Coraggio Consulting Hanover County Board of Supervisors Meeting, Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Place: Hanover County Board of Supervisors, Virginia Length: 3h 59m (video) Official meeting video (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1569/media Official agenda (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=4344,plainText=false) Official minutes (CivicClerk): https://hanovercova.api.civicclerk.com/v1/Meetings/GetMeetingFileStream(fileId=4380,plainText=false) Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting. Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-24. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [00:05:32] now call the board of supervisors meeting to order by way of announcement please note that due to a clerical error there is a change in the code of virginia citation under which the board of supervisors will enter into closed session the previous code was noted as virginia code section 2.2 3711 a7 the actual code is virginia code subsection 2.2 3711 a8 chair recognizes vice chair stoneman thank you mr chair at this time i'd like to make a motion that the board of supervisors move the meeting into closed session pursuant to the following authority. Virginia code [00:06:11] 2.2-3711-A8. Consultation with legal counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring the provisions of legal advice. Discussions of county zoning and regulatory authority related to federal government uses. Second. There's a motion. There's a second. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. This board is in closed [00:06:34] session vice chair stoneman thank you mr chair i moved uh that the board of supervisors certify [00:10:44] that during the closed session only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the freedom of information act and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion of closed session were discussed second we have a motion to second by ms pritchard is there any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the regularly scheduled board meeting of Hanover County Board of Supervisors held on January 28th, 2026. [00:11:16] One note, we have a lot of folks here. We're going to talk about citizens time and the ability for people to speak. But if you have a sign, you are welcome to have a sign. However, if you have a sign and you're blocking someone's view, we're going to ask that you move to a position where you're not blocking someone's view. But you're certainly free to have your signs and express your first amendment rights but we can't have you blocking someone's view so we've got room on the wall uh in the back but please feel free to keep your sign just do not block other attendees view ladies and gentlemen the board of supervisors went into closed session today at 3 p.m [00:11:51] to have discussion uh and receive consultation with legal counsel the sheriff of hanover county colonel david r hines the undersheriff of hanover county lieutenant colonel gregory six and our chief jailer and superintendent of Pamunkey Regional Jail, Colonel Nathan Webbel. [00:12:10] We had a number of staff members there with our county administrator as well as our county attorney. And the board had a great deal of discussion as it relates to information we received last week from the Department of Homeland Security, and therefore I'm going to read a statement that was passed unanimously by the board. On behalf of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors, the Board of Supervisors values public input, especially on issues that directly affect the lives of the people who live and work in Hanover County. [00:12:36] While state law requires a minimum level of public notice and participation, we have long believed that meeting the minimum is not enough. That is why we routinely go beyond state requirements by holding additional meetings, encouraging public feedback, and taking the time to listen before decisions are made on major county initiatives, such as the budget, the comprehensive plan, as well as significant zoning cases. [00:12:59] Last week, Hanover County received a letter from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security notifying us of its intent to purchase the property in the Lewistown Commerce Center off Lake Ridge Parkway and operate a processing facility at that location. That letter, which we shared publicly as soon as it was received, was the first direct communication the Board of Supervisors had with the federal government about this proposal. [00:13:22] Before that letter arrived, there were rumors circulating online and residents spoke about this during our January 14th meeting. County staff attempted to get information from DHS and the property owner but were unsuccessful. While the letter states that this will be a processing facility, there are no other details about the proposed use or when this might begin operating. [00:13:43] The board needs to make clear that Hanover County was not part of the selection process nor was Hanover County consulted prior to receipt of this notice. With that, there was no discussion with Hanover County about whether this purchase would be consistent with the county's land use policies, comprehensive plan, or the impact to the established businesses, commerce, and residential areas of this proposed use. Please know that while the federal government is generally exempt from our zoning regulations and the board is limited in being able to prevent federal facilities from operating, if in fact the federal government chooses to do so, it is our expectation that DHS, after receiving [00:14:21] the county comments, reconsiders its decision to purchase this property. The property that DHS is considering purchasing is not owned by Hanover County. The terms of the purchase are being negotiated between the owner, which is a private company, and the U.S. government. The county has had no role in these negotiations and does not have the authority to intervene in those discussions. [00:14:43] This proposal and the subsequent process is one our residents do not experience with land use decisions that have come with significant impact to our community. The lack of early communication from the federal government has created understandable concern as well as a substantial amount of confusion and misunderstanding. In response to the letter, the board has directed county staff to evaluate the potential impacts of this proposed facility and to share those findings with DHS. An initial review shows the site is within the Lewistown Commerce Center Community Development Authority, a well-planned area established to encourage commercial and [00:15:21] industrial uses. It is located near retail businesses, hotels, and restaurants, as well as several residential areas, including a historic residential district along Carter Heights Road, an established neighborhood along Telegraph Road, and a townhouse community on Lake Ridge Parkway that has been recently completed. This parcel is also adjacent to county-owned land intended for future public use. A facility of this nature will change the character of the area, place unplanned demands on county services including public safety as well as reduce county tax revenues by no less than one million dollars annually. However, future revenue losses are likely to be significantly [00:16:00] higher. These lost revenues would normally go to support vital and essential services that the county delivers to our citizens. County staff will provide more detailed information in the county's formal response to DHS, which is due in mid-February. It is our expectation that our comments are carefully considered and that seeking local input is more than a procedural step. While the board has no role in federal immigration policy, we are responsible for land use and budget decisions and for ensuring transparency and public engagement on matters within the board's authority. Based on the information available today, it is clear this location is not an appropriate one. Had the federal [00:16:38] government contacted us earlier, we could have shared those impacts with them before they moved forward and moved along with their plans. The board comments and the county's upcoming response should not be read as a position on processing or detention operations