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School Move: funding discussion from page 1 At the Feb.12 joint meeting, Beane presented the council with a new proposal for moving the elementary students, along with a list of needed repairs to the current high school on First Street. Beane said, “This is the proposal that the school board presented to the council last October, with a couple of changes.” Originally, the proposal, which included the elementary school move and repairs to the high school, ranged around $800,000. However, the new proposal includes additional expenses created by the temporary move that total $1,263,565. During that same meeting, both the council and the school board focused only on the money needed to move the elementary school to the high school campus, putting the discussion of high school improvements on the back burner, temporarily. The relocation of the elementary school to the high school campus will run $448,565. $14,800 will be spent on removal of the existing mod pods; utility disconnection and ramp removal will cost $10,000; and delivery and set up of new mod pods, plus moving the guidance trailer (which the School owns) will cost $100,000. The school board’s estimate showed that new site improvements to the high school campus, to
prepare for the pods and trailers, will cost $249,050. The school board is also factoring in $74,715 (as a 30% contingency) for unexpected costs. Beane is confident that amount will go down. Beane told the group that the insurance company had promised $100,000 to pay expenses for housing the elementary school at Oak Grove Baptist Church. Beane explained that the School has already encumbered $75,000 of this money, and additional insurance money (in the amount of another $100,000) has been promised to the School, as well, to continue to cover expenses for the temporary housing. School Board Chairman Tim Trivett told the group that they have not seen a penny in insurance yet. Appointed Councilman Pete Bone expressed his desire to try to fund the amount needed to make the move separately from the other needs. He reasoned that when the insurance money comes in, it would be better to pay off a short-term loan for these needs, rather than tie up these funds in a large CD that the Town will be paying interest on, or would receive a penalty for early payoff. Mayor Mike Ham asked Town Manager Val Foulds, “If the Town borrows $1 million, would the Town have to take the entire amount, resulting in paying more interest?” Foulds said that the Town could try to negotiate with the bank. Ham suggested getting approval
for $1 million, but only drawing from those funds as needed. Bone worried that procedural actions, such as public hearings and paperwork involved with taking out a bond, would slow the progress of being able to draw the funds. When Mayor Mike Ham inquired about insurance payments, Beane referred the question to School Board Chairman Tim Trivett. Trivett stated that to the date of the meeting (Feb. 12), no insurance money has been forthcoming. Trivett expressed relief that the School had hired a consultant company to work with the insurance company on behalf of the school system. But he said he could not make guarantees on when insurance money will come in. He reminded the council of the importance of the project. Trivett said, “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that we are going to be in the red with our budget this year, but we have spent a lot of money that was not budgeted.” Trivett reminded the council that the school board must spend this money for the temporary housing of the kids, cleanup, etc., in order to be in compliance with the law. He also reminded the council that the School has not asked for an advance, or any money towards these items. Trivett said, “We believe, in the end, that insurance will cover all these things.” But Trivett anticipates the insurance company will drag payments out as long as possible, and asked the
School Director of Finance J.D. Martin, Superintendent Kathleen Beane and Elementary School Principal Mary Fisher watch as the fate of their school hangs in the balance between school and town officials.
