[1:40] Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the

[1:42] Williamsburg City Council meeting of

[1:43] Thursday, August the 13th. Miss McCay,

[1:45] would you call the role please?

[1:47] >> Williams here.

[1:48] >> Miss Ramsey

[1:49] >> here.

[1:49] >> Mayor Ponds

[1:50] >> here.

[1:50] >> Vice Mayor Den

[1:51] >> here.

[1:52] >> All right. That leads us to matters of

[1:54] special privilege. The first is the

[1:56] consideration and action of a remote

[1:58] participation request from city council

[2:02] member Stacy Kernier for the August

[2:04] 13th, 2026

[2:06] uh city council business meeting. Is

[2:08] there a motion?

[2:09] >> Yes. I move that city council approve a

[2:12] remote participation request from

[2:14] council member Stacy Kernier for the

[2:17] August 13, 2026 city council business

[2:21] meeting.

[2:22] >> Second.

[2:24] Little reluctant there. Miss McCay,

[2:26] would you call the role, please?

[2:28] >> Miss Williams, I.

[2:29] >> Miss Ramsey,

[2:30] >> I.

[2:30] >> Mayor Ponds. I.

[2:31] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[2:32] >> I.

[2:33] >> Okay. Welcome, Mr. Kernair. Leads us now

[2:36] uh item four on the agenda, city council

[2:38] minutes. We have before us the minutes

[2:40] of July 9th uh for uh city council

[2:43] meetings, two sets there, and then a

[2:46] work sessions and

[2:49] on July 6th. Um, but have any changes,

[2:53] corrections? Is there a motion to

[2:55] approve?

[2:56] >> I move to approve all of the minutes as

[2:59] presented.

[3:00] >> Second. Okay. M.

[3:02] >> Mccay.

[3:02] >> Miss Williams.

[3:03] >> I, Miss Ramsey.

[3:04] >> I,

[3:05] >> Mayor Ponds.

[3:05] >> I,

[3:06] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[3:06] >> I,

[3:07] >> Miss Kernier.

[3:08] >> Okay.

[3:08] >> Hi.

[3:10] >> Thank you. Let me not forget. [laughter]

[3:14] Um, leads us now to public hearings. And

[3:16] first item A is consideration and action

[3:19] regarding PCR number 26-00007

[3:22] proposing a special use permit for the

[3:24] continued use of two existing temporary

[3:26] learning cottages at Matthew School 3012

[3:30] Scotland Street. Mr. Wayong, welcome.

[3:33] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and good afternoon

[3:35] to city council. Today I'll be

[3:36] presenting PCR case 26-007.

[3:40] This is a special use permit application

[3:42] that we received from the Williamsburg

[3:44] James City County Public School System

[3:47] for the continued use of the two

[3:49] existing temporary learning cottages

[3:51] that are currently located at Matthew

[3:53] Whley Elementary School. Um, both these

[3:55] cottages are used to provide flexible

[3:57] classroom space for the needs of the

[3:59] school under the current special use

[4:01] permit. The use has expired as of July

[4:05] 31st, 2026.

[4:07] And the school has requested that this

[4:09] use be continued until July 31st, 2030

[4:13] with no changes to the existing

[4:15] structures or the use on site. Just to

[4:18] give some very brief background here, of

[4:20] course, Matthew Whley's been a

[4:21] neighborhood school that served um

[4:24] citizens of Williamsburg for

[4:26] generations. As you can see on this map,

[4:28] the existing cottages are located behind

[4:30] the school. They are set back from the

[4:32] street frontage and are substantially

[4:34] screened by the structure as well as

[4:36] existing landscaping. And the continued

[4:39] use of these cottages does not require

[4:41] any new exterior construction or

[4:43] alterations to the campus.

[4:46] Uh thanks to Mr. Fzone for providing

[4:48] these pictures of the existing learning

[4:50] cottages. Um as you can see, they're of

[4:52] a higher quality design than you might

[4:54] see in the county because of our ARB

[4:56] review design guidelines.

[5:00] And like any special use permit, staff

[5:02] reviewed this against the six criteria

[5:03] within the zoning ordinance. And we

[5:05] found that these learning cottages do

[5:07] align with the comprehensive plan, the

[5:09] intent of the zoning district, and they

[5:11] harmonize with neighborhood character.

[5:13] And we also note that the continued use

[5:15] does not put a strain on public services

[5:18] and does not detract from significant

[5:20] features or cause issues with design,

[5:22] site, and landscaping.

[5:25] Um, one thing I do want to note is that

[5:26] staff does recommend approval, but we do

[5:28] so subject to one condition that the

[5:31] continued use of the two existing

[5:32] cottages be permitted until July 31st,

[5:36] 2030 with no changes to the layout or

[5:38] the structure. One of the interesting

[5:40] questions we received uh from the

[5:42] planning commission and a point of

[5:43] discussion was about the redistricting

[5:46] that's going to occur and what the

[5:48] impact could be and my understanding is

[5:49] the goal is to bring down um the

[5:52] enrollment at Matthew Wh. And so the

[5:54] question was well what if uh what if

[5:57] somebody the school system wanted to

[5:59] change the use of the cottages how would

[6:01] that process work? So under this

[6:03] condition if city council approves it um

[6:06] should the school system want to change

[6:07] the use of the cottages they would have

[6:09] to come back to city council to have an

[6:12] amendment to the special use permit. So

[6:14] in other words they would not be allowed

[6:15] to do anything other than what they've

[6:17] been using the structures for. So at the

[6:20] planning commission uh they voted six to

[6:23] zero to recommend approval to city

[6:25] council of this proposal subject to that

[6:27] proposed condition and Mr. Val Fzone

[6:31] sorry Jim uh is here with us and can

[6:33] answer questions and I'm happy to answer

[6:35] any questions you may have as well.

[6:36] Thank you.

[6:37] >> Thank you Mr. Weissong the um with I

[6:40] mean clearly if this if the students

[6:42] need this just my question is does does

[6:45] the school division have any challenges

[6:47] with the amendment to the proposition

[6:51] >> to the condition for this? Uh no sir

[6:54] they've raised no concerns. Any other

[6:56] questions for

[6:59] with that I will open the public hearing

[7:01] and if anybody would like to come

[7:02] forward um please do so speak to this

[7:06] matter.

[7:09] Seeing none, I'll close the public

[7:10] hearing and I'll come back for uh some

[7:13] consideration. And first I'll just say,

[7:14] you know, if if if the demand requires

[7:18] learning cottages to remain and you

[7:20] know, I think it's in our best interest

[7:22] to make sure that we have um

[7:25] suitable learning environment for our

[7:27] kids and classrooms. And while it may

[7:29] not be the best, you know, I

[7:32] all know I always feel that being in the

[7:34] school is better than being out in a in

[7:36] a cottage for any number of reasons.

[7:38] But, uh, given where we are, uh, I think

[7:41] it's appropriate and I appreciate the discussion about the redistricting

[7:45] and what that may imply for these

[7:47] buildings. So, um, with the conditions

[7:50] set, I'm perfectly comfortable with

[7:51] this, Mr. Vice Mayor.

[7:53] >> Yeah, I agree. We've all visited Matthew

[7:54] Whan and we realize um, they're either

[7:58] at or actually over capacity. Hopefully

[8:01] the redistricting will solve some of

[8:03] those issues at least maybe not

[8:04] immediately but at least in future years

[8:07] um where we can eliminate not just for

[8:09] Matthew why but hopefully I agree with

[8:11] the mayor I would like to see all the

[8:12] kids in a classroom in the building but

[8:15] at some point hopefully we'll be in a

[8:18] position to not need the

[8:21] trailers. So I'm I fully support

[8:25] >> current

[8:26] anything.

[8:27] >> Uh yes I just yeah I have no questions.

