Inside A3 Powhatan revels in snow
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Powhatan’s wrestlers win regional championship
Vol. XXXV No.. 32
February 10, 2021
County continues vaccinating employees School division closes for a day to allow 163 staff members to receive shot By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – Powhatan County local government took another step forward in administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its workforce last week with the county’s sixth clinic, bringing its total number to 644 shots distributed since Dec. 29. County staff, working with Emergency Services Solutions (ESS), held a clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Pocahontas Landmark Center gym that served 200 people, including 163 Powhatan County Public Schools employees, with the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, said Curt Nellis, emergency management coordinator. Nellis was more optimistic last week about potential prog-
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Sada Hill, PCPS food services compliance officer, receives her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from Josh Mullins, COO of Emergency Services Solutions, during a county-organized vaccine clinic on Feb. 2.
ress with the vaccinations than even a few weeks earlier, when canceled shipments of the shots
and shortages led to canceling previously scheduled clinics or significantly reducing the num-
ber of people who could be served. Nellis said he is now expecting a steadier schedule of 200 vaccines a week, which is not ideal but is still better than the uncertainty he was experiencing before when planning clinics. “They have guaranteed me 200 a week and I can do good things with 200 a week. If I could get 300, I could even do more,” Nellis said. “So, I think I am optimistic that the flow of vaccine is going to improve now that everybody has been beating their drums and holding their breath. … Once that flow opens up that we keep hearing about, we should be able to do great things.” Every clinic also sees organizers fine tuning the process so that, if they eventually are able to open them to the public, the
process will go much smoother, he added. Nellis kicked off his efforts in January to assist the Chesterfield Health District, which includes Powhatan County, in its responsibilities of distributing the vaccines, starting with essential county employees. He organized five of the six vaccination clinics held in the county and was scheduled to hold another on Tuesday, Feb. 9, barring any unforeseen circumstances, with almost half of them getting a second dose. Nellis is currently scheduling clinics aimed at first responders and county employees; they are not open to the general public. The public is urged to sign up through the Virginia Department of Health. As of Feb. 2, the people who see COUNTY, pg. 6
STEM Days engage young students Winterization grants help businesses knock in hands-on science exploration chill off for customers
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County Public Schools is making waves this semester as first and second-graders celebrate discovery through reimagined STEM Days. The annual tradition that sees the county’s local elementary schools dedicating entire days to PHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS STEM (science, technolFirst-graders in Paula Bean’s classroom at Powhatan ogy, engineering, and
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
see STEM, pg. 6
Elementary do a STEM Day activity exploring sound and vibrations with tuning forks and dancing rice.
Proposed mixed used development in Village area to be reviewed
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Planning Commission got its first look last week at a mixed use development with retail and multi-unit residential dwellings being proposed for the Village area. During the planning commission’s meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2, the members heard an informal overview of a rezoning request for a mixed use development in the 4000 block of Old Buckingham Road. The request is to rezone 9.757 acres from Agricultural-10 (A-10) to Village Center Planned Development. The project, called the Depot at Fighting Creek, would include 10 triplex rental units and approximately 26,000 square feet of commercial/retail space in the Courthouse Village area. The property where the project is proposed is in an uninhabited tract of wooded land roughly halfway between Powhatan Elementary School and the joint trans-
portation facility. Developers Michael Potter and Rick Smith gave the presentation to solicit initial feedback from planning commission members. No official action was taken at the Feb. 2 meeting. Though the official date has not been set yet, the project could have its formal presentation and public hearing as early as the planning commission’s March 2 meeting, which will be at 6 p.m. in the Village Building. Potter’s presentation focused a great deal on what the mixed used development could bring to the Village area as well as promoting what is already there. Although the property is located along Old Buckingham Road, it would be visible from Anderson Highway and act as a “billboard” for what the courthouse area has to offer, he said. “I think more people are staying at home that now telecommute. We like to think we are breaking the trend of ‘going to town.’ Hopefully it will be see PLANNING, pg. 8
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Kyle Crowder, owner of Smok-N-Pigz, stands in the tent he purchased and outfitted using a winterization grant from the county to have heated seating during the winter. Before adding the tent, his business was limited to carryout only.
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Several local businesses have been bringing some extra warmth to the cold winter months for their customers thanks to winterization grants awarded by the county. Last fall, Powhatan County sought to ease the hurting experienced by local businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic by dedicating $517,404 of its federal CARES Act funding to grants for local small businesses, said Roxanne Salerno, economic development program manager. Initially, the county awarded $373,771 worth of general business assistance grants to 33 local businesses in two rounds of funding. But when they didn’t have enough qualified applicants to award all of the grant money in those first two rounds, county staff decided to get a little creative for the third round, Salerno said. They came up with the idea for the Winterization Grant program, which was aimed at eating and drinking establishments, she said. The goal was to help businesses increase their customer capacity throughout the winter with new or improved outdoor modifications. “We don’t have a huge restaurant base in Powhatan, and it would
be really awful in the winter time when they are struggling to not offer something to help them pivot what they need to do to get people through the winter with the restrictions,” Salerno said. In total, the county awarded six winterization grants totaling $54,583 of the federal CARES Act funds, she said. The businesses that were awarded grants were allowed to spend the funds on a wide variety of outdoor equipment such as heaters and fire pits,seating, and tents, Salerno said. “Because we don’t have a huge selection in Powhatan, hopefully those businesses that utilized (the grant) and needed it can actually continue throughout the winter and keep those employees going, keep the revenue coming in,” she said. For Smok-N-Pigz, owner Kyle Crowder is hoping a tent with picnic table seating and heaters he purchased with a winterization grant will draw more customers in to sit and enjoy their food. When the pandemic hit, Crowder’s restaurant was massively impacted. Catering special events, which made up about half of his business, dropped off by roughly 80% in 2020 as people were warned to social distance, he said. The inside dining space is so small that it wasn’t logical to have people eat in see GRANTS, pg. 5