Reader “stunned” by news article

Editor,

While I am on the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors and Prince Edward belongs to the CRC, I am speaking for myself as a taxpayer of the Town of Farmville.  I was stunned by the CRC article in The Farmville Herald about the CRC’s request of the State for mandatory legislation forcing towns and counties to join CRC.

For the last few years counties and towns have had State funds chopped, withdrawn, and eliminated, causing us to scramble to pay for services the State has historically paid.  This means we are being forced to pay for more with less.  Now comes another bureaucracy that to some charges too much for the service they provide.  Longwood and Farmville both used to be members, but obviously found they were not getting their money’s worth and dropped out.  So does the CRC decide to offer better service at a more reasonable price?  No, no they want to do what government programs do and force people to buy what they don’t want.  The Federal and State governments are going wild with spending and forcing localities to pay for programs created and paid for originally by the Feds. and State.

I think unfunded mandates are grossly wrong, but something like this is unbelievable to me.  I was in business for myself for over thirty years and, like all other businesses, had to adjust my rates to my service level or find myself out of business.  How nice it would have been if the government had required companies to buy my service.  If the CRC cannot come up with a level of service that people will buy at a reasonable price, let them go the way of private organizations and close their doors.

I’m sure if this passes the money will go to hiring more people and building an even  bigger bureaucracy which will cost even more money whether the towns or counties want it or not.  Joy to the world

Jim Wilck
FarmvilleEditor,

Editor,

On November 8, 2013, I was taking my granddaughter to Bacon District School when I met a deputy sheriff. A few minutes later, he pulled me over. He asked me if I knew why he stopped me. I said no. He said I was doing seventy-nine (79) miles per hour. I told him I was not. He told me he met a grey car going toward South Boston. I was going toward Keysville so when he turned around, he stopped the first grey car he saw.

While talking to me, a grey car went speeding by. He said there it goes. I asked him if he was going to stop it. He said no, that’s a Trooper, better not bother him. The Trooper had no lights or siren on. What gives law enforcement the right to speed up and down the road? Is this what we have keeping our highways “safe”? I told the deputy I didn’t drive that fast when I was by myself. I certainly wasn’t going to with a child in the car. He said, “Oh, you have a child in the car?” He made some comment about not giving me a ticket. I’d like to know what the ticket would have been for? Maybe for driving a grey car!?

A Concerned Grandparent,
Merle Smith
Saxe, Virginia

Editor,

To paraphrase Mark Twain: “The rumor of Clover Power Station shutting down is greatly exaggerated.” (Cause for Concern:  January 9, 2014)

While we appreciate the writer’s support of the station and his concern, nothing could be further from the truth.  Dominion Virginia Power, which operates the station and shares joint ownership with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), has no intention of shutting down the 865-megawatt power station in Halifax County.

Clover is a workhorse for both Dominion and ODEC.  It reliably produces enough energy to power more than 216,000 homes.  In addition, it generates that electricity in a manner that minimizes the station’s impact on the environment. The station is equipped with modern emission controls to reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, fly ash and other emissions.

Completed in 1996, Clover Power Station still has decades of dependable service ahead of it.

Speaking for myself and the employees at Clover Power Station, we are proud to be a part of the Southside region and look forward to being a good neighbor for years to come.

Cristie D. Neller
Director F&H Station II
Clover Power Station –
Dominion