in general. In fact, Hanover County and its regional partners operate a regional detention facility, the Pamunkey Regional Jail, here in the county. However, the board went through proper local land use procedures prior to the construction of that facility. We worked diligently on an appropriate location that would not be visible to the general public and that is away from our economic development zones. [00:17:14] Simply put, a DHS facility at this property on Lake Ridge Parkway is not consistent with the established land use for the business residential and commerce area the board opposes the purchase of this property by dhs because of these well-planned current land uses the board is taking the following actions on this matter one the board is directing staff and count in the county attorney to draft a detailed summary to dhs within required time frames outlining the county's land use policies and other identified land use concerns two the board requests that our [00:17:50] Our U.S. senators and representatives work with DHS to find a more suitable location for its operations and assist with ending plans for the proposed facility. And three, the board is directing the county attorney to further evaluate the county's legal options in this matter. The board hopes that DHS will not proceed with the acquisition and sincerely hope that they will look for a more suitable location for this type of operation. [00:18:13] We ask the DHS, when it picks an appropriate location, that they will work with Hanover County or the local government in which area they choose so that any future land use proposals are consistent with local land use planning processes as well as established and well-planned existing uses. [00:18:30] We also welcome the support from our state representatives in the General Assembly and any assistance the state agencies can provide. In closing, the board recognizes the strong feelings this issue has generated and we appreciate how engaged and informed the residents continue to be. While many recognize the board's limitations on matters such as this, we will continue to provide updates as accurate information becomes available. [00:18:52] Copies of the county's response to DHS and correspondence with our federal representatives will be posted on the county website once available. Beyond this statement and the county's upcoming press release, the board will not be providing additional comment at this time, and we will encourage residents to rely on verified information posted by the county. [00:19:11] At this time, as is customary, we'll open with an indication led by Vice Chair Stoneman and then the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ms. Pritchard, Mr. Stoneman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Would you please bow and pray with me? Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much that you've entrusted this earth to us to manage well, to grow our communities, and to look out for one another. [00:19:40] Father, we just pray, Lord, that you would bless each and every one here tonight. Lord, may our hearts be tender, our minds be open, and Lord, that our tongues be guarded, Lord, that we would speak with love one to another. Father, we know that you're in charge of all things, Lord, and even though we might not understand what's going on around us today, we know that you are in control of all that we do and say. So, Father, we just relinquish this evening to you. I pray, Lord, that you bless these proceedings, Lord, that they would go well, that we would maintain respect one for another as you've commanded us to be. [00:20:15] And, Lord, I just pray, Lord, that at the end of this evening, Lord, we would all come together closer as a community, Lord, knowing that we all have common goals to love one another. Father, it's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Please rise if you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. [00:20:32] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [00:20:51] Thank you, Mr. Vice Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Dibble. Next item on the agenda is consideration of amendments to the agenda. My apologies, Ms. Pritchard. Ms. Dibble. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the section on the consent agenda, request for committee appointments, B2, appointment of Mr. Stewart R. Purvis to the Hanrake County Airport Advisory, commission as a representative of the south anna district with the term ending 12 31 28 and b3 [00:21:30] the appointment of miss pat graham to the hanover county council on aging with the term ending 12 31 27 and again representing the south anna district thank you sir there's a motion for an amendment is there a second second we have a motion in the second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed let it be known consent agenda has been amended any further board comments as we move into the next item on the agenda any board comments seeing none mr county administrator thank you mr chair i just want to begin by welcoming [00:22:08] everybody and ask that you do take patience and be safe as you traverse our campus here tonight the statement that that the chair has read we are providing copies of both the press release and the statement that the chair read anyone who would like a copy before you leave here tonight are will have a copy it's also being placed online as we speak so both the press release and that statement will be placed online when we respond to dhs that document will also be placed online and any further correspondence we have there i do want to recognize that it's been a [00:22:42] long week for some hanover families that have children in our schools i particularly have an eager son that's looking forward to getting back to school uh as soon as possible uh and i think he's tired of hanging out with archie and joy our pets at home um but i'm not the only one we have over 16 000 residents that have children uh that are not in school this week due to pretty severe weather conditions i do want to thank our school partners uh and everyone for their patience our county government operations have been impacted as well this week so i thank you for your patience [00:23:17] we are eagerly working hard to get all those operations back and open full time for our public. We are anticipating another winter storm event this coming weekend. With the ice that's already down and an unclear amount that's coming this weekend it's only going to complicate this matter for everybody. Just ask everyone for their understanding and patience and we're all working hard to address these matters including our partners at VDOT who are working hard. As you all know if you've tried to get ice melt right now it's it's very hard to find we are not even [00:23:52] out of january and have a lot of weather to manage here yet so i look forward to to just making sure we have as safe passage as possible and ask everyone again for your and thank you for your continued patience on that matter i do want to thank all of the county employees if you would ask us at 10 a.m yesterday we were having this meeting this campus was not in great shape our parks and rec team, our public works team, our public utilities team, fire and EMS, everyone came together to help make sure we could open this campus tonight in order to conduct the people's [00:24:26] business and thank all of those employees for stepping up in their hard work. Thank you. Typically this time of year and I appreciate everyone's interest in a particular topic here tonight but one of of more extreme importance, equally important, is our county budget that we adopt each year and that is our guiding document we will introduce what's called the county administrators recommended budget on february 18th with several hard months of work with this board and ultimately an adoption in april we encourage our residents to provide us feedback on the county's [00:25:05] budget process throughout that process even though we will have a public hearing scheduled as procedural to meet state code requirements we take feedback year-round on the budget so you're always welcome to provide that feedback either in person at these meetings emails and such. Last I have every year we recognize volunteers that go above and beyond our community and I see some