Dear Neighbors,
The District 5 Report is designed to keep you up to date on activities in and around our area. Residents and homeowner associations are encouraged to share the information with others in their communities. I will gladly add you to the distribution list upon request to either tgshep@cox.net or shepperd@yorkcounty.gov. Please include your name and home address in the request. Comments and questions are always welcome.*
Regards,
Tom
Thomas G. Shepperd, Jr.
District 5 Representative
York County Board of Supervisors
(C) 757-903-1875
(H) 757-868-8591
--------------------October 2022 District 5 Report and Crime Watch Update--------------------
1. Voting Information:
a. Everything about the November 8, 2022, election can be found at www.yorkcounty.gov. On the red banner at the top of the County's home page select "Government" then Voter Registration. You can get answers to questions by calling the Registrar's Office at (757) 890-3340. The Washington Square office address is 5322 Geo. Wash. Mem. Hwy., Yorktown, VA 23692. Office hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Victory Village Location at 6614 Mooretown Road, Suite A Williamsburg, VA 23188, is only open on Tuesdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Washington Square and The Victory Village location are where you can vote early in person. Here are some key dates:
a. September 23 to November 5, 2022, early voting. Voting is available during normal business hours 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except on Saturday, October 29 and November 5th. The hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
b. October 17, 2022, is the last day to register to vote. You can register to vote, update and check your registration online. You can also register in person at the Tabb Library on Hampton Hwy. or at the Griffin-Yeates Center on Government Rd. in Williamsburg.
c. October 28, 2022, is the final day to apply for an absentee ballot. The request must be received by 5:00 p.m.
d. November 5, 2022, is the last day for in person early voting.
e. November 8, 2022, is Election Day. Polls open 6:00 a.m. and close promptly at 7:00 p.m.
b. When you go to the polls to vote, you must show an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID Confirmation Statement at the polls. More information about this can be found under "Voting on Election Day" on the Registrar's website.
c. What you will see on the November 8, 2022, ballot. This year there is a General and Special Election, which is reflected on the ballot. The General Election will be for the Member House of Representatives in the 1st District: the candidates listed in order on the ballot are Herbert C. Jones Jr. (D), Rob J. Wittman (R), and David Bruce Foster (I). The Special Election will be for the unexpired term of the previous Commonwealth's Attorney who left the position before his term ended. The candidate listed for this position is Krystyn L. Reid. Mrs. Reid is the current York-Poquoson Commonwealth Attorney and is filling the position that was vacated last year.
2. Personal Property Tax Rebate Update:
a. As promised in my July Report, the Board of Supervisors has taken action to rebate most if not all the increase in the personal property tax as it pertains to qualified motor vehicles. Passenger cars and trucks of less than 10,000 lbs. and vans listed in the J.D. Powers NADA Used Car Guide and Older Used Car Guide qualify. Personal property that does not qualify include farm machinery, manufactured homes, taxicabs, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, boat and utility trailers and boats. The rebate of your personal property tax will be reflected in your December 2022 personal property tax bill. As noted in the July District 5 Report, I anticipate that many but not all the December 2022 tax bills will be equal to or slightly lower than the December 2021 bill and substantially lower than the June 2022 tax bills.
b. You will be receiving your December bill in late October. In the meantime, if you would like an estimate of your rebate, the County Staff has created a 2022 Personal Property Tax Rebate Calculator that will give you a good estimation of your December 2022 tax bill. The Calculator can be found on the York County Treasurer's Office website. Go to www.yorkcounty.gov and on the red banner at the top of the page select "Government" then "Treasurer". You'll see the Calculator in the middle of the page. The Calculator can be a bit confusing. Make sure to have your 2022 Personal Property Tax bill that your received last December 2021. It has your account number, which you need to enter to get to your records. Once in the records, look for the blue "Details" button on the right side of the page. You will use some of the information in the "Details" for the Calculator. Once the tax bills are mailed out in October, the Calculator will be removed from the website.
3. Crime Watch Update:
a. Commonwealth Attorney Krystyn Reid - In 2022, the court system continued to recover from Covid-related delays and many serious cases that had been pending for quite some time were resolved. Jury trials returned with modifications that allow for social distancing for jurors and a video feed into another courtroom so that trials can be viewed by the public. We have also utilized video conferencing with the jails as an alternative to physically transporting inmates. Although Covid presented some hurdles for us, it also led to some innovation that has made our courts run more efficiently.
(1) Two homicide cases were resolved recently, one from 2018 and one from 2020. In both cases the offender and victim were known to each other. The case from 2018 was conducted as a weeklong jury trial resulting in a guilty conviction of First Degree Murder and an active prison sentence of 35 years. The 2020 case resulted in a guilty plea on charges of Second Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony. The individual charged in the case received an active sentence of 22 years. Both offenders will be on supervised probation when released from prison.
