Welcome to the James Exchange: Monday Matters September 13, 2021. I am your host, Nancy Gill. In today’s episode, I spoke with Matt Lawless, the Town of Scottsville’s Administrator, on this evening’s agenda items.
The Town Council meets at 7:00. Due to the upsurge in Covid-19 cases, they have opted for a hybrid meeting presentation which is allowed under Virginia law. You may join via ZOOM at:
Remote access is available online at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88059894673 pwd=WjVFTzhBOEtlbVpwbnE5Mzhab21OQT09#success
or call 301-715-8592, then enter meeting ID 880 5989 4673 and passcode 1744.
I spoke with Matt on Friday, September 10 for highlights on this evening’s meeting.
Matt & Nancy: Good morning. Good morning, Matt. It's almost not morning anymore. So, I'm catching up on what we discussed last week, which came out on Tuesday. We had a conversation basically on these meetings coming up with the planning commission and the planning commission did meet this past Tuesday. What was the feeling of the meeting?
Matt: It was a really productive meeting. Shari Lambert did a wonderful job. In the role of chair. She managed the time very well and spent a good chunk of the meeting on feedback from the public. It was a very respectful meeting. We got a good technical briefing from Justin Shimp, the engineer representing these new applications. We'll take our time to figure out all the details on it, but Planning Commission felt it was important to hear more from the public and get all the questions out here on these projects. So, they have their formal public hearing next month, October 4th. Folks who are interested in learning about these special use permits and sharing their views can definitely tune in, participate on October 4th.
Nancy: Moving on. One thing I was really excited to see was the expansion of the CSX project. This harkens back to way before my time as mayor trying to get the train station rehabbed to a place where it's saved and it's aesthetically pleasing to people coming in. So, talk to me about how that came about and what plans there may be for it.
Matt: Oh, well, you might know better about how it came about than I did. That was one of the first introductions that you made to me was CSX staff. It’s been a partnership that's been years in the making, but the Architectural Review Board served CSX with a poor condition notice about the state of the Depot that we're worried about the future historic preservation of that building and CSX response was, well, maybe we can work together on the preservation of it. I'm not quite sure what to make of this offer that we, we, we told CSX, we're not satisfied with the condition of your building and their response is, well, would you like to take over the maintenance of it yourself and keep it looking the way you want it to? So the offer is for the town staff and volunteers to have permission to work around the Depot, do paint and carpentry work the way that we see fit, but not open it to the public as a museum or anything, and not interfere with CSX Israel, operations. I’m not sure that that’s the best, the best deal for what we want to do, but it’s a good step. I’m glad CSX is interested in working with us.
Nancy: Well, that's actually the deal that I tried to come up with them back in 2016.
Matt: So, this looks like progress?
Nancy: It looks like progress to me. And, I think maybe ACE might be able to get some materials donated. I don't know, I'm just putting it out there. They may not be in a position to be able to do that. We have a lot of contractors in the area. Perhaps they want it looking better, just like we do. And, maybe a couple of weekends, we can get some volunteers.
Matt: Yeah. We're, we're, we're looking at soffit and trim board and a coat of paint and the old railroad colors, and it would be looking nice.
Nancy: How is the roof on it?
Matt: I went inside and it's not leaky CSX uses it for active storage. So, they're interested in a good roof.
Nancy: Well, before I go onto Green Infrastructure, how are the native plantings along the ditch, which was a part of the original canal coming?
Matt: Now that's in progress. Wild Ginger Field Services. Nicola McGoff’s approach to this is really interesting to me when she inspected that site, they're closer to the river from route six, just outside the flood gate. She was fascinated by it. And she described this as being some of the best undisturbed, bland around town, and almost 200 years that property has had only two owners, the canal company, and then the railroad. And, it's never been excavated. It's never been messed with. And so, when she went and poked around under the Johnson grass, she found all manner of unusual native plants, which have been in this undisturbed habitat for the better part of 200 years. She’s very interested in carefully removing the weeds and restoring some of the hardy, perennials, and natives that are there. It’s slow going and it's cleaned up a little bit. It doesn't look like a big difference, but she's gradually learning about what old species are there and restoring them. So, it really is an important little biodiversity project, right at the edge of town in a forgotten little piece of land.
Nancy: I didn't know that. I just knew that it was a remnant of the canal and we should do something to recognize that since that's what built the town. Now going on to the green infrastructure center, they are working on possible rehabs or excavating the riverfront there by the boat landing.
Matt: That's right. I don't have a whole lot to share on that one because they're still finishing up the boards and t presentations. So, I don't have what they're going to show on Monday. The teaser is that we're working together to think about a more useful and appealing riverfront is a big reason why people come to Scottsville. In a lot of ways, it's a neglected piece of land. With the river coming and down, it gets muddy. The parking pattern doesn't make sense. You come, you put in your boat and you leave. It’s not a landscaping that we take very seriously. It doesn't look like a piece of property that we're proud of as a reason for being in town. We want to try to invest in that. Green Infrastructure Center is going to help us with some recommendations on plantings, traffic flow, cleaning that site up so that it looks and functions better.
Nancy: Do you think that town residents or people can go there and sit at some point? I know that's been a bone of contention. I think it's the Department of Inland games and Fishery that has a lease on it. Are they going to loosen up there?