in this room right now that I know go well above and beyond. We recognize them through something called our spirit of volunteerism awards. Those recognitions for very courageous individuals that go above and beyond for our community every day. We're accepting those through [00:25:45] February 11th at 5pm. I encourage you to recognize those people that go above and beyond for our community let's try that's all i have today thank you mr bedesky chair now recognizes miss dibble thank you mr chair um i just wanted to take an opportunity to let everyone know that myself and the planning director were notified this afternoon of the withdrawal of the proposed data center along ashland road so as most of you know this is along ashland road and generally on and around the [00:26:26] golf course which is there and as as most of you folks also know my planning commissioner larry ledbetter and i work very closely together and so his comments at the planning commission were echoed by me as well and i think that he did an excellent job in outlining the reasons that this was simply not a good project in the right place and so what does this really mean it means that CPA 20-25-00003, which was a comp plan amendment, has been withdrawn. [00:27:01] This was the biggest obstacle in this case, and it was not what we put into that comp plan, especially in South Anna, we had over 10 meetings in the South Anna district alone to make sure that we got this comp plan exactly the way that we wanted it. [00:27:18] And I believe that we have the comp plan there. We need to stick to the comp plan. And there was simply no way to get beyond the fact that this project was not in compliance with the comp plan. Rezoning 20-25-00020, which was the rezoning of the property from A1 to M1. [00:27:44] Again, that has been withdrawn. The property is designated as low-density residential. I'm never going to get to M1 on that property. Cup 2025 - zero zero zero zero one four was a wastewater pump station that is moot at this point And so that has also been withdrawn along with special exception 20 - 25 zero zero two one, which was a building and fence high Exception and that has been withdrawn from the beginning of this particular project and [00:28:22] And all along my seven years sitting in this seat, I have told people how much I believe in the process that we have. I believe it's transparent. And I also believe that this process that we have, which includes community meetings and a lot of public input, makes a good project better. [00:28:41] And it weeds out the bad projects. And we have weeded out this one. So that's all, sir. Thank you, Ms. Pritchard. Thank you, Mr. Chair. [00:28:58] As many of you know, we have been working very hard to find an appropriate purpose for the now-retired, wonderful landmark in the town of Ashland, the Henry Clay Elementary School. We are getting closer and closer with community input. [00:29:15] And next Thursday, February 5th at 6 o'clock, there will be a community meeting for citizens to hear from a proposed developer, look at the plans, and have an opportunity to make comments on that plan. So we will be at Henry Clay School at 6 o'clock, February 5th. [00:29:34] I look forward to seeing any and all of you who'd like to come. Thank you, Ms. Pritchard. I do want to recognize Colonel David R. Hines, Sheriff of Hannover County, who's joined us tonight. Thank you for being here in the audience, Colonel. The next item on the agenda is Citizens' Time. [00:29:56] Citizens' Time is a time where anyone who wishes to address the Board of Supervisors on anything within the Board's authority is welcome to come forward and address the Board. We ask that you state your name in the district that you live. Now, it is not lost on us that tonight is a different scenario, so I want to announce a few changes. First of all, we have extended Citizens' Time for two hours. [00:30:14] We'll have the first hour of citizens' time, and then we must conduct our regularly scheduled business, and then we'll have a second hour of citizens' time after that business concludes. While it's my desire to always give people as much time as possible, we had a number of registered speakers. [00:30:29] I believe the last count that I got was 171. Knowing that we cannot get everyone in, we're going to ask citizens to stay to a two-minute limit, and the first hour is going to be those who pre-registered. The second hour is going to be those that are in opposition or supportive of, in this case, maybe the detention facility or any other matter that can come before the board. [00:30:54] And we're going to do a 50-50 on that, opponents and proponents. With that, I do want to ask, by chance, is there anyone here who came to speak at Citizens Time on anything other than the detention center? I'd hate for somebody to have a problem with a pothole and got caught up. [00:31:11] I didn't realize what I was doing. Okay. All right. So everybody else, do you have something to say? No, ma'am. That I can't do. We're going to maintain some order. If you want to speak at citizen's time on anything other than the detention center, you are welcome to come forward. With that, we're going to ask that folks direct their comments to the board and not the audience. Individuals are not allowed to give slide presentations, but if you have a handout and you would like to give it to Dr. Brown, Dr. Brown's down here in the front, along with our communications team, we will take that, [00:31:47] make sure that board members have that in their possession, as well as enter it into the public record. It is my hope, as I've always said, there's no better place for the public to come to express their views than to a public building during a public meeting in front of the public policymakers that you've put in office. So this is a time for folks to be able to speak their mind and come to the board. So with that, we don't allow folks to interrupt other board members, and we encourage you not to do that. We know that sometimes there are going to be folks who are in support or opposition of comments that are made in order to be timely and give folks as much time [00:32:24] to be heard we're going to ask that you will come down you'll speak and then quickly allow the next person to speak we're going to get as many people as we can in during the first hour i do have a list here uh that i'm going to work off of i think mr podesky you gave me that uh so with that i want to be clear the first hour are those who pre-registered the second hour is going to be those who are in attendance uh opposition and support and we will go back and forth between those so we thank you for being with us vice chair stoneman's going to keep your time please be mindful of your time please come up and state your name the district that you live or the entity that you [00:33:02] represent ladies and gentlemen i will have to tell you we were all put in office here by hanover residents and those are our bosses so i will have to limit this to hanover residents tonight so if you're a hanover resident you are going to have priority in speaking tonight and that's just simply the way it has to be because this is a board meeting here at the Hanover County Board of Supervisors and so we thank you for your attendance if you're not from Hanover County you're more than welcome to stay but with that I'm going to open up to the first [00:33:27] speaker for our hodl for our hodl please come forward please note the time is 6 23 yes all right vice chair I want you to have a color code green is go yellow is standby you've got about 30 seconds and then red the time is up and he'll give you a 30 second warning and then I'll ask you for your final comments as you hit two minutes. Mr. and Ms. Hoddle not here. I will move forward. [00:33:59] Kimberly Matthews. Ms. Matthews, please come forward. Please state your name, the district that you live. I live in Mechanicsville. I'm just going to read what I had written. Yeah. I'm coming to you today not just as a concerned citizen, but as a member of the community that all of you here have taken an oath to represent. I'm here to tell you that your people are scared. They're hearing that Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency wants to erect a detention center here in our community. [00:34:35] In