[ Call to Order] [00:00:02] GOOD EVENING FOLKS, IT'S 6 O'CLOCK AND WE'LL THEREFORE CALL THIS MEETING, JUNE 23RD, 2026 MEETING OF THE SOUTH DAPHNE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO ORDER. GOOD TO SEE YOU FOLKS. WE HAVE A QUORUM, WE CAN VOTE TONIGHT ON ANY ISSUES THAT COME UP. AND THE FIRST THING WILL BE OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. CAN WE STAND PLEASE? OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE... THANK YOU. WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER FROM THE AUDIENCE FOR AN INVOCATION FOR US TONIGHT. THANK YOU. LET'S PRAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO THIS PLACE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTY. AND WE JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MANY... BLESSINGS YOU BESTOW UPON US, PARTICULARLY THIS RAIN THAT WE'VE JUST GOT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AND LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE IN OUR COUNTY, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, WHETHER THEY'RE TEACHERS WHO TEACH OUR CHILDREN OR HEALTHCARE WORKERS, OR WHETHER THEY'RE FARMERS OR MECHANICS, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THEM. WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO VOLUNTEER AS LITTLE LEAGUE COACHES AND SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND THOSE WHO TEACH MUSIC AND THOSE WHO TEACH. OLD PEOPLE TO DO THINGS AND WE JUST APPRECIATE ALL OF THEM. WE THANK YOU FOR THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND THE RESCUE SQUADS AND WE JUST ASK THAT YOU WOULD LOOK OVER THEM AND PROTECT THEM AND WE THANK YOU LORD FOR THOSE IN OUR AREA WHO ARE SERVING IN OUR ARMED FORCES TODAY THAT YOU WOULD BLESS THEM AND KEEP THEM SAFE AND BE COMFORT THEIR FAMILIES AS THEIR WAY SOMETIMES IN DANGEROUS AREAS. MY LORD WE JUST ASK YOU TO BLESS THIS MEETING TO GIVE US WISDOM AND AND GUIDE US AS WE GO ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF THIS COUNTY. AND WE'LL DO ALL THESE THINGS IN YOUR HONOR AND GLORY. IN THE NAME OF THE SON, JESUS CHRIST, AMEN. ALL RIGHT. FIRST THING, COMMENT PERIOD. HISTORICALLY, THIS WILL START [ 1. Citizens Comment Period] ON NOVEMBER 12TH. AND SPEAK IS GIVE YOUR NAME. I'M ER CLARK, IOWA, NORTHEAST DISTRICT. TONIGHT I WILL BE COMMENTING ON A YEAR OF REFLECTION. GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND MY FELLOW RESIDENTS OF SOUTH HAMPTON COUNTY. AS WE APPROACH THE 250TH YEAR OF THIS NATION'S HISTORY, I WANT TO OFFER A REFLECTION, NOT AS A POLITICIAN, NOT AS A CRITIC, BUT AS A NEIGHBOR. CITIZEN AND A MAN ROOTED IN THE SOIL. 250 YEARS IS A LONG TIME FOR A COUNTRY, BUT JUST A MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE. AND HERE IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, WHERE THE LAND REMEMBERS MORE THAN ANY TEXTBOOK EVER WILL, WE KNOW THAT OUR HISTORY IS NOT SIMPLE AND OUR FUTURE IS NOT GUARANTEED. IT MUST BE BUILT, TENDED, AND PASS FORWARD. WE STAND TODAY DRESSED IN YESTERDAY, CARRYING THE LESSONS AND SCARS AND THE STRENGTH OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US. BUT WE GATHER TO CELEBRATE TOMORROW'S PROMISE, A PROMISE THAT IS NOT A DREAM, NOT A WISH, NOT A MAYBE. TOMORROW'S PROMISE IS A SEED, AND TODAY, TODAY WE PLANT IT. BECAUSE THE FUTURE HAS NO FINISH LINE, IT IS A FOREVER MARATHON FROM YESTERDAY, WITH EACH GENERATION PASSING THE BATON OF PEACE, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. NOT FOR SOME, NOT FOR THE FAVORED, NOT FOR THE LOUDEST, FOR ALL WHO CALLS THIS COUNTY AND THIS COUNTRY HOME. THIS IS NOT HOPE. HOPE WAITS. HOPE WONDERS. HOPE CROSSES ITS FINGERS. WHAT WE SPEAK TODAY IS TRUTH. TRUTH IN MOTION. TRUTH WITH RESPONSIBILITY. TRUTH PLANTED IN TOMORROW'S FARMERS. AND SO I OFFER THIS BLESSING [00:05:03] FOR OUR COMMUNITY. MAY THE SOIL ITSELF RISE TO MEET OUR FOOTSTEPS. AS A COMPANION PLANTED COMMUNITY, A COMPANION PLANTED COUNTY, A COMPANION PLANTED STATE, AND A COMPANION PLANTED NATION. DIFFERENT ROOTS, SAME EARTH. DIFFERENT STORIES, SAME SKY. DIFFERENT STRUGGLES, SAME PROMISE. AS WE ENTER THIS 250TH YEAR, LET US MOVE FORWARD STEADILY, MOVE FORWARD UNITED, AND MOVE FORWARD COMMITTED TO BUILDING YOU A SOUTH HOUGHTON COUNTY WORTHY OF EVERY ANCESTOR WHO DREAMED AND EVERY CHILD WHO INHERITED THE FIELD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY. ALL RIGHT, WHO'S NEXT? GOT PLENTY OF TIME. ANYBODY NEXT? WE'LL MAKE THE LAST CALL ON THE CITIZEN'S COMMENT PERIOD. SO WE WILL CLOSE THE CITIZEN'S COMMENT PERIOD AND MOVE ON. [ 2. Approval of Minutes] MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. SUPPORTIONS OF MAY 20, 2026, PUBLIC HEARING, THE BUDGET TAXES AND FEES. MOTION TO ACCEPT THOSE MINUTES OR CHANGES. A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT, UNANIMOUS. THE MAY 26TH MEETING, REGULAR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING. ANYBODY HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THE MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED. SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GET [ 3. VDOT Matters] TO NUMBER THREE, THE VDOT MATTERS. ANYBODY HAVE ANY ROAD MATTERS, EVEN THEIR DISTRICT OR ELSEWHERE? ANYBODY HAS ANY CONCERNS? OKAY, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON. B WAS THE SIX-YEAR SECONDARY ROAD PLAN. WE'VE ALREADY VOTED ON THIS. THERE'S NO NEW MONEY IN IT. NO PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED UNLESS THERE IS, I BELIEVE, MORE THAN $100,000 AT STAKE. AND I THINK EVERYBODY, DOES ANYBODY WANT TO JUMP IN? ARE YOU AWARE OF THE ROADS THAT ARE ON THE LIST? ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE, THE LIST? I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT CAPTAIN POND SERVICE ROAD. IS THERE ANY WAY TO PUT THAT ON? SO AT THAT MEETING, MR. FOWLER EXPLAINED THAT WE CAN ADD THAT DURING THE YEAR OR BY NEXT YEAR. CURRENTLY, WE TAKE THE LIST THAT IS HERE, WHICH IS DELAWARE ROAD, WALLA ROAD, AND FARMERS BRIDGE ROAD. AND SO AT THE LAST MEETING, WE VOTED TO LEAVE THOSE IN THAT SPECIFIED ORDER CURRENTLY. AND WE HAVE TO HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR THAT, BUT WE WILL MOVE FORWARD IN THE FUTURE WITH ADDING KEVIN POND TO IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR INPUT? OKAY, IN THAT CASE, WE NEED A MOTION TO PASS THE RESOLUTION CONCERNING THESE SIX AREAS AND WHAT WE DECIDED BEFORE. SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT, THAT'S UNANIMOUS. WE'LL GET TO WORK ON THAT. [ 4. Monthly Reports] ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GO ON TO NUMBER FOUR OF THE MONTHLY REPORTS. MS. LOWE, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT. YES, SIR. NEWSOM'S PLANNING GRANT FOR PHASE TWO DUE TO NEW REQUIREMENTS REGARDING FEES TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS. WE WILL REVISIT THIS IN THE FALL. PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO PROJECT [00:10:01] UPDATE COMPLETION IN 2027. MOST RECENT MEETING WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS WAS JUNE 2ND, 2026. CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER AT THE BERLIN SITE SHOULD COMMENCE SHORTLY. TOWER ITEMS ARE ALREADY BEING DELIVERED. THE PROJECT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD WITHIN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY AND THE CITY OF FRANKLIN. HUMAN RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL FOR COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER AREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. WE BEGAN ADVERTISING ON MAY 21ST. WE HAVE HAD ONE INQUIRY AND AS OF TODAY WE HAVE ONE APPLICATION. YOUR PACKET STATES NO APPLICATION BECAUSE AT THE TIME THAT I PREPARED THIS THERE WAS NONE. WE HAVE ONE. THE POSITION HAS BEEN ADVERTISED TWICE IN OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER. IT HAS BEEN POSTED ON THE SOUTHAMPTONCOUNTY.ORG WEBSITE. AND IT HAS BEEN CIRCULATED BY HRPDC. MR. PRINCE AND I ARE CURRENTLY DISCUSSING OTHER AVENUES AS FAR AS GETTING THIS OUT THERE FOR FURTHER RECRUITMENT. PUBLIC SERVICE WORKER 2 FOR PUBLIC UTILITIES, ACTIVE EFFORTS CONTINUE. THE COMPENSATION AND CLASSIFICATION STUDY, I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH PAYPOINT HR STAFF OVER THE PAST MONTH. WITH MY MOST RECENT CONVERSATION BEING ON THURSDAY, JUNE 18TH, THERE WILL BE A PRESENTATION AT YOUR JULY 28TH MEETING REGARDING THE PROGRESS OF THE STUDY AND THE FINAL STEPS REGARDING STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTATION. REFUSE COLLECTION SITES, THE PAVEMENT OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE SEBRIL SITE AND THE 258 SITE HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED AS WE HAD HOPED. THE CURRENT VENDOR HAS UNTIL JUNE 30TH TO GET THOSE COMPLETED. IF HE MAKES NO FURTHER PROGRESS, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO ANOTHER VENDOR THAT IS READY TO DO THE WORK. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCE, AND LOGISTICS CENTER. THE WORK IN THIS AREA IS BEING PAID FOR THROUGH A GOVIRGINIA SITE READINESS GRANT WITH THE REMAINING PORTION BEING FUNDED THROUGH FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. COMPLETION IS CLOSE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SITE STUDY, THE LOCATION OF SUITABLE PROPERTY IN SIGHTHAMPTON COUNTY FOR FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES. MR. CARL HECK AND I HAVE A TEAM MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THE MORNING OF JUNE 25, 2026. THE NEW BUILDING TO GO BEHIND THE VOTER REGISTRAR'S OFFICE, IT IS TO BE DELIVERED AND SET UP IS TO BEGIN ON JULY 14. AND THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT'S IN YOUR PACKET HERE, BUT THAT'S THE LATEST THAT WE RECEIVED ON MONDAY MORNING. COURTHOUSE HOLDING CELLS, AS A REMINDER OF THE HOLDING CELL STATUS, THERE WERE THREE HOLDING CELLS WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE AREA THAT WERE ROUGHED IN BUT NOT COMPLETED DUE TO COST CONCERNS WHEN THE COURTHOUSE WAS BUILT. THREE OF THE HOLDING CELLS WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH DOORS. TWO OF THE CELLS WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE NEEDED SINK AND BATHROOM ITEMS. AS YOU MAY ALSO REMEMBER, WE HAD PUT OUT FOR BIDS A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE FROM CONTRACTORS. WE ARE CURRENTLY REACHING OUT THROUGH OTHER AVENUES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THE PROJECT MOVING. AND JUST ON ACTUALLY THIS PAST FRIDAY, WE DID HEAR FROM THE COMPANY THAT IS TO DO THE DETENTION TYPE DOORS, AND THEY SHOULD BE READY, WE ARE TOLD, WITHIN 30 DAYS. ONCE WE GET THE DOORS ON THERE, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OTHER WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN WITHIN THE CELL. WRECKAGE ROOM HVAC, WE HAVE A SIGNED CONTRACT WITH HOBBS AND ASSOCIATES. THE COMPANY IS APPROVED ON A STATEWIDE COOPERATIVE PROCUREMENT CONTRACT. THE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS HAVE BEEN ORDERED. AFTER ITEMS ARRIVE, THE WORK WILL BEGIN BASED ON MR. RICK FRANCIS' SCHEDULE, AND THE COMPLETION DATE SHOULD BE IN SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS. TOURNITRAT VEAL FARM WELL DRILLING PROJECT. THE WORK IS MOVING FORWARD, CONTINUING WITH PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING STAGE OF THE WELL DRILLING PROJECT. THERE WILL BE TWO WELLS UPON COMPLETION. WE ARE WORKING TO COMPLY [00:15:02] WITH DEQ REQUIREMENTS. THE JAIL HVAC SYSTEM, DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT AND THE FACT THAT WE DO NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING WITHIN THE CELLS, IT HAS BECOME URGENT TO DETERMINE A WAY TO INSTALL APPROPRIATE COOLING OF THESE AREAS. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO ACTIVELY SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. COUNTY ATTORNEY LEGAL MATTERS, THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF ITEMS REVIEWED BY OUR COUNCIL OVER THE PAST MONTH, RANGING FROM ORDINANCES, CONTRACTS. MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING, AS WELL AS DAY-TO-DAY ITEMS. MR. GREGORY HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN THOSE MATTERS. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO B, THE FINANCIAL REPORT. ALL RIGHT. SO OUR LATEST REPORT COMPARES MAY OF 2025 YEAR TO DATE TO MAY OF 2026 YEAR TO DATE. AS FAR AS THE REVENUES, WE COLLECTED 98.29% AS OF THE END OF MAY 2026 OF REVENUES THAT WERE BUDGETED. THAT IS COMPARED TO MAY OF 2025. AT THAT POINT, WE HAD COLLECTED THANK YOU. 101.54% OF THE REVENUE THAT WAS BUDGETED. AS FAR AS THE EXPENDITURES WITHIN OUR GENERAL FUND, AS OF MAY OF 2026, WE HAVE SPENT 78.59%, AND THAT IS COMPARED TO MAY OF 2025, AT WHICH WE SPENT 84.49% OF OUR BUDGET. THANK YOU, MS. NEWSOM. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS THE TREASURY REPORT. WE HAVE MS. EDWARDS HERE. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. OKAY, AT THE LAST MEETING, SUPERVISOR CORNWELL HAD QUESTIONED THE YEAR 2025 COLLECTION RATES VERSUS THE COLLECTION RATES THAT I CAN STILL COLLECT ON OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. I DID SEND ALL OF YOU AN EMAIL. WITH THAT I HOPE YOU RECEIVED IT I DID NOT GET A RESPONSE FROM ANYONE BEING THAT I DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE I'M GIVEN THE REPORT AS I USUALLY DO SO THE COLLECTION RATE ON REAL ESTATE LAST MONTH WAS 99.73 PERCENT IT'S CURRENTLY 99.74 PERCENT THE OUTSTANDING BALANCE IS $578,222.01 ON THE PERSONAL PROPERTY, LAST MONTH WE WERE AT 96.77%. WE'RE CURRENTLY AT 96.96%. WE'RE LOOKING FOR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE OF $2,083,161.54. ON THE SOLID WASTE, LAST MONTH WE WERE AT 79.71%. WE'RE CURRENTLY AT 80.81%. AND ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR THAT ACCOUNT, IT'S $728,393.76. WHAT'S THE HIGHEST PERCENT? 84.19%. THAT'S THE HIGHEST, YES. ALL RIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. EDWARDS? AND THAT HIGHEST RATE WAS UNDER MY TENURE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, I'LL GO DOWN THE LIST. ANIMAL CONTROL, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, COMMUNITY, BLACKWATER REGIONAL LIBRARY, SOLID WASTE, PERSONNEL. EMPLOYEES HIRED, WE HAVE TWO EMPLOYEES HIRED. AREA SEPARATED. WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THAT? THE LAST ONE IS THE PLAN COMMISSION. I CAN GIVE YOU SORT OF AN UPDATE. THERE WAS A TOWN MEETING. ON THE 10TH OF THIS MONTH, JUNE THE 10TH, THAT WAS ATTENDED BY MR. PRINCE, MICHAEL DRAKE, AND MR. FRANK URQUHART, WHO'S TONIGHT, BOTH OF THEM ARE ATTENDANTS TONIGHT, MYSELF AND MRS. LOWE, AND WE FAR OUT, I THINK, OUTNUMBERED THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE SOLAR FARM THAT'S ACROSS FROM VDOT, PROPOSED FARM ACROSS FROM VDOT, IF NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW [00:20:02] ABOUT IT. THEY SUPPOSEDLY SENT OUT 102 REGISTERED LETTERS, BUT WE ONLY HAD LIKE FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THOSE LETTERS WERE SENT OUT OR NOT. SO WE ASKED FOR ANOTHER PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE WHOLE COUNTY, AND WE ASKED TO HAVE IT ADVERTISED IN THE NEWSPAPER TWO CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. AND THEY NEEDED TO GET THAT DONE BEFORE THEY MADE ANY APPLICATION TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. YOU KNOW, AS THESE THINGS GO, OUR ORDINANCE SAYS YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING. THEN IT GOES TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. AND THEN IT GOES TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO LOOK AT THE ADVISEMENT FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THAT'S TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS. SO WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM THAT. I WAS NOT IMPRESSED. PRESSED WITH THEIR COOPERATION, SO THEY EXACTLY TOLD US THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT BECAUSE THAT WASN'T IN OUR ORDINANCE, BUT WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE FELT THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS THERE. THE SECOND THING IS I'D LIKE TO ASK THE BOARD TONIGHT, WHILE WE'RE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, TO GIVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION A MANDATE TO START, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, DEVELOPING AN ORDINANCE FOR THE DATA CENTER SITUATION, JUST TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL, THEY'RE GOING TO DO THAT ANYWAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM PROCEED WITH ALL SPEED. IF WE COULD HAVE A MOTION FOR THAT. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT. ALL RIGHT, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL RIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR THAT WE MAKE, GIVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION A MANDATE AND THE OKAY TO START ON THIS PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED, NO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE ALONG THAT. [ 5. Appointments] FIRST, NUMBER FIVE IS APPOINTMENTS. AND THE FIRST ONE THAT WE HAVE IS PD CAMP. TWO MEMBERS ON THAT BOARD, TIMOTHY DRAKE AND... MRS. MANDY HALL ARE ELIGIBLE AND WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT A TERM. I BELIEVE IT'S A FOUR-YEAR TERM, IS IT NOT? IT IS. OKAY. SO, WE HAVE ONE OPENING, AND I CALLED AROUND AND LOOKED AND TALKED WITH SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON THE BOARD, AND I HAD ONE APPLICANT THAT I'D LIKE TO PUT FORTH, AND THAT'S MS. JANE FREDERICK-REES, AND I'VE TALKED WITH HER, AND SHE DOES AGREE. TO ASSUME THAT POSITION, I THINK SHE'D DO AN EXCELLENT JOB. I'M SURE SHE WILL, BUT I CONTACTED A PERSON WHO ALSO IS INTERESTED IN THAT POSITION, AND THAT'S DR. DEBORAH GOODWIN. ALL RIGHT, WELL, I APPOINT JANE FRAZE. IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, JANE. WE'RE EXPECTING A LOT OF GOOD WORK OUT OF YOU. THE SECOND ONE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD, AND THEY HAVE REQUESTED MRS. CORIN EDWARDS FROM BRANSFELL TO FILL THE VACANCY. ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS ON THAT? I MOVE. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THAT APPOINTMENT, MS. EDWARDS, SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY. WE'RE USUALLY NOT PRETTY GOOD AT THAT, BUT WE'RE PRETTY FAST TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT. [ 6. Financial Matters] FINANCIAL MATTERS. THE BILLS LIST. NOTHING TO VOTE ON HERE. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BILLS? IF NOT, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO B, WHICH IS THE APPROPRIATION RESOLUTION FROM THE GENERAL FUND, AND THIS AMOUNTS TO $119,423.32. THIS IS OLD MONEY. IT'S ALREADY THERE. WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT APPROPRIATION RESOLUTION. MOTION? [00:25:02] SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS ALSO. AND THE OTHER ONE'S APPROPRIATION RESOLUTION FOR THE SCHOOL FUND, WHICH IS $1,006,972.74. THAT MONEY'S ALREADY BEEN APPROPRIATED IN THE BUDGET. WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT. SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. ALL RIGHT, THE THIRD ONE IS APPROPRIATION RESOLUTION OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION FOR, THIS IS OUR BUDGET FOR THE YEAR, WHICH IS $94,731,367, AND NO CENTS. NO CENTS IS NOT A PUN, I DIDN'T MEAN IT. FOR PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE, I UNDERSTAND THE SUSSEX BUDGET'S LIKE 58 TO 60. SO, WELL, ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? MOTION TO APPROVE THAT? SO MOVED. SECOND. AND THERE'S A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [7. James River Juvenile Detention Commission – First Amendment to MOU] OKAY THAT'S THE OTHER AMOUNT OF SALSA NUMBER SEVEN JAMES RIVER JUVENILE DETENTION COMMISSION FIRST AMENDMENT TO A MOMENT OF UNDERSTANDING AND MOU MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IT'S SOMEBODY GO THROUGH THAT EXACTLY WHAT THE AMENDMENTS WERE YOU HAVE A PACKET AT YOUR DESK TONIGHT. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF UPDATES TO IT AND THE DATE, THE END DATE WAS CHANGED FROM JUNE 30TH OF 2028 TO JUNE 30TH OF 2029. BUT MR. GREGORY CAN GO THROUGH. THANK YOU, MS. LOWE. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. CHAIRMAN, THIS AMENDMENT WAS INITIATED BY OTHER FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE JAMES JUVENILE DETENTION COMMISSION. THOSE OTHER MEMBERS ARE THE CITY OF SUFFOLK, CITIES OF FRANKLIN, AND THE COUNTIES OF ISLE OF WIGHT, AND ALSO OF COURSE SOUTH HAMPTON COUNTY. THE TERM FOR THE MOU WAS EXPIRING AND SO AT THE EXPIRATION OF THE TERM THEY DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES. THIS WOULD, AS MS. LOWE MENTIONED, THIS WOULD EXTEND THE TERM FROM JULY 1, 2026 TO JUNE 30, 2029. THE OTHER CHANGES, AGAIN, WERE AT THE REQUEST OF FELLOW MEMBERS, AND THEY WERE TO ADDRESS THE ABILITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO REFUSE TO ACCEPT A JUVENILE OFFENDER IF THEY POSE A SECURITY RISK OR IF THERE ARE STAFFING SHORTAGES. THAT CHANGE WAS TO SECTION ROMAN NUMERAL 2. THE OTHER CHANGES, SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES, DEAL WITH THE REMOVAL OF CERTAIN RESIDENTS IF THEY POSE SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERNS TO OTHER RESIDENTS, STAFF, OR THE PUBLIC BASED ON THE RESIDENT'S BEHAVIOR DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES OR IF THERE IS OVERCROWDING. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CENTER IS FINE WITH THIS AND ALL THE OTHER MEMBERS ARE FINE WITH THESE CHANGES AS WELL. I WOULD RECOMMEND APPROVAL. I MUST ALSO NOTE THAT IN FULL DISCLOSURE, MY LAW FIRM, HEFTI WILEY & GORE, DOES REPRESENT AND SERVE AS LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE JAMES RIVER JUVENILE DETENTION COMMISSION. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PART IN DRAFTING THESE CHANGES. I DID REVIEW THE CHANGES AND CONFER WITH MS. LOWE ON THIS. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THESE RELATIONSHIPS CREATE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, BUT I AM REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE THAT. IF YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS THEM. EVERYTHING IN ORDER, MR. FRAZIER? I BELIEVE SO. OKAY. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MOTION TO APPROVE THE MOU. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS ALSO. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON [8. Historic Courtland Association Introduction – Jane Riddick-Fries] TO NUMBER EIGHT. THIS IS AN UPDATE ON THE [00:30:02] HISTORIC CORTLAND ASSOCIATION, AND WE HAVE MS. JANE RIDDICK-FRIES HERE TONIGHT TO GIVE US A COMPLETE UPDATE ON THIS, AND WELCOME, AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, MA'AM. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I AM HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE NEWLY FORMED HISTORIC CORTLAND ASSOCIATION, A 501C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHERE I SERVE AS ONE OF 12 BOARD MEMBERS. OUR WORK BEGAN ON DECEMBER 1 WHEN A GROUP OF CORTLAND CITIZENS, PROPERTY OWNERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS STARTED MEETING TO DISCUSS IF THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN CORTLAND. THE GROUP GREW THROUGH EARLY 2026 AND AFTER LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE VIRGINIA MAIN STREET PROGRAM FROM KYLE MEYER, OUR REPRESENTATIVE, WE DECIDED TO PURSUE DESIGNATION THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. IN MARCH 2026 WE SUBMITTED OUR APPLICATION TO VIRGINIA MAIN STREET AND WERE APPROVED AS A TIER 1 EXPLORING VIRGINIA MAIN STREET COMMUNITY. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE FORMED OUR BOARD, WHICH IS JOHN BARKSDALE, PRESIDENT, JASON FOWLER, VICE PRESIDENT, KIM WILLIAMS, TREASURER, HOLLY FOWLER, SECRETARY, AS WELL AS LYNETTE AUSTIN, MADISON BERRYMAN, JOHN DRURY, PATRICIA RAWLS, DANIEL VINCENT, JAMIE WIEST, DANNY WILLIAMS, AND MYSELF. WE HAVE ESTABLISHED OUR NONPROFIT, FILED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, DEVELOPED OUR MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS. COMPLETED OUR BYLAWS AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS, FILED FOR OUR IRS RECOGNITION OF NONPROFIT STATUS, AND OBTAINED OUR TAX ID NUMBER. THIS AFTERNOON, HISTORIC CORTLAND ASSOCIATION SPONSORED THE PURPLE BUS FOOD TRUCK. THEY WERE LOCATED IN THE GRASSY AREA OF THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE IN CORTLAND FROM 10 TO 2. OVER 80 INDIVIDUALS ORDERED LUNCH, AND THEY SERVED OVER 100 MEALS. IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THEM IN CORTLAND AGAIN. WE HAD SEVERAL COMMENTS. THAT IT WAS NICE TO HAVE FOOD AVAILABLE. WE ARE PROUD OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN A SHORT TIME, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THIS WORK WILL REQUIRE CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP. OUR BOARD IS MADE UP OF ENTIRELY VOLUNTEERS, MANY OF WHOM WHO WORK FULL-TIME AND SERVE IN OTHER COMMUNITY ROLES. TO MOVE THIS EFFORT FORWARD, WE BELIEVE THAT A FULL-TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL BE ESSENTIAL. THAT PERSON WILL BE DEDICATED EACH DAY TO ADVANCING HISTORIC PORTLAND AND ASSOCIATION'S MISSION WHICH IS TO FOSTER THOUGHTFUL REVITALIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH WHILE HONORING OUR HISTORY, STRENGTHENING OUR ECONOMY AND ENRICHING THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT THAT DEFINES SMALL-TOWN CORTLAND. WE PLAN TO PURSUE GRANTS TO SUPPORT THIS ROLE WITH THE GOAL OF HAVING AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN PLACE BY THE QUARTER OF 2020. WE WANT CORTLAND TO BE A PLACE RESIDENTS ARE PROUD TO CALL HOME. A PLACE WHERE WE WELCOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY, SHARE OUR HERITAGE, CELEBRATE WHAT MAKES OUR COMMUNITY UNIQUE, AND ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES, OUR MUSEUMS, AND HISTORICAL ASSETS. THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE COMMUNITY HAS ALREADY MADE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN REVITALIZING THE COURTHOUSE, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT COMMITMENT. AS THE COUNTY SEAT WITH TWO MUSEUMS AND A THIRD EXPECTED TO OPEN SOON, CORTLAND ALREADY DRAWS VISITORS EVERY DAY. WE WANT OUR TOWN TO FEEL INVITING AND REFLECT THE PRIDE THAT WE HAVE IN IT. CORTLAND HAS A CHARM THAT WE LOVE, BUT OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE HIGHWAY SHIFTED ACTIVITY AWAY FROM TOWN, IT HAS BECOME TOO EASILY OVERLOOKED. REVITALIZATION GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESTORE PRIDE, STRENGTHEN