Inside A6 Full slate of Cumberland candidates on ballot
Powhatan, Virginia
B1 Powhatan delivers wild comeback to edge Clover Hill 21-20
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 15
October 2, 2019
Solar farm case takes familial twist By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors was flummoxed last week when a public hearing on a solar farm application took an unexpected turn. During the board’s meeting on Monday, Sept. 23, a public hearing on a request for a conditional use permit (CUP) for Powhatan Solar I LLC took a
strange turn based not on the merits of the solar farm but on the question of who actually owns the land where it would be located. The solar farm project is proposed for land along Three Bridge Road near its intersection with Mill Mount Parkway and at the northern terminus of Brauer Road. The subject properties total approximately 927.38 acres, with the proposed use located within a project area that is approximately 350.9 acres. About
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Parker Sloan talks to the Powhatan Board of Supervisors about a proposed solar farm.
225 acres would be occupied by solar arrays. Parker Sloan represented Cypress Creek Renewables with a presentation on its proposed solar farm along Three Bridge Road. The proposed project would reach a maximum capacity of 18 megawatts and would likely be built over a six to 10 month period beginning in late 2020. During the public hearing for the case, siblings Forrest and Anna Ranson
It takes a village to save a life By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The crowd around the podium just kept growing. There were firefighters, deputies, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, and two citizens who saw a need and stopped to help. By the time they filed up to the front of the auditorium in the Village building, 12 people stood around the podium waiting to be recognized. And at their center was Cliff Dalton, the Powhatan resident whose life all of those people came together to save one hot July afternoon, with the help of his wife, Patsy. see SAVE, pg. 7
asked the board to defer the case a month because they are part owners of a portion of the land included in the solar project. Forrest Ranson said when his dad, Rick, died in 2012, he left sizeable real estate holdings to his sister and himself and made his aunt, Tamara Anderson, trustee since they were both minors. They are now both over 21, he said. The trust was split into subtrusts, with each sibsee SOLAR, pg. 4
Festival of the Grape returns for 17th year
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing a group of first responders and citizens for the role each man or woman played in saving the life of Cliff Dalton, front center, who suffered a heart attack on July 16, with the help of his wife, Patsy, front right. The board recognized: back row, from left, Channing Ward, Will Hendel, Art Tate, Rebekah Mann, Madison Ward, Brandon Trevillian and Sammy Curlings; second row, Thomas Young, Josh Barnes, Mike Hart, and Vernon Grady; and front row, 911 shift supervisor Cory Chaffins. Not pictured are Morgan Kingston and Jordan Fisher.
FILE PHOTO POWHATAN TODAY
The Festival of the Grape will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 5.
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
By Laura McFarland
Rick Cole running for school board in District 1
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Contributed Report
Cole has devoted his entire career to public
R
ick Cole has announced his intention to run as a write-in candidate for the District 1 seat on the Powhatan County School Board. Cole, who has served two terms on the board, had initially announced that he would step aside to allow someone new to run for the seat. When no candidate came forward by the filing deadline, he felt that he needed to reconsider his early decision.
COLE education. He served as a teacher, a coach, and a high school assistant
principal from 1974 to 1989 in Goochland. He then came “home” to Powhatan to serve as an assistant principal at Powhatan High School and was appointed principal in 1995, serving in that position for 13 years until his retirement in 2008. He provided vital leadership through many changes during his tenure, such as transitioning to block scheduling, improving student achievement, integrating technology into instruction, designing and moving into the
Editor
POWHATAN –The streets of Powhatan County’s village area will be overflowing with good cheer this weekend as the Powhatan Chamber of Commerce hosts its 17th annual Festival of the Grape. Always one of Powhatan’s most well attended community events, this year’s festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 in the Historic Courthouse Village, located at 3887 Old Buckingham Road, said Angie Cabell, the chamber’s executive director. With every ticket purchase, visitors will be able to relish in a variety of wines from 24 different wineries, including Barboursville, Default Vineyards and Mattaponi. Continuing last year’s success, the festival will also have distilleries, including Powhatanbased Three Crosses Distillery, as well as some new faces with Catoctin Creek, Chesapeake Bay Distillery and Vitae Spirits. Fine Creek Brewing, also from Powhatan, will have its own booth, and there will be other craft beers and ciders.
see COLE, pg. 4
see GRAPE, pg. 8
Powhatan Moose Lodge 4140 OLD BUCKINGHAM ROAD
6TUHAL
ANN
Oktoberfest Sponsored by the Powhatan Family Center to Benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Moose Orphanage, Moose Seniors, and Blackhawk Wrestling. Music, Food, Drinks, and Cornhole (ticket does not 1005852-01
include food or drinks)
MUSIC:
The Saurkrauts and Southland Bands, Bring Lawn Chairs
Saturday, October 12, 3pm - 10pm Call 598-2809 for Info & Tickets or stop by the New Horizon Bank (1870 Stoneridge Commerce Drive) or Henry’s Market
Open to Public TICKETS (Admission only) Kids 12 & under FREE $8 in advance $10 at the gate