just the last four and a half weeks, not even a full month, ICE agents have blinded a college student in one eye. Three weeks ago, they shot Renee Goode. Four days ago, they knelt a man in the street and shot him in the back of the head. This isn't normal. [00:34:51] People are scared. People will protest their presence here, and ICE will retaliate to those protests. ICE agents have been told that they are immune to repercussions. They've been told that they're fighting violent insurgents. They've been told it's us versus them. [00:35:08] And the real issue here is that most of these agents are young men with very little training. They're not cops, and they're not soldiers. They've sold these people on the idea that they're fighting some sort of holy crusade for the American people. They are looking for a fight, and they will find it in the protesters, whether those protesters are fighting or filming. [00:35:28] ICE agents will resort to violence. We've seen them do it three times in one month. This is where we stop that. This is the line in the sand. This is when we say no. I understand that not everyone will agree with my perspective. [00:35:44] You think I'm naive. You think I'm uninformed. You think I'm wrong. Fair enough. I'm not anyone important. But look with your own eyes. You want what's happening in Minnesota to go down in our own backyard? Build that detention center here and that's exactly what will happen. Thank you. [00:36:01] Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, it just it delays us. I need to get as many people up here as possible. Tina Steenberg, thank you for your support. Thank you for your opposition. But we need to get as many folks able to be heard. Miss Steenberg, Clint Dowda, Katrina Van Huss, Sterling Severns and Adam Pillsbury. [00:36:24] If you would like to hopefully help this out. Yes, ma'am, please. All right. I support the new ICE enforcement. Ma'am, will you please state your name in the district that you live? Tina Steenberg, Ashland District. Thank you. I support the new ICE Enforcement Center on Lake Ridge Parkway. [00:36:42] ICE is working to remove all of the illegal immigrants in our country, particularly criminal illegal immigrants. This is a great risk to their safety. I've been so upset watching violent protesters spitting on ICE officers, yelling at them, blowing whistles in their faces, and blocking their cars. [00:37:05] It is very sad to watch protesters led by Antifa and outside groups of all, all of whom. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to be clear. We just have one speaker up here. Nobody interrupted him. Steenberg's speaking. She's not to be interrupted, nor is anybody who's speaking to be interrupted. [00:37:23] This is a public house for people to speak to the Board of Supervisors as well as their community. In order to maintain some order and control and everybody have a fair and equitable opportunity, This needs to be a place of the quorum. I'm asking you politely, please help me with that. [00:37:40] Ms. Stenberg, please. - There are outside groups that are pushing these different protests. Antifa, which I'm sure most people don't know here, started as a pro-Stalin group in Germany. [00:37:56] Stalin killed more people than Hitler. So you should understand that the organization is evil. It directs actions that are violent. Virginia has recently seen a politician elected that texted his desire to see a Republican and police officers killed. [00:38:14] It's hard to feel that we should follow these people because they have no moral compass. These are the same people that were protesting to defund the police a few years ago. The one thing that allows for peaceful protesting and champions the right of individuals is the rule of law. [00:38:34] ICE is protecting the rule of law. Please stand in unity with ICE to protect this country and keep its people safe from violent criminals. It's hard not to feel that the left and their protesters are not trying to destroy our country from within, since that is Antifa's stated mission. [00:38:53] If the left cared about their neighbors, then they would want rapists, murderers, and people opposed to our Constitution removed from our country. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Clint Dowda. Is that right? Is that what we had? [00:39:14] Where is-- go ahead. Thank you, ma'am. Good evening, Board of Supervisors. I am Kristen Holti of the Cold Harbor District and very proud of it. Thank you for your transparency. I 100% support our Board of Supervisors. I 100% approve of the Department of Homeland Security having a warehouse on Lake Ridge Parkway or somewhere else in Hanover County for processing of illegal criminals in Hanover County. [00:39:41] I think it is sad that activist groups want to bus in people from other counties, not residents of Hanover County, just to make a big fake production. Please do not delay this proposed facility. I am in full support of our Board of Supervisors, law enforcement, and law and order. [00:40:02] I want illegal criminals arrested, housed, and deported to keep American citizens safe. These illegal criminals are rapists, pedophiles, robbers, child molesters, and murderers. Why would any county want rapist murders, et cetera, to be in their county? [00:40:20] There is no constitutional right to protest. The language says you have the right to peacefully assemble. Protesters are not invincible, indivisible, or above the law, nor should they threaten or assault law enforcement. [00:40:36] If American criminals are separated from their family, there should be no difference with illegals being separated from their families. Sure, they should get no special treatment, nor should they be above the law. I will gladly assist DHS in welcoming a facility in our area, for they are needed. [00:40:56] Thank you very much. Mr. Dowda. Clint Dowda, Henry District. Let me begin by saying that I'm supportive of local, state, and federal authorities. I'm also supportive of ICE's stated mission as an organization to protect America through criminal investigations and forcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety. [00:41:18] I do have significant questions about directives given and not given and exercised or not exercised during the last two administrations at a minimum, but that's a slightly different conversation. Tonight I'm encouraging the Board of Supervisors to add to this to any future responses to the federal government that all projects that we oppose them due to the added responsibilities that would fall to our Hanover Sheriff authorities. [00:41:42] This would tax our resources as a locality with a burden that is not our making. With our current Governor Spanberger's recent decision to rescind Governor Youngkin's executive order, we would be placing an undue burden on our Sheriff's Office to keep the peace countywide and additionally enforce state and local violations that would predictably come from protesters and anti-protesters at the new facility in our county. [00:42:05] Our valiant men and women at Hanover County Sheriff's Office do an amazing job protecting and serving Hanover citizens, and we would be unfairly burdening them beyond limits with continued issues arising at the facility site. I'm sure they would serve proudly and courageously, but we know the national climate and the burden that is placed on them is too much to ask. Furthermore, their goals to protect and serve Hanover County will clearly be severely and negatively impacted. There are many more options for ICE from Quantico to Fort Hill to Fort Lee in between for the federal government to consider for any new facility besides our county. So I highly encourage the Board of Supervisors to continue in this vein and to ask the federal government to look elsewhere? Ms. Van Huss, prior [00:42:45] to, I'm going to ask that Camilla Hill, Whitney Kipriani, Coley Anderson, Chelsea Russell, Patricia Jordan, and Ellie Leach, if able, please line up. Ms. Van Huss, thank you for being with us. Thank you, Katrina Van Huss, Henry District. I speak today as a parent and I serve on the board of the Ark of Hanover, Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner. Thank you. I live a few miles from here and I'm a board member at the ARC. [00:43:14] That is an organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I'm