HB 1076, Delegate Hugo's bill that will allow Prince William County to require special use permits for landfills seeking to deposit construction excavation material on farmland has passed the Virginia House of Delegates by a 100 - 0 vote. The Virginia Senate will now take up the legislation.
Contact your state senator and tell them to support HB 1076!
Here is a recommended message:
Dear Senator:
Please add my name to the list of citizens who strongly support the passage of Delegate Hugo's HB 1076 that will protect the safety of our roads and provide local governments with the tools to evaluate whether there is illegal dumping of construction debris.
Thank your for supporting this important legislation.
[INSERT NAME AND ADDRESS]
Here is a list of Virginia State Senate email addresses (put your cursor on the first email address and drag your cursor to the bottom of the list of email addresses, and then right click your mouse button, click on copy, and then go to your email program and paste the addresses in the send box):
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Delegate Hugo Gets Big Win in House Committee Vote to Stop the Dump Trucks
Delegate Tim Hugo's HB 1076 received a unanimous vote of approval from the House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee 2 regarding land filling activities. The bill was amended to include storage and disposal of "excavation material" as an activity that a locality can require a special use permit for in an agriculturally zoned area.
In essence, the Hugo bill will permit Prince William County to review all landfill activities on agriculture zoned properties to determine if there is a legitimate farming activity associated with the use of imported excavation material, and if not they County can refuse to issue a special use permit.
Another big step to a resolution of the public safety hazard on our roads!
In essence, the Hugo bill will permit Prince William County to review all landfill activities on agriculture zoned properties to determine if there is a legitimate farming activity associated with the use of imported excavation material, and if not they County can refuse to issue a special use permit.
Another big step to a resolution of the public safety hazard on our roads!
County Board of Supervisors Gets It
The Gainesville District has a true Champion in the model of John Stirrup in newly elected Pete Candland.
Despite strong pushback from County staff, Candland has doggedly pursued changing the outdated "farmers can do no wrong" culture that prevails in Prince William County.
In a Board of Supervisors Meeting on Tuesday, citizens presented the case against the proposed Macuci Dump project on Pageland Lane. The Macuci application for a land disturbance exemption names Tim Reeves, the same excavation operator at the Smith Dump, and the person in charge of running the newest dirt landfill.
It was clear the Board understood the issue, and they promised to discuss the issue in closed session.
Insiders at the Board claim their was unanimous agreement by the Board that the public safety risks were too significant to allow up to 250 dump trucks a day to enter and leave the Macuci property on Pageland Lane and increase the danger on Pageland, Route 234, and Route 29. The Board apparently agreed that the proliferation of these dump sites in the western part of Prince William County needed to be stopped.
Pete Candland once again demonstrated he has real leadership skills (following an impressive fix orchestrated by Candland on the Waverly Farms Drive/Route 15 traffic signal issue that VDOT had denied until 2014) in achieving a result that has eluded us for years.
If you want to view the presentations made during Citizens Time at the Board Meeting, click on the link below. Mary Ann Ghadban, a Pageland Lane resident, is emerging as a real champion on this issue, and her presentation was particularly compelling and everyone needs to hear what she had to say.
CLICK HERE FOR February 7 PWC BOS Meeting
Despite strong pushback from County staff, Candland has doggedly pursued changing the outdated "farmers can do no wrong" culture that prevails in Prince William County.
In a Board of Supervisors Meeting on Tuesday, citizens presented the case against the proposed Macuci Dump project on Pageland Lane. The Macuci application for a land disturbance exemption names Tim Reeves, the same excavation operator at the Smith Dump, and the person in charge of running the newest dirt landfill.
It was clear the Board understood the issue, and they promised to discuss the issue in closed session.
Insiders at the Board claim their was unanimous agreement by the Board that the public safety risks were too significant to allow up to 250 dump trucks a day to enter and leave the Macuci property on Pageland Lane and increase the danger on Pageland, Route 234, and Route 29. The Board apparently agreed that the proliferation of these dump sites in the western part of Prince William County needed to be stopped.
Pete Candland once again demonstrated he has real leadership skills (following an impressive fix orchestrated by Candland on the Waverly Farms Drive/Route 15 traffic signal issue that VDOT had denied until 2014) in achieving a result that has eluded us for years.
If you want to view the presentations made during Citizens Time at the Board Meeting, click on the link below. Mary Ann Ghadban, a Pageland Lane resident, is emerging as a real champion on this issue, and her presentation was particularly compelling and everyone needs to hear what she had to say.
CLICK HERE FOR February 7 PWC BOS Meeting
Friday, February 3, 2012
EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR PWC BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Select and copy these email addresses and send a message to every member of the Board of Supervisors:
All supervisors: BOCS@pwcgov.org
Chairman, Corey Stewart, cstewart@pwcgov.org
Gainesville District: Pete Candland – gainesville@pwcgov.org
Potomac District: Maureen Caddigan – mcaddigan@pwcgov.org
Brentsville District: Wally Covington – wcovington@pwcgov.org
Coles District: Marty Nohe – mnohe@pwcgov.org
Neabsco District: John Jenkins – jjenkins@pwcgov.org
Occoquan District: Mike May – mcmay@pwcgov.org
Rise Up Gainesville!
 |
| This Is Our Future on Pageland Lane |
Prince William County officials for more than two years sat on their hands while one traffic incident after another occurred on Catharpin Road involving dump truck traffic headed to the Smith Dump.
Cars forced off the road, speeding dump trucks swerving over the center line on a narrow rural road, and trucks being driven in a dangerous manner were daily routine occurrences. A school bus sideswiped and the dump truck driver did not even slow down to see if any kid was hurt.
