Inside A8 State Fair highlights best of Virginia
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Powhatan Volleyball beats tough opponents in 5-set games
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 16
October 9, 2019
Festival of the Grape Annual gathering brings friends, family together
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Opponents of the proposed Green Ridge Landfill set up a demonstration across from the site along Route 60 in Cumberland in hopes of being seen by the governor, who was visiting the county.
Landfill protestors try to grab governor’s eye Story page 5
PHOTO BY NICK VANDELOECHT
Members of the Powhatan High School Class of 1994, pictured together at Powhatan’s LOVE letters, reunited at the Festival of the Grape, held for the 17th year on Oct. 5 in Powhatan. See the full story and more photos inside on page 5A.
By Laura McFarland Editor
CUMBERLAND – They wanted to show they still have a voice. The handful of people who stood out on Route 60 near the Cumberland/ Powhatan line on Tuesday, Oct. 1, were hoping their demonstration would be seen by Gov. Ralph Northam. They had heard he was staying overnight at Bear Creek Lake State Park and planned to put on a peaceful demonstration he would see if he was traveling east on Route 60, as they expected. Their goal was simple – remind the governor of the negative impacts on Virginia if County Waste of Virginia’s proposal to build Green Ridge RecyCONTRIBUTED PHOTO cling and Disposal FaciliMaria and Javier Agosto demonty becomes a reality, said strate hair cutting to a woman in Betty Myers, co-chair of Indonesia as part of Hair Aid Inc. The the Cumberland County nonprofit teaches women a skill that Landfill Alert (CCLA) lets them better their lives. group. The landfill, which
Helping change lives one haircut at a time By Laura McFarland Editor
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
POWHATAN – The memory that stands out the most for Javier Agosto was watching a woman learning to cut hair while three young children clung to her shoulders and legs. The woman’s husband had died of cancer and his family kicked her and her children out without possessions. They were living on the streets. She had no one to care for her children while she sought to learn this new skill so she did the best she could, he said. And to top it off, she was learning to cut hair not in a classroom or special room but outdoors in the middle of a hot, hu-
mid jungle. Seeing the woman’s determination to learn a skill set that could help raise her family out of poverty humbled Javier Agosto and was just one more confirmation to him and his wife, Maria, that they had done the right thing by participating in an international nonprofit called Hair Aid Inc. The Powhatan residents flew to Indonesia in September to teach in one of the nonprofit’s five-day hair cutting courses. Volunteer hairdressers from around the world participate in the trips, which see them teaching five basic hair cuts to people living on the streets, in slum communities, or with ladies ressee STYLISTS, pg. 6
see LANDFILL pg. 8
Planning commission David Williams seeks re-election as supervisor recommends denial of Contributed report
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
successfully applied for rezoning and a conditional use permit in June 2018, is proposed to be built in Cumberland County extremely close to the Powhatan County border. CCLA is intent on stopping that. “We are trying to let the governor know the proposed mega landfill coming to Cumberland County is not what we want. Traffic, ground and surface water, environmental justice, and earthquakes are our main concerns,” Myers said. One set of the protestors’ staggered signs read “GOV SAVE OUR WELLS,” while another said “THE DEATH OF THE JAMES RIVER STARTS HERE.” The bright orange spray paint was still wet on one large cardboard sign that Ron Tavernier had just finished, which read, “GREEN RIDGE
Virginians with disabilities in the General Assembly with the Virginia Rehabilitation Association. During his service on the board avid Williams has announced that he is run- of supervisors, Williams has been ning for re-election to consistent in fighting to hold the the Powhatan County line on county spending, taxes, and debt. He has Board of Supervimade the accountsors to represent ability of county District 1. officials to the votWilliams, ers a principal fowhose family roots cus of his service. in Powhatan go He has led the way back to the 1700s, in advocating poliis serving his seccies and ordinances ond term on the that preserve what board. He previmakes Powhatan ously served on the special. He is dediPowhatan County cated to returning Planning Commisthe county to its sion. While on the previous, conservaRichmond RegionWILLIAMS tive borrowing polal Planning District Commission and the Regional icy that is essential to maintaining Transportation Planning Organi- the county’s current credit rating zation as Powhatan’s representa- and achieving an even better rattive, his colleagues on each of ing. Powhatan has one of the most those bodies elected him to chair unfavorable ratios in the Comthose organizations. A veteran of the Vietnam War, monwealth of residential property he received bachelor’s and mas- to commercial/industrial property ter’s degrees in science from Vir- on the county’s tax rolls at 92 perginia Commonwealth University. cent to 8 percent. Williams favors He then served decades in the Vir- correcting that imbalance by enginia Department of Rehabilitative couraging appropriate commerServices working with and for Vir- cial and industrial businesses to ginians with disabilities as a state- locate in the county and by diswide planner, a system analyst and couraging dense residential develcounselor. Later, he advocated for opment.
D
development project By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Planning Commission and a good number of residents made it clear last week that they don’t support a proposed mixed use development that could see up to 249 “dwelling units” built near the Chesterfield County line. During the commission’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the four members present voted unanimously to recommend denial of a rezoning application for East West Communities, which proposes to build some commercial development and up to 249 homes on a 120acre site on the north side of Page Road at its intersection with U.S. Route 60 (Anderson Highway) adjacent to the Chesterfield County line. This project, called the Ellis Farm Development, would include single-family detached, duplex, and townhouse dwellings.
It would also come with a major traffic pattern shift with the VDOTapproved addition of a restricted crossing u-turn (RCUT) intersection on Anderson Highway across from Page Road to handle the increase of traffic that would be expected to come with the project. The RCUT, which the developer has offered to fund, would also accommodate the future plan of access for Classic Granite across the highway. The planning commissioners had deferred the rezoning case from their Sept. 3 meeting after new information about the RCUT was presented. They said they wanted more time to review the new information. They also decided to hold another public hearing when the case came back on Oct. 1, which saw 12 residents offering their opinions on the case. They ranged from being adamantly opposed to the new project to having consee PLANNING, pg. 9