also the mother of a 35-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and autism. I wanna be very clear, mine is not a political statement. This is a public safety issue for us. [00:43:30] It's also an issue for the programs at the ARC. Just today, we were searching for new facilities, 30,000 square feet. If you know anybody, let me know. And we immediately walked away from one on Lake Ridge. we just could not risk being next to that. [00:43:46] Some of the properties that we're looking at are in Henrico because we gotta find a space and there's not a lot of availability. The proposed ice processing facility would be located less than two miles from the current location of the Ark of Hanover. [00:44:02] That Ark is the hub of a social life that is the only social life many people with intellectual disabilities enjoy. And that proximity matters because ice officers receive dramatically less training than local law enforcement and they're not adequately trained to work with people with intellectual disabilities. [00:44:22] More concerning, ICE officers receive little to no specialized training in disability awareness, crisis intervention, or de-escalation. And this is critical-- - You have 30 seconds. - Thank you. People with intellectual disabilities often cannot comply because they cannot understand the direction. [00:44:41] When direction is repeated loudly or repeatedly, their wait time is interrupted and they start over. What looks like hesitation or what looks like a threat is actually hesitation. They simply cannot understand. So this is personal for me. [00:44:58] If my daughter were approached by any adult who yelled at her, she would freeze. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Appreciate you all. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Adam Pillsbury. I'm in a South Anna district. I'm a lifelong Virginian, born and raised in Richmond's Pan District, and about five years ago, moved to Hanover County. [00:45:22] At first, it was for convenience. My family is nearby, my daughter's school is close, and a short commute to work. Over time, Ashland has grown on me. I've come to appreciate its local businesses, its history, and its character, Americana at its finest. [00:45:40] Hanover is steeped in revolutionary history. Patrick Henry lived here at Scothtown, just outside present-day Ashland. He warned against an overreaching central government and fought for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Protection is not guaranteed in the original Constitution. Rights we now take for granted had to be demanded. [00:45:59] That history brings me to why I'm here tonight. I live just off Lake Ridge Parkway, near the proposed ICE facility. For many residents, that raises serious concerns. Across the county or country, immigration enforcement practices have prompted questions about due process, access to legal counsel, and the treatment of individuals in custody. [00:46:20] Courts and civil rights organizations have documented cases of detention without clear warrants and limited access to attorneys. These are not abstract concerns. Habeas corpus, due process, equal process under the law, equal protection under the law. [00:46:37] These are safeguards meant to protect the people when the government power is at its strongest and the individuals are at their most vulnerable. You have 30 seconds. Thank you. So the question before us is simple. Are we willing to bring a facility associated with these contested practices into a county that prides itself on its revolutionary legacy and to Patrick Henry's own backyard? [00:46:56] When the time comes, I believe Hanover can and should say no. not out of hostility or fear, but on principle. In closing, I'll leave you with this quote from James Baldwin. History is not the past, it is the present. We carry our history with us. [00:47:12] Thank you, sir. Thank you for being with us. Next speaker, please. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, sir. Good evening. My name is Reverend Sterling Severins. I am an Ashland resident. I'm in the Beaverdam District, and I thank you for the time tonight. [00:47:28] I am the pastor of Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in downtown Richmond, but I have been resident of Hanover County for 10 years now. Years ago when I was cutting my teeth early, early on in ministry, I served a church in Hanover County that ordained me into the gospel ministry. [00:47:44] I love this place. I love the people of this county. I rejoice tonight in hearing the decision that was made earlier today, and you are to be commended for it. Thank you. One of the greatest blessings that I've had in my own life and in the life of the ministry of those that I serve have been walking alongside individuals that are from various corners of the world that fled because they did not have a safe place to call home. One of the greatest gifts in life that I have experienced along with my family is not only walking alongside these families, but helping them [00:48:19] integrate into the society and the community that we live in, many of which have been right here in Hanover County. We've helped them integrate it into schools. We've helped them with the language. We've helped them buy their first houses, and we've helped them go through the naturalization process to become United States citizens. [00:48:40] I commend you tonight for not acting out of fear, but rather pragmatism, if that's what it is, but one way or the other. I'm pleased to hear the news. I want to say tonight that one of the things that I've always giggled about is Ashland, Virginia, claiming to be the center of the universe. [00:49:01] it's half joke, half not maybe, but one way or the other. I think that the most vulnerable among us tonight would call on us to remember that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. And in this moment, we are in the center of the universe. [00:49:18] Hold strong. Thank you, thank you, thank you. - Ladies and gentlemen, I wanna make one final comment. Please refrain. We could interrupt a future speaker, ma'am. [00:49:35] We're still on time. It's 6.39. Thank you for being with us. Hi there. My name is Camilla Hill. I'm a wife and mom raising kids in the Ashland District. I'm a proud Native Virginian with deep ties to the region, a graduate of the College of William & Mary in VCU, and now an active member of my neighborhood community. [00:49:52] I am vehemently opposed to having a detention center of any kind in my community. I can see no benefit for Hanover, and I am very concerned by the federal government's lack of planning or foresight and the lasting impacts it will have. Although state and federal projects can sometimes supersede local regulations, they are intended for public goods like highways and national parks. [00:50:16] Hanover limits its growth through this suburban service area, as you stated. From a purely financial standpoint, it is a significant risk that could deter future tenants, as we've heard. The presence of an ICE facility would irreparably harm Hanover County's relationship with its residents, neighbors, and first responders. [00:50:36] I would hate to see the trust that has been built through meaningful community outreach between our first responders and the community eroded by external forces. A detention center will impose long-term costs on the county while offering no benefit. These centers utilize local resources without reimbursement or transparency. [00:50:56] The federal government's lack of planning is not our emergency. We must demand a halt in the development of this facility being used in this way until the federal government can ensure there is a proper building code and in compliance in place to humanely process people. [00:51:12] If they cannot prove this to be the case, I beg of you to intervene. Regardless of one's view on integration enforcement, it is your responsibility to use every power you have as our representatives to keep this facility off of this site and out of Hanover because it will not benefit Hanover. [00:51:29] Now is our chance to stand up to an overstepping federal authority. We will be remembered for the actions we take in these moments. Please remember our Virginia motto, to abuse the abuse of power. Thank you for being