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Sell: Selling town property from page 1 Mobile Home Park and Boardwalk properties.” Every member of the public who spoke at the meeting interpreted the council’s request as a question, “To sell, or not to sell?” The majority of citizens who spoke on the matter of what to do with town-owned properties had their individual ideas of what should be done with them. What could be considered a count revealed that the majority of the speakers were for selling both Eleanor Park and the Boardwalk properties. Only three said they wanted to wait on selling the park. Among those three was Robin Schick. Planning Commission Vice Chair Robin Schick updated the council on Commission recommendations and public hearings held on the matter of what to do with the properties. Schick said, “The ‘sell, or not to sell’ issue of town property is a broad one and raises about a million and one other questions with it. I think the first point to make is that it is unfair to ask the public to weigh in on an issue that you have not fully informed them of,” adding that aside from not really knowing which properties along the Boardwalk are in question, it is unfair to lump them together. “A commercially-zoned area really should NOT be compared to
Linda Farneth
The Colonial Beach Town Council spent the majority of their 3½-hour meeting listening to the public. Public comments were split between what to do with town-owned property and fully funding the school system. After a long evening, the council made quick work of agenda items.
Bond: School funding from page 1 at 315 Douglas Ave, currently known as the elementary school campus. In response to the School’s resolution, the Council passed Resolution 32-14 the following evening. This resolution authorizes the Town Manager to continue the process started with VML-VaCo Finance in the fall of 2013, to secure the funding needed to meet the school improvement project’s needs and the Town’s capital investment needs. Previously, the Town’s side of the funding needs had not been fully
identified. The School Board has identified improvements of $1,124,763, and the Town has identified facilities and capital needs in the amount of $996,400, for a total loan amount of $2,121,163. Town Manager Val Foulds is expected to brief the remaining members at a budget meeting on Tuesday, beginning at 10 a.m. The resolution passed with no discussion and a unanimous vote among the six council members present. —Linda Farneth
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or blanketed with public opinion of a residential property. It’s confusing and misleading,” she said. Furthermore, Schick told Council that they should provide the information available as to why to sell, or not to sell before public comment, so that the pros and cons could be weighed with value by everyone. Schick decided to focus on the subject of Eleanor Park rather than the Boardwalk properties since the planning commission has explored many options for the park at the request of Council. Schick said, “I’d like to point out that the Planning Commission was asked by Council to review, receive comment on, and analyze the possible sale of Eleanor Park real estate. However, it has not been asked to review the sale of any Boardwalk property as of lately. I would like to recommend to Council to communicate and utilize your very well-educated Planning Commission to review this issue and make a formal recommendation for your benefit.” Leaving out many personal feelings and fears, Schick said, “There are some questions to be answered: Why, How, and When? These are the basics and need examination before you can ask for decisions to sell any public property. Schick said the reason of why to sell is obviously a financial need, but she questioned how the
Town got to this point. She related selling properties to solve financial problems with putting a band-aid on an old wound and fears that when the band-aid is removed, the wound will still be bleeding. “It will not fix the damage done or be a lifelong solution, but merely stop the bleeding for a bit.” Schick asked the council, “And when the time comes that this bandaid has fallen off, and the bleeding is still there, then what are the options? Loans? Grants?” Schick told the council that selling off property would only decrease assets. She suggested taking the advise of the planning commission to seek out public-private partnerships which would allow the Town to keep the property as an asset and still develop it. “The Town can make this property asset work for you and will have more control over what and how it gets developed so that it can fit into our community, our Comprehensive Plan and our Economic Development goals.” Schick also suggested developing an incentive program to increase the tax value of “the 90 properties that are currently for sale in town limits.” She sites Zillow as the source of her numbers. To the issue of selling now, Schick said, “Sell it now! Because we need the money NOW! That’s the bandaid speaking.” Part of the planning commission’s recommendation for Eleanor Park was to hold on to the property and reassess it in five years in order to wait for the economy to increase the
Safety: School maintenance a safety matter
Tom & Sharon Franklin of Menomonie, Wisconsin, proudly announce the birth of their first grandchild.
from page 1 Lisa Perky has been a teacher with Colonial Beach Schools for nine years. Perky discussed the issues the high school has with safety due to maintenance issues. She told the council, “It isn’t a question of if we should make the improvements; it’s how we make the improvements.” Jennifer Hoss also spoke about safety, “This town’s best hope is a well-funded school which will protect our students’ safety, future and the future of this town.” Both women discussed inadequacies in safety through maintenance problems at the School. Robin Baker, who is an alumni student and now a parent of a student in elementary school, said she had a great experience here. “Colonial Beach was the reason I went on to college. I chose Colonial Beach for my child. My concern is for the educations of these children; they are our future educators, doctors and lawyers. They are going to be here when you guys are long gone, so when you consider the fate of
Their daughter Morgan and son-in-law TJ Maglio are the blessed parents of Vincent Thomas Maglio, born February 23, 2014. Tom is a 1963 graduate of KGHS, and son of the late Grace and Eddie Franklin of Dahlgren.
