6/25/2014 Colonial Beach / Westmoreland VA Journal

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Colonial Beach • Westmoreland

Volume 38, Number 26

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 50 Cents

helping you relate to your community

Former W&L Principal enters guilty plea to DWI charges Richard Leggitt Andrea Roane, former principal of Washington and Lee High School, whose arrest for drunk driving in a February 12 snowstorm roiled the Westmoreland County school system and eventually claimed her job, entered a guilty plea to DWI in Westmoreland County General District Court on Monday. Roane, 40, had her drivers’ license suspended for a year, was fined $500 with $250 of that suspended, received a 60-day suspended jail sentence and was ordered to enroll in Virginia’s alcohol safety program. A charge for using a handheld device while driving was dismissed along with an earlier charge of reckless driving, which was filed at the time of her arrest. The case against Roane was handled by Northumberland County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jane Wrightson. Wrightson was appointed after Westmoreland County Commonwealth’s Attorney Julia Sichol requested a special prosecutor in the case, citing a conflict of interest. Attorney Fleet Dillard of

Tappahannock represented Roane. Last month, the Westmoreland County School Board, which was the object of angry and bitter criticism from faculty, parents and students after they failed to discipline Roane in the three months following her arrest, voted not to renew her current contract, which ends June 30. Roane submitted a formal letter of resignation last week and was immediately relieved of her duties. The delay in dealing with Roane, who was one of Westmoreland County’s highest paid officials, led to a number of loud and boisterous school board meetings which were attended by hundreds of students, parents and faculty demanding the school board take action against Roane. Other county officials, including the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors, who were besieged by citizens’ complaints, called the school board to discuss the Roane situation, and a number of the supervisors showed up at the school board meetings. At one meeting, See Roane, page 3

VDOT work on Mattox Creek Bridge begins this week The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is beginning what will be a two-year project to rebuild the two-lane bridge over Mattox Creek in Westmoreland County. “It has reached the end of its service life,” David Brown, VDOT’s Regional Administrator told citizens at a public information meeting in Colonial Beach on June 18. The bridge, which is located on Route 205 between Colonial Beach and Oak Grove, has been labeled “structurally deficient” by VDOT. The current bridge has 11-foot travel lanes and inadequate shoulders. The new bridge will have two 12-foot travel lanes and two 10-foot shoulders. Dominion Power has already rerouted power lines that were located near the bridge. This

week, crews will begin moving in equipment and materials needed for the $8.1 million project. The VDOT plan calls for tearing down the old bridge, one lane at a time.

During construction, one-way traffic will be maintained by a temporary traffic signal at each end of See Bridge, page 3

Citizens’ actions speak louder than words

5k to support OAR

Linda Farneth

ings and town-sponsored events and rarely has an unkind word to say to anyone. Canady came to the podium holding a can in her hand, asking if School Board Chairman Tim Trivett could come up; she wanted to give him something. Canady was shaking, and her words were short, but her delivery and actions spoke volumes. As she spoke, her voice started at an even tone, and then became a mix of anger and sadness as she continued. Canady’s speech was broken by deep breaths, and she was shaken. Holding up a can, she said, “In this can... to show my support... for this school district, I took up all the change... I had in my pockets and my wallet and I would like to give this. It may not be much,” yelling the last part, she ended with, “but at least we can start by grassroots. Thank You!”

Canady then left the podium abruptly, handed the can to Trivett and stormed away back into the audience. Robin Baker reminded the council about a previous meeting where Council gave the public the impression that they would fully fund the school. Baker said, “If you don’t fund the school properly, the children will not receive the proper education; they will not have a proper lifestyle, and that will lead to violence, disrespect and destruction. Now, is that what you want for our town? I know that is not what I want.” Baker added, “If we fail these children, remember that not only will their future be affected, but so will ours.” School Board Member and town

Read more about Bishop’s Events and the Colonial Beach Blues Festival 5K event in the Sports Section, page 7.

Colonial Beach citizens packed the meeting room on June 12, to show support for the town’s school system. Comments were heard from about a dozen speakers supporting the school system. Those who did not speak showed their support with precisely timed applause, boos and other derogatory noises. At times, the audience stomped, clapped and booed in unison to drown out Council’s comments they didn’t want to hear. Residents, teachers and parents spoke in support of the school. The most compelling citizen comment, however, came from a resident who spoke few words, but her actions said so much more Kimmette Canady. Canady is a longtime resident of Colonial Beach who lives by modest means, routinely comes to meet-

