garden full of goodness
getting a leg up
Those late-season vegetables and fruits may be worth a second look.
Foxes’ cross-country teams are off to good starts. Page 5
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T he
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
Volume 38, Number 38
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Supervisors mull adding 4th fire station Debate is whether to replace Dahlgren site or build in Shiloh Phyllis Cook A fourth fire station in Shiloh would reduce response times for calls, said King George Fire Chief David Moody. There are three fire/rescue stations in the county with 24-hour service shifts and supervisors plan to build a fourth. A proposed Shiloh station is expected to go on county land on U.S. 301 about a half mile south of Route 3. That station would reduce the workload at the county’s main fire station on Kings Highway, which currently serves 113 of the 182 square miles in the county, Moody recently
told supervisors. “(A fourth station) would aid in reducing the response times thereby providing better service and aid in saving lives in the county,” he said. Dahlgren representative Ruby Brabo insists the next station should replace the one in Dahlgren before a fourth station is constructed in Shiloh. Shiloh supervisor Cedell Brooks disagrees. “I know we need it in Shiloh. The residents of Shiloh don’t have anything. Dahlgren’s already got the station there and just need to improve what they’ve got,” Brooks said. Those comments came during a pitched battle Aug. 21 with four
supervisors in favor of adding a fourth fire/rescue station in Shiloh. “It doesn’t make sense to spend money if the calls aren’t there,” Brabo said. She is expected to continue her fight this week during one of her town hall meetings. At-large representative Dale Sisson disputed Brabo’s claim about Shiloh’s calls for fire/rescue. “The calls are there,” he said. “We’re running from the Westmoreland County line to the Stafford County line out of company one.” “The largest population Monday through Friday during the week during work hours is in Dahlgren,” Brabo countered. “You have the issues of the fire/rescue trying to get out because of the base traffic on Route 206.”
king george’s current stations Company 1
(Fire-Rescue Headquarters) 8122 Kings Highway
(Dahlgren Station) 16147 Dahlgren Road
See FIRE, page 4
Phyllis Cook
See TOURISM, page 4
Leslie Kompara
Gov. Terry McAuliffe, along with James Monroe Supervisor Jim Howard and Dahlgren Supervisor Ruby Brabo, Congressman Rob Wittman, and other state and local officials, recently opened Caledon State Park’s new canoe-in campground. The state park is one attraction that could help draw tourists to the county, Brabo said.
Planning Commission OKs cell tower zoning change Phyllis Cook Can you hear me now? For some in King George County, the answer to that question soon may be switched from no to yes. The King George Planning Commission recommended approval, 7-0, Sept. 9 for a proposed ordinance that would allow cell towers in A-1 (limited agricultural) zoning by special exception permit. Currently, those permits are allowed in A-2 (rural agricultural) zoning, both commercial
zoning districts and in light industrial zoning. The change would enable a gap to be plugged in Shiloh by allowing Verizon Wireless to follow through with plans to apply for permits to construct towers there. Jack Green, director of the county’s office of community development, told the commission Verizon recently approached him with a plan to improve wireless coverage in the county, saying it intended to add equipment to eight existing structures and wanted to request
two additional telecommunication facilities. The company said it couldn’t find a suitable site in Shiloh because the county’s ordinance does not allow cell towers in areas zoned A-1, which large swaths of Shiloh are zoned. The approval followed a public hearing with comments from two residents, Dale Robertson and Barbara Wagner. Both noted problems in the county’s ordinances thwarting the potential for a regional Internet broadband business to provide affordable service to underserved areas
Company 3
(Fairview Beach Station) 6060 Riverview Drive
KG seeks best bang for tourism bucks King George Director of Economic Development Linwood Thomas has been tasked with coming up with ideas for the use of $42,000 toward some tourism efforts, as well as to consider how future annual amounts of about $79,000 from a county tax could be spent. While it’s not a lot of money. the topic has spawned a great deal of discussionamong the supervisors. Thomas also was asked to work up a tourism vision, or mission statement, based on what he heard from board members during a sometimes contentious discussion last month. Thomas provided a list of 25 potential ideas gleaned from a meeting last November targeted toward tourism and those in the county providing services to tourists. The items on the list that got some agreement or were not noted as controversial included costs for annual dues to belong to the Northern Neck Tourism Commission, quarterly tourism breakfasts, ball field renovations, costs associated with the annual Fall Festival and the Home Show, a grant to the Farmers’ Market and sign improvements at the roadway entrances into the county. A county map with potential tourism sites also was discussed. It was pointed out by Cedell Brooks that the county doesn’t have much to attract tourists. He got agreement from all except Ruby Brabo. She pointed to Caledon State Park, Claydale historic house and a winery. Chairman Joe Grzeika also noted the Dahlgren Museum.
Company 2
by installing a series of 100- to 150-foot monopoles to run from trunk lines into those neighborhoods. Those poles may need regulation, but should not be defined as telecommunication towers, the supervisors have said in the past, as currently appears to be the case. Telecommunication towers require a costly application process with review and action by the county Board of Supervisors. “I think this issue of wireless internet is a worthy goal to resolve as soon as
possible,” Planning Commissioner Gary Kendrick said. “How can we carry that request to the board of supervisors?” Green said the supervsors are very aware of the gap and are in the process of launching a committee to provide advice and recommendations for that purpose. The proposed ordinance change now goes to the supervisors for review and a second public hearing. It is likely the supervisors will approve the change since they’re the ones who initiated the amendment.
Tourism increasing Tourism revenue for the five counties of the Northern Neck was almost $244 million in 2013, a 2.6 percent increase from 2012, officials said. Local tourism-supported jobs totaled 2,592 while local tourismrelated taxes were about $6.7 million. “These recent tourism numbers indicate that the Northern Neck’s marketing efforts to differentiate itself as a heritage tourism destination are having success,” said Northern Neck Tourism Commission Chairman Paul Reber. “The fusion of the Northern Neck’s waterfront recreation, heritage attractions, historic lodging and local dining provides an authentic visitor experience that the traveling public seeks.” The local numbers mirror the state’s figures. Tourism revenue rose to $21.5 billion in 2013, or 1.4 percent, from 2012, the state recently announced. The state’s tourism revenue has grown more than 43 percent since 2004, and Virginia investments in tourism generated $5 in state and local taxes for every dollar spent by the state in the industry, officials said. The latest figures show the tourism industry also supported 213,000 jobs, comprising 7 percent of the state’s total private employment. The industry also provided more than $1.42 billion in state and local taxes in 2013.
clarification Brandi Nolte, 32, of Richmond, was acquitted of assault and battery and her record expunged by the King George County Circuit Court. Her arrest was reported in the Nov. 13, 2013 issue of The Journal.
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