4 Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 THE JOURNAL www.journalpress,com
PHYLLIS COOK
This could be the year the King George
School Board decides whether to reopen its .... .......
former middle school building. :~;"
There has been talk about shifting the sixth :~ i . i
grade from the county's three elementary
schools into the former middle school for
nearly a decade.
The idea is to free up capacity for growth
at the three elementary schools for students
in kindergarten through fifth grades and
postpone the need for a fourth elementary
school for several more years.
There are plans for a joint meeting to
be scheduled this month by the board of
supervisors and school board, at which the
topic of school expansion is likely to come
up again, as it did last February.
At that time, school board chairman Mike
Rose said they wanted to use the vacant school
to house sixth-graders after adding more
classrooms and a new heating, ventilation
and air conditioning system.
Using the building as a sixth-grade academy
was spawned in 2005. That was when plans
for the new high school construction were
well underway with completion expected
in late 2008.
The school board mulled the idea for nearly
four years without any decision.
SHAPING OUR FUTURE
The new high school was completed in
January 2009. By April 2009, the school
board was again pushed for a decision for
the middle school building, and while several
options were presented none seemed feasible
and money was unavailable.
In June 2009, the building was shuttered.
When seventh- and eighth-graders started
school that fall, they went to the 'new'
middle School.
Last February, Rose distributed an updated
capacity analysis and talked about putting
an addition on the closed school and then
reopening it. Supervisors were encouraging
and offered some other ideas.
"It's good you're looking at this now,"
chairman Joe Grzeika said. "We need to start
on a plan on how to address this."
Instead of reopening the closed building,
supervisor Dale Sisson suggested shifting
the sixth-graders into the current middle
school building.
"And, there is significant capacity in the
King George County's former middle school once again may house area students, something it hasn't done since 2009.
Lori Deem
high school for the present time, and you
could figure out how to use that student
excess capacity in the interim," Sisson
said.
Sisson also said they could think about an
addition to the existing middle school.
"Add another wing, maybe," he said.
"Ii:'s a one-time construction cost versus
continuing annual operating costs," Grzeika
said.
Grzeika suggested the division have
an assessment of the closed building and
grounds to determine if it would meet their
needs. Sisson suggested the study include
renovations needed with a cost analysis
for additional staffing, maintenance and
operations.
Rose agreed they should have a comparison
analysis done for both locations and talk again
at a future meeting.
The comparison study has not yet been
done. Superintendent Rob Benson said the
topic will be discussed at the next joint
meeting of the two boards.
.I
RICHARD LEGGITT
The Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality hosted a
public meeting Jan. 13 in Montross
to discuss applications to use
biosolids on agricultural land in
Westmoreland County, as well
as a plan to produce landscaping
materials that use biosolids for soil
enhancement.
Anita Tuttle, a biosolids inspector
for the departtment, who led the
agency's presentation, told a large
crowd citizens who were hoping
for some kind of action on the
applications.
"This is not a public hearing; it is
an informational meeting;' she said.
Tuttle said state regulations
already allow the use of biosolids
and they already are being used
in Westmoreland, as well as every
other county and everystate in
the nation. The packed meeting
at the English building was to help
citizens understand and comment
on permits that will be granted,
according to Tuttle.
"I have never felt so disappointed;'
said Holly Harman, a local artist
and an environmentalist who is
.a...member.. of..the ,Westmoreland
Wetlands Board. "Basically, we are
being told we can't ban it."
Rollins Soil Enhancement has filed
an application with the state seeking
to use biosolids at a new facility in
Westmoreland County that would
produce landscaping materials.
Crops, Inc., Of King George, and
Synagro, of Cincinnati, are, seeking
to
owntown area
LINDA FARNETH
The town of Colonial Beach is on
the way to revitalizing the downtown
area.
A once bustling resort town in the
late 1800s and early 1900s known as
the "Playground on the Potomac"
Colonial Beach's economy fell prey
to the the improvements of land
transportation, dwindling aquatic
resources and the end of legalized
gambling.
Although the town is no longer
the port town it used to be, the town
is taking advantage of its historical
roots to try to attract tourist by
re-energizing the boardwalk and
building a wharf themed pedestrian
plaza according to plans in the
Community Development Block
Grant Application.
Revitalization efforts underway
will come in two phases.
SHAPING OUR FUTURE
The first phase of revitalization
will not only change the physical
appearance in the downtown area but
also will seek to change the economy
as well. By forming an organization
to market and promote the Historic
Resort Commercial Boardwalk area
and offering small business loans,
the town hopes tourism will increase
and job opportunities will open up,
according to Jerry Davis, executive
director of the Northern Neck
Planning District Commission.
The most noticeable changes will
be in the appearance of the boardwalk
area. Residents and visitors will enjoy
an updated boardwalk with storm
spruce up
resistant landscaping and benches
to promote foot traffic and a desire
to linger in the downtown business
area, according to Davis.