[8:30] is I just hope that through the

[8:31] redistricing process hopefully in the

[8:32] future we will need these cottages but

[8:34] until that day comes I think that you

[8:36] know it's obvious that these are

[8:37] necessary so I support this

[8:39] >> thank you

[8:41] >> I support it also for the reasons

[8:44] already um mentioned

[8:47] >> I also support it um and also like it's

[8:50] already been said hopefully we can find

[8:52] a way in the future where all the

[8:54] students can be in the same building but

[8:56] really you know I remember the first

[8:58] time I was going through the learning

[9:00] cottages. I mean, it's really amazing to

[9:02] see how they have created a really a

[9:05] learning space that does still feel

[9:07] inviting at them. So, definitely ready

[9:09] to support.

[9:11] >> All right. Would somebody like to make a

[9:12] motion? So, I move to approve PCR26-007,

[9:18] a special use permit authorizing the

[9:20] continued use of the two existing

[9:23] learning cottages at Matthew Well

[9:26] Elementary School, 301 Scotland Street,

[9:29] with a condition that no changes to the

[9:31] existing layout or structures be made

[9:34] for for the um and this special use

[9:37] permit would be in existence for a

[9:39] period of four years expiring July 31,

[9:42] 2030. 30

[9:43] >> second.

[9:44] >> Miss McKay,

[9:46] >> Williams. I

[9:47] >> Miss Ramsey.

[9:48] >> Hi.

[9:48] >> Mayor Ponds.

[9:49] >> Hi.

[9:49] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[9:50] >> Hi.

[9:50] >> Miss Kier.

[9:52] >> I.

[9:53] >> Okay. leads us now to item B, which is

[9:56] consideration and action regarding PCR

[9:58] number 25-025

[10:01] proposing a special use permit for a

[10:03] walk-in freezer, storage shed, and

[10:06] basketball court at Berkeley Middle

[10:07] School at 11 uh 1118 Ironbound Road. Mr.

[10:12] Weiss.

[10:13] >> Yes, sir. Well, hello again. Um, I'll be

[10:16] presenting PCR case 25-025.

[10:20] This is a special use permit application

[10:22] that was submitted by the school system

[10:24] to authorize a walk-in freezer, storage

[10:26] shed, and a basketball court at Berkeley

[10:29] Middle School. Um, just to give a little

[10:31] bit of background, Berkeley Middle

[10:33] School is a long established public

[10:34] school that has served the surrounding

[10:36] community for many years. These proposed

[10:38] improvements would be set back from the

[10:40] street frontage and screened from the

[10:42] surrounding properties by the main

[10:43] school building as well as existing

[10:45] landscaping and will not be visible from

[10:47] the rightway. I did my best to blow up

[10:50] the map here so that it's visible, but

[10:52] as you can see, the walk-in freezer will

[10:54] be on the northern part of the property

[10:56] adjacent to the main school building and

[10:58] the storage shed and the basketball

[11:00] court are cited to the southeast of the

[11:02] building away from the street frontage.

[11:05] No, no new, excuse me, roadway or major

[11:08] infrastructure improvements are required

[11:10] to accommodate this proposal. Um, here

[11:13] on the right, you can see an example of

[11:14] a walk-in freezer. This is at Teno

[11:16] Middle School. I believe this is about

[11:18] eight years old, but this is essentially

[11:20] what the product will look like on site.

[11:23] And then on the left, you can see just a

[11:25] zoomed in picture of the proposed shed

[11:28] and the basketball court. Um, similar to

[11:31] our previous application, we reviewed

[11:33] this against the six criteria within the

[11:36] zoning ordinance and staff found that

[11:39] this furthers the mission of the school

[11:40] and aligns with all six of those

[11:42] criteria. So, planning staff uh does

[11:45] recommend that city council approve this

[11:47] application and the planning commission

[11:50] at the regular meeting in July also

[11:52] recommended unanimously approval of this

[11:54] application by a vote of six to zero

[11:57] with one member absent. I'm happy to

[11:59] answer any questions you may have and

[12:00] Mr. Valzone I believe is still here. So,

[12:03] thank you.

[12:04] >> Uh do have a question. What do you know

[12:07] what conditions changed at the school

[12:09] that required them to put the freezer

[12:11] outside? Did

[12:13] >> did the indoor freezer go bad and there

[12:15] and are they creating more space inside

[12:18] and just need to put it outside?

[12:19] >> It's a good question. I'd have to defer

[12:21] to Mr. Felzone to answer that

[12:23] specifically.

[12:32] » Welcome sir.

[12:33] >> Thank you very much for having me today.

[12:35] So um we have seen an increase in the

[12:37] number of meals that we serve um through some federally mandated

[12:41] programs. uh the community eligibility

[12:43] program in particular. We provide more

[12:45] meals, breakfast, free lunches, and

[12:47] breakfasts to most of the kids. That's

[12:49] that requires more storage space in the

[12:51] schools. We were already looking to

[12:53] replace the walk-in coolers and freezers

[12:55] um at Berkeley just as part of our

[12:58] regular capital improvement plan

[12:59] process, but because of the increased

[13:02] need for for cold storage space, we we

[13:05] already put a larger walk-in cooler in

[13:08] place that have occupied both the cooler

[13:09] and the freezer. Senator Freezer needs

[13:11] to go outside.

[13:12] >> Okay, good. Thank you, sir. I appreciate

[13:14] you coming forward. Any questions for

[13:15] him while he's there?

[13:16] >> Just on the basketball court. So,

[13:18] there's there has not been a basketball

[13:20] court there in the past.

[13:22] >> That's correct. It's just an a pave to

[13:24] play space for the kids. It's something

[13:25] actually was initiative that the

[13:26] previous principal initiated with uh

[13:28] with the PTA and fundraising.

[13:30] >> Okay. Thank you.

[13:32] >> Questions?

[13:33] >> No questions?

[13:34] >> Thank you, sir.

[13:34] >> Okay. Thank you.

[13:36] >> Any questions for Mr. Weiss?

[13:38] >> No.

[13:39] >> Okay. With that, I'll open the public

[13:40] hearing. And if anybody would like to

[13:42] come forward to speak to this matter,

[13:43] please come forward.

[13:46] Okay. Seeing none, I'll close the public

[13:47] hearing and come back for uh

[13:49] conversation and and discussion. You

[13:53] know, I think the the answer to the

[13:55] question about the freezer really, you

[13:57] know, solidifies to me that this is a

[13:58] purposeful and needed addition to the

[14:01] school. And so I I certainly support

[14:03] this. you know, having the recreation

[14:05] space, the basketball court makes sense

[14:06] and, you know, a storage shed to to

[14:08] accommodate uh those items, you know,

[14:11] for use makes sense. So,

[14:14] >> yeah, I agree. And they and as pointed

[14:16] out by Mr. Weissong, they're all

[14:18] shielded from public view with um the

[14:21] size of the space they have there at the

[14:23] school. So, I fully support this as

[14:25] well.

[14:25] >> Okay, Miss Current Sheer.

[14:27] >> Yes, I agree. No further comment.

[14:30] >> And I agree. I'm just glad that the

[14:32] space was there to accommodate it in

[14:35] [clears throat] such a way that it

[14:36] wouldn't be visible. So glad to support

[14:38] it.

[14:39] >> Miss Williams,

[14:39] >> also glad to support it and I think it's

[14:41] great um that we're um constructing a

[14:44] basketball court there as well. So happy

[14:46] to support.

[14:48] >> Excellent. Somebody like to make a

[14:49] motion. So, I move that city council

[14:51] approve PCR25-025,

[14:55] a special use permit authorizing a

[14:57] walk-in freezer, a storage shed, and a

[15:00] basketball court at Berkeley Middle

[15:02] School.

[15:03] >> Second. Thank you, Miss McCay.

