Inside A3 Tax-Aide canceled for 2021 season
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Powhatan girls basketball team wins 3 in a row
Vol. XXXIV No. o. 30
January 27, 2021
Carmack, Byerly to lead supervisors in 2021 By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors was split last week when it chose Karin Carmack to serve as board chairwoman in 2021. Carmack, who represents District 5, was elected in a 3-2 vote at the board’s organizational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Outgoing chairman David Williams, District 1, and Bill Cox, District 4, voted to elect Carmack to the position. Larry Nordvig, District 2, and Mike Byerly, District 3, voted against. It was at this point in the meeting that Nordvig, who was participating electronically, became disconnected and did not participate in the rest of the meeting. He announced his resignation as a supervisor via email the next morning (see story page 1A). In the vote that followed for vice chairman, Cox was nominated but didn’t get a second. Byerly was
CARMACK
BYERLY
also nominated and was chosen in a 4-0 vote. Carmack, who previously served on the planning commission for almost 13 years, is in her second year as a supervisor. In 2020, she was elected as the vice chairwoman.
By Laura McFarland
By Laura McFarland
Editor
Editor
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19 DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
see BOARD, pg. 5
Nordvig resigns as supervisor, Barton to retire as treasurer
County offices move into Skaggs Road building POWHATAN – Powhatan County recently completed work on renovating its half of the former school board office and has begun to shift operations of some departments into the building. The L-shaped building on Skaggs Road was divided into two spaces, with the county’s side reaching substantial completion and getting its certificate of occupancy on Jan. 5, said Ramona Carter, director of public works. The other
Despite the split vote, Carmack said she was grateful and humbled that her colleagues would elect her to chair the board this upcoming year. She also praised Williams “for gracefully guiding us through a challenging and tumultuous year.” Moving forward, Carmack said she will work on having continued collaborative meetings with measurable outcomes. Several priority issues she said she would like the board to focus on include long-term fiscal planning, making Powhatan an attractive destination for new businesses, and improving the county’s 92% residential/8% commercial tax base ratio. “Additionally, I would like to continue our pursuit of serving as many of our citizens as possible with high-speed internet,” she said. Carmack said she will seek a collegial working relationship with the Powhatan County School Board to ensure the county’s children continue to enjoy the
POWHATAN – Powhatan County supervisor Larry Nordvig and treasurer Faye Barton both announced last week that they would be stepping down from their separate PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND elected offices before the end of their terms in three Mark Piper, facilities and grounds manager, shows one of the newly renyears. ovated offices in the Skaggs Road building that changed hands from the Nordvig, who has been school board to the county. Public works has already relocated there. a supervisor since Februhalf of the building will includes utilities, facili- eventually be located in ary 2015, emailed a letter be used by the Free Clin- ties and grounds, began the former gym of the of resignation on Wednesic of Powhatan and is a moving into and operat- Pocahontas Landmark day, Jan. 20 to his fellow completely separate proj- ing their portion of the Center, which is currentsupervisors, key county county’s new space about ly being used for COVect. staff, and the Powhatan Carter and other a week later. Parks and ID-19 vaccinations. The Today. He made his resigmembers of the public recreation, which is also IT department, which nation effective Sunday, works department, which part of public works, will see MOVE, pg. 5 Jan. 31. Barton, who has been treasurer since 2000 but worked for the county for 29 years, emailed a letter stating her intention to retire to the supervisors, her fellow constitutional offithe young people spoke. We are just cers, and key county staff By Laura McFarland so happy that we gave them a voice on Saturday, Jan. 23. She Editor said she will be retiring efthis year,” she said. When the decision was made in fective July 1, 2021. POWHATAN – Celebrating students and their achievements was at 2020 to cancel the in-person event the heart of the 2021 MLK Youth for 2021, the focus instead became Larry Nordvig Day Scholarship Awards Ceremo- to make the 10th event special by In Nordvig’s email, he raising the funds to offer 10 young ny. said it had been his priviHeld on Monday, Jan. 18 via people scholarships. lege to represent the citiBefore the event, Gray said that video chat, the 10th year for the anzens of Powhatan for six nual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fundraising and sales from a special years. During that time, he Day event was a much smaller and 10-year edition journal booklet said he tried to be a “voice more focused affair than previous were enough to offer eight students of the people and to forceyears. But it also highlighted stu- a $1,200 scholarship, one student a fully articulate the general dents in a way that hadn’t happened $500 scholarship, and one PHS opinion of those in Disbefore, giving voice to the scholar- graduate a $1,000 scholarship. trict 2 and across our However, during the ceremony, ship winners who were honored county.” during the ceremony, said co-chair the Rev. Dr. Carole Selby, who is “These are troubled the scholarship committee chairApril Gray. times in our nation. Patri“This was the first year that we man, announced that funds were so otic citizens need to anhave given scholarships that we had generous this year that eight high swer the call to restore our the young people speak, and the school students would receive rights as Americans. I love comments I got back were over- $1,600 scholarships instead. my county, but I also love whelmingly positive as to how well see MLK, pg. 6
2021 MLK Youth Day Scholarship Ceremony focuses on education
NORDVIG
my commonwealth and my country. I cannot sit idly by and watch the decline of the Republic to which I have pledged allegiance and to which I swore an oath to support and defend. It is a time for each of us (to) set priorities. Therefore, in (the) future, I will devote my political time and energy to national and state issues,” he wrote. “I pray for the health and happiness of everyone in Powhatan County. I will continue to be available for fellowship for all who wish it. Blessings to all of you and thank you for six years of meaningful service.” Nordvig has been elected as a supervisor three times – in a special election held in February 2015 and then in General Elections in November 2015 and 2019. In the last election, he ran unopposed. Nordvig did not attend the board’s Jan. 19 meeting in person, participating virtually instead. However, after Karin Carmack was elected chairsee ELECTED OFFICIALS, pg. 6
Health department faces challenges with vaccine rollout By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The Virginia Department of Health’s Chesterfield Health District says it is administering COVID-19 vaccinations to its residents as quickly as possible, including those in Powhatan County, but the demand is still greatly outpacing the supply.
Health districts across the state are being faced with the issue of working through the standard federal prioritization list on who gets the vaccine, but they are doing so with an extremely limited supply, said Brookie Crawford, central region public information officer with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). “This vaccination cam-
paign is unprecedented in size, scope and complexity, so we are really pleased with how far we have come so far, but we do acknowledge that there is a long way to go. It is a complex plan so there are lots of moving parts,” she said. “We expect that implementation will be quicker in the weeks to come. But some of the things we are facing are
changes in supply, variances in staffing, supplies and equipment and change, and their availability. That can greatly impact our ability to get the people vaccinated.” As of Jan. 24, the VDH website reported that 1,279 doses of the vaccine had been administered to Powhatan see VACCINE, pg. 4