[Call to Order]
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CALL THIS, UH, FEBRUARY 3RD, 2026, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WORK SESSION TO ORDER.MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU HAVE A QUORUM.
[1. Williamsburg Area Transit Authority. Presentation by Matt Scalia, Executive Director.]
TODAY WE START, UH, PRESENTATIONS WITH A PRESENTATION FROM WILLIAMSBURG, UM, AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY, ADA, AND CALL ON MITCHUH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.
IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS SINCE I LAST, UH, PRESENTED TO YOU.
SO I'M, UH, UH, QUITE LATE IN, UH, PROVIDING YOU AN UPDATE WITH, UH, ON BURG AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY, OUR SERVICES, AND REALLY OUR, OUR FUTURE.
IT'S, UH, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US.
UH, SO I HAVE A LOT TO SHARE WITH YOU.
UH, FIRST YOU'LL SEE I PUT BEFORE YOU A LITTLE, UH, YOU KNOW, TWO-SIDED INFORMATION BROCHURE, UH, KIND OF A SUMMARY, FY 25, UH, ONE SIDE SHOWING YOU HOW WE FARED IN, IN, UH, IN THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT? AND THEN WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF THESE, UH, POINTS, UH, THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION, BUT ALSO GAVE YOU THE, UH, UH, MUCH COVETED LOT OF CHALLENGE COIN
SO, UH, I, I DO ENCOURAGE YOU, AND IT COMES WITH ALL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES, UH, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
UH, FREE BUS RIDES AND, AND
AND, AND IF YOU SHOW IT TO THE DRIVER, THEY BETTER HAVE THEIRS OR YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT MEANS.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO HERE IS, AGAIN, A REVIEW WITH YOU, HOW WE'VE FARED THIS YEAR.
UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT FFY 25, UH, PERFORMANCE.
I'D LIKE TO THEN TALK ABOUT OUR, UH, IMPROVEMENTS WITH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
UH, AND THEN REALLY THE BULK OF IT I'D LIKE TO SPEND DISCUSSING OUR TRANSIT STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE FUTURE.
'CAUSE WE REALLY ARE AT A, UH, CRUCIAL TIME HERE.
OPPORTUNE TIME TO INCREASE OUR SERVICES, UH, FOR OUR GREATER COMMUNITY.
SO, LOOKING AT THE YEAR IN REVIEW, UH, LET ME HIGHLIGHT OUR RIDERSHIP, UH, AS I PREDICTED IN, IN, UH, IN OTHER FORMS. AGAIN, IT'S UNFORTUNATELY BEEN A COUPLE YEARS SINCE I'VE, UH, PRESENTED TO YOU.
UH, BUT WE DID SURPASS FY 19, THAT, THAT, THAT BENCHMARK YEAR, RIGHT? PRE COVID, UH, FY 19 RIDERSHIP NUMBERS.
SO THAT ONE AND A HALF MILLION, IT DOES INCLUDE ROUTE 15 COLONIAL.
UH, BUT EVEN SUBTRACTING THAT OUR CORE ROUTES, UH, TOTAL STILL SURPASS FY 19.
NOW, HOW DID WE DO THAT? UH, DOWN BELOW YOU SEE OUR, OUR OPERATOR STRENGTH CURRENTLY IS 97% STRENGTH ANY GIVEN DAY, 97, 100.
UH, WE, WE ARE, UH, WE, WE ARE IN A GOOD, STEADY SPOT WITH OPERATOR STRENGTH.
NOT MANY OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES CAN SAY THAT WE STRUGGLED FOR A WHILE.
IT'S WHAT PREVENTED US FROM GETTING THAT RIDERSHIP.
'CAUSE WE, UH, WERE UNABLE TO RETURN SOME OF OUR SERVICES.
UH, WE COULDN'T BE RELIABLE WITHOUT THE OP OPERATOR STRENGTH.
THIS PAST YEAR THOUGH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE THOSE OPERATORS AND RETAIN THOSE NEW OPERATORS.
UH, SO I'M VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM FOR HOW THEY'VE BEEN DOING THAT.
UH, I WILL SAY, EVEN IN BAD WEATHER, UH,
OUR FLEET, UH, I WILL HIGHLIGHT OF, OF THAT VIA 20 CLEAN DIESEL AND NINE, UH, CNG BUSES.
UH, WE DO HAVE SIX NEW BUSES ON ORDER TO ARRIVE IN APRIL.
TWO WILL BE CLEAN DIESEL, AND ANOTHER FOUR WILL BE, UH, MORE OF THE COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS.
AND OUR PLAN THERE IS WE'LL THEN BE ABLE TO MOVE THOSE BUSES TO SERVE THE GREATER COMMUNITY.
HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH OF AN INVESTMENT IS THAT, UH, TOTAL THAT, DO YOU REMEMBER? I'M SORRY.
FAILED TO INTRODUCE BEN GOODELL, OUR PLANNING, UH, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING ADMINISTRATION.
SO, UH, EACH BUS ROUGHLY IS ABOUT $700,000 THESE DAYS.
UH, DEPENDING ON THE FIELD TYPE, IT VARIES A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT'S A GOOD AVERAGE.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE THEM TO BE DELIVERED? RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING ANYWHERE FROM TYPICALLY 12 TO 14 MONTHS.
AND ANY THOUGHT OF, UM, ELECTRIC, WE HAVE A FEASIBILITY STUDY, UH, GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
IN FACT, WE JUST HAD AN UPDATE MEETING WITH HIM, SO IT'S JUST, JUST KICKED OFF.
DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT WOULD IT COST? UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD THE BENEFITS BE, UH, FOR GOING, UH, NOT JUST ELECTRIC, BUT ZERO EMISSIONS? 'CAUSE THERE ARE A COUPLE CHOICES OUT THERE.
UH, AND THEN OVER ON THE RIGHT, YOU SEE OUR OVERALL BUDGET.
UH, YOU'LL NOTE THAT ABOUT 65% COMES FROM FEDERAL AND STATE.
UH, AND BEN AND THE TEAM DOES A FANTASTIC JOB OF REALLY TAPPING INTO ALL THOSE
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AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ASKING AS LITTLE AS WE CAN, UH, FOR THE LOCAL SHARE.WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER LARGER, OR YOU SAID OTHER, WHERE, WHAT, GIMME AN EXAMPLE OF OTHER HERE.
OH, UH, SO IT, IT, IT, IT WOULD BE, UH, FAIR BOXES.
SOME CONTRACTS WE HAVE, UH, CLA, WILLENBERG FOUNDATION, WILLEM, AND MARY, UH, AND, AND EVEN, UH, ADVERTISING.
MOVING ON TO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPROVEMENTS.
I'LL START ON THE, ON THE, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, IT, IT, IT IS MULTIFACETED, RIGHT? WE, WE RECOGNIZE, UH, THAT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FIRST BEGINS WITH DIGNITY AND SAFETY, RIGHT? BUT THEN WE, WE WANT TO BUILD TOWARDS CONVENIENCE.
AND, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THESE THREE MAIN AREAS HERE FOR OUR, UH, IMPROVEMENTS.
I'M PROUD TO SAY, AND IN NO LARGE PART FROM BEN AND HIS TEAM'S EFFORT, UH, THAT WE WERE THE FIRST IN THE PENINSULA HERE TO, UH, ROLL OUT MOBILE TICKETING.
SO YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OUR APP, SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT, PURCHASE THE, UH, THE TICKET ON YOUR PHONE, AND YOU JUST WALK ONTO THE BUS AND YOU GET SCANNED AND YOU'RE ON.
IT'S MORE CONVENIENT FOR THE PASSENGER.
IT'S MORE CONVENIENT FOR THE OPERATOR, AND IT SAVES TI SAVES TIME, RIGHT? LESS TIME, ANY CHANCE, KIND OF PLUGGED IN, YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, AT, UH, LET'S SEE, BLACKSBURG AT WHERE VIRGINIA TECH IS, THE WHOLE PLACE IS LIKE ELECTRONICALLY HOOKED UP.
AND SO STUDENTS GET ON THE BUS, THIS WAVE A PASS, UH, CITIZENS IN THE COMMUNITY GET ON THE BUS, THEY WAVE A PASS, AND IT'S ALL ELECTRONIC.
IT'S ALL HOOKED, AND EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW WHERE THE BUSES ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU GOING AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO FOR JUST ENTRY ONTO THE BUS, OUR, THE, UH, WILLIAM AND MARY STUDENTS, BECAUSE THE CONTRACT, WE HAVE THEM, THEY JUST SHOW THEIR ID.
UH, BUT AS FAR AS TICKETING, WE, WE, WE, SO WE STILL HAVE THE OLD MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, STANDARD, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE CREDIT CARD.
WE'LL SET UP THE ACCOUNT, UH, BUT AS THE, THE ELECTRONIC TICKETING IS THAT MOBILE APP MM-HMM
UH, AND THEN AS FAR AS TRACKING THE BUSES, YOU DO THAT ON THE APP AS WELL.
SO WE REALLY TRY TO STEER EVERYBODY TO TOWARDS USE OF THAT APP.
REAL, REAL LOCATION, REAL BUS, UH, REAL TIME LOCATION OF THE BUSES.
UH, UH, AND, AND IT ALLOWS US TO PUSH ALERTS TOO.
SO FOR THE, UH, STORMS RECENTLY, WE WERE ABLE TO PUSH OUT NOTIFICATIONS, EVERYBODY, NO SERVICE TOMORROW OR TWO HOUR DELAY OR EARLY CLOSING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
CATCHES TRYING TO CHANGE SOME OLD BEHAVIORS,
DOES YOUR APP D PROVIDE REALTIME TRACKING OF THE BUSES? IT DOES.
TO PULL THE APP UP TO SEE WHERE THE BUS IS AT.
UH, THE NEXT IS BUS STOP IMPROVEMENTS.
AND, AND YES,
UH, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? RIGHT? UH, AND, AND THIS IS WHERE I FIR LET ME HIGHLIGHT THAT THIRD BULLET.
GREATER AND FASTER PROGRESS TOGETHER BY OUR WORKING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, YOUR STAFF, JAMES, CITY, COUNTY STAFF, CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG STAFF.
WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE IN SUCH A SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME.
UH, SO CASE IN POINT, UH, WE HAVE 28 BUS STOPS BEING IMPROVED RIGHT NOW.
UH, NOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT ALL GONNA BE A SHELTER.
BUT IF WE CAN AT LEAST GET A CONCRETE PAD DOWN A BENCH, MAYBE A TREE FOR SHADE, UH, THAT'S, THAT GOES A LONG WAY.
UH, SO, UH, AGAIN, I, I, AND, AND, AND WITH YOUR STAFF IN PARTICULAR, UM, WE ARE, UH, COORDINATING WITH THEM TO HELP PRIORITIZE WHICH STOPS WITHIN THE COUNTY WOULD BEST SERVE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS FROM, WE CAN TELL YOU THE RIDERSHIP COUNT.
YOU KNOW, THE CURRENT CONDITIONS.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ASSISTANCE WE GET FROM YOU ALL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU HAVE A LARGER STAFF, UH, THE COORDINATION WITH VDOT IF, UH, IF REQUIRED, OR PROPERTY OWNERS, IF AN EASEMENT IS REQUIRED, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO, UH, AGAIN, A LOT FASTER WHEN WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER.
LASTLY, THE WADA NORTH TRANSIT CENTER.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT, UH, ON, ON NAMING OF THIS.
BUT I, I DO LIKE THE WATA NORTH TRANSIT CENTER.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR YOUR, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND FEEDBACK.
UH, WE ARE THIS TO BE DISTRICT ONE.
IF YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE
LOT OF DISTRICT ONE FRIENDS
BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO OPEN THAT, UH, THIS SUMMER, UH, PROGRESS IS GOING VERY WELL.
IF, IF YOU DRIVE BY THERE, YOU WILL SEE STEEL MOVING UP AND OUT.
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THE STEEL FOR THE, UH, ACTUAL BUILDING.UH, AND BEFORE I SHOW YOU SOME OF THE MORE OF THOSE PICTURES, YOU KNOW, YOU NOTICE THE COST THERE.
AND AGAIN, HOW WELL WE'VE DONE IN REALLY KEEPING THAT LOCAL FUNDING AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.
SO VERY HAPPY WITH, UH, WITH THAT.
UH, BUT YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE TALK DIGNITY, UH, AND SAFETY FOR OUR PASSENGERS, IT'S GETTING THEM OUT OF THAT WALMART PARKING LOT AND NOTHING AGAINST WALMART.
THEY'VE BEEN GREAT PARTNERS AND ALLOWING US TO USE THAT SPACE, BUT THIS CERTAINLY LOOKS A LOT NICER.
UH, SO YOU CAN SEE THE AERIAL VIEW THERE ON THE UPPER LEFT.
AND THEN TO THE UPPER RIGHT IS WHERE, UH, THE BUS CANOPY.
SO YOU'LL BE WAITING THERE FOR YOUR BUS TO PULL UP, AND WE'LL HAVE THE DIGITAL DISPLAY OF WHICH BUS, THEIR ARRIVAL TIME, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHICH ROUTE, YOU KNOW, WHERE TO WAIT FOR THIS SPECIFIC BUS.
LOWER LEFT IS A, IS A VIEW OF THE OUTDOOR WAITING AREA.
AND THEN YOU SEE THE INDOOR WAITING AREA.
WE DO HAVE AN INFORMATION DESK THERE.
UH, AND, AND EVEN SPACE, UH, FOR A, FOR A VENDOR.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU.
HAVE YOU LINED UP ANYBODY THERE? I MEAN, WE HAVE, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET.
UH, BUT, BUT, BUT THAT IS ON THE TO-DO LIST.
IT'S A, IT'S A HEALTHY TO-DO LIST.
THAT'S THE WALKERON CENTER, ISN'T IT? YES, SIR.
THE WHAT? Y SO, ACROSS MOTOWN ROAD FROM
THE REASON I ASK IS, 'CAUSE I MEAN, IT OF COURSE, FOR THIS THING, THE IMPRESSION IS IT'S KIND OF OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
SO I'M KIND OF WONDERING HOW PEOPLE GET THERE IF THEY NEED A BUS TO GO SOMEWHERE.
DO I HAVE TO DRIVE MY CAR TO GET THE BUS JUST TO GO WHERE I COULD HAVE DRIVEN MY CAR, SIR, IT IS NOT TOO FAR FROM THE CURRENT TRANSFER LOCATION AT THE, UH, AT THE WALMART.
SO IT'S JUST, JUST DOWN MORE TOWN ROAD A BIT.
NOW TO THAT THOUGH, IT, IT WILL REQUIRE US TO ALTER SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE ROUTES, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT MEETING OUT AT ONE PLACE, THEY'RE GONNA MEET SOMEPLACE ELSE.
BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT HOW WE, WE, HOW WE CAN REROUTE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING US OPPORTUNITIES TO HIT SOME PLACES MAYBE WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO HIT BEFORE.
SO THAT WILL REQUIRE PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, UH, FOR US.
SO, UH, WE WILL BE PUTTING THAT OUT, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT, UH, I THINK BY NEXT MONTH WE WILL BE ASKING THE PUBLIC FOR SOME COMMENTS ON REROUTING.
WELL, I THINK TOM HAS A GOOD, GOOD QUESTION, THOUGH.
HOW DO PEOPLE GET TO THE BUS? I MEAN, DO THEY HAVE TRA TRANSPORTATION FROM HOME TO THE BUS? WELL, SO THE IDEA IS THIS IS JUST, THIS IS JUST A TRANSFER POINT.
SO THEY WOULD TAKE A BUS TO THE CENTER TO CATCH ANOTHER BUS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ROUTE NINE, ANO BRING IT DOWN, UH, TO CATCH ROUTE SEVEN, GO DOWN MOTOWN ROAD TO THE BURG TRANSPORTATION CENTER TO CATCH ROUTE THREE, MERRIMACK.
THERE, THERE IS A DROP OFF, UH, POINT THOUGH.
SO IF YOU NEED A, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR, UH, YOU KNOW, FAMILY OR FRIEND TO DROP YOU OFF THERE TO CATCH A BUS, THEY CAN DO THAT.
THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT AS WELL.
I, I WOULD ADD AS WELL, THERE, THERE ARE CROSSWALKS ACROSS, UH, MOTOWN ROAD THERE, IF YOU REMEMBER.
AND THAT IS ARBORDALE IS THE NAME OF THAT ARBORDALE, RIGHT BEHIND.
IT'S BULLON, BUT ARBORDALE IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO THAT DOWN
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG NEIGHBORHOODS THAT'S BEEN ADDED TO THIS.
