Volume XXXVI, Issue 39
Girls lacrosse off to winning start
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Volume XXXVI, Issue 39
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors got a look at some of the heftier requests increasing the county’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2024 operating budget with a second round of meeting with department heads.
During a workshop on Monday, March 20, the supervisors met with representatives from the remaining departments on their list to get a better understanding of what increases are being requested in the upcoming budget.
This gave them a chance to ask in-depth questions on proposed spending on requests such as new employees, infrastructure improvements, new equipment, raises and more.
The board also had its first discussion in this budget cycle of the proposed FY2024 10-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which has projects totaling $12.23 million in the next fiscal year and $87.21 million in the next 10 years.
See full CIP story on page A3.
Some departments fielded a number of the board’s questions assisted by county administrator
Bret Schardein and budget manager Thomas Vo. The board did not take any votes on the budget at this workshop. The departments that met with the board last week were:
Utilities – Requested increase of $640,173. The bulk of this is $398,815 earmarked for Chesterfield water capacity, which includes a 5% increase in the cost of the water the county purchases. Staff explained that of that amount, $379,000 would be Powhatan’s portion of any capital
LAURA MCFARLAND Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County Public Schools’ handling of controversial instructional materials was once again front and center last week in various ways, one of which will lead to a new task force to review books in secondary school libraries.
More than a dozen members of the public came out to speak to the school board about how the schools handle sexually explicit materials and controversial topics, which were largely addressed in a policy the members have been discussing for months and was set to pass at their meeting on Tuesday, March 21.
The event, which was held Saturday, March 25 in Powhatan, saw 10 competitors going head to head to see whose chili would win over the most taste buds.
LAURA MCFARLAND
Managing Editor
The samples were spicy, sweet, smoky and flavorful at the Village Heroes 9/11 Memorial Chili Cook-Off.
Tony Greenhow’s team, Big Daddy’s Chili, took home the trophy and won a $1,000 cash prize.
But in a nod to what the day was all about, Greenhow donated half his winnings back to Girl Scout Troop 3029’s efforts
to raise funds for the completion of the 9/11 Memorial project at Company 2 Huguenot Volunteer Fire Department. The troop has been working to sell 411 bricks inscribed with the name, rank and company of a firefighter, law enforcement officer or paramedic killed during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Greenhow said he saw the event as a great event for the
community but also just a fun chance to compete and meet other people who are passionate about chili.
Given his love of cooking –barbecue and chili in particular – Greenhow said he was excited to pit the recipe he has taken years to develop against others in the friendly competition. He
The board ultimately did pass Policy IIA, which sets the standards for instructional materials and notification of parents when sexually explicit content will be introduced, in a unanimous vote as part of the consent agenda without any discussion. They had already held a special workshop on Jan. 30 focused only on working out the policy’s language and haven’t had much discussion on the topic since.
The policy has been an issue since late 2022, when an initial version was passed because Senate Bill 656, which required all school divisions to develop
LAURA MCFARLAND
Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Two valuable members of the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office are retiring this week after admirable careers in law enforcement.
Lt. Mike Wentworth, patrol lieutenant, will retire March 31 after more than 16 years with the sheriff’s office and about 26 years in law enforcement. He will be joined in retirement by K9 Bane, a Dutch shepherd that has been partnered with Wentworth for about two years and served the sheriff’s office since becoming certified in 2016.
Wentworth has worn many hats in his years with the sheriff’s office, serving in patrol, as a K9 handler, a drug investigator, and first sergeant and then lieutenant in charge of investigations. He has been in charge of the patrol division since 2020.
Looking back, Wentworth said he has had a great career and been fortunate enough to work under three good Powhatan sheriff’s – Lynn Woodcock, Greg Neal and now Brad Nunnally –who allowed him to bring input and direction to the different
divisions where he worked and was a supervisor. He will most miss the fellowship of the office, noting his fellow deputies are like family.
Wentworth said he appreciates how the field of law enforcement has evolved, with technology helping solve cases in a way that
wasn’t possible when he first started.
“There is so much more we can do with cell phone data, computer systems, leads online. A lot of police work can be solved behind the desk. When I started
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
community Matters is a resource for all 55 and forward interested in learning, staying active and engaging with peers. challenge and socialization are powerful benefits and crucial at any age! Multiple weekly sessions with a wide range of topics and activities are held at 10 a.m. tuesdays, Wednesdays and thursdays at the Pocahontas Landmark center, 4290 anderson hwy, in the training room of Powhatan Parks and recreation. Upcoming programs include: March 29 at 10 a.m. Mingle with Minis. We’ll be visited by miniature horses for some mingling and Q/a outside. We’ll end our time with Powhatan equine rescue League inside learning all about minis and their amazing work with them. March 30 and 10 a.m. Game day thursdays. Many games will be made available (Mahjong, Bingo, cards, Wii, cards, puzzles, rummikub, Boggle, Would you rather, taco/cat/ Goat/cheese/Pizza, etc.) and you’re welcome to bring your own. connec t with friends, old and new, over a cup of coffee or tea and a game. March 31 from 8 to 10 a.m. Movers and Pacers. Weekly winter walking in the gymnasium rain or shine. you’ll be in good company with others interested in staying active this winter. March 14 at 10 a.m. elder law attorney Lelia Winget-hernandez will guide us through the intricate and sensitive landscape of elder law — something multiple generations need more awareness. Mah Jong at 1 p.m. april 4, 11, 18 five-part series at 10 a.m. art exploration. Local artist and teacher holly smith leads us in learning about the stories, challenges and works of other artists. the five-part series will cover five different artists: Paul Klee, henri Matisse, romare Barden, Lee Krasner and andy Goldsworthy. Weekly we will build on what we learn with a project of our own. Information on various offerings, activities and topics presented can be found on Facebook: Powhatan county reach for active services. Program is free; requires independent participation. call program coordinator Jayne Lloyd at 804-698-0438 for more information.
Powhatan county Public Library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tuesday through thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on saturdays. Meeting rooms are available by reservation; study rooms are available first come, first served. the library offers e-books through overdrive and materials to borrow in person or by using Books to Go. With Books to Go, patrons may reserve print materials, dVds, and audiobooks 24/7 online at www.powhatanlibrary or by phone during open hours at 804-598-5670 and can choose to pick up their books inside on the Books to Go shelf or outside in the Books to Go lockers. Books to Go orders are held for three days after notification. the outdoor library book drop is open 24/7 for returning library items; however, patrons must return mobile hotspots to the circulation desk inside the library. the library accepts donations through the Friends of the Library. the Friends of the Library Bookstore is open during library business hours. Visit www. powhatanlibrary.net or call the library at 804-598-5670 for more details, and like the library’s Facebook page for all the latest, up-to-date library news, information and program schedules.
Powhatan county Public Library will hold a weekly story time on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Participants will read stories, sing songs, learn finger plays and more! story time generally meets in front of the fireplace, and occasionally in our outdoor space.
Business network International (BnI) Powhatan chapter meets virtually from 8 to 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday. Visit Www.BnIVa com for information. to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/BnIonFire or contact executive director dawne Gulla at dawne@bniva.com or 804-690-9220 for more information. the Free clinic of Powhatan serves residents from Powhatan, amelia and cumberland counties as well as select chesterfield areas. services include medical, dental, counseling and women’s healthcare by appointment. eligibility requirements on website www.freeclinicofpowhatan.org/ patients. registration for new patients by
From A1
a policy ensuring parental notification of any instructional material that includes sexually explicit content, also set a deadline to do so of no later than Jan. 1, 2023. The board decided to adopt a starter policy they could live with and revisit it this year.
The issue seemed to be put to rest with the adoption of the beefed up policy, but a
appointment Mondays 5-8 p.m. or walk-in tuesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call (804) 598-5637.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30
do you have a concern about your child’s development? If so, come to the PcPs child
Find event to discuss your specific concerns and the potential for formal evaluations. the event is free and open for any Powhatan resident ages 3-5 and will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. at Powhatan elementary school, 4111 old Buckingham road. For more information, contact dr. Lynn clayton-Prince at 804-598-5700.
Just Kids, an affordable clothing shop selling gently used children’s clothes, sizes newborn to 8 plus, and warm coats, is open. the store is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays. the shop is located in the Memorial Baptist church youth house, 3926 old Buckingham road. Just Kids is a ministry of May Memorial Baptist church. clothes cost $2 per bag.
the Powhatan Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m. to noon on thursdays, saturdays and tuesdays at 2500 Batterson road. contact the pantry at 804-372-9526 or powhatanvafoodpantry@gmail.com.
extension specialists and industry experts share timely topics for farmers in the Virginia cooperative extension ag today, held virtually at 9 a.m. every thursday. these updates are relevant and brief and are recorded for folks who can’t join on that day and time. Podcasts (audio only) are posted on Westmoreland Vce webpage and you tube video recordings can be found at https://www.youtube.com/ playlist?list=PL7_2QUVzrPXdpysV2hy11ch8KBrluifyo contact stephanie romelczyk (sromelcz@vt.edu) for information on joining the meeting live. Watched or listened to Vce aG today? Let us know how we are doing! Find our survey here: https://vce.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ sV_6fiyBb914ayrdn7 the original Powhatan aa meets from
7 to 8 p.m. every thursday in the Powhatan Village Building.
the Powhatan rotar y c lub meets at 7:30 a.m. every thursday at the county seat restaurant.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31
Powhatan county Public Library has an action-packed spring program lineup for 2023. the PcPL monthly Book club is here!
Join us on March 31 at 10 a.m. the book selection is “horse” by Geraldine Brooks. see the front desk and Facebook for more info. For details, contact Powhatan county Public Library at 804.598.5670 or library@ powhatanlibrary.net.
