The Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors met on Oct. 14 to discuss various issues, primarily related to grants, equipment and water.
Regulators approved the purchase of a new compressor for $35,348.10 for the Worsham Convenience Site. Because the cost exceeded $20,000, the purchase required board approval.
The current Worsham compressor is more than 25 years old, largely rusted and has numerous electrical problems, supervisors noted during the project meeting. They had to decide whether to buy a new device, carry out a major overhaul of the old device or I just keep the old one as surplus for spare parts.
Supervisors approved a $45,000 fee proposal from LaBella for the state-mandated, five-year update to the county's waste management plan, due in January 2027. Members also voted to continue trying to sell the pine logs at the landfill, a discussion that first came up at the September meeting.
Supervisors received a request from Jonathan Yates for Arcola Towers for a special use permit to build a 197-foot-tall self-supporting communications tower on a site off Industrial Park Road. Following a public hearing during the Oct. 14 meeting, supervisors approved the special use permit for Arcola Towers to build the tower on property designated Tax Map Parcel 023B-2-2 at 85 SMI Way, Farmville.
The board received an update from Sekou Abdus-Sabur, owner of 5 Pillar Meats. The company's grand opening took place in September at the County Business Park. The economic development and tourism report included a strategic economic development plan presentation to the Chamber of Commerce, informational tour meetings of the 5 Pillar Meats location and strategic meetings in September.
Another issue revolved around a vacancy on the local Building Code Appeal Board due to the resignation of Thomas Frisbie-Fulton.
The supervisor agreed to appoint John Hrubos to the county's local Building Code Board of Appeals and approved vacancies on the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. The term of office of the current incumbents ends on December 31st.
At the meeting, supervisors also agreed:
The budget development plan for the 2027 financial year, the district and school budget.
An appropriation of $1,000 to the sheriff for animal care donations
A Tobacco Commission grant of $75,000 to 5 Pillar Meats
A refund of the $88,100 Tobacco Commission grant to the Industrial Development Authority.
Based on County Administrator Doug Stanley's report, the board learned the following:
Advertisement – The county's YouTube channel address has been changed to @PrinceEdward1754 to distinguish it from Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Land Use Taxation – The Secretary of the Treasury will use the State Land Evaluation Advisory Council's values for the land use program this year. SLEAC values are developed by Virginia Tech. This year, the value of agricultural land in the program will drop from $700 per acre to $400 per acre. The value of properties in the program will decrease from $9,910,544 to $5,662,168. This will reduce the amount of property tax collected in 2025 by approximately $15,000.
Emergency Radio System – The County received notice that Dominion has approved the use of its tower at Milnwood and 3rd Street for County use. Staff is currently working on draft leases for all three locations – Dominion, Leigh Mountain and Verizon – and should complete them in the fall.
VDOT/Rural Rustic Projects – The Virginia Department of Transportation is completing work on the Rice Creek, Junction Canal and Quail Crossing road projects. Stanley said he completed the projects last week with Scott Frederick, a VDOT engineer. The Junction Canal and Rice Creek projects were completed and the Quail Crossing project was just completed.
Worsham Convenience Site – The contractor installed fill to bring the site up to grade, poured the grade-separated retaining walls, and began pouring the concrete dumpster pads. He said the project remains on budget and on schedule.
Firefighter Support Grant – Last month, the county received news that it had been awarded a $135,069.73 grant to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mobile air trailers for volunteer fire departments. A previous grant of $14,000 supported the project from the Office of Fire Programs. Supervisors approved the purchase of a SCBA air trailer for the county's seven volunteer fire departments at a total cost of $157,679.23, of which $149,069.73 was funded by FEMA and Fire Programs Grants and the balance of $8,609.50 was paid by the county.
In general services project news, Stanley reported that the seal coat and striping in the courthouse parking lot was completed, the Commissioner of the Revenue flooring project was nearing completion, and the courthouse floor waxing project would be completed over several weekends in October.
Hazardous Materials Collection Day 2025 – Household hazardous waste will be picked up by residents in the parking lot behind the courthouse on Saturday, November 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Purple Heart County – The Board will hold a special meeting to honor veterans and Purple Heart recipients in Prince Edward County on November 6 at 6 p.m. at the Prince Edward County Courthouse.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for November 12th at 7 p.m.