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Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Volume 39, Number 23
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Proposed 2015-16 Montross budget lower Linda Farneth The Montross Town Council held a public hearing at its regular May 27 meeting receive input on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16. Town Manager Brenda Reamy presented the spending proposal that clocked in at a total of just over $367,000. Next year’s proposed budget comes in at just $2,775 under the current 2014-15 budget. The General Fund saw a small decrease of slightly more than $4,300 and the Water Fund decreased by just over $2,000. The sewer budget increased by slightly more than $3,600, bringing the overall budget closer in line with last year’s figures. The General Fund projects a $2,475 increase in revenue from 2015-16 sales tax collections. But several small increases in projected spending across the general fund absorb those revenues. The 2015-16 Festival Budget remains unchanged from the current budget of $5,000. Council Member Jessie Ault questioned why figures differed from last year in various categories, some projected higher and some lower. Reamy explained the changes for each category Ault questioned. Councilman Terry Cosgrove brought up the concern of mural
maintenance from the recent revitalization work. Reamy said there are other areas such as beautification from the revitalization project that the town is obligated to upkeep. She suggested that the council consider encumbering installments for items such as the murals, shrubbery and town hall maintenance. Mayor Joey King agreed that the council should be proactive in these areas. The council will vote on the proposed budget at its June 23, 2015 meeting. In other news: The town of Montross received a clean audit report for this fiscal year’s accounting. Mayor King noted when he reviews audit reports he first flips to the section on recommendations. I was pleased to see there are no recommendations this year,” he said. The town renewed its contract of police services with Westmoreland County Sheriff ’s Department. The town is eligible for state grant money to fund law enforcement. The contract entitles the town to sheriff ’s services at town-sponsored events, responding to complaints within the town limits, enforcement of local codes and any specialized enforcement when manpower available.
First Friday evening events return for 2015
Montross Proposed Fiscal Year Budget 2015-16 General Fund Water Fund Sewer Fund
$195,075 $ 95,700 $ 74,450
Festival Fund
$ 5,000
Total Budget
$370,225
Photo courtesy of Wendy’s Feline Friends
One of the many cats rescued by Wendy Erskine makes itself comfortable at Wendy’s Feline Friends, a non-profit dedicated to saving homeless cats.
Feline lover helping cats that fall by the wayside Richard Leggitt Cats have been providing friendship, love and companionship to humans since before the Roman Empire. They are furry, funny and fun and one of the most popular pets in our nation today. But, just as people are struggling in today’s economy, so are cats and those who want to help them. So here’s the thing: If you are a good-hearted Samaritan like Wendy Erskine of Colonial Beach, who runs the only not-for-profit cat rescue operation between Lancaster and King George, it is getting harder and harder to rescue the cats you are trying to help survive. As Wendy knows clearly, after 20 years of running her cat shelter, there
Photo courtesy of Greater Montross Partnership for Revitalization
Hard To Tell is one of the many local musical acts thatwill perform this summer at the Town of Montross’ First Friday Art Walk events throughout the summer of 2015. Attendees can enjoy a glass of wine, some good food and toe-tapping tunes, on the first Friday of the summer months, beginning June 5. Be sure to check out the First Saturday Market Day events as well.
