOLD US THAT THEY'RE EXPERT OPINIONS. UH, WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH TIMMONS AS A COUNTY. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. UM, AND YOU HAVE YOUR OPINIONS, BUT WE LIVE HERE, WE LIVE IN THIS AREA, AND I, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE CITIZENS THAT ARE IN THIS COUNTY WANT INDUSTRIAL SOLAR IN A RURAL AREA OF THIS NATURE. I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE. OKAY. UM, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, I WOULDN'T BE IN FAVOR OF THE PROJECT. I HAVE TO BELIEVE, UH, OUR PLANNING COMMITTEE HAD STUDIED THIS AND, UH, THEY BELIEVE, LIKE WE BELIEVE TO HAVE THE BEST FOR OUR COUNTY. SO I HAVE TO AGREE WITH OUR PLANNING COMMITTEE. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WILL, UM, MAKE THIS MOTION BE IT RESOLVED 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 PRACTICES. A MOVE THAT REZONING OF P DASH 25 DASH 12 AS PRESENTED, BE DISAPPROVED BY THE DIS, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. SECOND. SECOND. SET. ROLL CALL. MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. AND, ALRIGHT. SO MADAM CHAIR, YOU DID HAVE TWO MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS AS MR. BURDEN NOTICED, UM, TO YOU, THE, THE, UM, THE CUP AND THE SITING AGREEMENT, BUT AS THE REZONING HAS BEEN DENIED, IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO HOLD THOSE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS ANYMORE. OKAY? OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, WE ARE MOVING [13.D. Rezoning Request, P-25-13] TO, UM, THE REZONING REQUEST P 25 DASH 13. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. AS YOU INDICATED, UH, THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING YOU HAVE THIS EVENING, WE'RE HEARING THE REZONING REQUEST FROM TRAM HOMES LLC AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVE. UH, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE, UH, SLIDE THAT WE HAVE, UH, FOR THE OVERALL PROPERTY IN THE AREA, UH, IS, UH, ZONED, UH, TWO DIFFERENT ZONING CATEGORIES. UH, TWO OF THE PROPERTIES ARE LOCATED IN THE AREA, UH, CLOSE TO ROUTE ONE, UH, THAT WAS, UM, MANY YEARS AGO WAS REZONED TO B TWO BUSINESS GENERAL. ALL THE REMAINING PROPERTY IN THE, UH, ADJOINING AREA IS ON R ONE RESIDENTIAL LIMITED. THE APPLICANT THIS EVENING IS REQUESTING, UH, TO REZONE, UM, ALL OF THEIR PROPERTIES, UH, PRESENTED IN THEIR APPLICATION TO RESIDENTIAL URBAN R RU. UM, ON THIS SLIDE YOU CAN SEE THE VARIOUS PROPERTIES AGAIN THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED, UH, FOR THE RU ZONING CLASSIFICATION. UM, LOOKING AT THE SPECIFIC PROPERTIES, UM, STARTED WITH, UM, PROPERTY, UH, NUMBER HIGHLIGHTED IS PROPERTY NUMBER ONE. THOSE FOUR LOTS OFF OF NODAWAY AVENUE. UM, THIS IS LOOKING INTO THE PROPERTY FROM NODAWAY AVENUE. [04:10:02] UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, PORTION OF THE PROPERTY IS, IS VACANT, AND THEN A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY DOES HAVE ONE EXISTING RESIDENCE ON THAT PROPERTY. UM, GOING BACK, UM, PART TWO OF THE REZONING REQUEST OFF OF, UM, BRUNSWICK AVENUE, UM, LOOKING AT THAT PROPERTY, UM, THAT'S THE VIEW WE HAVE FOR THAT PROPERTY. THERE IS AN EXISTING RESIDENCE ON THAT PROPERTY AS WELL. AND THEN THE OTHER PROPERTIES FOR, UH, REZONING BEHIND IT, UM, ARE LOCATED ON THAT PAPER STREET, THAT PORTION OF, UH, AGAIN, BEHIND THAT PROPERTY. UM, GOING BACK, UH, TO, UH, WHAT WE'RE, UH, IDENTIFY AS THE, UH, THIRD PART OF THE REZONING. UM, THOSE FOUR LOTS, THAT PROPERTY IS ENTIRELY VACANT. UM, THIS IS LOOKING AT THE PROPERTY, UH, HAVE TWO VIEWS LOOKING INTO THE PROPERTY. OF COURSE, AGAIN, YOU COULD SEE THAT, THAT THOSE FOUR LOTS ARE ENTIRELY VACANT. UM, GOING BACK, UH, THE FOURTH PORTION OF THE PROPERTY, AGAIN OFF OF BRUNSWICK AVENUE, UM, VERY CLOSE TO, UM, WHAT PART, PART THREE OF THE REZONING, UM, THESE, UH, PROPERTIES HERE. UM, LOOKING IN, AGAIN, YOU HAVE THE TWO VACANT PROPERTIES. UM, THIS IS LOOKING INTO THE PROPERTY FROM, UH, BRUNSWICK AVENUE. AND THEN GOING BACK THE, UH, FIFTH, UH, PART OF THE REZONING, UH, AGAIN, IS, UM, CLOSE TO ROUTE ONE. THAT'S THE PROPERTY THAT'S OWNED, UH, B TWO BUSINESS GENERAL. AND THIS IS LOOKING INTO THAT, THAT PROPERTY HERE. UM, AND THAT'S THAT PROPERTY. SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO UM, TWO, OUR OVERALL SLIDE, UM, THERE'S FIVE DIFFERENT, UH, AREAS, UH, WITHIN THE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD THE WEST PETERSBURG NEIGHBORHOOD ARE REQUESTING, UM, TO REZONE THOSE PROPERTIES. UM, AGAIN, IT'S, UH, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, UH, AT THE, WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, THE SURROUNDING LAND USES, UH, ARE PREDOMINANTLY LOW DENSITY ESTABLISHED, UH, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, FOR THE PROPERTIES. UH, THE WEST PETERSBURG AREA CONSISTS OF LOTS THAT ARE 25 FEET WIDE AND 100 FEET DEEP, WHICH ARE NON-CONFORMING. WITH REGARD TO THE R ONE ZONING DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS, THE MAJORITY OF EXISTING HOMES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ARE SITUATED ACROSS PROPERTY LINES AND REMAINING VACANT LOTS DO NOT ACCOMMODATE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT ON THEIR OWN INDIVIDUALLY UNDER THE R ONE ZONING. ADDITIONALLY, MANY OF THE HOMES IN THIS AREA ARE DEVELOPED ON TWO LOTS. WITH THE HOME CENTERED ON THE COMMON PROPERTY LINE, THE RU ZONING CLASSIFICATION WAS ADOPTED WITH AN INTENT OF ADDRESSING THESE TYPE OF NONCONFORMITIES AND ISSUES IN THIS GENERAL AREA. THE SUBJECT REZONING REQUEST WILL ALLOW A NEW DWELLING THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE SIZE AND CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPERTY UNDER REVIEWS DESIGNATED WITHIN THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN IS BEING WITHIN THE TOWN CENTER AREA. AND AS SUCH, THE GENERAL AREA IS EXPECTED TO ACCOMMODATE FUTURE MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE COMPOSITION AND PURPOSE STATEMENT WITHIN THE RU ZONING DISTRICT STATES THAT IN GENERAL, THE RESIDENTIAL URBAN ZONING DISTRICT ALLOWS SMALLER LOT SIZES AND SETBACKS THAN THE COUNTY'S OTHER RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS GIVING AREAS ZONED RU A MORE URBAN FEEL. THE DISTRICT REGULATIONS ARE DESIGNED TO REFLECT THE URBAN NATURE OF SUCH NEIGHBORHOODS AS CHARACTERIZED BY DETACHED SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING, SITUATED ON SMALL LOTS WITH NARROW YARDS AND MODEST SETBACKS. THE DISTRICT REGULATIONS ARE INTENDED TO ENCOURAGE US ENCOURAGE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT AND EFFICIENT USE OF EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS [04:15:01] AND THEIR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES, WHILE ENSURING THAT INFILL DEVELOPMENT WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE ESTABLISHED CHARACTER OF THE DISTRICT. THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PURPOSE OF THE RU DISTRICT. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY IS LOCATED WITHIN THE TOWN CENTER AREA, WHICH ALLOWS FOR SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED AND DETACHED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS GENERAL AREA. THUS, WITH THE PROPERTY BEING LOCATED IN THE EXISTING WEST PETERSBURG NEIGHBORHOOD AND HAVING ACCESS TO THE DEITY COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM, THIS GENERAL AREA MAY BE CONSIDERED A RESIDENTIAL GROWTH AREA. LOOKING AT THE IMPACTS THAT WE DISCUSSED AT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, UH, THERE WERE NO ISSUES, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC UTILITIES OR FROM A TRANSPORTATION STANDPOINT. AND, UM, IN ADDITION, UH, AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID, UH, DISCUSS WITH THE APPLICANT, UH, THE SETBACKS, UH, FOR DEVELOPMENT ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTIES AND INDICATED THAT, UM, THE APPLICANT MAY, UH, CONSIDER, UM, LOOKING AT SETBACKS FOR, UM, PROPERTIES THAT WERE DEVELOPED ON, UH, TWO LOTS, UH, ADJACENT TO OTHER OTHER EXISTING STRUCTURES. AND SO THE APPLICANT, UH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID TABLE THE REQUESTS AT THEIR OCTOBER MEETING. THE APPLICANT DID COME BACK AT THEIR NOVEMBER MEETING WITH, UH, PROFFERS FOR, RELATED TO THE SUBJECT REZONING AND DID PROFFER, UH, TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM SIDE YARD BUILDING SETBACK ON EACH SIDE OF THE DEVELOPMENT. UH, AND INDICATED THAT THE SIDE YARD BUILDING SETBACK SHALL BE SEVEN FEET ON EITHER SIDE, TOLLING TO 14 FEET, UH, FOR EACH, UH, PROPERTY THAT'S DEVELOPED ON, UH, RELATED TO THE SUBJECT REZONING. UM, AFTER DISCUSSION, THE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID, UH, RECOMMEND APPROVAL, UH, WITH PROFFERS TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE RELATED TO THE STAFF REPORT. BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. UM, NOT AT THIS TIME. UM, THE APPLICANT PRESENTATION. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING FOLKS. . GOOD NIGHT, . YEAH, SO I'M HERE TODAY JUST TO, I GUESS SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHY I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO DO SOME REZONING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. AND HONESTLY, I THINK IT MAY BE A GOOD FOR US TO MAYBE REZONE THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M HERE FOR TODAY. AND SO MY MAIN GOAL IS LIKE DOING SMART DEVELOPMENT WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE I ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF COMMUNITY I. AND SO THE FIRST THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON IS, AS MR. MARK DISCUSSED, A LOT OF THE HOUSES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE SITUATED ON TWO LOTS, TWO TO THREE LOTS, WHICH FITS UNDER THE RU ZONING CLASSIFICATION, RIGHT? SO THE REASON WHY PLANNING AND ZONING HAS CREATED THIS, THIS ZONING CLASSIFICATIONS RU, IS BECAUSE THEY REALIZED THE WAY THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS LAID OUT WHEN THEY INITIALLY PLOTTED IT OUT, IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE FOR R ONE ZONING. EVERYTHING'S NON-CONFORMING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE MOST PART. AND SO LET'S SAY I OWN A HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I BOUGHT IT 25 YEARS AGO, AND NOW LET'S SAY MY KIDS END UP GROWING THE FAMILY. I CAN'T DO ANY ADDITIONS TO MY HOUSE. I HAVE NO, NO OPTIONALITY TO, UH, DO ANYTHING REALLY. AND ANOTHER THING IS WHEN IT COMES TO THE R ONE ZONING STANDARDS, IF YOU SEE THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE REQUIREMENT IS 20,000 SQUARE FEET. AND AS WE'LL SEE ON THE NEXT PAGE, ALMOST NOBODY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS THAT MUCH LAND TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THE, WITH THE, WITH THE CURRENT ZONING. RIGHT? AND ANOTHER THING IS, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HAD CONCERNS THAT WITH THE, UH, WITH THE SETBACK REQUIREMENTS, A PROPERTY MAY TAKE UP A TON OF THE LOT AND THE RU ZONING CLASSIFICATION, YOU'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO COVER 50% OF THE LOT WITH THE PROPERTY AS WELL. [04:20:02] AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS. AND THIS IS I THINK REALLY THE, THE SLIDE THAT SHOWS IT ALL. I WENT THROUGH THE JS SYSTEM AND I TRIED TO SEE, OKAY, ALL THE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT OWN LAND, HOW MANY FOLKS ACTUALLY OWN THE AMOUNT OF LOTS WHICH ARE ABLE TO BE BUILT UNDER THE R ONE ZONING CLASSIFICATION SAYING THAT THEY MEET THE SETBACKS. A LOT OF FOLKS, EVEN THOUGH THEY OWN EIGHT PLUS LOTS, WHICH MEETS THAT 20,000 SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUIREMENT, DON'T HAVE THE DEPTH IN ORDER TO MEET THE FRONT YARD AND REAR REAR YARD SETBACKS. AND SO ALMOST IF YOU SEE LIKE TWO LOTS IS WHAT THE RU ZONING CLASSIFICATION ALLOWS YOU TO BUILD UNDER. AND IF I KNOW OTHER FOLKS HAD TALKED ABOUT DOING R ONE WITH A VARIANCE THAT WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE FOUR LOTS, AND EVEN THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED, BUT AS WE CAN SEE, THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS HAVE GOT LESS THAN THAT AS WELL. SO MM-HMM . AND THIS IS ONE OF THE HOMES WHICH WE'VE SEEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, UH, GOING TO THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UM, I'VE SPOKE TO THE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY AND I'VE HEARD THAT A LOT OF FOLKS, THIS WAS NOT A HOUSE THEY REALLY LIKED SEEING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? SADLY, IT WAS A BUILDER WENT IN THERE, THEY BOUGHT A HOME, WHICH WAS FOR SALE, THEY KNOCKED THE HOME DOWN THINKING THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO BUILD A NEW FLOOR PLAN, MAKE A NICE OPEN, OPEN CONCEPT HOUSE. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE R ONE ZONING, I GUESS THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROCESS WAS. THEY JUST DECIDED, HEY, LEMME JUST BUILD ON WHATEVER I CAN. SO THEY HAD TO DO IT ON THE EXISTING FOOTPRINT AND THAT MEANT HAVING TO GO UP RATHER THAN OUT. RIGHT. AND I REALLY DON'T THINK, AND FROM A MAJORITY OF THE COMMUNITY THAT I'VE TALKED TO, I DON'T THINK THIS MEETS THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOW IT IS. RIGHT. AND SO, AS I SAID BEFORE, AS UNFORTUNATE AS IT IS, WE'VE CAME IN AND ACQUIRED SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND UNFORTUNATELY, IF THE, IF THE RRU ZONING'S NOT APPROVED, I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DID SPEND SOME MONEY TO ACQUIRE THESE PROPERTIES. AND SO WE NEED TO, AT THE END OF THE DAY, FINANCIALS ARE IMPORTANT. SO WE MAY HAVE TO GO UP AND BUILD A TWO STORY HOUSE. UM, AND EVEN THE, A LOT OF THE LOTS, LIKE WE DISCUSSED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE DEVELOPED ON IF REZONING IS NOT DONE. AND ANOTHER THING FOR US, WE REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON SELLING THESE HOMES TO FAMILIES THAT, THAT ARE LIVING THERE. RIGHT? I'VE LOOKED AT A LOT OF STUDIES, HOME OWNERSHIP INCREASES GOOD OUTCOMES HEAVILY. AND SO WE WANT TO CREATE, CREATE HOME OWNERSHIP RATHER THAN RENTAL PROPERTIES. AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? TO REALLY STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO THIS IS ONE OF THE HOMES THAT WE DID IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, WE PURCHASED A, A HOUSE A WHILE AGO, WENT THROUGH THE REZONING PROCESS AND THEN WE WENT AHEAD, WE DID AN ADDITION TO THE BACK OF THE HOUSE, TURNED IT FROM A TWO BEDROOM, ONE BATH INTO A THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH. NOW IT'S ABOUT 1400 SQUARE FEET, COMPLETELY REDID IT, GOT THE NICE DRIVEWAY THERE IN THE FRONT. AND IN ADDITION TO THIS, WE'RE ALSO DOING ONE PROJECT ON NOTTAWAY AVENUE. WE'VE, UH, JUST RECENTLY KNOCKED DOWN, UM, MR. JAMES JONES' HOUSE AND WE'RE BUILDING UP A NEW HOUSE, UM, ONE CAR GARAGE, THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH, IT'S GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL BRICK HOUSE. AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE DONE SOME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL. RIGHT? AND I WOULD SAY MAIN THING, LIKE I WAS SAYING, WE WANT TO REALLY ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY'S CONCERNS. AND THE MAIN THINGS THAT WE HEARD WAS THE HOUSES ARE WAY TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. AND JUST TO QUOTE THE FOLKS FROM THE LAST MEETING, FOLKS ARE SAYING THEY COULD JUMP FROM ONE WINDOW TO THE OTHER WINDOW. THAT'S NOT THE GOAL, RIGHT? WE DON'T INTEND TO TAKE UP THE WHOLE REQUIREMENT. THAT'S WHY WE WERE LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE OKAY WITH GRANTING A PROFFER WHERE WE GIVE A FEW MORE FEET ON EACH SIDE AND SACRIFICE MAYBE MAKING THE BIGGEST HOUSE POSSIBLE FOR WHAT THE COMMUNITY'S LOOKING FOR. RIGHT? AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, I HEARD ABOUT THE, UH, THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD A LITTLE BIT. A LOT OF FOLKS SEEM TO BE HAVING THAT CONCERN. AND SO I'M HOPING THAT, UH, TOGETHER WITH, WITH WITH MS. BONNER AND, UM, THE OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WE COULD GET TOGETHER AND GO TALK TO VI OUT AS A GROUP OR UH, GO DO A COMMUNITY PROJECT WHERE WE COULD GO AND CLEAR OUT THE CULVERTS AND WHATNOT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO INCREASE THE DRAINAGE. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE MAIN THING. I MEAN, WE WANNA LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY. WE WANNA BUILD, BUT BUILD WITH [04:25:01] CONFIDENCE FROM THE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO THESE ARE TWO OF THE HOUSES, THEY'RE NOT IN, IN DINWOODY, THESE ARE IN PETERSBURG, BUT THESE LOTS ARE ALSO THE SAME SIZE AS THE ONES IN DINWOODY, RIGHT? THESE ARE 50 FEET WIDE LOTS, AND THE HOUSES ARE ABOUT 32 FEET WIDE. RIGHT? SO YOU'VE GOT A GOOD AMOUNT OF SPACE IN BETWEEN TO THE HOUSES AND I DON'T KNOW, I THINK IT'S PRETTY NICE OUT MM-HMM . RIGHT? AND ONCE AGAIN, OUR QUA OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD NICE GOOD QUALITY HOMES WHERE WE CAN INCREASE THAT HOME OWNERSHIP. 'CAUSE AS WE'VE SEEN, LIKE I SAID, TALKING TO THE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, IT'S A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY, RIGHT? FOLKS HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME MM-HMM . AND SO WE WANT FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA MOVE IN AND ADOPT AND GET IN THE COMMUNITY RATHER THAN JUST BEING BY THEMSELVES AND RENTING AND NOT REALLY TAKING IT AS THEIR OWN. AND SO THAT'S OUR MAIN, MAIN, MAIN GOAL. MAINTAIN THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHILE ALSO BUILDING AND, UH, DEVELOPING. THAT'S, THAT'S OUR MAIN GOAL. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK, THANK YOU. UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS BEFORE I OPEN A PUBLIC HEARING? OKAY. AND, UM, BEFORE I OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING, I, I SAW SOME PEOPLE WHO DID COME IN. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN IN, UM, SIGN UP TO SPEAK IF THEY WISH TO DO THAT. DO YOU HAVE ANYONE, DO YOU HAVE ANYONE THAT WISH? CAN YOU? UM, AND I'M GOING TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. BECAUSE I, AND THE ONLY REASON OKAY. THE ONLY REASON I SAID THAT, BECAUSE WE HAD A CROWD, A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND THEY DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO GO. AND IF ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, UM, JUST, UM, JUST YOUR NAME AND, UH, AND YOUR PHONE AND, AND YOUR ADDRESS PLEASE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. EVENING. MY NAME IS FRANCIS TAYLOR AND I LIVE AT 25 6 0 8 BRUNSWICK AVENUE. AND I RECEIVED THIS LETTER THE OTHER DAY STATING THAT MY LAND, MY HOUSE IS ADJACENT TO SOME LAND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO BUY. AND IT'S ON BRUNSWICK AVENUE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT LAND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE WHEN MY SON LOOKED IT UP, MY PROP, MY LOTS WAS NOWHERE NEAR THIS WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT LOTS THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. MY, MY HOUSE IS ADJACENT TO, SO, AND I DO LIVE ON BRUNSWICK AVENUE, BUT THEY HAVE THE STREET NUMBER BUT STREET, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE LOT NUMBERS. SO WE'LL GET THE APPLICANT TO, TO ANSWER THAT AFTER, AFTER WE FINISH. YEAH. AND I, YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE HOUSES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME OF THE HOUSES THAT BE BUILT, THEY'RE NICE. BUT WHEN I BOUGHT MY HOUSE THAT WAS BACK THERE IN THE EIGHTIES AND WE HAD TO HAVE THREE LICENSE INSTEAD OF TWO. AND THE WAY THEY'RE BUILDING THEM NOW, LIKE, UM, THE GUY WAS SAYING, SOME OF 'EM YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A DRIVEWAY. AND IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE COMPANY OVER, YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO PARK WITH THEM TO PARK. AND YOU CAN'T PARK ON THE STREETS UNTIL YOU MIGHT END UP GETTING A TICKET. MM-HMM . SO YOU GOT TO HAVE, ALLOW SOME DRIVEWAY, YOU KNOW, SOME SPACE IN BETWEEN SO SOMEBODY CAN HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME DRIVEWAY AND YOU DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW BACK THERE THEN WHEN PEOPLE LAND WAS YOU BUILT A HOUSE, NOBODY WASN'T WORRIED ABOUT WHO WAS ON NOBODY PROPERTY. 