Outdoors Fishing season means Outdoor Report is back
Education
Sports
Word problem program sets challenge for middle schoolers
Baseball, softball seasons get started Page 4
Page 6
Page 5 POSTAL CUSTOMER
T he
Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Volume 40, Number 12
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
MWH Cancer Clinic to open in Montross Sumer opening slated at site of Walsh’s former clinic Richard Leggitt
Mary Washington Healthcare has announced it will open a cancer clinic in Montross this summer at the Kings Highway location of the former Mid-Rivers Cancer Center operated by Dr. Christopher Walsh. Walsh closed his clinic last year after he was badly injured in a fall. According to Mary Washington Healthcare officials, the reopening of the cancer clinic is being made possible because Walsh donated the facility and all of its property and modern medical equipment to the Fredericksburgbased health care facility. "Because of his love and compassion for the community, Dr. Walsh wanted the facility to be reopened to serve the people of this area," said Renee Shank, director of radiation and oncology for Mary Washington Healthcare. "We are hoping to be open in July," Shank said. Shank said the reopened Montross clinic will be hiring four staff members, including at least one of the former members of Dr. Walsh's clinic. The doctor staffing the clinic will be provided by Radiation and Oncology Specialists of Virginia, which is affiliated with Mary Washington Healthcare. "It is a significant donation, very generous," said Lisa Henry, Mary Washington's marketing director. Henry said the donation included the 6,000-square foot building located at 15394 Kings Highway in Montross and 5.8
Photo by Richard Leggitt
Dr. Christopher Walsh donated the cancer center building and almost six acres of land to Mary Washington Healthcare acres of land. The donation also included all of the facility's medical equipment including an expensive accelerator used to treat cancer patients.
News of the reopening of the clinic stirred the hopes of local officials. "Because we are so far from other medical facilities, it is always difficult for patients with seri-
ous medical illnesses to get care," said Brenda Reamy, the Montross town manager. "Sometimes it is too late by the time we get people help. "We were so absolutely grateful when the clinic opened and then when it closed it was such a sad situation," said Reamy. "We are delighted that it is going to be coming back." Reamy said dozens of Westmoreland County citizens facing medical emergencies have unable to get to a healthcare 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 Fredericksburg, Tappahannock and Richmond, but the cost of the flights is prohibitive, often running tens of thousands of dollars. "We had 7,000 citizens who signed petitions to encourage Dr. Walsh to open the cancer center in the first place," Reamy said. 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 very productive facility. Unfortunately, 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, one of the premier hospitals in the state, according to hospital officials. It also operates a hospital in Stafford County. Mary Washington Hospital has been serving the medical needs of the area for more than 100 years. "This will be our first stand alone cancer treatment facility," said Shank.
Tourism grants Riverside residents want paving Dust from roads causes projected to boost health, sanitation problems, local couple says visitor spending Linda Farneth
Linda Farneth
The Northern Neck Tourism Commission has been chosen to receive a $10,000 matching grant to promote tourism. Governor Terry McAuliffe announced March 7 that more than $812,000 in matching grant funds will be awarded to 39 local tourism initiatives as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Leverage Program. The NNTC will partner with Westmoreland County and Stratford Hall to promote a tourism campaign, History, Served with Art and Oysters. Lisa Hull, the economic development and tourism coordinator for the Northern Neck Planning District Commission, said, “The grant
partners are required to make financial and substantive contributions. The grant has been spent on a fullpage advertisement development and placement in the 2016 Virginia Travel Guide, brochure placement in all 11 of Virginia's Welcome Centers, and development of an African-American education trail/map on the northernneck.org website.” According to the VTC, “Research shows that every VTC dollar invested in grants resulted in $16 of direct visitor spending. Marketing campaigns that received Marketing Leverage Grants increased visitation by 15 percent.” Furthermore VTC states, “Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2014, tourism gen-
The Colonial Beach town council recently committed $150,000 a year to paving dirt roads within the town. After Councilman Mike Looney expressed a desire to work on roads in the numbered streets before paving roads in the Riverside Meadows subdivision, some residents are worried they will be left on the back burner again. Concerned resident, Cordell and Glenda Tobin Sr. wrote a letter on behalf of themselves and their neighbors addressed to the Colonial Beach Town Council. In the letter, Cordell Tobin addressed concerns over one council member commenting that he would like the town to first work in the older subdivisions closer to the downtown area. In his letter Tobin wrote, “Contrary to a comment made by one of the council members that “he hoped the town would start paving roads here in town before going out to Riverside Mead-
See Grants, page 8
Photo by Linda Farneth
See Paving, page 8
Cordell Tobin shows how much dirt their vacuum routinely pulls out of their brand new carpets every time they vacuum. “I have to wash the canister after every time.”
Reamy retires from Montross town manager job 22-year veteran says ‘I will always care about Montross.’ Richard Leggitt
Reamy
Brenda Reamy, the iconic town manager of the town of Montross, is retiring after 22 years of preparing budgets, recruiting businesses, overseeing festivals and assisting the mayor and town council of the historic Westmoreland County village. "I will always care about Montross," said Reamy. "I love my job. If I was 20 years younger, I would probably on for another 20 years. But it is time to retire. I feel like I am leaving at a good time." The soft spoken and popular Reamy, who was instrumental in Montross' successful revitalization efforts, has been an essential part of the town's many community building activities over the years including the Fall Festival, Market Days and First Friday events. Raised in Westmoreland County, Reamy is a graduate of W&L High School. She and her husband will remain Montross residents. "My husband's already retired," Reamy said. "We are going to do some things at our
house that we've put off. I am going to enjoy my yard and my flowers. Maybe we will take some short trips." Reamy was a staff accountant for a local CPA when she took the Montross Town Manager's job in 1994. As the town manager, she has been intimately involved in overseeing the town's progress, working on everything from the revitalization to zoning to tourism. Despite her busy schedule and without regard to the occasional frustrations that came with her job, Reamy has been known for always having a smile and a kind word for any citizens she met at town hall or around the town. "I have enjoyed my job because I enjoy working with the town and seeing things happen," Reamy said. One of the most important of those things happening was the revitalization effort, which included $530,000 in federal funding. "We worked on it for a long time," Reamy said. "We were turned down the first two times we applied," Reamy said. "Now that it is happening, we are excited. It just takes such a long time. You have to have a lot of patience to deal with all the red tape and not get stressed."
Downtown Colonial Beach announces 501-c3 status Linda Farneth
Glenda Chiarello, president of Downtown Colonial Beach Inc. announced March 11 the group has officially received its 501(c)(3) status. “We received our letter from the IRS dated February 24, 2016, after incorporating with the SCC. I would like to express our deep appreciation to all who helped to make this possible! We received so much assistance and support from our Town Manager, Val Foulds, as well as members of the Department of Housing and Community Development Virginia Main Street organization, our volunteer mentor Stephanie Slocum, and many knowledgeable members of our community.” Downtown Colonial Beach was organized to carry out the work of revitalization after grant money has been used. The town has been approved for two revitalization grants. The
Now you can follow local breaking news daily on our website at www.journalpress.com
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development has granted the town a Revitalization Block Grant of $747,000 to revitalize downtown Colonial Beach, and the Virginia Department of Transportation has awarded the The Town a Transportation Alternative Project Grant of $542,000 to install a pedestrian plaza at the end of Colonial Ave. Downtown Colonial Beach will follow “Main Street” guidelines to maintain the work done in the project area and continue helping to grow business in Colonial Beach after the projects have been completed. Main street is a national concept that promotes historic preservaSee Status, page 8