Notes and Votes – July 16

This is Krista Brown with Notes & Votes from the most recent meeting of the Colonial Beach Town Council.  And welcome to part one of two of this month’s reporting!

On Wednesday, July 16^th, the Town Council (TC) met for their July meeting.

On July 1^st,  the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation announced Colonial Beach won a $720,000 Community Flood Readiness Grant.  It will be utilizied for the North Beach Erosion Control and Shoreline Resiliency Project.  This great news for the town and residents living in the area.

On July 14^th, an overflow event occurred at the Main Lift Station at 700 Colonial Avenue.  It was spurred by a severe storm which dropped four inches of rain within a two-hour time frame.  18,000 gallons of mixed rainwater and untreated wastewater entered the stormwater ditch that drains into Monroe Bay which contains approximately 3.6 million gallons of water.  The Virginia Department of Health did not issue any swimming or fishing advisories and drinking water was not affected.

Vice Mayor Allison reminded citizens to ensure cleanout caps in yards are clear of debris and properly covered.  It will significantly help moving forward with rainwater getting into the sewer system.

Charlotte Cole, Director of Downtown Colonial Beach advised council on June 26^th, a collaborative initiative led by the Timmons Group, in partnership with Downtown Colonial Beach and the Town of Colonial Beach met to discuss connectivity amongst our various districts.  She explained we have several areas, to include Colonial Avenue, the historic downtown district, two beaches, and several neighborhoods.  The goal of the connectivity plan is to craft a cohesive plan that includes multimodal transportation and public realm strategy.   The group will be analyzing existing conditions of the towns parking and transportation network, reviewing of development opportunities along Washington & Colonial Avenues, and conducting a n overall market assessment of Colonial Beach.  A report is forthcoming, and Ms. Cole will brief the council once it is released.

Chief Financial Offices Lisa Oakes reported overall the towns finances are looking healthy, and the town may see a small surplus by the end of the fiscal year.  Unfortunately, the towns Sewer Fund continues to deplete and a little faster than expected.

Last but not least, Assistant Town Manager Kyler Brower advised the town has accepted a bid for the Azalea Park Project.   Let’s cross our fingers and hope we could get it by spring 2026!

Ms. Sullivan from the Broadband Council provided council with an update on their recent assessment of broadband services in Colonial Beach.

As a reminder, the town is officially recognized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Virginia Office of Broadband as being “served.”  Being recognized as “served”, the town does not qualify for federal or state broadband infrastructure funding.

Ms. Sullivan advised their preliminary research determined the town is functionally underserved.  The town can request a status change and submit the request to the FCC and the Virginia Office of Broadband, but the town must have additional, more robust analysis conducted on a wider scale.  In the future, a survey will go out to residents regarding their experience with broadband service in Colonial Beach.  Please stay tuned!

Resolution #16-25 which approved the new lease agreements for dock and pier construction on town property was passed unanimously by council.  This was interesting.  I read the new lease as requiring the lessee (home owner) be responsible for erosion on the shoreline, town property.  This seems a bit odd.  I have heard my understanding is not accurate.  I am hoping to speak to a few embers of council to have this clarified a bit more.

Resolution #21-25 Updated Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission By-laws.  Director of Parks and Recreation, Ms. Sally Adams advised the changes were to simply update outdated by-laws.  Councilman Williams appeared to be against some of the changes and asked several questions.  Councilman Larson reminded Mr. Williams it was an advisory commission, the mission is to advise and recommend, and they have little or no authority.  A little back and forth ensued between Mr. Larson and Mr. Williams.  Mr. Larson stated, “I guess I’m not in the mood to over-engineer this” to which Mr. Williams said he didn’t understand the point Mr. Larson was trying to make.  In the end it was passed unanimously although a tad bit dramatically.

Resolution 22-25 Recommended the Appointment of Larry Roberson, Steve Zirkle and Maureen McCabe to the Board of Zoning and Appeals.  The appointments were passed unanimously by council.

Resolution #23-25 Amended and Appropriated the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, Water and Sewer Fund for Water Meter Communications System Maintenance.  Despite the water meters not working, this maintenance needs to be conducted, or the warranty will not be valid.   Director of Public Works Chris Ruchty advised town council should hopefully be able to begin to utilize the water meters purchased by 2027. The council voted unanimously to amend and appropriate $90,000 for the required maintenance.

That’s it for Notes & Votes with Krista Brown!  Enjoy another day in paradise!