by Madison White Franks
HEATHSVILLE—Following three public hearings, the Northumberland board of supervisors on May 10 approved a Virginia Department of Transportation secondary road plan, an expansion to a marina, and a permit to operate a nursery.
Northern Neck residency administrator Steve McKeever informed the board of the Secondary Six-Year-Plan and related construction budget for fiscal year 2019.
The budget totals $50,765 for 2019 and for the span of six years totals $286,123, said McKeever.
In the first year of the plan, VDOT will pursue improvement projects on Millwood Lane and Crosshills Road. The roads to be considered in upcoming years include Driftwood Trail; Bunker Hill, Waddeytown, Rogers Creek, Mantua, Gilliams and Clarktown roads; and Gill, Gascony, Guarding Point, Madge Marsh, Rogue Point, Fleets Cove and Ball lanes.
There will be enough funds to pave Madge Marsh and Rogue Point in fiscal year 2019 if the board approves them, said McKeever. This would clear up gravel roads in Remo, he said.
District 4 supervisor Tommy Tomlin moved to approve the plan with the addition of Madge Marsh and Rogue Point in 2019 and District 1 supervisor Joe Self seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, 5-0, with support from District 2 supervisor Richard Haynie, District 3 supervisor Jim Long, District 5 supervisor Ronnie Jett, Tomlin and Self.
By unanimous vote, supervisors also authorized:
• Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club to expand its marina at the end of Fairway Drive in Indian Creek Estates, adding seven new wet slips on an unnamed cove of Indian Creek.
• Stephanie Cockrell to operate a nursery on an agricultural parcel at 7851 Jessie duPont Memorial Highway near Heathsville.
During the regular meeting, electoral board secretary Joe Schlatter “raised a stink” about sewer gas in the voter registrar’s office. He indicated they would smell sewer gas last fall that would burn their eyes and nose.
“When it got that bad in the registrar’s office, there were also some complaints with the tax assessor and the treasury department,” he said.
He said a contractor came in and got rid of the odor for a while but it crept back a month later. Then in February someone came and emptied around 30 to 40 gallons of deodorant into the system, which really helped, he said.
“It is beginning to creep back in,” he said. “We appreciate the previous action that has been taken but the problem is not going away and it is beginning to come back.”
“We’re in election season and we work with the public,” said Schlatter.
County administrator Luttrell Tadlock said they will continue working with plumbers to address the issue.
The board also adopted a resolution recognizing the week of May 20-26 as EMS Week and a proclamation recognizing May 19-25 as Safe Boating Week.
