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Powhatan Today, April 16, 2014
Supervisors consider raising water rates
GARDENING IN THE SHADE By Jan Crampton For Powhatan Today
There are plenty of reasons to be drawn to the bright, sunny spots on our properties: colorful flowers, big healthy vegetables and fast-growing ground covers. Perhaps you’ve spent so much time planting in those sunny areas that your approach to any shady spots is to throw down some mulch and call it a day. But if you’re lucky enough to have shaded areas, you still can have all of the above and not have to worry quite as much about the last time you applied your sunscreen. A shade garden can be a tranquil, serene place to escape from the heat of day. In gardening circles, the exposure known as “full shade� is defined as no more than two to three hours of direct sunlight per day, with the light falling either early or late in the day. Plants that thrive in shade tend to: Grow more slowly and require less water, depending on their location. Their slow growth also means they need only a simple, balanced fertilizer. Prefer rich, improved soils. (Many shade-loving plants began as woodland natives before they were cultivated for the home garden.) Need their space, despite what those glossy photos in the gardening magazines might illustrate. Good air circulation through a shade garden will cut down on molds, fungus, slugs, and insects.
Hunting Continued from page 1A
the large membership of the Powhatan Community Church. Sally Aungier of the Virginia Horse Council said her organization has “taken a firm stand against Sunday hunting for many years,� and is disappointed to see it pass this year. She also said there are only eight weeks out of the year when nothing is in season for hunting and those are during the hottest parts of the summer. While the current law restricts Sunday hunting to private land, she said the Virginia Horse Council has heard that “there is a strong push from the hunting community to extend that to public land within the next two years.� Scott Heath said the issue is not only about hunting, but also private property rights. “Being told I can’t do something on Sunday that is legal the other six days a week is not fair,� Heath said, adding that the legislation that ultimately passed was well compromised. Randa Jackson said she was surprised to hear that supervisors were considering the resolution at all. “I thought we were a Republican kind of county,� Jackson said, adding that she thought locals favored gun rights.
Require less mulch to retain moisture. In fact, if you over-mulch a shade garden, you risk the problems listed in the previous bullet. While it’s true that most vegetables, flowering annuals and herbs require, at a minimum, sun to partshade, there are many perennials and shrubs that thrive in full shade. And still more of those plants not only flower but also have striking foliage, with interesting shapes, colors, and textures. Hostas and Ferns are long-time staples of shade gardens, and the number of varieties available now are mind-boggling. And while few plants are truly deer resistant, there are several hostas that deer will generally avoid. Other commonly known shadeloving plants, such as dicentra (bleeding heart) and heuchera (coral bells) offer new options for color and growth. Take some time to research the plants you’re interested in and you’ll find, for example, that a more recent variety of dicentra, “Burning Heart,� will bloom through summer, and that coral bells now come in almost 50 different combinations of foliage colors and shapes. And there are more choices for shade-loving ground covers than simply ivy and vinca. Plants such as sweet woodruff, Irish moss and creeping jenny add interest to the edges of walkways and gardens, while low-maintenance pachysandra will fill in the beds under shade trees.
By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News
About 70 customers who get public water from Powhatan County will likely see their bills increase in the coming year. Powhatan County operates a public water line along Route 60 that serves two schools, a fire station, several businesses and three residential households, public works director Chris Rapp recently explained. Powhatan purchases the water in that line, which runs from the Chesterfield County border to Flat Rock, from Chesterfield County’s utility system. This year, Rapp told supervisors at a March 24 meeting that Chesterfield County has decided to change its commodity charge by 8 percent, which will result in a $17,300 increase in what Powhatan County must pay for the service. Rapp recommended that Powhatan County increase its water rates to either partially offset or fully offset the county’s additional cost burden. Two proposals were created for supervisors to consider, Rapp noted, because about 75 percent of the water purchased by Powhatan County is used for necessary flushing of the system, not sold to customers. While water used to flush the system isn’t directly pumped into homes and businesses, county administrator Pat Weiler said that water is required for normal operation of the water system and should be paid for by the system’s customers. Otherwise, she added, all county taxpayers will have to offset the cost, since it will have to be absorbed in the county’s budget.