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the school, keep in mind that these children are relying upon you.” John Mitchem is a new teacher who said he has been here for a year. He said he was shocked to see 17 new teachers during orientation. Mitchem said that it is about 35% of the School’s staff. State average is 15% new teachers. The School had to replace four more teachers throughout the year. Mitchem said, “I am asked weekly if I am returning next year.” He said this affects trust with the students. Mitchem blames the low teacher salaries in Colonial Beach for the high turnover. The most heartwarming and compelling comments came from Veronica Reynolds, who has been a teacher at Colonial Beach for 16 years. Reynolds said she was not going to speak, but a student’s class assignment compelled her to. Reynolds gave her 11th grade class a poem to read. The poem is by Paul Whitman. In the poem, the speaker becomes different heroes; a skipper who saves a flailing ship, a mother who was executed for witchcraft and a fireman who was
mortally wounded on a job. The students are asked to make their own extension becoming a modern-day hero in their portion of the poem. Students submitted doctors, police officers and a teacher. Feeling moved, Reynolds’ heart was touched. Then she took a second look and what it said: “I am the teacher, protecting the students I watch over. The silence, disturbed by the click of the door handle. I throw myself forward, into the line of fire, to disarm the assailant. My classroom, my domain, is safe, but I am not.” Reynolds implored the council to approve the money to repair and update the high school for not only for the safety of the kids, but for their peace of mind. She said, “Clearly, security is on the mind of our students.” That evening, the council passed a resolution giving the Town Manager approval to seek funding for the School’s funding requests for the elementary school move and repairs to the high school. —Linda Farneth
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value of the lots for added revenue to the Town. “It’s a no-brainer, really.” Schick added that out of the 90 properties for sale in town, 15 are foreclosures, so she concludes that giving the economy a little more time is a reasonable consideration. Schick closed by saying, “So after now a third review of the sale or not sale of this property, I still come to the same conclusion as I did when it was voted unanimously in the Planning Commission: Hold on to this asset; reevaluate the decision in 4-5 years; consider opportunities for public-private partnerships; and in the meantime, seek a low-level park grant for it to be a public asset until such time that the pendulum swings the other way.” After three hours when all comments were heard (some citizens spoke several times), and the public thinned out, Councilman Pete Bone announced that the comments heard reflected a misunderstanding from the public. Bone stated, “The intent that we asked for was the marketing of the Town. So far, all I’ve heard is what to use it for. I think what we were looking for is, how do we go out and put it outside the town. Bone said the idea was to find a way to bring business, entrepreneurs and others to the town to develop the properties. Despite the long hours of the meeting, the council still managed to get the agenda items handled and leave for home in time for the eleven o’clock news as well as hopefully foster some good will by listening to the public. —Linda Farneth
School: Turn over property from page 1 repairs needed at the high school, including replacement of football field lights, which due to age, are becoming a safety hazard. In response to the School’s resolution, the Council passed resolution 32-14 at the town council meeting the following evening. This resolution authorizes the Town Manager to continue the process started with VMLVaCo Finance in the fall of 2013, to secure the funding needed to meet the school improvement project’s needs and the Town’s capital investment needs. The School Board has identified improvements of $1,124,763, and the Town has identified facilities and capital needs in the amount of $996,400, for a total loan amount of $2,121,163. The breakdown of the Town’s capital needs has not been presented to all council members for approval. Town Manager Val Foulds is expected to brief the remaining members at a budget meeting on Tuesday, beginning at 10 a.m. The school system has submitted an insurance claim from Vacorp Insurance Company for the January 5 fire that gutted the two-story brick building on the elementary campus, creating a collapse zone for the surrounding buildings. Money from insurance claims not been directly mentioned in the latest council resolutions or other documents, but recent discussions have posed several ideas concerning how the insurance money will be spent. Recent suggestions include paying off the bond with the proceeds, using the money to fund a new school and combining these two ideas. However, until a vote is taken and recorded in a resolution, these all remain only suggestions. —Linda Farneth
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