09/21/2016

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Inside A5 Student

Powhatan, Virginia

event to feature Powhatan talent B1 Powhatan

downs George Wythe 35-0

Vol. XXIX No. 38

September 21, 2016

Powhatan County chooses broadband partner By Laura McFarland News Editor

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OWHATAN – Powhatan County recently moved a step closer to getting its citizens better connected by choosing SCS Broadband as the private partner that will design it’s new wireless broad-

band system. Powhatan followed Virginia’s Broadband Toolkit and worked with the broadband team at the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to identify the county’s needs, options and assets, leading them to identify SCS Broadband as the right choice to help expand broadband access to unserved

areas. The decision was made in August and SCS Broadband is working on the first phase of the project, which is to design the system, said Pat Weiler, county administrator. A draft of the design is expected to be completed around mid November. “We are getting an actual design.

Powhatan High School marks anniversary of 9/11

Like when you design a building and you get the blueprints and it tells you exactly what the building is going to look like – that is what we are getting. We are getting a design for a broadband system in the county,” she said. SCS has more than 10 years of experience in delivering broadband sersee COUNTY page 8A

Mayo retires from VDOT after 37 years 35 of them in Powhatan area By Laura McFarland News Editor

PHOTO BY ANJIE HENLEY

Powhatan High School JROTC conducted a 9/11 flag ceremony at the beginning of the varsity home football game on Friday, Sept. 9.

State shortfall won’t affect employee raises By Laura McFarland News Editor

P Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19

OWHATAN – Local county and public school officials confirmed last week that a statewide budget shortfall that

is likely to see a two-year revenue shortfall approaching $1.5 billion will not prevent pay raises for local fiscal year 2017 budgets. A $279 million shortfall in revenues in the last fiscal year short-circuited plans in the new two-year state budget

to provide raises for state employees, college faculty, teachers, and state-supported local employees. The state faces a projected shortfall of $843 million in this fiscal year and $632.7 million in the next. see STATE page 2A

Librarians add resources to library By Laura McFarland

Whitney Berriman

DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139

News Editor

Berriman’s position is a new one created for the fiscal year 2017 budget cycle POWHATAN – New faces are bringand approved by the board of supervisors, ing new opportunities for Powhatan CounMartin said. She had requested the posity Public Library to make sure it is providtion because previously she was the only ing the best service possible to patrons. full-time staff member with a professional The library’s newest addition, full-time librarian Whitney Berriman, is settling library certification. She said she felt it was important to into her job have another nicely after full-time emstarting work ployee besides on Aug. 15. the director who Meanwhile, had an overall part-time youth picture of servicservices libraries. an Caroline “The tradiShoenthal, who tional role of distarted with the rector is more the library on Dec. administrator, 14, 2015, just dealing with fifinished her nances, budget, first summer and community reading prooutreach. Those gram with the are all things I do library and is and I will conlooking forward PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND tinue. But those to seeing what Whitney Berriman and Caroline are things I would other activities Shoenthal are the newest additions to like her to learn and programs the Powhatan County Library staff. so somebody else can be develknows them if I oped for the am out of the office,” Martin said. county’s youth in the future. In the few weeks since she joined the Peggy Martin, the library’s director, staff, Berriman has been familiarizing hersaid that having Shoenthal and Berriman self with how the library works and lookon staff makes the library stronger and ing into what possible additional services adds more depth to the level of services could be added to serve the adult populathat can be provided. tion, Martin said. “The library already has a good reputaBerriman said she currently plans to tion in the county. People like the library and they trust us. We are a safe, nonparti- continue the programming for adults as it san community space. I see having more is, with offerings such as movies and Binhelp as enabling us to do that job even better,” Martin said.

see LIBRARIANS page 6A

POWHATAN – Only three weeks into retirement after almost 37 years working for the Virginia Department of Transportation – with 35 of those served continuously in Powhatan County – and Raymond L. Mayo isn’t quite ready to drop the “we” when he talks about his former job. Mayo started working at the Powhatan Area Headquarters for VDOT on Sept. 1, 1981, beginning as a 20-yearold truck operator R. L. MAYO and working his way up through the ranks to superintendent, a position he held 15 years before retiring on Sept. 1 of this year. While many Powhatan County citizens may not know his name, they know his work. He dedicated 35 years to the operation that is responsible for making the roads in the county safe and drivable year round. “The VDOT maintenance area headquarters is responsible for all of the maintenance of the highway system from ditch to ditch, to include vegetation, mowing, snow removal, pothole patching, sign replacement, culvert pipe maintenance and replacement, litter patrol, and other related maintenance issues,” said Mayo of Cumberland. Other than the year and a half Mayo worked at the Short Pump Area Headquarters starting in June 1979 and the six months that separated that stint with VDOT and starting in Powhatan, Mayo has spent his entire professional life in the county, he said. He started work right after graduating from Cumberland High School. When he began work in Powhatan in 1981, Mayo’s job title was Operator, driving different vehicles. Through the years, he moved up in rank to Operator 2, foreman, supervisor and finally superintendent. The last position he held for 15 years. During his time as an Operator 2, he said he assisted the time keeper, Billie Tribble, and that helping her in the office gave him administrative skills that helped him apply for the job of foreman when it came open and paved the way for the rest of his career. In 1981, the headquarters had 21 employees, which consisted of 18 operators and three supervisors, Mayo said. Today, there are a total of 15 employees there with contract employees hired seasonally. With Mayo’s departure, Michael Justice, who worked as his supervisor, or second-in-command, is the acting superintendent.

Covering Powhatan Powhatan County has grown significantly in the last 35 years since Mayo first started working here. At the time, the entire county was rural, with only a fraction of the subdivisions that there are now and not a single stoplight, he said. Today, all of the state roads in Powhatan County have been paved, and Mayo was an integral part in making that hapsee MAYO page 3A


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09/21/2016 by Powhatan Today - Issuu