here. Next speaker, please. Good evening, Supervisors. [00:51:50] My name is Chelsea, and I'm a resident of Ms. Floyd's District. And hello to my children who are going to watch this later because our children are always watching, and that's why I'm here. I'm a Roll Point mom, a Dynamo soccer coach, and an active Berkwood member. I'm also the proud daughter of a recently retired Hanover Public Utilities Superintendent who served this county for 42 years. [00:52:10] I met my husband working for Parks and Rec during college. I love this county and I care deeply about its past, present, and future. That's why I'm here tonight asking the board to strongly oppose an ICE processing facility on Lake Ridge Parkway or anywhere else in Hanover County. [00:52:26] Federal politics aside, we elected you, our board, to protect local residents and preserve the character of our county. This facility would do neither of those things. It would strain local infrastructure and resources while eroding public safety and community trust. Research consistently shows that when people fear contact with police could lead to deportation, they stop reporting crimes and stop cooperating with investigations. [00:52:52] That makes policing harder and communities less safe. Public safety depends on trust, and this proposal undermines that. Even ICE's own data shows that fewer than 10% of detainees have violent crime convictions. Weakening our local law enforcement for such limited benefit is not responsible public safety policy. [00:53:13] Communities that host federal enforcement facilities often face increased demands on emergency services, law enforcement, and courts without guaranteed federal reimbursement. That means Hanover families like yours and mine and all of yours and everybody out there who's out there cheering and booing and all the things, we would wind up shouldering that burden. [00:53:35] And that doesn't serve our local priorities. I'm not here to debate federal immigration policy. I'm here to urge you to stand up for Hanover. Do not commit our community resources or reputation to this project. We deserve better, and we're counting on you to deliver. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Next speaker, please. [00:53:51] Hi, my name is Whitney. I am a 20-year resident of Hanover County, currently in the South Anna District. I'm a firm supporter of this administration's deportation policy and would welcome a facility in any area that would help facilitate in that. [00:54:07] However, I'm not here to parrot talking points. Tonight, I'm going to use my time to pray a blessing over our county, state, and country. So please join me in prayer. Ma'am, ma'am, I'm with you. You can pray in public. We've got no issue with that. [00:54:24] I've got to keep citizens' time to the issue at hand. Yes. Okay, what are you addressing the board? I have no problem with your public prayer at all. Okay. No problem with your public prayer. At this time right here, this is no public prayer time. [00:54:39] I've got to address the matter that's on the board's agenda during Citizens' Time. And I am asking, I am praying and asking for guidance over our administration in order to help with that. And, I mean, it pertains to this. [00:54:54] I think right now our country needs prayer. It pertains to what we're talking about at Citizens' Time? I am praying a hedge of protection. I'm just asking a question. Yes, it is. Then I'm going to allow it. All right. Can I have my time back? You can have your time. Thank you. Heavenly Father, I ask that you heal our country in this time, that during this time in our nation, we are full of disorder, division, and confusion, that you quiet the noise and allow us to listen only for you, Lord. I ask that the hearts be softened, tempers be extinguished. I pray that peace within our borders be restored and that those who protect our great country be granted sharp minds, steady hands, and a hedge of [00:55:33] protection while sacrificing their safety and livelihoods for us. I also pray that President Trump be granted alertness when fatigued stillness during unrest ladies and gentlemen please continue ma'am I ask that President Trump be grant alertness when fatigued stillness during unrest and clarity for him his advisors and his cabinet to execute their duties for the good nation you are the one and true God the king of all kings while nations fall your throne remains unshakable allow us [00:56:04] to trust in you always amen next speaker please good evening my name is Coley Lee Anderson. I'm in the South Anna district. I was born in Beaverdam. I was raised in Rockville and I moved away for a while. I came back here to plant my roots. I was raised in a Christian household where a Southern hospitality and love and kindness were the foundation of my upbringing. [00:56:37] I was taught to love my neighbor and to protect those who are unable to protect themselves and welcome the meek with open arms. My ideas of religion are a little more abstract now, but those lessons still stick with me today and for the rest of my life. [00:56:53] As I watch the events that are unfolding in the U.S. right now, there's been a blatant disregard for love and kindness regarding the federal government. It has shed its Christian-leaning and humanitarian beliefs to make way for a nationalist mindset. The ramifications of this have been overtly apparent. [00:57:11] As we send untrained, masked, armed men into workplaces and schools and churches and hospitals and courthouses and homes questioning the citizenship of community members based on the color of their skin or the sound of their voice as we watch these men use children returning home from school as ransom to draw their parents out from their homes as we watch these men shoot disarmed citizens in the back of the head execution style in the middle of the sidewalk i can't help but feel we have lost our way if this country if this county i know that you guys don't necessarily have a subtle say [00:57:47] But we should do everything we can to make it as difficult for them as possible in buying this facility. We're careening towards an authoritarian state, and we need to make it known that we will not stand for these atrocities against humanity. [00:58:05] I'm not speaking on the side of open borders, but I am speaking on the side of showing love and compassion to our fellow families and neighbors, regardless of the color of their skin or their citizenship status. Thank you, sir. I'm going to ask, ladies and gentlemen, Afreen Gauthier, Tilo Rutledge, Martha Wingfield, Mark Zane Kelly, Lisa Davis Lee, Reed Baldwin, Erin Doss. [00:58:28] Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Patricia Hunter-Jordan, and I am in the Coal Harbor District. I come this afternoon to say thank you, number one. It seems to me we have two wins this evening, data centers as well as this ICE facility, And I'm appreciative of that. [00:58:52] I look and I say, we are a county united on these two issues. You see us all united. And I see putting into place what I believe in. Love thy neighbor as thyself and treat each other as we would want to be treated. [00:59:14] I look for the facility to be built and I'm thinking of where it would be placed. Once again, it is near Brown Grove. Brown Grove is a historically recognized district. [00:59:36] This facility would only be about a half mile from the Brown Grove community. Once again, putting a burden on this historically Black community. And so I am very excited and happy about the decision that you've made. [00:59:54] I know that there's still a long way to go on this. But I ask that you still stand strong on this and that we will make certain that Brown Grove is not once again injured in Hanover County. [01:00:12] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Ellie Leach, and I am a pastor in Ashland. My community has strong ties to the local immigrant and refugee communities, and I am so proud to work and worship alongside people of all political leanings who prioritize one value above all else. [01:00:36] Love your neighbor because each person bears the face of God. I'm here tonight to urge you in the strongest possible terms and for the sake of all Hanover residents to use every legal tool at your disposal to prevent DHS from purchasing and operating a