Cumberland's Year-End Agenda
Published 3:50 pm Tuesday, January 3, 2012
CUMBERLAND – Before members reflected back on their last four years spent on the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors, there was still business that had to be taken care of as usual.
On December 13, the last meeting in 2011, Cumberland's Supervisors tended to the year's last few business items.
Dan Pempel, representing Randolph Volunteer Fire Department, spoke during the public address period and requested that the Board look into a communications tower issue at the firehouse.
“I was wondering if you could find out any reason why, the radio tower was struck by lightening over four months ago, we are still waiting to get it repaired…First, they are saying the parts are obsolete and then they are saying they are working on the parts and then they said they had no money for the parts…I was wondering if you could get us a date for when we could get it repaired?
“I figured if we talked to you (the Board), you all could give it a push,” added Pempel about the communications tower at Randolph.
Chairman Van Petty referred the request to the County Administrator for further investigation.
According to Greg Baka, Cumberland's community and economic development director, his office is still working to get utility and construction easements processed on Poorhouse Road, where the new industrial park is located.
“After that, plans will be to widen Poorhouse Road, which provides access to the County's industrial park,” he said.
Baka also noted that the county's roadmaps are also being worked on, including a revised layout.
“The new map will be much better than the old one,” he offered.
The staff is also working on how to market Cumberland's sites through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and “it helps to put Cumberland County on the map for business,” he said.
“We have some good positive change in Cumberland County,” he later added. “And Cumberland County is open for business.”
Joe Hazlegrove Jr.'s name was brought before the Board as a possible appointment to the County's Industrial Development Authority by Supervisor Elbert Womack.
The IDA has been conducting business one member short for some time and the Board has been in search of a member to fill the vacant seat.
Before asking for the Board's consideration, Womack requested that the County Administrator, Judy Ownby, read Hazlegrove's resume aloud.
Ownby noted that his resume points out that Hazlegrove is active in various dairy organizations and has also been active in Cumberland throughout the years.
“He would be an excellent addition to the Cumberland IDA,” said Womack. “I would recommend highly that he be accepted.”
Although Cumberland County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Griffin did not touch on this while addressing the Supervisors during her monthly comments provided to the Board, information regarding the County's adult education program was provided in the Board's packet for information and review.
According to Dr. Griffin's comments in that provided information, the state is changing the way Adult Education Programs will operate for the 2012-2013 school year.
Currently, the program is overseen in Cumberland for seven to nine surrounding counties, states the information.
“Cumberland has been the fiscal agent with Cumberland contributing in-kind funds,” she stated. “Beginning next year, with RFP proposals coming in January, Adult Education Programs must be developed by Planning Districts. We are in Planning District 14 and the other divisions currently served in our program are in other Planning Districts.”
Dr. Griffin went on to note in the information to the Board that Southside Virginia Community College currently serves four out of the seven in the District and that a meeting has already been held with SVCC to work out a proposal.
According to the current proposal, informed Dr. Griffin in the correspondence, SVCC would hire Cumberland's current coordinator of the program, and classes would continue to be held in the Community Center.
“The only change for Cumberland would be that SVCC would be the fiscal agent,” she stated. “The grant proposal also requires a local match. They are predicting that the match would be no more than $6,000. They will probably come to the January Board of Supervisors meeting to request this…”
While before the Board, Dr. Griffin did, however, request an appropriation in the amount of $128,672.21 for local receipts for the months of July through November for the 2011 school year.
<br />The school administration changed its request time schedule this year since the operating school budget is based on these local receipts, Dr. Griffin noted to the Board. She said the second half of the request would be made at the end of the fiscal year.
“Usually, we request it at the end of the school year,” noted Dr. Griffin. “This year, we wanted to do it mid-year-at the end of the semester and then at the end of the school year because our budget has been developed based on these receipts.”
Before making the motion to appropriate the funds, Supervisor Osl clarified, “The money is in hand and it belongs to the schools.”
Afterwards, the Supervisors approved the appropriation of the school's local receipts reimbursements.
The Board recorded in the official minutes of the County's public record the Eagle Scout recognition of Clyde Crone during its December meeting.
The Cumberland Supervisors sent a letter to Crone and congratulated him on his recent accomplishment in attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.
Crone is a member of Troop 6516 and Robert Wade, the Troop's Eagle Advisor, notified the Board of Crone's accomplishment.
The Eagle Scout rank is only obtained by two percent of boys that enter scouting, stated the information provided by Wade to the Board for consideration.
“Clyde is a dedicated member of Troop 6516, has held several leadership positions, and has served as a role model for other scouts in the troop,” states the letter. “He is also an honor student at Fuqua School where is in involved in soccer and various clubs on campus.
“Scouting has had a significant influence in Clyde's development into becoming a young man and forging his character and goals. As a member of Fitzgerald Memorial Baptist Church, Clyde has also grown spiritually. It is his commitment to his church that influenced his developing his Eagle Scout project to serve members of Fitzgerald Memorial Baptist Church.”
*The Treasurer's Office was given approval to dispose of some of the old records that are no longer necessary to keep and may be destroyed.
The Treasurer, L.O. Pfeiffer Jr., requested that the Board give approval to destroy paid tax tickets “after five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the taxes representing by such tickers were paid.” Pfeiffer requested the destruction of all paid tax tickets through fiscal year 2005-2006.
*Related to non-conforming lots, the Supervisors also set a code amendment public hearing for the February meeting.
The incoming board will take up the proposed amendment that would permit lot line adjustments to pre-existing non-conforming lots, so long as the adjustment does not make the lot in any way more non-conforming.
As of right now, the County's ordinance states “any lot line adjustment must result in all lots conforming to every aspect of the zoning ordinance.”
*The Board also heard the winning bid amount of $28,839, which was awarded to Demolition Asbestos Removal, Inc. for hazardous material clean up in the old jail where the museum and visitor center project has been reinstated.
*An appropriation of $23,074 was also approved. The appropriation will be divided up with a third going to each of the three fire departments in Cumberland. The funds were received from the fire program grant and $7,691.34 will be appropriated to Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department, Cartersville Volunteer Fire Department, and the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department.
Cumberland's Supervisors later agreed and also requested that Ms. Ownby draft a resolution in support of commemorating the Bicentennial of the American War of 1812 in Virginia.
According to the information provided in the packet, the commemoration will launch on January 11 with the Richmond Symphony at CentreStage in Richmond followed by other events throughout Virginia until its completion in June 2015.
The bicentennial event also includes the dedication of historical highway markers for certain sites on the newly created Virginia War of 1812 Heritage Trail.
