#NNK meetings, policy news (May 14, 2018)

Lancaster County

  • The Lancaster County Planning Commission meets Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00 pm at the Lancaster County Administration Building (8311 Mary Ball Rd, Lancaster, in the Board Meeting Room). The agenda includes a discussion about updates to the FYs 2019-23 Capital Improvement Budget.
  • The Lancaster County Historic Resources Commission meets Monday, May 14 at 10:00 am at the Lancaster County Administration Building (8311 Mary Ball Rd, Lancaster, in the Board Meeting Room). New officers will be elected and the commission will begin review of Article 10 (Historic Resources) of the Lancaster County Zoning Ordinance.
  • Reminder: Lancaster County household hazardous and electronics waste collection Saturday, May 19 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Kilmarnock Refuse Site (320 White Pine Dr, off Irvington Rd, Kilmarnock). Download the flyer (PDF). More information is available by contacting the Northern Neck Soil & Water Conservation District, (804) 313-9102 ext. 105 or the Lancaster Extension Office, (804) 462-5780.
  • Save the date for the fall Lancaster County household hazardous and electronics waste collection: Saturday, September 15. More information is available by contacting the Northern Neck Soil & Water Conservation District, (804) 313-9102 ext. 105 or the Lancaster Extension Office, (804) 462-5780.
  • The Lancaster County School Board meets Tuesday, May 15 at 4:30 pm at the Lancaster County Public Schools' Annex for a special board meeting. See the agenda.
  • The Village Improvement Association meets Tuesday, May 15 at 5:00 pm at the Tides Inn.
  • The Town of Kilmarnock Town Council meets Monday, May 21 at 7:00 pm at the Kilmarnock Town Hall (1 N. Main St, Kilmarnock).

Northumberland County


Richmond County







Westmoreland County

  • The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors is holding a public informational meeting Wednesday, May 16 at 6:00 pm on the expansion of "No Wake Zone" in Monroe Bay. The meeting takes place in the public meeting room at the George D. English, Sr. Memorial Building (111 Polk St, Montross). The notice:
    The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors will conduct a public informational meeting on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 6:00 p.m., in the public meeting room at the front entrance of the George D. English, Sr., Memorial Building, 111 Polk Street, Montross, Virginia. The purpose of the meeting is to solicit public input regarding a request by the Town of Colonial Beach to extend the existing "No Wake Zone" in Monroe Bay to include the entire creek. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend. Individuals with a disability, as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), desiring to attend this public hearing should contact the County Administrators office prior to the meeting to ensure appropriate accommodations are provided.
  • Submissions are due Friday, May 18 regarding the Westmoreland County Qualifications for Professional Engineering Services for County of Westmoreland Flexible Office Space Project.
  • Notice from the Westmoreland County Electoral Board:
    Notice is hereby given that the Westmoreland County Electoral Board will hold meetings at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month beginning April 5, 2018 through September 6, 2018. The meetings will be held at the Voter Registration Office located at 105 Court Square, Montross, Virginia

    By order of the Westmoreland County Electoral Board
    Sharon Vassiliades, Secretary

Cross-county

  • The 30th Annual Clean the Bay Day is Saturday, June 2. Volunteer locally: Lancaster, Belle Isle State Park or Montross, Westmoreland State Park.
  • 3,000 Bushels of Oyster Shell Needed by July to Bring Back Virginia Reefs:
    (Virginia)—Restaurants and seafood lovers are urgently needed to help provide the 3,000 bushels of oyster shells needed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) this year to build new oyster reefs. Restaurants across Virginia are chipping in by donating shells after meals towards the effort, but so far this year CBF only has collected only about 1,500 bushels ahead of a June 30 deadline.

    Donating shells supports efforts by the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance to add 10 billion new oysters to the Bay by 2025. Not having enough shells would jeopardize progress bringing back Virginia's native oyster.

    "Empty oyster shells are a scarce resource that are used as the foundation of new oyster reefs," said CBF Oyster Restoration Specialist Heather North. "The restaurants and seafood lovers who donate empty shells after meals are a key part of the comeback of the Chesapeake Bay oysters we all enjoy. It's crucial that more restaurants participate to keep up momentum."

    Each recycled shell can eventually become home to more than a dozen baby oysters, called spat. Any restaurant that serves oysters can sign up to participate, and local residents can also donate shells after oyster roasts and meals by dropping them off at numerous public shell recycling bins across Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck.

    Volunteers collect empty oyster shells from participating restaurants and the public bins. The shells are cleaned and placed into tanks containing millions of microscopic oyster larvae, which then attach to the shells. CBF provides the spat-on-shell to its oyster gardeners and plants them in rivers and the Bay to grow and expand oyster reefs.

    To sign up, call 757/644-4125, or e-mail OysterGardener@cbf.org. Interested in donating shell? Find public bin locations and public restaurants.
  • Correction: Northern Neck Master Gardeners and the Virginia Cooperative Extension are offering Shoreline Landscaping: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Sunday Friday, June 8 at 2:00 pm at Wicomico Church (5191 Jessie duPont Memorial Hwy, Wicomico Church, in the Parish Hall). According to the announcement on NNKgreen.org,
    The program is free and advance registration is not required. This entertaining presentation by NNMG member Sue Lindsey will cover different approaches to shoreline treatments. The program will explore the range of plants suitable for shoreline properties from the water’s edge to more upland areas. The program also will offer opportunities for property owners to ask specific questions, apply for an evaluation visit, recognize common shoreline plants and learn about shoreline erosion management. Those interested in bringing plant specimens for identification are welcome to do so.
  • Governor Northam release: Virginia Receives Additional $9.7 Million Grant to Fight Opioid Crisis ~ Funding will help provide medication and treatment ~:
    RICHMOND – Today, Governor Northam announced that Virginia received another $9.76 million in federal grant funding to help fight the opioid epidemic. This is the second consecutive year that the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) received a State Targeted Response Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The continued funding will help Virginia’s Community Services Boards (CSBs) to provide many of the services and supports needed to fight the opioid crisis, including prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Virginians struggling with addiction across the Commonwealth.

    ...
  • Governor Northam release: Virginia Rejects EPA Proposal to Weaken National Standards for Coal Ash Disposal