Blessed sacrament huguenot school t heater’s production of “c lue” will be performed at 7 p.m. March 31 and april 1 and at 2 p.m. april 1 in Parker Gym at the school, 2501 academy road. admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students. st. John neumann Friday fish fry will be held every Friday during Lent from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church. It’s buffet style with fried and baked fish, mac n cheese, fries, seafood salad, and a lot more plus a variety of desserts all for $15 for adults, and $7 for children 6-12 years old. you can also get your meal to go. the majority of proceeds from the dinner are used for Powhatan charities to help local residents.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1
Powhatan Parks and recreation will hold a Powhatan eggstravaganza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on saturday, april 1 at Fighting creek Park. come for a stor ytime with Bunny at 10:15 a.m. at the library followed by an egg hunt and activities at 11 a.m. activities include an egg toss, connect Four, field games, face painting, and a lemonade and bake stand at the yMca egg hunt locations are: ages 0-4, yMca front lawn; ages 5-7, Green trail/library; and ages 8+, red/Blue trail. rain date is april 8. For trail maps and more information, visit the yMca, Parks and recreation and library websites. Powhatan county Public Library has an action-packed spring program lineup for 2023. PcPL is proud to be partnering with the Powhatan-Goochland county Master Gardener association to bring two workshops this season! are you interested in taking a more sustainable look at gardening?
new twist came at the end of the meeting, when District 4 representative James Taylor made a motion during board comments to establish a task force to review current books in the middle and high school libraries for alignment with school board policies regarding instructional and library materials.
Taylor’s proposal called for each school board member to choose a representative from their magisterial district and then have two
Master Gardener Pat Lust is teaching us saving and star ting seeds which will go over selecting, collecting, preserving and preparing seeds before planting them. Join us on april 1 at 10:30 a.m. for this informative workshop. registration preferred but not required. For details, contact Powhatan county Public Library at 804-598-5670 or library@powhatanlibrary.net.
habitat For humanity — Powhatan depends on volunteers and donors. habitat is blessed with the community’s helpful and generous participation. the habitat restore at 1922 Urbine road will be open every saturday, come november 2022, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the office is located upstairs at the habitat restore and the office number is 804-594-7009, ext. 2. call and volunteer. help us at the restore, perform critical repairs and/or with our upcoming builds. Powhatan aa meets at 8 p.m. every saturday at Manakin episcopal church on huguenot trail.
MONDAY, APRIL 3
the huguenot ruritan c lub meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at May Memorial Baptist c h urch. For more information, contact tom Grasty at 804-598-0777. a P owhatan h o pe n a rcotics a n onymous (na) meeting will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Monday at Pcc church, 4480 anderson highway, Powhatan, room 102. It is an open discussion meeting. Wheelchair accessible.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4 the heart of Virginia Beekeepers plans to meet tuesday, april 4 at 7 p.m. at the Prince edward county extension office (100 dominion dr., Farmville 23901) near Lowe’s. Program to be announced. For anyone who has bees or is interested in bees. For more information, call Mary Jane Morgan at 434-315-1433 or visit Facebook or our website heartofvirginiabeekeepers.org. Lonesome dove equestrian center, which is located at 6137 old Buckingham road, provides year-round therapeutic horseback riding exclusively for veterans with special needs and disabilities. Focusing on veterans in central Virginia, the goal of this program is to improve the quality of life for the participants through activities that are positive to their cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being. as of Jan. 1, 2021, the program is also welcoming first responders to come ride with the program. From april through september, volunteers are asked to arrive at 9 a.m. and the riding sessions begin at 10 a.m. Upcoming dates are: april 4, 18 and 26; May 2, 16 and 24; June 6, 20 and 28; July 11, 18 and 26; aug. 1, 15 and 23; sept. 12, 19 and 27. From october through november, volunteers are asked to arrive at 10 a.m. and the riding sessions begin at 11 a.m. Upcoming dates are: oct. 3, 17 and 25; nov. 7, 14 and 29. there are no sessions in december. Ldec is able to provide a variety of services to the veterans because of dedicated volunteers. those who would like to help and have fun at the same time are asked to consider becoming a member of one of these teams. For more information about Lonesome dove, visit http://ldequestrian. com/ or contact 804-356-6327. the Women in ag network meets virtually at 7:30 p.m. on the first tuesday of the month. the organization’s mission is to foster female farmers. the Women in agriculture network will hold monthly Zoom sessions highlighting women farmers, offering opportunities for women to network, and educational opportunities. register at https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/e/1FaIpQLsdZn-I3gWp0zjoaazwFhvrtWntK4BBestrg6Uosh1b3l62o_a/ viewform or call 804-598-5640. Pre-registration required. recorded sessions and more information: https://www.facebook. com/ vawomeninagnetwork.
Pow her h our+ Monthly Luncheon is held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first tuesday of the month at different locations throughout the county. Visit https://www.powhatanchamber.org/events/ powher-hour-monthly-luncheon/. the new Bridge of reason aa meeting is held at 7 p.m. every tuesday at Powhatan Mennonite church, 3549 old Buckingham road, Powhatan. It is an open, decision and literature meeting for Powhatan,
school board members serve on it as well. The task force would “utilize various lists of controversial books in addition to a general search to identify books which may violate school board policy,” according to Taylor’s motion. A subcommittee would serve as the first reviewers of challenged books and their decision to remove a challenged book from a library would only be made with a strong majority vote (5-0 or 4-1).
“I think this will help us address this issue without adding burdens to our staff and put this issue in the hands of our residents who are very passionate about it,” Taylor said.
The board had a lengthy discussion on whether or not the task force was something they wanted to approve and, once that seemed to be agreed upon, how they would proceed with it. At
Goochland, and cumberland counties.
aa meets at 8 p.m. every tuesday at st Luke’s episcopal church on huguenot trail.
UPCOMING
Powhatan county Public schools kindergarten and preschool registration for the 2023-2024 school year is noW! It is important to get your child screened and on the rosters as soon as possible. check the Powhatan county Public schools website, http://www.powhatan.k12.va.us, for information or contact your local school with kindergarten registration or preschool application questions. the Powhatan county Public schools youth art Month exhibition will be on display at the Pocahontas Landmark center through april 28 during regular business hours. scout troop 3029 is helping the huguenot Volunteer Fire department achieve a long-held goal of building a memorial to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks of sept. 11, 2001 at the station. the Girl scouts are selling 411 bricks inscribed with the name, rank and company of a firefighter, law enforcement officer or paramedic killed during the attacks. a donation of $23 will cover the cost of one inscribed brick in honor of a first responder. to purchase a brick, visit www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/memorial911. checks payable to troop 3029 may also be mailed to Laura Baltz at 1510 holly hills road, Powhatan, Va 23139. For more information, contact Baltz at 804-467-4313 or Ljbal65@aol.com.
aarP tax-aide volunteers will be offering free tax return preparation again this year at the Powhatan county Public Library. due to coVId-19 restrictions last year, volunteers were only able to provide drop-off services for most of the season. however, this year, the plan is to return to face-to-face appointments. tax preparation appointments can be made online through a link on the Powhatan Library website. to better manage appointments, volunteers will only be opening a few appointment days at a time. additional appointment times will be added as earlier times are filled. Make an appointment only once you have received all your tax documents. When you come to your appointment, bring the following items: prior year tax return; social security cards for everyone on the tax return and drivers photo Id to confirm your identity; all your tax documents; and copy of a voided check for direct deposit of any tax refund. Free tax return preparation appointments will be in the large conference room of the Powhatan Library between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday through Friday, april 14, 2023.
tech assistance is back! communit y Matters is offering personalized one-onone technology assistance again for 55 and forward at 10 a.m. thursday, april 6. Bring your device and questions.
communit y Matters will hold Bodies in Motion tai chi style, a free eight-week course for 55 and forward, from 9 to 10 a.m. every Friday from april 7 to May 26 at the Pocahontas Landmark center, 4290 anderson highway. registration required at https://forms.gle/5iX1ihnZg9gwcdqz6 or email raservices.pva@gmail.com.
c ommunit y Matters and Powhatan county Public Library are partnering to host reading is Grand at 11 a.m. april 7 at the library. the program pairs grandreaders age 5 to 10 years old and 55+ residents to practice reading aloud. children can bring their favorite book(s) appropriate for their own reading level. register at the library. t he a merican red c ross will hold a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, april 12 at Powhatan county Public Library, 2270 Mann road. Make an appointment by calling 1-800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org. the Powhatan Band Boosters are selling tickets for a dinner and a show or just the show to watch the 2023 show on tuesday, april 18. dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m. at Powhatan high school, 1800 Judes Ferry road. an evening to send off the Phs Indoor drumline students as they prepare for the WGI World championships in dayton, ohio. the Varsity, JV and Guard will be performing. tickets to the show only are $10 only or $20 covers the dinner and show. to purchase tickets, visit www.powhatanbandboosters.com
different points in the discussion, all of the board members agreed that they should hold a workshop to set the guidelines and procedures for the task force. A few of them pointed out they have done the work to adopt divisionwide policies, so the guidelines would be based on upholding those policies in practice.
The board unanimously voted to establish the task force and hold a workshop at 1 p.m. April 11 at the Pocahontas Landmark Center to decide on the guidelines of how it will operate.
The decision to create the committee, while unexpected in the meeting, comes after months of discussion about what content and topics are appropriate in schools, whether coming from a staff member or instructional or library materials.
