Mayor Smith Isn't Mincing Words

Good Monday Morning everyone in the Greater Scottsville area. This is the James Exchange, and I am your host, Nancy Gill.

As I have reported on numerous occasions through this podcast, change is afoot in Scottsville. Primarily through special use permits that have been recommended to Council by the Planning Commission. The applications for the Upper Bird and Blenheim Heights developments are now under the purview of Council. 

Items on the agenda for the meeting this evening are:

1. Best practices in community engagement and public comment

2. b) Call public hearings on planning commission reportage (for 12/20, 1/17, or a special meeting)

3. Zoning text amendment, section 17, state model floodplain ordinance •

4. Zoning text amendment, section 4.11, parking requirements on historic Main Street • 

5. Zoning map amendment, Commercial, 153 James River Road • Special use permit, Village 

6. Residential cluster, Blenheim Road • Special use permit Village Residential cluster, Bird Street 

7. Memorandum of agreement with Albemarle County on Vehicle License Fees

At last weeks’ meeting Mayor Smith did not hold back on his feelings of the vacancies on Town Council, Planning Commission, and the Architectural Review Board.

Excerpt from Mayor Smith’s Report 11.8.2021:
Now our Council member and Planning Commission chairman has resigned. There's sort of two parts to this story and the first part is more personal. So, I'm not even going to talk about that. The second part is public. And, this is what's really gotten me upset. With the talk about developing property in town and around town, the Planning Commission chairman has been approached numerous times on the street and in her front yard by some citizens of Scottsville who have made threats…intimidated.

And it's just not like the people of Scottsville…they don't go around harassing and intimidating a volunteer member of Council. It's just not, you know, it reminded me of some of these school board meetings you see on the news where somebody wants to get in a fist fight outside.

And then, directly they have, intimidated and threatened to get the Council members. All of you and me, I guess. Because they said things to her, like we know where you live. If this thing passes, you know, we'll take care of it. Just things that you wouldn't expect residents of Scottsville …and it came to a point where phone calls or texts late at night. So, the Lamberts have put their house on the market.

They're leaving, we're losing a good member of our community, two good members of our community. We're losing a very knowledgeable Planning Commission, chairman and Council member. And I just think that the people of Scottsville…It's like, you know, one bad apple just puts a whole blemish on the whole pile. And, you know, the 99.9% of the people in Scottsville are nice, decent, honest, care for your neighbor people, but there are three or four out there that have shown themselves to be real jerks.

So for that reason, we have a vacancy on council a vacancy on the planning commission. And no matter what your position is on any development, it's just a real shame that we have lost somebody as talented as Shari Lambert to the taunts. And, and I don't even know the right word to use, intimidation by people that can't see how the process works, that it, if we were to pass something for 20 houses, it would five years from now, there might be two or three built.

It's a long drawn out process. And, the public has every chance in the world to put their input. They don't have to do it on the street in a threatening manner to a member of our Planning Commission. And I just hope these people will come around to their senses…if they represent anything, it’s at most the minority of Scottsville. It's not the majority. So that's my report. And I just, thank Shari for all she's done for us in the brief time she's been here. And if anybody has any questions, we'll be glad to answer.

Vice Mayor Gritsko:
Mr. Mayor. I was just going to say, I appreciate your words, as I've already mentioned to you, I'm going to speak on the subject the same subject a little bit later, and I thank you too, for the follow-up that you've given Ms. Lambert to, to try to be helpful. And I regret that this, this situation happened that didn't better understand it when it was happening. This is not the kind of thing I agree with you that we would want to have happen in our town.

The Council will take action on this issue through the best practices in community engagement and public comment which is on the agenda.

Our neighbors to the South, in Buckingham, have approved an application from Apex Clean Energy for a solar generating facility on Weyerhauser property on a vote of four to two. They have approved a public hearing on an additional special use permit for Impact Power Solutions for a second facility located in the County.

Meetings for the Town of Scottsville and Buckingham County can be viewed on their respective  YouTube channels.

There is much going on throughout the Greater Scottsville Area, and I will have more on Buckingham later.

Have a great week.