50¢
Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of Linda Perry
Vol. XXV No. 8
February 23, 2011
From PHS to BSH to VMI Knights’ Watts signs letter of intent to play football for the Keydets. See page 1B.
School vote on budget Feb. 24
DEVELOPMENT DEBATE GOES ON
Schools back off revenue-sharing formula, request $1.3 million bump in local funding for education By Michael Copley Staff Writer
Powhatan Board of Supervisors Chairman Joe Walton wouldn’t commit to fund in full a milliondollar budget increase the School Board is requesting for next year, but he was so taken with the presentation of financial data that he offered hugs to everyone who helped compile the schools’ information. The joint budget meeting Feb. 16 between the School Board and the Board of Walton Supervisors stood in contrast with the sometimes-combative meetings that colored last year’s budget process. Walton said he was “extraordinarily appreciative” of the quality of the schools’ budget work, but doubted whether the county would fund the entire request. “A few hundred thousand” dollars seems more reasonable, he said. Supervisors Carson Tucker and Robert Meara Cosby were absent from the meeting. School Board Chairman Timothy Gresham said the School Board requested a delay, but “that didn’t work out.” In requesting a $1.3 million bump in local education funding next year – above what the county currently is projecting – the School Board backed off a more direct approach that some members had proposed. Superintendent Dr. Margaret S. Meara presented Supervisors with a preliminary school spending plan that is contingent on an increase in local funding, but the School Board stopped short of explicitly asking the county to adjust its revenue-sharing formula to give the schools 75 percent of local money that’s divvied up annually between the county see Budget page 3A
PHOTO BY PATRICK DOBBS
Dr. Michael Blair, a Powhatan resident who runs Animal Eye Care of Richmond, is applying for a conditional-use permit to move his practice to the corner of Huguenot Trail and Woolridge Rd.
Residents against proposed Supervisors name redistricting panel clinic cite traffic concerns By Michael Copley Staff Writer
A vocal block of Powhatan residents who oppose a veterinarian’s request for a conditional-use permit on Huguenot Trail will have another chance to argue their case before the Board of Supervisors takes up the application in March. The Powhatan Planning Commission unanimously approved Dr. Michael Blair’s application to open a clinic specializing in veterinary ophthalmology and dermatology at the corner of Hu-
guenot Trail and Woolridge Road. A conditional-use permit is required because the five-acre property is zoned for agriculture. Dr. Blair, a Powhatan resident, currently runs Animal Eye Care of Richmond, a Cary Town-based veterinary clinic. Residents who spoke out against the application cited existing traffic hazards at the intersection, concerns about septic service and potential contamination of wetlands on the property. There is a general sense among the opposition that the land in
question is not appropriate for business use. The case will be discussed at a District 1 town hall meeting March 7 at Independence Golf Club. “Put [the clinic] on Route 60 where the comprehensive plan suggested we put businesses,” one resident said during a public hearing earlier this month. “Not here.” Karin Carmack, chairwoman of the Planning Commission, said the clinic is the sort of “niche business” the county is trying to support in its effort to spur
By Michael Copley Staff Writer
The Powhatan Board of Supervisors has appointed a redistricting advisory panel to collect input from citizens about the pending reconfiguration of county voting districts. District 5 Supervisor Carson Tucker said the intent is to “cast as wide a net as possible” to collect and report feedback from the community. Each supervisor nominated a citizen and the School Board can appoint its own representative to the panel. According to 2010 census information, the county’s total population grew 25 percent over the past decade to 28,046 residents. District 3, the largest district by population, has 2200 more residents in it than District 5, the district with the fewest residents. The county’s inmate population factors in as the great uncertainty: The boundaries of Powhatan’s five voting districts would change drastically if the Board of Supervisors excludes inmates see Redistricting page 3A
see Vet page 2A
Inside
Sports
Index
A2 Staying heart smart Class will offer tips on maintaining cardiac health.
B1 Sports roundup County high schools wrap up basketball season.
Calendar Classified Crime Report Crossword Horoscope Letters
A5 B7 A2 A9 A9 A8
Obituaries Opinion Quotes Real Estate TV Listings
A4 A8 A2 B8 B4-5