hello 2015!
youth deer hunt
traditional fredericksburg event helps area residents celebrate the new year. Page 8
Outing helps inexperienced hunters practice shooting, swap stories and learn tricks of the trade. Page 6
T he Volume 39, Number 2
POSTAL CUSTOMER
Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Wednesday, January 7, 2015 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Hough named acting Beach police chief Linda Farneth The Colonial Beach Town Council has named Capt. Bruce Hough as the acting chief of police for a maximum of 90 days. The council made the decision Jan. 2, two weeks after Elizabeth Legg resigned after just nine months on the job. Hough, who joined the
department in December 2012 after he retired from a 21-year career as an FBI special agent, had been in charge of investigations for the Colonial Beach police. Hough said although he expressed interest in the position, he still was a little surprised to be picked. He said he has not decided whether he will apply for the job permanently. “I’m proud for the consideration
and appointment of acting chief and look forward to continue serving the town of Colonial Beach,” he said. The council spent four hours Hough deliberating in a closed-door session before
approving the resignation of Legg and appointing Hough. Mayor Mike Ham said while all the candidates had strong qualifications, Hough’s background with the FBI, his strong relationship with the Westmoreland County Sheriff ’s office and his belief in community policing were the deciding factors that earned him the appointment.
Legg left to take a position with the Buena Vista Police Department. Details of her separation agreement have not yet been made public. She made history in March when she became the town’s first female chief of police. She beat out more than 30 applicants for the job, including Interim Police Chief William Seay. She was a former police chief at Ferrum College with more
first day hikes full of fun, finds Richard Leggitt Visitors to Westmoreland State Park, near Montross, and Caledon State Park, near Dahlgren, took advantage of sunshine and seasonable temperatures and literally took a hike New Year’s Day. The hikes at the two state parks were part of the statewide Virginia State Parks First Day Hike events. There were hikes, contests and special events at 36 state parks across the state encouraging people to get outdoors and enjoy the first day of the New Year. At Westmoreland, hikers followed the scenic and wooded half-mile-long Big Meadows Trail down to the Potomac River to search for fossils along the river’s shoreline, an area that has been the site of a great many exciting fossil discoveries. At Caledon, more than 100 parents and children showed up to participate in the Christmas Possum’s Present Hunt, a variation of an Easter egg hunt with Christmas ornaments hidden in fields and along the park’s trails. “The First Day Hike kicks off our programs for the year,” said Westmoreland State Park Assistant Manager Steve Davis. “It gives people a reason to come to the park and see that even in the winter time, we have things going on.” Davis showed the Westmoreland hikers a 3-inch long shark’s tooth he said was found in the park by a worker several decades ago. “They say a tooth of this size would have belonged to a 50- or 60-foot shark,” Davis said. The Potomac shoreline near Westmoreland has been the site of a number exciting fossil finds. In addition to shark’s teeth, crocodile and whale teeth have been discovered along with manatee teeth and fossils from dolphins and clams. Built in 1936, Westmoreland is one of the oldest state parks in Virginia. It covers 1,311 acres in Westmoreland County along the river between George Washington’s birthplace and historic Stratford Hall, the home of the Lee family of Virginia. Caledon, off Route 218 in King George,
montross
Mayor O’Dell dies at age 71 Richard Leggitt
Richard Leggitt
Steve Davis, right, assistant park manager at Westmoreland State Park, shows fossils collected at the park to visitors preparing for the park’s annual First Day Hike fossil hunt on New Year’s Day. It was the sixth year for the Westmoreland hike. is known for its population of nesting Bald Eagles. The 2,584-acre park is home to one of the largest populations of eagles in the nation and offers unique viewing opportunities for the majestic birds that are the symbol of America.
It was ornaments, not Eagles that were on the minds of Caledon hiker’s New Year’s Day. Park Naturalist Sarah Bachman told hikers the Christmas Possum had hidden ornaments around the park and prizes and awards would be given to those who found them.
Bachman said park activities like the First Day Hike are a treat not only for visitors but for the park staff. “I know I get a great deal of joy out of it,” Bachman said. “I love working with kids and I love working outside. It’s great.”