[15:04] >> Miss Williams,

[15:05] >> I miss Ramsey.

[15:06] >> Hi, Mayor.

[15:07] >> Ps. I may deni.

[15:09] >> Miss Kerner.

[15:11] >> Hi.

[15:12] >> Thank you. Uh, leads us now to uh

[15:15] reports and our financial monthly uh

[15:17] monthly financial statement. Miss

[15:19] Damron.

[15:23] » Good afternoon and welcome.

[15:25] >> Well, good afternoon, Mayor and members

[15:27] of city council. Um,

[15:32] make sure I go the right way here.

[15:36] We're going to take we're still

[15:38] basically in FY26 primarily. A lot of

[15:41] the revenues that we like to tag and

[15:43] talk about have either a one month or

[15:45] two month delay. and the other revenues

[15:47] in the general fund really aren't active

[15:49] in July. And again, um although we have

[15:52] a month worth of July expenditures,

[15:55] there are no outliers there to be

[15:56] discussed. But it we do have good news

[15:59] looking still in FY26.

[16:02] Um the first thing I want to look at is

[16:04] the sales tax. And you'll see that

[16:06] compared um to the activity for May uh

[16:10] to last year, we see a 4.3% increase.

[16:14] We're currently at 94% of budget. We

[16:17] have another month of revenue, the

[16:19] activity for June coming in. Um, and the

[16:24] average increase is about 4%. Now, I do

[16:28] want to point out that for May alone, we

[16:30] saw 8.7%

[16:32] increase when comparing to May of uh of

[16:36] 2025.

[16:38] But if if the next month was ahead of of

[16:42] uh last June's activity by 4%, we come

[16:46] in over a budget about 3% which equates

[16:49] to close to $200,000.

[16:53] And then looking at our room and meals

[16:55] tax before we do any rate adjustment, we

[16:58] see that we have a a 24.6%

[17:01] increase compared to last year. Um

[17:06] and when we rate adjust for just uh the

[17:10] month of June's activity, we see that we

[17:13] had 11.4%

[17:15] increase and the year-to-ate rate

[17:18] adjusted increase is 7.6%.

[17:21] We are atund6%

[17:24] of the budget. So we came in uh over a

[17:27] budget um by about $275,000

[17:32] at this point. And you, if you'll

[17:35] remember the last few months that I

[17:38] talked about meals, I was really

[17:39] concerned that we were going to come in

[17:41] under budget by uh about the same amount

[17:45] that Rune was over budget. But as it

[17:48] turns out, uh before we rate adjust, we

[17:51] see a 14.5%

[17:53] increase. The rate adjusted increase for

[17:55] the month of June is 10.9%

[17:58] and the year-to- date rate adjusted

[18:00] comes out to 1.7%.

[18:02] So, while we didn't quite make budget,

[18:05] we were at 99.7%

[18:08] and basically about $31,000 under

[18:11] budget. So, far far better um than my

[18:14] earlier fears.

[18:16] And then looking at the tourism taxes,

[18:19] the $2 lodging tax is at 12.8%

[18:24] increase uh compared to FY25.

[18:27] We're at 93%

[18:29] of the of the budget. So basically about

[18:32] $86,000

[18:34] under budget or 7% and and and there are

[18:39] a few delinquencies in here. But I also

[18:42] think it is great to see that we do have

[18:46] an increase even though we're under

[18:47] budget compared to last year and I think

[18:50] maybe we were a little aggressive on

[18:51] that budget. Um and then looking at the

[18:54] half percent sales tax again we have

[18:57] another month to to collect. We're

[18:59] seeing a 6.2% 2% is of the May activity

[19:04] increase compared to last year. We're at

[19:06] 96% of budget. And again, if if we saw

[19:11] um that the funds for June activity came

[19:14] in uh at the average increase, uh we'd

[19:18] probably be finishing the year uh over

[19:21] last year's uh or over the budget by

[19:24] about five and a half%. Um so again, I

[19:27] think that's great news. Um

[19:31] and then that ends um my formal

[19:34] comments. Uh we continue to be acrewing

[19:39] both revenue and expenditures back to

[19:41] FY26.

[19:43] Uh we still have some of our yearend

[19:46] entries to make. Uh but we'll look

[19:48] forward to bringing you um final data uh

[19:53] between now and and year end. Happy to

[19:56] entertain any questions though. Uh I

[19:59] don't have any questions, but I said,

[20:01] you know, it's always good to that our

[20:02] revenue exceeds uh budget. And so we've

[20:04] done that. Um and and I suspect with

[20:08] June's when June's numbers fully come

[20:10] in, we'll see that trend continue. And

[20:12] then through July, of course, as a busy

[20:14] month. Um

[20:17] anything in the expense side that you're

[20:19] got your eye on?

[20:20] >> Well, it's a little early yet. I think

[20:23] I've mentioned before, we know we had

[20:24] some overages. We had some um vehicles

[20:28] that had to be repaired, particularly

[20:30] some fire trucks. At this point, I I

[20:33] believe that we have um you know, enough

[20:36] budget to cover that. Uh but as I said,

[20:39] we'll at the end of this month, uh we

[20:42] will have acred all the expenditures and

[20:45] unless something large that we don't

[20:47] foresee comes in after the fact that's

[20:49] material enough, we have to record it.

[20:52] And so we'll have a better idea then. So

[20:55] if you'll allow me to update you in

[20:57] September, that would be uh optimal.

[21:00] >> Absolutely. Large like a sewer repair.

[21:03] Sewer large like a a sewer line repair

[21:06] that we on the agenda.

[21:09] >> Okay. Any questions, Mr. Vice Mayor?

[21:11] >> Yeah. Just one, Miss Dan, when you you mentioned vehicle repairs, and I

[21:14] know we've talked about this in the

[21:15] past. Was there a a significant

[21:18] shortfall that you know of now with with

[21:20] the rising cost of fuel?

[21:22] >> Um [snorts] I mean there there are some

[21:24] places that were over um in that but

[21:27] nowhere that I'm seeing that we don't

[21:28] have savings other other places at this

[21:31] point that we would be able to cover any overages and should you know be

[21:36] within our legal budget. It looks like

[21:39] even though I uh we didn't have a side

[21:41] on the bole, but if we uh remember

[21:44] that's coming in under budget, but at

[21:46] this point I think we'll be able to

[21:47] cover that with other places that were

[21:49] coming in over. So at at this point, I

[21:52] don't see us adding a lot to fund

[21:54] balance. Um the only thing that we may

[21:59] if we pull from it all may be, you know,

[22:01] we we uh authorized some funds for the

[22:04] schooling to come out of our reserves.

[22:07] Um,

[22:09] but other than that, I'm I'm not at this

[22:12] point seeing anything, but certainly

[22:15] should be in better uh situation to uh

[22:19] give you an update in September. And

[22:20] even then, we may still be recording

[22:23] some injuries because we have uh if you

[22:25] recall the leases and sabitas and they

[22:27] have an impact and until we got all that

[22:30] data in um

[22:33] uh but typically they're not huge

[22:34] impacts. I think in September I have a

[22:37] much better feel for sure, but I'm not

[22:39] seeing any anything at this moment.

[22:41] >> Okay. Thank you.

[22:42] >> Thank you, Mrs. Karen. Any questions?

[22:45] >> No. Thank you.

[22:47] >> None for me. Thank you,

[22:49] >> Williams. Anything?

[22:50] >> Well, thank you for the information. I

[22:52] did have one question looking again at

[22:54] the um rooms tax. Just out of curiosity,

[22:57] what are some of the drivers? Um it

[22:59] looks like it came in 106% of budget.

[23:02] So, just kind of wondering um why that

[23:05] is.