The topic once again
and look under the Indoor drumline tab. Lonesome dove equestrian center, which is located at 6137 old Buckingham road, provides year-round therapeutic horseback riding exclusively for veterans with special needs and disabilities. Focusing on veterans in central Virginia, the goal of this program is to improve the quality of life for the participants through activities that are positive to their cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being. as of Jan. 1, 2021, the program is also welcoming first responders to come ride with the program. From april through september, volunteers are asked to arrive at 9 a.m. and the riding sessions begin at 10 a.m. Upcoming dates are: april 18 and 26; May 2, 16 and 24; June 6, 20 and 28; July 11, 18 and 26; aug. 1, 15 and 23; sept. 12, 19 and 27. From october through november, volunteers are asked to arrive at 10 a.m. and the riding sessions begin at 11 a.m. Upcoming dates are: oct. 3, 17 and 25; nov. 7, 14 and 29. there are no sessions in december. Ldec is able to provide a variety of services to the veterans because of dedicated volunteers. those who would like to help and have fun at the same time are asked to consider becoming a member of one of these teams. For more information about Lonesome dove, visit http://ldequestrian. com/ or contact 804-356-6327.
the Powhatan earth day celebration will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, april 21 on Powhatan courthouse Green in the Village. Join us for this family-friendly community event celebrating earth day. there will be children’s activities, educational exhibits, as well as environmental information. come support the providers of locally sourced products, local merchants, and local environmentally-friendly businesses and agencies. earth-conscious vendors are encouraged to email betty.mccracken@vaswcd. org for a vendor application.
habitat for humanity-Powhatan will hold a workshop on “how to Become a Powhatan homeowner” from 10 to11:30 a.m. on saturday, april 22 at 1922 Urbine road. In this session participants will learn about the habitat for humanity — Powhatan application process, the criteria for selection, and how to position themselves to own an affordable mortgage habitat home. this is a free event.
saturday Under the star s at Powhatan state Park will be hosted by the richmond astronomical society throughout 2023. events are open to the public and held at the equestrian / trailhead parking area. Visitors are welcome to bring their telescopes and test them out under a dark sky with assistance from our astronomers. this is a great opportunity to try out a new telescope that might have been a holiday gift. no telescope is required, though. you can always check out the views through ours or just bring a comfortable chair. event times are listed below, but volunteer astronomers will be on site before the event to provide telescope assistance. note that the $5 park fee applies at all times; park fees are waived for volunteer astronomers who are sharing their expertise or equipment for the event and volunteer astronomers are welcome to continue to observe through the night after the public hours. astronomers that can help with any of these events, send a message to president@richastro.org. Upcoming dates are: 7 to 9 p.m. april 22; 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. July 22; 8 to 10 p.m. sept. 16; and 5 to 7 p.m. dec. 9.
ONGOING the Powhatan coalition of churches is looking for one or more volunteers to manage the Food Pantry which serves over 100 households each month. Primary responsibilities include training and coordinating volunteers, overseeing purchasing and inventory, record keeping and reporting, and publicity and communications. If you feel called to this vital ministry to neighbors in need please contact theresa Fields at powfields@comcast.net or 804-372-9526. agricultural lands in Goochland and Powhatan counties continue to be eligible for conservation assistance funds from Monacan soil and Water conservation district (sWcd) for stream exclusion fencing, establishing rotational grazing
Please see CALENDAR, Page A7
dominated the public comment period of the meeting, although not in a particularly focused or one-sided way.
Among the speakers were those who spoke in general about fighting against the sexualization of children in schools by exposing them to topics they are not ready for; not allowing any books with sexually explicit content; reading a sexually explicit passage from an allowed book; letting parents decide what their children are exposed to; focusing on core subjects like “reading, writing and arithmetic”; and recognizing that books, even if they don’t contain photos, can have “pornographic” content that doesn’t belong in a school library. There was also defense of teachers in general but pointing out it is the school board’s job to fight against “groomers” in schools, with one speaker
alluding to the arrests of a school employee and a county employee. At least one speaker along those lines asked the school board to pass Policy IIA without changes.
In the mix of other speakers, several people talked about wanting to see the school system support minority and LGBTQ+ students; letting students read whatever they want and have parents have those discussions with them; finding ways to come together instead of being divided; and recognizing that students need to be exposed to more viewpoints and perspectives than just their own to make them critical thinkers. Several of these people also spoke in support of Policy IIA, making it clear they were fine with it but didn’t want amendments that would make it any more stringent.
Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors recently began its first real discussion of the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Capital Improvement Program, which is currently proposed at $12.23 million.
County administrator
Bret Schardein and budget manager Thomas Vo walked the supervisors through the CIP during their March 20 budget workshop to allow them time to ask questions to best gauge the needs of the county not only in FY2023 but in the next 10 years. Currently, the 10year CIP staff proposed includes $87.21 million worth of projects across all county functions.
Full details about all of the proposed CIP projects can be found in the full plan at http://www.powhatanva. gov/DocumentCenter/Index/326.
The board asked a good deal of questions but didn’t
voice many preferences on where they are falling on all of the items. More discussion is expected to follow at upcoming budget meetings.
The FY2024 CIP projects by department the board discussed were:
Public works – About one third of the FY2024 CIP total is made up of $4.3 million in public works projects. Half of that is $2.1 million in road projects, but those would be paid for with Central Virginia Transportation Authority funds the county receives for being part of the regional partnership. The county also has $1 million earmarked for the Carter Gallier Extension for the East Convenience Center, but that is only a portion of what would be needed for that project when the county finally finds a way forward on it.
Other projects in the list include roof replacements, HVAC systems, conversion of fluorescent lights to LEDs, concrete replacement
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
at the Mitchell Road Convenience Center, a space study for administration and the renovation of Hope House 2 if the county decides to purchase it for emergency/ transition housing.
Schools – The 10 projects on the Powhatan County Public Schools CIP total $2.97 million but would come from a few different funding sources – the county’s general fund, the school operating fun, the school capital maintenance reserve and grants. The top two line items for school projects are $1.11 million for school bus replacement and $1 million toward a project to replace air conditioning units at Powhatan Elementary, which would also include more than $750,000 in grants. Other projects would include roof and rooftop HVAC replacement at Powhatan High School; asphalt preventative maintenance at all facility parking lots; replacement of the transportation radio sys-
tem; HVAC replacements at the Pocahontas Landmark Center; new doors for bathrooms at Powhatan Middle School to prevent vandalism; a new oil tank monitoring system at Flat Rock Elementary School; HVAC and bathroom sink fixture replacements at Pocahontas Elementary School; and a variety of divisionwide initiatives. The project the board immediately honed in on was the school bus replacements since the school division has been awarded 10 new electric school buses. Finance director Charla Schubert explained that the school division wants to use the new electric buses in place of purchasing diesel buses with funds in the current fiscal year and use that money that was already allocated for other projects instead, many geared toward safety. The board of supervisors would have to
Please see CIP, Page A4
Powhatan County Public Schools is constantly challenging and engaging its students in exciting ways. PCPS STEM coaches prepared a hands-on learning day for fourth grade students at Pocahontas Elementary School. The students used everyday materials to model why we have seasons, moon phases and tides.
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HostedBackbone,LLC,St.JohnNeumannCatholicChurch,John&RoseleenRick, PowhatanRotaryFoundation,Inc.,Jill&PaulTrapp,SusanWiniecki
CHAMPAGNESPONSORS($1,000+)
Kathleen&RichardAdams,ChefEllieBasch,MikeByerly,CassandraDodson,Mark&SusanFerreri,The FoundryGolfClub,TheGreenbrier,Joe&MeriHefferon,Msgr.KevinIrwin,LummieJones/NapierERA, Jane&JimKelly,KathrynLovelace&RonaldGilmore,JackMcGrath&Family,MidlothianFamilyPractice/ VirginiaPhysicians,MMISINC,BetsyMoore,Bill&ConnieMoslow,Murry+KuhnFamilyandCosmetic Dentistry,TheParkRVA,PowhatanLionsClub,Cliff&BarbaraPrillaman,Amy&JohnSaber,Southside ElectricCooperative,Jimmy&PinckeySowers,Holly&RobbStallworth,Michael&LeliaWinget-Hernandez/ CommonwealthLife&LegacyCounsel,David&MimiZiletti/SycamoreBuildingLLC ROSE($500+) AerationsPlusInc.,BlackburnInn,Bill&DonaCarlson,Darien&RobinCupka,Kathyrn&RichardDickerson, Jeff&StephanieDodd,DarrenGolden/ProformaStandOutBranding,HFH-PowhatanReStore, Eric&ChristineJablon,MikeKonvicka&TeresaSteinfatt,ChefMikeLedesma,Richard&LynnMcMinn, M.HenryDesigns,Patti&SteveMulherin,John&MichelleOdden,Dale&SandyProkopchak,Richmond Raceway,Jane&RobertRuehrwein,Liz&PaulSabbatini,Reed&GailSchweickert, ASharperPalate,TheVintageShack,Chris&KarenWilliams CHOCOLATE($250+) BrittanyRosePetography,CoolWaterOutfitters,LeoHenderson&JackieSobinski,JamesRiverNurseries, Inc.,AnneS.Lewis,Larry&PatLyons,DaveMaloney,Kim&OwenMcFadden,KathyMurray,Dan&Bobbie NiccolucciQuinceandBurdock,Terry&LauriePaquette,AmesRussell,ShaminHotels,VillageGardenFarm, Tim&MaryAnnWolfgang KISS($100+) Robin&MaryFrancesAdair,Amy’sGarden,CarrollBarr,BeauBeasley,PaulandPatriceBerzerak, CrazyRooster,FineCreekBrewery,MaryAnnGoodwyn,James&MaryLynnGramp,Thomas&Marie Hancock,LewisGinterBotanicalGarden,ChefLaineMyers,Joe&MaryRomeo/JRConsulting, Jeweler’sServices,Inc.,Staunton-Waynesboro-AugustaReStore,ThreeCrossesDistillery SMOOCH($50+) BarbaraT.Lester,DavidWilliams
WINNINGAUCTIONBIDDERS Richard&KathyAdams,VirginiaAnderson,Dave&LauraBass,MikeByerly,BobandKarlaCurtis, CassandraDodson,RebekahHatton,RayLeonard&BeckyReil,Brian&TraceyMcClung,Bill&BetsyMoore, KathyMurray,Mike&JaimeProctor,John&RoseleenRick,Robert&JackieRoyall,Don&TerrySanders, BretSchardein,Rob&HollyStallworth,VirginiaFarmBureau,Paul&CherylVrooman,JenniferWillner, SusanWiniecki,BarrettWright APPEALDONORS ($2500)Ted&AnneGoldberg,Kevin&AmyHughes,Matt&KatieThompson ($1000)SheilaGunst,LummieJones,Bruce&LynneLaPierre,David&LynnPrince,Cliff&Barbara Prillaman,Don&TerrySanders ($500)David&LauraBass,KarinCarmack,Msgr.KevinIrwin,RayLeonard&BeckyReil,Brian&Tracey McClung,Robert&Dr.SamanthaMartin,Bill&TeresaMelton,Doug&JoanMitchell,Bill& BetsyMoore,EmilyNierdimier,Trent&StephanieOverboe,Robert&JackieRoyall,Catherine Seay,CatherineSill,Paul&JillTrapp,Paul&CherylVrooman,Ray&WhitneyWilliams ($250)Paul&TammyClark,Darien&RobinCupka,Jeff&StephanieDodd,Chris&JulieRatchford,Kent &HeatherWilliamson ($100)Chris&RebeccaCheatham,Charles&MarianFiocco,Orlander&JanetFleming,Tad&Rebecca Hicks,Steve&KellyJordan,Mike&SalinaScioscia,Bruce&AnneSlough,Don&HollySmith, Jamie&AnneTimberlake,Stewart&AmyVarela,Chris&KarenWilliams ($50+)TuckerCurrin,Tom&KathyGrasty,Dan&EmilyMaze,KaterinaTrapp
ARRESTS one male was charged on March 14 with obstructing justice (Misdemeanor), strangle another causing wound (Felony), assault and battery – police officer or firefighter (F) and assault and battery of a family member (M). one male was charged on March 19 with receiving stolen goods (M) and petty larceny <$5 from
approve those changes.
