Bridgeview District 13 softball team asks Dickenson supervisors for travel support; motion to waive policy fails

Members of the Ridgeview West Little League 11‑12 softball team addressed the Dickenson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday seeking financial help to attend the state tournament in Yorktown.

Faith Turner, a player who spoke for the team, said the group has reached state after winning the District 13 tournament and needs roughly $25,000 total to cover travel, lodging and related costs; she said the team was about $15,000 short of that goal and had raised funds through local efforts such as bake sales and a flea‑market collection.

A supervisor moved to suspend the county’s standard policy that normally requires a 30‑day waiting period and to authorize an immediate appropriation so the team could pay lodging costs before departing. The motion failed for lack of a second.

Board members discussed alternatives during the meeting; no formal county appropriation was approved. Several supervisors told the team they could consider direct contributions from their discretionary funds and the county clerk offered to facilitate issuing checks quickly if individual supervisors committed funds.

Supervisors also noted precedent concerns and the difficulty of making exceptions during a tight budget year: county leaders said they had recently cut $250,000 from departmental budgets and were reluctant to add unscheduled transfers from the general fund.

The team received a certificate of recognition from the board and the supervisors encouraged the community to support the players’ fundraising efforts.