[23:05] >> Well, on our on our room tax again,

[23:07] there are some delinquencies mixed up in

[23:09] that. Uh but I still think um even with

[23:13] that uh that we're seeing, particularly

[23:16] um toward the end of the year, some

[23:20] uptick in rooms. Um, and I think we're

[23:23] doing well with the $2 lodging, but

[23:25] there are a lot of factors that come

[23:27] into that in terms of what are the um,

[23:30] you know, rates and terms of the room

[23:33] nights because that is a charge. And

[23:36] actually, um, earlier, not not census

[23:40] report, but last month, I was trying to

[23:42] get in touch with um, visit Williamsburg

[23:45] and just what a naval with vacations to

[23:48] do that. So I think there's some

[23:49] opportunities there to get some of their

[23:51] data that will help us analyze that even

[23:53] better. And so hopefully we'll be able

[23:55] to make that connection in the in the

[23:58] next couple of months certainly before

[24:00] we're ready to finalize the year

[24:02] >> and and just because I have some

[24:04] information. So occupancy is has hasn't

[24:08] grown as much as re u revenue per room.

[24:12] Um and so we have seen growth in our in

[24:14] our average daily rates. So that's been driving a lot of that.

[24:21] Thank you, Miss Damry.

[24:23] >> Okay, takes us now to monthly

[24:25] departmental operating reports. And

[24:27] today we have uh Miss Griffin, who's

[24:29] going to give us an update on our

[24:31] comprehensive plan process.

[24:33] >> I am. Good afternoon, Mayor Ponds and

[24:36] members of city council. I am really

[24:38] pleased to present the first in a series

[24:40] of briefings on the progress being made

[24:42] to update the comprehensive plan. Um,

[24:45] back in May, you authorized the city

[24:46] manager to execute a contract with our

[24:48] consultant WRT. And in early June, that

[24:52] contract was signed. And since that

[24:54] time, staff and WRT have really been

[24:57] working to set a foundation or to lay a

[24:59] foundation for the work that's going to

[25:01] be moving forward over the next 18

[25:02] months. So, my purpose here is today is

[25:05] to give you a briefing on what we've

[25:07] been doing and also what can you what

[25:09] you can expect over the next four

[25:11] months. Um specifically we've been

[25:14] working on our project management plan

[25:16] building a brand and also collecting

[25:19] data and the development of an

[25:21] engagement strategy. So I wanted to talk

[25:23] first about the building of a brand and

[25:26] why this is important. WRT has been

[25:28] leading this charge and on July 20th we

[25:31] held a branding workshop with our some

[25:34] people from our IT team, our

[25:35] communications and planning staff really

[25:38] to set a vision for what we would like

[25:40] the planning brand um to look like and

[25:42] this is the brand that will really give

[25:44] people a unifying um vision of the

[25:48] planning elements moving forward over

[25:50] the next 18 months. We also um feel that

[25:52] it would give people understanding of

[25:54] the planned initiatives. Um we know that

[25:57] we have a lot of things coming out of

[25:59] the city. We have zoning talks coming

[26:01] forward. We have a lot of other um

[26:03] conversations that we're having. We want

[26:05] people to be clearly able to understand

[26:07] and to see and distinguish the um

[26:10] comprehensive plan process um with

[26:12] others.

[26:15] The next thing that we're doing and

[26:16] laying a foundation for is a digital

[26:18] home for a community engagement. And I

[26:20] talked about this back in May, but this

[26:22] is a platform called um the software is

[26:24] called public input. And this is where

[26:26] people if you cannot make a meeting or

[26:28] if you just want to know what's going

[26:30] on, if you want to see event, what

[26:31] events are taking place with the

[26:33] comprehensive plan, you'll be able to go

[26:35] online and engage with this public

[26:37] platform. Um we we now have some

[26:40] elements of that platform available on

[26:42] our on our website. Now, if you go in,

[26:44] you can give us your information. And in

[26:46] doing that, when we launch the

[26:48] comprehensive plan process officially in

[26:50] September, you'll receive updates from

[26:52] us. But this particular page will be

[26:55] fully launched on September the 26.

[26:58] It'll have events, it'll have questions

[27:00] um when we have meetings. If you can't

[27:02] make the meeting, you'll be able to go

[27:04] on engage in that way and to provide

[27:06] your comments.

[27:08] And then September the 24th through the

[27:11] 26th, the consulted team will be in

[27:14] Williamsburg and they're going to we'll

[27:16] take them on a series of tours

[27:18] throughout the city. They'll publicly um

[27:20] meet with city leadership. We'll also

[27:23] have some staff engagement and um we'll

[27:26] launch officially the comprehensive plan

[27:29] update process.

[27:31] The launch will officially take place on

[27:33] September 26. That is a Saturday. There

[27:36] are a lot of things going on on that

[27:38] Saturday and our face will be um there

[27:41] on all of those places. Um we're excited

[27:44] about this. This will be the first time

[27:46] that people will be able to see the

[27:48] brand that we come up with for the

[27:49] comprehensive plan and it'll also be the

[27:52] first time that um they'll be able to

[27:54] pick up an application to be a part of

[27:57] what we're calling the community plan

[27:59] update committee.

[28:01] This particular committee, we're not

[28:03] calling it a steering committee because

[28:05] it's not steering anything, but it's

[28:06] more advising. And it will be made up of

[28:09] 15 to 21 residents and stakeholders. And

[28:12] if you may say, well, what who would

[28:14] consider who would be considered a

[28:16] stakeholder? People that own businesses

[28:17] in this city and community partners um

[28:20] will be a part of this. The application

[28:22] process will open on September the 26th,

[28:25] the first day of the launch, and it will

[28:27] close on October the 26. So that will

[28:30] give people a month to um provide us

[28:32] their application. The applications will

[28:34] be available online on that public input

[28:37] platform that I told you about. You'll

[28:39] be able to go in, put in your

[28:40] information, and submit your application

[28:43] online. Um for those who don't want to

[28:45] do that online, we'll also have paper

[28:47] copies available in various places

[28:49] throughout the city. And all of that

[28:51] information will be pushed through um

[28:53] public input. And also in talking to

[28:56] council, I'll give you a briefing and

[28:57] you'll you'll be able to tell um your

[28:59] constituents where that information will

[29:01] be housed.

[29:05] Next, we'll um start with our fa first

[29:07] phase of listening. In um late fall, we

[29:11] will have our first community workshop.

[29:13] And this workshop will be not popups in

[29:16] various places, but in one location.

[29:18] We're still working on that location

[29:20] now. that information will go out, but

[29:22] this will be an invitation to all

[29:24] residents to come and to take part um in

[29:27] listening. We will be listening to you

[29:29] and and trying to find out really what

[29:31] you want the vision of the city to be

[29:33] over the next um 10 to 25 years. Um at

[29:36] this particular workshop, WRT since

[29:39] they're collecting data now, they'll

[29:41] give us our first um look at the

[29:43] outcomes and what we what we look like

[29:45] as a city. Now, um they will have that

[29:48] information available for us and then

[29:50] also a time of listening and just

[29:52] reflecting on um people's thoughts.

[29:56] Also, during this time, we will have our

[29:59] um citywide community survey. The survey

[30:02] will be launched in October and go all

[30:04] the way until January. Um this will be a

[30:07] time that we'll collect residents um

[30:09] input, have various questions. Again,

[30:12] this will be on the website and in

[30:14] various other locations, paper copies of

[30:16] the survey will be available.

[30:20] And then finally, the um the last in

[30:24] December of this year, we will launch

[30:27] the community ambassador program. Um

[30:29] this is going to be a little bit

[30:31] different than the CPU, and I apologize

[30:34] for all the acronyms, the the the

[30:36] comprehensive plan um update committee.

[30:39] It's going to be different from that.