New diesel buses would still be on the CIP list for FY2024. Some of the schools’ requests are actually more fluid than this set list as there are projects still getting estimates and information so Schubert said she will be getting more data to update the board on what may change.
Fire and rescue – The $1.36 million on the FY2024 CIP list includes $860,000 for a new engine, $125,000 for a new brush truck and $375,000 for a new ambulance.
Information technology- The
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repairs to the Richmond water system. Chesterfield County – and through its contract with Chesterfield, Powhatan County – is contractually obligated to cover a portion of the repairs to the system. Powhatan through its contract with Chesterfield County receives 2.12% of the water capacity so it would be responsible for 2.12% of scheduled capital maintenance to the system, as long as it happens and is not postponed, staff explained.
The rest of the proposed utilities increases are for a utilities engineer, a 7% raise, other salary and benefits adjustments, and miscellaneous operating supplies and services increases.
Sheriff’s office – Requested increase of $587,806. The bulk of those costs are related to hiring four new deputies to be on patrol – $327,288 for salary and benefits and $236,698 for four new sheriff’s vehicles and operating set up for the new positions. The remaining $23,820 would be to true up salaries and benefits. Sheriff Brad Nunnally answered questions about the need for the new deputies as well as issues of compression in his office.
The sheriff’s office has four shifts, so Nunnally said his reasoning behind requesting four new deputies would mean one for each shift. Regarding the need for more deputies, he pointed out that from 2021 to
IT list totals $1.2 million and includes 11 projects. The biggest expenditure would be $700,000 to run fiber from Company 2 down Anderson Highway to the Pocahontas Landmark Center and connecting up to 25 different facilities along the way, according to John Wood, IT director. Some of the other projects include PC replacements, upgrading desk phones, data storage, and various other technology upgrades and replacements.
Public safety – In FY2024, the CIP includes $500,000 for both a fire and rescue digital dashboard information platform ($50,000) and a fire and rescue alerting system ($450,000). Of that amount,
2022, his office saw a 37% increase in criminal arrest; a 19% increase in criminal warrants served; a 6.5% increase in inmate transports; a 75% increase in animal rescues; and a 37% increase in calls just for calls for service at Walmart (367 total calls last year). Nunnally pointed out there was a 28% increase in school incidents, but because of a law change that means being disruptive is no longer a criminal offense handled by the school resource officers, the numbers would actually be higher without that change, he said.
Nunnally noted an increase in mental health calls, which can be time consuming. He also pointed out that while traffic summons went down last year, the county is like the rest of the state in seeing an increase in traffic fatalities.
The sheriff’s office currently has 46 full-time units and adding four would take them to 50.
Nunnally said the bulk of the compression was taken care of last year, but his top two positions – his chief deputy and captain – are still impacted by compression. He asked to consider addressing them individually this budget cycle and next.
Karin Carmack, who represents District 5, asked if the sheriff’s office could drop from four new deputies to three and take care of the compression issues. The sheriff replied he could make that doable, with at least the two night shifts getting a new deputy and allowing him to pull the office’s remaining K9 unit from the rotation so it could be more
county staff members proposed reallocating $250,000 in leftover bond funding from the land mobile radio system project to use it for the alert system instead. If the project is approved, staff will bring a resolution to approve the move.
Deputy fire and rescue chief Taylor Goodman explained the alerting system is already used successfully by about a dozen regional partners and will increase response time to get first responders on the road while dispatchers are still collecting information.
Facilities capital maintenance – The FY2024 CIP for facilities includes $401,000 worth for 13 projects ranging from a low of $1,000
flexible.
Public works – Requested increase of $584,191. The personnel increase noted at $71,696 covers the addition of a Maintenance Worker III position (salary and benefits) to help the department keep up with work, offset by some savings in salaries and benefits. The bulk of the increase is for $512,495 in operational increases. Thomas Vo explained this was accounted for in five line items: $262,000 for a new Central Virginia Waste Management Authority contract; $171,000 for recycling pulls; $53,325 for inflationary increases; $19,100 for additional services for certain county locations; and $5,070 operating set-up for the new position. None of these figures include possible increases related to creating an eastern convenience center.
Social services – Requested increase of $240,525 related to a 7% salary increase, adding a new position to handle domestic violence cases; four position salary changes and promotions; a decrease in changes to salaries and benefits; and an operational appropriation based on the state budget. Carmack questioned whether the domestic violence position was needed full time or if the position could handle other duties as well. Schardein pointed out the position would involve getting a program established and promoting it in the community. Once it is set up, the call volume will dictate how busy that employee will be, he said.
to a high of $75,000. They include projects such as exterior painting, driveway sealcoating, door replacement, software upgrades, sidewalks, furniture repair and renovations related to adding a DMV Select to the commissioner of the revenue’s office.
Parks and recreation – In FY2024, the CIP includes $450,000 for athletic fields ADA improvements (this entire amount is covered by a federal grant); $55,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment improvements; and $165,000 for trail renovations and improvements, for a total of $670,000 in projects.
Sheriff’s office – The sher-
Public safety communications – Requested increase of $121,875 related to a request for two additional communications officer and stipends, offset slightly by salary adjustment decreases and some operational savings. Kimberly Schmitt, operations manager, explained that 911 communications’ workload has significantly increased with high-priority and labor-intensive calls between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., which are the peak hours. The solution was to increase staffing by two full-time equivalents to help cover those peak hours.
Communications currently has four shifts, two day shifts and two night shifts, she said. A “power shift” would cover the busiest shift with two people working 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., which would overlap with both the day and night shifts in their busiest hours.
Focusing only on medical calls and not law enforcement needs, she noted that Priority 1 calls like CPR, chest pains and difficulty breathing went from 1,156 in 2020 to 1,138 in 2021 and back up to 1,400 in 2022.
“Those are usually the calls where we have to stay on the phone with the caller; we are providing medical instruction. So it is a long time on that telephone call,” Schmitt said.
Priority 2, which is the middle of the road, went from 417 in 2020 to 452 in 2021 and then 530 in 2022, she said in a later interview.
Priority 3 calls, which can be the most time intensive and involve the most questioning, went from 541 in
iff’s office CIP list, which totals $350,000, is made up entirely of seven vehicles listed at $50,000 each. This list does not include four new vehicles that were requested along with four new deputy positions the sheriff has requested, which would bring the total new vehicle list to 11 if they were all approved.
Administrative vehicles – The $257,000 in this CIP list includes vehicles for building inspections, facilities and social services, for a total of six vehicles. Public utilities – There is only one project in FY2024, which is $200,000 for Fighting Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades.
2020 to 764 in 2021 and then 920 in 2022.
Schmitt said the only real contributing factors they can directly trace for the higher numbers are COVID-19 and an aging population.
Schmitt also talked about the issue with finding part-time personnel who can help cover shifts because they need to work fulltime jobs. Because of the flexibility of their hours to cover shifts when needed, she said she could not pull from the limited part-time pool to fill the power shift positions.
Treasurer’s office – Requested increase of $33,044 related to an increase in salaries and benefits and operational costs related to dog tags tripling, postage and training costs.
Elections – Requested increase of $28,356 for increasing pay for officers of election and the electoral board due to a three-election year and corresponding costs related to those elections.
The board was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the real estate tax rate and possibly adopt personal property rates at its March 27 meeting, which happened after press time. The supervisors also added a budget workshop at 3 p.m. March 28 to continue their discussion of the budget and tax rates. Other upcoming dates include a budget workshop at 6:30 p.m. April 3; another one at 6:30 p.m. April 24; and a plan to potentially adopt the FY2024 budget and CIP at its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 1.
WorshipwithusthisSunday
E vergreen C ommunity C hurch (PcA) Proclaiming&PracticingtheGospelofJesusChrist WorshipServiceat10:00AM Meetingat2210BattersonRoad,Powhatan.
Pastor NickKrauss
ECCPCA .ORG 598-8844
SundaySchool 10AM WorshipService11AM
PastorJohnEngle 603-933-0141
3540OldBuckinghamRd. www.pmchurch.net
1801HuguenotTrail
SundayWorship10am
BryanM.Holt,Pastor 804-378-3607
www.EmmausChristianChurch.org
https://www.facebook.com/2emmaus/
M ee tingSundays inFar mville, ForkUnio n, M idlothian, PowhatanandOnline. Visitpcc wired.net fo r servicestimes& lo cat ions 598 -1174pccwired.net
MountCalvary BaptistChurch
2020RedLaneRoad Powhatan,VA23139
Pastor,LarryB.Collins SundaySchool9:45a.m.
Sunday Worship 11:00a.m.
WednesdayBibleStudy
7:30p.m. Office804-598-2398
Providence Presbyterian Church
“WorshipingandWitnessing inWesternPowhatan since1825”
WorshipService11:00am
AllAreWelcome! 598-4970 Located1950RidgeRoad (Rt.627)
LivingAsChrist’sDisciplesWithinOur HeartsandBeyondOurDoors
PowhatanChristian Fellowship
SundayMorningWorship 11:00a.m.
SundaySchool10:00a.m.
WednesdayNight7:30p.m.
3308 PleasantsRoad, 1/4mileoffofRoute711
RussCress, Pastor 598-0733
St.John Neumann
Catholic Church
Rev.WalterG.Lewis,Pastor
Saturday -5p.m.
