Lunenburg supervisors approve school funding boost, authorize emergency communications spending and accept multiple grants

At a meeting Oct. 14, 2021, the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors approved additions to the FY2022 school budget, authorized staff to continue negotiations on emergency communications contracts with spending caps, accepted several grants and adopted a resolution to participate in the national opioid settlement.

Assistant School Superintendent and Finance Director James Abernathy told the board federal revenue for schools rose to $2,152,598 and other funds to $211,130, bringing the school budget to $20,999,457. Abernathy asked the board to appropriate a CARES set-aside of $86,623, ESSER II funds of $299,269 and ESSER III funds of $200,000 — a total of $585,892 — which the board approved, increasing the FY2022 School Board budget to $21,585,349. Abernathy also reported enrollment was about 100 students below projection and that homeschooling had doubled; he said the district was reviewing potential budget reductions if enrollment does not rebound.

County Attorney Frank Rennie and consulting firm CTA briefed the board on emergency communications options. Rennie said an ARPA legal opinion supports using ARPA funds for radio communications upgrades under Interim Final Rule Section 35.6. Cheryl Giggetts of CTA said four firms submitted proposals for the county's microwave network; CTA recommended continuing negotiations and proposed that the monopole cost covered by CARES funds not exceed $225,000 and that the total system cost be capped at $500,000. The board authorized staff and CTA to continue negotiations and to enter a contract not to exceed $500,000, with up to $225,000 in CARES funds for the monopole.

Administrator Tracy M. Gee and consultant Rodney Newton described a proposed fiber link to connect the Lunenburg Courthouse and the Town of Victoria to integrate two E911 centers. The project would span roughly 22,000 feet of fiber — above ground to a Victoria water tower, then underground to the firehouse — and was estimated at about $145,000 for fiber and installation plus roughly $25,000 in backup equipment, for an estimated total of about $175,000. The board authorized continued negotiations and permitted use of up to $175,000 in CARES funds if the project can be completed by Dec. 31, 2021.

In transportation matters, Kevin Smith of the Virginia Department of Transportation reported a seven-day traffic study on Mecklenburg Avenue that showed approximately 2% commercial traffic; sign updates were made after the study identified misleading truck-route directions. Smith also recommended replacing a single-lane wooden bridge on Wattsboro Circle Road with a single-lane concrete bridge at a cost VDOT estimated under $600,000; the board supported proceeding with the replacement. Supervisor Edward Pennington pressed for restricting truck routes on Mecklenburg Avenue; Tommy Johnson, VDOT residency administrator, said the restricted-route designation process can take up to nine months and requires State Board of Transportation approval. Supervisor Robert Zava noted the study counted six transfer-truck passes in an eight-day period and questioned whether that justified a restricted-route request; the board said it would continue discussions after the final traffic report.

The board accepted and appropriated several grants and transfers, including an Early Voting Grant ($1,600 for personnel and $2,500 for signage, ballots and cleaning) and a Technology Trust award of $50,109 for the Circuit Clerk ($10,000 equipment, $10,109 maintenance, $30,000 backscanning). The board also approved reallocating $2,500 in donations to the Southside SPCA for spay/neuter services, accepted Highway Safety selective enforcement grants of $14,000 for alcohol enforcement and $20,932 for speed enforcement, and allowed the Sheriff's Office to use up to $9,000 in vacancy savings to provide local bonuses to non-Compensation-Board-funded staff.

The board corrected two errors in the Sept. 9, 2021 minutes — revising the wording of a motion related to the Red Brick Solar CUP and changing a reference to the Route 635 bicycle opportunity from “twenty years” to “two years.” Attorney Jonathan Puvak (Gentry Locke) and Jeff Hammond (Apex), representing Red Brick Solar, addressed the board during citizen comment saying they were anxious to move forward with a siting agreement and a conditional use permit once negotiations are settled.

County Attorney Rennie told the board that final 2020 Census counts removing prison populations will lower the county's reported population and that he will present a proposal to adjust district lines at the December meeting. Rennie also presented state notice and a sample resolution related to the national opioid settlement; the board adopted the resolution to participate in seeking settlement benefits.

The board voted on the listed motions by roll call, generally with six supervisors voting yes and one absent, and adjourned following the votes. Several items discussed — including the Red Brick Solar siting agreement, the finalized Mecklenburg Avenue traffic study, and contract proposals for microwave and fiber projects — were left for continued negotiation and will return for further consideration.