Matt: There’s a couple of different ways that we can go about this. One is by contracting with them more clearly. If we're helping to maintain the site, then we have a say in what the rules on it are, but there's also, I think, differences of interpretation. I was real tickled on a recent trip towards DC. Burke lake in Fairfax, they have a sign where it said it's a public fishing lake managed by DGIF, but it's got all these other trails and boats and things around that you can do there. And, it says the lake was built with fishing license dollars and is managed exclusively for fishing. Other uses are allowed only if they do not interfere with fishing, not to say that you can't do it, but as long as me having a picnic, doesn't get in the way of your, of your casts.
Nancy: That sounds good. And Green Infrastructure we'll be presenting Monday night.
Matt: Yes, exactly what Jessica Huang and Karen Firehawk, wonderful planners. I've enjoyed working with them, and I'm glad their office is right here in town.
Nancy: I want to discuss three other things with you. One is the Columbia gas franchise. Just give us a quick synopsis of what that is.
Matt: In the quirk of state law. The gas utility means a local ordinance, giving them permission to operate and do business in town. They're not a public utility like the water, and it's not an unregulated do whatever you want kind of business-like internet is in between where the town can grant the monopoly and regulate the conditions where the company can do this. Our old agreement has expired, excuse me, and we need to renew it.
Nancy: Okay. So, this is just a bookkeeping thing. Yes. Okay. And the last, well, next to the last is the Albemarle County revenue issue we've been having for quite a few years now. Just again, just something quick. So, people know what that's about.
Matt: It's important for the town and county staff to work together, comparing data and notes on revenue. There's a number of taxes where we pass money back and forth to each other, or we rely on data sharing so that we each get the money that we're entitled to under the law without errors. And we have a couple of areas that we know about. One is in the town's favor. The other is not, but there's not a central memo of agreement of how we're going to do these things. And when, especially when there's staff turnover, which both town and county have had, it's easy to lose track of. Who's supposed to be doing what and get mistakes in their count and county staff think it would be good if we formalize that a little bit, reduce the risk of mistakes, and tidy up the bookkeeping.
Nancy: Okay. And then the itinerant business license?
Matt: We'll hear some feedback from the chamber of commerce at this meeting? I think they were going to survey some of their membership on it. Our rates on this are pretty high. And as far as I can tell, the only company that ever paid the $500 annual peddler's license was to run the flea markets on our show that we used to have. And I'm, I feel bad about that. I've heard, I've heard folks say how much they appreciated those three markets and wish we got him back. And I don't know that the town was helping to sustain that by charging them $500 a year. It's probably the case that if we had a lower fee, we would get more pop-up businesses. Now the risk is, you know, competition with our brick and mortars. If you're working really hard to run a restaurant day in and day out, maybe you don't want a food truck popping up on your busiest day and competing directly with you. But I think it's, it's legitimate to protect our brick and mortars in some way, but maybe the fees should be less than $500.
Nancy: I don't have a comment since I'm no longer in the decision-making process. I think, you know, that is basically it. Is there anything going on? I know that Sherry Lambert is the new chair of the planning commission, and you are still too down on Town Council.
Matt: That's right. The recruiting for Town Council is an important step and a big opportunity. So, if anyone's interested in public service here, this is a good opportunity to step up and try.
Nancy: And you had two people interested. Have you gotten any more?
Matt: Nothing else in writing yet, but there's still time. Okay.
Nancy: And anybody interested in stepping up to the planning commission?
Matt: Yes. So, I did hear, I did hear interest in that right now. Our planning commission vacancy is the council member. Um, but it's possible that if someone from the planning commission went to Town Council, then we would have a vacancy on Planning Commission. So, trying to try and to keep ourselves fully staffed there. And I'm thinking ahead.
Nancy: Is there anything else you want to share?
Matt: That's pretty good right now. This is a fairly busy work session agenda. I think we're in good shape to keep these things moving.
Nancy: Great. Okay. Well, thanks, Matt. Don't go away.
Matt: Thank you so much, Nancy. I appreciate you sharing the good word here.
I want to end this episode with a few comments Shari Lambert, the newly elected Planning Commission chair, made during last Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting. First, she opened the with a warm welcome to everyone:
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to this September 7th meeting of the planning commission tonight. And thank you so much for taking the time to join us either by zoom or in person. We really do appreciate your time and your investment in the town of Scottsville. So thank you very much.”
Secondly, she made the following statement to Justin Shimp, the representative for the Virginia Land Company:
“If I could add to, to do list, I like to recommend to you and your staff, that you find a creative way to give out a set percentage of these homes which are going to be under the $300,000 mark. And whether that is $280,000 to $285,000 or something that there is within these communities, the opportunity for someone to get in there in under $300,000. I appreciate business, and the fact that you run a business to make a profit, but at the same time, there has to be some of that in this community, because right next to Blenhelm is the last major construction in our town, which, you know, this on Pine and Holly and those homes were built in the sixties.
So that's the last footprint we've had made here in this town. And we really need to see some common space for these types of things, where people are being heard, and really want to get into the market. They are desperate to get a foot in that time or to be able to downsize and manage their retirement in a dignified way and where they can really still afford housing that's nice and live independently. And so, if you could work with us on that and really have that as one of your goals, that would be helpful because I know a lot to people who are trying to do here and trying to, to obtain a home in that price range.”
More on this later. To listen to the entire Planning Commission’s September 7, 2021 meeting click on this link:
The James Exchange: Monday Matters 9.13.2021