'CAUSE EVERYBODY WAS FAMILY. EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW EACH OTHER, YOU STILL WAS FAMILY. BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, IT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT. MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, YOU WANT, I DON'T WANT YOU ON MY LAND BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIVE HERE, BUT YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF WE JUST CAN'T, WE NEED TO TRY TO FIND OUT, GET EVERYTHING. I JUST NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT LIFE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT MY, MY HOUSE IS ADJACENT TO. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. DO WE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO, UM, SPEAK? YOU HAVE SOME OKAY. I'M JUST GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY IF WE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE [04:30:01] YOU DID. IF YOU DIDN'T SIGN UP, THAT'S FINE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK BEFORE I CLOSE. OKAY, MA'AM, I'LL GET QUICK. OKAY, THAT'S FINE. HI EVERYONE ON A, MY NAME IS MAY AIKENS. I LIVE AT 2 5 6 1 0 SURY AVENUE. I'M JUST HERE. I APOLOGIZE. I KNOW I'M NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE RESIDENTIAL URBAN REZONING ONLY BECAUSE I'M A NEW HOMEOWNER. UM, I THINK THE SMALL LOT MADE IT SO THAT I COULD PURCHASE A HOME. UM, IT'S, IT'S THE PERFECT LITTLE POSTAGE STAMP YARD FOR SOMEONE IN MY SITUATION. SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO BALANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DE THE DEMAND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I ALSO LIKE TO, OR, OR I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT I FEEL LIKE CHANGE IS COMING, UM, TO NORTH DENWOODY AND DENWOODY AND PETERSBURG. UM, AND SO I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I THINK IT'S GOOD SOMETIMES TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO CARE ABOUT YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR FEELINGS AS OPPOSED TO AN INVESTOR COMING IN AND JUST SPENDING THE MONEY AND SAYING, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, AND OKAY. YES. OKAY. HAVE ANOTHER PERSON. GOOD EVENING BOARD. GOOD EVENING BOARD. EVENING. MY NAME IS DR. NORMA JEAN NEWMAN. I AM A MEMBER OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE, UH, WEST PETERSBURG AREA, WHICH IS WHAT YOU ALL ARE DISCUSSING THIS EVENING. UM, MY ONLY CONCERN THIS EVENING IS THAT I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL WHAT IT IS THEY'RE DOING AS FAR AS GROWTH IN THE, UH, AREA THERE. I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL. I DID NOTICE THAT, UH, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT THE HOUSES ARE EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY TOO CLOSE. AND THAT I NOTICED ON THE VIDEO THAT THEY HAD EARLIER THAT THEY WERE SHOWING THE PARKING AREA, BUT IT WAS LIKE, WELL, ONE OF THE MEMBERS SAID HERE, ONE OF THE YOUNG LADIES SAID, THE PARKING IS VERY, VERY CLOSE. UH, IT REMINDS ME OF THE AREAS LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, DC AND IN, IN, UH, NEW YORK. THE HOUSES ARE REALLY LITERALLY RIGHT ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. UH, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH HEAR THE CONVERSATION, UH, FROM EACH OTHER, FROM ONE BUILDING TO THE NEXT. BUT WHAT I, I FIND THIS INTERESTING ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY IS THE GROWTH. AND YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT VITALITY. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE, IT'S ALREADY, LIKE YOU SAID, A CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO KEEP. IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE HERITAGE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY DON'T WANNA LOSE WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY. SO LOOKING AT THE WAY THEY'RE BUILDING THE HOMES, UH, IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY HAD, UM, AND THEN THEY PROBABLY HAD CONSIDERED, UM, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION FROM SPEAKING WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE. SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE HAD GROWN UP IN THAT COMMUNITY, IF THEY WOULD'VE PROBABLY MORE OR LESS CONSIDERED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE, RATHER THAN THE HOUSE THAT'S YEA TALL. AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE CHARACTER OF THE COMMUNITY. AND SO WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN YOU'RE CONSIDERING, UM, BUILDING, I KNOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING UP RATHER THAN SOMETIMES PROBABLY OUT, BUT IN BUILDING OUT, YOU'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF SOMEONE ELSE. UM, GOING DOWN THEORY, MANY OF THE HOUSES THERE, AS YOU WELL KNOW, UM, THERE IS PARKING FOR ONE VEHICLE AND BARELY ONE VEHICLE, YOU KNOW, IN THAT COMMUNITY. BUT, UH, IN GOING FORWARD, JUST TO BE PROACTIVE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE PRESERVATION, THE PRESERVATION OF, UH, WEST PETERSBURG, SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER IN YOUR PLANS IS THAT, UH, IN INTEGRATING THE HERITAGE AND THINK OF WEST PETERSBURG AND NOT TAKING AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITY ITSELF, UM, JUST TAKE TIME BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS, I GET IT THAT, UH, FOR, MAYBE FOR YOU IT MIGHT BE ABOUT THE DOLLAR FIGURE, BUT FOR THEM IT'S ABOUT HERITAGE. OKAY. AND THAT'S SOMETHING I BELIEVE THAT THEY WANT TO KEEP ANYTHING IN THAT COMMUNITY. THEY WANT TO KEEP THE STRENGTH OF THE HERITAGE. THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME OUTTA WEST PETERSBURG, I USED TO CALL IT THE BLACK WALL STREET. SO MANY INTELLIGENT AND, UH, FOLKS THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THAT COMMUNITY AND SOME THAT STILL LIVE THERE. I THINK IN THAT COMMUNITY, UH, WHEN YOU, UH, LOOK AT RESTRUCTURING AND RE AND, UH, REBUILDING AND REZONING, UH, CONSIDER THE, UM, THE BALANCING THE FUTURE GROWTH OF WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT TO SEE THERE IN THAT AREA. UH, AND I GET IT AGAIN, THE VITALITY, THE ECONOMIC VITALITY IS IMPORTANT, BUT MORE THAN THAT, UM, FOR THEM IT'S THEIR HERITAGE. AND I THINK THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, UH, WHILE YOU ALL ARE DOING WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING. SO, UM, UH, THAT'S WHAT I LOOK, I LOOK AT THE HISTORY. WEST PETERSBURG HAS A STRONG HISTORY, A VERY STRONG HISTORY. UH, SAD TO SEE THAT THERE, UM, ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND SUPPORT. BUT, UM, [04:35:01] I, I'M HOPING AND PRAYING THAT WHEN YOU ALL, AS YOU CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, THAT YOU'LL HAVE MANY MORE, UH, MANY OF THEM HAVE PASSED ON, BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE STILL THERE. HOPEFULLY AT THE NEXT, UH, MEETING, YOU'LL SEE MORE OF THEM COME OUT AND SUPPORT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING. AND SO SUPPORTING YOUR EFFORT, THE HOMES ARE BEAUTIFUL. THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY BEAUTIFUL. MM-HMM. UM, BUT AGAIN, THEY CAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPACE. OKAY. AND I THINK, BUT WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THERE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. BOY. THANK, APPRECIATE IT. THANK, THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, SO I THINK I GAVE EVERYONE THE OPPORTUNITY. SO AT THIS TIME I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM, THE APPLICANT, UM, IF YOU COULD COME UP TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE, PLEASE. UM, SO, SO FOR THE ONE CONCERN WITH THE, UH, WITH THE LOT, NOT KNOWING WHERE IT WAS ADJACENT TO, I EXPLAINED IT TO, UH, MISS HERE THAT IT'S, IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE, SO THE BACKYARDS ARE TOUCHING. AND SO I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME CLARITY THERE. AND AS, AS YOU WERE SAYING, MISS, LIKE I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THERE'S A LOT OF HERITAGE, LIKE YOU SAID, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD'S A VERY TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND I'VE TRIED TO, LIKE, I I, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE JUST LIKE WALKING AROUND ON THE STREETS. I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF FOLKS THERE AND ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN IS, LIKE YOU'VE SAID, BUILDING UP IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ANSWER. BUILDING OUT UNFORTUNATELY IS THE ONLY OTHER OPTION WE HAVE. AND THANKFULLY, I DON'T KNOW. LIKE, LIKE I SAID, WHAT I'VE TRIED DOING IS TRYING TO COMPROMISE RIGHT WHERE I CAN, 'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. WE DON'T WANT THE HOUSES TO BE LIKE LITERALLY RIGHT ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, WHICH IS WHY I'VE PUT THAT ADDITIONAL, WHERE I'LL DO AT LEAST SEVEN FEET. AND AS I'VE SAID, THE HOUSES ARE EVEN SMALLER THAN THAT. AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE EVEN MORE SPACE IN BETWEEN TO THE HOUSES. AND SO I WANNA BE AS ACCOMMODATING AS POSSIBLE. MM-HMM . BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WANT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD. OH YEAH. AND THEN THE DRIVEWAY AS WELL. SO IF YOU REMEMBER THE PHOTOS THAT, THAT WERE ON THERE, THOSE ARE THE SAME DRIVEWAYS WE PUT WHERE YOU'D BE ABLE TO PARK TWO CARS NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND HAVE TWO CARS FRONT TO BACK. SO THAT'S, THAT'S OUR GOAL. SO YOU'D HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PARK NICE. FOUR CARS ON THE DRIVEWAY. SEVENTH AVENUE. ALRIGHT. UM, DOES THE BOARD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, NOW QUESTIONS? ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, GUYS? UM, MARK. UM, CAN I SEE ONE? IT WAS JUST ONE LOT THAT I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT AND I, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT HIM TO PULL IT UP, UM, ON HIS, AND IT WAS, I THINK IT WAS NUMBER, NUMBER THREE, THE HOUSE OVER HERE. I THINK IT WAS FIVE. NUMBER FIVE. I'M SORRY. YEAH, THAT'S THE LAST ONE. THAT'S THIS ONE. OKAY. OH, OKAY. WHICH ONE? OH, NUMBER FIVE. WHAT? THAT RIGHT THERE? THAT'S NUMBER FIVE, RIGHT? YES. THAT'S NUMBER FIVE. NOW THAT IS COMING. ALRIGHT. THAT'S COMING IN. UM, NUMBER ONE FROM ROUTE ONE. ROUTE ONE. IT IT'D BE ON YOUR LEFT. YEAH, YEAH. OKAY. ON THE LEFT BECAUSE IT'S NOT A LOT OF SPACE THERE, SO THAT'S WHY I WAS ONE. UM, UM, BECAUSE IT'S, I THINK IT'S ANOTHER LOT NEXT DOOR TO THIS. IS IT TWO, TWO LOTS ON THAT, UM, ON THAT AREA BECAUSE, UM, IT'S, IT'S TWO LOTS. THAT'S CORRECT. RIGHT. BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF A SMALL AREA. NOW I KNOW THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A HOUSE, SO OF COURSE WE DON'T WANT IT GOING UP. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE GOING STRAIGHT BACK MAYBE, OR GOING OUT BACK. 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA YEAH. SO IT JUST DOESN'T, AND I THINK THE MAIN THING IS THE OVERCROWDING JUST DOESN'T WANNA LOOK WEIRD, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE COMING IN, UM, UNFORTUNATELY RIGHT BESIDE THAT PROPERTY IS, YOU KNOW, SOME OTHER THINGS GOING ON WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER. SO, UM, IF THEY COME IN, THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A NICE HOUSE NEXT TO A AREA THAT'S KIND OF BUILT UP. AND I, AND I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, THE RIGHT ON THE CORNER, NOT OH, THE, THE, UH, YEAH. OKAY. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? UH, YEAH. MM-HMM . YEAH. [04:40:01] UH, IT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OLDER LADY WHO LIVES, THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF. SO, AND I'M THINKING THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD A NICE, NICE HOUSE, IT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM, SOMEONE BUYING IT. UM, BASICALLY IT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM FOR SOMEONE BUYING IT, UH, BECAUSE OF THE NEXT DOOR AREA. THAT'S JUST, I JUST WANT YOU TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT IT NEXT TIME. OKAY. YEAH, BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF A BUILDUP AND I THINK MARK KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, THE LADY, UM, AT THAT. SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY, AND IT'S ONE OTHER AREA THAT'S NUMBER FIVE, RIGHT? YES. THAT NUMBER FIVE. OKAY. CAN YOU, CAN YOU GO BACK TO NUMBER THREE? AND THIS IS WHAT SOMEONE ELSE WAS TELLING ME. UM, UM, BECAUSE IT'S ON THE CORNER AND, UH, WHITE, I THINK IT'S, YEAH. RIGHT, RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. MM-HMM . NOW FOR THE LOTS, NOW THAT YOU WANTED TO DO TWO HOUSES ON THAT. YES. IS THAT ENOUGH SPACE FOR THAT TWO HOUSES? I MEAN, UM, SO, UM, I THINK I HEARD THE CONCERN LAST MEETING DURING THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ABOUT THE RIGHT ON THE CORNER. YEAH. YEAH. THEY DON'T WANT THE HOUSE LIKE SPILLING OUT ONTO THE STREET. AND SO WHAT PLANNING, PLANNING HAS LIKE DIFFERENT RULES FOR THE SIDE SETBACKS IF THE, IF THE HOUSE IS ON THE CORNER, AND SO WE WOULD HAVE LIKE HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH SPACE IS IT? YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE 40 FEET FROM THE CENTER LINE OF THE ROAD THE HOUSE DOES. SO WOULD YOU SAY MAYBE 20 FEET FROM THE RIGHT, FROM THE LOT, APPROXIMATELY? YEAH, BECAUSE IT'S A NICE AREA. AND, AND YOU, AND, AND, AND THEN TOO WITH THE HOUSE, IS IT GONNA BE FACING THE HOUSES IN FRONT? YES. AND NOT, NOT TO THE SIDE. IT WOULD BE FACING. SO IT WOULD BE FACING LIKE TOWARDS US. IF WE'RE LOOKING AT IT FROM THIS SIDE, IT'S GONNA BE FACING THIS WAY. I MEAN, IF YOU, IF LIKE, LET'S SAY WE'RE LOOKING AT IT LIKE THIS UHHUH WE'D BE FACING, LOOKING AT US, THEY WOULDN'T BE LOOKING TO THE SIDE. YEAH. THAT'S WHAT THEIR ADDRESS WOULD BE ON BRUNSWICK AVENUE. ON BRUNSWICK, YES. THEY'D BE FACING THEM. THEY WOULD BE ON BRUNSWICK AVENUE. OKAY. IT IS IT SO FACING THIS WAY? YES. BECAUSE JUST DON'T WANNA KIND OF LOOK WEIRD. YEAH. YOU KNOW, AND, AND AND WHATNOT. YEAH. OKAY. SO THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S, UM, THAT'S A WIDE PIECE OF PROPERTY. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ENOUGH ROOM AND IT LOOKS, YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU HAVE LIKE A LITTLE DRIVE, YOU KNOW, THE DRIVEWAY AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. YEAH. SO THAT, THAT, THAT WAS A CONCERN SOMEONE BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION. THEY CALLED ME ABOUT THAT 'CAUSE THEY JUST DIDN'T WANT IT TO LOOK WEIRD. AND, AND I AM KIND OF GLAD THAT YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT GOING UP BECAUSE THE ONE THAT YOU SHOWED INITIALLY, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED WHEN WE LOOKED IT WAS ALREADY DONE. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THAT HOUSE AT, UM, RIGHT NOW. UM, OKAY. UM, THE OTHER, UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CHURCH THERE. DO YOU HAVE ANY PROPERTY NEXT TO THAT? YEAH, SO THE TRUSTEES OF THE CHURCH, THEY ACTUALLY GIFTED ME THAT, UM, THEY SEEN THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING ON THE SURY AVENUE HOUSE. AND SO THEY SEEN THAT THE CHURCH WAS GOING DOWNHILL. AND SO THEY WERE LIKE, IF YOU GUYS CAN BRING IT BACK, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GIFT YOU THE CHURCH. AND SO, UH, BRING IT. OKAY. I JUST WANTED UNDERSTAND, UH, BRING IT BACK. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BUILD, I MEAN GIFTED? YEAH. SO, SO THAT WE CAN LIKE, BECAUSE I HAVE SOME, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. I HAD GOT SOME, UH, SOME PHONE CALLS. SO THAT IS YOUR PROPERTY? YES. BY GIFTING? YES. IT'S NOT PART OF, RIGHT. OKAY. BUT MARK, IT'S NOT PART OF THIS REZONING. NO, NO. I JUST, I'M, I'M JUST ASKING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEXT, IT'S CLOSE BY. SO I JUST WANT TO, TO MAKE SURE TO, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE HEARING ON TAPE TO GET A ANSWER FOR ABOUT THAT. YEP. UM, SO, OKAY, SO YOU HAVE PLANS TO, CAN I ASK WHAT YOU WANNA DO WITH THE CHURCH? I, I DON'T KNOW YET. I'M THINKING MAYBE RENOVATE THE CHURCH AND THEN BUILD SOME HOUSES NEXT TO IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW. I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT FAR YET. QUESTIONS. OKAY. UM, WE, UM, OKAY. RIGHT. CAN, CAN WE, UH, AT SOME POINT HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT? YEAH, SURE. AND THE ONLY REASON I'M, I'M SAYING THAT IS BECAUSE OF, UM, SOME OF THE PHONE CALLS I'VE, I'VE GOTTEN. OKAY. AND, AND YOUR WORK IS, IS IS GOOD. I MEAN, YOUR HOUSES, I'M, I'M NOT DISPUTING THAT. SURE. BUT IF, UM, I GET, YOU KNOW, I'M, THAT'S MY DISTRICT AND IF I GET A LOT OF PHONE CALLS, I'M GONNA TRY TO, UM, ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TRY TO PROTECT THE RESIDENTS IF I CAN, IF SOMETHING'S COMING UP. SO A HUNDRED PERCENT AS YOU SHOULD, RIGHT? YES. AND UM, SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, UM, I, YOU KNOW, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN REALLY TALK ABOUT THAT. I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. SURE. UM, SO, UM, BUT UM, AND THAT'S [04:45:01] A LITTLE SEPARATE THAT THIS IS NOT ON THIS TONIGHT, BUT I DID BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE AND ADDRESS IT IN QUESTIONS. SURE. I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THAT. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. BUT THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SEE ABOUT THAT. UM, UM, OKAY. UM, , BECAUSE I DO HAVE, WE, UM, WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD, THAT WERE SCHEDULED TO COME TONIGHT BECAUSE THEY HAD QUESTIONS AND, UM, BUT THEY GAVE, UM, THEY ASKED ME TO ADDRESS THEM AND SOME PEOPLE HAD SOME EMERGENCIES AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. SO I DO UNDERSTAND, UM, WITH THAT. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE 16 PARCELS IS A LOT, SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE RIGHT ANSWERS, UM, TO THE QUESTIONS THAT, UM, THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN CALLING ME ABOUT. SURE. UH, FOR THE LAST, UH, LAST WEEK OR SO. UM, SO, UM, BUT AGAIN, WE UM, YOU KNOW, WE UH, WE CAN, UM, HAVE A CONVERSATION. I WILL TRY TO SCHEDULE A MEETING, UM, IN THE FIRST OF THE YEAR FOR, UM, WITH VDOT AND TO PUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND ADDRESS OTHER CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE. WE'RE GONNA DO THAT 'CAUSE I, UM, UH, IT'S KIND OF BUSY AROUND THIS TIME. SO AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, WE WILL, UM, DO THAT BECAUSE I HAVE, UM, AN ANOTHER GROUP THAT I'M GOING TO TALK WITH AS WELL. SURE. BUT I, BUT I, I DO WANT TO, UM, TALK ABOUT THAT. YEAH. I'M, I'M FULLY ON BOARD. OKAY. SO, ALRIGHT. UM, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? ? OH, I'M SORRY. SHE WANT, I THINK SHE GOT A QUESTION. YOU QUESTION. YOU GOT A QUE IF YOU WANT ALLOW YES. I, I, I I'M THERE. YOU GOT, YOU HAD TO COME UP PLEASE. I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO COME UP UHUH. IT'S OKAY IF YOU ALLOW, I KNOW Y'ALL WERE TALKING ABOUT THE CHURCH AND YOU SAY THAT IT WAS GIFTED TO YOU. MY FIRST THING IS HOW CAN SOMEBODY GIVE SOMEBODY SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO THEM? THAT CHURCH DID NOT BELONG TO HIM TO BE GIFTED TO NOBODY. IT HAS NOTHING. IT CHURCH BELONG. IT WAS THE OLD SCHOOL AND IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF WEST PETERSBURG. AND IT WAS TOLD THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE EIGHT HOUSES BUILT WHAT THE CHURCH IS NOW, NOT THE CHURCH BE BROUGHT BACK, TORN DOWN THAT EIGHT HOUSES BE BUILT. ALRIGHT. OKAY. WE, WE WILL, UH, FURTHER TALK ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW COULD HE GIVE YOU SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT USED TO BE GIFTED FROM THE PER BEGINNING. AND, AND WE WILL, WE WILL, UM, WE WILL GET WHAT WE WILL GET WITH THIS PERSON AND, AND TALK ABOUT