WE'VE BEEN BUILDING SIDEWALKS IN THIS AREA.
SO THEY CAN COME OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, GO DO THEIR SHOPPING, AND COME BACK TO THE BUS AND GO TO ANOTHER PART.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE, UH, WADA NORTH TRANSIT CENTER JOB? SO, THANK YOU, UH, AND I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT.
OF COURSE, YOU'LL ALL GET INVITATIONS TO THE, UH, RIBBON CUTTING THIS SUMMER, UH, EVOLVING WADA, OUR TRANSIT STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, JUST TO START, RIGHT, OUR PURPOSE IS TO BE MORE USEFUL TO MORE PEOPLE.
AND SO, SO IN ACHIEVING THAT, WE ARE FOCUSING ON RIDERSHIP.
UH, AND THE WAY WE FOCUS ON INCREASING RIDERSHIP IS BY INCREASING CONVENIENCE, INCREASING FREQUENCY.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS PLAN DOES.
SO LET ME TALK YOU THROUGH WHAT THOSE, UH, WHAT THOSE PHASES ARE, OR, YOU KNOW, RATHER MAYBE, PERHAPS WHAT THE END STATE IS.
UH, BY IMPROVING THE FREQUENCY WILL IMPROVE ACCESS TO SHOPPING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HOTELS, UH, HEALTH FACILITIES.
UH, AND FOR, FOR, FOR EVERYBODY, UH, THE DETAILS THERE, YOU SEE, WE WILL INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF FIVE ROUTES.
UH, AT THE END OF THIS TWO ROUTES WILL BE 15 MINUTE FREQUENCY.
UH, THAT WOULD BE CURRENTLY, WE ALREADY HAVE ROUTE 15, COLONIAL AT 15,
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UH, MINUTE FREQUENCY THROUGH THE, UH, HISTORIC FOOTPRINT, UH, COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, UH, AND THEN ROUTE 12 IRON IRONBOUND, UH, IT GOES TO NEWTOWN, WOULD BE 15 MINUTE FREQUENCY.THERE'S NO ASK OF YORK COUNTY FOR THAT.
UH, BUT THE OTHER BIG ONES WILL BE, UH, FIVE ROUTES WILL MOVE TO 30 MINUTE FREQUENCY.
OR, I'M SORRY, ADDITIONAL THREE ROUTES WILL BE, WHAT ARE THEY NOW? UH, 60 MINUTES.
SO 60 MINUTES WE ONLY, SO YOU REDUCE THAT IN HALF, IT REDUCE THAT IN HALF, BUT YOU'VE GOT FIVE THAT ARE STILL 60 MINUTES.
SO, SO THE FIVE THAT WILL BE, UM, 60 MINUTE FREQUENCY ARE WHAT WE CALL COVERAGE ROUTES.
THEY DON'T HAVE HUGE RIDERSHIP YET.
BUT THE ROUTE NINE TO ANO, UH, THE, THE ONE THAT INCREASES FROM 90 MINUTE TO 60 MINUTE IS ROUTE 11 LACKEY.
BUT THE OTHER BENEFIT TO THAT IS, UH, NOT ONLY, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ARE NOW, RIGHT? OVER IN THE, UH, FAR RIGHT, UH, WE ARE GOING TO EXTEND THAT LIGHT BLUE ROUTE 11 ALL THE WAY HERE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR TROLLEY.
WHAT ARE THE TIMINGS FOR THIS? WHAT TIME DID THE BUSES START IN THE MORNING? WHAT TIME DO THEY END AT NIGHT? SO OUR, AND DURING WEEKDAYS, MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAYS, WE, OUR HOURS ARE 6:00 AM TO 9:00 PM OKAY.
AND THEN SUNDAYS 8:00 AM TO 6:00 PM MM-HMM
SO WHERE'S THE GOAL? I, I, I SEE WHERE THE, COMING DOWN TO YOUR TOWN, BUT WHERE'S THE GOAL UP HERE? I DON'T SEE IT ON THE MAP.
THE GOLD, YELLOW OR WHATEVER THAT COLOR IS.
SO IT, SIR, THAT'S EXACTLY, WE'LL HAVE NO MORE 90 MINUTE ROUTE.
IT IS CURRENTLY ROUTE 11, BUT LOOK AT THE, THE BLUES, UH, ROUTES TWO AND SEVEN.
SO TWO IS RICHMOND ROAD, SEVEN IS MOTOWN ROAD.
UH, YOU HAVE ROUTE EIGHT, WHICH IS THE, THE COLLEGE.
UH, BUT THEN REALLY, UH, ALSO OF GREAT INTEREST TO YOU IS ROUTE THREE, MERRIMAC TRAIL AND ROUTE ONE PO OR, UH, LEE HALL.
SO, YOU KNOW, GETTING GREAT FREQUENCY UP AND DOWN THE, THE ARTERY RIGHT.
OF THE, OF THE PENINSULA, UH, YOU KNOW, HITTING ALL THOSE MAJOR AREAS FOR SHOPPING, FOR, UH, FOR HOTELS, FOR RESTAURANTS, THE TOURISM AREA ALSO.
DID YOU GET MUCH MILITARY USE OF THE BUS, UH, MILITARY USE IF YOU'RE TALKING STATION, OR NO? NO, SIR.
WE, WE'VE BEEN TO DISCUSSION SOME TIME AGO ABOUT TRYING TO GET SOME ACCESS.
IT'S A, IT'S A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK, AND I CAN SPEAK FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE ON THAT AS WELL.
UM, BUT AGAIN, YOU, YOU'LL SEE, UH, WELL, SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS HERE.
UH, WHAT AT THE END STATE, THIS WILL PROVIDE THE AVERAGE RESIDENT, UM, ACCESS TO 97% MORE JOBS IN 45 MINUTE PERIOD.
UH, THERE'S JUST HUGE, HUGE, I MEAN, DOUBLING, DOUBLING ACCESS MM-HMM
AND THAT'S JUST JOBS, NEVERMIND SHOPPING AND, AND, AND HEALTH, ET CETERA.
DO YOU, DO YOU TRANSPORT TO WATER COUNTRY? UH, WE DO.
DOES THAT? YEAH, I WAS LOOKING AT, IT DIDN'T, I COULDN'T TELL IF IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO WATER COUNTRY OR STOPPED SHORE.
SO IT DOES, IT, IT, IT HITS THAT, UH, SHOPPING CENTER, UH, WITH, WITH THE TARGET.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT FROM THE MUNICIPALITIES.
UH, THE WAY THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS, IS LAID OUT, PHASE ONE, IT FOCUSES ON THAT 30 MINUTE ALL DAY FREQUENCY FOR ROUTE ONE LEE HALL AND TWO RICHMOND ROAD.
UH, PHASE TWO, UH, WE HOPE TO IMPLEMENT BY FISCAL YEAR 28 WOULD BE 30 MINUTE FREQUENCY ALL DAY FOR ROUTE THREE MERRIMAC TRAIL AND ROUTE SEVEN MOTOWN ROAD.
HOW MUCH IS THE AVERAGE FAIR? SO, UH, JUST FOR ONE BUS RIDE IS A BUCK 50, BUT IT'S $3 ALL DAY.
SO THAT WOULD HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO AND FROM WORK.
IF YOU, IF YOU GET A, A WEEKLY OR A MONTHLY PASS, HOW MUCH ARE THEY? THE PASSES? SO $45 FOR A MONTHLY PASS.
UH, AND CHEAPEST ON THE, UH, IN THE, IN THE REGION.
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT THAT WELL, THAT IS WHAT WE WANT.
UH, AND I WILL ADD THOUGH, THE CHEAPEST FAIR, WE ALSO HAVE THE LOWEST OPERATING COST PER HOUR, UH, IN THE REGION.
AND I WILL EVEN EXTEND THE REGION UP TO RICHMOND, SO, OKAY.
BUT HOW ABOUT HOW DOES YOUR, YOUR PAY SCALE WORK WITH THE REGION, THE OTHER BUSES ROUTE? SO, UH, GREAT QUESTION.
WE WERE PART OF A, UH, JAMES CITY COUNTY, UH, COMPENSATION STUDY.
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OUR HR SUPPORT FROM, FROM THEM.AND, AND SO THEY ASKED US IF WE WISH TO PARTICIPATE, OF COURSE.
UH, AND FOUND THAT WE WERE, OUR, OUR, UH, WAGE AT THE TIME WERE ABOUT 50TH PERCENTILE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO DO BETTER, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT MM-HMM
SO WE MOVED THE SCALE UP TO THE 65TH PERCENTILE.
I'LL TELL YOU, I, I THINK THAT'S HELPED CERTAINLY, AS I DESCRIBED BEFORE, OUR ACHIEVING 100% OPERATOR STRENGTH YES.
OUR RETENTION OF OUR, UH, NEW OPERATORS, UH, IN A YEAR'S TIME IS FAR BETTER THAN IT WAS A YEAR, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
UM, YOU'RE THINKING IT NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE HIGHER, I CAN TELL FROM LOOKING AT YOUR FACE.
SO, I, I, I, I, I THINK WE ARE STILL LOWER THAN, THAN OTHERS.
UM, UH, HRTS HIGHER, RICHMOND'S HIGHER, UH, AH, SO, YEAH.
I, I I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT IT QUITE RIGHT YET.
BUT DO YOU COMPETE WITH THEM FOR DRIVERS? WE DO UHHUH, WE DO.
NOW, WHERE I THINK OUR, OUR, OUR GREAT BENEFIT IS OUR CULTURE.
WE HAVE A BIT OF A HANDS ON A, UH, UH, MORE HANDS-ON.
UH, I, I, YOU, YOU SEE YOUR LEADERS EVERY DAY, UH, AND, UH, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THE FAMILY ASPECT TO IT MM-HMM
WITH ALL ITS DYSFUNCTIONALITY AT TIMES TOO, RIGHT?
THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SAY ABOUT IT.
SO, UH, TO CLOSE ON THIS POINT, LET ME JUST AGAIN, REITERATE, UH, NOW IS A GREAT TIME.
WE, I, I DO REALLY FEEL WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF TRANSITIONING WATER FROM, YOU KNOW, JUST WHAT USED TO BE THAT VERY RURAL SERVICE FROM 1977.
YOU KNOW, ON DEMAND TRYING TO BRING PEOPLE IN FROM THE FAR REACHES OF THE COUNTY TO A LEGIT SERVICE, UH, AND STAPLE SERVICE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
OUR RIDERSHIP, THIS FYI, I'LL BRAG ABOUT FY 25 RIDERSHIP.
WE EVEN BETTER THAN, THAN OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER THERE.
UH, BUT WHAT I'M SEEING SO FAR IN FY 26, WE'RE KIND OF LEVELING OFF ON OUR FIXED ROUTE RIDERSHIP.
UH, THE WAY TO FIX, THE WAY TO IMPROVE IS INCREASE CONVENIENCE.
WE NOW NEED TO ATTRACT THOSE WHO CHOOSE US.
AND IS THAT INCREASING CONVENIENCE, 30 MINUTE FREQUENCY? MM-HMM
NOW, IT'S MORE THAN JUST THAT.
WE'LL HAVE AGGRESSIVE MARKETING.
WE'RE WE, WE WE'RE IN CONTACT WITH THE HIGH SCHOOLS, WE'RE, UH, MY BOARD HAS APPROVED US TO GO FAIR FREE FOR, UH, K THROUGH 12 SO THAT THEY CAN EXPERIENCE AND, AND IT BECOMES MORE A PART OF THEIR LIFE.
UH, YOU KNOW, STUDIES SHOW THAT THAT DEMOGRAPHIC, AND MANY OF YOU PROBABLY SEE WITH YOUR OWN, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS, THOSE 20 TO 30 YEAR OLDS, NOT ONLY DO THEY NOT OWN CARS, 25% DON'T EVEN HAVE LICENSES.
SO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PLACES WHERE THEY CAN, WHERE, WHERE THERE'S CONVENIENT PUBLIC TRANSIT.
UH, AND AGAIN, I I THINK WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO ACHIEVING THAT.
WITH THIS STRATEGIC PLAN, HOW ARE YOU, UM, INTEGRATED WITH, UH, OTHER SERVICES SUCH AS RAIL, UH, THE AIRLINES, STUFF LIKE THAT? SIR, I DON'T KNOW.
I CAN'T SAY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE INTEGRATED.
UH, HAVING OUR OTHER, UH, TRANSFER SITE AT THE WILLIAMSBURG, UH, TRANSPORTATION CENTER IS KEY.
SO, AND WE DO, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN, AND FREQUENTLY GET INQUIRIES FROM PEOPLE, HEY, I'M, I'M TAKING AMTRAK DOWN.
UH, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM? SO THERE ARE CERTAINLY PEOPLE WHO RESEARCH, UH, THEIR OPTIONS WHEN THEY ARE VISITING THE AREA.
SO THERE'S NO SPOT WHERE YOU, LIKE, YOU'D CONNECT WITH NEWPORT NEWS OR BE ABLE TO GET A, GET A PASSENGER DOWN TO THE AIRPORT.
UH, OUR, UNFORTUNATELY, ONLY, OUR ONLY, UH, CONNECTING POINT RIGHT NOW WITH HRT IS AT LEE HALL.
UH, WE ARE IN A STUDY WITH THEM RIGHT NOW TO HOW WE MIGHT IMPROVE THAT FACILITY THERE.
UH, UH, AND, AND I KNOW, AND I, I MENTIONED THIS TO YOU THE LAST TIME, UH, I WAS HERE.
UH, THERE, THERE HAD BEEN, UH, SOME DISCUSSION.
WELL, AND, AND WE EVEN RECEIVED A GRANT SOME YEARS AGO BEFORE COVID ABOUT DOING A DEMONSTRATION ROUTE DOWN AT GEORGE WASHINGTON BOULEVARD.
UNFORTUNATELY, COVID HIT AND, AND THEN, AND THEN WE DIDN'T HAVE THE DRIVERS TO IMPLEMENT THAT.
UM, UH, WHAT WE'RE, AND YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH YOUR EARLY DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, WITH, WITH YOUR COUNTY STAFF IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE DESIRE FOR MORE PUBLIC TRANSIT THROUGHOUT YOUR COUNTY? AND, UH, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S A DESIRE, THEN LET'S, LET'S DO A STUDY.
THE OLD DEMONSTRATION ROUTE, I DON'T THINK WOULD'VE DONE A WHOLE LOT BECAUSE IT WOULD'VE BEEN JUST ONE BUS GOING UP AND DOWN.
SO I LOOKING MORE INTO IT, UH, WE MIGHT FIND, WELL,
[00:25:01]
IT, IT, MAYBE IT'S OTHER FIXED ROUTES, OR MAYBE IT'S WHAT WE CALL MICRO TRANSIT, UH, KINDA AN ON DEMAND, YOU KNOW, VAN, THAT, THAT CAN PULL PEOPLE IN FROM THE, UH, YOU KNOW, OFF OF ROUTE 17 OVER TO, UH, THE FIXED ROUTE SERVICE.SO I, I, I THINK THERE IS GREAT OPPORTUNITY, AND I MEAN, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, UH, BEN AND I HAVE, HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT'D BE GREAT TO CONNECT WITH HRT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, DOWN AT THE, UH, THE OTHER WALMART, UH, IS IT PAST THE AIRPORT? YEAH.
SO YOU ASSUME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONE IN YORK COUNTY? YES, SIR.
SO I, I, I, I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS.
WELL, THAT'S CHALLENGE WITH PUBLIC, TRANS TRANSPORT, MIDDLE SOUTHERN OF THE COUNTY IS THERE AREN'T PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO CONVERGE TO GET ON PUBLIC, PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT VDOT, ABOUT SIDEWALKS.
WELL, WHAT GO TO THE SIDEWALKS IS ANY WAY, ANY WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO THE SIDEWALK AND CONGREGATE TO PLACES OR, OR CROSS ROADS, LIKE 17.
SO THE SAME, SAME STRUGGLE WITH PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND EVEN THE THOUGHT OF, WE CALL MICRO TRANSIT, GET PEOPLE OUTTA THE NEIGHBORHOODS UP TO WHERE THOSE STOPS ARE.
THERE ISN'T ANY PLACE IN, IN THE, IN THE COMMUNITIES FOR THAT TYPE OF, OF, UM, STOPS EITHER.
SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE BIG CHALLENGE WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
AND THE COUNTY WASN'T REALLY BUILT OR DESIGNED FOR, AT LEAST, AT LEAST IN THIS HALF DOWN HERE.