Courthouse Square in store for big makeover Richard Leggitt With the opening of the new $9 million Westmoreland Judicial Center last year and the remodeling of the county’s George English Memorial Building, Westmoreland Registrar Kristin Hicks is the only remaining county official with offices at Courthouse Square. Westmoreland County Sheriff C.O. Balderson, as well as the court clerks and judges housed in the old courthouse have moved into new offices at the judicial center on Polk Street. Commonwealth’s Attorney Julia Sicol and her staff also have moved from the English Building to the judicial center. The English building is being remodeled into new offices for the county’s administrative staff and the Westmoreland Board of Supervisors. So, the board of supervisors, working with the Town of Montross’ revitalization effort, is making plans for the property around the old Westmoreland County Courthouse to be redesigned for other uses.
than 20 years experience in law enforcement with the Roanoke Police Department. Legg was Roanoke’s first female lieutenant. She served as police chief at Ferrum College for four and a half years. Legg has not replied to several attempts to obtain comments on why she resigned, but she said in her letter that the job had been extremely challenging and eventful.
“It’s all good,” said Tony Nelson, who along with his wife Becky, owns Eagles’ Catch Antiques on Courthouse Square. “A lot of visible changes are occurring and people are excited. This is our county seat. Let’s spruce it up and make it something we can be proud of.” Already the former sheriff ’s office has been demolished. That area is being landscaped and will be outfitted with benches and public bathrooms. There also willl be a grassy open space area. An adjoining parking area between the old sheriff ’s office and the Montross Library will be resurfaced and will be made available for a future expansion of the Montross Library. The historic Stuart Building, which is between the old sheriff ’s office and the registrar’s office, also is a candidate for redesign.
“Nothing concrete has been decided,” said Assistant County Administrator Karen Lewis. “There have been some ideas kicked around, but no decision has been made.” A portion of the historic old courthouse is being given to the Westmoreland County Museum, which already has two other properties on Courthouse Square, its headquarters and the nearby Wakefield Building. The museum will use part of the old courthouse for exhibits and meetings. Lewis said a visitor’s center and an artisan’s workshop located at the old courthouse are among other ideas for the property being considered. Some facelifts of buildings on Courthouse Square already have been completed as part of the Montross revitalization program. Angelo’s Restaurant, the Carrot Cottage, Eagles Catch Antiques and the Wakefield Building, which was an old furniture store, already have new looks. The historic Jemeka Building, next door to Angelo’s, also is scheduled for a facelift.
Richard Leggitt
Westmoreland County and the Town of Montross are working to redesign portions of the square surrounding the old courthouse in Montross to make it more visitor friendly. The old courthouse building, above, will become part of the Westmoreland Museum.
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Montross Mayor R. David O’Dell Jr. died New Year’s Eve after a sixweek illness. The long-time mayor, who was the former owner of the former Montross Blue and Gray Food Store, was 71. “We are really going to miss him,” said Montross Town Manager Brenda Reamy. He loved Montross.” O’Dell had served as O’Dell Jr. Montross mayor since his election in 1999. He had been a member of the Montross Town Council for 35 years. He will be succeeded, at least temporarily, by Montross Vice-Mayor Joey King. O’Dell was known for his short town meetings, his quick wit and an avid love of fishing. Funeral services were held Jan. 5 at St. James Episcopal Church in Montross, where O’Dell served on the vestry. Interment followed in the church cemetery. Reamy said O’Dell “was very exact, very straight-forward. He said what he thought, and he was a good man to work for.” She said O’Dell was one of the primary leaders in the effort to build the new Montross Town Hall. “He was kind of the unofficial building inspector,” she said. O’Dell served 12 years as a member of the Montross-Westmoreland Sewer Authority and was an active supporter of the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department and the Montross Rescue Squad. “He recognized the good work they did,” Reamy said. O’Dell, who was born July 25, 1943 in nearby Warsaw, is survived by his wife of 46 years, Frances Lehman O’Dell, as well as his sons, John David O’Dell and Richard Ryan O’Dell, as well as four grandchildren. The O’Dell family asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department, the Montross Volunteer Rescue Squad or St. James Episcopal Church.