THAT. WE WILL DO THAT. THANK YOU. AND, AND OF COURSE, BECAUSE OF COURSE THE CHURCH WASN'T ON THIS AGENDA, BUT SINCE YOU'RE, UM, ADJACENT TO A LOT OF IT, WE, I JUST WANTED TO ASK THAT QUESTION. SURE. BECAUSE WE DO HAVE, UH, PEOPLE THAT HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. ALL RIGHT? SURE. AND, UH, AND, BUT WE WILL, UM, I WILL GET WITH YOU TO SET UP A MEETING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THE OTHER CONCERNS, UH, ABOUT THAT. OKAY? ALRIGHT. UM, PERFECT BOARD MEMBERS AGAIN, JUST TO COMMENT. OH, COMMENT. OKAY. UH, I APPRECIATE THERE ARE SEVERAL WORDS THAT YOU SAID AND THAT'S HOME OWNERSHIP. AND WE'VE HAD OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE COME AND HAVE TALKED ABOUT PURCHASING PROPERTY FOR PROFIT. WE'RE GONNA PUT RENTERS IN THERE AND THAT TYPE OF THING. AND I THINK HOME OWNERSHIP IN TODAY'S WORLD, AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP IS WHAT WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR IN OUR COMMUNITY. YES. OKAY. AND SO I SEE THE VALUE IN THAT. I SEE THE VALUE IN THE HOMES THAT YOU ARE GONNA PRODUCE IN THE PROPERTY. AND I, I SEE YOU AS A PERSON THAT ARTICULATES A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN WEST P. THAT'S THE KIND OF PERSON WE WANT DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN WESTBY. SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT MR. MOORE. OKAY. ANY IF NOTHING ELSE. UM, BOY, WHAT SHOULD PUT YOUR PLEASURE MA'AM. I'LL MAKE THE, UH, READ THE RESOLUTION, BE IT RESOLVED THAT IN ORDER TO ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 15.2 DASH 2 2 8 6 A SEVEN. IT IS STATED THAT THE PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR WHICH THIS RESOLUTION IS INITIATED TO FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC NECESSITY, CONVENIENCE, GENERAL WELFARE, AND GOOD ZONING PRACTICE. I MOVE THE REZONING OF P 25 DASH 13 AS PRESENTED WITH PROPER [04:50:01] BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. SECOND ROLL CALL MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. [14.A. Appointments] AND NEXT WE HAVE OLD AND NEW BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS. MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, WE HAVE A NEED TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO THE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION. MADAM CHAIRMAN, I HAVE A, A MOTION ON APPOINTMENTS FOR MR. KEVIN W MASSENGILL AS WELL AS DR. MARK MOORE THAT WE APPOINT THEM BACK TO THE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR A TERM THAT WOULD EXPIRE ON 1231 2009. NO, 29 I A 2029. SECOND GOING BACK IN TIME. CAN'T GO BACK IN TIME. GOING BACK IN TIME. SECOND. AND MADAM CHAIR, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THE RECORD, I THINK I MIGHT'VE SEEN MR. MASSING GIL'S EYEBROWS RAISED. IT'S W KEVIN MASSENGILL. I'VE DONE THAT ONCE OR TWICE TOO. TWIN. IT'S ALL GOOD. WE NOT THE OTHER ONE. . IT'S OKAY. IT'S ALL GOOD. OKAY. WE HAD A A A WE HAD A, A ROLL CALL. . MR. CHAVIS? AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER AYE. MR. DOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO THE VIRGINIA'S GATEWAY REGION. UM, TWO APPOINTMENTS THIS EVENING. ONE IS FOR, UH, DAN LEE, UH, AND FOR, UM, RONALD HAMPTON. GORDON, UH, FOR A TERM TO THIS IS TO RENEW THEIR APPOINTMENT, UH, FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE. 12 31 20 26. SECOND. SECOND. ROLL CALL. MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ALL VOTING? AYE. THANK YOU. NO OTHER APPOINTMENTS TO BE MADE TONIGHT. OKAY. UM, ANYBODY [15. CITIZEN COMMENTS (3 MINUTES)] CI CITIZEN COMMENTS? YES, MADAM CHAIR, WE HAVE REVEREND HC HOLLOWAY. OKAY. REVEREND HOLLOWAY. PRAISE THE LORD. . THANK YOU JESUS. THANK YOU. I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY TODAY. UH, GREETINGS TO YOU MADAM CHAIR. TO THE SUPERVISORS, MY FRIEND HERE KNOWS I ALWAYS WANNA CALL YOU SOMETHING ELSE AND I'VE GOTTEN OVER THAT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A POINT, MADAM CHAIR, UM, ABOUT THE HOUSE THAT THE PERSON BUILT TOO HIGH. THERE WAS A HOTEL IN CLAIM OUT DELAWARE THAT WAS BUILT ONE STORY TOO HIGH. PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THEIR EYE ON CONTRACTORS THAT ARE BUILDING THINGS. AND IF THEY DON'T BUILD IT AS IT IS SPECIFIED TO BE BUILT, YOU CAN SHUT THE WHOLE THING DOWN. MM-HMM . THAT'S YOUR POWER AS A SUPERVISOR. JUST HOLD THAT IN MIND. THERE HAS TO BE CONTROL THERE PROTOCOLS TO EVERYTHING IN LIFE AND ESPECIALLY IN DENWOODY COUNTY. I WOULD LIKE TO THINK, UM, I'M HARVEY HOLLOWAY JR. I'M GLAD TO BE HERE, BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM SOUTHERN LITTLE VILLAGE IN DENWOODY COUNTY, WHICH I'M PLEASED TO HAVE LIVED NOW FOR FOUR YEARS. DOESN'T MEAN I'VE GRADUATED ANYTHING, I ALWAYS PAID MY TAXES. BUT, UH, IT DOES MEAN THAT, UH, I FEEL PRIVILEGED TO HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT I'M A RESIDENT OF DEN WITTY VIRGINIA. AND, UH, UM, EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION, BUT ONLY GOD HOLDS THE FACTS AND I'M WALKING WITH THE LORD. SO I'M GOING TO USE MY NEXT TWO MINUTES TO INVOKE DEITY, IF YOU DON'T MIND. LET'S LOOK TO THE LORD. DEAR GRAND ARTER OF THE UNIVERSE, CREATOR OF ALL LIFE THAT RESIDES HEREIN, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. WE THANK YOU FOR EACH MEMBER. WE THANK YOU BECAUSE IT IS EVIDENT THAT THEY REPRESENT AS THE GOOD DOCTOR SAID, THE WISHES OF THE PERSONS THAT ELECTED THEM TO BE HERE. I HAVE NOT WITNESSED YET ANY SIDEBAR ACTIVITY OR ANY PERSONAL INTEREST UPLIFTMENT. IT'S ABOUT BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CITIZENRY AND THE BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS AND PROJECT SUPERVISORS AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GAIN, UH, HOME OWNERSHIP FOR OTHER PEOPLE THAT MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. WE WANNA WELCOME, DEAR LORD. WE WANT YOU TO MAKE THIS YOUNG LADY THAT'S NEW TO OUR COMMUNITY, FEEL WELCOME AND, UH, EVERYBODY SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL WELCOME BECAUSE WE'RE ALL SHADOWED BENEATH THY HAND. [04:55:03] AND THERE'S NO WAY TO STAND WELL POSTURED UNLESS WE STAND IN THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. AMEN. AND SO NOW, DEAR LORD, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU, OH, WE WANT TO THANK YOU, LORD FOR THESE TWO, THESE TWO USHERS IN THE BROWN SHIRT AND THE WONDERFUL TIES THAT REPRESENT DENWOODY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. WE THANK YOU FOR THEM RAISING THEIR RIGHT HAND AND TAKING AN OATH TO SERVE AND PROTECT WITH TRUE FIDELITY AND NO SELFISHNESS OF HEART. THESE TWO BROTHERS I KNOW, AND LORD THEY KNOW YOU AND THEY REPRESENT THEIR CALL AND THEIR CAUSE UNFLINCHINGLY. BUT NOW, DEAR LORD, AS I CONTINUE TO BE THANKFUL, AND I THANK YOU FOR THE SERVICE OF MR. RJ SPIERS, JR. MRS. ANDY JONES AND MS. MARTHA BURTON, HELP US TO CONTINUE TO WALK THIS MEANDERING JOURNEY OF LIFE BY FAITH UNTIL OUR FAITH CAN BECOME SIGHT. HOPING THAT ONE GLAD MORNING WHEN IT'S YOUR TIME TO CALL AN US ANSWER, WE MIGHT FIND REST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER. MM-HMM . AND THE PALISADES OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD. THANK YOU FOR THIS MOMENT IN YOUR TIME. IT'S IN YOUR SON'S NAME. WE PRAY THIS PRAYER, NOT A BABY CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY IN NINE DAYS, BUT A GROWN MAN WHO SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF YOU. DEAR FATHER YES. IN HIS NAME, WE PRAY THIS PRAYER WITH THANKSGIVING, HUMILITY AND LOVE. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AWESOME. THANK YOU REVEREND HOLLOWAY. ANY, [16. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS] UH, BOARD MEMBERS COME IN? YEAH, I'LL START. YEAH. UM, AND WHAT A, I KNOW I'LL BE, I'LL BE BRIEF. IT'S 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, . UM, BUT AS WE TOOK THE RECESS EARLIER, I STEPPED OUT AND I SPOKE TO A GENTLEMAN, WHAT A, WHAT A BLESSING THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY. THAT WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE AND VOICE OUR OPINIONS WITHOUT SCRUTINY, WITHOUT, UH, PREJUDICE, WITHOUT BEING, UH, PUT DOWN FOR IT. AND WE CAN DO IT CIVILLY AND WE CAN DO IT, UH, WITH GLADNESS. YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE CAN BE PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME, BUT WE CAN STILL BE RESPECTFUL. AND I THINK WE SAW AN EXAMPLE OF THAT TONIGHT. THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN COME TOGETHER, THEY CAN HAVE DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AND THEY CAN DO IT RESPECTFULLY AND WITH GENUINENESS OF, OF BEST INTEREST IN MIND AND NOT JUST SELF-INTEREST, BUT OF THE COMMUNITY. AND WE SAW THAT WITH THE, UH, THE GROUP THAT WANTED TO DO THE SOLAR AND ALSO NOW IN, IN WEST PETERSBURG. UM, SO I PRAISE GOD FOR THAT. I PRAISE GOD FOR, UH, YOUR TIME AND THE, JUST THE EFFORT THAT YOU BRING. UH, AS WE CLOSE NIGHT, MERRY CHRISTMAS, UH, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. I ECHO THOSE SENTIMENTS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE ARE BLESSED THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR CASES, DISCUSS CASES IN A CALM, CIVIL MANNER, AND THEN MAKE WISE DECISIONS AS WE GO FORWARD. YES, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CONVERSATION, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, YOUR HEART TELLS YOU DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND THAT'S WHAT TONIGHT IS ABOUT. BOTH CASES. UM, THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY IS MR. LEE IS NOT HERE. UH, WE'VE HAD A WONDERFUL YEAR AS MR. LEE BEING THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR BOARD. UM, TONIGHT IS WILL BE HIS LAST NIGHT AND HE WILL TURN THE REINS OVER TO OUR INCOMING CHAIRMAN, MS. BONNER, UH, IN JANUARY. UH, I JUST WANNA SAY PERSONALLY THANK YOU TO DAN FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COUNTY AND FOR THIS YEAR, UH, WE'VE HAD A GOOD YEAR. IT'S BEEN PROSPEROUS FOR THE COUNTY AND I KNOW THAT WE WILL ALL OF US WORK HARD TO CONTINUE TO TAKE THE COUNTY FORWARD. THANK EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT WORKS FOR DAN WITTY COUNTY, WHATEVER DEPARTMENT YOU MAY BE IN. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THE LAST THING IS LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF. UM, CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER. UM, YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO THEM. UM, DON'T SHUN THEM. REACH OUT TO THEM. UM, MAKE 'EM KNOWN THAT YOU, THAT YOU CARE. 'CAUSE WE ARE IN A CARING COMMUNITY. UM, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU MR. HOLLOWAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT WE BELIEVE IN. PRAYER MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER. GOD WANTS US ALL TO TALK TO HIM. YES. YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T TALK TO HIM, HE DON'T, YOU KNOW, HE KNOWS EVERYTHING. YES. BUT THAT'S WHAT WE DO BEFORE WE COME IN THIS ROOM, WE ASK GOD TO BE [05:00:01] IN HERE. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE IT SO CALM. I BELIEVE THAT WITH ALL MY HEART. MM-HMM . WHEN YOU SAY, LORD, GUIDE ME. AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S DOING. THIS WHOLE BOARD HERE IS BROTHERS AND SISTERS. SO WE JUST, WE LOVE OUR PEOPLE. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ON THE BOARD TO TRY TO DO THE THINGS THAT YOU ASK US TO DO. THAT'S NOT JUST FOR A SHOW. WE'RE HERE TO SERVE YOU. AND LIKE EVERYONE ELSE SAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE IN NEED THAT'S, WE'RE SO BLESSED. MM-HMM . SO GOD BLESS EACH ONE OF YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS. OKAY. KEVIN, YOU WANT SAY I'M GOOD. YOU GOOD. MERRY CHRISTMAS. OKAY. UM, THANK, YEAH, THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING. AND UM, UM, UH, DAN LEE. YEAH, HE, HE HAD TO LEAVE. HE WAS HERE EARLIER AND UM, HIS WIFE IS BACK IN THE HOSPITAL, SO WE'RE GONNA, UH, UH, KEEP HER IN OUR PRAYERS. WE'RE GONNA KEEP HIM BECAUSE HE'S A MIRACLE PERSON, YOU KNOW, UH, DOUBLE ORGAN RECEIVER AND EVERYTHING. UM, AND BACK AND WORKING AND EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW, GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE WE ALL THE TIME WE WALK, UM, BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT. AND WE, UM, WE JUST WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND WE ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK AND TRY TO GET THINGS DONE. UM, NEW YEAR COMING. SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. AND REVEREND HOLLOWAY, THANK YOU FOR STAYING ALL THIS TIME. I SAW YOU BACK THERE WITH SOME CHIPS. I SAID NOW HE GOTTA GET SOME FOOD , AND, BUT HE, HE STAYED SO HE CAN DO THAT PRAYER. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING BECAUSE WE ALWAYS NEED THAT. AND, UM, THANK YOU. AND, UM, UM, FOR, UH, MR. TRAM OVER THERE, WE ARE GOING TO, WE'RE GONNA HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE IF WE GOTTA WALK BEHIND HIM WITH THE, WITH THE SAW AND THE, AND WITH THE, WITH THE HAMMER. YOU KNOW, WE SEE HIM DOING SOMETHING, WE GONNA ALL IN THE COMMUNITY GET HIM. SO WE'RE GONNA PRAY THAT HE DOES, UH, THE RIGHT THING FOR ALL OUR CITIZENS IN WEST PETERSBURG. AND, UM, UH, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR. OKAY. MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL. MR. CHAVIS. AYE. MS. EBRA BONNER. AYE. MR. DOOLEY? AYE. DR. MOORE? AYE. ADJO ALL VOTING? AYE. MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. NOW'S ADJOURNED. OKAY. ALRIGHT. * 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.