It's a quiet time at the Board of Supervisors. The big controversy over the flood plain ordinance is over. The Comprehensive Plan is what it is, and the amendments made satisfied the worst objections. The County Attorney missed out on his big chance to get extra extra rich defending the county over the flood plain lawsuits. And Charlie Hoke figured out what he could say that would make him sound like he was in tune with the will of the People.
At the end of the last Board meeting, Supervisor Hoke introduced a proposal to deny county services to illegal immigrants. Lee McWhorter, who makes it his function to provide the comic relief at these meetings, suggested that we should check to see if we have any illegal immigrants before we waste the money paying the county attorney to write something up. Tommy LaFrance said we do, because the school board was forced to hire Spanish tutors for them last year. (I don't think that's exactly what he said, remember I'm just a citizen taking notes, and I write down things as I hear them, which is not necessarily exact. My reports are not minutes of the meetings.)
Lee pointed out that other counties who have done this have ended up paying lawyer money to defend themselves over it, and it would be a shame to spend our money that way if it's not really much of a problem.
The meeting wasn't really about this issue -- it was about the dogs at Brenda Jolly's place and about the passing of the Comprehensive Plan more. There were a lot of people there, which was a very good thing. But, although this was just a short comment at the very end, it got a big front page headline in the Page News.
Why? Because most probably, it's a very popular proposal. A lot of people will agree with it, and not many will oppose it. So Charlie Hoke, who made his constituents so angry at the district meeting over the Comprehensive Plan in his district, when he opposed the changes to the Comprehensive Plan about the flood plain -- made them so angry there was murmuring and aggravation so intense that some people started looking up the rules for how to impeach a Supervisor --- pulls himself out of the hot seat by:
1. voting unanimously with the rest of the Board FOR the changes to the Comprehensive Plan, and
2. introducing this illegal immigrants proposal which gets him front page news AND HIS PICTURE in the paper. Although the picture doesn't really look like him. Where's the little beard?
In any case, a lot of people will think "Charlie Hoke -- isn't he the guy who introduced that legislation for the county against illegal immigrants?" and will feel kindly toward him.
Honestly, I can't even think of an argument FOR providing county services to illegal immigrants. I think most people, if you tell them we are hiring special tutors in the schools and providing emergency services to people who came here illegally would say --- "Yo, Not with MY tax dollars, I hope".
I think Charlie came up with a winner, in terms of introducing something that most people will agree with. Although I surely hope we don't have to get involved with lawsuits over it.
Alice
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The Three-Ring Circus
in the towns of Luray, Stanley, and Shenandoah Virginia
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- Page County Watch is a citizens organization formed to assist the members of the Page County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to know what their citizens want. We help them understand the issues. We began as a group of about 45 citizens who were hyperventilating about the proposed Flood Plain Ordinance. Until that happened, we ignored county government, just like you and all our neighbors probably do. After that disaster almost took our homes, we realized, we can't be complacent about what our county government might be doing. Our Home Page is at http://www.PageCountyWatch.org You can contact us at research@PageCountyWatch.org
10 comments:
This is on the issue of the new recycling plant purpose in the county. This operation is already in operating in the county and I haven't seen 80 new jobs and if you are fortunate to be able to see this horrible site of trash, you wouldn't want it staying in the county. From what I have seen there are a few workers there but the majority seem to be illegals or day labors, and the pile of debris looks like the county landfill gone bad, with know type of environmental step taken to protect the property. It is currently operating as a so called chipping mill which was brought in overnight and set up illegally for a couple of months before they where turned in to the county. Then the county issued them a special use permit for a chipping operation not a recycling operation which it has been since it started. If you would like to see this operation look to your right as soon as you turn onto Battlecreek road from 211 West and thru the trees you'll see the mound of garbage the size of football field and 3 or 4 stories high. I think it is good to recycle but where was this company in operation 6 or 8 months ago and why all of a sudden is Page County the place they want to settle. There is always a hidden reason and I think that someone need to investigate futher before they give it the green light. This sounds like another landfill deal, because everyone thinks that this is the best thing that Page County has every seen. Someone ask to see the companies payroll, and check into some of the surrounding semaliar operations, and see what they are paying and how many employee they staff. Please INVESTIGATE
I would suggest that you call your supervisor and express your concerns if you beleive this is an issue.
Anonymous, what I understand about the new plant is that the operation began as a chipping mill, as you pointed out, but was not operating in accordance with the zoning for that area. That's the reason the county shut them down temporarily. The company agreed to relocate to an industrial area, and a building is being either renovated or built for them in that place. Because it will take a while to get that building and land area ready, they have been given permission to continue to operate for a time period (I think it's a year) during their preparation to move. The mounds of garbage that built up only occurred because of the county's shut down. During that shut down period, they were not able to process it so that it would be removed. They committed to getting that mound processed and out of there within a few weeks, at the Supervisors meeting.
The green light has already been given to this operation, and it will continue to work there until the new location is ready.
There are only 11 employees now. The plan for 80 jobs is a future plan, not a current status.
As described, the business does sound like a very good business for the county. There was a Planning Commission meeting where the business was described as a recycling operation that does things that help companies like Emco to better handle their waste. At the time, the audience actually broke into applause when the business was described. I sure thought it sounded good.
You are right that things like this should be investigated. It is important to know if that mound of trash does get processed in a few weeks, like they promised. And it is important to know that they are moving toward relocating with reasonable haste. It's also important to see growth in jobs, and not illegal alien jobs, brought into the county.
