Inside A3 Tom Berry honored for interim service
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Powhatan stuns undefeated Midlothian
Vol. XXXV No.. 18
November 3, 2021
Supervisors split but pass comprehensive plan By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
P
OWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors voted last week in a split decision to adopt the 2021 LongRange Comprehensive Plan. During the board’s meeting on Monday, Oct. 25, the members voted 3-2 in favor of adopting the newly-revised comprehensive plan. This plan was an update from the comprehensive plan adopted by the previous board in 2019 and is supposed to offer a guideline of the vision for the county in the coming decades. Chairwoman Karin Carmack, who represents District 5, Tom Berry, who at the time was the District 2 interim representative, and Mike Byerly, District 3, voted in favor of adopting the plan. David Williams, District 1, and Bill Cox,
District 4, voted against it. Toward the beginning of the discussion, there was potential that the board would not move forward with the plan. Raising concerns about several aspects of the plan that still needed to be corrected or decided and calling the document a “mess,” Cox had made a motion to defer adoption of the plan. Cox and Williams, while commending Berry for his work, also echoed some comments that were made in the public comment period pointing out that he was appointed and a board member elected by District 2 residents would be chosen on Nov. 2. A duly-elected representative should have the final vote on the comprehensive plan, they said. However, the deferral failed in the same 3-2 split. Carmack, who opposed the deferral, said the board had been working on the plan for over a year and if Berry’s vote were going to be an issue the process
should have halted six months earlier and waited for the new board member to do the work of revising the plan with the other board members. “Mr. Berry has voted on countless resolutions, rezonings, and his vote and his input has been fine for that; I think it is sufficient for the comprehensive plan,” she said. Byerly agreed with her assessment and pointed out that in the negotiation of the plan, no one was going to get everything they wanted, but the goal was to adopt a plan they felt would be in the best interest of the county. Once the deferral was off the table, the board moved through several issues raised by members and decided to vote on five amendments before adopting the final plan. The updated comprehensive plan was adopted minus the transportation plan, which has to be reviewed by the Virginia Department of Transporta-
tion (VDOT) and can’t be voted on by the supervisors until it is reviewed. The meeting also included comments from five individuals during a public hearing. They raised the issue about Tuesday’s election; pointed out that some of the board’s decisions hadn’t been supported and seemed arbitrary; said residents weren’t interested in highdensity housing, and strongly opposed having designations on Page Road that encouraged commercial development. A list of the changes the board made from the 2019 comprehensive plan can be found in the Oct. 25 board packet on the county website, www.powhatanva. gov. Amendments There were a few instances where problems raised with the plan were besee COMPREHENSIVE, pg. 5
Village comes together to save a life
Trick or Treat Halloween 2021 PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
On Oct. 25, the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors recognized the 911 communications officers, fire and rescue members, and deputies who helped save a Powhatan man who suffered a heart attack a month earlier. See full story page 3A.
County staff presents redistricting scenario By Laura McFarland
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Following the latest decennial census data being distributed to localities, the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors has been tasked with making
adjustments to the county’s district boundaries. During the board’s meeting on Monday, Oct. 25, assistant county administrator Bret Schardein gave the members a first look at the issue, which they will have to ad-
PHOTOS BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Top, Catrina, Trevor, Emersyn and Mason Garner enjoy trick or treating as Team USA in the Scottville neighborhood. Above, Cathy Rusch sends candy down a special candy chute. See more photos Page 8A.
see REDISTRICTING, pg. 8
Fire and rescue earns regional award By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County Fire and Rescue was recently recognized with the 2021 ODEMSA Regional EMS Award for Outstanding EMS Agency. The award was announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27 during the virtual Old Dominion EMS Alliance Regional EMS Council Awards. Each of Virginia’s 11 regional EMS councils hold regional award programs that seek nominees for 13 categories, including the one that Powhatan won. Powhatan County Fire and Rescue will now compete against the other councils’ winners in the EMS Agency category at the Governor’s EMS Awards on Sat-
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Powhatan Fire and Rescue was recently recognized with the 2021 ODEMSA Regional EMS Award for Outstanding EMS Agency. Celebrating the win are Joe Sposa, from left, Mike Byerly, Tom Berry, Bill Cox, Taylor Goodman, Heidi Hooker, Karin Carmack, Phil Warner, David Williams and Ned Smither.
urday, Nov. 6 in Norfolk. Taylor Goodman, deputy fire chief, said the department does not know who nominated it for the regional award, but when members heard in late September that they had been chosen to re-
ceive it they did so with immense pride. They had to be told early so ODEMSA could come out and film them receiving the award for the virtual awards ceremony. “One of the things we have tried to do is certainly
build the agency, build relationships – relationships all the way from the top and the senior most people to the brand new people that come in,” Goodman said. “It was nice to be rewarded for that see AWARD, pg. 2