Worship: 8:30&10:30am www.powhatanumc.us WeekdayPreschool(ages2-5) 598-6090
2253RossonRd. JustoffRt.13intheVillage 598-4438
Sunday -8:30a.m.&11a.m. 598-3754 www.sjnpowhatan.org
LocatedbehindFlatRock VillageShopping Center
CONTRIBUTED REPORT
Huguenot Volunteer Fire Department Company 2’s crew put in some time on March 20 doing extrication training.
The members were “dispatched” for a two-vehicle crash with entrapment. On their arrival they found a van driver’s side on the ground partially inside a box truck. In the end they had four victims to remove. Some were inside and some were under the vehicle.
The members had to run the scenario as if it were an actual call, which involved requesting resources as they saw fit. They had to come up with plan A, B and C because you know their trainers have to throw curve balls at them.
During this scenario they had to stabilize an unstable box truck; lift the van off a victim; extricate victims from inside the box of the box truck; and extricate the driver of the van and a victim that was riding in the cargo area of the van.
In the end they used Rescue 702, Ambulance 722, Paratech struts, Hydra Fusion, winches,
sometimes it is the necessary outcome,” the sheriff said.
Coma-Along, chains, saws, TNT hydraulic tools and cribbing. Huguenot Volunteer Fire De-
partment’s crew on March 20 put in some time doing extrication training.
The members were “dispatched” for a two-vehicle crash with entrapment. On their arrival they found a van driver’s side on the ground partially inside a box truck. In the end they had four victims to remove. Some were inside and some were under the vehicle.
The members had to run the scenario as if it were an actual call, which involved requesting resources as they saw fit. They had to come up with plan A, B and C because you know their trainers have to throw curve balls at them.
During this scenario they had to stabilize an unstable box truck; lift the van off a victim; extricate victims from inside the box of the box truck; and extricate the driver of the van and a victim that was riding in the cargo area of the van. In the end they used Rescue 702, Ambulance 722, Paratech struts, Hydra Fusion, winches, Coma-Along, chains, saws, TNT hydraulic tools and cribbing.
you had to do a whole lot of knocking on doors and talking to people.
… With GPS and all this other data you can solve crimes that are unreal. It is incredible what you can do and the forensic part of it, and the drones we have right now are great. You can put the drones up and in a building and not risk an officer’s life or a K9’s life. A dog can clear a building but might get shot. A drone can get shot and you just lose a machine. It is a great to have that tool available,” Wentworth said.
Of course, such an intense job can have its highs and lows. Facing people on a regular basis who lie to law enforcement sometimes makes him second guess motives, which he sees as a negative. But because of the things he has seen and heard, he feels he has become more compassionate.
“You treat everyone with respect because you see what they have gone through. Me personally, I have lived through some tragedies in my personal life,” he said.
Nunnally praised Wenthworth’s work ethic, saying the deputy more than lived up to the definition of hard worker, regardless of when he was called to serve.
“While his work was important, Mike still understood compassion for people and that, while being arrested is never a good outcome,
He added that it takes a very special kind of officer to be a K9 handler. There are different specialties in every office that are called on to bring their skills to a situation. But because of the multi-faceted uses of a dual purpose dog, which Wentworth has always worked with, he could be called on day or night to handle situations involving a search and rescue, narcotics, criminal apprehension, building searches, article searches and tracking.
But on top of that, the “tool” that K9 handlers work with are living, breathing animals that also have to be cared for, whether working or off duty, Nunnally said.
“You can put your narcotics equipment in the trunk at the send of shift, but you can’t do that with a canine. You still have to be there to feed it, train it and take care of it. It is truly a difficult task to take on. It is not a career choice in law enforcement for somebody that is not willing to make that type of sacrifice,” he said.
During his long and varied career, Wentworth said the assignments he has loved the most have been working narcotics and with dogs. In his time at the sheriff’s office, he has been the handler for three K9 officers, all of which were Dutch shepherds – Faroh, Diesel and Bane. As with Faroh and Diesel, Bane will live out his retirement with the Wentworths.
Each dog has had its own personality as well as its own weaknesses and strengths, he noted. Faroh, who came to Powhatan from another department, was high energy and had some great drug finds and tracks in his record. Wentworth recalled a case where Diesel was able to track a suspect in a few breaking and entering cases, which led to the sheriff’s office getting a warrant and recovering several stolen items. In another case, his K9 partner recovered a knife used in a nonfatal stabbing in Powhatan, he said. When shown the knife, the suspect eventually confessed.
Bane, who is actually Diesel’s son and shares many similar habits, has been in law enforcement since he was a puppy and worked with two other handlers before Wentworth. He gained widespread attention in 2019 when he helped find two missing 8-year-olds who were lost in the woods. Bane will have his official sign off on March 29.
Wentworth’s love of training and working with dogs extends far beyond his time with the sheriff’s office and will continue after he retires. Before Wentworth entered law enforcement, he worked 10 years at Virginia Power doing nuclear security. Beginning in 1990, he started training dogs to do wilderness search and rescue and cadaver recovery. He was selected to go to a K9 FEMA school for training and, a few months later in April 1995,
he was activated to participate in searching for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, an experience he will never forget.
Training dogs is still a passion and how Wentworth plans to spend
at least part of his retirement. The rest will be spent with family, fishing and a little travel.
Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.
Pastor StephenBattaglia 2390 EmmanuelChurch Road www.newwalkbible.org
SundayWorship10:00AM
SundaySchool9:00AM
BibleStudyWed.7:00PM 804-372-9254
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Today’s Church Director y. Call8 04 -746 -1235 ext.2fordetails.
St.Luke’sAnglicanChurch
555RiverRoadWest(PattersonAvenue) 3.5mileswestof288intersection www.stukesrichmond.org
SUN.9:30amMorningPrayer 10:00amMass WED.6:00pmEveningPrayer
MOUNTZION BAPTISTCHURCH
2591RidgeRoad
Powhatan,Virginia23139
804-598-2051
Rev.BryanStevens,Pastor 10a.m.–WorshipService 8:30a.m.–ChurchSchool
MuddyCreek BaptistChurch
Sunday School - 9:45a.m. Worship - 11a.m.
Pastor JeffBeard,MA,MBA
3470TrenholmRoad www.muddycreekbaptist.org
FIRSTANTIOCH BAPTISTCHURCH
3920MAIDENSRD.,POWHATAN 804-598-2301
SundaySchool10:00a.m.
SundayMorningService 11:00a.m.
WednesdayMidDay BibleStudy11:30a.m.
EveningBibleStudy7:00p.m.
1530CookRoad(Rt.636)
2095RedLaneRoad 1/2mileoff Rt.60onRedLaneRoad 804-598-2455 www.redlanebaptist.org SmallGroupClasses9:00a.m. WorshipService10:30a.m. Dr.JamesTaylor,Pastor
3619HuguenotTrail
Powhatan,V irginia2 3139 www.finecreek baptis t.org
SundaySchool:9:45a.m. Wor shipSer vice:11:00a.m. Traditional VernGilmer,Pastor
GracelandBaptistChurch Dr.RonaldWyatt,Jr.,Pastor Contemporary–9:00a.m. Sund aySchool–9:45a.m. Worship–11a.m.
Children’sWorship–11a.m. Praise&Worship–6p.m. Light houseYouth–Wed.5:30p.m. BibleStudy–Wed.6p.m.–7p.m.
Loving,Investing,Fulfilling,Empowering
Senior Pastor JustinWilson SundayService10:30am 2410NewDorsetCircle www.Communitylifechurchpowhatan.org
Sunday10am,11am&6pm
Wednesday7pm TravisL.Keith-Pastor ChurchOffice:794.7054
JustAcrossfromSouth CreekShoppingCenter! www.glbcpva.org
Powhatan Elementary School expanded the reach of its Fourth Grade Living Wax Museum by having a parent night on March 23
ahead of its schoolwide visits to the museum on March 24. Teachers Abbi Williams and Jenny Easter had their fourth graders get to know all about an entertainer,
athlete, astronaut, explorer, scientist, inventor, author, adventurer or other key figure and then share what they learned in a “wax museum” setting. Using
the “Who Was?” biography book series, over the course of several weeks, each child wrote essays, drew portraits and created poster displays telling about their cho-
sen figure. With the push of a button, a museum visitor could see the historical figure come to life and share about their accomplishments.
Thursday,April6•4-6pm
atTheCrossroadsatBonAir
GrabyourbasketandhoponovertoTheCrossroads. We’llhave“bigbunny” and“littlebunny”egghuntswithcandy, prizesandrefreshments.Bringyour cameraandtake pictureswiththeEasterBunny!
RSVPSrequired,pleasecall804-767-4165.
(formerlyTheCrossingsatBonAir)
It’s a good thing I like wind chimes.
As this column is being written, I am sitting on my deck on a gorgeous sunny day enjoying the first real outside workday of 2023, meaning the time spent writing and returning emails but not tied to my desk.
The only potential negative to the beautiful 74-degree day is the strong wind, but other than the constant but harmonious wind chime concert emanating from behind me, I avoided any actual downsides by not bringing paperwork outside and tightening the screw on the stand
holding the umbrella shading me from the sun. It is a peaceful day, if not necessarily a quiet one. The frogs croaking in the nearby woods, the neighbor’s laying hens clucking in their pen, the cawing birds circling something in a nearby field, and the bugs occasionally buzzing my head in apparent dive bomb patterns all provide their own symphony of sound. The barking of dogs in the distance and low hum of the particularly loud traffic on the nearby major road aren’t too distracting. All that is missing is a neighbor partaking of some firearm target practice to make the day’s composition com-
Virginia senator Mark Warner doesn’t like TikTok. What’s more, if that fact puts him at odds with the roughly 150 million Americans currently using the app on a daily basis, he doesn’t seem particularly concerned.
“As chairman of the intelligence committee, I believe TikTok poses a national security threat, and before all the potential bad action takes place, we ought to act,” Warner said in an interview with Polit
ico last week.
Warner, of course, is no stranger to the sweeping influence of social media, though YouTube seems to be his preferred method for reaching the masses (Warner remains, to date, the only elected official in American history to achieve internet infamy vis-à-vis a tuna sandwich). So perhaps it comes as no surprise that, when asked what would become of the current crop of content creators who count on TikTok for their income, Warner did not seem overly concerned.