SO IT'S NO, I, I, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WE LIKE TO SEE FIRST, FIRST START WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT'S THE INTEREST? AND THEN, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES OR OPTIONS AVAILABLE, RIGHT? MM-HMM
I WOULD ASK, UH, THE BOARD IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FOR MATT, BUT I THINK WE'VE BEEN ASKING THEM ALL ALONG.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, SHEILA? NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS.
I'M JUST GLAD THAT YOU CAME AND SHARED THIS WITH US, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
IT HAS, AND I, IT'S, IT'S EXCITING THE WAY IT'S MOVING FORWARD.
I, I APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE COUNTY SUPPORT, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR GREAT, UH, SUPPORTER OF US AND, AND, AND PARTNER, UH, IF, IF I MAY HIGHLIGHT THAT QR CODE THERE.
UH, KIND OF COMES BACK TO THE, UH, UH, QUESTION.
I'M OFTEN ASKED, HOW CAN WE HELP? RIGHT.
UH, AND THE, UH, THROUGH THE WILLIAMSBURG COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, A GENEROUS DONOR STARTED WHAT IS CALLED THE GREATER WILLIAMSBURG TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE FUND.
SO THIS WILL HELP, UH, NONPROFITS PURCHASE TICKETS FOR SOME OF THEIR CLIENTS.
UH, IT WILL, UH, UH, AGAIN, IT CAN ALSO HELP US IN MAKING SMALL, MODEST BUS STOP IMPROVEMENTS.
YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT A CONCRETE PAD
FOR SOME OF THE MORE RURAL, UH, SPOTS.
BUT, UH, I, I, I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT HIGHLIGHTING THAT FOR THE, UH, COMMUNITY, THERE ARE WAYS TO HELP OKAY.
ABOUT WHAT IT DOES IT COST TO ADD, LIKE A STATION OR A TRANSIT STOP.
SO I KNOW THERE THAT'S A RANGE, BUT IT, IT, IT IS A RANGE.
IF YOU START WITH ONE SMALL, WHAT WOULD THE COST OF THAT BE? SO THE, UH, IN AN IDEAL SITUATION, UH, I WILL PROBABLY EVEN LOWBALL IT, UH, WATCH FOR HIS EYES HERE, UH, 20,000.
I MEAN, THE, THE SHELTER ITSELF WILL BE BETWEEN 10 AND 15,000 AND THEN POURING THE CONCRETE.
YOU KNOW, UH, SO, UH, THAT'S NOT TOO TERRIBLE, HONESTLY, TO ADD.
THAT'S, UM, HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE, THOUGH? TWO, YEAH.
THAT, THAT ANSWERS TO THE COST A LITTLE BIT.
AND, AND ONE WAY WE'VE BEEN ABLE, YEAH.
AND THEN YOU JUST HAVE TO DO THE UPKEEP.
LIKE, I THINK YOU SAID YOU'RE WORKING ON 28 RENOS NOW.
WELL, SOMETIMES NON-PROFITS TAKE, TAKE THE LEAD ON DOING A STOP.
I SAID SOMETIMES YOUR NON, YOUR NONPROFITS WILL TAKE THE LEAD IN PAYING FOR A STOP, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S NEAR WHERE THEY ARE.
WELL, YOU NEED TO GET INTO CORNER SOME PLACES LIKE THAT.
WHY DON'T WE HAVE ADOPT A BUS TO BUS STOP? WE, WE DON'T.
AND WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
AND, AND WE'VE BEEN ASKED A QUESTION BY SOME OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
I JUST, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I SEE THESE BRIEFINGS, I, I KIND OF, KIND OF LOOK AT WAY OUT INTO THE FUTURE AND TRY TO SEE WHERE, UM, HOW THEY CAN CONNECT.
BECAUSE EVENTUALLY, IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD 'EM COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO YOUR, UH, SOUTHERN PART OF YORK, UH, YORKTOWN OR YOUR COUNTY.
BUT THE QUESTION IS WHY, AND, UH, BUT I THINK OF LIKE, WHAT WE ARE DOING BY ACCIDENT.
UH, I SAY BY ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT'S BEING A LITTLE SARCASTIC, BUT, UH, THE, IF YOU LOOK DOWN AROUND SHEILA'S AREA, THEY'RE DISTRICT ONE ON VICTORY BOULEVARD.
[00:30:01]
CHILL PONDS, AND THAT MAY BE GETTING EXPANDING FOR ENTERTAINMENT.UH, YOU GOT THE, THE WALMART PEOPLE USED TO DRIVE FROM GLOUCESTER TO COME TO THIS WALMART.
NOW THEY GOT THEIR OWN UP THERE.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE GOT SOME RESTAURANTS.
SECOND STREET, IT'S NOT, BUT THAT'S JUST OVER THE LINE INTO NEWPORT NEWS.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR POCKETS, YOU COME UP INTO THE MIDDLE PART OF THE COUNTY, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT WOULD DRAW BUS, BUS TRAFFIC TO THERE, BUT PICKING 'EM UP AND TAKING 'EM FROM THERE UP INTO WILLIAMSBURG, UH, I CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT.
AND I THINK IN THE NEAR FUTURE, I'D SAY REALLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE, LIKE BASED ON THE CURRENT, UH, ADMINISTRATION IN RICHMOND, WE MAY END UP WITH SOME, UH, PRETTY DENSE POPULATED AREAS THAT, UH, THAT YOU'LL BE SERVING DOWN ALL THE WAY DOWN CLOSE TO, UH, POSA.
SO, UM, SO I'M JUST LOOKING AT THESE POCKETS OF WHERE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GATHER.
UH, ALTHOUGH 17 AND 17 MAY ACTUALLY BECOME MORE OF A, MORE OF A DEMAND THAN YOU, THAN YOU REALIZE.
UM, IT'S GONNA BE INTERESTING.
I, AND, AND NOT TOO MANY, NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.
YOU KNOW, THAT WE DID THIS ONCE BEFORE, THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF.
AND YOU'RE AWARE OF ALL THE CONSTERNATION BECAUSE PEOPLE GOT SO UPTIGHT ABOUT EMPTY BUSES, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE TWO OR THREE PEOPLE ON A BUS AND THEY THINK THAT, UH, THAT'S TERRIBLE.
AND THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE DRAWBACKS, UH, AT 17.
BUT IT, BUT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE IT WENT FROM SOCIAL SERVICES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, AS YOU SAID, VICTOR BOULEVARD.
AND IT WENT OVER TO, IT WAS GOING OVER TO THE, TO, UH, THE SHOPPING SET, THE PATRICK HENRY, PATRICK HENRY MALL.
AND THAT WAS THE IDEA WAS TO GET WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO, TO DO THAT AS WELL AS SHOPPERS.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WE, WE CAN, UM, CHANGE THAT, BUT I THINK IT, WE WOULD ALWAYS LOVE TO HAVE PEOPLE OUT OF THE CARS.
WE WANT THEM WALKING AND WE WANT THEM BIKING, AND I'M SURE WE WANT THEM TO RIDE A BUS.
ONE, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT DRIVES BUS, BUS RIDERSHIP IN DC IS YOU JAM MORE TRAFFIC ON A ROAD.
SO WE WOULD HAVE MORE TRAFFIC
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T, LIKE I SAID, ONCE THE DENSITY INCREASES DOWN HERE, I THINK THERE'LL BE A GREATER DEMAND.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WE NEED TO THINK INTO THE FUTURE.
I JUST MAKE ONE COMMENT BEFORE WE FINISH.
EVERY TIME WE DO, UH, A, UM, A STUDY WITH THE CITIZENS IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE THEIR PRIORITIES, WE ALWAYS HAVE TRANSPORTATION NEAR THE VERY TOP, WHETHER THAT'S BIKE TRANSPORTATION OR WALKING TRAILS OR, OR ANY, ANY FORM OF TRANSPORTATION OTHER THAN HAVING TO DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR.
SO IT'S, IT'S HIGH ON OUR LIST.
IT REMAINS HIGH ON OUR PRIORITIES.
AND I'LL SEE YOU WITH THE SUMMER AT THE, UH, RIBBON.
[2. No Wake Zones and Markers in York County Waterways. Presentation by Shannon Forrest Assistant County Attorney and James Scruggs, Dockmaster.]
NEXT I'LL CALL ON, UH, JAMES SCRUGGS, OUR DOCK MASTER AND SHANNON FOREST, OUR ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY, AND THEY WILL TAKE US THROUGH THE NO WAKE ZONE DISCUSSION.WHILE HE'S PULLING THAT UP, MAYBE I'LL SET THE STAGE A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THIS IS KIND OF JUST A DISCUSSION THAT WE WANT TO HAVE.
UH, WE HAD A LOT OF, UH, CALLS AND CONFUSION LAST YEAR ABOUT THE NO WAKE ZONES IN THE COUNTY.
UH, WE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT, UH, SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION.
SO SHANNON AND JAMES WENT WAY BACK IN THE TIME MACHINE AND RESEARCHED EVERYTHING THAT HAD BEEN APPROVED BY PREVIOUS BOARDS.
AND SO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE HERE TODAY IS THE CURRENT LIST OF NO WAKE ZONES THAT ARE APPROVED BOTH BY THE COUNTY AND THE STATE.
UH, AND SO THIS IS THE OPERATIONAL PLAN.
UM, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS KIND OF CODIFY ALL OF THIS IN ONE DOCUMENT GOING FORWARD.
WE CAN REMOVE, UH, IMPEDIMENTS AND CONFUSION FROM, FROM THE STATE AND ANYBODY THAT'S, UH, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THIS IS.
SO WHEN WE COME OUT OF HERE, UH, OF, IN NEXT MEETING WITH A VOTE, OR IN THE FUTURE WHEN WE CODIFY ALL OF THESE, THERE'LL
[00:35:01]
BE ONE RESOLUTION, ONE DOCUMENT THAT HAS ALL THE NO WAKES SIGNS.IT'LL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE STATE TO ENFORCE.
UH, ACTUALLY WHEN WE REDO THE SIGNS, WE'LL PUT THE ACTUAL BOARD ACTION ON THERE SO SOMEBODY CAN LOOK IT UP.
UH, PROBABLY MAYBE A QR CODE THAT WOULD TAKE THEM RIGHT TO THE DOCUMENT IF THEY NEED BE.
UH, BUT IT'LL ALSO MAKE IT EASY FOR ENFORCEMENT, UH, BECAUSE THE STATE WILL HAVE, AND THE COUNTY WILL MAINTAIN THE SIGNS.
THE COUNTY MAINTAINS THE SIGNS.
UM, SO THAT KIND OF SETS THE PICTURE OF THIS IS WHAT'S OUT THERE.
WE MET WITH, UM, A HUNDRED OF OUR CLOSEST BOATING FRIENDS A FEW WEEKS AGO.
MR. ROWAN AND MR. DREWRY WERE THERE.
UH, THEY WERE QUITE ENTHUSIASTIC AND OPINIONATED ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THESE THINGS.
SO REALLY, WE WANTED TO KIND OF PAINT THIS PICTURE AND THEN, UH, REALLY OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION.
CAPTAIN SCRUGGS HERE IS THE, UM, OUR MARINE EXPERT, IF YOU WILL.
AND, AND SHANNON DID A LOT OF RESEARCH AND A LOT OF, I THINK SHE EVEN HAD TO DO SOME FOIAS WITH THE STATE TO GET SOME OF THE INFORMATION, UH, AND LOOKING BACK AT THE RECORD.
SO WE REALLY JUST WANT TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF MR. DRURY AND MR. RON, SINCE THEY WERE AT THE MEETING, UH, WANT TO ADD ANYTHING, UH, BEFORE WE START KIND OF DISCUSSING THIS.
WELL, IT WAS, IT WAS A REALLY GOOD MEETING.
I, I'D LOVE TO HAVE THAT PARTICIPATION IN, IN A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT WE DO AS WELL.
AND A LOT OF KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE THERE THAT JOINED US.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD A LOT OF HISTORY, BEEN ON THE CREEKS AND RIVERS FOR A LONG TIME, ABLE TO GIVE US SOME GOOD FEEDBACK THAT, THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW.
AND IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, KINDA THAT KIND OF ONE-ON-ONE CHAT DISCUSSION WE HAD WITH PEOPLE.
SO I WAS REALLY THANKFUL THAT MEETING.
I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THE TURNOUT THAT WE HAD.
LIKE I SAID, IT WAS GREAT DISCUSSION AND IT'S GONNA HELP DRIVE SOME OF THE DISCUSSION WE HAVE HERE TONIGHT.
I THINK IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET PEOPLE THAT ARE CONCERNED, UM, ABOUT, UM, THE SITUATION WE HAD THIS PAST SUMMER, UH, OVER ON CHISMAN CREEK, WHERE THEY WERE GETTING PULLED BY VMRC OR SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION WHERE THEY'VE NEVER GOTTEN PULLED BEFORE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN CALLS FROM EMAILS, PEOPLE STOPPING ME JUST SAYING, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON? AND, UM, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO GET SOME CLARITY.
APPARENTLY, EVEN AT OUR MEETING AT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WHEN JAMES AND THEM PRESENTED, THERE WAS STILL SOME AMBIGUITY EVEN AT THAT MEETING WITH ALL OF THE AUTHORITIES THERE.
SO I THINK WE'VE GOTTA GET OUR HAND HANDS AROUND WHAT THE AUTHORITY IS FOR EACH OF THOSE LOCATIONS.
AND I THINK STEVEN WOULD AGREE, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT CAME THAT NIGHT ARE UPSET ABOUT THAT ONE PARTICULAR NO WAKE SIGN.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE ONE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADDRESS.
I THINK THE REST OF 'EM, FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK PEOPLE ARE OKAY WITH.
SO WE JUST NEED TO GET SOME CLARITY AND FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO FROM HERE.
AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, THE COUNTY HAS NO AUTHORITY IN ENFORCEMENT
WE, OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, THIS BODY, IF THERE'S A NEW SIGN OR A CHANGE, THIS BODY WOULD APPROVE THE SIGN.
WE WOULD TAKE IT TO THE STATE, THEY WOULD APPROVE IT, APPROVE IT, AND THEN WE WOULD INSTALL IT.
BUT, UM, DON'T HAVE ANY ENFORCEMENT JURISDICTION.
NO JURISDICTION, UNLESS YOU GET JAMES TO VOTE.
AND EVEN THEN HE DOESN'T HAVE ENFORCEMENT
EVERY, EVERY NEW SIGN IS GOING TO HAVE A FILE NUMBER AND, UH, THE STATE IS GOING TO REQUIRE THOSE FILE NUMBERS TO BE ON THAT SIGN.
THAT WAS SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAD TRYING TO FIND WHICH ONES AND WHEN THEY WERE APPROVED AND SENT OVER TO THE STATE.
SO NOW THEY WILL ALL BE, HAVE THEIR OWN FILE NUMBER, AND IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO EXERCISE OR SAY, THIS IS NOT RIGHT, THEY CAN GO TO THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL WILDLIFE RESOURCES, GIVE 'EM THAT FILE NUMBER CODE, THEY CAN BRING IT UP AND THEY'LL GIVE AN EXACT DATE OF WHEN IT WAS PASSED BY THE BOARD AND WHEN IT WAS SENT OVER AND APPROVED BY THE STATE.
AND SOMETIMES THERE WERE SIGNS, WE BELIEVE THAT JUST APPEARED RIGHT.
AND THERE WAS SOME AMBIGUITY ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR SIGN, WHETHER IT WAS CODIFIED OR NOT.
AS WE KNOW NOW, IT WAS CODIFIED AND IT JUST SITS WAY OFF OF THE CHANNEL, SO YOU REALLY CAN'T SEE IT UNLESS YOU'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR IT.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY SOME CONFUSION THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARED UP.
NOT ONLY CONFUSION, BUT THAT, THAT ONE SIDE PARTICULAR OFF LEY ROAD, IT, IT'S IT'S WAY NORTH UP ON THE, ON THE, ON THE CREEK.
AND THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE MAIN SIGN THAT'S IN QUESTION.
BUT IF YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT CREEK OR SIDE ON THE SOUTH SIDE, YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT SIGN EXISTS.
AND PEOPLE WERE GETTING BUSTED JUST BOATING ALONG LIKE NORMAL IN THAT PART OF THE RIVER AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT SIGN WAS THERE.
SO ONE OF THE THING, ONE OF THE REASONS WE NEED, NEED TO ADDRESS THAT SIGN PLUS THAT THE CREEK IS SO WIDE AT THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TALK MORE ABOUT IT.
LET'S LET, UH, JAMES TAKE IT FROM HERE.