[30:41] This is going to be an ambassador

[30:43] program and this is really for residents

[30:45] who really want to get engaged with

[30:48] their neighbors um about the

[30:50] comprehensive plan for we want to really

[30:53] find people that usually will not um

[30:56] engage um maybe not come to a meeting,

[30:59] maybe not go online, but really still

[31:01] feel that they want to have a say in how

[31:04] the city shapes over the next 10 to 25

[31:06] years. And so these ambassadors will be

[31:09] the people that go into these

[31:10] neighborhoods and going into these um

[31:12] communities to really hear um what they

[31:16] would what neighbors want to say. And

[31:18] the first quarter of 2027 will be when

[31:21] we have the training for those who would

[31:23] want to be ambassadors. And that program

[31:25] will launch also in the first quarter of

[31:27] next year.

[31:29] And that gives a recap of all of the

[31:32] exciting things coming forward. and also

[31:34] gave you hopefully a little peak into

[31:36] what we've been working on and I'm happy

[31:38] to answer any questions that you may

[31:40] have.

[31:41] >> Well, thank you, Miss Griffin. Um, quite

[31:43] comprehensive. Yes,

[31:44] >> we're we're undertaking and and as I

[31:47] listen to you go through all of the

[31:49] different the steps, the brand and the

[31:51] vision and planning elements and digital

[31:53] home and opportunities for people to

[31:56] participate and and working to make sure

[31:58] that um it's very transparent and the

[32:01] ability to go online to fill out a

[32:03] survey or get a paper survey. um

[32:06] ambassadors. Um we it's clear that you

[32:10] know what we as a city what you as a

[32:12] department and department head are

[32:14] trying to do is make this available to

[32:16] everybody to participate so that

[32:17] everybody can have an opportunity to

[32:20] express their opinion and share their

[32:22] thoughts and their vision for the city.

[32:23] And um all this undoubtedly will lead to

[32:28] I think a a new comprehensive plan uh

[32:31] that that envisions Williamsburg for the

[32:34] future. And so I applaud you for all the

[32:35] work that you've done already and I'm

[32:37] certainly looking forward to um

[32:40] participating in the future. So thank

[32:42] you for that.

[32:42] >> Thank you,

[32:43] >> Mr. Vice Mayor.

[32:44] >> Yeah, [clears throat] no questions. I

[32:46] just also I mean it's very exciting.

[32:48] We're we're finally getting this off the

[32:49] ground and we made a significant

[32:52] investment because that that's how

[32:54] important it is to the future of

[32:55] Williamsburg. And I hope everybody

[32:57] everyone in the community is excited as

[32:59] well and and take the opportunities all

[33:02] the opportunities you laid out that

[33:04] they'll have to provide input because

[33:06] it's important that we hear from

[33:07] everyone. Um but it it it really is um

[33:12] >> really exciting that we have an

[33:14] experienced team. That's right.

[33:16] >> To work with with our experienced staff

[33:18] uh and everyone in the community to

[33:20] guide us through this process and really

[33:22] excited to see what the outcome is going

[33:24] to be. So thank you. Thank you, Mr.

[33:27] >> Kier. Any thoughts, questions?

[33:29] >> Um, no. I don't think I have any

[33:32] questions. I just want to say that it is

[33:34] impressive at this early stage that it's

[33:37] clear that this, as you mentioned, this

[33:39] is strategic, this is thoughtful, this

[33:40] is going to be a very intentional

[33:42] process. And I think that that's been,

[33:44] you know, clear from when we even first

[33:46] began talking about what we what we are

[33:48] doing here. But I am really impressed

[33:50] with the amount of groundwork that has

[33:52] been laid to ensure that we're setting

[33:54] up for success for everyone to be

[33:56] included and be a part of the process.

[33:58] But I do actually the one question I I

[34:00] did just um think of is that you

[34:02] mentioned implicit here is that this is

[34:04] update number one. So, how often or have

[34:07] you thought about are there markers of

[34:09] which you're going to come back to city

[34:10] council and come back to the to um the

[34:13] public and kind of say here we are uh we

[34:15] want to give you updates now because I

[34:17] really am appreciative of this update

[34:19] this early on and just kind of wondering

[34:21] if you're thinking in terms of timeline

[34:23] or benchmarks where you're going to come

[34:24] back again before the public.

[34:26] >> Yes. So, the benchmarks are really once

[34:28] a quarter. If we find that we need to do

[34:30] more than that, we will. Um so for

[34:32] example after our community um launch

[34:34] after the survey and then after our

[34:37] first listening I will come back to you

[34:39] in the first quarter of next year to

[34:40] give you an update.

[34:43] >> Great. Thank you so much

[34:45] >> Ramsey. Uh thank you for this update and

[34:48] uh as has been said it it um lets us

[34:53] know how engaged you and your whole

[34:56] department are in this that uh you're an

[35:00] integral part with the consultant, not

[35:03] just passing it off to the consultant

[35:06] and saying go do this. You want to be

[35:08] sure that everyone is involved and that

[35:11] they know well what we're looking for

[35:13] out of this plan. So, I really

[35:15] appreciate that. I did have a a couple

[35:17] just sort of curious questions. When you

[35:20] mentioned the 26, you are correct that

[35:23] is a big weekend. We've got not only the

[35:25] Pancake Festival, but Bird Quest. So,

[35:29] have you given thought as to where

[35:31] you're going to be setting up the the

[35:34] launch because I think you mentioned a

[35:36] couple different places.

[35:38] >> Yes. And so the idea is that we're not

[35:40] going to try to create a separate event

[35:43] because we have several events going on,

[35:45] but we will have a presence at all of

[35:47] the events that you just named. So we

[35:49] are working, we know that we'll be at

[35:51] the farmers market. Um we've already

[35:52] engaged with the pancake festival. We

[35:54] will be there. We're working with

[35:56] Burquest to be there. And we also want

[35:58] to get out into various neighborhoods.

[36:00] So um I'm searching for maybe there's

[36:02] neighborhood meetings, neighborhood

[36:04] block parties that we could go to. So,

[36:06] we really didn't want to take away from

[36:08] what was already happening, but really

[36:10] um lean lean into what was taking place

[36:12] already. Um we know that residents will

[36:14] be there. So, we're excited to talk to

[36:16] residents. And there's also elements of

[36:18] any comprehensive plan that we need to

[36:20] talk to people who come here. Why are

[36:22] they coming here? Why do they want to be

[36:23] here? What do they find to be exciting

[36:25] um when they get [clears throat] here?

[36:27] Um and so we're excited to be able to

[36:29] really talk to residents and those who

[36:30] are visiting um in those three locations

[36:33] thus far. and we are working on more.

[36:36] So, we'll be busy Saturday. If we have

[36:37] any volunteers, we'd love to have you

[36:39] come and join us.

[36:41] >> Well, um I'll be around that because you

[36:44] never can tell. And I think when you

[36:46] talk about engaging residents and

[36:48] visitors, it's not only to find out what

[36:51] they find exciting, but also what they

[36:53] might find as challenging. Yes.

[36:55] >> In terms of traffic patterns, parking,

[36:59] um and and other aspects. So, so that's

[37:02] good. And I'm really pleased you're

[37:04] doing the community ambassador uh

[37:07] program. I think all of us who have run

[37:09] for city council realize there are a lot

[37:11] of neighborhoods in Williamsburg that

[37:14] don't get that touch that uh those

[37:18] particularly more in the downtown area

[37:20] do. So, uh, is this something where an

[37:23] ambassador might volunteer to go to an

[37:25] HOA meeting, say at a Brandy Wines

[37:28] community, and give them an update and be sure that they're well informed.