It's definitely my opinion, and probably the one and only issue where I agree with my District 1 Supervisor, Charlie HOke, that the last thing we need is jobs brought in here but given to illegals, rather than to Page County residents.
Page County Watch is a citizens group. Those of us who post here are the investigators. I will keep an eye out for this, but I hope you will investigate, too, and report back to us what you find out.
I also agree that you should talk to your District Supervisor about your concerns. Although, this is an issue that has already been passed by the Board.
Your Supervisors are:
District 1, Charlie Hoke
District 2, John Rust
District 3, Charles Ballard
District 4, Gerald Cubbage,
District 5, Carol Lee Strickler
AT Large, Tommy LaFrance. If you are in District 3, you might want to call Mr. LaFrance rather than bother Mr. Ballard during his recovery from a stroke.
I will post anything I learn about this, and I hope you will, too.
Alice
This pile of trash has been at this location since the start and not because that county shut them down, and even when they where not suppose to be in operation til county approval they operated late at night under the cover of darkness. I just hope that the county is not just going to give them this land and pay for or give them a bunch of freebies just to get a new business, if it where a respectful one it might be a good idea, but they haven't been acting like one from what I have seen. First they start without a proper operation permit. Two they recieved no VDOT entrace permit for a business. Third they violated the county shutdown order and operated at night. Forth they lied to the county stating that it was a chipping mill, when every since its start up there have been a pile of doors, pallets, metal, wood trim and various other construction waste, that is clearly not consistant with a chipping mill operation. This is a recycling operation that is ran in not a good or enviromentally safe way. The debris can blow onto surrounding property, and who know if any of this material has any type of hazardous chemicals that could harm the water, since it is open to rain and water runoff and there is a stream on both sides of the pile within about 100' at the current location. Will update more later.
Interesting. This shows the importance of having people watch the agendas of the county meetings. There was a public hearing for public comments about this business, and there was one, maybe two, people who came and protested the pile of trash, but the Supervisors were told that the trash just built up during the shutdown period, and were promised it would be cleared away in ten operating days after the permit was reopened.
Please keep us updated. If anyone else reading this knows about it, let us know. Also, Tom Cardman, if you are out there reading this . . . chime in!
I was just by the location last week and was still able to see the mound of trash from Battlecreek Rd. On the issues of the meeting, I was informed that the peoples voice was really not taken to ear at the first meeting with the planning commision, all I know is that I wouldn't want to have to look at that pile of waste/trash beside my property, and if anyone on the board was the neighbor it would have been gone before it started. Alot of this waste which used to go to the landfill, which they piled up and would have ground a few times a year, yes it saves on landfill space, but it also is a lose to the county in income that these companys would have to pay to dump their waste in the landfill, and there they at least have a liner and water control measure in place to protect water health and surrounding property owners. If they are allowed to open business I would hope they would have to keep everything indoors and there will need to be dust control measures in place, because if your ever in the area when they are grinding up this waste there is alot of dust being thrown into the air. We had a so called chipping mill in the county a few years back and the legal problems that caused we don't need this type of mess again. What this business is telling the county and the newspaper sound great if you don't know any better. Also having the other companies say what a great thing that this company is doing, and how they are saving space in the landfill by recycling. I guess so, because this increases their income by not having to pay for waste disposal at the landfill. Just don't let this be an expence to the county to help this business in anyway if they want to purchase the property from the county for full value price and pay to have a building built on the property and pay all the proper hookups themselves, then give them the Green light. Just make sure that there is alot of rules that they have to abide by like dust control, outside apperance. Because the recycling yards that I have seen tend to look more like a junk yard.
Thanks Again Alice for getting this site together, it is a great tool to let the resident of this county know whats going on.
You are really bringing up a good point. When they have these public hearings, the purpose is so that neighbors can come in and bring out stuff like this, but as things have been set up, people don't know this is happening, and they don't know to go to the meetings and talk about it.
One or two people did come, but their complaint about the pile of trash was answered that it would be gone in two weeks. That was definitely more than two weeks ago. I don't know how this stuff gets followed up. I think somebody has to complain, but I don't know the right place to complain to. I know that Dr. Cardman, who is the head of EConomic Development, is the person who knows the most about this business and is working with them. You could call him, using the county number 743-4142 and get the specifics. He would be a good place to start.
This is exactly the reason we started this website. There are public hearings, but the public doesn't know to come to them, or when, or what it's about. So then stuff gets passed, and the citizens look around and say, "wait, how did that happen?"
Please continue to let us know what is going on, and I will add the information to the main website as soon as we get some clarification.
Alice
I was at the town of Luray planning commission mtg.on july 23 and the conditions of the special use permit seem to address most or all of the issues thats been talked about. all the processing / chipping will be done inside all materials waiting to be processed will be stored outside in tractor trailer's or inside the building, also after they have been processed they will be stored the same way.The town planners seem to have all the bases covered, as far as the cost of the property I hope we are not donating it, I'll have to check on that and blog back, its good to always ask questions, hopefully it helps keep every one honest.
I talked to Tom Cardman today the county's economic director, and he said the economic developement authority has not discussed the terms relative to whether the property will be sold or otherwise, at this point it is an unknown.
THE FEDS PROVIDE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE MONEY (ESL). IT IS INSUFFICIENT BUT IT IS THERE AND EARMARKED FOR ESL INSTRUCTION. CHARLIE FINALLY SAID SOMETHING I AGREE WITH........UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS TAKEN HIM 6 YEARS TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING BESIDES "WE HAVE TO STUDY THIS" F O R E V E R.. EXCEPT OF COURSE THE FLOOD PLAIN FIASCO.
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