MOU: school and council from page 1 Mayor Mike Ham responded, “It would be a disaster for the town to be out $500,000. We don’t have the money- we’re talking about ways to
front the money, then going ahead with the loan.” At the previous meeting, the town council discussed securing a bond for $1 million to fund not only the elementary school move, but about
half a million dollars in renovations and repairs to the 20-year-old high school building on First Street. Ham said he agreed that the School needs to have their attorney review the document, but explained the
Sheriff’s report
FEB. 5 Alfonso Bruce Gaskins, Jr., 46, Hague arrested on a Richmond County warrant for assault & battery family member. FEB. 8 Ivan Flores, 22, Warsaw arrested for felony possess SCH I or II drug, possess marijuana and drive after
license revoked for alcohol related offense. FEB. 9 Jesse Lewis Shackleford, 36, Stafford arrested on a Stafford County capias for felony violation of probation. FEB. 11 Dylan Scott Carter, 23, Hague arrested for trespassing. FEB. 12 Andrea Michelle Roane, 38, Montross arrested for DWI. FEB. 14 Audrey Lynn Braxton, 30, Kinsale arrested on a Richmond County warrant for assault and batter. Breanna M. Smith, 20, Colonial
council’s intentions with the MOU were to front the School the $448,000 to move the elementary campus to First Street and continue to seek the loan of $1 million to recoup the moving money and continue with improvements to the high school. Ham said if the insurance money would cover the cost of replacing the school, then the children could stay on the present campus and the School could retain the property. However, since that is unlikely, the council is going ahead with the original agreement to turn the School property at the current elementary campus back over to the Town to be put up for sale or developed. This statement added more confusion to the discussions. Appointed Councilman Pete Bone told Trivett, “It was our assumption that all the expenses of moving were covered by insurance.” He continued to recap saying, “During our work session, we discussed the milliondollar bond. Those are two separate actions.” Trivett informed the council that all that is included in the insurance policy for the temporary housing is $100,000. “We don’t know what they are actually going to give us.” Trivett stated that the building that burned was originally insured at $2,025,000, but the insurance company has depreciated the building for its age.
from page 1 Beach arrested for assault: on family member. Charles Robert Brown, 18, Colonial Beach arrested on indictment for 2 felony counts of carnal knowledge of child of 14, w/o force. Earl Joshua Hutchinson, 23, Callao arrested on a warrant from Richmond County for interfere w/ property rights of another. FEB. 15 John Odoji Schmida, 22, Beltsville, MD arrested on indictment from King George County for felony grand larceny and conspire to commit larceny. Diante Lamar Ingram, 25, Kinsale arrested on a warrant from Stafford County for drive motor vehicle-license revoked/suspended 3rd + offense.
all but one gallery to shut down their traditional Second Friday ArtWalk. Local artist Velia Jacobo, the manager of Riverview Inn for five years, opened her display. She also featured the work of Olga Farneth, a well-known artist/teacher who has come out of retirement to begin showing her work again. Works from both artists will be on display all month, and Farneth plans to have a much larger collection next month, in March. Snow removal crews worked with three trucks the first night, but after losing one to a breakdown, crews made due with two trucks. Crews worked throughout the night on Thursday, however, due to VDOT mandated breaks. Town Manger Val Foulds reported, “We
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Roane: Reckless driving from page 1 Westmoreland County Sheriff C.O. Balderson said, “We received a call at 11:30 p.m. from a passerby who reported a car was either stuck or had been in an accident.” Deputy Sheriffs Kim Simon and Rafael Torres responded, and after their investigation, Roane was charged and taken to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, where she was held overnight before being released on her own recognizance Thursday morning. Balderson said Roane’s car skidded off the road at the corner of Templemans Road and Neenah Road near the intersection of Route 3 and Route 202 in Westmoreland County. The sheriff said Roane was cooperative with officers when they arrived on the scene. W&L was closed because of snowy weather on Thursday and Friday, but was open for classes on Monday, Presidents Day. Roane, 39, was on duty Monday, but did not discuss the incident publicly with faculty or students. Westmoreland School Superintendent Rebecca Lowery said she would be conferring with the Westmoreland County School Board about the charges filed against Roane. “We will confer and we will act in the best interests of the children,” Lowery said. Because of the message it sends to students and the community, the arrest of high school principals on charges of driving while intoxicated is rare. There were seven high school principals convicted of the charge nationwide last year. All of those school principals were suspended, placed on leave while attending rehabilitation, or terminated. Roane, a native of Westmoreland County who graduated from W&L in 1993, was named principal of the high school at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. Previously, she was the principal of Essex Intermediate School in Tappahannock, where she also served as assistant principal for three years. Roane is a graduate of Hampton University and has a Masters Degree from George Washington University. She began her career as a special education teacher in Virginia Beach. In November 2011, Roane was elected to the Westmoreland County School Board, but she resigned her post after just six months to accept the W&L principal’s position. —Richard Leggitt
Councilman Jim Chiarello said, “The memorandum of understanding, to me, represents how we present ourselves to the taxpayer.” Chiarello said that it shows if the town is acting in good faith and that the town plans to hold people accountable and follow certain protocol. Chiarello believes that if the council decides they have wiggle room, they can, at that time, delay the requirement of repayment. Discussions became a little confusing; centering around the issues of what the insurance would fund; what the School and Town had previously agreed upon; and the changes that have taken place as a result of the fire. Bone stated that from the previous meeting, he got the understanding that the School would use up to $448,000 to move forward, but that they would only spend money that was reimbursable by insurance. Bone said that is the information under which the MOU was drafted. Town Attorney Andrea Erard said, “I am very uncomfortable advancing money to the School without the Town knowing that those funds are coming from somewhere.” Erard suggested changing the MOU amount to $25,000 to get the School through the first steps. Foulds was finally asked about her loan inquiries. She told the group, “We submitted all the
Snow: Town effort praised
Westmoreland
FEB. 3 Dontavius Lamar Carey, 27, Hague was arrested for assault: on a family member and destroy wired/wireless phone device to prevent help. Eric Tate Weeks, 42, Montross was arrested for felony probation violation. Joseph Mitchell Powell, Jr., 47, Colonial Beach arrested for felony probation violation.