AND, UH, ANSWER SOME THOSE QUESTIONS.
BESIDES THE, THE NO WAKE ZONES, THE STATE HAS LAWS FOR NO WAKE AS WELL.
[00:40:01]
ANYBODY THAT IS ON WAKE WITHIN 50 FOOT OF A DOCK, A BOAT RAMP OR PEOPLE IN THE WATER IS BREAKING THE LAW.AND WHAT IS WAKE WA? SO IT, IT IS A, IT IS A DEFINED AS A NO WAKE ZONE IS DEFINED AS THE LOWEST SPEED YOU CAN GO TO MAINTAIN YOUR VESSEL OPERABLE AND GOING IN THE SAFE DIRECTION.
UM, SO IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH, IT'S, IT'S OUTTA THE WAVES HITTING THE SHORE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND IF, AND IF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE AND ANY BOAT, WHATEVER WAKE YOU CONSIDER BE NO WAKE IS A GRAY AREA WITH THAT.
BUT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE AS A BOAT OF YOUR OWN WAKE.
WHETHER IT TEARS SOMETHING UP OR BREAKS SOMETHING UP, BUT THEY DON'T DO SPEED BECAUSE OF IT.
IT'S HARD TO REGISTER SPEED, ESPECIALLY IN TIDAL WATERS WHERE YOU HAVE A CURRENT, YOU GET THE WIND BEHIND YOU UHHUH.
SO YOU COULD BE AT YOUR LOWEST IDLE SPEED STILL BE TOO FAST, AND YOU COULD STILL BE TOO FAST IF IT WAS, SAY, FIVE MILES AN HOUR.
IF YOU'VE GOT THE CURRENT BEHIND, ESPECIALLY OUT IN FRONT OF OUR PEERS DOWN HERE WHERE THE CURRENT GOES REALLY FAST, YOU COULD EASILY BE ABOVE THAT MAXIMUM.
IT'S ALSO VERY HARD AND IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO HAVE THE TYPE OF RADAR THEY NEED.
IT ALSO, UM, BOUNCES OFF VESSELS.
AND IF THERE'S SMALL VESSELS, PERSONAL WATERCRAFTS OR SMALL VESSELS ON A BUNCH OF VESSELS AROUND, IT'S HARD TO PICK THAT ONE VESSEL OUT.
UM, SO A LOT OF BOATS ARE USING GPS TO DETERMINE THEIR SPEEDS.
UM, THE WAY THE STATE LOOKS AT IT IS IT'S BASICALLY IDLE SPEED OR THE SAFEST, SLOWEST SPEED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF YOUR BOAT.
SO IT DOES NOT GO OFF COURSE, BUT THEY DO HAVE CLARIFICATION ON WHAT AWAKE IS.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT DOUG WAS ASKING.
IT'S, YEAH, AS I WAS READING THROUGH IT, IT, THERE, THERE IS CLARITY ON WHAT, WHAT AWAKE IS.
AND IT'S, IT'S A HEIGHT THING AS WELL AS THE SPEED.
I'LL MAKE THE POINT THAT WAVES TRAVEL ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE OCEAN.
SO JUST, JUST BECAUSE YOU SLOW YOUR SPEED DOWN DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE WAVE ISN'T GOING TO BE THERE.
WELL, UM, ESPECIALLY PLACES LIKE THIS, UNLESS YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, REALLY HIGH WINDS, YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE BIG WAKES COMING IN THESE, THESE CREEKS AND CANALS.
YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET OUT IN THE BAY, WHEN YOU START TURNING THE CORNERS AROUND SOME OF THESE BLUFFS, THEN YOU COULD GET SOME, YOU KNOW, YOU DEFINITELY WOULD GET WAYS OUT THERE.
LIKE I SAID, NOBODY'S REALLY COMPLAINING ABOUT ANY OF 'EM EXCEPT THIS PARTICULAR ONE.
AND ARE THERE, ARE THERE SPEED ZONES OR SPEED LIMITS IN ANY OF THESE, UH, CREEKS AS WELL? NO, SIR.
I BELIEVE QUEEN'S CREEK HAS, HAS A SPEED LIMIT SIGN.
WE HAVE THE, THE NO WAKE SIGN THAT WE HAVE IS ON MARKER 20 THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COAST GUARD.
IF, UH, SOMEBODY ELSE HAD PUT UP A SPEED LIMIT OH NO.
IT'S UP IN THIS CORNER AND THAT CORNER.
IT'S ACTUALLY PIECE FURTHER DOWN.
LIKE HE SAID, YOU CAN'T, HOW ARE YOU GONNA GAUGE SPEED? SO YOU CAN'T LIKE A BRIEFING UNLESS THEY HAD A RADAR GUN.
WE REALLY JUST WANTED AND DISCUSS.
WHAT, WHAT'S THE BOARD'S PLEASURE WITH I GOT WITH THESE C CONCERNS.
SO OVER THE YEARS, I DON'T REMEMBER PATRICK, UH, CREEK BEING A, BEING AN ISSUE.
I REMEMBER THEY CAME DOWN 'CAUSE THE TAYLORS LIVED DOWN THERE AND THEY REALLY DIDN'T CARE.
BUT, UH, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, I GOT A CALL THE OTHER DAY FROM ONE OF OUR, UM, ONE OF OUR FOLKS IN, UH, YORK COUNTY, AND I DIDN'T GET A CALL, BUT IT WAS, WELL IT WAS, IT WAS A CALL.
AND, UH, THE POINT WAS HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET FROM ONE END TO THE CREEK TO ANOTHER? SO BEFORE YOU, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET OUT OF THE, OUT OF THE CREEK.
I MEAN, YOU LOOK IT UP THERE, CHISHOLM CREEK.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S QUITE A DRIVE IF YOU GO FROM ONE END TO THE NEXT, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU'RE ONLY MOVING ALONG AT MAYBE, MAYBE TWO OR THREE MILES AN HOUR IN A, IN A SMALL BOAT.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET FROM THAT END, ONE END TO THE NEXT? SO, I MEAN, I'M KIND OF, I'M WONDERING IN THIS ZEAL OF PUTTING NO WAKE ZONE SIGNS UP EVERYWHERE, ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE WE HAVE, WE ACTUALLY, I I QUESTION WHETHER WE ACTUALLY DID ANY, UH, ANY REAL STUDY OTHER THAN SOMEBODY COME DOWN AND COMPLAINED ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, I SAW THE STUDY IN THIS, THIS THING.
THE OTHER PART, UH, WITH THAT, AND WELL GOING TO THAT IS THEN I QUESTION WHETHER ALL OF CHISHOLM CREEK THAT ESPECIALLY YOU JUST HIT IT, IS WIDE AS THIS THING IS MM-HMM
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU, YOU GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THAT END.
NOW, WHERE'S THE MARINA IN, IN THIS, THIS THING? THERE'S SEVERAL, THERE'S, THERE'S LEGACY RIGHT THERE, THERE LEGACY'S HERE, THERE'S SMITH MARINE RAILWAY.
THIS DOESN'T, THIS KIND OF HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR BUSINESS.
I MEAN, YOU GOTTA GET IN AND GET SOME GAS.
I MEAN, STILL, I MEAN, I'M LOOKING, I DON'T KNOW, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WITH THEM HAVING BOATS DOCKED, THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE ROLLING IN THERE.
MESSING THE BOATS UP THAT ARE TIED UP.
SEE, I WAS KIND CONCERNED ABOUT, THE POINT IS IT HASN'T BEEN ENFORCED ALL THESE YEARS.
[00:45:01]
SOMEBODY FLYING DOWN THE CREEK.I MEAN, I, I LIVE OFF THIS CREEK AND I CAN LOOK OUT MY BACK WINDOW OFF THE DECK AND PEOPLE ARE SKIING OUT THERE AND JET SKIING.
AND THERE, THERE'S NO SIGN OF, UH, NO WAKE FOR THOSE PEOPLE, WHICH TAKES ME TO MY, UNTIL THEY GET TO THE MARINA.
WHICH TAKES ME TO MY, REALLY, MY THIRD POINT WITH ONE THAT, UM, THAT I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON, ON THIS.
BECAUSE I THINK IN OUR STUDY, WELL NEXT, NEXT WEEK, I THINK IN OUR STUDY WE GOT FIVE AREAS WHERE THE ONE EVEN KNEW THAT THERE WAS A WEIGHT RESTRICTION AND THEY WERE NEVER POSTED.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN NOW WE'RE GONNA POP UP, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS, 15 YEARS AFTER THESE THINGS WERE APPROVED AND LAY IT OUT THERE AND THE ENVIRONMENT HAS CHANGED.
I MEAN, PEOPLE, NEW PEOPLE HAVE MOVED IN AND ALL THAT.
SO I WANNA KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THIS BEFORE I WOULD GO IN AND SAY, YEAH, YOU KNOW, GREAT, LET'S, UH, LET'S GO.
JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE APPROVED BACK IN WHENEVER THAT WE PUT 'EM UP HERE.
WELL, THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE MEETING NEXT WEEK.
WE'LL, OR NEXT IN TWO WEEKS WE'LL BE A PUBLIC HEARING BECAUSE THAT'S ALMOST NEW HEARING.
THAT'S ALMOST LIKE A NEW ISSUE.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT JET SKIS.
I MEAN, IF THEY CREATE A WAKE YES MA'AM.
SO ARE THEY ALLOWED OR ARE THEY PROHIBITED IN CERTAIN AREAS? THEY HAVE TO ABIDE BY ALL THE SAME LAWS AS OF 16 FOOT BOAT AT OR ANY OTHER SIZE BOAT.
BUT INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, A JET SKI CARRIES LESS WEIGHT GOING FASTER.
SO WHEN THEY'RE SLOW, THEY CARRY A BIGGER WEIGHT.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A BIG WEIGHT AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY HARDER TO STEER TWO OR REMAIN.
YOU'RE STEER THAT'S WELL, SLOWER.
SO IF YOU HAVE, YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THE GOING ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE OCEAN.
BUT YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE THROW AND THE, AND THE WIND AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
UM, I LOOK AT CHISHOLM CREEK, THAT'S THE ONE KIND OF JUST IS OF INTEREST IS THAT SOMEWHERE IN THIS SCIENTIFIC STUDY THAT THEY GAVE US, I READ THAT WHERE THEY WERE LOOKING AT 500 FEET, YOU KNOW, LIKE A, SOME, THERE WAS A THUMB, SOME 500 FOOT THING THAT THEY LOOKED AT DISTANCE THAT IT WAS LIKE, I THOUGHT THE WAY I READ IT, THAT THAT WAS THE DISTANCE OFF OF THE SHORE.
AND THEN AFTER THAT THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF, ALL BETS ARE OFF.
BUT I'M WONDERING HOW FAR ACROSS THAT CREEK IS.
AND, AND SO I, I COME BACK TO MY ORIGINAL POINT.
MUCH, MUCH OF THIS IS, I FEEL WAS MORE COMPLAINT DRIVEN FOR US PUTTING THOSE SIGNS UP THAN IT WAS ANY SCIENTIFIC STUDY AS TO ARE THEY REALLY NEEDED AT THIS SPOT.
THE STUDY ITSELF THAT I READ WAS, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN NORTH CAROLINA THERE.
IT WAS VERY, BUT IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT THIS PLACE, THIS PLACE, UH, BOSTON, ALL THIS KIND OF, AND I'M GOING, THAT'S ALL GREAT.
HOW DO I APPLY THIS TO THIS? OKAY.
WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO OUR, OUR CITIZENS.
SO IF SOMEBODY'S OVER THERE COMPLAINING THAT THE PROPERTY'S BEING WASHED AWAY BY VOTE, UH, TRAFFIC, I, I QUESTION, I WOULD QUESTION THAT RIGHT OFF THE BAT BECAUSE THE TITLE STORMS, I MEAN, 'CAUSE REMEMBER WE DID ALL THOSE STUDIES.
WE EVEN DID A STUDY HERE, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CAME UP AND DID THAT STUDY ABOUT FILTRATION.
AND I LOOK AT, I LOOK AT LAMBS CREEK AND LAMBS CREEK'S GOT THIS NO WAKE ZONE.
I MEAN, I GOT NEWS FOR YOU FOLKS, IT HIGH TIDE, YOU MAY HAVE TWO FEET OF CREEK BECAUSE THE REST OF IT'S ALL SILTED IN.
SO WHY WOULD I HAVE A WIND ZONE? YOU TALKING ABOUT DRED AND A PLACE THAT YOU CAN'T GO MORE THAN A HAND, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MILES AN HOUR.
IN FACT, THERE'S SOME PLACES, IF THEY'RE IN GL CREEK, YOU CAN, THEY'RE NO LONGER NAVIGABLE, BUT PEOPLE HAVE THEIR BOATS UP AND THERE'S NO WATER.
IT NEVER GETS MORE THAN MAYBE EIGHT INCHES OF WATER UNDERNEATH IT.
SO I'VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS EXISTING STRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE HERE FOR NO WAKE ZONES AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH.
SO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESOURCES REVIEWS THESE SIGNS EVERY YEAR, EVERY OTHER YEAR TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE HAVING FADED OR UP TO CODE.
AND THEN WE, THE COUNTY WILL REPLACE THEM.
SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW ON LAMB PACKAGE CREEK, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A SIGN THERE RIGHT NOW.
WHAT I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE IS DO THEY REALLY NEED TO BE THERE? SO, SO, SO, SO THAT, WELL, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
WELL, WELL TO THAT POINT, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE GOT THAT NIGHT, SOMEBODY ASKED, WHAT'S THE CRITERIA FOR PUTTING UP A NO WAKE SIGN? AND WE WENT, YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHAT THE CRITERIA IS.
BASICALLY THE CRITERIA IS SOMEBODY REQUEST IT, IT GOES TO PUBLIC HEARING.
AND IF MOST OF THE PUBLIC WHO COMES TO RESPOND SAY THEY WANT IT, YOU PUT IT UP.
IF MOST RESPOND, NO, WE DON'T APPROVE IT.
THAT'S THE ENTIRE OF THE CRITERIA.
WELL, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE SOME CRITERIA AROUND THAT, WHICH LED TO A DISCUSSION.
YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD IS A GROUP OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WHO YOU COULD PRESENT THIS TO.
LOCAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS YOU COULD PRESENT THIS TO, TO SAY, HEY, THIS REQUEST HAS COME IN, GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK ON HOW TO PROCEED.
WHICH KIND OF LED TO DISCUSSION.
[00:50:01]
WE STARTED TO HAVE, WELL, MAYBE WHAT WE REALLY NEED IN, IN THE COUNTY HERE IS FOR, CALL IT WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, BUT A WATERS WAY COMMITTEE, UH, LOCAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT COULD HELP US DEFINE THOSE CRITERIA AND HELP US EVALUATE WHETHER A SIGN GOES UP OR WHETHER A SIGN COMES DOWN OR ANY OTHER THING THAT HAPPENS TO BE ON THE WATERFRONT.WELL, IT WOULDN'T JUST BE THIS, I WOULDN'T BE CAREFUL.
WE EXPERT AT THE END OF THE TABLE.
WE HAVE A WET BOARD, SO I GET THAT.
BUT WE HAVE SUBJECT MATTERS AND WE STILL HAVE OTHER COMMITTEES TOO.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE, WHEN YOU HAVE COMMUNITY BUY-IN, WHEN YOU HAVE CITIZENSHIP BUY-IN, THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE.
SO ANYWAY, I GOT A SOUNDING BOARD.
A COMPLAINT I GOT IS, TOM, YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO END UP TAKING IT ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT OF, UH, WHERE IT MEETS THE RIVER.
AND I SAID, WHAT I MEAN, I MEAN, I, I, SO IT GOT TO THE QUESTION WHY, RIGHT? AND THEN THE ARGUMENT WAS, YEAH, WE DON'T WANT IT.
SO THAT'S MY ONE AND ONLY INPUT THAT I GOT FROM, UH, FROM THE CONSTITUENTS.
AND I, AND I FEEL THAT SOME QUESTIONS LIKE THAT TOO, PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS ABOUT BASICALLY WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA PRESENT WAS THE ENTIRE OF ALL THESE WATERWAYS BECOME NO S ON LIKE CHISHOLM CREEK ALL THE WAY UP TO WHERE, UM, THE DUCK BLIND IS AT.
AND I WENT, NO, THAT'S NOT, NOT THE INTENTION.
THE INTENTION IS LET'S COME AT THE GATE WITH WHAT WE KNOW EXISTS TODAY, MAKE THAT OFFICIAL, AND THEN ADJUST, ADJUST THERE.