They’ll find another platform, Warner said, and possibly do even better. But while this might in fact be true, it fails to take into consideration the fates of those who can’t imagine sharing hairstyling tips, fashion advice, political advice, marital advice, lipsynch demonstrations, life observations, tasteless jokes, recipe tips, parenting advice, product recommendations, I-hate-my-job rants, fitness programs, travel diaries and videos of pets doing funny things in any other social media realm.
Sen. Warner, what about them? Don’t they deserve a say? As a public service, and as a show of support for all those professional TikTokers who may very well soon be out of a job, I’d like to offer a few suggestions on how they might
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fields, developing water resources, wells, springs and stream access points, reforestation of critical areas and establishing or enlarging buffer areas along waterways. Funds are also available for nutrient management plan development and implementation, cover crops and numerous other conservation practices. Monacan encourages producers to explore options now since program options have recently been revised and significantly improved for the producer. the
put their skills to good use once time runs out for TikTok.
1. Serve as the new Roundabout Ambassador for VDOT: No, this position does not technically exist…yet. But with as much influence as TikTok creators seem to wield, it’s a good chance they could help the Commonwealth sell citizens on the one idea almost all of them love to hate. An added bonus? What better place to show off your viral dance moves than the center island of a new traffic circle?
2. Arts in the Park: It’s tough to ignore the performative aspect of TikTok, even if you’re not a regular user. Those who compile the most views often do so by acting out scenes or participating in self-directed skits (I once saw a woman engaged in a vicious pretend fight during which she played both parts. All three of us lost). Would it be such a stretch to have these TikTokers perform for their communities? Picture summerstock but with more toilet humor and catchier music. The product placements might be a bit distracting, but come on—this can’t be the first time you’ve seen Hamlet and Ophelia delighting in a $300 juicer.
3. Town Crier: Admittedly, it’s been many, many years since this once-vital community role faded away. And it’s going to feel a bit stuffy to have to start every sentence by yelling out “Oyez, oyez, oyez!” But with their penchant for sharing news, gossip, advice and whatever else, unemployed TikTok stars will find plenty to love about this job. Yes, the annual salary is $0. But the outfit is totally chic in a retro, Old English sort of way and the big brass bell is going to be every influencers’ must-have item for summer.
TikTok friends, it’s going to be alright. Keep creating, keep dancing, keep being utterly ridiculous, no matter the platform.
We’ll keep watching.
district has highly skilled employees who are well trained in both the technical aspects of conservation management and program delivery. staff members assist producers in developing conservation plans that work for their operation and navigating program opportunities. not all programs are created equal and staff members assist applicants in understanding the options and choosing the program that suits their farm’s needs.
anyone interested in exploring the many benefits of conservation planning can contact district conservation specialists Betty Mccracken at (804)556-0935 or colton sullivan at (804)556-0143.
Publisher Joy Monopoli jmonopoli@RSNVA.com
Managing Editor Laura McFarland lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com
Sports Editor Robby Fletcher rfletcher@powhatantoday.com
Production Manager Denine D’Angelo ddangelo@mechlocal.com
Classifieds Cindy Adams cadams@mechlocal.com
plete.
A minute ago my neighbor, who is a talented and avid gardener, shooed one of her inquisitive dogs out of her compost heap, not wanting him to eat something he shouldn’t be consuming. His tail was between his legs for all of five seconds before he found a beloved dog toy to enjoy and was off somewhere to chew on it instead.
Days like these are a great way to relax while working on more serious stories such as writing about board meetings held earlier in the week. Traversing the intricacies of the county’s budget aren’t nearly as onerous when the view and atmosphere
Dear Editor, As a member of the current PLI class (Powhatan Leadership Institute), I learned about the additional $3 million the School Board is asking for on top of their current $55 million budget, which supports approximately 4,200 students. I attended the combined Board of Supervisor/ School Board meeting March 7 and was disappointed by the low attendance (that I could see in person. I realize many may watch online).
The school superintendent indicated she needed $3 million more for equalizing the insurance benefits teachers receive with other county employees ($1 million), “instructional materials” and three additional highly salaried supervisory positions to address behavioral issues ($2 million).
She could not articulate what exactly the “instructional materials’’ would be, and having 15 years experience teaching troubled youth at alternative schools, I know first-hand that paying high salaries to three more assistant principals will not solve behavioral issues.
She also raised that a high percentage of 3rd graders are not reading at grade level because of residual effects of school-athome during the pandemic, but she made no indication that any of the $2 million would address this.
There are lower cost solutions to actually address the problems cited. For example, the Mandt System which is used at alternative schools, is a lot less expensive and is effective in actually addressing discipline issues, ($200 training per teacher the first year + $100 per teacher per year after that) so $64,000 for 320 teachers in year 1. And, the Governor of Virginia recently raised the idea of tutors to help with catching students up on reading.
As citizens, we need to hold our school board and board of supervisors accountable for our county’s spending. If we don’t attend these meetings or speak to our representatives, they are apt to make an expensive decision that won’t, in fact, solve the behavioral and reading issues raised.
the coalition of Powhatan churches has available resources to help people who would like assistance in learning to manage their finances. If you know of anyone who needs or would like to have this service, or to get more information, call robin cupka at 804-801-9851. Backpacks of Love, a nonprofit committed to eliminating hunger in school-age children by providing nourishing food for their weekend, needs help. BPoL is looking for delivery drivers that would be available to deliver on thursdays. they are in immediate need of a driver to deliver to cumberland county and or amelia county. these
are this pleasant. A beach setting with the crashing of the waves as a backdrop would be even better, but I will take what I can get.
As someone whose life has been divided between cities, suburbs and country living, I like that I can still take moments like this to appreciate my current rural surroundings and not take them for granted. Do I wish the bugs would leave me alone and the nearby dog that just started up a constant stream of barking was a little less distracting?
Absolutely. Are those influences enough to chase me away from the serenity of this moment?
Absolutely not. If you read this far and are
I have spoken to three of the board of supervisors and they have indicated that citizen action would help a great deal because that board is having difficulty working effectively together (their words).
This is a request to my fellow taxpayers to have a sense of urgency to say something to your Board of Supervisor and School Board representatives as to which way you would like them to vote on this $3 million, recognizing that taxes will likely increase to support it.
Sincerely,
Keith Deering PowhatanWe’ve now experienced 3 budget workshops with at least 4 more to go. All very informative albeit sparsely attended. The “big show”. which occurred on the 27th, is where we witnessed all those declaring their BOS candidacy yammering for a reduction in the tax rate, i.e., a supposed tax cut.
Like motherhood and apple pie, aren’t we all in favor of cutting taxes? But as we take our respective sides let’s be aware of the consequences imposed by those who really like offering the tax payer a “pie”….a pie of any kind, size or shape.
Allow me to point out what Powhatan’s tax rate “map” looks like when viewed over the last 4 budget cycles. Since a picture is worth a 1,000-words, harken back to the last time you rode a roller coaster at Kings Dominion. With that image in mind that’s what our tax rate levels look like.
Repeatedly up and down and one might ask why? ANSWER: Political expediency fostered by the need to garner votes under the cover of “baking another apple pie”, i.e., a “tax cut.” Oh, don’t those apple pies smell so inviting and can’t you hear the plea to vote for me because I cut your taxes?
FACT: Prudent tax and budget policy would suggest the need to hold the tax rate as a relative constant allowing the realities of the economy to dictate formulation of the budget. Simply put, let’s
are great jobs for students looking for community hours. always accepting food donations of single serve raviolis, spaghettios, apple sauce, cereal, cookies, crackers and more. contact Matt henke at 804-350-1127 for more information. young people in the 4-h community learn leadership, citizenship, and a vast array of life skills that benefit them for the rest of their lives. through school-based, after-school, and community clubs as well as camp settings, 4-h members pledge to build a better community, country, and world. the new 4-h year starts oct. 1 and runs through sept. 30, 2022, so this is a
WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR ISSUE-DRIVEN LETTERS
Powhatan today welcomes your Letters to the editor on topics of concern to you and the community. Letters, which should be no longer than 400 words, must include the name, address and telephone number of the author. the deadline is noon thethursday before publication, but letters may be held until the following week upon the editor’s discretion. the publisher or editor of Powhatan today reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. once received, all letters become the possession of Powhatan today. Letters reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of Powhatan today or its staff.
still expecting some big hidden message, sorry to disappoint. This is and was always meant to be a celebration of a simple moment in time when the problems weighing on my mind were briefly drowned out by the wind rattling against the gutter and the still-barren trees silently waving their branches, almost as if they were dancing to the beautiful peals of the wind chimes. With the apparent arrival of spring, I hope all of our readers get a chance to enjoy a similar moment of serenity.
Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@ powhatantoday.com.
try to hold the tax rate constant and then adjust the budget depending on our economic health and spending priorities – NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. The other reality of tax cuts might best be illustrated by sharing my personal situation. For the property we own here’s the data: 2022 taxable assessments: $272,800 2023 taxable assessments: $346,500
An increase in assessments of $73,700.
Taxes on 2022 taxable assessments at $0.77: ~$2,101 Taxes on 2023 taxable assessments at $0.77 is $2,668, representing an increase of $567.
In order for my tax bill to be equalized, i.e., reduced from $567 to zero, the Real Estate Tax Rate would need to be $0.61 cents. One penny of the tax rate is equivalent to $34.65 on my tax bill. However, each penny reduction in the rate represents a negative impact of $560,000 in county revenue. So taking my 2023 tax increase back to 2022 levels will cost the county $9,163,616.
Further, based on a recent BOS request, Mr. Schardein returned on the 27th with a budget adjusted to a rate of $0.71. A budget which I’m led to believe is well endowed with plenty of yet to be spent previously allocated funds. So, we go from $0.77 to $0.71 resulting in a tax savings to the Powers’ family of $207.90, equivalent to two tanks of gas and one trip to the Food Lion. Not to be sneezed at but the tax rate cut being suggested has far more impactful implications on the county’s revenue picture.
Based on all the departmental budget requests, the plans depicted in the 10-year CIP, and the need for the PCSB to close the learning gap caused by COVID shutdowns; we might be well advised to give careful consideration to the implications of cutting the tax rate… yet again.
