Longwood University Youth Organization Discussed at Farmville Town Council Meeting

The September Meeting of the Farmville Town Council convened this month at the regular time. The first speaker was Ms. Vicki Page, the Secretary Treasurer of the Farmer’s Market Association in Farmville. She came before the Board to voice concerns of the Association over inaccuracies in the official minutes regarding the Farmer’s Market, and requested that they be changed.

Amelia McConnell of Longwood University also spoke to the Council about an organization she and other students are involved in. Beyond the Numbers is an organization that is trying to make a difference. They are reaching out to the youth in Farmville and surrounding areas “to provide an opportunity to engage themselves with Longwood students in order to ensure academic success, good character and citizenship, and a healthy lifestyle.” Ms. McConnell and Beyond the Numbers were open to any suggestions the Council might have to ensure the success of the program. Mayor Whitus commended the group on the work they were doing, acknowledging the importance of the work they were doing for the youth of Farmville. Mr. Spates also complimented Ms. McConnell, making some suggestions that might help the group move forward.

Other items discussed included the “Rock the Block Octoberfest” scheduled to take place on October 13th this year.

Helen Persons and Chuck Ross of the Farmville Downtown Partnership gave their report to Council. Ms. Persons notified Council that current President Jimmy Johnson would be stepping down from the position. Chuck Ross will be the new President of Farmville Downtown Partnership.

Kerby Moore, of Edward Jones Investments, gave the Town Council an update on the Town’s retirement plan. Currently, the plan has 124 members, constituting an approximate 80% participation rate. The plan is now fully bundled and has no fees associated with it.

One conditional use permit came before the Council for review. The permit, applied for by Micheal Papandrea and William White, is for the construction of a single family home. It passed the Council unanimously.

All of the minutes for the last meeting were approved.

The Treasurer’s report notified the Council that a Line of Credit will be used on the bond payment on 10/1/2014.

Bills in the amount of $14,000 were recognized by the Council. The bills were for chemicals for water and sewer. Council passed a motion, and voted unanimously to pay the bills.

The Farmville Recreation Department had two announcements during the September Council meeting. The Farmville Adult Basketball League announced its fall 2014 season. Registration deadline was September 12th. The team fee for this year is $325. All of the games will be played at the PEFYA gymnasium. Also, the Farmville Halloween Parade and Contest will be held on Friday,October 31. The parade will be from 4 to 5 p.m. and the contest will immediately follow. It will be held on Main Street, downtown, starting from the County Courthouse front lawn. For more information on the basketball league and the Halloween Parade, contact the Farmville Recreation Department at (434) 392-8465.

County Administrator Gerald Spates gave a quick update on the Motley Lake- Luck Stone project, notifying the Council that a boundary adjustment may have to be made. Also, a meeting was to be held on September 11 regarding the Thermopave issues in the town.

There may be a place for the Dog Park that has been proposed for Farmville. A piece of property below the hospital in front of the property owned by resident Dicky Crawley may fit the needs of the proposal. The creation of a citizen’s committee to oversee development of specific plans for the Dog Park was recommended by the Town Council.

The Planning Commission made a change in its Council member appointment. Greg Cole is going to step down as a member of the committee and he will be replaced by Mr. Dwyer. Additionally, the other two positions are to be filled by the two civilian applicants that are currently on file.

Mr. Spates also clarified the duties of the Board of zoning appeals. According to the definition, the Board “rules on variances as they come up.”

Mayor Whitus also spoke of rules governing donations, referring to a recent article written in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He reminded those present of the need for vigilance and responsibility in the area of donations made to the town. He also called attention to a Conflict of Interest Webinar that was coming up, urging others to attend.

Finally, a police matter that was brought before the Council was an issue with people loitering together in large numbers in the south Virginia Street area. The groups were making residents uncomfortable. Steps were being taken to solve the problem.