two things that are badly needed: Families to adopt the orphaned cats, and donations to help pay for the cost of caring for them, including shots and neutering. “In the tough economy, cats are falling by the wayside,” Erskine said. “What can I do? No matter what is happening with the economy, no matter other people’s priorities, I can’t just stop what I am doing. There are lots of kittens that need help.” And the demand just keeps growing, with new cats showing up on Erskine’s doorstep practically every day. “I just took in two six-week-old kittens that were found in a field,” See CATS, page 8
Richard Leggitt First Fridays and First Saturdays are back in Montross. The joyful weekend activities will continue throughout the summer on the first Friday and first Saturday of every month, sponsored by The Greater Montross Partnership for Revitalization. This month’s celebrations will begin at 6:30 p.m. on June 5 and will feature rockabilly and blues music by local musicians Hard To Tell, and a wine garden featuring award-winning wine from the Hague Winery on Friday. The First Saturday Market Day will take place at Courthouse Square
beginning the next morning. The First Friday event will be held in the green space between Bridget’s Bouquet and Carrot Cottage on Kings Highway in the heart of Montross. “Shops and restaurants in the downtown area will be open late and live music and the wine garden will be in the green space,” said Terry Cosgrove, a local businessman and a leader with the Partnership for Revitalization. The First Friday Art Walk is in its second year and gives residents and visitors an opportunity to view art, antiques and exhibits in Montross Vintage, Compulsive Cravings Antiques and Gifts, The
Art of Coffee, Diane Jackson’s Art Studio, Carrot Cottage, Eagle’s Catch Antiques, the Westmoreland County Museum and the Inn at Montross. Cosgrove said local restaurants would be offering a variety of inhouse dining options or food to take out and enjoy as the music starts in the green space. “Bring the entire family and a lawn chair or blanket and join the fun,” Cosgrove said. “You’ll also want to check out the four town murals – Sprite Boy on Northern Neck Coca Cola Building, the seed packet advertisement on Bridget’s Boutique, the Nomini Ferry Brand tomato can label on the
Westmoreland County Museum and the signature Montross postcard on the side of Carrot Cottage.” Saturday is the first Montross Market Day of the year on Courthouse Square where residents and visitors can shop for fresh cheeses, soaps, local produce and art and gift items. Several dozen vendors will have items ranging from antiques to food and vegetables available. This will be the third year for Montross Market Days. For more information on the weekend’s events or Montross and the Greater Montross Partnership for Revitalization, go to www. visitmontross.com.
Montross cancer clinic building, equipment donated to Mary Washington Healthcare Richard Leggitt Westmoreland County and Montross officials were surprised and pleased to learn recently of the donation of the former Mid-Rivers Cancer Center to Mary Washington Healthcare. Area officials now hopes that a new medical facility will be opening to serve patients in the county. According to Mary Washington Healthcare officials, Dr. Christopher Walsh, who owned the cancer center that closed last year, has donated the facility and all of its property and medical equipment to the Fredericksburg-based nonprofit health care company. “It is a significant donation, very generous,” said Lisa Henry, Mary Washington’s marketing director. Henry said the donation includes the 6,000-square foot building located at 15394 Kings Hwy. in Montross and 5.8 acres of land. The donation also included all of the facility’s medical equipment, including an expensive accelerator
used to treat cancer patients. “It’s all furnished,” Henry said. “We aren’t quite sure what we are going to do with it right now. We are putting together a plan.” News of the announcement stirred favorable reaction from local officials. “Because we are so far from other medical facilities, it is always difficult for patients with serious medical illnesses to get care,” said Brenda Reamy, the Montross town manager. “Sometimes it is too late by the time we get people help. After the medical center has been closed for so long, I am pleased to see it is possibly going to be reopened by Mary Washington Healthcare as a cancer center, and hopefully also to treat other medical issues.” Dozens of Westmoreland County citizens facing medical emergencies have been unable to get to a health care facility in time to save their lives. Rescue squads in the area often fly the patients they believe to be seriously ill to hospitals in
“Because we are so far from other medical facilities, it is always difficult for patients with serious medical illnesses to get care,” —Brenda Reamy Fredericksburg, Tappahannock and Richmond, but the cost of the flights is prohibitive often running tens of thousands of dollars.” Mary Washington officials said they hope to have a plan for the use of the Montross medical facility by the end of the year. “Whatever they decide, we would be more than willing to work with them,” Reamy said. “We had 7,000 citizens who signed petitions to encourage Dr. Walsh to open the cancer center.” Walsh, the former director of the Cancer Center of Virginia in Spotsylvania, responded to the petitions and opened the Mid-Rivers Cancer Center in 2005 and it was a
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very productive facility. But Walsh, who lives in Fredericksburg, slipped and fell two years ago and suffered serious injuries that curtailed his ability to practice. He closed the cancer center in 2014. Mary Washington Healthcare operates Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, as well as Stafford Hospital Center. Mary Washington Hospital has served the medical needs of the area for more than 100 years.