ENTERTAINMENT
SPORTS
Vintage Western movies to be shown Saturday
Varina takes advantage of Patriots’ miscues PAGE
11
PAGE
13
Vol. 1 No. 15 | Richmond Suburban News | October 14, 2015
Town Council discusses Ashland Theater plans
A
By Meredith Rigsby News Editor
SHLAND – The Ashland Theater renovation, which has been a much talked about issue over recent weeks, was on the agenda last week as a discussion item for Ashland Town Council. At the Oct. 6 meeting, Hugh Joyce, president of the Ashland Main Street Association (AMSA), spoke to council on behalf of the Ashland Theater Community Foundation (ATCF) to reaffirm its commitment to the plan B proposal it submitted at the Sept. 22 public input work session meeting.
The plan B proposal seeks to turn the Ashland Theater into a multi-dimensional venue that is operated by the ATCF, a registered nonprofit entity, and run by a professional full-time staff. In preparation for potential approval of its plan, the ATCF has had preliminary discussions with general contractor F. Richard Wilton Jr., who said he would provide his company’s services for little or no fee if the plan B proposal is passed. “We think when we’re done we’ll leverage that $1 million and make it look like $1.1 [million] and maybe as much as $1.3 [million],” Joyce said. “And by that, it’s getting time, sheetrock
donated, plumbing parts donated. We can do that as a community theater foundation, we cannot do that if we’re not operating under 501(c)(3),” he said. Charles Hartgrove, Ashland town manager, brought town council upHARTGROVE to-date about his Oct. 5 meeting with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) staff, which manages the Industrial Revitalization Fund grant program.
After speaking with Hartgrove, DHCD staff said they would be forwarding a letter to council extending the time frame for them to make a decision about plans for the theater until the end of October. The DHCD also made a few very specific requests in regard to council reviewing potential alternatives to the original Waukeshaw plan that was submitted to the DHCD last year, Hartgrove said. Hartgrove requested that town staff and representatives from the potential 501(c)(3) continue to work, potentially with a council represee COUNCIL, pg. 9
Candidates for Ashland seat address issues in forum By Jim Ridolphi for The Hanover Local
ASHLAND — It wasn’t billed as a debate, but, at times, it looked like one. Faye O. Pritchard and Web Stokes both have their eyes on the same prize: a seat on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors representing the Ashland District. The two fielded questions Thursday, Oct. 8, at a public forum hosted by NBC12 news anchor Heather Sullivan at Patrick Henry High School. Planning and zoning, coupled with education issues, highlighted the agenda with each candidate receiving two minutes to respond to the same question. There was no rebuttal from either candidate. But, there were clear differences in policy and approach. While Pritchard suggested she would favor reinstating and reducing county proffers instead of removing them, Stokes said he supported their elimination.
Jim Ridolphi for The Hanover Local
Candidates for the Hanover County Board of Supervisors’ Ashland seat Web Stokes and Faye O. Pritchard fielded voters’ questions last week at a public forum held at Patrick Henry High School.
The businessman and former Charlottesville SWAT team member said transportation proffers are still in place and said he favored making sure developers provide their fair share on infrastructure that supports new develop-
ment and pay closer attention to the county’s Comprehensive Plan. Out of the proffers collected in the 23 years since their inception, he said only about $2 million had been actually allocated and used.
“Cash proffers might have been a great idea 25 years ago when they were instituted, but we’ve outgrown them,” Stokes said. Pritchard, an educator and Ashland Town Council member for the past 14 years, reminded voters that proffers were the brainchild of the Home Builders Association and emphasized that cost should be passed on to developers, not citizens across the county. “It’s imperative that the county have some way to recoup the cost of new citizens coming to the county and proffers are a good way to do that,” Pritchard said. She agreed that the $20,000 fee had become “highly inflated.” Both candidates urged greater participation in the county’s Comprehensive Plan. Stokes urged citizens to become involved in the process before “decisions have already been made.” Pritchard said zoning and planning are one of the most important functions of local see FORUM pg. 8