Tuesday, September 13, 2022: Lynchburg City Council to meet with School Board; Nelson Supervisors to review scope of Route 151 study
The second of three newsletters this week on local government meetings in Virginia's "new" Fifth Congressional District
This is another active week in local government in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. I’ve already posted about what’s happening on Monday, and here is a very brief review of what’s happening on Tuesday, September 13. This is more brief than I have been, but my hands are full with Charlottesville Community Engagement, an endeavor that also captures what happens at as many meetings as I can. I really appreciate you being here for the journey. There will be one more installment tomorrow for meetings coming up in Hanover County, Nottoway County, and Lunenburg County.
Nelson Supervisors to learn about Route 151 study, Safe Streets grant
The five-member Nelson County Board of Supervisors will meet at 2 p.m. in the General District Courtroom in Lovingston and again at 7 p.m. All of the information is in one packet. (agenda packet)
The afternoon session is dedicated to general business, and there’s a lot of it. The consent agenda has a two items of interest:
Supervisors are asked to support a nomination for the Blue Ridge Tunnel to be on the National Register of Historic Places. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources will vote on this nomination on a meeting on Thursday.
Supervisors are asked to support a request for the state to reimburse a quarter of the cost to renovate and expand the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Supervisors will get a briefing of a study of Route 151 that the Virginia Department of Transportation has begun with the engineering firm RK&K. An existing conditions analysis is underway now and recommendation will be developed in the winter. This will build off a previous study from 2013. Nelson County is in VDOT’s Lynchburg District.
There will also be a review of legislative priorities for 2023, a report from Jaunt, and a preliminary feasibility study on the proposed Amherst-Nelson Agricultural Complex. The Amherst Board of Supervisors got a look last week. You can watch that meeting on YouTube. The cost estimate is around $53.2 million including site development costs for the proposed facility.
Supervisors will also be asked to consider joining the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s pursuit of a federal transportation planning grant under the Safe Streets and Road for All program.
“Nelson County will participate in this project as part of an oversight committee charged with development and implementation of the plan and through the support of robust stakeholder and public engagement with a specific emphasis on ensuring the representation of underserved communities,” reads a draft letter of support from Nelson County Administrator. “Additionally, Nelson County agrees to commit a local match through cash contributions not to exceed $30,000 to support the project.”
The evening session sees a lone public hearing. An Afton landowner seeks a special use permit to operate a vacation house on R-1 property on Afton Mountain Road.
Prince Edward to hold public hearing on additional hours at Hampden-Sydney shooting range
The eight-member Prince Edward Board of Supervisors meets at 7 p.m. (meeting packet)
After the public comment period, the consent agenda, and highway matters, there will be a public hearing on a request from Hampden Sydney College to amend a special use permit to allow two weekend shooting events per semester at a skeet shooting range.
“Events will occur exclusively during daylight house with a duration of approximately five hours or less of active range time. Participants will be limited to students of the Hampden Sydney shooting team, their parents, H-SC alumni and staff,” reads the staff report.
Supervisors will also get updates from community partners including Centra Southside Community Hospital, the Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Farmville Downtown Partnership
There will be an update on the county’s Animal Control ordinance in advance of an October 11 public hearing. One change pertains to the county’s provision of a rabies clinic due to a lack of enough veterinarians and there is also new language pertaining to vicious dogs.
There will also be an update on the radio system, a request to post more “No Hunting” signs on county property, and the status of a request to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for winter storm damage.
Lynchburg City Council to meet with Lynchburg School Board
The Lynchburg City Council will hold a joint meeting with the Lynchburg City School Board beginning at 4:00 p.m., at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance at 300 Lucado Place. On the agenda are a review of highlights from the first few days of school, an update on a facilities study, school safety, and a preview of where things stand with accreditation, test scores, and efforts to close the achievement gap. (agenda)
The City Council will reconvene at 7:30 p.m. for a regular meeting in City Hall, Council Chamber, 900 Church Street. (agenda)
There will be two public hearings. One will be on adjustments to the fourth quarter of the FY22 budget and the first quarter of the FY23 budget. The other will be on the issuance of $10 million bonds to finance the College Lake Dam Removal and the companion Streambank Restoration Project.
In the other two items, they’ll consider a vote to rename the Lakeside Drive Bridge over Blackwater Creek at the Rosel and Elliot Schewel Memorial Bridge and will formally support Campbell County’s SmartScale application to reconfigure the intersections of Timberlake Road with Greenbrier Drive and Laxton Road.
That’s where I went to high school!
Whither Cumberland?
The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors has a regular meeting scheduled, but that is not available at 4:30 p.m. on the Monday before, and I need to get moving to WINA for a weekly appearance.
I do have to confess I missed last week’s special called meeting, but that agenda concludes with a notice of adjournment to September 13. (meeting info page)
In any case, I’m still figuring out the rhythm of all 24 localities and this is an interesting problem to have. Thanks for reading, and please share with anyone else in the district you think might be interested. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, observations, suggestions, or agendas for the September 13, 2022 meeting of the Cumberland Board of Supervisors.
Update: The link to the agenda is here.