DHCD offers low to no cost home repairs

Colonial Beach 2nd Friday Art Walk

Leonard Banks

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is currently responding to the Town of Colonial Beach, which applied for a grant that would identify substandard housing and provide funding to bring these homes up to the DHCD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS), at little or no charge to low-to-moderateincome occupants or owners. This grant is different from the Revitalization Grant the Town has applied for. Currently, Jerry Davis, Northern Neck Planning District Commissioner, and Patrick Frere, Director of Single Family Housing from Bay Aging, Inc., are working

with John D. Bateman to identify dwellings in the target area that may qualify for repairs under this grant. Bateman is the Community Development Planner serving Westmoreland, Northumberland, Lancaster and Richmond Counties for the Northern Neck Planning Commission. The target area stretches from First St. to Boundary St., and from the riverfront to the west side of Washington Ave. There are two grants involved in this project- First is the Housing Assessment Grant in the amount of $15,000 that will identify eligible housing and calculate cost of repairs. Second is the Community

Improvement Grant (CIG) for up to $1 million, which will be used to complete the repairs. The group has identified housing units in need of repairs from an outside viewing. They will approach occupants/owners and educate them on the process and seek their approval to participate. After all candidates are identified, and the scope of each project is appraised, the Town will apply for an implementation grant for these improvements, which could be awarded up to $1 million. By implementing this grant within the target area of revitalization,

to improve the town.” Saffos and Sessoms expressed their appreciation to the more than two dozen sponsors who helped make the clean-up possible. Kelly Quinn at 1st Stop Meat Market & Deli provided much of the food as did Sherry Lee of Sher’s Snack Shop and Bonnie Wyne, who owns The Tattle Tale Cafe & Coffee

Despite heavy rain earlier in the day, Friday the 13th still had a good turnout for the Second Friday Art Walk. Linda White, author of Words of Conviction, Seeds of Evidence and Bloody Point, was on hand at Studio One, next to Hannah’s Pottery by Hand during June’s Art Walk. “I love writing fiction because people do just what you want, and if they don’t, you kill ‘em off,” White jokes on her website. “Ok, I’m kidding. But seriously, writing fiction for me is like working out a puzzle.” During the Art Walk, The Journal caught up with White, who said she writes FBI thrillers and gets her background technical information from her husband, who worked at the FBI Academy for 27 years. Her stories and characters are from her own imagination, of course, but her focus is on writing “good strong suspense stories without all the sleaze you get in some of the books today.” White has been writing fiction seriously for 20 years while juggling raising three kids, building a career as a journalist and teaching Bible studies. Her husband and coworkers were very supportive when she began writing her first novel. They were helpful in teaching her legal, investigative and FBI terms that would make her novels more authentic. White says, “Every author writes from a worldview; mine is Christianity. It’s the way I think.” At JarrettThor’s Fine Arts Gallery, two artists are featured together in the main lobby- Joan Limbrick and Nancy Brittle Joan Limbrick is an artist who works in oils, as well as creating pottery. She also works as an interior designer. Limbrick said that all of her jobs have involved some sort of art. Limbrick sometimes struggles with allowing herself to step back and enjoy her work, but when she does, she describes the experience like a fantasy, which accounts for her success as an author and illustrator of children’s books. “When I choose to lose myself in the mindless laying down of the wonderful colors in painting (or the process of any of the forms of art I make), before long I am

See bay, page 3

See Review, page 3

See grants, page 3

CB ‘Save the Bay’ clean-up draws crowd The 3rd Annual Save the Bay Day clean-up in Colonial Beach drew a crowd of volunteers to the Colonial Beach Yacht Basin Saturday. Armed with large orange trash bags, the energetic group of citizens and volunteers then fanned out across the peninsula to pick up litter and debris. Their haul included several truck loads of discarded metal, soft drink cans, abandoned fishing tackle, food wrappers, plastics and even an old, discarded ‘Save the Bay’ t-shirt. “You won’t believe the things that people just throw down on the street or the beach,” said Mitzi Saffos, a Colonial Beach resident who along with fellow resident, Vickie Sessoms, started the local clean-up three years ago. Colonial Beach’s ‘Save the Bay’ clean-up is usually held in conjunction with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Annual Clean the Bay Day, but this year the regional bay clean-up was held on June 7 and conflicted with Colonial Beach’s popular River Festival. So the Colonial Beach clean-up was delayed until last weekend. “We were having the River Festival, so we did not do it when we usually

do,” said Saffos. “But it has been very successful.” The volunteers who participated, including a troop of girl scouts, would agree. They worked throughout the day collecting trash and debris and were rewarded with a cold drink, a lunch and a free ‘Save the Bay’ t-shirt. “We have had people who have been here every year,” said Saffos. “It gives us all good feelings just to see things looking better, trying

Linda Farneth

Nancy Brittle (top) and Joan Limbrick (middle) are featured at JarrettThor. Linda White displays some of her books.

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See actions, page 3


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