The physical improvements will
focus on building facades. The town
also will create a mural program,
remove three utility poles on
Taylor Street, replace a section of
the boardwalk's concrete from the
Riverboat Restaurant to Colonial
Avenue and repair concrete from the
Riverboat to Hawthorne Street.
The landscaping that will be added
to the boardwalk will lead up to
Colonial Avenue, where the town
will build a pedestrian plaza.
The plaza will utilize a rarely
used portion at the end of Colonial
Avenue. Changes include providing
landscaping, street furniture for
seating and if the budget will allow
adding a splash pad for children and
adults to enjoy during the summer.
BRIEFS
Base use public hearing
scheduled for Jan. 28
Area residents are encouraged
to participate in a public forum on
the joint land use study involving
the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Dahlgren 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at
the Village Green Pavilion, 100
Walter Thomas Road, Indian Head,
Md.
The meeting is to discuss how
changes in land use around the
installation could affect the Navy's
mission, as well as how current and
future operations at the base may
impact the surrounding areas.
"The community's help is needed to
identify impacts and find solutions;'
said Proj ect Manager Amy Blessinger,
Charles County (Md.) Department
of Planning & Growth Management.
"The public is a vital participant in
the (study), and your concerns and
recommendations will help shape
the (study), ensuring it is responsive
to your needs."
The public forum will present
information on the study process and
give area residents an opportunity
to share their thoughts on Navy
operations and surrounding land
use. The goal is to identify potential
conflicts and strategies to maintain
compatibility between community
development and Navy missions. The
study's goal is to sustain the Navy's
mission while supporting continued
economic and community growth,
as well as protect the public's health,
safety, and welfare.
Rodeheaver is leaving
CB planning commission
Colonial Beach Planning
Commissioner Kent Rodeheaver
officially announced his resignation
from the planning commission,
according to Acting Zoning
Administrator, Brendan McHugh.
Former Councilwoman Linda
Brubaker announced at the Jan 15
commission meeting she will be
joining Pamela Tolsen in seeking
appointment to fill one of the two
vacant seats left by Rodehavor and
Ed Grant.
Anyone wishing to be considered
for appointment to the planning
commission may visit town hall and
fill out an application.
The Commission voted to keep
Robin Schick as chairman and
Maureen McCabe as vice chairman
for 2015.
Event will help students
with financial aid info
Colonial Beach High School and
Washington & Lee High School are
two of only 25 schools in Virginia
chosen this year to participate in the
Super FAFSA Project Virginia. Only
seniors attending the schools on the
list will be allowed to attend.
At 6 p.m. Feb. 4, seniors will receive
hands-on assistance in completing
the federal financial aid form, the
Free Application for Federal Student
Aid.
By filling out a the form, students
can receive information on hundreds
of grants, scholarships, loans and
work study programs available to
them. The form takes the students
information and matches it to these
types of financial aid. The program
also offers free assistance to students,
parents, and borrowers throughout
the entire financial aid process.
Super FAFSA is a financial aid
assistance initiative of the Virginia
Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators done in collaboration
with the Educational Credit
Management Corporation and State
Council of Higher Education for
Virginia.
Anita Tuttle, center,
a biosolids inspector
with Virginia's
Department of
Environmental Quality,
talks with citizens at a
meeting at the English
Building in Montross
to discuss the planned
use of biosolids on
agricultural land in
Westmoreland County.
Richard Leggitt
permits for the land applications of
biosolids in Westmoreland County.
Harman said the Rollins proposal,
which calls for the construction
of biosolids plant that would mix
human waste with woodchips, leaves
and sand to create landscaping
"They are proposing to build this
plant on the Rappahannock River,
not far from the Westmoreland
Berry Farm" Harman said. '~nd,
the people who are supposed to
protect us, aren't. The Westmoreland
Planning Commission has been
asleep at the switch.
"When you think about the
poisons that are being spread,
there is nothing safe about it. The
regulations are not in place to
protect us, but we can create county
regulations to protect us. We need to
change. There is a groundswell going
on right now."
Mark Mongold, a representative of
state department, said the agency's
job is to maintain water quality and
ensure human health is not affected.
"Use of this material has been
materials,"willturnourenvironment ~safe and effective as long as
into a s ewer."., it ~ly regulated;' he said .....
REGULATE from page 1
wind turbine.
McHugh provided research from
the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, whose research states
zoning controls whether a person can
install a wind turbine. Permits will
control how a person installs a wind
turbine.
The research also says wind
turbines must be installed high up to
be productive. Currently structures
up to 35 feet are generally a permitted
use, 'Beyond 35 feet, citizens must
obtain a conditional use permit.
These laws were put in place based
on firefighting limitations in the early
1900s. Currently, laws give localities
instructions for towers used for radio,
TV and phone transmission, however
there are currently very few~,~nd-
specific ordinances. ~
McHugh estimates work on these
ordinances may take up to a year for
drafting; " tfl lic hearings and frfiltl
council apprOv-aF.
?
H
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