County Supervisors unanimously approved a conditional use permit Monday night which allows the County to construct a convenience center on the south side of River Road, some 500 feet west of its intersection with News Ferry Trail. The center will be located on a two acre parcel of land and will be fashioned after several other convenience centers the County has constructed over the past several years, such as the ones at White Oak and Virgilina. It will house approximately 25 collection boxes.
Conditions placed upon the operation of the center by the County state that operations shall be limited to Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the existing natural screening provided by trees and other vegetation shall remain (except that which has to be removed for the construction).
No citizen spoke to the issue during the public comment period. Nor did anyone address the Board during the second public comment period which focused on a request from Donnie Green to rezone 4.3 acres located on US Route 501 on the northeast corner of its intersection with Cherry Hill Church Road, where Cluster Springs Self Storage is located, from A-1 to B-2. County Planners further recommended that the adjoining parcel of land on which the Apple Mart is located should be rezoned as well, in order to promote good zoning practices. Supervisors also unanimously approved the rezoning of the entire 5.59 acres.
Dealing with other land use issues the Board set public hearings for their November meeting for four conditional use permits. The first of those is being requested by Doris Chism in ED#2 for a group home on Bagwell Drive, east of Burton Road. In ED#3 Don and Jenny Hochstein are seeking a conditional use permit to allow for an anemometer and small wind energy system towers. Arlene Gurganus is requesting a conditional use permit in ED#6 which would allow for a day care center with a capacity of up to 50 youth on US Route 58, west of Industrial Park Road. The final request is for a conditional use permit from Cingular Wireless for a 195 foot telecommunications tower to be located on US Route 501, south of Whitt Loop Road.
In other business Monday night Supervisors recognized County Agriculture Development Director Linda Faye Wallace, congratulating her on the appointment to the statewide Virginia Pesticide Control Board. They also recognized Traci Rickman Talley, a former Virginia Cooperative Extension agent who was not present, on her appointment to the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Both local women were recently named to their respective posts by Governor Tim Kaine. Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Both local women were recently named to their respective posts by Governor Tim Kaine.
County Administrator Bryan Foster advised the Board that the County is now the owner of the Barnes property where the solid waste collection center will be constructed. He also advised that the County has the opportunity to hook on to the municipal sewer system at a cost of some $160,000 to $175,000. However, he noted that hooking on to the municipal system will save the County money in the long run since it will eliminate the "pump and haul expense" associated with the center's operations.
Foster also reported that the recent pesticide and hazardous household waste collection carried out on September 22 was very successful and ridded the county of 9,529 pounds of hazardous waste at a cost of around $6,000.