POLITICAL Continued from pg. 6
why they met every four years to nominate a candidate. She even said my sister and I could stay up late to watch what I thought was going to must-see TV. I quickly fell asleep on the sofa on the first night of the convention, only remembering glimpses of white men in suits with funny hats. To a 5-year-old, it seemed more like an excuse for adults to act like children, which also explained its late night scheduling. To be honest, I only remember bits and pieces of
CARES Continued from pg. 1
said Director of Finance and Management Services Jacob Sumner. “Hanover’s portion of these funds is another $9.4 million.” How, when and for what those funds can be used for are governed by strict guidelines that also were in place for the first round of relief. First and foremost, the funds must be used to address COVID-related issues incurred due to the pandemic. The funding also cannot be included in the current budget approved in March, and expenditures must occur between March1 and Dec. 31 of this year. “The eligibility requirements are the same as the first round of funding, but we now have a much more condensed time frame in which to spend the funds,” Sumner said. As in the initial round of funding, the lion’s share of the federal money is targeted for education. More than $350,000 is planned to support additional school personnel like temporary crossing guards, custodial hours, bus driver hours and other teacher support. The funds also will allow
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the ensuing two weeks. But even those clouded memories revealed the first signs of a house divided, thankfully in political terms only. My mother was an Adlai Stevenson supporter while my father supported Dwight Eisenhower. Like most who served in World War II, he joined others who believed in the man that led the invasion at Normandy and freed the continent. I’ve never been sure if it was that devotion, or a true belief in the Republican Party platform that motivated him to support Ike. Later in life, my mother
informed me long after my father’s death that he had, in fact, supported many candidates who identified as Democrats. Honestly, I had rarely heard them discuss politics and I have no recollection of these discussions ever becoming heated. Looking back, I suppose their political differences represented a very small portion of the things they shared in common. I also admire their respect for civility when politics were the subject. As I watched my much too many to count convention last week, the starkness of the con-
trast of now and then could not have been more blatantly evident. For starters, both parties would not recognize the platforms put forth in the 1950s, and, more importantly, neither would claim allegiance to those outdated positions compared to where they stand today. I also was further convinced that the true defining principles of each party has become buried in hopeless deadlocks where policy decisions are often made to please those political or party concerns. As for this year’s virtual or hybrid versions of the traditional gatherings, I’ll be
busy doing something else. Whatever happens it too will be predictable, over-produced and weepy for my sense of nostalgia that somehow misses those days of flag-draped delegates roaming the convention floor slightly buzzed and talking much too loud to any reporter who would listen. Those crazy hats mixed with one too many frozen drinks produced an atmosphere that perhaps better reflected what politics used to be in America, or maybe it’s an image that’s as obsolete as those platforms that once defined each party, or maybe it’s the hope of the future.
the system to purchase five new buses at a cost of $500,000 to allow for adequate social distancing when transporting students. Additional classroom equipment and supplies will require an additional $1.5 million. The latest round of funding provides $2 million to provide devices for pre K-2 students and support staff. With the previous round of CARES funding, all Hanover students will have devices in the near future. There are some delays due to the increased demand for laptops and other devices, but school officials hope to complete distribution by year’s end. The CARES funding also will address technology upgrades at the Pamunkey Regional Jail. “This will include laptops for jail staff and wireless internet points for the medical staff to conduct inmate health screenings within the unit,” Sumner said. The sheriff ’s office is slated to receive funding for additional patrol car partitions, a new transport van for court services and additional safety equipment. “The county intends to
reimburse itself for public safety personnel costs ($225,000) directly related to COVID-19 pandemic,” Sumner said. Other projects included in the second round of funding include Fire/EMS equipment and a mobile response unit at a cost of $778,000, and almost $850,000 for community support. “This round of CARES funding will also allow the county to support its social safety net programs,” Sumner said. “These programs include those in need of housing or rent assistance, utility bill assistance or food insecurity needs. Funds would also be available for additional testing and PPE.” Public Works and the Registrar’s Office will both receive funding to upgrade services required by the pandemic. The Pamunkey Regional Library will receive $264,000 for improved safety measures and more than $500,000 will be earmarked to improve customer and employee safety measures like sneeze guards at various county facilities. The Town of Ashland will receive $684,000, and $1.3 million is reserved for technology upgrades that enhance remote
access and promote social distancing. These funds also will be used to extend fiber services to outlying county facilities and upgrading access at county buildings. Not included in the list of projects for the second round of funding is a small business assistance program contained in the first funding. County Administrator John Budesky said funds from the first CARES funding has not been exhausted and said he did not see a need to extend the program at this time. In two rounds of distribution, about $230,000 of the allotted $300,000 has been accessed by local businesses, and another round of applications is pending. Some supervisors expressed a need for more specificity regarding school personnel funding and just how those funds are expected to be utilized. “There was going to be a discussion a little bit on the specificity of the school funding for positions, and I wanted to see that information,” Chickahominy supervisor Angela Kelly-Wiecek said. Sumner said that information was provided to the Finance Committee. The
chairman of that committee, Canova Peterson, explained that the Hanover County School Board had not had the opportunity to study those figures and the breakdown. “We may want to wait for them to bring that information back to us,” Peterson said. South Anna supervisor Sue Dibble encouraged school board members to consider the allocation as soon as possible. “I think it’s very important that our school board members review this detailed list and vet this list and approve this list before it comes to us,” Dibble said. “I think that step in the process is very important to protect our students and our public.” “We have no desire to hold up funding for the schools,” Ashland supervisor Faye Prichard said. “However, in the second round there is some lack of clarity from our end about how that funding should be dispersed. We would very much like the school board to have an opportunity to look at that before we make the final decision about whether we agree or disagree.” Prichard said she would like to accept the education portion of the money without
Ashland-Hanover Local September 2, 2020
County operations close for holiday HANOVER -- Hanover County government offices, solid waste centers and library branches will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, for Labor Day. Information submitted by Tom Harris, Hanover county public information officer.
specifying where the funding would be spent to allow the school board time to study the issue. Assistant Superintendent for Finance Terry Stone informed board members of the possibility that next month’s school board meeting currently scheduled for Sept, 8 could be moved back a week to allow access to a venue capable of accommodating more people. The upcoming school board meeting will be the first in person event since the pandemic began in March. The board of supervisors is next scheduled to meet on Sept. 9, so the consideration requested would not be available at that time unless a special meeting of the school board is held in the interim. School officials announced the following day that a special school board virtual meeting would take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to consider the funding. The regular September meeting of the school board also has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the County Administration Building at the Courthouse Complex in Hanover.
