04/09/2014

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Powhatan, Virginia

The hometown paper of Mary Tsuchihashi

Vol. XXVII No. 15

Revamp of school websites underway

April 9, 2014

State delays extend local budget process By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News

A Jeff Durrett, right, Powhatan County Public Schools director of administrative technology, updates the Powhatan County School Board on an ongoing project to revamp the school division’s websites. School Board members James Kunka, left, and Kim Hymel listen.

PHOTO BY JODI DEAL

By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News

When students and parents start checking Powhatan County Public Schools’ websites for back-to-school information this fall, they will find a revamped system of pages designed to make information

more relevant and easy to access. Jeff Durrett, the school division’s director of administrative technology, told the Powhatan County School Board during a March 25 meeting that his department has been working on a new system of websites that will leave behind the old hosting and web management system

that’s currently in use for a simpler, streamlined option from one of the biggest names in technology: Google. Teachers and staff already use Google’s suite of apps for other functions, Durrett said, and will get access to its website

s the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors has studied and deliberated on its own budget, the Virginia General Assembly hasn’t been able to come to an agreement on the state budget. The resulting unknown quantities, alongside multiple local budget meeting cancellations for both inclement weather and illness, have prompted a shift in the supervisors’ schedule for adopting a budget for the 2015 fiscal year. During a March 31 budget workshop, county administrator Pat Weiler told the supervisors that the General Assembly’s inability to adopt a budget by April 1 lifted the requirement for local governments to adopt budgets for their school divisions by May 1. Under state law, counties must adopt local school budgets either by May 1 or within 30 days of when they receive state budget figures. Supervisors were initially set to decide on a county budget to advertise on Wednesday, April 2, then adopt that budget on Monday, April 28, after holding public hearings April 21 on the budget and April 28 on the county tax rate.

see REVAMP page 8A

see DELAYS page 2A

Supervisors mull capital projects, balancing budget By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News

B

udget deliberations are drawing to a close, as the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors nears the point of making final decisions on what operating expenses and capital projects the county can afford. At an April 2 workshop meeting, county administrator Pat Weiler reviewed the county’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and 2015 operating budget with supervisors, and reminded them that she’ll need them to decide on budget figures to advertise at a meeting set for today (Wednesday, April 9).

Weiler’s original proposal to supervisors was a balanced budget of $45.724 million. Throughout the budget deliberation process, supervisors have asked for reconsideration of several requests not granted in the original budget, including two sheriff’s deputies at a cost of $175,050, three 911 dispatchers at a cost of $110,430 and various other expenses that, if approved, will cost an additional $296,000. At the April 2 workshop, District 4 supervisor Bill Melton asked that night for PHOTO BY JODI DEAL another item to be added for reconsidera- County supervisors Jason Moore, left, David Williams, Barry Hodge tion: increasing one treasurer’s office po- and Bill Melton discuss budget items. The Powhatan County Board of see SUPERVISORS page 4A

Supervisors has been meeting two to three times a week since midMarch to decide on a county spending plan.

P OW H ATA N C H A M B E R S P R I N G E V E N T S Staff Report

S

pring has arrived and the Powhatan Chamber of Commerce is offering the community several events in the coming weeks. An Earth Day Celebration will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, on the Courthouse Green, featuring children’s activities, live music, food, free tree seedlings, educational exhibits, earth-conscious vendors and poster contest artwork winners. Vegetable/flowering plants will be available to purchase. Powhatan’s Festival of Fiber is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, in the Village Meadow. The event will have vendors, food, fiber animals, a Border Collie demonstration, shearing demonstrations, hands-on fiber crafts and door prizes. A Historic Bike Ride is planned for Sun-

day, April 27, on the Courthouse Green to benefit the Free Clinic of Powhatan. For more information, visit www.powhatanbiketour. com. On Wednesday, April 30, a Small Business Community Showcase will be held at the STEPS Centre at 100 Industrial Park Road in Farmville. For more information, call the Chamber at 804-598-2636. A “Save the Date!” event is the 95th Annual Powhatan County Fair, which is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, May 16-18. The stage play, “Lady Patriot,” will be presented Friday through Sunday, May 2325, at the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond. It is a fundraiser by FrancisEmma Inc. For more information, contact the Chamber at 804-598-2636. The office is located at 3887 Old Buckingham Rd.

School Board proceeds with facilities review By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News

The Powhatan County School Board has voted to move forward with a major study that will provide a detailed update on the state of all of the school division’s buildings, and a proposed plan for what to do with them in the future. Dr. Eric L. Jones, superintendent of Powhatan County Public Schools, told the School Board during a March 25 meeting that he, assistant superintendent for finance and business Larry Johns and di-

rector of facilities Russell Wilson had carefully reviewed statements of qualifications from three architectural and engineering firms — Moseley Architects, BCWH Architects and RRMM Architects — for the $75,000 study. After ranking the firms, the team of school division officials opted to pursue a contract with Moseley. The $75,000 figure is still just an estimate, Jones noted. “We still need to talk to them about what the plan would look like, what presensee REVIEW page 2A

Inside

Sports

Index

A5 Powhatan County Republican Committee members elected officers and discussed their aims at a recent meeting

B1 Champs! Powhatan Junior High baseball team overcomes deficit to take title

Calendar Crossword Horoscope Obituaries Opinion TV Listings Classified

A7 A9 A9 A2 A8 B6-7 B8-9


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