'CAUSE EVERYBODY IS FAMILIAR WITH WHAT'S OUT THERE NOW.
UM, BUT WE'RE SET, WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO EXPAND BEYOND WHAT WE HAVE HERE.
IN FACT, SOME OF THE SIGNS WE FIND THAT THEY'RE NOT EVEN OFFICIAL SIGNS.
UM, AND THEN, THEN YOU CAN START THE EVALUATION ON WHAT NEEDS TO STAY AND WHAT, WHAT DOESN'T.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DECIDE HERE IN, IN TWO WEEKS IN EACH ONE OF THESE SIGNS WHETHER THEY GO AWAY OR NOT.
AND PLUS AGAIN, WHAT'S THE CRITERIA FOR TAKING A SIDE AWAY? LET'S, I LIKE, I LIKE TO HAVE SOME INPUT ON, ON THAT FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE WATER AND WORK ON THE WATER AND RECREATE ON, ON THE BOARD.
I I, MY RECOMMENDATION IS IT'S DON'T GO PUTTING SIGNS UP UNTIL WE GET, WE GET DOWN TO, BECAUSE THOSE FIVE, THOSE FIVE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE FOR AGES HAVE BEEN GOING DOWN THERE AND IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY A SIGN.
WHY WOULD I GO DOC, DROP THIS ON 'EM? BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF SOME ACADEMIC DRILL, I WANT TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE REALLY VALID.
THERE'S A REALLY VALID, AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE, MOST OF THE PEOPLE THERE FEEL THAT OR GIVE 'EM A CHANCE, WOULD BEAT THE BUSHES AND SAY, YEAH, WHAT, DO YOU GUYS REALLY WANT THIS HERE OR NOT? AND I THINK THAT'S JUST FAIR.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
AND I THINK THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, WHEN THIS NO WAKE SIGN WAS APPROVED, BACK WHEN WAS THIS PARTICULAR ONE? 91.
IN 91, A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE 1991.
THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE BOATERS, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE PEOPLE SKIING AND A WHOLE LOT MORE JET SKIS, A WHOLE LOT MORE PEOPLE LIVING ON THE WATER THAN IT WAS IN 91.
SO WHAT HAPPENED BACK THEN CERTAINLY IS NOT THE PLEASURE OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BOATING IN THIS CREEK RIGHT NOW.
IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING ONE OF THESE SIGNS, IS THAT THE, THE SAME AS IF YOU WERE ADDING A SIGN? YES.
SOMEBODY PETITION IS THE, THE BOARD AND GOES TO, AS A RESOLUTION CREATED, IT GOES TO PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN WE MAKE A DECISION.
BUT AGAIN, THEN IT GOES TO THE, TO THE STATE, STATE, STATE, MR. SHEPHERD I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE IMPETUS FOR ALL OF THIS PROJECT IS NOT TO ADD NO, NO WAKE SIGNS.
IT WAS TO REVIEW, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAD BASED ON SOME COMPLAINTS THAT WERE RECEIVED.
THIS PROJECT WAS NEVER KICKED OFF TO ADD NO WAKE SIGNS.
IT WAS TO REVIEW WHAT EXISTS AND TO RESPOND TO CITIZEN COMPLAINTS.
AND TO CLARIFY AND TO CLARIFY.
WELL, PEOPLE ARE GETTING, PEOPLE ARE GETTING A SITE BEING CITED FOR SOMETHING ON ALEC AND IT IN THE SIGN.
IT'S LIKE GETTING A, THIS GUY GETTING A SPEEDING TICKET FOR GOING TOO FAST IN A PLACE THAT'S MARKED, THAT'S HIDING BEHIND A BUSH.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S NOT HOW WE OPERATE.
THAT'S WHAT WE WERE WHAT PEOPLE WERE RUNNING INTO OFF CHISMAN CREEK.
AND THEN, AND IF I RECALL PATRICK CREEK, THEN OUR HISTORY ON PATRICK CREEK, IT WAS ACTUALLY ONLY ONE HALF OF THE CREEK WHERE THE, WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT WANTED THE STUFF THE OTHER HALF DIDN'T.
WELL THAT'S, THAT WAS PART OF THE CONFUSION HERE, BECAUSE THAT SIGN SITS SO FAR INLAND THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST AROUND THAT OLD MARINA.
WHEN YOU GET CLOSE TO MARINA OAK, YOU KNOW, SHUT YOUR WAKE DOWN.
WELL, WHEN WE BROUGHT IN WAS WRC, I GUESS HE SAID IT'S ALL ACROSS, ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE CREEK.
AND THAT, THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WERE LIKE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE CREEK? WE NEVER KNEW THAT ON BOTH OF THOSE SIGNS ARE DOWN.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY EARLIER.
BOTH OF THOSE SIGNS, LAMB AND P CREEK, THERE ARE NO SIGNS THERE.
NOW, THESE TWO HERE, 'CAUSE WE WANTED TO BRING THIS UP BEFORE WE WENT AND SLAPPED A NEW SIGN UP AND WASTED MONEY ON A NEW SIGN.
AND Y'ALL DIDN'T WANT THAT WANT SIGN THAT AGAIN UNTIL WE GET ALL THIS RESOLVED.
I WOULD NOT PUT A SIGN UP OF THOSE LOCATIONS UNTIL WE GET MONEY.
THAT'S WHY WE DID EVEN FURTHER OURSELVES IN THE NOSE.
JAMES'S COMMUNICATION WITH VMRC, THEY'VE SUSPENDED WRITING NO WAKE TICKETS UNTIL WE CAN GET THIS FIGURED OUT.
JAMES, YOU SO, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES MAINLY DEALS
[00:55:01]
WITH IN BODIES.THEY DO DEAL OUT HERE, BUT VMRC, MARINE POLICE, THEY WILL ALSO WRITE TICKETS.
AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE SUSPENDING THAT BECAUSE UNTIL WE HAVE CLARIFICATION THAT THEY CAN GIVE TO HIS DEPUTIES IN WRITING, HE DOES NOT WANT TO WRITE ANYTHING.
'CAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WENT FROM AN ANGLE OF ONE TO THIS.
SO THERE NEEDS TO BE CLARIFICATION BEFORE, UM, THEY WILL BE DOWN THERE AND ENFORCE ANYTHING WHEN GET WOOD COURT TO THE END OF DISTRICT COURT IN OUR COURT.
SO WOULD YOU BRING US, IT'S TECHNICALLY THIS IS THE SAME ONE, BUT THIS IS THIS ONE.
SEE IF IT HAS THE ACTUAL, UM, DATES AND EVERYTHING ON EACH SIGN WHEN THEY WERE APPROVED BY THE BOARD AND THEN WHEN THEY WERE APPROVED BY, UM, DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES.
88 TO CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR ANY OF THOSE IF YOU WEREN ON THE BOARD THEN 75 THIS COMMITTEE YEAH.
MAN, THESE BEEN ON SOME WEIGHT ZONES.
BEEN RESTRICTED HERE FOR ADC 50 YEARS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANNA LOOK AT THAT, BUT SEE THAT, OKAY, SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO REFURBISH THE SIGNS, CHECK WITH THE STATE ON THE LOCATIONS.
SO THE NEXT MEETING WE'LL BE PREPARED TO BRING YOU A RESOLUTION.
WE'LL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, UM, ABOUT WHAT SIGNS YOU WANT TO DO.
OR IF YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, WANT TO HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND PAUSE OR MOVE THAT DOWN TO ROAD.
I THINK WHAT I'M LOOKING AT, IT'S NOT WHAT SIGNS WE WANT.
IT'S WHAT SIGNS THAT ARE NEEDED.
AND WHY AND, AND HOW MANY DO WE ACTUALLY NEED? ARE WE OVER SIGN? DO WE HAVE SIGNED BLOOD? I DON'T KNOW.
WELL, IF I PUT IT ON HOLD PERMANENTLY, THEN THERE IS NO, UH, ACT BY VMR TO, UH, ISSUE CITATIONS.
THOUGH, IF WE, IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING AND THEY START GETTING COMPLAINTS, THEY MAY CHOOSE TO ENFORCE.
'CAUSE THESE, THESE ARE THE REGULATORY SIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE ISSUE CAME WITH.
I THINK ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN SAID FOR THIS SIGN UP HERE, HE MET WITH VMRC AND THE STATE AND EVERY SOME BACK IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, AND THEY ALL HANDSHAKE AGREED THAT THEY WOULDN'T ENFORCE IT AND IT HADN'T BEEN A PROBLEM FOR YEARS.
NOW FAST FORWARD, THERE'S NEW PEOPLE THEY DIDN'T HANDSHAKE AND THEY STARTED ENFORCING IT.
I, I THINK SOMETHING ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE, EVEN THE PEOPLE THAT WERE VEHEMENTLY AGAINST THE NO WAKE SIGN, THE MOUTH OF THE CHISMAN CREEK WERE IN FAVOR OF NO WAKE SIGNS IN SPECIFIC AREAS.
SO IT WASN'T A VOICE OF HEY ALL NO WAKE SIGNS ARE BAD.
IT'S JUST WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE.
SO I THINK IT, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THE A HUNDRED PLUS PEOPLE WE HAD IN THERE, MR. RUN ASKED HIM TO RAISE THEIR HAND.
IT'S EVERYBODY HERE FOR THE CHISMAN CREEK SIGN, AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY RAISE THEIR HAND.
I THINK THERE'S AN IDENTIFICATION THAT SOME NO WAKE SIGNS ARE GOOD.
SOME ARE A LITTLE, LITTLE, UM, YEAH.
SO THE POINT IS THAT THERE'LL BE SOME THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED POTENTIALLY.
POSSIBLY ONE GETTING INTO A BIG ISSUE IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
WE PROBABLY NEED TO HEAR THE COMMENTS AT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN DECIDE WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO AS AN ACTION FOLLOWING.
I DON'T THINK, I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR A RESOLUTION YET.
SO WOULD, UH, SO COULD, UH, I MEAN, SOMEWHERE, I WOULD PUT IT THIS WAY.
MAYBE THERE ARE A LOT, THERE ARE NOT AS MANY PEOPLE OUT ON THE WATER NOW AS WHEN THAT SUMMER COMES AROUND.
PEOPLE WANT IT, IT BECOMES AN ISSUE.
WELL, AND THAT'S, THAT WAS OUR IDEA.
THE TIMING IS, YOU KNOW, WE GET THIS IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO.
WELL, TO START THE VOTING SEASON.
I DON'T THINK RIGHT NOW THE SIGNS ARE THE ISSUE.
IF, IF THEY'RE NOT ISSUING CITATIONS, SIGNS ARE NOT THE ISSUE.
SO THE POINT, WHAT'S THEIS ISSUE FOR, FOR ME ANYWAY, IS I WANNA KNOW WHY THE DAMN SIGNS ARE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I MEAN, OTHER, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT A, YOU KNOW, OH GOSH.
ONE PERSON SHOWS UP OR TWO PEOPLE SHOW UP AND THEY SAY, YEAH, WE WANT TO, WE NEED TO KNOW WAKE SIGN.
AND THEN YOU GET AN WAKE SIGN, WELL, THEN YOU GOT OTHER PEOPLE GOING.
THEN IT GETS, IT GETS TO THIS THING WHERE OKAY.
IS AN WAKE ZONE, BUT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT.
SO WE GO FOR 50 YEARS WITH A NO WAKE ZONE SIGN THAT'S NOT THERE.
OR NO ONE'S PAYING ATTENTION TO IT, AND IT'S NOT BEING ENFORCED.
WE NEED ENOUGH TIME FOR YOU GUYS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY.
DO WE NEED A SIGN THERE? IS IT REALLY STILL A VALID POINT FOR US? OTHERWISE, WE REMOVE THE SIGN.
AND WE START WITH A CLEAN SLATE AND WE HAVE PEOPLE COME BACK IN AND TELL US THEY NEED ON NO WAKE SIGN.
WELL, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS HAVE.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE PUBLIC CAN WILL BE ALL ABOUT.
ONE OF THE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IS, UH, PATRICK'S CREEK AND LAMBS CREEK.
THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE SIGNS THERE.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING, THERE IS NO SIGNS THERE.
[01:00:01]
OUT.SO WE HAVE TO DECIDE IF THE STORM TOOK THEM OUT, DO WE WANT TO PUT 'EM BACK UP? THAT'S PART OF, WELL, THE WHOLE DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT NOW, WE DIDN'T GET ANY, ANY KICKBACK AT THE MEETING OF EITHER ONE OF THOSE CREEKS.
BUT THERE'S NO WAKE SIGNS IN THE CREEK.
SO IT MAY BE THAT WE NEED SOME PUBLIC OPINION FROM PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON THOSE CREEKS.
AND BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, IF YOU NOTICE NO WAKE SIGNS ARE IN CREEKS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
AND SOME ARE WIDER THAN OTHERS.
IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THAT CHISMAN CREEK IS THE WIDEST ONE IN THERE.
THE REST OF THE CREEKS IS WHY NOBODY'S FUSSING BECAUSE THEY LIVE ON A, A MORE NARROW CREEK AND THEY DON'T WANT WAKES TEARING UP THEIR BULKHEADS AND THEIR LIVING, YOU KNOW, SHORELINES AND THEIR RIP WRAP.
'CAUSE IT DOES, IT WILL TEAR YOUR STUFF UP.
I'M WELL, YOU KNOW, IF NO ONE, HERE'S THE THING.
IF NO ONE, IF THEY'RE NOT BEING ENFORCED, NO ONE KNOWS, AND THERE'S NO SIGN THERE AND, AND NO ONE'S KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR, UH, 50 YEARS OR SO, I WOULD SAY THAT THEN THERE'S NO COMPLAINTS.
THEN I WOULD SAY, WHY DO WE HAVE A SIGN THERE? I MEAN, JUST, JUST THE LOGIC.
NO ONE, ARE THEY JUST, OR IS IT JUST COMMON SENSE TO HAVE TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE IT'S TOO TIGHT AND IT'S, AND IT'S SILTED IN OR WHATEVER.
SO, YOU KNOW, I, I'M JUST, I'M NOT, I'M NOT TRYING TO CREATE A PROBLEM HERE.
I'M JUST TRYING NOT FOR US NOT TO STEP, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE LANDMINES HERE WHEN WE DON'T NEED TO.
I THINK THE STAFF COULD DO A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH.
WE, AND BECAUSE WHEN THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME TO US AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THE SIGN.
WE, WE'RE NOT, THE BOARD'S NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT GONNA RUN.
I MEAN, YOU MIGHT WANNA RUN OUT THERE AND THE CREEKS AND FIND OUT AND GO, WELL, I DON'T KNOW.
DO WE NEED A SIGN HERE OR NOT? WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND, NO ONE TO TALK TO.
SO THE POINT IS, WE GOTTA GET THE STAFF TO GIVE US THE DATA.
I THINK WE NEED ABOUT SIX MONTHS AT LEAST TO GET US IN THE WARM SUMMER, THE WARM WEATHER.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION.
AND THEN THEY GET THE WORD OUT THAT THERE'S POSSIBLE, THERE'S THIS COULD BE, THERE IS AN AWAKE THING HERE AND WE HAVE TO ENFORCE IT.
NO, I THINK IF WE TASK 'EM TO DO THAT, I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE US SIX MONTHS TO GET THROUGH THIS.
I'M, I'M MORE INTERESTED IN THE PEOPLE COMING TO US.
AND, AND, AND THAT GOES TO MY INTEREST OF HAVING A DESIGNATED COMMITTEE FOR THAT.
'CAUSE NOT ONLY DO Y'ALL WANT THE EXPERTISE FROM THE COUNTY STAFF AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT HELP US OUT WITH IT.
I WANT ACTUAL USERS OF THE WATERWAYS.
AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE WATERWAYS.
YOU KNOW, FORMALLY GIVE US SOME IN INPUT AS WELL.
SO IT CAN ACT AS A, AS A HUB FOR THEIR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WHO THEY ALSO USE THE WATERS AND LIVE ON THE WATERS TO COME, COME TALK TO AND GIVE THEM INPUT THAT THEY CAN GIVE US IN.
BUT JUST LIKE ANY ONE OF THE OTHER COMMITTEES THAT WE HAVE HERE THAT WE APPOINT PEOPLE TO, DURING, DURING THAT MEETING, I ASKED A QUESTION.
I SAID, IF WE PUT THIS TOGETHER, SHOW OF HANDS HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN.
AND, AND ENOUGH HANDS WENT UP JUST IN THAT ROOM TO POPULATE IT.