(2) York County continues to be one of the safest communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but we do have opportunistic folks who break the law. One crime we see frequently is breaking into and tampering with cars. In most cases, had the car been locked, the offender would have moved on to another car. Breaking into cars is almost always a misdemeanor and there is rarely more than $1,000 in items stolen, which would make the crime a felony. Two big hurdles in vehicle larceny cases are finding the perpetrator and victims not wanting to come to court when nothing was taken from their car, or the items were recovered. Our office will typically ask for some period of active time in jail in car break in cases. The amount of jail time requested will depend on a suspect's criminal history, the number of car break in cases, and the level of cooperation. Please do not store valuables or handguns in your car and please lock your cars at all times. Even though this crime is committed outside of the home, the homeowners frequently sense that the sanctity of their homes has been violated. Our proactivity can prevent us from becoming victims of crime.
(3) The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is staffed by eight attorneys, six support staff personnel and four victim witness advocates. Our office is based in the York-Poquoson Courthouse located in Historic Yorktown. We work closely with the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office to keep our community safe.
b. Major Montgomery, Chief Deputy York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office:
(1) Two most significant events:
(a) Justin Michael Carver, age 45, is accused of robbing the Old Point National Bank on Kiln Creek. During the robbery, he wielded a hatchet as a weapon. During the 10 days while on the run, law enforcement confiscated his truck and nearly had him cornered but he got away. The Sheriff's Office coordinated with out of state agencies and eventually Carver was captured by Illinois law enforcement. He has been charged with robbery with a weapon. The suspect has a long criminal record. He was previously arrested and convicted of robbing the same bank back in 2005. He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 to 20 years. In addition to the Kiln Creek robbery, he is also wanted for the robbery of an Old Point National Bank. I guess some people never learn.
(b) Shawn Rodney Tenkley, a resident of Tabb Lakes, was arrested September 28th on 27 counts of indecent liberty with a minor between the age of 13 and 15 during the period of January through March 2022. He is a Little League coach. It is important to note that the victim in this case was not a member of any of the teams Tenkley coached. He is being held without bond. If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (757) 890-4999 or Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
(2) We are starting to see a spike in Larceny from Vehicle cases. Of note are the number of Larceny cases that occur during the daytime in parking areas such as Walmart, the YMCA, the Library, and day care centers. The modus operandi of the criminal is twofold. First, they will walk around in a parking lot looking for items of interest left exposed in a car. Once they have identified the target car(s), they will return to their car, drive up behind or beside the target car, and either open the unlocked car or use a window breaker tool to enter the car. Once in, they grab what they wanted and quickly drive away. The second method involves watching women leave their cars without carrying a purse. This indicates to the criminal that the purse in still in the car. Once the woman has left the car and enters the store or day care, the criminals drive up, gain access to the inside of the car, take the purse and any other item of value, and drive off.
4. School Award – Tabb Elementary School is recognized as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Tabb Elementary was 1 of only 7 schools in Virginia and 1 of 297 schools across the nation to receive the award. To put these numbers into perspective, there are approximately 131,000 K-12 schools in the U.S.
The award was established in 1982 by the Secretary of Education Terrel Bell. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for and attaining exemplary achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. Tabb Elementary School is recognized as one of Virginia's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Grafton Bethel was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2010.
Quite often I hear that our schools are the primary reason families move to York County. In my 20 plus years of service as a York County Supervisor I have seen firsthand the tremendous impact that quality of education has on a community. Great schools lead to low crime, low taxes, and very good quality of life. Once again congratulations to parents, teachers, the School Board, School Staff, and especially the kids for their part in making York County a success.
5. HRSD Pressure Reducing Station (PRS) and Storage Tank Update – Design of the project is now 90% complete. The purpose of the project is to regulate pressure on the main sewer lines that run to the York River and James River Treatment plants. The project will keep sewer from overwhelming the treatment plants and dumping raw sewage into the rivers adjacent to the plants. The project will consist of a 2,500-foot building, much of it underground, containing the pumps, diverter values, deep well and backup generators. Near the pump building will be a 135-foot wide by 35-foot tall, 2.5-million-gallon tank that will hold sewage during periods of high use and rain events. The site of the project in on a 5-acre portion of land that is part of a larger 26.5-acre parcel purchase by HRSD and located behind Tabb High School and Fire Station 2. The entire parcel runs from Yorktown Road near the Victory Estate neighborhood to Victory Boulevard behind the Tabb Fire Station. The PRS and tank site is on the opposite side of the Dominion powerline away from the school and fire station. The site is 190 feet from the Holly Meade subdivision property boundary and 430 feet from the nearest home.
The project was nearly 50% design completion back in September 2021 when HRSD held its first public meeting. Based on input from the meeting, HRSD looked at potential alternate sites and design options. All the alternative sites were rejected either due to cost, disruption to the community, incompatibility of the site or a combination of all three factors. The near 90% design completion has incorporated significant changes such as the elimination of one of the two originally proposed tanks, installation of a high-end organic odor suppressor that will eliminate any smell, and a compressed site to minimize the negative visual impact. The project cost has nearly doubled. Originally, with two tanks the cost was estimated to be approximately $19 million. The project with one less tank is now projected to cost $34 million. Supply chain issues, material and labor cost are the drivers for the increase.