Doing so, at least in my example, has minimal impact on my individual tax bill while imposing a disproportionate and negative impact on the county’s overall budget. Closing the learning gap has profound implications on the overall health of Powhatan County. We need to be allocating more to that end.
Robert Powers Powhatangreat time to join a 4-h club! In Powhatan county, 4-h sPIn and project clubs include the following designed for youth ages 9-18: Livestock, archery, equine, dairy Judging, and shooting education (waiting list). For our younger youth, ages 5-8 years old, we’re seeking new club leaders interested in starting a second cloverbud 4-h club in Powhatan. 4-h school enrichment programs are also available for homeschool groups. reach out to cathy howland, Powhatan 4-h extension agent, at 804-598-5640 or chowland@ vt.edu for details about the 4-h opportunities listed, and/or information on starting new 4-h clubs or programs.
tion, a special Reading Night performance and fun stations spread throughout the school. The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the school’s new book vending machine.
From
said he has been working on his chili recipe for 25 years and feels he mastered it within the past decade, using three different peppers, four types of meat and three types of beans to create a confetti of color and taste.
“It is very traditional but I think it has a hint of sweetness and is not overpowered by heat,” he said.
Andy Oliver’s team, Desert Island Chili, won second place in the competition and Jennifer Sullivan’s team, Sweet and Spicy, won third.
Chili cookoff coordinator Baylee Nunnally said Village Concepts’ goal in creating the event was to get the memorial fundraising efforts closer to the finish line, which it did with about $4,000 raised. The event sponsors were Village Concepts, Cavalier Moving, Alcova Mortgage, Ferguson and General Home Inspections.
Despite some cold, rainy weather earlier in the day, there was wonderful community support for the event not only from the roughly 200 people who attended but the 10 teams who participated by making chili for people to sample.
“I am just grateful for this
community,” Nunnally said.
“I am really glad that we can all bond together when we need to so we can make a memorial like this happen.”
Team Ring of Fire’s Jeff Water said he was happy to help the fire station by participating in the competition. He spent hours Friday cooking his chili, which included chuck roast, hamburger and bacon “to smoke it up a little bit.”
Bringing people out and sharing with them what Company 2 is trying to do to remember the victims of 9/11 with a memorial is really special, he added.
Jennifer Sullivan third place chili was a recipe she created for the cookoff. She used a variety of unusual ingredients, including dark
chocolate, brown sugar, bacon and cinnamon and was thrilled to share it with people.
“I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback from people and I’ve been able to talk to people as they’ve been coming up,” she said.
Sullivan said she enjoyed the good-natured competition and trash talk, especially with Kyle Crowder’s team from Smok-N-Pigz, which she said they were engaging in leading up to the cook-off.
“One of the things I’ve said to a few people is, ‘you don’t have to vote for me but you can’t vote for Kyle,” Sullivan said with a laugh, showing off a shirt with the same general message. “So it’s been a lot of fun.”
Early in his first season as head coach of the Powhatan boys lacrosse team, Sean Bates hoped to see his new team buy in together when they took the field under his command.
The way he saw it, if the players stayed the course and embraced the responsibilities needed to win, they’d surprise the teams that overlooked them.
That proved to be the case in Powhatan’s third game of the season when they traveled into the home of the James River Rapids, a program that the Indians have never defeated.
Around this same time last year, the Powhatan Indians girls lacrosse team made a statement that would reverberate all the way down to the playing fields of every team in the district. In a road game against the lacrosse giant that is the Atlee Raiders, the Indians cemented themselves as a team to beat with a masterful 11-10 upset over a top team in the Capital District.
The momentum from last year’s run to the regional finals has carried over smoothly into the 2022-23 season, with the Indians off to a 3-1 start and currently working on extending a three-game winning streak. The third win came against those same Atlee Raiders on March 24, but with the Raiders in a rebuilding year, the 19-5 home win was less a statement and more of an expectation for head coach Laura
Camp and her squad.
“Winning against Atlee last year was the affirmation our team needed to prove to ourselves that we can compete against strong programs and be successful,” Camp said. “We are taking it one game at a time this season and the only expectation we have is to give it 100% in each game and play our way.”
After nearly capturing the program’s first region title and working their way to their first state tournament appearance ever, Camp says the team’s experience has been crucial to the strong start, and that they’ve worked hard to create an identity unique to this team rather than constantly comparing what last year’s team was able to achieve.
“I’m really excited that the team is picking up where we left off last year,” Camp added. “We lost two key seniors, but the younger girls are filling in those
gaps so we can continue the momentum. What has impressed me most is how every single player has the same mindset and goal. They have been working together seamlessly and want success for each other. We are super focused on what we need to do each game and have not compared this season to last season at all.”
After a 16-3 win over Midlothian and a 19-1 win over James River, Camp calls the win over Atlee the most complete of the season so far. With 10 goal scorers and 10 assists combined with relentless energy on the defensive end headlined by a deadly back line featuring Sam Flippo, Carly Rehme, Blakley Dowdy and Hannah Kantanen, it was a balanced display from Powhatan across the entire field.
“To me, that’s success right there. Win or lose,” Camp said.
Caroline Camp, Erica Krauss,
Kate Adams and Sophie Payne have emerged as the top scoring threats on the roster already, most of which carried over from strong seasons last year. Against Atlee, all four found themselves finishing on multiple goal-scoring chances, with Payne and Krauss each recording four-goal games while Adams finished with two and Camp recorded a hat trick with four assists.
The coaching staff has noticed significant improvement from those players over the offseason. Adams, already a lethal scoring threat, has displayed even better field IQ and communication skills on the attack with her teammates, while the sophomores Camp and Krauss are playing even more confidently with increased responsibility creating transition opportunities and leading the offense as it sets
After jumping out to a sixgoal lead midway through the third quarter, the Indians had to hold off a late comeback from the Rapids that brought their lead down to just a single goal. In the final minute, a huge defensive play from attacker Jack Connelly led to an opportunity on the other end for Connor Walters, who scored to seal the deal for Powhatan’s first win of the season and Bates’ first win as a coach.
“The feeling you get when you win a nail-biter down to the last seconds is one of the reasons I coach,” Bates said after his first victory. “Just trusting the process and trusting that you’ve given your guys all the necessary tools to go and bring it home. To see how they responded to a little adversity down the stretch just shows me that we’re fighters and when things get hard we’re ready to step up and handle our business.”
It wasn’t the easiest start to the season for the Indians, who lost 23-6 in the opener to Freeman and 18-2 to Midlothian, but those experiences gave the team valuable film that allowed them to highlight what needed to be fixed in order to reverse the result from a loss to a win.
“We got some great film from the first two games that we played and really studied up on some of the smaller details that make up the difference,” Bates said. “Our main goal coming into James River was to make sure that we were sharp on all phases of the game, making the
ROBBY FLETCHER
Sports Editor
The Powhatan Indians are off to a winning start to the season after their first two games, building off a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester with better offensive execution in a thrilling 3-2 triumph over the Midlothian Trojans on March 21.
After a late James Davis goal earned them a win in a cold weather battle at home against the Lancers, Powhatan head coach Willie Miles hoped to see an even bigger performance from his team against a Midlothian squad that he knew would provide a great fight on Powhatan’s
home field.
“This game demonstrated the type of unity and heart our guys play for each other,” Miles said.
“The guys’ energy levels rose to the occasion against a team that we are very familiar with.”
Goals from seniors Fischer Daniel and Connor Nickerson as well as Davis helped give Powhatan the edge, with Daniel blasting a grounder toward the left side of the net from 22 yards out on a free kick at the center of the box and Nickerson putting in a penalty kick for a 2-0 lead in the first half.
In the second half, Davis made it 3-0 with 33 minutes left after
making a run down the middle of the box and sliding a shot down the right siding of the net as he was dribbling left to give Powhatan another early-season highlight from the sensational sophomore.
The Trojans made things interesting with a late comeback, but the Indians were able to hold off any additional chances at leveling the score in the final minutes. Miles says much like the first game, there are things that need to be improved, but after two winning results, those things appear to be fixable problems
Things continue to trend upward for Powhatan’s two tennis teams, with both capturing victories this past week.
The girls team had tough outings that featured some promising performances in its season-opening defeats at the hands of Midlothian and James River, but the Indians appeared to already use those experiences to good use. In matchups against Goochland and Monacan, the team had outstanding results from multiple players, which resulted in a well-earned 6-3 win against the Bulldogs and a close 5-4 loss to the Chiefs.
Against Goochland, Powhatan’s top three players all came away with victories, led off by No. 1 Emma Carter taking every game against Anna Stamey for an 8-0 set win. No. 2 Carter Quinn had a tougher time earning her eight
games against Genevieve Williamson, but she ultimately captured the victory with an 8-4 set to give Powhatan an advantage at the top of the depth chart.
After No. 3 Polly Overboe won with an 8-3 set over Hadley Peskin, the Indians looked in control and ready for their first win of the season. The Bulldogs did get wins from Amber Robertson over Zoé Lucas (8-6), Laura Lee Baldwin over Caris Grell (82) and a doubles victory from Robertson and Baldwin over Lucas and Amanda Seaman (85), but it wasn’t enough to take down the Indians, who also got wins from No. 5 Gianna LaRaffa in her singles match and doubles wins from Carter and Quinn as well as from Overboe and LaRaffa.
Against Monacan, the game came all the way down to the No. 3 doubles matchup of Sea -
man and Lucas versus Kennedy Puryear and Emma Smith, which lived up to its expectations as a game-deciding match. The Powhatan duo played tough and had moments where they might take the victory for their team, but Monacan’s pairing came away with the decisive win in a 9-7 thriller.
Before that match, freshman Caris Grell had a breakthrough singles match in the No. 6 spot against Dinda Williamson, recovering from a 6-0 loss in the first set with a terrific 6-4 second set to force a tiebreaker that ultimately went in Williamson’s favor, though it doesn’t take away from a hard-fought battle from the talented freshman.
Carter had her second consecutive victory by winning all six games in both sets against Samantha Labrecque to continue with her impressive start to the
season, while LaRaffa earned another singles win with sets of 6-3 and 6-1 over Emma Smith. Carter and Quinn also gave Powhatan an 8-3 doubles victory in their battle while LaRaffa and Overboe won 9-7 in their doubles meeting.