[37:34] >> Yes, that's one perfect example. HOAs,

[37:37] if there are religious meetings that

[37:39] they're having, someone's having a

[37:41] cookout, um, meetings like that we would

[37:43] like the ambassador to go to. um and

[37:45] really to go to um communities that for

[37:48] whatever reason um don't feel that they

[37:50] have a voice or usually don't come to a

[37:52] meeting maybe because of babysitting or just various reasons. We want to make

[37:55] sure that we reach everyone because they

[37:57] may not be in the meeting but they do

[37:59] have something important to to say.

[38:01] >> Right. That's that's really good. And

[38:03] one last question on the committee. Will

[38:05] this be I know you said that there will

[38:08] be businesses represented as well as

[38:10] residents. I assume the residents are

[38:13] would all be Williamsburg city

[38:15] residents, but the businesses could have

[38:18] a representative living outside the city

[38:21] limits as long as the business is in the

[38:24] city.

[38:24] >> That is correct. If you are a resident

[38:26] residential, if you're a resident, then

[38:28] it would only be city residents, but a

[38:31] business um in the city, but that

[38:34] business owner could live out of the

[38:36] city. That is correct.

[38:37] >> Thank you. I'm probably getting a little

[38:39] ahead of myself, but just wanted

[38:41] >> No, that's that's great. I was thinking

[38:42] and and I didn't mention um that that

[38:45] meeting those meetings will be eight

[38:47] over the term of the 18 months.

[38:49] >> Okay. Thank you, [clears throat]

[38:51] >> Williams.

[38:52] >> Thank you. Um just for the very

[38:54] comprehensive overview of just the

[38:56] timeline of the comp plan, it's just

[38:59] been very exciting to see it unfold the

[39:01] past couple of weeks, especially as we

[39:03] go into the um next couple of months.

[39:05] just really I have a lot of

[39:07] anticipation. I know the community does

[39:10] as well to see how this will unfo unfold

[39:12] and I really wanted to just applaud you

[39:14] and um the department as well of you

[39:17] really have thought of everything. When

[39:18] we were going through the slides I was

[39:20] like oh my goodness what question do I

[39:22] even ask because all of them were

[39:24] answered. Um so just thank you for

[39:26] really just being diligent um and

[39:28] thinking of everything. Um I did have

[39:31] one more question though. Um so going

[39:34] over the digital platform which I it's

[39:36] really just a remarkable idea. Um how

[39:39] can the community access um I know

[39:41] sometimes the city website there's a lot

[39:43] of information on it and sometimes a

[39:45] little bit difficult to navigate but how

[39:48] can the community find um these

[39:49] resources online or where are they

[39:51] located at?

[39:52] >> Yeah. So we've talked to that about that

[39:54] with our director of communications and

[39:56] so you will be able to um access that

[39:59] page from our um I don't know how to say

[40:02] it. the first page. You get to the the first page. The land page. Thank

[40:06] you. The home. That's right. It's the

[40:08] homepage. So, you'll be able to see that

[40:10] from the homepage. It'll say

[40:11] comprehensive plan and then you can go

[40:13] straight there. You can also get it from

[40:14] the planning department, but we know

[40:16] that that's you have to go through some

[40:17] things for that. So, it'll be on the

[40:19] homepage.

[40:19] >> That's perfect. Thank you.

[40:22] >> Well, thank you, Miss Griffin.

[40:23] >> Welcome.

[40:24] >> Yep. Good luck with everything.

[40:25] >> Thank you.

[40:27] >> Okay. Uh leads us now to city manager

[40:29] report. What have you got, Michelle?

[40:31] Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and members of

[40:33] council. Um, regrettably, the

[40:35] procurement process um could not be

[40:38] completed in time to bring the contracts

[40:40] for the African-American Heritage Trail

[40:42] for your consideration today. We

[40:44] appreciate everyone's patience as we

[40:46] move through the necessary details and

[40:48] we'll bring it back to you as soon as

[40:50] it's complete.

[40:53] » Thank you, Madam Attorney.

[40:55] >> Nothing today.

[40:57] >> Thank you. Yeah, we we apologize for the

[40:59] delay on the African-American hitters

[41:00] trail. So, I know we are all anxious to

[41:02] get that started, but um we'll we'll get

[41:06] going as soon as possible. So, thank you

[41:08] for that update. Okay, that leads us now

[41:10] to an open forum, which is an

[41:12] opportunity for anybody in the audience

[41:14] to come forward. If anybody has anything

[41:16] they'd like to address to council,

[41:18] please do so.

[41:22] Okay, seeing none, I'll close the open

[41:24] form. And we have no unfinished

[41:26] business, which leads to new business.

[41:28] And I first got to compliment Mark. The

[41:31] microphones in here are working

[41:32] excellent.

[41:33] >> Yes.

[41:33] >> Much better than they've been. So, um,

[41:36] all right. New business consideration

[41:37] and action regarding the tour a tourism

[41:40] uh promotion contingency fund request to

[41:42] sponsor a themed entertainment

[41:43] association TA tea explore Williamsburg

[41:47] event. Miss Hutton.

[41:48] >> Well, good afternoon, Mayor and members

[41:51] of council. The first tourism promotion

[41:53] contingent contingency fund request for

[41:56] FY27 is for the themed entertainment

[42:00] association explores Williamsburg event.

[42:04] The applicant is Gernzie Tingle and the

[42:06] request is for $5,000. Uh but before we

[42:10] get into the request, I would just like

[42:12] to uh provide some background

[42:15] information for this program. This

[42:17] program is intended to drive overnight

[42:20] visitation to the city and the funding

[42:23] is for new programs and events or to

[42:28] expand existing programs and events.

[42:30] However, it is not designed to provide

[42:33] yearover-year uh funding for reoccurring

[42:36] projects. Uh past projects include

[42:40] special events, marketing, conferences,

[42:43] exhibits, and festivals. And last year's

[42:46] award winners was uh was a f film

[42:49] festival, the Virginia Dossent Exchange,

[42:52] an art exhibit, the opera, and the

[42:55] African-American Heritage Trail virtual

[42:57] tour. Um the budget this year for FY27

[43:01] is $150,000,

[43:04] which none has uh yet been awarded.

[43:08] This slide provides historical data of

[43:11] this program. Uh to date, this program

[43:13] has awarded 20 applications with just

[43:17] over $638,000

[43:20] awarded

[43:24] today. $5,000 is being requested for the

[43:28] themed entertainment association

[43:31] explores Williamsburg for their opening

[43:34] reception and this is going to be held

[43:36] at the Greater Williamsburg Sports and

[43:38] Event Center. T Explores Williamsburg is

[43:42] a multi-day event that is planned for

[43:44] September of this year. Um the focus is

[43:48] going to be on networking, education,

[43:50] and business development as well as

[43:52] tours. Um this program will be uh open

[43:57] to TE's membership base which has 16,000

[44:01] people and it's comprised of just over

[44:05] 1,200 hospitality focused organizations.

[44:10] This request of $5,000 is at the uh

[44:14] headliner sponsorship level, which

[44:16] includes two tickets, um the opportunity

[44:19] to speak at the reception, sponsorship

[44:22] recognition through their social media,

[44:25] their event website, and onsite signage.

[44:30] Uh Gernzie Tingle is the local um

[44:34] organizer of this event and they are

[44:37] working with the Williamsburg Hotel

[44:39] Motel Association to secure a minimum uh

[44:42] 30 room block for three to four nights

[44:45] at the Williamsburg Lodge. After staff

[44:48] has reviewed this application, it is

[44:51] staff's recommendation to award the full

[44:54] amount of $5,000

[44:56] for this event. I'm happy to answer any

[44:59] questions. And there's also a

[45:01] representative from the applicant,

[45:03] Gernzy Tingle, with us today. Um, it is

[45:06] Emanuel Hails, the director of business

[45:09] development.

[45:11] >> Well, thank you, Miss Hutton. I don't

[45:13] have any questions. I think it's a great

[45:14] opportunity to showcase the sports

[45:16] center, showcase Williamsburg, and it's

[45:18] a small investment to make. So, I think

[45:20] it's a great idea.