HSRD plans to conduct another public open house meeting very similar to the one in September 2021. The meeting will be in the late October or November timeframe. Announcement of the meeting will be via U.S. Mail, HRSD website, York County website, and email from me. HRSD plans to submit the project for bid in June 2023 with construction to begin in October 2023. The project is expected to be completed in April 2025.
This HRSD PRS and tank project is a by-right project. This means that the project will not come before the York County Board of Supervisors for approval. The project will need to meet state and local building codes and must be approved by the County staff before construction can begin. HRSD realizes that the PRS and tank constitutes establishing an industrial grade project in a residential area. As a good neighbor gesture HRSD proposes to create a 50 to 100-foot conservation easement behind the homes in Holly Meade that are closest to the project site. In addition, HRSD has no use for the land outside of the 5-acre site and proposes to gift the land to the County for use as a park. These actions by HRSD are not legally required for the project to progress.
6. Transportation:
a. Repaving of the streets in Lotz Acre Estates 2 is complete.
b. Paving of the frontage road on Victory Boulevard is complete.
c. Sidewalk construction along Hampton Highway between Lake Dale Way and Autumn Way across from the Tabb Library will begin the first week in October 2022.
d. The cross walk at Long Green Boulevard near the YMCA will cross Hampton Boulevard and connect with the new sidewalk near the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church. This project is designed, funded, and constructed by VDOT. The project start date is planned for November 2022 but may be adjusted to a later date by VDOT.
d. The sidewalk between Tabb Elementary School and Running Man Trail is out for bid. Bids are due back in November 2022. The project is slated for the Board of Supervisors agenda in January.
7. York County is blessed to have many great organizations that provide wonderful benefits to our community. In this report, I want to highlight the Victory YMCA on Hampton Highway. Here is a brief summary:
• Currently serving over 11,000 members at our Victory location alone
• Over $223,000 raised from over 200 donors and shared in our service area to benefit families in our community
• More than 170 volunteers providing 400 hours of community service on projects like United Day of Caring and Togetherhood benefitting the Yorktown Custom House
• Serving more than 700 children currently through youth sports like soccer, Home School PE, Martial Arts, Swim Lessons and Dance
• Supporting families by providing Before and After School Care for over 200 children in York County
• Prepared almost 200 children for back-to-school success through our Bright Beginnings program that partners volunteers with children to shop for new school clothes and provide each child with a backpack filled with school supplies
• Serving over 1400 seniors through the Silver Sneakers program
• Hosting over 200 Teens Oct 7-8th by hosting VALCKOR (Virginia Leaders Club Kick Off Rally) for their Leadership Rally
• The Big Fall Kick Off event held Sept 17th hosted over 450 community members for a fun filled afternoon that was free and open for all
• Preparing for Halloween at the Y event on Oct 22nd 5-8pm that is open to the public to attend as a fun family friendly fall event
8. Board of Supervisors Actions
a. Authorized a Special Use Permit for a dog grooming facility as a home occupation with on-site customer contact. The property is zoned R13 High Density Single-Family Residential. Comment: Home occupations are a sensitive topic and proposals to establish one can generate considerable reaction from the surrounding neighbors. In this case, the surrounding neighbors were in favor of the home occupation. I believe this favorable response was mainly due to the long-standing relationship they had with the resident and the trust that had developed over the years. I did propose that the Special Use Permit run with owner of the property. This means that if the owner sells or moves away from the property the Special Use Permit will no longer exist.
b. Approved Ordinance No. 22-14 authorizing a credit in the form of a rebate of personal property tax on qualifying vehicles assessed in FY2022.
c. Approved an extension of the use of outdoor tents at The Pub and Larry's Lemonade establishments in Historic Yorktown. The Supervisors approved a design study to assist the businesses in planning improvement that will result in the replacement of the current tents. Comments: The current use of tents by the business was established to address health and dining issues during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic. The tents are not compatible with the architectural characteristics of historic area.
d. Approved Resolution R22-137 authorizing the County Administrator to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County and the Queens Lake Community Association relating to improvement to the Queens Lake Dam and the Queens Lake Drainage Basin. Comments: The dam was built in the 1920s. It has reached a point where the dam and spillway are in need of repair. The MOU will establish a County drainage easement through the basin and spillway. It will also identify responsibilities and obligations for maintaining the stormwater structure of the dam and spillway.
e. Approved SR22-142 to authorize the issuance of $21,436,000 in general obligation school bonds to be sold through the Virginia Public School Authority. The school bonds will fund the expansion and renovation of Seaford Elementary School and parking lot, York High School roof repair and annex renovation, Bruton High School roof repair, and Tabb Middle School HVAC replacement.
f. Approved cancellation of the October 18, 2022, Board of Supervisors meeting. The Yorktown Day Celebration begins with the Ceremonial Dinner on October 18th followed by commemorative events in Yorktown Day on the 19th. This year the events will include a delegation from our Sister City of Zweibrucken.
* Comments and opinions expressed in the District 5 Report are authorized and approved by me and do not necessarily represent the position of other elected representatives. All email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and to the Virginia Public Records Act, which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement.
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