council to move forward as soon as possible with the agreed-upon loan to fund the elementary school move and repairs to the high school. In order to ensure that the School turns over all insurance money as soon as it is received, the council tasked town staff to draw up a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). The council also asked the town manager to contact VML (Virginia Municipal League) to inquire about securing a $1 million bond to fund these projects. At the Feb.17 Colonial Beach School Board meeting, Beane presented a timeline of actions, starting with the night’s meeting. The school board voted on a site engineer, and to send the current modular units back to the company. This will save the School money in rental fees, however the school will owe Mobile Modular $14,800 for this service. School officials are asking the Town of Colonial Beach for $25,000 on March 1, to begin the paperwork to produce and advertise an RFP (request for proposal) for the project. If all goes according to schedule, the School will advertise the RFP on April 20, for 20 days. Beane said that after the board approves a contractor, it would notify them of the award by April 30, with the anticipation of a start date early in May. If this schedule stays on track, the contractor’s payments will be due in June. Modular units can be delivered by June 15, and hookup of utilities will hopefully be completed. This will leave about 45 days for finishwork to be completed before the Sept. 2 start of the 2014-2015 school year. —Linda Farneth
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are utilizing our refuse teammates for snow removal-related activities throughout the day, since we cannot safely collect trash today.” First responders also got quite a workout and stepped up to the plate; Fire crews removed trees almost steadily throughout the night, during the first storm, as well as responding to many accidents. Rescue personnel were busy responding to accidents and medical emergencies throughout the week during stormy weather. At the Colonial Beach Town Council meeting held Monday night, council members praised both town staff and first responders for their hard work and endless sacrifice. Firefighter and School Board Chairman Tim Trivett complimented the town crews for their work in keeping the approximately 75 lane miles of roadways cleared. Unfortunately, the roads suffered some significant damage from the snow, treatments and plowing. Many of the temporary patches from recent water and sewer work have been stripped. Town officials have stated that replacement asphalt is not available in the winter. Cold patch does not hold well, as the recent storms have proven. Some patches are under contract with G.L. Howard, who is handling the water and sewer project. Public works said they would contact them to fill in these holes with gravel.
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documentation you would, as if you were doing a loan. All the analysis has been done. It was not a trivial process; it was very detailed. Where we are right now is based on the analysis that VML Vaco Finance has done. They would go out to banks to bid the loan.” NOTE: In a phone interview, Foulds explained that VML Vaco Finance does not lend money, but analyzes the application. Once the analysis is complete and they find the entity credit-worthy, they advertise for RFPs (requests for proposals), and banks compete to handle the loan. Members began talking at this time, making assumptions from Foulds’ statements that the Town had a good chance of getting the loan/bond. Bone recommended leaving the MOU as it stands (to lend the school $448,000 to relocate the elementary school) and approving it, contingent on the School’s approval. This would give the School’s attorney time to go over the MOU and give his opinion. All council members agreed and passed the resolution executing the MOU as it stood, upon approval of the school board. The school board was scheduled to meet on Tuesday evening at the high school for their regular monthly meeting. —Linda Farneth
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