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Vol. 6 No. 27 | Richmond Suburban News | March 3, 2021
Wegmans gets DEQ permit for planned distribution center By Jim Ridolphi for Ashland-Hanover Local RICHMOND -- Following two public hearings and a special meeting, the Virginia State Water Control Board has approved a Water Protection Permit for a planned Wegmans Distribution Center situated on a 219-acre site located off Sliding Hill Road near its intersection with Ashcake Road. Nearly 30 speakers opposed to the project’s location and impacts on the community expressed a myriad of concerns at the more than nine-hour meeting, but in the end board members accepted the recommendation of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and in a close 4-3 vote issued the permit. DEQ officials said the applicant had sufficiently addressed required issues and met all agency requirements and minimized surface
water impacts. “The fact that we issue our VWP permit . . . is not going to mean that this project is going to go forward,” said SWCB member Tim Hayes. “It just means that we’ve checked the state end of it, and there are still a number of issues that the (U.S. Army) Corps (of Engineers) and Hanover County have to deal with before this can go forward.” Rod Morgan has been involved in the effort to stop Wegmans from building on the Sliding Hill site near the airport, told SWCB members that Wegmans did not diligently explore other location options in the area and had developmental plans for two of those alternative sites, including the Archie Cannon site near Ashland. While Wegmans said the Ashcake Road site was chosen because it disrupted the least amount of wetlands and other environmental concerns, Morgan said that decision was based
on one thing: money. “Cost is the only difference in these sites,” he said. A well-informed and organized group of speakers centered their remarks around three essential areas that included what opponents called a flawed process of identifying affected wetlands on the proposed site and the failure of DEQ to conduct a proper review of the application. DEQ officials said almost 500 comments opposed to the project had been received while only three messages of support were received. More than 40 Freedom of Information requests were filed regarding this case. Almost every speaker also expressed concerns regarding environmental justice issues regarding Brown Grove, an African American community adjacent to the proposed site. Residents of that 150-year-old community said
the distribution center would further infringe on an area that has been ignored for decades. Del. Elizabeth Guzman, D-31, said those residents have long raised concerns regarding their community, but often those complaints fall on deaf ears. “No one is listening to their words,” she said as she urged the board to delay a vote on the permit. “We must do the work and have the hard conversations. I stand with the people of Brown Grove and I’m here to elevate their voices,” she said. In addition to the infringement on their historic neighborhood, Brown Grove residents have pointed to recorded oral histories that include burial sites located on the property and the existence of an old school. A footprint of the old Brown Grove School see WEGMANS, pg. 3
Ashland Museum talk focuses on Secretariat, Meadow Farm Contributed Report news@mechlocal.com ASHLAND -- In partnership with the Ashland Branch, Pamunkey Regional Library, the Ashland Museum will present a virtual History Talk – by Zoom only -- at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The program is free, but reservations are required. Kate Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery, the owner-manager of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, and granddaughter of his breeder Christopher Chenery, will
explore how Meadow Farm, now the Meadow Event Park, came to produce the greatest racehorse of the 20th Century. Chris Chenery was raised in Ashland and attended Randolph-Macon College before going to New York to make his fortune. In 1936, he established a racing stable on his ancestral farm, The Meadow, in Caroline County. His daughter Penny Chenery led the stable to win the Kentucky Derby twice, in 1972 and 1973. Penny was played by Diane Lane in the 2010 film Secretariat. Kate, an Ashland
resident, author of Secretariat’s Meadow: the Land, the Family, the Legend, grew up admiring her family’s horses and has shared their story at venues all over the country. Join the Ashland Museum and the Ashland Branch Library for Kate Tweedy’s program in honor of Secretariat’s March birthday. Make a reservation for this March 25 Zoom presentation at https://pamunkeylibrary. libcal.com/event/7539899. For more information, call 804368-7314 or email ashlandmuseum@comcast.net.
Photos submitted by Betsy Hodges
James and Ida Chenery are shown with their four sons, from left, Charlie, Alan, Chris and Bill, on the porch of their home at 402 Duncan St. Chris Chenery became the owner Secretariat. The photo was taken in about 1892. This Department of Historic Resources sign designates The Meadow Farm in Caroline County.