SINCE I'VE HAD AT LEAST ONE EMAIL, SOMEBODY'S ACTUALLY TWO EMAILS SAYING, IF YOU HAVE THAT COMMITTEE, I WOULD LIKE TO, TO JOIN IT.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY INTEREST IN IT.
THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
NOT JUST AT PUBLIC HEARINGS, BUT FOR THAT COMMITTEE AS WELL.
AND GOOD PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH THE COUNTY.
AND I THINK WE CAN SOLVE THESE QUESTIONS.
UM, THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME, UH, THERE'S SOME ISSUES WITH WHAT YOU PROPOSE THAT I WILL TALK TO YOU ON THE SIDE ABOUT.
BUT I MEAN, HAVING LIVED THROUGH WHERE WE'VE HAD AD HOC COMMITTEES THAT, OR COMMITTEES THAT BECOME DYSFUNCTIONAL, I'D RATHER SEE A MEETING.
WE WOULD, WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE HAD AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
AND NOW THAT YOU'VE CLARIFIED EVERYTHING AND WE HAVE OUR PUBLIC HEARING, CAN WE THEN GO BACK AND HAVE ONE MORE MEETING WITH ALL THE PUBLIC THAT ARE INTERESTED AND GET THEIR INPUT? WE, WE COULD, WE COULD DO THAT.
BUT I'M ALSO THINKING BIGGER PICTURE, SIX MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD, ONE OF, ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY'S MEMBERS COME TO US, SAY, I'M GONNA VOTE IT DOWN.
I, I WANT A, I WANT A NO WAKE SIGN, OR I WANT ONE TAKEN DOWN.
UM, BUT, BUT MAYBE THE COMMUNITY DOES WANT THAT.
SO WHY DON'T WE TAKE, I, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT TO THAT COMMITTEE AND GO, ALL RIGHT, HERE'S THE REQUEST.
GIVE IT, YOU KNOW, GIVE US YOUR MORE COMMENT IS, I REALLY DON'T WANNA CREATE COMMITTEES FOR THE SAKE OF CREATING WORK.
I DON'T WANNA DO IT FOR THE SAKE OF DOING IT TOO.
BUT GIVEN, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF WATERWAYS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE COUNTY, NO MATTER USAGE AND RECREATION AND, AND COMMERCIAL USAGE, WE GET OF IT.
I THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD USE OF A, OF PUBLIC COMMITTEE.
I STILL BELIEVE YOU CAN GET THE SAME INPUT IN A WELL-PUBLICIZED MEETING, AND THAT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
BUT, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS THE LIVING THING HERE.
I DON'T THINK IT, IT IS EVER THE LAST THING I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.
AND IT'S LIKE THE, THE HISTORIC COMMITTEE, THE ARTS COMMITTEE, I MEAN, YOU LEAN ON THEM FOR THEIR INPUT AND EXPERTISE ON THOSE SUBJECT MATTERS.
WHY WOULDN'T WE DO THE SAME THING WITH THE, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK, LOOK, WORK ON THESE WATERS HERE.
[01:05:02]
I, I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD WHERE, JAMES, I'M AFRAID THAT I'M SORRY.I, I'D LIKE TO JUST ADD THAT JAMES, WHERE HE HAS ABSOLUTE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND IS A CAPTAIN, YOU KNOW, HIS REVIEW IS GONNA BE INTUITION AS A CAPTAIN.
HE'S NOT A HYDROLOGIST, HE'S NOT A GEOLOGIST.
SO JAMES IS, DOESN'T HAVE A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING OR MARINE ENGINEERING.
SO JUST PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND.
HE CAN DO THE RESEARCH AND, AND REACH OUT TO PEOPLE.
BUT IT'S NOT AS, YOU KNOW, FIELD OF STUDY.
SO, UM, IF YOU WANTED SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING CONTRACTED TO SOMEBODY THAT EX THAT'S AN EXPERT IN THAT FIELD.
I WOULD, IF YOU TRULY WANT, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY? MR. SHEPHERD SAID SIX MONTHS OF RESEARCH TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE NO, NO SIX MONTHS TO GIVE THE STAFF CHANCE TO GET AROUND.
THE WEATHER WHERE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE OUT INSTEAD OF HIDING IN THEIR HOUSES OR NOT GETTING, WANNA GET ON THE WATER AND, AND THEN JUST HAVE THE TIME TO ACCUMULATE INPUT FROM ALL THE, FROM FROM FOLKS.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE MAYBE ONE OR TWO MEETINGS.
I MEAN, JUST TO GET, GET A, GET A SENSE ON, FIND OUT WHICH ONES ARE THE MOST SENSITIVE PART AND THEN EVALUATE WHETHER, I MEAN, I COME BACK TO THE, I COME BACK TO MY ORIGINAL COMMENT.
WHY? I MEAN, IT'S BEEN THESE ALL THESE YEARS AND WE, WE DON'T KNOW WHY THE SIGNS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF WE DON'T KNOW ANYMORE.
AND WHEN DID THE LAST ONE GO UP? 91? NO, 2007 I BELIEVE.
I MEAN, JUST TO REEMPHASIZE A POINT THOUGH, THAT WAS MADE 2015.
IF YOU ALL DON'T DO ANYTHING, THE VMRC HAS THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE EVERY ONE OF THESE SIDES.
OR THEY, THEY MIGHT CURRENTLY DECIDE, HEY, THERE'S A MORATORIUM AND WE'RE NOT GONNA DO IT.
AND I THINK THE UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'RE NOT GONNA ENFORCE THE ONE UP BY SEAFORD MARINA.
BUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE SAID IS THAT THEY WON'T, BUT THEY, AS IT STANDS NOW, ALL OF THESE SIGNS ARE LEGAL.
THEY WERE, THEY WERE, UH, UH, REQUESTED BY THE COUNTY.
THEY'VE BEEN APPROVED BY THE STATE AND THE STATE VMRC WHO HAS AUTHORITY OVER THE, THESE, THESE WATERS THAT'S RIGHT.
CAN ENFORCE 'EM AND MAY DECIDE TO START DOING IT.
SO IF THIS BOARD DOES NOTHING, THE STATUS QUO REMAINS.
I'M SAYING WE JUST ACCUMULATE, I WANT MORE INPUT FROM THE CITIZENS ON, ON THEIR, THEIR VIEW.
TO FIND OUT IF REALLY WE OVERDID IT.
WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ADVERTISED AND SCHEDULED.
SO WE WOULD, THAT WOULD BE A NEXT, THE NEXT MEETING, WE WOULD GET SOME INPUT THERE.
AND THEN MAYBE THAT'LL GIVE US ENOUGH INPUT.
BECAUSE I, I THINK THERE WERE TWO ISSUES THAT REALLY CAME TO LIGHT FROM THE GROUP OF A HUNDRED WE HAD WAS I THINK THE LOCATION OF THIS ONE, THIS ONE.
AND THERE'S A, THERE'S A SH THERE'S A SHOAL, THERE'S TWO SHOALS, THERE'S A SHOAL RIGHT OFF THIS POINT.
AND THERE'S A SHOAL RIGHT OFF THIS POINT.
SO IT LOOKS WIDE HERE, BUT IT ACTUALLY NARROWS DOWN.
YOU'LL SEE PEOPLE RUNNING AROUND ON THIS SHOAL 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
BUT EVERYBODY REALLY WANTED IT TO START RIGHT HERE BECAUSE OF THE TWO SHOALS.
THERE'S A SHOAL RIGHT HERE AND THERE'S A SHOAL RIGHT OFF THIS RIGHT HERE.
SO, AND IT NARROWS DOWN AND IT GETS REALLY DANGEROUS WITH PEOPLE PULLING SKIERS RIGHT THERE.
OR BIGGER BOATS, SMALLER BOATS, THEY'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
THEY EITHER RUN A GROUND OR THEY ALMOST HIT EACH OTHER.
SO THE PUBLIC INPUT WE GATHER AT THE NEXT MEETING MAY GIVE US ENOUGH CLARITY, UH, TO MAKE A, MAKE A DECISION.
RICHARD, BACK TO YOUR POINT, VM R C'S NOT THE ONLY AUTHORITY OUT THERE THAT CAN GIVE TICKETS.
BUT MY POINT THOUGH IS THE ONLY ONE, MY POINT THOUGH IS, IS THAT IT, YOU KNOW, GOING SIX MONTHS OR WHATEVER IS, IS, IS Y'ALL CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.
BUT THAT THE I WE'RE NOT STARTING, WE'RE NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH RIGHT NOW.
THE STATUS IS NOT, THERE ARE NO, NO WAKE SIGNS RIGHT NOW.
THE STATUS IS ALL THESE SIGNS ARE UP, ALL THESE SIGNS ARE ENFORCEABLE.
AND SO IF THEY WANT TO BE REMOVED, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION.
AND IF WE WANT TO REIN, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO RE-UP ALL OF THEM.
BUT IF WE DON'T WANNA DO ANYTHING AND JUST LEAVE IT IN PLACE, WE ONLY HAVE TO DO ANYTHING.
SO YEAH, I THINK, I THINK THE PUBLIC HEARING NEXT WEEK OR THE NEXT MEETING WILL GIVE US, UH, A LOT OF GOOD INPUT AND THEN WE CAN DECIDE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO CODIFY THEM OR IF WE WANT SOME MORE TIME.
I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR RIGHT NOW.
BRIAN, WE TALKED ABOUT CODIFYING THEM, BUT I MEAN, THEY'RE ALREADY CODIFIED.
I MEAN WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT RIGHT.
BUT WE WANT, BUT WE WANT 'EM ALL IN ONE RESOLUTION BECAUSE PART OF THE PROBLEM HAS IS WHEN THEY WROTE A TICKET, THEY DIDN'T WRITE THE RESOLUTION THAT ACTUALLY APPROVED IT.
AND THEN THAT TICKET GOT THROWN OUT.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CRAP, THIS IS EVERYTHING BEFORE TODAY IS GONE.
THESE ARE THE ACTUAL NO WAKE ZONE.
FOR OUR WATERWAYS AT THIS TIME.
WE'LL PUT THE, THE INFORMATION ON THE SIGN ITSELF.
DO YOU HAVE TO, TO GO BACK TO THE STATE? YES.
WE'LL APPROVE THE, AND THEN THE STATE WILL APPROVE THEM.
BUT IT'S REALLY JUST ADMINISTRATIVE PAPERWORK
[01:10:01]
AT THIS POINT.BECAUSE THE NO WAKE, THESE NO WAKE ZONE SIGNS LEGALLY OF EFFICIENTLY EXIST.
TODAY AND THEY HAVE FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
UM, SO THERE'S ALSO A US COAST GUARD REPRESENTATIVE THERE THAT SAID THAT WE CAN MAKE THESE MARKERS, NAVIGATIONAL TWO MARKERS, WHICH WOULD SHOW UP ON VOTERS, UM, GARMINS AND EVERYTHING THAT, THAT ACTUALLY SHOWS 'EM WHEN THEY'RE ENTERING THESE ZONES, WHICH WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO OUR, OUR LOCAL VOTERS AS WELL.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? WE GOT 'EM HANDLED.
ACTUALLY, YOUR POINT THAT ACTUALLY SAYS ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS MM-HMM
THERE'S QUITE A FEW AGENCIES OUT THERE THAT COULD POP YOU.
YEAH, WELL YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BOAT.
MARINE PATROL, I MEAN, INCIDENT, I GUESS YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TO HAVE ONE, BUT I WAS JUST, I WAS JUST LOOKING AT OUR CODE.
I MEAN OUR CODE VERY SPECIFICALLY SAYS ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHERE YOU COME OVER.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
ALRIGHT.WE HAVE ITEMS THREE THROUGH NINE.
SO NUMBER THREE IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
NUMBER FOUR IS A REIMBURSEMENT FROM BOND PROCEEDS FOR CERTAIN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
NUMBER FIVE IS REIMBURSEMENT FROM BOND PROCEEDS FOR CERTAIN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS.
UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX IS AUTHORIZED THE DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY AT 1606 YORKTOWN ROAD NUMBER SEVEN IS REFUND REQUEST OF REAL ESTATE TAXES FOR DISABLED VETERANS.
NUMBER EIGHT IS RETIREMENT, UH, RECOGNITION FROM BRETT COHEN.
AND NUMBER NINE IS A REVISION THAT'S, UH, RATIFICATION OF A DECLARATION OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY FOR WINTER STORM FERN AND COASTAL WINTER WEATHER.
ANY, UH, BOARD MEMBERS WISH TO PULL OR HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS? I'LL MOVE IT.
[OPEN DISCUSSION]
OPEN, UH, DISCUSSION.I'LL CALL ON EACH BOARD MEMBER TO BRING UP MATTERS, UH, BEFORE THE BOARD.
MRS. HOLMES, I'VE GOT TWO THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, ELLI PHIL SAW HIS SHADOW SO THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE SIX MORE WEEKS.
HE'S A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT OVER YEARS.
BUT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, FEBRUARY IS BREAST CANCER MONTH.
AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN AND MEN OUT THERE.
IF THEY'VE NOT HAD AN EXAMINATION DONE FOR A WHILE, THEY REALLY OUGHT TO, TO DO IT BECAUSE IT'S SILENT.
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW YOU'VE GOT IT.
YOU AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY FIND IT IN AN EXAM AND THAT'S THE TIME WHEN YOU CAN REALLY TAKE CARE OF IT.
SO THAT'S IT, MRS. NOEL, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT TON.
WILLIE DID NOT SEE A SHADOW TODAY.
WELL, SHORT OF, UH, SIX MONTHS OVER SIX.
YOU WANNA TAKE A BET? NO, I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT.
UM, I THINK WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE STORM PUSHED SOUTH OF US.
UM, I GOT PICTURES FROM A COUSIN IN, UH, CHARLOTTE THAT HAD 15 INCHES OF SNOW.
SO
BUT, UH, ANYWAY, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET BY THAT ONE.
I UNDERSTAND THERE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW COMING HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
BUT ANYWAY, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING BIG.
UM, SO JUST PROTECT YOUR PLANTS AND YOUR PATS.
UM, SO I WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE SOFT OPENING AT VIRGINIA BEER COMPANY JUST RECENTLY AND THE RIBBON CUTTING.
AND, UH, IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.
UM, THEY'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS, UH, MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, UH, NINE TO 11 TO NINE EVERY DAY.
IS THAT IT? MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY? I BELIEVE IT'S WEDNESDAY.
MONDAY THROUGH FOUR TO NINE, AND THEN FOUR TO NINE.
SO ANYWAY, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO SUPPORT THEM, SUPPORT LOCAL.
UM, THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OVER THERE.
I WAS TALKING TO OWNER OF CUTE ADDIES TODAY, AND, UH, THEY'RE GETTING ALONG, UH, PRETTY QUICKLY.
THEY HAD A CONTRACTOR THAT BAILED OUT ON 'EM.
AND, UM, THEIR SERVICE COUNTER HAS, UM, THE GUY THAT WAS DOING THAT, OR THE COMPANY WAS DOING THAT.
THEY'VE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH THAT.
[01:15:01]
BUT HE SAID THEY'RE PUSHING AS HARD AS THEY CAN TO GET OPEN.OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BY CHICK-FIL-A ON YOUR WAY DOWN HERE, THEY'VE GOT WALLS GOING UP.
THEY'VE GOT THREE OF THEIR TALL WALLS GOING UP AS OF TODAY.
AND IF YOU LOOK NEXT DOOR, UH, THEY'RE CLEARING THE LAND FOR THE CHIPOTLE AND THEY'VE GOT THE SILK FENCE UP AND THEY'VE GOT THE, GOT THE EQUIPMENT OUT THERE TO START GETTING GOING ON THAT.
SO A LOT OF MOVING PARTS GOING ON IN, UH, ON ROUTE 17.
AND HOPEFULLY THAT'S GONNA BE BRINGING IN SOME GOOD REVENUE FOR THE COUNTY AND GOOD, MORE GOOD BUSINESS FOR US.
I THINK IT'S TOO COLD FOR OPEN DISCUSSION.
UM, BUT I, I WILL, I WAS ABLE TO JOIN WAYNE AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS OF STAFF AT THE, AT THE VIRGINIA BREW COMPANY OPENING.
AND UH, YEAH, IF YOU GET A CHANCE, GO OUT THERE.
I THINK IT'S A NICE COZY SPOT.
UM, GOOD FOOD BECAUSE I'M A SIMPLE GUY, SO IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH FOR ME.
YOU, YOU SEE THE OPERATIONS THROUGH THE BIG, BIG GLASSES.