[45:21] >> Yeah, I agree. I think the 5,000

[45:23] investment is uh we'll see more than the

[45:26] return we we would uh expect on $5,000

[45:30] investment for this event. And again, I

[45:32] think it's a perfect opportunity to

[45:34] showcase the sports and event center and those folks are going to talk and hopefully bring some other events to

[45:42] the sports center as well.

[45:44] >> Thank you, Miss Kernier. Any thoughts?

[45:47] >> Um not really. There's I just think this

[45:49] is a really a perfect use of these funds

[45:52] and this sounds like it's completely on

[45:53] point with what we endeavor to

[45:55] accomplish with this fund. So I fully

[45:58] support it.

[45:58] >> Thank you.

[45:59] >> And I fully supported as well and I

[46:02] think looking back over the history of

[46:05] this fund particularly since looks like

[46:08] FY20 it's stayed level at $150,000.

[46:13] Some years all being used some years not

[46:15] being used. So I just had one question.

[46:18] If funds are not expended during a

[46:21] fiscal year, I do they go back to the

[46:24] general fund, they're not carried over.

[46:27] Is that correct? So um so in in my view

[46:31] this is an opportunity for us to

[46:33] encourage throughout the year uh groups

[46:36] if they might have need of these funds

[46:38] to be sure and come forward because the

[46:41] last thing we want is for a well

[46:44] intended event not to get some extra

[46:46] funding if if we have it available. But

[46:49] as far as this particular event, I'm

[46:51] sort of excited about it. It seems like

[46:52] something new and different uh coming to

[46:55] Williamsburg to explore all that we have

[46:58] to offer and particularly um being held

[47:01] at the new sports and event center. So

[47:04] I'm all in favor of it.

[47:07] >> Yes, it seems like a great opportunity.

[47:09] I'm ready to fully support as well.

[47:12] >> Thank you. Okay. Um,

[47:15] >> so I move that city council award a

[47:17] tourism promotion contingency fund grant

[47:21] to the themed entertainment association

[47:24] for sponsoring the T Explores

[47:27] Williamsburg opening reception event at

[47:29] the Greater Williamsburg Sports and

[47:31] Event Center.

[47:33] >> Second.

[47:34] >> Miss McCay.

[47:35] >> Miss Williams.

[47:35] >> I miss Ramsey.

[47:37] >> I Mayor Puns.

[47:37] >> Hi.

[47:38] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[47:38] >> Hi.

[47:39] >> Miss Kerner.

[47:40] >> Hi.

[47:41] >> Okay. Item B is consideration and action

[47:44] on an on the FY27 line of duty act

[47:48] payment. Miss Don Hicks, director of

[47:50] human resources.

[47:53] >> Hi, good afternoon, Mayor Ponds and

[47:55] members of city council.

[47:57] The Virginia Line of Duty Act or LOA

[48:00] provides statutory benefits to public

[48:03] safety employees and volunteers and

[48:06] their families in the event that a

[48:08] public safety employee or volunteer is

[48:11] injured or killed in the line of duty.

[48:14] We the city makes an annual payment to

[48:17] the line of duty death health benefit

[48:20] trust fund every year which is

[48:22] administered by the Virginia retirement

[48:24] system for fiscal year 27. The total

[48:28] cost is $127,143

[48:34] which does exceed the $100,000 threshold

[48:38] that requires city council's approval

[48:40] before payment is executed. So I am here

[48:43] today asking for authorization for that

[48:46] payment to be made.

[48:48] >> Um well certainly something I think we

[48:50] ought to be doing. Mr. Vice.

[48:52] >> Yeah. Just out of Mr. Stakes, thank you.

[48:54] Out of curiosity, do do does the city

[48:57] track the number like over the years the

[49:00] number of employees that have benefited

[49:03] from or had to have um some type of

[49:08] um participation in line of duty.

[49:12] Um, I can tell you that since I've been

[49:14] with the city, um, a little over nine

[49:16] years, I'm aware of one employee that

[49:18] has received benefits from that fund.

[49:20] >> Okay. And that's again, it it doesn't

[49:23] fortunately it doesn't happen often, but

[49:26] it's when it does happen, it's a huge

[49:28] expense is why um that amount for the

[49:31] city's contribution um is what it is

[49:33] today. So, um, but that that's helpful.

[49:37] Thank you.

[49:37] >> You're welcome,

[49:38] >> Miss Crunchier.

[49:40] No questions. Thank you,

[49:42] >> Ramsey.

[49:43] >> So, uh, thank you for bringing this

[49:45] forward. And the only question I have

[49:47] is, um, is this a higher amount than

[49:50] usual? I don't remember us going through

[49:54] this process in the past couple years.

[49:56] >> Sure. So, over the last few years, the

[49:58] amount has slowly creeped up. Um, this

[50:02] is the first year that it's exceeded

[50:03] 100,000.

[50:05] >> Okay.

[50:07] >> Questions? Thank you.

[50:08] >> Thank you. Somebody like to make a

[50:10] motion.

[50:10] >> So I move that city council authorize

[50:12] the city manager to execute the FY27

[50:16] payment to the Virginia Retirement

[50:18] System for the line of duty death and

[50:20] health benefits trust fund totaling

[50:23] $127,143.

[50:27] » Second.

[50:28] >> Thank you. Miss McCay.

[50:29] >> Miss Williams. I

[50:30] >> Miss Ramsey.

[50:31] >> Hi.

[50:31] >> Mayor Ponds. Hi.

[50:32] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[50:33] >> Hi.

[50:33] >> Miss Kier.

[50:35] >> Hi.

[50:35] >> Okay. Item C is consideration and action

[50:38] regarding the emergency care in place

[50:40] living of TW uh 2,2772

[50:44] linear feet of uh sewer main uh contract

[50:48] for the city of Williamsburg. Mr. Reid.

[50:52] >> Yes, sir. Good afternoon, Mayor and

[50:53] members of city council.

[50:57] Um, public works and utilities recently

[50:59] discovered a significant blockage in a

[51:01] 16-inch gravity sewer man. Um, while

[51:04] we're performing some routine

[51:05] maintenance, this main runs from Pard

[51:08] Park all the way to the Colonial Parkway

[51:11] and is 30 ft deep. Um, we contracted

[51:16] Vortex Services to clean and assess the

[51:18] pipe and following the cleaning,

[51:20] multiple fractures were identified. Um

[51:23] the pipe is made of concrete and several

[51:26] of those areas are considered um

[51:28] requiring critical repairs. Due to the

[51:31] depth and the location of the damaged

[51:33] sections, staff recommends using a cure

[51:35] in place pipe lining. Um it's

[51:39] noninvasive. Rather than excavating the

[51:41] pipe, we can essentially inflate. It's

[51:44] similar to inflating a balloon. Once it

[51:47] adheres to the pipe, we the company adds

[51:51] water and then it cures it in place.

[51:53] It's almost like creating a pipe within

[51:55] the pipe.

[51:56] Um, this will avoid excavation and

[51:59] minimizes any real disruption. Um,

[52:01] Vortex Services has submitted a proposal

[52:03] to line the 2772

[52:06] linear feet of the compromised main for

[52:10] a cost of $262,57.

[52:14] We do have funds available in our sewer

[52:16] system rehab. SSO stands for sanitary

[52:19] sewer overflow program. Um that

[52:23] particular line was created in the event

[52:25] when we find issues like this. Um so we

[52:29] have sufficient funds available. And to

[52:31] give you an idea of how long that sewer

[52:33] run is, it starts all the way around

[52:36] Griffin Avenue, runs through a good

[52:40] portion of downtown and outfalls into uh

[52:44] a manhole along the Parkway.

