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T he
Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Volume 40, Number 29
Wednesday, July 20, 2016 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Colonial Beach elementary school construction on track Richard Leggitt
The project manager for the construction of the new Colonial Beach Elementary School told the Colonial Beach School Board last week that construction of the new school is on track with completion scheduled in time for the 2017-18 school year. Megan O'Connell said Dominion Power has completed utility work at the construction site, work by Southwood Construction at the site next door to Colonial Beach High School has begun and that the price for the construction of the new school will be more than $9.2 million after the addition of security and soundproofing equipment. O'Connell, works for Skanska, which has been hired to monitor the construction of the new school. "We are the owner's representatives," O'Connell said. "We assist the school board in overseeing the project and making sure it is progressing on schedule and on budget." Colonial Beach elementary school students have been in temporary classrooms, first at Oak Grove Baptist Church and then in modular classrooms next to the current high school, since a devastating fire destroyed the old Colonial Beach Elementary in 2014. Three suspects were convicted of arson for setting the fire. O'Connell has praised the simple, yet modern design of the new elementary school. "We especially like the design of the entrance of the school," O'Connell said. Her employer, Skanska, is an international development and construction company that has offices in Norfolk.
Montross man indicted for KG traffic death DUI, homicide charges brought in death of Gainesville woman, 26 Richard Leggitt
Image courtesy of Colonial Beach Schools
An artist’s rendering of the front entry of the proposed Colonial Beach Elementary School.
A 28-year-old Montross man has been indicted in connection with the June death of a Gainesville woman who was killed in a single vehicle traffic crash in King George County last month. The victim was identified by Virginia State Police as Katelyn A. Kipp. Kipp, 26, was a backseat passenger in a 2001 Toyota Tacoma that ran off the left side of the road, then overcorrected and flipped over four times. There were four occupants
in the vehicle, which was driven by Garrett, and none of them were wearing seat belts, according to law enforcement officers. All four occupants of the vehicle had serious injuries in the crash, which occurred on Route 218 or Caledon Road, a mile east of its intersection with Vertical Ridge Road, and all were transported to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. Kipp died at the hospital a short time after her arrival. Garrett was indicted by a King George County grand jury on charges of involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence, manslaughter-DUI, DUI maiming and possession of marijuana. In addition to Kipp's fatality, authorities said at least one of the other passengers in the crash has permanent injuries.
Regional officials gather to discuss health care facility options Phyllis Cook The need for a freestanding emergency room in King George was outlined and stressed at a regional meeting of stakeholders, elected officials and health care providers on July 11 in King George. But the high cost of construction and staffing such a facility required by industry regulations could be out of reach. Ruby Brabo, chairwoman of the King George County Board of Supervisors had called the meeting to discuss the potential for a satellite emergency room/urgent care facility to serve the areas of Colonial Beach, western areas of Westmoreland
County, King George County, Port Royal and northern areas of Caroline County. Supervisor Jim Howard co-hosted, with more than 25 people attending. The regional organization heads present were Tim Ware of George Washington Regional Commission, Jerry Davis of Northern Neck Planning District Commission and the Curry Roberts of Fredericksburg Regional Alliance. The health care providers represented were from Mary Washington Healthcare, Sentara Healthcare Group and Hospital Corporation of America. Other officials from King George included Fire/Rescue Chief David
Moody, and Director of Economic Development Linwood Thomas. Several were present from Colonial Beach, including Councilman/Vice Mayor Eddie Blunt, and Cathy Bokman and Peter Fahrney both from Colonial Beach Foundation. Several stressed the need for 24/7 urgent medical care with Brabo asking Chief Moody to delineate the problem from the perspective of emergency responders. Moody said the average response and turnaround time for King George adds up to just under two hours, saying many take three hours or more to transport patients and return from one of three health care destinations, including Mary Washington Hospital,
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center or Charles Regional Medical Center in Maryland (formerly Civista). “Our EMTs and paramedics are also firefighters,” Moody said. “This has cascading consequences when we have long transport and return times. If somebody’s house catches on fire, then it compounds that factor, as well. Last year we ran close to 3,200 emergencies, about 88 percent were EMS generated, with 1,609 transported to hospitals for medical/trauma.” In addition to homes, businesses and vehicle accidents, he said they also respond to the few doctors’ offices in the county and the one urgent care center, Gateway Medical Urgent Care.
“But we don’t need a place where we can pick up patients. We need a place where we can deliver patients,” Moody said. Others agreed. “We are looking to have a conversation about a satellite emergency room that could function as an urgent care facility, maybe with a dozen beds, especially for when you have a situation where you need to stabilize a patient,” Brabo said. She said a possible location might be at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Route 3 (James Madison Parkway and Kings Highway), saying the county was constructing a water line to the intersection, which already has sewer available.
She asked for health care providers to chime in. Dr. Mike McDermott, president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare didn’t sugarcoat his response. “The cost of the infrastructure and equipment required for a freestanding emergency care facility is quite extraordinary. It’s not just one doctor. And it’s a whole host of infrastructure that’s necessary,” McDermott said. He also said all services must be offered to anyone who comes in the door, as in any emergency room. McDermott recounted how they See Health, page 8
Area corn crop is strong, prices improving, as summer season grows Photo by Richard Leggitt
The corn crop is having a bumper year, and the price is going up, making area farmers happy.
Richard Leggitt Late spring rains and hot summer sun has farmers in King George and Westmoreland counties and the Northern Neck hoping for a near record corn harvest just as prices for corn have begun improving. "Since June 1 there have been very near peak growing conditions for corn," said Robert Harper, a grains manager with the Virginia Farm Bureau. "And since March corn prices have been improving." Because of cool spring weather, this year's corn crop in the Northern Neck is behind schedule, but solid summer days have caused a growth spurt that has corn growers hoping for a crop that
will near last year's record yield of 161 bushels per acre. "Farmers in the Northern Neck are as good as any in the country," said Harper. "They waited to plant until the soil temperature was right and now they are seeing the benefits." "Every step has got to be done right to get a big yield," said Harper. In addition to the yield, Harper said area farmers have to keep an eye on prices, which have been suffering in recent years but have been improving recently. "There are a whole lot of variables that go into corn pricing," Harper said. "Among them are what is happening in countries that are our competitors for exports. This year Brazil, which is our largest corn competitor is struggling
financially and experiencing currency problems." The Virginia Farm Bureau said Virginia is growing an estimated 500,000 acres of corn this year including thousands of acres in King George and Westmoreland. Only about 3,000 acres of that is the sweet corn found in grocery stores and vegetable stands. The overwhelming majority of Virginia corn is yellow feed corn sold for commercial uses including corn meal. Available farm land in the Northern Neck has been contracting as a result of the economy, development and other challenges. But for this year at least, farmers who planted corn are able to realize the benefits of their hard work.
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