YOU CAN SEE IT ALL HAPPEN IN, IN THE BACKGROUND THERE.
SO, LIKE WAYNE WAS SAYING, HEY, YOU GET A CHANCE TO SUPPORT A LOCAL BUSINESS.
THIS IS THEIR SECOND OPERATION.
THEY ARE, THEY EXIST UP NORTHERN PART OF THE, THE, THE NORTH END DISTRICT ONE UP SECOND STREET ON THE, UH, SECOND STREET UP THERE ON THE EDGE.
UM, SO THEY CAME, CAME DOWN HERE.
AND ACTUALLY IN ADDITION TO OPEN UP THE BREWERY, THEY OPEN UP A RESTAURANT TOO.
SO YOU GET A CHANCE, CHECK 'EM OUT.
IT'LL BE A REGULAR STOP FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AS WELL.
SO, DO YOU KNOW IF THEY TAKE RESERVATIONS? BECAUSE THE PLACE WAS PACKED.
I WENT BY THERE, THERE IT WAS PACKED.
THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY TAKING RESERVATIONS.
THEY'RE NOT TO START, BUT THEY MAY, BUT NOT RIGHT NOW.
UM, MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT WHEN I, WHEN SOMEBODY HITS THE NERVE WITH ME, IT, UH, I CAN GET PRETTY VOCAL ABOUT IT.
WELL, THEY, THE NERVE HAS NOT ONLY BEEN HIT, IT'S BEEN BURNED.
AND, AND I WANNA THANK OUR COUNTY, UH, ATTORNEY FOR PROVIDING US WITH THE UPDATES AND FOLLOWING THESE HOUSE BILLS.
UM, AND THE HOUSE BILL IN PARTICULAR IS 8 0 4 AND THERE'S A SENATE BILL 4 88.
I THE, I'M NOT TALKING TO THE, THE STAFF OR, WELL, I'M TALKING TO THE STAFF, BUT I'M TALKING THE SUPERVISOR.
HIS, BUT IT'S FOR THE PEOPLE UP OUT THERE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH, YOU SEE STUFF COME BACK AROUND AND THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING.
ALRIGHT? SO EVERYBODY GETS GET, EVERYBODY GETS EXCITED ABOUT SOME ISSUE IN WASHINGTON OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER YOUR POLITICAL SENSE IS.
AND THEN WE THROW OUT A BUNCH OF REALLY GOOD, UH, DELEGATES, OKAY? AND WE, AND, AND SO THERE WAS THIS BIG FO WAVE OF, UH, OF ANOTHER PARTY.
BUT THE IDEA WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A MANDATE.
A BIG PART OF THAT MANDATE IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, WHICH WE ALL UNDERSTAND.
AND, UH, AND EVEN BEFORE THIS CAME OUT, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, UH, YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT SM YOU KNOW, SMALLER HOMES AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WELL, WHEN YOU ELECT DELEGATES THAT HAVE NEVER SERVED AN OFFICE, YOU DON'T TELL 'EM WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET.
IT'S THE OLD BOX OF CHOCOLATE STUFF, OKAY? AND SO THEY GO UP THERE WITH A FIXED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY FEEL IS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO STUFF, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HOUSE BILL FOR 8 0 4 PLUS THERE'S ANOTHER SET OF BILLS.
OKAY? UM, SO I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHAT THIS IS REAL QUICK.
BASED UPON WHAT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY HAS GIVEN US AND WHAT I HAVE READ, ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS TO ATTACK THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ISSUE.
AND THEY'VE HEARD THIS ALL OVER THE PLACE, IS THAT WHAT YOU DO IS YOU JUST BUILD MORE HOUSING.
OKAY? WELL, WE HAVE ZONING FOR A PURPOSE BECAUSE THE ZONING HAS BEEN DEVELOPED OVER DECADES.
AND WE'VE GOT HOUSES WHERE WE WANT HOUSES.
WE HAVE BUSINESSES WHERE WE WANT BUSINESSES.
WE'VE GOT THE DENSITIES WHERE WE WANT 'EM.
AND WE, AND WE, WE TWEAK THESE THINGS AS WE GO OVER, OVER TIME.
OKAY? WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT ADDRESSES A LOT OF THIS STUFF.
AND OVER THE YEARS WE'VE HEARD, AND ESPECIALLY UP IN YOUR AREA, OH, YOU GOT ALL THESE APARTMENTS AND ALL THIS STUFF.
YOU GOT TOO MUCH BUILDING, NO ONE'S PAYING ATTENTION.
WELL, WE HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WE HAVE.
AND I'M ALWAYS THE OTHER END OF THE COUNTY DISTRICT FIVE, WHICH IS CLOSE TO MOSA.
AND NOW WHAT WE'VE GOT WITH A BUNCH OF NEW FOLKS UP THERE WITH A SUPER MAJORITY TO PUSH THINGS THROUGH.
AND I DID TALK TO OUR SENATOR, SENATOR DIGS AND HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, HE'S NOT GONNA SUPPORT THESE BILLS, BUT THEY, HE HAS NO DOUBT THEY'RE GONNA BLOW THROUGH BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE GOVERNOR WANTED.
SO WHAT IS THE GENERAL IMPACT ON US? FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S A PERCENTAGE AND HERE AND THERE THEY TALK ABOUT A 7.5%.
OKAY? THAT, THAT THEY'RE GONNA TAKE, IT CAN BE APPLIED TO
[01:20:01]
I, I AND I BASICALLY, THE WAY I LOOKED AT IT IS NOT ONLY TO OUR COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO OUR A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY THAT'S AVAILABLE.AND WHAT HAPPENS HERE IS THE STATE NOW WILL HAVE THE AUTHORITY THAT BASICALLY TAKE OUR ABILITY AS SUPERVISORS, AS ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, THEY WILL TAKE THAT AUTHORITY AWAY FROM US, GIVE IT TO A COURT APPOINTED, I THINK IT'S THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL, BOARD OF ZONING, TO MAKE A DECISION ON OUR LAND USE.
IT TAKES IT COMPLETELY AWAY FROM ALL OF US.
I MEAN, YOU CAN COME UP HERE AND, AND COMPLAIN AND TALK ABOUT IT AND POUND ON YOUR FIST AND SAY, THIS IS WHY I WANT IT.
BUT GUESS WHAT FOLKS? WE HAVE, WE'LL LOSE ALL CONTROL OF IT.
NOW, YOU, YOU GO, OKAY, WELL TELL, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU REALLY TALKING ABOUT? WELL, SO, SO THEY COME IN AND THEY LOOK AT, OH, LET ME BACK IT UP JUST A LITTLE BIT.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IN CITIES, THERE'S ONLY ABOUT, WHAT, 34 CITIES, I THINK ROUGHLY IN, IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, MOST ARE 95 COUNTIES.
SO THEY COME IN AND THEY LOOK AT THESE DENSELY POPULATED AREAS, AND THEY GET THIS NOTION THAT, OKAY, WE WILL MAKE IT EASY FOR DEVELOPERS THAT COME IN THERE, OKAY? AND TAKE OUT MALLS AND ALL THIS OTHER, YOU TALK ABOUT, WE HEAR THIS ALL TYPES STOREFRONTS ARE EMPTY.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE NOT SHOPPING AND HERE THEY'RE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHATEVER.
AND THE WAY I SEE THIS, IF I WAS A DEVELOPER, I WOULD GO, HALLELUJAH, BROTHER, BECAUSE THIS BECAME THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH.
BECAUSE I WOULD GO DOWN THERE WITH EVERY PENNY I GOT, BUY EVERY DAMN EMPTY OR CLOSE TO EMPTY, OR OFFER A PRICE ON A SHOPPING CENTER.
AND WHAT I WOULD LITERALLY DO IS TO RIP IT DOWN AND PUT HOUSING IN THERE.
I WOULD RIP IT DOWN HOUSING, BECAUSE THE HOUSING DENSITY IS A VERY PROFITABLE, A VERY PROFITABLE, UH, UH, WAY TO, TO GO AT IT.
SO, SO WHAT THEY'VE GOT NOW FOR US, AND THEY, AND YOU GO LOOK AT COUNTIES, LA COUNTY'S GOT GENERALLY, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE CHARTERS.
WE HAVE A FEW IN THE, IN THE STATE, THEY HAVE CHARTERS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE CHARTERS LIKE THE CITIES HAVE.
AND WE DON'T HAVE THE DENSITY LIKE SOME OF THE CITIES HAVE.
AND MOST OF, MOST OF THE CITIES HAVE GREATER DENSITY THAN WHAT WE HAVE.
AND SO WHAT THEY'LL DO IS FOR US, WE WILL TAKE WHATEVER PIECES OF LAND THAT WE HAVE LEFT, AND THEY WILL THEN BY RIGHT, GO IN AND BUILD ON THESE PROP ON THIS PROPERTY.
NOW I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TWO GREAT EXAMPLES OF ONE, AND I'M LOSING SLEEP OH, WITH THIS.
SO I'VE BEEN TALKING TO MY CONSTITUENTS ABOUT A PROPOSAL WHERE HARRIS TEETER, MM-HMM
WANTS TO COME IN AND TAKE PART OF, WANTS TO BUY SOME RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY AT THE CORNER OF VICTORY BOULEVARD AND SOUTH YORKTOWN ROAD.
WHICH IS RIGHT UP CLOSE TO PCOS AND LINE, THERE'S 18 ACRES IN THERE.
AND SO I'VE BEEN ASKING MY CONSTITUENTS FOR FEEDBACK.
I WANTED TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS? INSTEAD OF BUILDING MORE HOUSES, MAYBE WE'LL PUT IN A NICE GROCERY STORE HERE AND MAYBE SOME ANCILLARY BUILDINGS WITH IT FOR NICE RESTAURANTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
BECAUSE THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE.
I'VE SEEN THIS UP IN JA, UP IN, UP IN YOUR DISTRICT, UP OFF 1 99.
AND IT, YOU KNOW, THE COMPASS, THE, UH, RESTAURANT, THE HARRIS TEETER, AND IT PEOPLE LOVE IT.
EVERYBODY LOOKS NICE AND PEOPLE WANT IT.
THE INPUT BACK TO ME, FOR THE MOST PART, THUMBS UP.
SO I TALKED TO GEORGE L. SMITH, WHO ACTUALLY OWNS 71 ACRES.
NOW THIS IS THE YOUNG GUY, THE DAD'S DEAD.
SO I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THIS AND I EXPLAINED TO EVERYTHING ABOUT THEY, THAT, THAT THEY ONLY WANT 10 ACRES OF THE 18 ACRES.
AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH THE OTHER 18 ACRES? NOW WITH THIS BILL, I TOLD HIM, I SAID, YOU KNOW, IF I WAS YOU, I'D COME UP TO THE BOARD AND I'D SAY, I WANNA REZONE THAT WHOLE DAMN THING AND MAKE IT COMMERCIAL.
OKAY? AND WHAT YOU WOULD DO THEN IS THAT YOU GET YOUR HARRIS TEETER, AND THEN ON EIGHT ACRES YOU CAN GET FOUR STORY APARTMENTS, APARTMENTS AND DENSITIES ON THAT PROPERTY.
AND, AND IF WE DON'T LIKE IT, GUESS WHAT? BY THE TIME YOU DO THIS, YOU SEE YOU'RE GONNA CALL A FOUL, OKAY? AND GO TO THE BOARD OF THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL BY, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE LAW SAYS BY RIGHT.
AND YOU'LL BUILD IT, YOU'LL BUILD IT ANYWAY.
AND GUESS WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT LEGALLY ALLOWED TO ASK FOR PROFFERS, RIGHT? WELL, THE PAST WHEN HOMEOWNERS OR PROPERTY OWNERS LIKE SMITH FARMS, OKAY, OR TAYLOR FARMS, THEY WANT TO ENTICE US TO ADD A FEW EXTRA HOMES SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE MONEY.
WHAT THEY SIMPLY DO IS THEY START THROWING STUFF OUT.
YOU KNOW, WALGREENS IS EXAMPLE.
WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO A VICTORY BOULEVARD.
WALGREENS PAVED A WHOLE, A WHOLE STRETCH, GAVE US A WHOLE LANE ON, ON VICTORY, A WHOLE LANE, AND THEN TOOK IT 300 FEET DOWN TOWARDS, BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO GET THAT ACCESS.
AND IT WAS A HORSE TRADING DEAL GOING ON.
THERE WON'T BE ANY HORSE TRADING HERE.
IT'S GONNA BE, THEY'RE GOING, THEY'RE JUST GONNA DO IT.
[01:25:01]
IF YOU GO OVER ON, ON VICTORY BOULEVARD, THERE'S A FIELD, THERE'S A FARMER THAT'S BEING FARMED TODAY BY THE TAYLOR OF, UH, WILSON FARMERS, BUT IT BELONGS TO SMITH.OKAY? MAYBE 60 ACRES THERE, BUT 71 ACRES.
WHEN I TALKED TO SMITH ABOUT IT, WHAT HE CAN DO IS COME IN HERE AND TAKE THAT 71 ACRES, WHICH IS NOW ZONED FOR ONE HOUSE PER ACRE.
AND BUY RIGHT? BUY RIGHT, PUT APARTMENTS IN THERE, FOUR STORIES HIGHER, EVEN HIGHER.
BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? THEY'VE TAKEN OFF THE LIMITATIONS.
SO THEN WE JAM IN, INSTEAD OF HAVING A SMALLER NUMBER OF HOMES, WE CAN GET 5, 6, 700, 800 HOMES IN THERE.
RIGHT? ANOTHER CASE IN POINT THAT WE'VE HAD TO ADDRESS IS THE JUNKYARDS ON, ON 17, YOU MAY REMEMBER PUBLIX WANTED TO COME IN THERE AND BUY 10 ACRES.
MR. RALPH ENGLISH, UH, WHO OWNED, PUT 30 ACRES TOGETHER, SAYS, NO, ARE YOU GONNA HAVE TO TAKE THE WHOLE COTTON PICKING THING? AND SO, BUT THEN THEY LOOKED AT IT OUTTA THE 30 ACRES, ONLY 20 OF IT COULD ACTUALLY BE USED.
USED, OKAY? WELL USED IN A, IN A, IN AN ECONOMIC WAY.
AND SO THE IDEA WAS LET'S PUT THE PUBLIX IN THERE, AND THEN LET'S PUT APARTMENTS, UH, FOUR STORIES OF APARTMENTS.
THE PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT AND YOUR DISTRICT.
WE DON'T WANT MORE TRAFFIC ON SALE.
GUESS WHAT? THIS BILL WILL NOW ALLOW IT, MAKE, TAKE IT COMPLETELY OUT OF OUR HANDS.
WE'LL PUT ALL THAT PROPERTY IN THERE.
AND NOW IF HE DOESN'T EVEN WANT TO, MR. ENGLISH WANTS TO SELL THAT PROPERTY FOR RESIDENTIAL, HE CAN LITERALLY COME IN THERE AND BUILD APARTMENTS OUT THE WAZOO,
AND WE'RE GONNA BE FACED WITH IT BECAUSE WE HAVE NO APPEAL AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER IN THIS.
AND THIS WAS ALSO FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING? OH, YES.
I MEAN, THIS WAS, SO THE IDEA, THIS, WHAT ABOUT, IT'S FOR DEVELOPERS, THIS COMPRESSION OF HOUSING FOUR STORIES.
'CAUSE THAT'S ABOUT AS MUCH AS I CAN STAND STORIES, BUT FOUR STORIES HIGH AND, AND, AND QUADPLEXES AND WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BUILD, MAN, THAT IT'S A GOLD MINE.
AND THIS BRIGHT IDEA CAME FOR PEOPLE THAT NEVER HAVE TO SIT HERE AND DEAL WITH GOVERNMENT ISSUES.
NOW, WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE? BECAUSE WHEN YOU BUILD THIS MANY HOUSES, YOU END UP HAVING NOW TO BUILD, SPEND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THINGS LIKE NEW SCHOOLS.
OKAY? AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS THE FIRST THING THAT DOUG AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST THING COMES TO MIND.
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NOW, IT'S GONNA COST YOU 75 TO $80 MILLION.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, YOU HAVE TO BUY NEW FIRE STATIONS.
I THE CHIEF, I MEAN, HE STEPPED OUT HERE.
BUT ANYWAY, THE, THE, I THINK NUMBER TWO, FIRE STATIONS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST USED FIRE STATIONS IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
AND IT'S 'CAUSE OF THEY'RE CONSTANTLY OUT ON THE ROAD.