Jackson, a gun owner, said she doesn’t hunt but likes to target shoot. “They should be able to hunt on their property just like I target practice,� she said. Mitch Day pointed out that the law has already passed, and said it’s not up to the Board of Supervisors to weigh in on what they can do on their own property, especially when a law is already in place. “I go to Powhatan Community Church and the majority of folks I’ve talked to are in favor of Sunday hunting,� Day said. He said church-goers won’t miss worship services for hunting.
Supervisors explain position Supervisors echoed residents’ concerns when explaining their decision not to approve the resolution. District 2 supervisor Billy Melton questioned numbers cited in state level discussions on Sunday hunting that claimed job creation and other benefits, like helping prevent crop damage as a result of the move. He also said that, by his estimates, of the 28,000 citizens in Powhatan, only about 10 percent of them hunt. Of those who don’t, he said about half really don’t like hunting. “They don’t like seeing you kill an animal,� Melton said. “That’s 12,500 people you’re upsetting for about 3,000 people.�
Right now, Rapp told supervisors, a customer’s bimonthly water bill is $67.95 for about 13,460 gallons of water. That includes a $21.63 capacity charge and a commodity charge of $3.44 per 1,000 gallons. Under the first proposal, which would only partially offset the Chesterfield County price increase, Powhatan County users’ commodity charge would increase to $3.72 per 1,000 gallons. That would increase an average customer’s bi-monthly bill by $3.77, for a total annual increase of about $22.62 per customer. Powhatan County’s total water revenue from customers would increase by $4,300, leaving the other $13,000 of the price increase to be offset with other funds. Under the second proposal, which would fully cover the $17,300 Chesterfield County price increase, Powhatan County users’ commodity charge would increase to $4.56 per 1,000 gallons. That would increase an average customer’s bimonthly bill by $15.08, for a total annual increase of about $90.48 per customer. Powhatan County’s total water revenue from customers would increase by $4,300, leaving the other $13,000 of the price increase to be offset with other funds. Rapp pointed out after the meeting that there is no proposed change in sewer rates. The county has about 150 public sewer customers. Most county residents get their water from wells and use septic systems to treat their sewage. Supervisors will consider the water rate as part of their total budget, on which a public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Monday, May 5. Supervisors will vote on the budget at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 7.
Despite those issues, Melton said he can’t support the resolution opposing Sunday hunting because the current law only applies to private property. “If this was for public property, I’d support it,� Melton said. Barry Hodge, who represents District 4, said the issue had moved more citizens to contact him than any other that has been addressed during his time in elected office. Hodge cited not only private property rights, but also the fact that target shooting is allowed on Sunday as he explained his stance. He noted that he volunteers with the Powhatan 4-H shooting team. “Every Sunday, my family goes out and exercises their First Amendment rights first,� Hodge, who is Catholic, said. “Then what we do most Sundays after that is we exercise our Second Amendment rights with the Powhatan 4H shooting team.� The founding fathers didn’t see property rights and religious freedom as incompatible, he added. Vice chairman David Williams of District 1 said the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wouldn’t support anything that would jeopardize game or citizens. “There’s an old saying, ‘Hunt a day, fish a day, live a day longer,’ � Williams said. Chairman Carson Tucker, District 5, said his heart had initially told him to
vote yes on the resolution, but his head ultimately told him to vote no. Reading from a prepared statement, Tucker cited the importance of property rights and also noted that people who want to take quiet walks will have plenty of public spaces to do so. As for honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy, Tucker pointed out that the United States, as a nation, has chosen to separate church and state. “This resolution would be a last vestige of the Virginia Blue Laws and very few of us wish to revisit that time,� Tucker said. Tucker also addressed his earlier statements that he has received threats over the resolution. “Finally, the tone and statements of some who are opposed to this resolution made me angry, as I shared in a previous meeting,� Tucker said. “My emotional reaction to what I perceived as threats tempted me, for a small moment, to favor this resolution.� Then, Tucker said, he realized he was over-reacting to heavy-handedness from a small percentage of the prohunting community and that his reaction couldn’t trump careful analysis of the facts. “Reason must, and shall, have first place,� Tucker said. No supervisor moved to approve the resolution, and Tucker declared the point moot.
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