Town Council discusses changes, improvements

Published 12:00 pm Friday, November 26, 2021

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During the Nov. 10 Town Council meeting, changes were discussed and approved for Farmville.

During the committee recap, Brian Vincent, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, discussed the plans for improvements to Haynes Street Park. Even though this was the first meeting on this subject, the committee has high hopes for improving this park.

“Any time we get the opportunity to add to outdoor recreational opportunities is a win, as we want to convince more folks to get outside and active,” Vincent said.

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The park currently features a basketball court and a large field for various sports and activities. Even though there are no set plans yet, ideas include a circular walking trail, a new pavilion and a new basketball court that can be used for tournaments. There are also talks of connecting the parks in Farmville with one long trail.

According to Vincent, it was brought up in the committee meeting by Rob Johnson that this part was historically used by African Americans. The committee hopes to incorporate this history as park plans move forward.

“This creates a unique opportunity to add historical context while also adding modern amenities,” Vincent said.

In other business:

Farmville Police Chief Andy Ellington came forward to update on the noise complaints folks in Farmville have made regarding loud mufflers on cars driving by. Although new laws in June made this no longer under equipment violations, police officers can now write tickets due to the loud ordinance in the town code.

The Town Council unanimously voted for Town Manager Dr. Scott Davis to sign a letter of intent with AC Power Company. This letter will allow AC Power to come to do its initial work before opening the door for a potential contract to put solar panels at the landfill site. There is no word at this time about what the solar panel site will entail.

The Farmville Police Department received its third accreditation and is now recognized as a Virginia Law Enforcement professional standards commission accredited agency for the next four years.

The Council voted unanimously to amend the town budget to transfer surplus funds of $22,312,196.35 from the fiscal 2020-21 budget to the 2021-22 budget.

The Council passed to sign a lease with Habitat for Humanity so they can store supplies in an unused building of a former accounting office in the Wilkes Lake area. This would allow the nonprofit to no longer use needed funds to rent a storage unit but only pay for utilities they use at the building.