Hospice Cell Tower, Jolly Pond Dam and Library Refund: Supes Preview

By Desiree Parker Monday, February 08, 2010

On Tuesday evening, James City County Supervisors will continue a public hearing on a proposed cell tower at Hospice House, and will consider supporting a revised dam safety bill going through the state legislature.

In December, the planning commission rejected a proposed slick-pole cell tower on Hospice House grounds after over a dozen neighbors at nearby Powhatan Secondary complained that it would be an eyesore. The tower would bring in a reliable $40,000 a year to the nonprofit that offers comfort and end-of-life care free of charge for Triangle residents. Read about the planning commission decision here.

Supervisors at their January meeting agreed to put off discussion on the case for a month after the applicant requested a deferment to have time to look at an alternate location.

In the meanwhile, Hospice House received word from the cash-strapped county not to expect any funding in the upcoming biennial budget. They were the only nonprofit to receive such a letter, and have relied on county funding for 25 years.

Supervisors also added a new item to Tuesday’s agenda, a discussion on whether to support a revision to House Bill 438 on dam safety in the state. This bill might help ease the troubles the county has had with Jolly Pond Road, which the Virginia Department of Transportation closed about a year ago due to safety concerns.

The dam is privately owned, but has a county road across it. Residents (and school buses) have had to make a miles-long detour to get around the closure, and some residents disregard the roadblock altogether and drive across anyway. Read about the issue in previous stories.

In May, supervisor Jim Icenhour sent a letter to then-Governor Tim Kaine requesting the road be allowed to reopen or be better policed to keep residents from using it. Kaine said at the time the road would remain closed.
The changes to house bill 438 loosen up some restrictions on dams just like Jolly Pond, reducing some stricter requirements on dam spillways. The bill calls for consideration of “the impact of limited-use or private roadways with low traffic volume and low public safety risk that are downstream from or across an impounding structure in the determination of the hazard potential classification of an impounding structure.” Read more about the bill here.

Other business
Supervisors are also expected to accept $224,623 from the Williamsburg Regional Public Library. Their Board of Trustees is giving back the big chunk of county funds from the current fiscal year as a good-faith gesture to the county, which faces a budget shortfall of around $5 million for the upcoming biennium.

The refund “was done in recognition of the fiscal constraints the recession has placed on James City County and the desire of the Williamsburg Regional Library to be a proactive participant in dealing with the realities of the current economic situation,” according to a memo from Sue Mellen, the county’s assistant director for financial and management services.

The library cut three full-time vacant positions and three part-time positions, totaling 2,860 hours. They also reduced 4,212 on-call hours.