[52:49] And if you have any questions, please

[52:50] let me know.

[52:51] >> Thank you, Mr. Reid. Uh that is a long

[52:53] stretch. Uh it's probably been there a

[52:55] long time as it's made out of concrete.

[52:59] this this lining that you put in that's

[53:01] cured. This is not a new technology to

[53:03] Williamsburg. I mean, we've we've

[53:04] deployed this in the past, have we not?

[53:06] >> Yes. It's become common practice.

[53:08] >> Yeah. Um and and it's pretty durable,

[53:10] this liner, right?

[53:12] >> Extremely durable.

[53:14] >> Do you have an estimate of do they have

[53:15] a life expectancy of these these liners?

[53:21] » Honestly, a lot of times it's 30 to 50

[53:23] years. And I mean, we hope a lot of it

[53:27] is if it's installed well, if it's

[53:29] installed well, it'll last a really long

[53:31] time.

[53:31] >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor.

[53:33] >> Thank you, Mr. Reed. Could you talk when

[53:35] you said looking through the agenda uh

[53:38] item, you talked about routine

[53:40] maintenance. Can you tell us a little

[53:41] bit how that routine maintenance takes

[53:43] place that you would identify something

[53:45] like this?

[53:46] >> Yes, sir. We we developed a program in

[53:48] house that's similar to what HSD uses

[53:51] where we try to camera 10% of all of our

[53:54] gravity mains each year and the last two

[53:57] years we've been able to do it and we

[53:59] started in the oldest sections of town.

[54:02] Obviously, this is an area where, like

[54:04] the mayor said, it that's an old pipe.

[54:06] And so, we started there. And as we're

[54:08] working our way through the city, when

[54:09] we find something like this, a lot of

[54:11] times to assess it, the next thing we

[54:13] have to do is to clean it. And you once

[54:15] you clean it out, you can get an idea of

[54:17] the the condition of the pipe. And so,

[54:19] this is part of our routine maintenance.

[54:21] >> And then if if approved today, how how

[54:24] quickly do you see this process moving

[54:26] forward?

[54:26] >> We think we can get them out here in

[54:28] about two or three weeks.

[54:29] >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Miss.

[54:32] Current Sheer.

[54:34] >> Uh, yes. Thank you. Glad you and your

[54:36] team found this. Um, my couple of my

[54:38] questions have already been answered.

[54:40] Uh, but it's I just want to clarify it.

[54:43] This is such a long stretch, but it

[54:46] sounds like residents won't see any

[54:48] disruption. It all happens without

[54:51] having you say there's no excavation.

[54:53] There's anything nothing else like that.

[54:54] So, will residents even know that this

[54:58] is occurring or

[55:00] >> you'll see trucks set up around

[55:02] manholes. How we perform the work is we

[55:05] go from manhole to manhole. So, there'll

[55:07] be a truck stationed at a manhole couple

[55:10] hundred feet down the road. There'll be

[55:11] a truck at another manhole. I won't say

[55:14] it's no disruption, but

[55:16] >> essentially just blocking a lane of

[55:18] traffic to perform the work.

[55:19] >> Right. Right. You're not going to dig

[55:20] up, you know, 30 feet from Pard Park to

[55:22] the Parkway. That's that's good news.

[55:24] So, uh so thank you for that. And then

[55:26] my other question is once you begin the

[55:29] process, how long does it take to

[55:32] completion?

[55:33] >> This will take a few weeks. I would say

[55:35] six to eight weeks to do the full

[55:36] project.

[55:37] >> Okay. Thank you very much.

[55:40] >> Uh thank you very much. Thank you for

[55:42] including uh the map. Uh I was in Jack's

[55:45] office this morning. He showed it and to

[55:47] me it helps uh identify the complexity

[55:52] of of the project. It's not just going

[55:54] down Griffin and up Newport uh to make

[55:57] the change uh that it goes through a lot

[56:00] of different uh areas. And when you talk

[56:03] about this material sort of like a

[56:05] balloon. So you sort of

[56:09] I guess sort of blow it in uh in a

[56:12] liquid form and then it cures inside. Uh

[56:16] and then you'll go to the next manhole

[56:18] area and sort of do do the same thing.

[56:21] Um the mayor asked or someone asked

[56:24] about the how long this would last. So

[56:28] if this need if there's a little crack

[56:30] or something, can you go back in a

[56:32] second time and and do this? You can

[56:35] >> just sort of on top of of what's already

[56:38] there.

[56:38] >> Yes, ma'am.

[56:39] >> And I assume it's thin enough that over

[56:43] time it wouldn't sort of clog. I tend to

[56:46] think of like an artery, [laughter] you

[56:49] know, clogging and needing to be cleaned

[56:51] out every now and then.

[56:53] >> We we may still need to clean it from

[56:55] time to time, but the the pipe material

[56:57] should stay intact.

[56:58] >> And and the funding for this, you

[57:00] mentioned that you had it in this

[57:02] special fund. Is is that part that all

[57:05] falls under the utility fund, I assume?

[57:08] >> Yes, ma'am.

[57:08] >> It's not part of the general fund,

[57:10] >> right?

[57:11] >> Okay. Thank you,

[57:13] >> Williams.

[57:14] >> Thank you for the information, and I

[57:16] don't have any specific questions. All

[57:17] my questions have already been answered,

[57:19] but just wanted to thank you and your

[57:21] team for kind of just being vigilant. It

[57:23] seems like over the past couple of

[57:25] months, we've had a couple of unexpected

[57:27] repairs um and unexpected costs come up,

[57:30] but just thank you for being attentive

[57:32] to those changes, especially um you

[57:35] know, a lot of our infrastructure is old

[57:38] here. So, definitely something to keep

[57:40] eye on. So, thank you for all your work.

[57:42] >> Thank you.

[57:44] >> Somebody like to make a motion. So, I

[57:46] move that city council authorize the

[57:48] city manager to execute a contract with

[57:50] Vortex Services to cure and place line

[57:54] of 2,772

[57:56] lineal feet of sewer main for the cost

[57:58] of 262,57.

[58:02] » Second,

[58:04] >> mccay.

[58:04] >> Miss Williams.

[58:05] >> I miss Ramsey.

[58:07] >> I may pond. Hi,

[58:08] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[58:08] >> Hi,

[58:09] >> Miss Kier. I

[58:11] >> right leads us to item D which is

[58:14] consideration and action of appointments

[58:16] to boards and commissioners. Mr. Vice

[58:18] Mayor,

[58:18] >> yes. I move that city council appoint

[58:20] David Klepinger to the economic

[58:22] development authority to fill an

[58:24] unexpired term ending June 30, 2027.

[58:27] >> Second.

[58:29] >> Mccay.

[58:29] >> Miss Williams.

[58:30] >> I miss Ramsey.

[58:31] >> Hi.

[58:32] >> Mayor Ponds.

[58:32] >> Hi.

[58:32] >> Vice Mayor Dent.

[58:33] >> Hi.

[58:33] >> Miss Kernier.

[58:35] >> Hi.

[58:36] >> Okay. Mr. Vice Mayor, do we have any

[58:39] close session today? We do not.

[58:40] >> Okay. Uh, leads us to item 11,

[58:42] adjournment. Would somebody like to make

[58:44] a motion?

[58:44] >> I move that we adjourn.

[58:46] >> Second.

[58:47] >> Okay.

[58:48] >> Miss Williams.

[58:49] >> I,

[58:49] >> Mr. Ramsey.

[58:50] >> Hi.

[58:50] >> Mayor Ponds.

[58:51] >> Hi.

[58:51] >> Vice Mayor Den.

[58:52] >> Hi.

[58:52] >> Miss Ker.

[58:54] >> Hi.

[58:56] >> We are adjourned.

City Council - Aug 13 2026

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