EXISTING BUSINESSES, ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENT, AND... CREATE A COMMUNITY THAT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE CAN BELIEVE IN AND BE PROUD TO CALL OUR COUNTY SEAT. THE HISTORIC CORTLAND ASSOCIATION'S NEXT STEP IS TO HOST A COMMUNITY TOWN HALL WHICH WILL BE ON JULY 29TH, A WEDNESDAY FROM 6 TO 8 P.M. AT THE RAWLS MUSEUM ARTS. THERE ARE FLYERS IN THE BACK FOR ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THEM TO THEIR COMMUNITY. KYLE MEYER, OUR VIRGINIA MAIN STREET REPRESENTATIVE, WE'LL BE HERE TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN STREET PROGRAM, THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO OUR ORGANIZATION, AND WHAT REVITALIZATION CAN MEAN FOR CORTLAND. HE WILL ALSO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. THE HISTORIC CORTLAND ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE THERE TO DISCUSS OUR NEWLY FORMED ORGANIZATION, AND WE WILL LEAD A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ABOUT RESIDENTS' HOPES AND PRIORITIES FOR REVITALIZATION. WE WILL NOT BE PRESENTING... SOLUTIONS, BUT INSTEAD WE WILL LISTEN, WE WILL TAKE NOTES, AND USE THAT INPUT TO HELP DEVELOP BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM PLANS FOR CORTLAND'S FUTURE ALONGSIDE OUR TOWN COUNCIL AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS. [00:35:01] WE WILL ALSO OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENTS TO SIGN UP AS VOLUNTEERS. TONIGHT, I'M ASKING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK BY ATTENDING OUR TOWN HALL COMMUNITY MEETING AND INVITING OTHERS. PLEASE BRING YOUR IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR TOWN. NOW IS THE TIME FOR EVERYONE TO PROVIDE INPUT ON SHAPING THE FUTURE FOR CORTLAND. THIS PROCESS MUST INCLUDE EVERY VOICE. TOGETHER. AS INTERESTED CITIZENS, THE TOWN COUNCIL, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE HAVE BOTH THE OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO BUILD A CORTLAND FOR OUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, THE FUTURE. A TOWN THAT WE ARE PROUD TO CALL HOME. ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? I THINK THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ENDEAVOR. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, NEXT IS A FEW UPDATES. [9. Emergency Operations Plan – Overview of updates by Justin Hermann, Emergency Management Coordinator] SIR, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. GIVE US AN UPDATE. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. AS THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT OUR COMMUNITY MAINTAINS A CURRENT... COMPREHENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR PREPARING FOR, RESPONDING TO, RECOVERING FROM, AND MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS. THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, EOP, SERVES AS THE FOUNDATION FOR COORDINATED EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACROSS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS, AND STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES. REGULAR REVIEW AND UPDATES ARE ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THE PLAN REFLECTS CURRENT OKAY. THREATS, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES, LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT INCIDENTS, AND EVOLVING BEST PRACTICES AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THE UPDATE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING INCORPORATES REVISIONS TO THE AGENCY'S ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY, RESOURCE COORDINATION, PROCEDURES, COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS, AND EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS. THESE CHANGES ARE DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN OUR PREPAREDNESS POSTURE AND ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO PROTECT LIVES, PROPERTY, AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DURING EMERGENCIES. I APPRECIATE THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE BOARD FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AS A WHOLE AND LOOK FORWARD TO PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE UPDATES AS WELL AS ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THE POWERPOINT BEHIND YOU AS WELL AS THE PAPER VERSION IN FRONT OF YOU. BRIEF OVERVIEW ON PAGE TWO GOES INTO THE BACKGROUND A LITTLE BIT, WHAT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IS AND THE BACKGROUND BEHIND THE EOP. SECTION 44-146.19 CODE OF VIRGINIA REQUIRES... ...LOCALITY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANS TO BE UPDATED AND ADOPTED EVERY FOUR YEARS. OUR LAST UPDATE WAS JUNE 28TH OF 2022. AN EOP IS A LIVING STRATEGIC DOCUMENT THAT GUIDES AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND THE RESOLUTION FOR THIS BOARD WILL BE ON 7-28-26 ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO ADOPT CHANGES. ON PAGE 3... LAYS OUT A LITTLE BIT OF THE EOP STRUCTURE. FIRST YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE YOUR BASE PLAN. THE NEXT SECTIONS WILL BE THE EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS, THE ESFS. AND THERE'S 17 OF THOSE THAT SPECIFICALLY OUTLINE DIFFERENT INCIDENT TYPES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND WHO IS THE LEAD AND SECONDARY ON THOSE. AND THEN THE THIRD PORTION OF THE EOP IS YOUR INCIDENT SPECIFIC SUPPORT ANNEXES. ON PAGE FOUR. OF YOUR PACKET ARE PLAN UPDATES. SO THROUGHOUT THIS PLAN UPDATE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS GOT UPDATED AS WELL AS THE SITUATIONAL SUMMARIES THROUGHOUT. THE ESFS WERE UPDATED AND REALIGNED WITH COUNTY DEPARTMENTS' ABILITY TO SERVE AS THE LEAD. SO THEY WERE SENT OUT TO EACH AGENCY THAT EITHER HAS A SUPPORT ROLE OR IS THE LEAD ROLE IN THOSE FOR THEM TO OVERVIEW AND SEND BACK ANY AMENDMENTS THEY NEEDED. AND THE THIRD BULLET POINT IS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ROLE WAS ADDED THROUGHOUT. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS A RELATIVELY NEW, SPECIFIC POSITION OF THE COUNTY WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. PAGE FOUR WILL BE DIFFERENT TRAINING AND EXERCISES THAT HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. MULTIPLE SHELTER MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING EVENTS HAVE BEEN DONE WITH DSS IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS HAVE BEEN ISLE OF WIGHT. PORTSMOUTH, SUFFOLK, AND HERE [00:40:01] IN SOUTHAMPTON. WE WERE INVOLVED WITH A REGIONAL WATER EMERGENCY TABLETOP EXERCISE. WE GOT OUR WATERWORKS PEOPLE, OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PEOPLE, SHERIFF'S OFFICE PERSONNEL. WE WERE ALL THERE TO PERFORM THAT TABLETOP EXERCISE. WE DID A FULL-SCALE ACTIVE THREAT EXERCISE AT PAUL D., WHICH HAD FRANKLIN, SUFFOLK. SUFFOLK FIRE. AND SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY UNITS WERE ALL THERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. WE DID A RED CROSS SHELTER EXERCISE IN CAPRON. MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT CLASSES HOSTED BY VDOT. A COUPLE OF THOSE WERE IN OUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN BOYKINS AND ONE IN IVOR. MULTIPLE STOP-TO-BLEED TRAININGS HOSTED BY VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND THOSE WERE ALSO DONE IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. NEWSOM'S BEING ONE AND CAPRON BEING ANOTHER ONE. WE DID RAILWAY TRAINING THAT CSX PROVIDED US, AND THAT WAS HELD AT BOYKIN'S VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND WE'VE ALSO DONE HAZMAT TABLETOP EXERCISES, AND THAT WAS AT SALINAS RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF SHADY BROOK AND 671. SOME OF THE REAL-WORLD EVENTS THAT WE PARTICIPATED IN AT THIS EOP CAME INTO THE PLACE WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE WINTER WEATHER EVENTS OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. WE ALSO HAD REGIONAL COORDINATION WITH THE LAST FLOODING EVENTS IN ISLA WHITE. THEY WERE REQUESTED THROUGH OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE, OR THROUGH ME, WHO WENT DOWN TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR THEIR HIGH-WATER VEHICLE, AS WELL AS ANOTHER FIRE THAT ISLA WHITE HAD, A LARGE-SCALE WILDFIRE. THE COUNTY PROVIDED RESOURCES FROM MULTIPLE DIFFERENT FIRE DEPARTMENTS. WE'VE HAD TWO DIFFERENT ACTIVE SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS, THE FIRST ONE BEING A MULTI-DAY OPERATION THAT WAS REGIONAL IN NATURE AS WELL AS SPANNED THREE DIFFERENT LOCALITIES IN TWO DIFFERENT STATES, BEING VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA, AND THE SECOND SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION THAT WAS JUST A SINGLE DAY OPERATION. LOOKING AHEAD, THE PLAN IS TO ENTERTAIN ANOTHER FULL-SCALE ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING EXERCISE. PAUL D. COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS REACHED OUT AND WANTS TO SET THAT UP AGAIN. SO WE'RE GOING TO ENTERTAIN THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR. THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH DSS AND ATTEMPT TO CREATE A SHELTER MANAGEMENT PLAN. WE'RE WORKING WITH DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND VDOT TO CREATE AN SOP FOR ACCIDENTS INVOLVING LIVESTOCK. I BELIEVE WE'LL BE ONE OF THE FIRST ONES IN THE REGION TO GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF. AND DOC IS EXCITED TO COME ON BOARD WITH THAT. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING A NEW MASS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO PASS OUT UPDATES WHEN WE HAVE INCOMING WEATHER OR A MULTITUDE OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN SHOOT OUT A LARGE-SCALE MESSAGE. AND IT WILL GO STRAIGHT TO PEOPLE'S CELL PHONES, HOME PHONES, EMAILS, HOWEVER THEY'VE SET IT UP. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO COMPLETING OUR P-25 RADIO SYSTEM THAT WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT FOR SO LONG. WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE THAT COME TO FRUITION. AND THAT'LL BE A HUGE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES AS A WHOLE. AND THEN CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND COORDINATE DAY-TO-DAY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS. THAT CONCLUDES MY PORTION. THERE'S PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL. IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M WILLING TO TAKE THEM TONIGHT. OR AS YOU ALL LOOK THROUGH, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING, PLEASE REACH OUT. IF I HAVE A QUESTION. PERFECT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NUMBER 10, PUBLIC HEARING [10. Battery Energy Storage Systems Ordinance – Review by BOS] BATTERY ENERGY SYSTEMS ORDINANCE. THE TIME CONSTRAINTS, WE'VE GOT TO GET THIS DONE FIRST. YES, REAGAN PRINCE WITH THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SECRETARY TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. AND WE WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS ORDINANCE. AND LIKE THE CHAIRMAN SAID, YOU KNOW, WE WERE UNDER VERY TIGHT TIME CONSTRAINTS TO GET THIS ORDINANCE APPROVED OR DEVELOPED AND REVIEWED AND APPROVED IN ADVANCE OF DEADLINES. STATE ORDINANCE, I MEAN THE STATE, AND SINCE THE LAST MONTH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS PREVIOUSLY SEEN IN OUR LAST MEETING, WE'VE TOOK OUT SOME OF THE FURTHER REDUNDANCY IN IT. WE WENT BACK TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE LOOKED AT IT FOR A SECOND TIME. AND REVIEWED EVERYTHING, GOT EVERYTHING LOOKING MUCH BETTER. ATTORNEY, MR. ERIC GREGORY, LOOKED AT IT AND GAVE US HIS BLESSING ON THE FORMATTING AND OTHER VERBIAGE AND CLARIFIED SOME ITEMS IN THIS ORDINANCE. SO WHAT I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME, WELL, IT IS WHAT WE NEED [00:45:01] TO APPROVE TONIGHT. NO CHANGES, NO DIFFERENCE. ONCE EVERYTHING GETS APPROVED, I'LL TAKE OFF ALL THE LINE NUMBERING AND MAKE IT SUITABLE FOR MUNICH. I DO WANT TO GIVE SOME KUDOS TO OUR PLANNING COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT. MR. FRANK URQUHART, HE USED THE AI SOFTWARE TO HELP US ACCELERATE. SOME OF THE FORMATTING THAT WE HAD BEFORE TONIGHT. AND AGAIN, OUR CHAIRMAN WAS ALSO IN ATTENDANCE, YOU KNOW, FOR JUST GIVING US THAT REALLY GOOD GUIDANCE AND LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING THIS ORDINANCE FOR US, OKAY? MR. URQUHART'S OUR AI. YES, HE'S OUR AI. EVERYBODY ELSE. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I'LL BE WELCOME TO... ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE. SURE. THE ONLY QUESTION I'VE GOT IS HEIGHT RESTRICTION OF 15 FEET, SO THAT'S PRETTY NORMAL FOR A BATTERY. THAT'S CORRECT. THE 15-FOOT HEIGHT RESTRICTION IS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE HVAC SYSTEM THAT MIGHT BE ON TOP OF THE STRUCTURE. IN GENERAL, THE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE... SYSTEMS ARE ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS A TYPICAL STORAGE CONTAINER OR THAT YOU SEE ON THE BACK OF A TRUCK SHIPPING CONTAINER CORRECT SAME SIZE THE SHIPPING CONTAINER, BUT YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT THE HVAC SYSTEM THAT'S ON TOP TO HELP EXTRACT ANY KIND OF HEAT OUT OF THE SYSTEM. OH YEAH, THAT WAS IT. OH IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT WE ARE USING THIS ORDINANCE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO USE THE STATE ORDER? CORRECT. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE TWO? BETWEEN THE STATE AND THIS ONE? I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE ONE WITH THE STATE. I REALLY WANTED TO TAILOR THIS ONE TO THE COUNTY'S NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE WHAT I DID IS I USED THE... UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PROJECT, OR SOLAR ORDINANCE, TO MATCH UP WITH THIS RIGHT HERE. THAT SERVES AS A FRAMEWORK BECAUSE THE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IN GENERAL ARE PAIRED WITH A SOLAR PROJECT. SO WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT, THEY ALL KIND OF BLEND TOGETHER. THE ORDINANCES WILL BLEND TOGETHER. THAT'S WHY I USE THAT APPROACH. MR. DRAKE AND MR. ERICA, EITHER OF YOU LIKE TO ADDRESS THAT, COME FORWARD AND ADDRESS THAT QUESTION? I CAN'T THINK OF ANY. STATE LANGUAGE PENDING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE LEAVE IS STILL THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BEING THAT THEY'RE GOING [00:50:01] TO BE DOING THINGS AFTER THE DEADLINE. LOCAL PEOPLE GET THEIR STUFF INTO THEM AND THE BATTERY STORAGE UNITS LIKE HE WAS SAYING THEY COMPLEMENT SOLAR PANEL FIELDS AND EVERYTHING AND ALSO ARE TIED INTO THE GRID. TO GLEAN EXCESS CAPACITY AT TIMES TO BE RELEASED AT A FUTURE TIME. I'LL JUST SAY THAT I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THIS, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR EVERY COUNTY TO TAILOR THIS ACCORDING TO ITS NEEDS. AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN PUT INTO THIS. AND A MAJOR CONCERN THAT WE KIND OF... STRUGGLE WITH WAS BECAUSE WITH THE NATURE OF THESE UNITS, THEY PRESENT CERTAIN TECHNICAL HARDSHIPS TO LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. IF THEY SAY HAPPEN TO HAVE A RUN, YOU JUST CAN'T GO OUT THERE. ALL ABOUT VOCAL VOLUNTEER. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CHAIRMAN DRAKE, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE TO ADD, SIR? THE BULLETS, WELL, ACTUALLY, THEY'RE RIGHT. COLLECTING INFORMATION IN DECEMBER OF 24. ALL THESE TYPE OF ORDINANCES TAKES A LOT OF HOMEWORK TO GO THROUGH IT. AND MR. WHITE GIVES YOU FACTS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THINGS ARE BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION. SO IT TOOK A WHILE. WE TALKED ABOUT IT MOST EVERY MEETING SOMEWHAT DURING OUR MEETING PROCESS. BUT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE KIND OF GOT ON THE HORSE AND GOT SOMETHING WRITTEN UP FOR YOU ALL. BUT IT DOES. IT DOES CORRELATE WITH THE SOLAR ORDINANCE BECAUSE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES SO FAR AS SETBACKS AND THE BUFFERS AND THAT TYPE OF THING. AND TYPICALLY, THEY DO GO HAND IN HAND, BUT NOT NECESSARILY. THEY COULD BE INDIVIDUAL. IT COULD BE SET BY ITSELF. BUT IT DOES HAVE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES. SO WE'RE TRYING TO, WE THOUGHT THE SET OF ORDINANCE. AND I HAVE NOT SEEN WHAT WAS PREPARED FOR THE STATE, AND I APOLOGIZE, SIR, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, BUT WE THOUGHT IF WE STAYED ON THE SAME GUIDELINES AS THE SOLAR, THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE STATE WOULD LOOK AT US AS BEING ON THE SAME PATH, AS THAT MAKES SENSE. SO, BUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS QUITE A LOT, COLLECTING THE INFORMATION. ANY QUESTIONS, MR. DRAKE? GETTING INFORMATION TO US. YES, SIR. GIVE ME A MICRO VIEW OF, I SEE THE 15 FOOT FRAME RESTRICTION. ONE ACRE, TEN ACRES, SIZE. NO, SIR. NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THEY'RE ALL SETBACKS, AND THIS IS SOME RESIDENCES OF THAT TYPE OF SCHOOL. GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. AND I MIGHT ADD, OUR ATTORNEY, MR. GREGORY, HAS REVIEWED THIS AND FELT IT WAS UP TO SNUFF. YES, SIR. OKAY. SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS. ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK? PRO OR CON ON THIS ISSUE? ANY QUESTIONS THAT WEREN'T ANSWERED, PLEASE COME FORWARD. WARREN SIMMONS, 27511 SOUTH END PARKWAY, CORTLAND. I AGREE WITH THE ORDINANCE. IT'S A WONDER THAT THE BATTERIES DIDN'T COME. WITH THE SOLAR FACILITIES, POWER [00:55:03] IN TRADITIONAL WAYS IS MADE ON DEMAND. THERE'S NO STORAGE. IT'S JUST YOU RUN SOME OF YOUR GENERATORS AT A SET LEVEL, AND THEN YOU HAVE SOME SET TO FLOW WITH THE DEMAND. THEY SPEED UP OR SLOW DOWN ON THEIR OWN TO MEET DEMAND. WHEN YOU PUT IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM, WHICH IS SET AMOUNT, ONLY AT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE DAY, THAT THROWS YOUR BALANCE OF POWER OFF. SO WITHOUT A WAY TO STORE SOME OF IT SO YOU CAN USE IT ALONE, WHAT HAPPENS IS YOUR UNITS HAVE TO, IN THE DAYTIME, HAVE TO RUN AT THE MEDIUM, WHERE THEY'RE VERY, AT THE LOWEST, WHERE THEY'RE VERY INEFFECTIVE, OR EVEN YOU MAY HAVE TO TAKE THEM OFFLINE, WHICH IS YOU'RE BURNING ENERGY WITH NO ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION AT ALL. SO YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF STORAGE. IT'S HAD TO COME. IT'S SURPRISING TO ME THAT IT DIDN'T COME RIGHT OFF THE BAT. SO I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE GOT TO DO. AND I LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, TAILORING IT TO OUR NEEDS. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANYBODY? ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE WILL CLOSE THAT PUBLIC HEARING. ALL RIGHT, BOARD, ANY DISCUSSION, QUESTIONS? I THINK Y'ALL DID A GOOD JOB ON THE ORDINANCE. DECA, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. GENITIMUS, YES. I'LL TELL YOU, IT WAS A LOVE OF LIFE THERE. THERE WAS MORE DISCUSSION THERE THAN, THESE THINGS WERE BATTERED BACK AND FORTH ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT WAS NOT TAKEN LIGHTLY. I'LL GUARANTEE YOU THAT. YEAH, AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID DO A GOOD JOB. WE COMMEND YOU FELLOWS. OKAY. MOVING RIGHT ON TO THE NEXT ONE IS THE SOLAR POWER FACILITY SITING AGREEMENT. AND WE HAVE SYNERGY BAP POWER LIMITED HERE. AND WE HAVE THIS GENTLEMAN HERE. BILL FANNIN. YES, SIR. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS AND COUNTY OFFICIALS. THANK YOU FOR MAKING TIME TO LET ME PRESENT OUR SOLAR PLUS STORAGE. VERY GOOD TIMING WITH THE FACT THAT THE COUNTY HAS JUST PASSED ITS OWN BATTERY STORAGE ORDINANCE. OUR PROJECT IS A GOOD LIVE EXAMPLE OF SOLAR BENEFITING FROM... A STORAGE PROJECT AS WELL TO GIVE FLEXIBILITY LIKE THE GENTLEMAN JUST MENTIONED FOR THE GRID. [11. Solar Facility Siting Agreement – Cenergy / BAP Power LLC] OTHERWISE YOU HAVE A GRID THAT CAN BE VERY WASTEFUL. IT'S JUST A REAL-TIME ENERGY BALANCE BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND AND THE PAIRING OF SOLAR WITH STORAGE ALLEVIATES AND ALLOWS THE GRID TO HAVE A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY. DOMINION IS PUSHING VERY HEAVILY FOR MORE PROJECTS LIKE THE ONE WE'RE PRESENTING TONIGHT. AND I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT OF HOW THE SOLAR AND STORAGE KIND OF COORDINATES WITH EACH. SO ON THE SLIDES, AS YOU RECALL, WE ACTUALLY PRESENTED APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO, AND THE PROJECT WAS DEFERRED A LITTLE BIT. BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO MAKE VERY GOOD PROGRESS WITH ITS DEVELOPMENT. A LITTLE RECAP ON CENTERG. SO WE'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE 2006. WE'VE INSTALLED WELL OVER 450 MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR, COMPLETED OVER 300 PROJECTS, [01:00:01] AND OUR BONDING CAPACITY, $300 MILLION. AND THAT'S FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT WE'VE NEVER... HOW TO DEFAULT IN ANY OF OUR PROJECTS. RELIABLE, WE DELIVER. WHAT WE SAY WE'RE GOING TO DO AND HENCE IT'S LIKE YOUR CREDIT RATING IT GETS STRONGER AS YOU PERFORM. OUR MISSION IS VERY SIMPLE WE REALLY ASPIRE TO SPREAD THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR A LONG TIME. IN VIRGINIA WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS IN DIFFERENT COUNTIES WHERE EITHER DOMINION OR THERE'S ALSO A SHARED SOLAR PROGRAM. SMALLER SOLAR PROJECTS THAT ARE CAPPED AT 5 MEGAWATTS. THE PROJECT WE ARE REQUESTING PARTNERSHIP AND APPROVAL FROM THE CURE IS A 20 MEGAWATT. FAIRLY INTEGRATED AS A GROUP, WE DO ALL OF OUR OWN DEVELOPMENT AND WE CONTROL THE TOP RANGE. SEGMENT DEVELOPERS. WE'RE LONG-TERM OWNERS AND GOOD PERFORMANCE TERMS. WE CAN EASILY GET DECOMMISSIONING BONDS TO MAKE SURE THAT IF PROJECT GETS TO ITS END OF LIFE CYCLE THAT THERE'S A BOND THAT'S THERE IN CASE WE'RE TO MAKE SURE DECOMMISSION THE PROJECT BASICS IS AGAIN A 20 MEGAWATT PROJECT THAT'S PAIRED OF SOLAR CAPACITY THAT'S PAIRED WITH AN 8 MEGAWATT FOUR-HOUR BATTERY STORAGE COMPONENT SO HOW WE FOLLOW DOMINION'S INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW THEY WANT THE COORDINATION TO HAPPEN. SO TYPICALLY WHAT THEY WANT IS FOR US TO GIVE PRIORITY FOR THE SOLAR TO CHARGE THE BATTERY SO THEN THE BATTERY HAS CLEAN ENERGY FROM THE SOLAR. THAT USUALLY TAKES PLACE EARLY IN THE MORNING, AND THEN THE REST OF THE SOLAR, THE BALANCE OF IT, GOES ON TO THE GRID. AND THEN THE BATTERY WILL KICK IN WHEN THE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, THE LOCAL DEMAND IS HIGHEST FOR ELECTRICITY. WHATEVER, FOUR HOURS. SO TYPICALLY THAT'S DURING PEAK PERIODS NOW, LIKE LATE AFTERNOON TO EVENING HOURS. BUT THE MORE YOU HAVE ENERGY STORAGE AVAILABLE FOR THE GRID, THAT GRID BECOMES A LOT MORE RELIABLE BECAUSE IT'S VERY EASY TO DISPATCH THAT STORAGE AND IT CAN BE DISPATCHED WHEN THE GRID IS MOST CONSTRAINED AND NEEDS TO DISPATCH POWER TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON. THE NUMBER OF MODULES IS ABOUT 31,000 MODULES. WE TAKE UP ABOUT 71 ACRES ON ITS 300 PLUS ACRE PARCEL, SO A SMALLER PORTION OF HIS PARCEL. WE INITIALLY WERE PARTNERING WITH MR. WHITE HIMSELF. HE HAS SINCE PASSED AWAY AND NOW THE SITE AND THE OWNERSHIP OF AYERS, WHICH IS JIMMY, I DON'T THINK JIMMY IS HERE TONIGHT. AT SOME POINT, JIMMY WILL SHOW UP TOO. HE'S VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE PROJECT, SO WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE HIM AND MR. WHITE'S WIDOW. THE PROJECT ITSELF, YOU MAY BE WELL AWARE, IS ALONG GENERAL THOMAS HIGHWAY. IT'S BASICALLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM DOMINION'S BIOMASS PLANT. THE INTERCONNECTION IS AT 34 KILOWATTS AND IT GOES TO THE WATKINS CORNER STATION. THERE'S ALREADY A SIGNED ARRANGEMENT FOR POWER PURCHASE WITH DOMINION AS WE MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD. THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS THE LATEST ITERATION OF THE SITE PLAN. AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST OF THE FOOTPRINT ARE THE SOLAR MODULES AND THEN THE BATTERY STORAGE TO ADDRESS MR. CORNWALL'S. QUESTION, IT'S FAIRLY SMALL. IT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT FOUR TO SIX 20-FOOT CONTAINERS, SO YOU CAN JUST VISUALIZE 20-FOOT CONTAINERS NEXT TO EACH OTHER. AND IT'S IN THAT SMALL SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THAT SITE PLAN. [01:05:06] AND AS THE BATTERY STORAGE MARKET EVOLVES, AND IT'S EVOLVING VERY QUICKLY, THE SAFETY STANDARDS ARE VERY HIGH NOW. SO BATTERY STORAGE MUST MEET NON-PROPAGATION REQUIREMENTS. AND THAT'S SET BY THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION, WHICH SETS THE STANDARD THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND ACTUALLY WORLDWIDE. THEIR MAIN SECTION 855. REQUIRES LIVE TESTING OF THE CONTAINERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRE DOES NOT PROPAGATE BEYOND THE ACTUAL CONTAINER. SO THEY'VE BECOME FAIRLY SAFE, AND THEY'RE JUST GETTING SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT. THEY'RE ALSO SUBJECT TO UL STANDARDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ANY FIRE SAFETY-TYPE RISKS ADDRESSED BEFORE THESE UNITS GO INTO PUBLIC SPACE. SETBACKS GENERALLY WE'RE PRETTY FAR BACK FROM GENERAL THOMAS HIGHWAY. I THINK WE'RE A GOOD 2,000 FEET FROM THE HIGHWAY. THE ENTIRE PROJECT SITE IS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE NEIGHBOR'S PERSPECTIVE OR FROM THE HIGHWAY VIEWPOINT. WE'RE AT LEAST 50 FEET FROM ANY PARCEL LINE. THE EXISTING TREE CANOPIES SURROUNDING THE PARCEL ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO VISIBILITY. WE DID HAVE A FEW NEIGHBORS ASK US FOR THE SITE PLAN AND ONCE THEY SAW THE SITE PLAN, THEY WERE OKAY WITH THE PROJECT. THERE'S GOING TO BE A 7 FEET TALL FENCE SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE PROJECT WITH 20 FEET ACCESS FOR SERVICEABILITY OF THE SITE, WHICH IS ONLY GOING TO BE ABOUT MAYBE FOUR TIMES A YEAR. SO WE THINK IT'S A VERY GOOD SITE IN TERMS OF ACTUAL FOOTPRINT. NON-VISIBILITY AND BASICALLY YOU CAN'T REALLY HEAR OR SEE THE SITE FROM ANY. HERE ARE JUST SOME PHOTOS OF WHERE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FROM GENERAL THOMAS HIGHWAY AND EXAMPLES OF TREES THAT SURROUND THE SITE. THE FOOTPRINT IS FAIRLY SMALL RELATIVE TO THE OVERALL COUNTY ALLOCATION FOR SOLAR PROJECTS, 0.019 COUNTY ALLOCATION FOR SOLAR. IT'S OVER 500 FEET FROM THE NEAREST HOME. AND AGAIN, THERE ARE TREES THAT OFFER NATURAL VEGETATIVE SCREENING BETWEEN PROJECTS. IT'S OVER 