YOU'RE NOW GONNA HAVE TO GO BUY A NEW, PAY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND CREATE A MUCH LARGER FIRE STATION.
AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO USE THE CURRENT SITE.
SO THEN WE'VE GOT TO GO FIND SOME LAND FOR ANOTHER FIRE STATION THAT WE'VE GOTTA PAY FOR.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE MORE PEOPLE YOU GET, THE MORE COPS YOU HAVE TO HAVE.
OKAY? SO NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY FOR MORE DEPUTIES.
EACH DEPUTY'S RUNNING THIS 180,000 TO $200,000 A YEAR, OKAY? FOR THESE, FOR THE, TO SUPPORT 'EM, BECAUSE YOU GOTTA GET THE TRAINING, THE EQUIPMENT, THE CARS, EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE DEPUTY.
AND, AND AGAIN, AGAIN, THE FIREFIGHTERS.
NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE THE, THE EQUIPMENT IN ADDITION TO THIS, OUR MOST FAVORITE SUBJECT IS TRANSPORTATION.
BECAUSE NOW YOU THINK THE LEGACY OF BOSA JAMMED UP VICTORY BOULEVARD, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING.
OKAY? BECAUSE VICTORY BOULEVARD WILL BECOME ALMOST USELESS.
WELL, THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A HURRICANE EVACUATION ROUTE.
WELL, THAT NEVER BOTHERED ANYBODY ELSE BEFORE, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE THAT HAD TO PAY FOR IT.
SO THE, WE, WE'LL PROBABLY GET IT WIDENED BECAUSE THERE'LL BE SO MUCH DAMN TRAFFIC DOWN THERE.
SO THIS WILL HAPPEN JUST IN MY DISTRICT.
IT'LL HAPPEN IN YOUR DISTRICT, YOUR DISTRICT, YOUR DISTRICT AND YOUR DISTRICT, OKAY? BECAUSE YOU ARE GONNA END UP PAYING FOR THIS STUFF.
AND THIS IS A BRIGHT IDEA OF HOW THEY CAME UP WITH TRYING TO GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IT'LL DROP THE PRICE OF HOUSING BECAUSE YEP.
WE HAVE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE WHOLE STATE RIGHT HERE.
WE'RE RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE WHOLE STATE.
PEOPLE COME HERE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GET INTO THE SCHOOLS.
THEY WANT INTO PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
'CAUSE IT'S WAY HELL CHEAPER THAN ONE.
YOU WANT YOUR KID, YOU WANNA TAKE CARE OF YOUR KID, BUT IT'S WAY CHEAPER THAN HAVE TO PLAY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND WE'RE ON PAR BY FAR IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT THAT'S GONNA DRIVE MORE PEOPLE IN HERE WITH KIDS, WHICH IS GONNA DRIVE MORE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.
THIS IS THE MOST IGNORANT APPROACH I HAVE EVER SEEN IN GOVERNMENT.
[01:30:01]
A DISASTER FOR US, BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA THAT SOMEBODY COMES UP WITH IT TOTALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.THEY COME UP HERE AND FORCE THIS ON THE COUNTY, THEY'RE GONNA FORCE IT ON ALL THE CITIES.
THEY'RE GONNA FORCE IT ON THE COUNTY.
AND THE POINT IN THIS, THIS, THIS IS A, I CALL A PEANUT BUTTER SPREAD OF AN IDEA ACROSS THE WHOLE STATE.
INSTEAD OF US LETTING US AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS, YOU GUYS SET SOME GOALS, BUT WE WERE GONNA DO IT.
WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO GET DOWN THERE AND DO THAT.
NOW WE'RE GONNA BE FORCED TO DO THE SAME THING THAT WAS REQUIRED IN NEWPORT NEWS, HAMPTON, VIRGINIA BEACH, NORFOLK, YOU NAME IT.
AND IT'S GONNA BE THE SAME THING THAT THEY HAVE TO DO UP THERE IN STAFFORD COUNTY UP IN THE, UP IN FAIRFAX COUNTY ALL UP IN THE NORTH.
AND THEY'RE JAMMING IT DOWN OUR THROAT.
I THINK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I WOULD TELL YOU GO, GO TALK TO YOUR, UH, DELEGATE, BUT YOU'RE DELEGATES SUPPORTED THIS.
THE BILL IS ALREADY OUT AND IT'S GONE TO THE SENATE FOR APPROVAL.
OKAY? UH, YOU COULD CALL UP DANNY DIGS, OUR, OUR DEPUTY, OR EXCUSE ME, OUR, EXCUSE ME, OUR SE OUR, UH, SENATOR, AND HE'S ALREADY TOLD ME HE'S GONNA VOTE AGAINST IT.
OKAY? BUT THAT WON'T MATTER BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE MAJORITY.
AND THIS IS WHAT THE GOVERNOR ASKED FOR.
I, I AM PRETTY FIRED UP ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THEN YOU GET TO THE QUESTION OF WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO AS A SUPERVISOR? OKAY? WHAT DO YOU DO AS A SUPERVISOR? BECAUSE THEN WE HAVE TO GO TO YOU AND GET THE TAX DOLLARS FROM YOUR POCKET TO BE ABLE TO FUND THIS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING IT FROM THE STATE.
THIS IS ALMOST LIKE AN UNFUNDED MANDATE THAT'S BEING PUSHED DOWN OUR THROAT.
AND I AM JUST, I I, I'M ALMOST QUIT TALKING HERE BEFORE I START SCREAMING.
SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING.
WHAT WAS YOUR POINT? MR.
WELL, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL CALM IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
I'M WEARING RED TODAY, SO THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T RECOGNIZE IT, VALENTINE'S DAY IS A FEW DAYS AWAY.
SO GET YOUR CARDS AND GIFTS READY FOR THAT.
UH, SPOUSE OF YOURS, UM, MATTERS BEFORE THE BOARD.
SO I WILL COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THIS BILL.
EIGHT 16 BASICALLY ALLOWS ALL INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AREA TO BE CONVERTED TO HOUSING.
SO WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR REMAINING RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES THAT THESE PEOPLE NEED TO WORK AT? DUNNO.
AND THAT THE PEOPLE WHO RESIDE THERE, WHERE DO THEY GO TO RECREATE, EAT AND SO FORTH.
YOU TAKE ALL, TAKE ALL THAT AWAY.
SO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE ITEMS WE APPROVED LAST JUNE WAS AMENDMENTS TO, UH, CHAPTER 7.1 ON BUILDING REGULATIONS, SUBDIVISIONS AND, AND ZONING.
AND, AND AMONGST THAT WAS THE FEE STRUCTURES.
AND WHEN WE WERE ON OUR RETREAT IN THE FALL IN STAFFORD COUNTY, THEY HAD APPLIED WHAT WAS CALLED A DEVELOPER IMPACT FEE, UH, FOR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING.
AND, AND THE BASIS BEHIND THAT WAS THEY WERE HAVING TO ADD NEW SCHOOLS SO RAPIDLY THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A CAPITAL FUND THAT ALLOWED THEM TO DIP INTO THAT, TO PAY FOR THE SCHOOL.
WHEN EVENTUALLY ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE SHOWED UP.
I WOULD PROPOSE THAT WE HAVE STAFF, UH, LOOK AT ADDING A DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEE INTO OUR BUILDING REGULATIONS THAT WOULD RECOVER THE COST OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE WAS ACTUALLY INCLUDED IN BILL EIGHT 16 COUNTY IS ALLOWED TO REQUIRE OR REQUEST INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS.
SO THE COST OF SCHOOLING, FOR INSTANCE, UH, TOM ALREADY SAID I SENT 50 TO 75 MILLION FOR A, FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND THAT WOULD TYPICALLY HOLD 500 KIDS.
WELL, THAT'S A HUNDRED, $150,000 PER CHILD.
AND WHAT I WANT TO BUILD INTO OUR DEVELOPMENT FEE IS THE COST PER CHILD AND TRANSLATE THAT INTO A HOUSING COST.
UM, SO THAT WE'RE RECOVERING THAT FEE AND PUTTING IT INTO A CAPITAL FUND.
AND THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT STAFFORD HAD DONE.
AND, AND, UH, AND REVIEWED THAT WITH US.
SO WHAT ABOUT FIRE AND RESCUE AND THE SHERIFFS? I, I'VE SAID THAT FIRE STATIONS, COURTHOUSE, LIBRARIES, IT'S ALL INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT'S ALL INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? SO WE NEED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT WHAT IS THE TOTAL INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT DOES IT COST OF THAT? AND CAN WE TRANSLATE THE NUMBER OF NEW HOUSES? AND I WOULD DO THIS FOR HIGH DENSITY HOUSING.
SO IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO COME IN AND BUILD A STANDARD DETACHED BUNGALOW, I DON'T THINK IT APPLIES.
BUT, BUT CLEARLY FOR HIGH DENSITY APARTMENTS AND, AND, UH, AND HOUSING, WE NEED TO PUT IN A DEVELOPER FEE.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS WE GIVE THAT TO OUR STAFF TO COME BACK WITH A RECOMMENDATION ON WHAT THAT FEE SHOULD BE AND LOOK FOR YOUR CONCURRENCE.
SO THAT'S MY WAY OF ADDRESSING THESE TO COMPLETE BILLS.
BUT THERE'S ONE THING, ONE THING I I THAT I'D LOVE THE IDEA, OKAY, WE CAN LEGALLY, WE LEGALLY DO IT.
BUT HERE'S THE, HERE'S THE BIG THING THAT I DIDN'T MENTION AMONG MANY THINGS, OKAY? REMEMBER THAT PART ABOUT WHEN SOMEBODY CAN'T AFFORD A HOUSE, OKAY? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, SO WE JUST JACKED UP, WE'RE GONNA END UP ADDING THIS 150,000 ON TOP OF IT, WHICH THAT'S FIRST GOALS
[01:35:01]
THAT WELL, THAT OKAY, WHATEVER, IT'S STILL 150,000, OKAY? BUT THE POINT IN HERE IS OUR, WE GOTTA BUILD A TRUST.WE GOTTA BUILD A TRUST FUND WHERE WE ARE ACTUALLY PAYING THE DEVELOPER.
WE WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY GIVE THE DEVELOPER MONEY TAX DOLLARS SO THAT THEY CAN COMPENSATE FOR BUILDING A CHEAPER HOUSE.
SO SOMEONE CAN, THAT HAS ONLY, REMEMBER THEY MAKE WHAT, 80% OF THE, THEIR INCOME IS AT A POINT OR 80%, 80% OF THE HOUSING COSTS THAT, SO WE'LL BE COVERED BY US.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ACTUALLY BUYING SOMEBODY ELSE HOUSE IF, IF IT'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I THINK, AREN'T THERE SOME, UM, SOME MONEY THAT COMES FROM EITHER FOR THE FEDERAL OR THE STATE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING? I COUNT ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVING US ANYTHING.
BUT THAT RIGHT THERE, THAT RIGHT THERE, THERE, THE QUESTION IS, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS A FARCE.
IT'S IN THE EYE OF BEHOLDER, BASICALLY.
YES, IT IS THAT WHOLE TERM AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT'S JUST A FANTASY THAT PEOPLE APPLY TO GET WHAT THEY WANT, BUT IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY EXIST.
I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH IT FOR OVER 40 YEARS, SO I'M SORRY.
BUT ANYWAY, SO I THINK I HAVE, I THINK I HAVE ENDORSEMENT OF THE BOARD TO, UH, HAVE STAFF HAVE A LOOK AT THAT AND COME BACK WITH A PROPOSAL.
UH, FINAL ITEM I HAD, UH, WELL, ACTUALLY I DID HAVE ONE MORE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, AT THE, UH, OTHER BILLS IN THE, UH, HOUSE AND THE SENATE RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A PROPOSAL FOR INCREASED SALARY FOR THOSE WONDERFUL DELEGATES AND SENATORS.
THEY HAVE JUST INCREASED THEIR, THEIR RATE FROM 17,000 TO 50,000.
IT'S AN AMENDMENT IN THE BUDGET.
WELL, THAT'S A, THAT, THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING TO FIGHT.
AND WHEN YOU, UM, CAN'T, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEIR TOTAL COST OF, OR TOTAL COMPENSATION, WHICH INCLUDES A VERY, UM, UM, SUPERB LUCRATIVE MEDICAL PLAN AND, AND PENSION PLAN AND SEVERAL OTHER, UH, SEVERAL OTHER ASPECTS OF WHICH IS OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS PER PERSON, UH, FOR THE COST OF SALARY.
WE DID HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH, UH, OUR VIRGINIA DELEGATE, UH, DR.
UM, WE HAD COVERED SEVERAL TOPICS WITH 'EM.
AND YOU, YOU RECALL THIS BOARD HAD LOOKED AT HOME-BASED DAYCARE AND COULD WE HAVE MODIFICATIONS TO THE STATE STATUTE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO PUT REGULATIONS IN PLACE THAT NEVER REALLY GOT CARRIED OUT, UH, UNDER OUR PREVIOUS, UH, DELEGATE AND SENATOR.
SO WE'VE ASKED HIM TO HAVE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF HE CAN'T TAKE THAT FORWARD.
AND I'VE GOT A PACKAGE TO DELIVER TO HIM.
WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSE? WAS IT POSITIVE? I WOULD, I WOULD SAY HE WAS INTERESTED IN SEEING THE AMENDMENT.
HE ASKED IF, UH, MR. DIGGS HAD ALREADY TAKEN IT THROUGH.
UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE HE HAS NOT, BUT THE TWO OF THEM WOULD, WOULD NEED TO WORK TOGETHER.
CONTINUATION OF, UH, STATE SUPPORT FOR REMEDIATION OF QUEENS LAKE.
HE'S A QUEENS LAKE RESIDENT, SO I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR HIM TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US LIKE, LIKE, UH, CONGRESSMAN WHITMAN DID WITH THE SL GRANT.
AND ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO CONTINUE TO FIX THAT SITUATION WITHOUT IT BECOMING A TAXPAYER BURDEN, UM, THAT I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUSH ON THAT.
AND HE WAS, HE WAS OPEN TO THAT ITEM.
UH, HE DID WANNA SEE THE, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME OUT OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
AND YOU RECALL LAST SUMMER, WE HAD REQUESTED THAT THEY DO A, A STUDY, UH, REMEDIATION PLAN AND STUDY, AND THAT WAS FULLY FUNDED BY THE CORPS.
UH, HE WANTS TO SEE THAT COME FORWARD.
SO HE, HE FEELS THAT THAT'S PROBABLY A YEAR AWAY FROM BEING READY TO, UH, TAKE AS A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE STATE.
AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT TAX RELIEF FOR DISABLED VETERANS.
HE SAID, WE'RE NOT ALONE ON THAT REQUEST.
UM, WE EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT THAT NUMBER JUST CONTINUES TO GROW DRAMATICALLY.
IT'S SIX TIMES, SIX TIMES HIGHER THAN WHAT IT WAS WHEN IT WAS FIRST INTRODUCED, UH, BY, BY THE, UH, COMMONWEALTH.
AND, UH, THERE'S JUST NO END IN SIGHT.
UM, AND HE, HE ADMITS THAT MANY OTHER, UM, MUNICIPALITIES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.
UH, THAT IT IS JUST TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO FUND.
AND FINALLY, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, POSSIBLE COURT, UH, COST SHARING MECHANISM IF WE GET INTO ANY KIND OF A COURT EXPANSION, UH, GIVEN THAT WE ARE A REGIONAL COURT AND, UH, HAVE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT USE SOME OF THOSE SERVICES, UM, RATHER THAN GOING TO THE REGION, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT THE STATE WOULD DO TO SUPPORT A REGIONAL COURT? THOSE ARE THE FOUR ITEMS THAT WE COVERED WITH THEM.
WE DIDN'T GET INTO THE HOUSING DEBATE 'CAUSE THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN PASSED THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE HOUSE.
THERE WAS, UM, NOTHING TO BE GAINED THERE.
WITH THAT, THAT'S THE END OF MY, UH, COMMENTS.
[CLOSED MEETING]
UM, MR. SHEPHERD, IF YOU COULD TAKE US INTO A CLOSED SESSION, MR. CHAIRMAN.UM, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 2.2 DASH 37 11 A SEVEN OF CODE OF VIRGINIA, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CONVENE AND CLOSE MEETING TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL,
[01:40:01]
UM, CONSULTANTS AND OR STAFF ON A MATTER OF ACTUAL LITIGATION IN WHICH THE COUNTY IS INVOLVED.THE BOARD WILL NOW CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION AND THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 PM ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH IN THE BOARDROOM.