For the boys team, the week started off with a 7-2 loss to a talented Bulldogs team featuring the nationally-ranked star Evan Bernstine at the No. 1 spot. Sophomore Jamison Wallace played the state champion tough, earning a win in the first set and two more in the second set, though Bernstine was able to win 6-1 and 6-2.
The Indians did earn wins from Maxwell Pestka in the No. 3 spot over Ryan Bowers with sets of 6-0 and 6-3 and from No. 6 Conner Golden over Buddy Lamb with 6-2 wins in both sets, but it was all Goochland beyond that.
Against Monacan, they were much better across the board,
sacrificing a single loss on the way to a dominant 8-1 team victory.
Powhatan won every doubles matchup against Monacan, including an impressive two-set victory from Wallace and Pestka over Izaak Brown and Alex Palczynski, 6-3 and 6-4.
Both Wallace and Pestka won their singles contests as well, with Wallace sacrificing just a few games before taking charge over Brown with wins of 6-2 and 6-1. Darryl Sanders, John Dinardi and Golden all took care of their own business in the 4-6 singles matchups as well, contributing well to give Powhatan its first win of the season. Next up for Powhatan is a matchup against Clover Hill on Thursday, March 30. The boys will travel to Clover Hill for their matchup while the girls will stay home to host the Cavaliers.
Girls
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up in the attacking half.
In the midfield, players like Chloe Holt and Grace Hayden have been steadying presences for
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right decisions, and valuing our possessions. This allowed us to just get out there and play our style of lacrosse and really play to our strengths.”
They came out like a different team in game three, controlling the game on both sides of the field with a balanced offensive attack
Soccer
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that the team has still been able to overcome in two early tests.
“It wasn’t the cleanest game by any means in terms of operating
coach Camp. Camp notes Holt’s versatility as a turnover-causing defender and a reliable transition player and Hayden’s quickness on the draw circle as attributes that can go unnoticed to the untrained eye, but keep the Indians in control of possession and composure.
and a tremendous night in the net from junior goalie Jacob Hanna, who saved 17 shots from going in the net. The Indians were led by fourgoal performances from Walters and senior midfielder Parker Unmussig, but they were by no means the only source of offense from the team. A hat trick from Luka Blevins, two more goals from junior Conner Kluis and another score from freshman James Carson
how we wanted in the ways we want to with our possession in the final third, and organization with a few defensive situations, but that is expected at this early stage of the season,” Miles said.
“Bottom line, we kept up the persistent pressure for the majority
All of those players had the benefit of experiencing the success of last year’s run, but what’s been arguably most impressive is how they’ve passed down those experiences to the team’s up-andcoming underclassmen fighting for time on the field. Freshmen
helped the team reach its highest scoring output so far this season, while the defense was able to manage an organized Rapids attack for most of the match.
The Indians led 9-5 at halftime, which jumped up to 12-6 after a strong third quarter, but the Rapids went on a 6-1 run to force the game into a riveting conclusion. They threw everything they had at the Indians to tie the score, but with Connelly’s big stop and Walters’
of this contest against Midlothian to give ourselves the chances we finished, and we earned this win.”
With a battle against the Monacan Chiefs (2-2) coming up on March 28, the Indians have a golden opportunity to build a win streak against three dis-
midfielders Hannah Kantanen and Dowdy are two players that come to mind that have benefited, having already earned playing time and even making multiple impact plays in the win against Atlee.
With games coming up against Patrick Henry on March 27 and
goal to push the lead to two, the Indians were able to hold on and earn their first win of the season.
In just three games, Bates says the team’s identity has grown clear. They’re a scrappy, hardnosed team that may be still figuring things out, but are close to finding a consistent formula for success.
“We understand what it takes to compete against teams in the Dominion District and beyond,
trict opponents. The Indians had plenty of success in their matchups against the Chiefs last season, who uniquely played a defensive-minded strategy to hold off the Indians attack in those 2022 matchups.
“We raised the standard of play
against Monacan on March 29, the Indians have no intention of letting this losing streak end early. The way they see it, they’re just getting started.
robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.
so attitude is everything,” Bates said. “I would say our identity is real blue collar. Just grab the hard hat and lunch pail and get after it. Sure we will fly under the radar, but we’re working hard when nobody’s looking and a win like this speaks volumes to that.”
These blue-collar Indians look to pick up their second win of the season when they take on the Patrick Henry Patriots at home on March 27 at 7:30 p.m.
for ourselves in comparison to our first game. We will now look to raise it again heading into our next set of games in this talented Dominion District,” Miles said. robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.
CONTRIBUTED REPORT
In partnership with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) will be conducting the first easement-focused Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project in Virginia.
The “Preserving Working Farms and Securing Urban Ag” project will accelerate the rate of land protection in the greater Richmond area to curtail the possibility of having farmland converted to other uses. NRCS is providing up to $1.5 million in financial assistance for the purchase of conservation easements in the target counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan, as well as the city of Richmond. CRLC and its supporting partners, making use of tax credits and other state incentives, will match the NRCS funds, bringing the total financial assistance for landowners to just under $3 million.
“Conservation easements allow landowners to protect agricultural and forest land from redevelopment,” said Dr. Edwin Martinez Martinez, Virginia’s state conservationist. “NRCS, which offers funding for both ag land and wetland restoration easements, is well-versed in working with landowners
interested in preventing the loss of agricultural land in urban settings, securing the future of these smaller spaces.”
CRLC has helped protect roughly 13,000 acres of working farms and forests and currently holds more than 20 easements on over 2,400 acres. With the RCPP project, it is poised to continue protecting vulnerable land and water resources in the Richmond area.
“Capital Region Land Conservancy is pleased to have been awarded RCPP funding through a national merit process and looks forward to deploying these resources to assist producers and landowners to protect working farms as well as preserving urban agriculture sites,” said Parker C. Agelasto, CRLC’s executive director.
Landowners receiving services from the Amelia, Hanover, Dinwiddie and Quinton NRCS service centers
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may be eligible to participate in this project. Interested individuals must submit a signed CRLC easement application form and complete required forms with NRCS by April 24, 2023, to be considered for funding in Fiscal Year 2023.
Amelia Service Center: 804-561-2947 (Goochland, Powhatan counties)
Hanover Service Center: 804-537-5225 (Hanover County)
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Quinton Service Center: 804-932-4376 (City of Richmond; Charles City, Henrico and New Kent counties).
For more information on Virginia RCPP projects, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/virginia.
To learn more about CRLC projects and activities, visit https://capitalregionland. org.
CONTRIBUTED REPORT
Powhatan Parks and Recreation will hold a Powhatan Eggstravaganza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 1 at Fighting Creek Park.
Come for a Storytime with Bunny at 10:15 a.m. at
the library followed by an egg hunt and activities at 11 a.m. Activities include an egg toss, Connect Four, field games, face painting, and a lemonade and bake stand at the YMCA. Egg hunt locations are:
ages 0-4, YMCA front lawn; ages 5-7, Green Trail/library; and ages 8+, Red/Blue Trail. Rain date is April 8. For trail maps and more information, visit the YMCA, Parks and Recreation and library websites.
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Noticeisherebygiven,pursuantto §15.2-2204ofthe Codeof Virginia, thatthePlanningCommissionof PowhatanCountywillconduct apublic hearingon Tuesday,April4,2023at6:00PMinthe PowhatanCounty VillageBuilding Auditorium,3910OldBuckingham Road, toconsiderthe following request:
23-01-REZ: Trent (District#5:SmithsCrossroads/Pineville/Tobaccoville) requests arezoningoftheparcellocated at TM#26-27fromAgricultural 10(A-10)toCommerceCenter(CC)andamendmentofthezoning districtmapofapproximately9.69acreslocatedonthe westboundside ofAndersonHighway approximately0.14miles westofMaidens Road. If approvedthe applicantintendstousetheparcel fora funeralhome andcrematorium.The2021Comprehensive Plandesignatesthesubject propertiesasGatewayBusinessontheCountywideLandUseMap.
Themeetingmaybewatchedlive by visiting http://powhatanva.gov/432/Live-Stream-of-Powhatan-County-Meetings
AllPlanningCommissionmeetingsareopentothepublicandinterested personsareencouragedto attendonthedayandtimespecified above. Copiesoftheproposedplans,ordinances,andamendmentsmay be reviewedintheDepartmentofCommunityDevelopmentinthe PowhatanCountyAdministrationBuilding(3834OldBuckingham Road)between8:30AMand5:00PMofeach businessday. Copies ofstaffreportsareavailablepriortothePublicHearingupon request andwillbe availableonline at least five (5)dayspriortothemeeting at http://powhatanva.gov/agendacenter.Pleasecall(804)598-5621with anyquestions.
Publicnoticeisherebygiventha ttheBoardofEqualization for Po whatanCounty,willmeetontheday’shereafterlisted forthepurposeofhearingcomplaintsofinequalitiesincluding errorsinacreage.Uponhearingsuchcomplaints,eitheroral orwritten,theBoardwillgiveconsideration ANDINCREASE, DECREASEORAFFIRM suchrealestateassessments.Before achangecanbegranted,thetaxpayerorhis agentmust overcome aclearpresumptioninfavoroftheassessment. Thetaxpayeror agentmustprovide apreponderanceofthe evidencetha ttheassessmentofthepropertyisnotuniform withtheassessmentsofothersimilarpropertiesorthat thepropertyisassessedinexcessofitsfairmarketvalue. Appointmentswillbescheduledever y20minutestominimize waiting. To appearbeforetheBoardofEqualization,please call804-598-5799from8:30A.M.and5:00 P.M. MeetingsoftheBoardtohearobjectionswillbeheld at: 3834OldBuckinghamRoad, Powhatan, VA 23139
Thedate(s)andtime(s)are:
April4,20235:00PMto8:00PM
April6,20232:00PMto5:00PM
April11,20235:00PMto8:00PM
April13,20232:00PMto5:00PM
April18,20235:00PMto8:00PM
April20,20232:00PMto5:00PM
April25,20235:00PMto8:00PM
April27,20232:00PMto5:00PM
(Additionaldatesandtimeswillbescheduledifnecessar yandadvertised). Byorderofthe PowhatanCountyBoardofEqualization