3,000 FEET FROM THE NEAREST, AGAIN, NOT. AND THAT'S OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE VERY... IN ADDITION, IT DOES ALSO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF NOT BEING USDA PRIME FARMLAND. WE'RE VERY, WHAT'S LABELED AS DROUGHTY SAND IS A GOOD 67% OF THE SITE. 0% OF THE SITE IS CONSIDERED. PRIME FARMLAND OF ANY STATEWIDE IMPORTANCE AND THREE TO CLASS SIX SCALE FOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNTY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH SAYS THAT DIRECT UTILITY SCALE SOLAR DEVELOPMENT BASICALLY SHOULD BE AWAY FROM AREAS NOTED AS PRIME FARMLAND OF STATEWIDE IMPORTANCE. I THINK WE CHECKED THAT BOX PRETTY CLEARLY. AND THEN GETTING ON WITH WHY WE THINK THE STARS ARE ALIGNED FOR THIS PROJECT WITH THE COUNTY REQUIREMENTS, WE THINK IT BOTH MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS BUT ALSO OFFERS A LOT OF LOCAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS. ON THE POWER INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE, SO WHEN WE BUILD THIS PROJECT, DOMINION IS GOING TO REQUIRE THAT THE PROJECT PAY FOR 2.75% OF INTERCONNECTION UPGRADES. WITH THAT... UPGRADE, IT'S LIKE REPAVING A ROAD. IT'S A BENEFIT TO THE LOCAL JURISDICTION AS WELL. THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE RELIABLE LINES, INFRASTRUCTURE, SENSORS, SO THAT THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT ALSO BENEFITS FROM THAT DOMINION UPGRADE WORK IN ORDER TO CONNECT OUR PROJECT. OUR PROJECT ALSO HAS BEEN SELECTED BY DOMINION BECAUSE IT'S ALSO VERY COST-EFFECTIVE. IT ACTUALLY... CONTRIBUTES IN ITS OWN SMALL WAY TO BASICALLY MORE AFFORDABLE POWER FOR DOMINION BECAUSE WE OFFER DOMINION A [01:10:04] LONG-TERM, IT'S ABOUT A 15-YEAR CONTRACT AT A FIXED RATE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO VOLATILITY AND THE TRAINING RIGHT NOW IS A LOT OF PRICE INCREASES IN THE MARKET DEMAND FOR POWER REALLY GOING ON SOMEWHAT DRIVEN TO BUILD OUT DATA CENTERS. IN TERMS OF MEETING COUNTY REQUIREMENTS AGAIN NOT PRIME FARMLAND THE PROJECT IS OUT OF SIGHT AND THE STUDY AGREEMENT BENEFITS WITH THE COUNTY AND LOCAL COMMUNITY IS IN STEP WITH THE STATE CODE. MORE DETAILS ON THE COUNTY BENEFITS, PRIMARILY IT'S THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT, IT'S ABOUT $920,000 OF UPFRONT PAYMENTS TO THE COUNTY AND AN ADDITIONAL $120,000 TO THE COUNTY'S 12 VOLUNTEER FIRE AND RESCUE SQUADS, ROUGHLY ABOUT $10,000 TO EACH ORGANIZATION. AND THEN OVER 20 YEARS, A TOTAL BENEFIT OF... $914,000 AND CHANGE, WHICH IS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE DEFAULT STATE REQUIREMENT SITING ARRANGEMENT. WE THINK THERE'S SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BENEFIT IN WORKING OUT THIS ARRANGEMENT, WHICH WAS NEGOTIATED ABOUT A YEAR AGO WITH A PRIOR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND COUNTY COUNCIL. SO THAT'S THE CURRENT ARRANGEMENT THAT WE'RE PRESENTING AT THIS MEETING. AND SO OUR REQUEST IS JUST FOR THE BOARD TO HOPEFULLY IN GOOD FAITH WORK WITH US, APPROVE THE SITING AGREEMENT, THE BASIC TERMS, AND I THINK THERE'S STILL QUITE A FEW STEPS WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO GET ALL THE DETAILS OUT FOR THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT, BUT WE THINK IT'S GOOD PARTNERS. WILL SHOW THAT ACCOMMODATE A LOT OF SENSITIVE CONCERNS LOCALLY, AND HOPEFULLY WE GET A VERY GOOD PROJECT THAT'S GOOD FOR DOMINION, IT'S GOOD FOR THE POWER GRID, AND IT'S GOOD FOR THE... THANK YOU. MR. PRINCE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? YOU WERE HEAVILY ON... YES, MR. CHAIRMAN. YES, SO IN REVIEWING THE PLANS, THE SITE PLAN FOR THIS, IT REALLY DOES... THIS IS NOT PRIME FARMLAND, BAD SOILS. SO IT, YOU KNOW, IT CHECKS THAT PARTICULAR BOX OUT OF SIGHT, YOU KNOW, OVER 1500. AND SO IT REALLY IS A REAL BENEFIT IN TERMS OF LAND USE. PIECE OF LAND. AND I THINK IT'S A REAL BENEFIT FOR US. IT WON'T BE ANY DRAINAGE PROBLEMS. IT WON'T BE ANY ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE PROBLEMS. IT'S SO FAR AWAY FROM EVERYTHING AROUND IT. I THINK IT'S A REALLY ADEQUATE AND APPROPRIATE USE FOR THIS PIECE OF LAND. THANK YOU. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THESE GENTLEMEN? I'D SAY IT'S MY ONLY CONCERN, BUT IT'S PROBABLY MY BIGGEST ONE. AND LOOKING AT THE SITE PLAN ON MY COMPUTER, IT INDICATES THE SCALE IS 1 INCH EQUALS 250 FEET. SO I CAN BURN THAT DOWN, AND I'M JUST CONCERNED IN REVIEWING IT MYSELF WITH THE PROXIMITY OF THE VEST TO THE ACTUAL SOLAR INSTALLATION ITSELF. IT'S NOT BUT ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW, 32 FEET. IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS ROOM, THE CEILING TILE IS A 2-FOOT SQUARE. THAT'S ABOUT THE WIDTH OF THIS ROOM. IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME THAT THE BEST IS AWAY FROM THE ACTUAL SOLAR INSTALLATION ITSELF. IF YOU WERE TO HAVE A CATASTROPHIC MELTDOWN, IF YOU WILL, THEMSELVES, THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE REST OF THE SOLAR FACILITY LOOKS MIGHTY CLOSE. YEAH, AND WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY. YOU NOTICE WE DO HAVE LAND SO WE COULD SET IT OFF FURTHER. AT THE SAME TIME, THOUGH, RIGHT, FOR FIRE TO BURN, IT NEEDS FUEL. IT'S NOT GOING TO GET IT FROM THE SOLAR SIDE BECAUSE IT'S MADE OUT OF GLASS. YOU KNOW, IT'S INSULATED MATERIAL, RIGHT? GLASS, STEEL, PLASTIC. SO WE FEEL USUALLY WHEN WE GO HAND IN HAND, WE ACTUALLY FOLLOW DOMINION'S VERY STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF SETBACKS BETWEEN THE BATTERY STORAGE UNITS AND BETWEEN THE STORAGE UNITS AND [01:15:01] THE SOLAR. BUT WE COULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER FURTHER UPDATES TO MAKE SURE THAT... THERE'S ADEQUATE ROOM FOR MAYBE ACCESS. BUT WE'RE PRETTY CONFIDENT THE TECHNOLOGY WE'RE GOING TO USE HAS PASSED THE DIFFERENT HIGH STANDARDS THAT WILL NOT ALLOW FOR PROPAGATION BEYOND THE CONTAINER. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PURPOSELY ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THE SETBACKS BETWEEN THE UNITS AND THE FENCE IS 50 FEET, WHICH IS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD. THE INDUSTRY STANDARD IS 855. YES, SIR. QUESTION, I'M GOING TO SHOW MY IGNORANCE NOW. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PLAN HERE, EXCEPT I'M TRYING TO GET THIS. THINGS ARE MOVING SO FAST IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY. THE THING THAT CONCERNS ME IS CHAIN OF CUSTODY. SYNERGY SELLS TO DOMINION. WHAT ARE THE PROTECTIONS TO KEEP THIS TOTALLY WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, AND EVEN MORE THAN THAT, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. FROM WHAT I CAN TELL IN MY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THIS IS ALL DIRECTED TOWARD AI AND THE FAST GROWTH OF AI AND OUR COMPETITORS OUT THERE, THERE ARE LINES THAT EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CURTAIL. I'LL USE CHAIN OF CUSTODY. WE CAN'T EVEN GET OUR ELECTIONS STRAIGHT AS FAR AS CHAIN OF CUSTODY IS CONCERNED. HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING TO GET THIS TYPE OF OPERATION STRAIGHT FROM WHAT IS SOUGHT HERE WITH A COMMODITY LIKE THE FARMERS HAVE? HAS A VALUE THAT'S GOING TO BE SOLD AND IT'LL BE FOUGHT OVER, I WOULD ASSUME. AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS GROWING FASTER AND FASTER EVERY YEAR. AND NOW IT'S ALMOST MONTHLY, FROM WHAT I READ, THAT IT'S PRESENTING A PROBLEM TO THE CONNECTIONS TO KEEP IT SAFE AND UNDER THE CONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY. SO YOU GOT ANY COMMENT ABOUT THAT? YES, THERE ARE TWO LAYERS OF MAJOR PROTECTIONS, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CITIZENS WITH YOUR CONCERN. AT THE DOMINION LEVEL, THEY WON'T PROCURE FROM ANY COMPANY THAT HAS FOREIGN INFLUENCE. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL? WHAT ABOUT SOMEBODY PROCURING FROM THEM, OR RATHER STEALING IT? STEALING... WHAT DO WE DO TO STOP IT? STEALING WHAT? YOU MEAN THEFT, THE PHYSICAL THEFT AT THE SITE? OR ARE YOU SAYING THE... THE ULTIMATE END USE OF IT, OF POWER AND WHAT THAT IS TURNED INTO. AND THAT'S THE GOAL HERE. RIGHT. WELL, PRESIDENT TRUMP PASSED VERY STRONG LEGISLATION. CALLED FIAC, THAT MEANS FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN, AND PRIMARILY IT'S TARGETED AGAINST CHINA. WHAT'S BUILT IN HERE TO PROTECT US? WELL, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW BOTH FEDERAL AND DOMINION REQUIREMENTS. OTHERWISE, THEY WON'T ALLOW US TO BUILD. THEY WON'T GIVE US THE PERMITS WE NEED. SO FOR US, WE HAVE TO COMPLY [01:20:01] WITH VERY STRINGENT... AND A LOT OF LAW FIRMS TRYING TO NAVIGATE THIS TO MAKE SURE. SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BUILD IF WE DIDN'T COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL MANDATE. DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELL YOUR COMPANY? NOT TO A COMPANY OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE. BUT WE ARE A PRIVATE COMPANY AND WE COULD SELL TO OTHERS. IS THAT LIKELY TO HAPPEN? NO, IT'S NOT. WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR 20 YEARS AND WE EXPECT OURSELVES TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND OWN OUR PROJECTS. WE'RE PROBABLY MORE STABLE THAN MOST DEVELOPERS. WHAT DOES BAP STAND FOR? A LONG TIME AGO WHEN I WAS THE CO-FOUNDER. I HAD A SMALL FUND CALLED BLUE ADVENT PARTNERS, SO IT'S THE INITIALS OF THAT FUND, BLUE ADVENT PARTNERS. IS YOUR COMPANY OWNED BY PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES OR A FOREIGN COMPANY? YES, ALL U.S. CITIZENS. WE WOULD RUN INTO A LOT MORE SCRUTINY AND ISSUES IF WE HAD FOREIGN OWNERS. THEY'RE VERY STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS NOW AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. ALL RIGHT. AND THIS IS PART OF THE CONTRACT? PART OF IT. THE PROTECTIONS ARE BUILT INTO THE CONTRACT? YEAH. I MEAN, OUR ARRANGEMENT WITH DOMINION IS UNDER A LOT OF SCRUTINY BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDER A LOT OF REGULATORY SCRUTINY TO MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T FOREIGN INFLUENCE. AND IF ANYTHING, THIS HELPS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR GREATER ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. I JUST KNOW THAT IF THIS THING GOES HAYWIRE IN FIVE YEARS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMING IN HERE WANTING TO HANG US FOR NOT KNOWING ABOUT IT. SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION. I'LL STILL BE HERE. THEY'LL HANG ME FIRST. YOU'LL PROBABLY BE ON ONE OF ELON MUSK'S ROCKET SHIPS, BE MY GUESS. THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES THIS COMPATIBLE WITH ME IS THE LAND USE SITUATION. THE LAND IS NOT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVE AT ALL. THE PHILOSOPHY IN THIS COUNTY, TOO. PROTECT THE LAND THAT IS PRODUCTIVE. SO I DON'T THINK IN THIS SITUATION WE'RE LETTING ANYBODY DOWN WITH THAT PROMISE. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT HERE. DECOMMISSIONING IS A BIG DEAL. IT'S GOING TO TAKE FIVE TO SEVEN TIMES THE MONEY TO DECONDITION THIS THING THAN IT DOES TO BUILD IT. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THOSE PANELS EXCEPT BURY THEM SOMEWHERE. THEY CAN'T BE SALVAGED OR THE MATERIALS CAN'T BE OBTAINED. SO ANYWAY, THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVE THINGS AND THERE'S A FEW POSITIVES. A LOT OF THE MATERIALS I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW DURING THE SPECIAL USE PROCESS THAT A LOT OF THE MATERIALS WE WOULD TRY TO AND THERE ARE WAYS TO RECYCLE THEM. BECAUSE IT'S GLASS, IT'S STEEL. I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION. I DON'T MEAN TO BE DETRIMENTAL, BUT YOU'RE FROM CALIFORNIA, BUT YOU'RE COMING TO VIRGINIA TO DO THIS. YOU RUN OUT OF SUNSHINE IN CALIFORNIA? YES, BUT WE ALSO ARE CONSTRAINED. I MEAN, IS THERE LIMITATIONS? CALIFORNIA IS AN OCTOPUS THAT IS TIED UP IN KNOTS. YOU CAN'T DO THIS IN CALIFORNIA? WE HAVE DONE QUITE A FEW IN CALIFORNIA. WE HAVE DONE PROJECTS IN ACTUALLY... ABOUT 12 STATES AND DOMINION RIGHT NOW FOR THE RIGHT TYPE OF PROJECT LIKE THIS PROJECT, IT IS VERY FERTILE SOIL FOR MORE ENERGY THAT DOMINION JUST NEEDS BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS. YOU KNOW, WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, OUR NEED FOR ENERGY, PERSONALLY I THINK THERE'S A PLACE FOR SOLAR ENERGY. BUT I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE REGULATED. IN TERMS OF THIS PROJECT, I THINK IT'S GOOD AS WHERE IT IS. [01:25:01] AND YOU'VE ALSO HAD ALL THE OTHER STANDARDS THAT OUR ORDINANCE REQUESTS. I'M SORT OF AN ADVOCATE. YEAH, I AGREE WITH THAT CONCEPT. YOU KNOW, IN OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTY OVER HERE IN SUSSEX, THERE ARE NOW 11 ACTIVE. SOLAR APPLICATIONS. ARE YOU PART OF ANY PART OF THAT GROUP? NO, WE'RE NOT. OKAY. AND YOU KNOW, THE OFFERS ARE VERY LUCRATIVE. I'LL SHARE THIS. I GOT THIS LETTER YESTERDAY WANTING TO PUT SOLAR ON MY LAND AT $1,500 AN ACRE PER YEAR, FOREVER, AS LONG AS IT'S THERE. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. YOU KNOW, YOU ARE HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED BY FEDERAL FUNDS, I BELIEVE, AND MAYBE EVEN STATE FUNDS, TOO. BUT I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IS... THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED. I'M NOT GOING TO CONSIDER THIS, BUT I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW. IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GET RID OF THEIR LAND, $1,500 A YEAR PER ACRE IS A LOT OF MONEY. SO, IN OTHER WORDS, THESE THINGS ARE BEING BOUGHT, AND THEY'RE BEING, I BELIEVE, PREYED ON PEOPLE WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, DON'T CARE ABOUT THE LAND AND WANT TO GET RID OF IT. SO, ALL RIGHT, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT AS FAR AS THE DECOMMISSIONING. JIMMY WHITE COULD DECOMMISSION IT IN A COUPLE WEEKS WITH ALL THAT EQUIPMENT HE'S GOT. I DON'T THINK WE'D HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. HE'S A LANDOWNER WITH A CONSTRUCTION. AND HE WOULD HELP US, I THINK, ALSO WITH THE SITING, THE CIVIL WORK. BUT NOW I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE SITE. I THINK IT'S A GOOD FIT. OKAY, IF I HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. WELL, THIS IS A PROCESS THAT WILL TAKE US ONE MORE STEP. CONSIDERING THE PREDICAMENT THAT WE'RE IN, I SEE IT AS A HEDGE. SO I WOULD APPROVE THIS TONIGHT. MAKE THAT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION, SIR. AS LONG AS NOBODY OUT THERE HAS GOT A GUN. IS THAT A MOTION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY. [12. Economic Development – Mr. Karl Heck] ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE RIGHT ALONG. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. MR. CARL HECK. I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW TO TOP THAT, BUT I WILL TRY. SO THE, UM, START WITH THE MRS. LOWE. I DON'T THINK I MENTIONED BEALE FARM THIS TIME AROUND, BUT IT IS NOW A TIER 4. VIRGINIA CERTIFIED BUSINESS READY SITE, SO THAT'S NOW UP ON VIRGINIA SCAN. THAT WILL BE OUT IN OUR NEWSLETTER, AND WE'RE GETTING THAT OUT TO PEOPLE SO THAT THE COMMERCE AND LOGISTICS PARK IS ON ITS WAY TO THE SAME STATUS. SO AS SOON AS THE LAST PART OF THAT IS DONE, WE'LL HAVE BOTH OF THOSE SITES AVAILABLE FOR AND HOPEFULLY READY TO GO FOR BUSINESS SOON. WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE BROADBAND EVENT. SO IN AUGUST, THERE WILL BE A FINALE TO THE BROADBAND PROGRAM, SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR. A COUPLE PEOPLE, I THINK WE'VE GOT A LINE ON SOMEBODY IN AGRICULTURE TONIGHT AND SOMEBODY FROM THE BOARD TO TALK AT THE BROADBAND EVENT IN AUGUST. SO WE'LL BE RECRUITING FOR THAT. WE HAVE A NEW INCUBATOR KITCHEN THAT STARTED UP JUST PART OF SOUTH HAMPTON, STARTED UP FRANKLIN SOUTH HAMPTON AT THE FOOD BANK IN FRANKLIN. SO IF PEOPLE HAVE A FOOD PROCESSING BUSINESS THAT THEY WANT TO TRY OUT, BRITTANY RAWLINGS, THAT'S A WAY THAT THEY CAN RENT SPACE FROM HER. USE A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN THAT JANE FRIES MENTIONED, THE NEW MUSEUM. SO WE'RE AT THE PER DAY FORMAL NEXT COMMUNITY VISIONING EVENT WE'RE PLANNING FOR MID-SEPTEMBER. YOU'LL START SEEING THE NEW LOGO AND BRANDING COMING OUT, BUT THAT WILL BE THE FORMAL FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM. THAT'S OUR BIG REPORT FOR THIS MONTH, SO IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE GLAD TO TAKE THEM. I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I [01:30:02] HAVE ONE. WE'RE CHAIRMEN OF A COMMITTEE THAT WAS... GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO PREPARE SOME SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THE 250TH BIRTHDAY OF JULY 4TH? THE VA 250 COMMITTEE IS COORDINATING WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ON VARIOUS ACTIVITIES TOWARD THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION PERIOD, YES. CAN YOU GIVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY ARE? THE JULY 4TH EVENTS? YEAH, THERE'S SEVERAL IN THE COMMUNITY. THERE'S THE POWWOW AT THE SHARON AND IVOR NEWSOM'S. ARE HAVING JULY 4TH EVENTS, AS IS THE SOUTH HAMPTON MOTOR SPEEDWAY. AND FRANKLIN'S HAVING THEIR STAND. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS OUT THERE FOR MR. HECK? ALL RIGHT, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MISCELLANEOUS [13. Miscellaneous correspondence] CORRESPONDENCE. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DISCUSS? YEAH, VERY IMPORTANT BIRTHDAY COMING UP, 250TH BIRTHDAY OF OUR COUNTRY. I HOPE EVERYBODY ENJOYS IT, EVERYBODY CELEBRATES, EVERYBODY HAS A SAFE HOLIDAY. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR... HERE? MOTION TO ADJOURN? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.