A car was forced off the road, over the narrow shoulder, and into a ditch by a swerving dump truck and the dump truck driver never even slowed down. A witness followed the dump truck into the Smith Dump but was chased off by the landfill operator. When the police arrived they got no cooperation from the landfill operators, and everyone pled ignorance and acted like they had no clue about the problem.
On that score, they didn't have to act.
Two and a half years later, the culture of farmers being "untouchable" in the Prince William County bureaucracy started to crack.
A Zoning Violation was issued against the Smith landfill owners and the dirt mover who operated the earth moving operation on what is euphemistically known as the Smith Dump -- a nickname given to the project by the dump truck drivers themselves.
But the money and the operation involved in accepting dirt is too lucrative, and the Smith owners filed a lawsuit contesting the Zoning Violation, and all the while the Smith landfill operators claim there is no money being paid to the Smith property owners.
It is a strange argument. In a personal conversation this blogger had with Brad Smith several months ago, Brad explained that it was tough in the farming business in Prince William County, and he had to adapt to a changing marketplace. His "farm" had to find ways to generate income.
That is why there was an application to put a cell tower on the Smith property (a proposal that has since been withdrawn by T-Mobile because of local homeowner opposition and the "bad image" held by the Smith landowners in the community), and that is why Brad Smith argued he had to change directions.
He explained that he envisioned a large horse boarding operation in the future made possible by flatter grazing pastures and water ponds for livestock.
Brad did admit that he had received a loan from the dirt moving operator, and that the loan had been "ripped up" by the dirt mover when the heat was put on the operation by local residents.
And Brad admitted that the dirt mover company had made various improvements to his farm operations on an in-kind basis, including building a new road he needed connecting some outbuildings and some other small construction based projects. But certainly no money.
The economic plight of small farmers in Prince William County is real. But the price for helping them make ends meet should not be heaped upon the general public in the form of unsafe roads that are death traps for families who have to use those roads.
Supervisor Pete Candland is dead right when he said Western Prince William County is becoming the "Dump Capitol of Northern Virginia."
On November 15, 2011 the argument changed dramatically.
The claims of dump truck traffic being a ticking time bomb for a fatality to occur moved from the hyperbolic theoretical posture to reality.
It came in the form of a head-on collision on southbound Route 29 where a driver was killed by a dump truck that was fully loaded and headed to the Smith Dump.
It was only this past week that Prince William County officials confirmed that fact.
On Tuesday, at the public forum portion of the Board of Supervisors Meeting, citizens need to express their views on stopping the new proposal the will put up to 250 dump trucks a day on Pageland Lane and all of the feeder roads onto that road (Route 29 and Route 234).
It is an absolute outrage.
It speaks to pure greed putting public safety at risk.
Gainesville District Supervisor Pete Candland is literally pounding on the County bureaucracy to stand up and protect the safety of families who are threatened by this outrage.
The entire Board of Supervisors needs to send a clear message to the County staff: Do everything you can within your powers to protect the public safety.
It is that simple.
Now we need to act to let the Board know we stand solidly behind Supervisor Pete Candland, and we want our roads back.
The Board of Supervisors Meeting convenes at 2 pm on Tuesday, and there is 30 minutes allocated for 'Citizens Time" for us to speak out -- the Citizens Time is the 5th item on the Agenda.
These meetings are held at the McCoart Administration Building at 1 County Complex Court, Prince William, Va 22193.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Grass Roots Advocacy -- Send an Email Today!
Add your voice to the Virginia Legislature Committee that is reviewing H.B. 1076, the bill being sponsored by Delegate Tim Hugo to allow localities to require a special use permit for any "farm" activity that requires more than 20 dump trucks in a single day, thereby providing our local County officials with the tools to protect the safety of the public.
Send a personal email asking each of these Delegates to support H.B. 1076.
E-Mail Contact List for the House Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee
Copy the below into your e-mail client’s “To” field to e-mail every member
of this committee.
Send a personal email asking each of these Delegates to support H.B. 1076.
E-Mail Contact List for the House Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee
Copy the below into your e-mail client’s “To” field to e-mail every member
of this committee.
"Riley Ingram" <DelRIngram@house.virginia.gov>
"Anne Crockett-Stark" <DelACrockett-Stark@house.virginia.gov>
"James Edmunds" <DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov>
"Keith Hodges" <DelKHodges@house.virginia.gov>
"Algie Howell" <DelAHowell@house.virginia.gov>
"Sal Iaquinto" <DelSIaquinto@house.virginia.gov>
"Barry Knight" <DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov >
"Kaye Kory" <DelKKory@house.virginia.gov>
"Jim LeMunyon" <DelJLeMunyon@house.virginia.gov >
"Bob Marshall" <DelBMarshall@house.virginia.gov>
"Danny Marshall" <DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov>
"Delores McQuinn" <DelDMcQuinn@house.virginia.gov >
"Don Merricks" <contact@donmerricks.org>
"Will Morefield" <DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov >
"Rick Morris" <DelRMorris@house.virginia.gov>
"Charles Poindexter" <DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov>
"Lionell Spruill" <DelLSpruill@house.virginia.gov>
"Chris Stolle" <delcstolle@house.virginia.gov>
"Scott Surovell" <DelSSurovell@house.virginia.gov>
"Luke Torian" <DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov >
"Onzlee Ware" <DelOWare@house.virginia.gov>
"Tony Wilt" <DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov >
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)