detention facility anywhere in our community. [01:00:53] There is a story in my faith tradition that I am quite sure you all know, The Parable of the Good Samaritan. After a man is left robbed and half dead on the side of the road, two great and powerful men see him and choose not to extend a hand. They fear for themselves and they leave him behind to die. [01:01:12] But then a Samaritan stops and gives him shelter and care. The Samaritan, this man's supposed enemy, asks not, if I help, what will happen to me? Rather, he asks, if I do not stop to help, what will happen to them? That is the question before you tonight. [01:01:30] If we, this community, and you, our elected leaders, do not stop to help our neighbors, what will happen to them? If this detention facility is built, what will happen to our community? I can tell you this, only harm will be done. [01:01:46] Our immigrant and refugee neighbors will suffer, and this community is already terrified. Even now, our taxpaying neighbors are afraid to go to work, leave the house to get groceries. No parent should have to risk being separated from her child because she leaves the house to go get cough medicine. [01:02:02] The entire community would bear the economic and moral cost of this facility being built. I beg you to do everything within your power to prevent the site from being built anywhere in our community. What will happen to us if we do not stop this? Thank you. [01:02:19] Ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you something. Do y'all have numbered cards? Okay, well then y'all don't need me to call your name. Y'all can do math. If you see the line getting low, jump in. Was Mr. Stevenson here? Did we skip Mr. Stevenson? [01:02:36] Ms. Gouttee, if you'll give Mr. Stevenson a moment. He's number 14, I believe. Ms. Stevenson, I'm going to ask you to come forward. Thank you. Just be mindful of the line. If you've got a card, you come up when the line gets to where you'd like to stand in it. Very well. [01:02:51] Thank you. Thank you for being with us, sir. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Mark Stevenson, and I am the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. I have pastoral responsibility over 65,000 individuals across 173 congregations in this Commonwealth, with eight of those congregations located in Hanover County. Those of us present who are followers of Jesus will know that our faith calls us to the radical and sacred work of love above all else. [01:03:16] Radical, which linguistically means rooted or fundamental, and sacred, which draws our minds and hearts to how God sees things. And as we reflect on God's love for us, there could be nothing more rooted or God-centered than our love, care, and welcome for all whom God has made. Introducing a detention facility into our community shifts our focus away from love, care and welcome, and to surveillance, hostility and fear. [01:03:40] What we have witnessed across this country in recent months is that these detention facilities are often hotbeds of neglect and sites of near constant human rights violations. Creating such a facility in our community is to ignore the real potential for suffering and harm. To welcome such a facility over the welcome of human beings is to question the values that shape our community. [01:04:01] Do we want to invest in ways that help us to respond favorably to human flourishing, Or will we support the separation of families? Do we want to live in the light of Jesus, who lived and loved and laughed and cried with people who were perceived by those with power as a threat? [01:04:17] Or do we want to live in the dark shadow of a detention center that strips away human dignity and normalizes hate? Our community is rooted in sacred space; a detention facility is not. By opposing this detention facility, we are standing on the fundamental truth that a person's value is not in their paperwork, but in their personhood, their relationships, and the sacred of their human dignity. The son of the living God, Jesus Christ himself, calls us to nothing less. [01:04:43] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Ladies and gentlemen, Afreen, if you'll hold on a second. Dana, can you keep that door shut as much as possible? Just thank you, ma'am. Miss Gouttee, thank you. Thank you. My name is Afreen Gouttee, and I reside in the Chickahominy District. Good evening, Chairman Davis and members of the Hanover Board of Supervisors. Many of you have seen me here before for the last several decades. I usually speak on behalf of educators and students in this county. Tonight, however, I stand before you for something very different, a reason that [01:05:22] is very near and dear to my heart and one that I wish I didn't have to speak to. Like many others who have spoken before me tonight, I implore you to vote against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Facility on Lake Ridge Parkway here in Hanover. As a legal immigrant, Again, as a legal immigrant from Bangladesh, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Hanover County for over 35 years, and an educator in this county for 38 years, I should not have to fear for my life while driving around this county. [01:06:01] I'm going to be very blunt here and probably a little politically incorrect, but I ask that all of you supervisors look at the person next to you and look at this board. You have one thing in common. You are all white. And again, I realize that's probably not politically correct. [01:06:19] However, I know this is an obvious observation, but you and I do not have the same fears. Do you carry your passport with you? Proof of citizenship? You have 30 seconds. Birth certificate? I do. [01:06:36] How would you feel if your son or daughter, sister, brother, spouse were treated like the people around the country who were shot down or even incarcerated for being themselves? And it's come it's become a shoot first and arrest first and ask questions later scenario I should not fear for my life or that of my children or grandchildren that they are not going to be safe going to restaurants Bass Pro or any other places or but thank you ma'am. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for being here. Mr. Rutledge Tilo Rutledge, Chickahominy District. Mr. Chairman, you know two minutes is going to be cutting it short. Way too short for you [01:07:13] I want to first read the statement by Alex Preddy's parents we are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kind-hearted soul who cared deeply for his family, his friends, and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act [01:07:53] was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. [01:08:12] He has his phone in his right hand and his left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE had just pushed down. Mr. Rutledge, are you getting to the ICE facility? I am. Please get the truth out about our son. [01:08:28] a good man, thank you. I have a 37-year-old son. Thank you for your stance and your statement and your common sense about this facility. You have 30 seconds. It's wrong for Hanover. It's going to cost Hanover in lives as well as money. Thank you very much. Thank you for being with us. Next speaker, please. My name is Mark Sancelli. I am a member of the Chickahominy District where I have lived for nearly 29 years. I thank the board, commend the board for their [01:09:05] statement. I had attention originally talked about, wanted to talk about the zoning issue, the land use, but you have covered that I think in your statement. So I will speak more to a general opposition to the ICE facility, not just on Lake Ridge Parkway. Hanover County is a place where neighbors know and support each other. We pride ourselves on being welcoming and safe and united. [01:09:29] This detention center threatens to disrupt the very fabric of what makes Hanover special. Such a facility brings with it heightened anxiety, fear, stigma not only for immigrants but for all of the Hanover residents. As you can see from the attendance at the earlier protest and at this meeting, many in our community believe that the proposed center raises serious moral and ethical questions. Recent events including the shooting of Renee Goode and Alex [01:10:03] Prete have demonstrated the unfettered use of violence by ICE agents against immigrants and people peacefully protesting. The treatment of detainees in ICE facilities, such as the murder of the Cuban immigrant in the ICE facility in Texas, have been the subject of national scrutiny and outrage. [01:10:24] Poorly trained ICE agents act with impunity knowing that this regime will spin the facts and lie to protect them, no matter how egregious their conduct. For Hanover to participate in a system that potentially separates families and detains individuals under inhumane conditions is at odds with the values of compassion and fairness we strive to uphold here. [01:10:49] I urge the Board to oppose any ICE facility in this county. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Honorable Supervisors, thank you for letting me speak here tonight against the prison. I am Kate Tweedy of Ashland, a member of the Chenery family that owns Secretariat. [01:11:10] In 2024, I led the effort to bring Secretariat to Hanover. I mention this only to show that I care greatly for our county and our quality of life. I know that you do too, as do we all. I commend you for your decision. I am very grateful to hear it and your thoughtful and reasoned response. [01:11:31] I am very concerned about the safety of our citizens, just from the very presence of this institution. And whether it's on Lake Ridge or where else it might be in the county, I think it poses real danger to our community. [01:11:50] Once approved, there's no way to prevent ICE from installing concertina wire, guard towers, checkpoints with armed and masked guards. It's currently slated to be right next to Bass Pro Shops, one of our biggest taxpayers and a major tourist draw for our county. [01:12:09] I can just picture a young family going to shop for new camping gear and having a stray bullet hit one of their children in the parking lot. This does not sound as far-fetched as you might think. These operatives are not highly trained, as we have heard. [01:12:26] They're not like the Ashland Police Force or our county sheriffs whom we need and respect. They have no allegiance to our community. By their own count, they have shot 30 people in the last 12 months, killing eight of them. We know you're greatly concerned, and we really appreciate your efforts. [01:12:46] And I know it's hard because the federal laws supersede, but you have options. You can sue the DHS under the National Environmental Protection Act based on the negative socioeconomic impact of the prison, such as driving away major taxpayers. Ma'am, thank you for being with us. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, how y'all doing? My name is Reed Baldwin. I'm a Mechanicsville District resident, and I wanted to start off by saying I appreciate the statement on behalf of the board here to denounce the building of an ICE facility or the use of an ICE facility in the county. But as your statement tonight says, the property that DHS is considering [01:13:26] purchasing is not owned by the county. The terms of the purchase are being negotiated between the owner, which is a private company, and the U.S. government. So I wanted to add some context to the conversation and put a spotlight on this private company, which is one of the many companies that operates in Hanover County under the control of Corporation Service Company, whose board is Darren Loblaw, David Bell, Jim Patterson, John Culver, Michael Lee, Nick Desmaris, and Ryan Barenting-Foot. [01:13:56] Mr. Baldwin, I have no control over who owns that company. I just wanted to add some context. I appreciate you. About the facility and the land use aspects, your thoughts are welcome. We have no control over the private entities negotiating this. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. I just wanted to highlight who those residents are that will be making an over $90 million profit on the sale of this facility if it goes through. [01:14:19] I wanted to put a spotlight on that because as it went with the process of actually putting out interest on this purchase, the Hanover board here was not contacted at all, and it will not be contacted in the future because the Supremacy Clause ensures that while we hold our zoning laws near and dear on a local level, Federal agencies are able to bypass these around the country, and they will continue to do that here locally. [01:14:44] So I appreciate everyone's support that has come out to go against this, and I appreciate the statement of the board. But we have to begin to ask ourselves what we will do on a local level when our federal government decides that our local government's rules and statutes are not to be followed. [01:15:00] And I'm here on behalf of Richmond Defensa, which is a rapid response program that spots ICE agents throughout downtown Richmond that have already begun kidnapping our neighbors. and we respond in the moment there and we're going to stay on ice facility in hanover county as it relates to land use and any thoughts we're giving a lot of latitude i get like my eight seconds there back i appreciate you i got you i'll stay on point i got you thank you thank you but um i just wanted to say that um not only is it on the board here to decide whether or not ice is comfortable in hanover but it is on the people of hanover that are here the people of hanover that are outside and the people of hanover that are at home tonight that do not want ice kidnapping [01:15:39] their neighbors or neighbors in surrounding counties. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening today. My name is Erin Doss. I'm a resident of Chickahominy District here in Hanover County. Hello, Supervisor Floyd. Thank you, Chair, and the rest of the Board of Supervisors for listening to citizen input tonight. I know many Americans are sharply divided on so many issues, but I firmly believe that we share core values tied to our faith in our country and our belief in the Constitution. I'm here today because I strongly oppose the federal government's proposal [01:16:17] to convert a 43-acre warehouse into a processing facility for immigration and customs enforcement. And there are three main reasons I oppose this facility. There's cost to our community, public safety, and American values. First of all, I know my fellow Hanover residents are naturally skeptical of big government. [01:16:38] Our country was founded in part due to the concern of citizens that felt they were paying too much in taxes and getting too little in return from their government. So it's natural for people to ask the government one simple question. any big proposal comes by and that's how much is it going to cost us i applaud the supervisors for already looking into this cost for the county changing a facility that is owned privately and pays taxes to the county and turning into a federal owned property that does not pay taxes is going to cost the county money and i'm glad that you're able to use that in your response [01:17:14] i also think that people are less aware of the federal taxpayer cost of ice and 30 seconds running out of time. Okay. $200 billion was the DHS approved big, beautiful bill amount. $75 billion for ICE, $45 billion for detention, which is more than double the previous year's budget and is not even touching the budget that is currently under discussion in Congress even this week. That's a lot of money, and we as taxpayers have a right to insist it's used for us. Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Wingfield, thank you for being with us. [01:17:52] Good evening, Chairman Davis and members of the board. I appreciate your comments earlier, and thank you very much for making those statements. You know, over the 30-plus years I've come down to speak on different projects, I want to specifically tonight focus on the economic development impact that this proposal will have. [01:18:22] It is not good business for Hanover. Mr. Brandon, the director of economic development, says on the county website that he strives to improve Hanover's future economic outlook. I want to say again, this is not good business for Hanover. [01:18:42] I believe it will not improve, but it will be a detriment to our economic outlook. Do we want a correctional facility in our business area and one of the county's prime business areas? We already have a state ABC warehouse. They don't pay taxes. [01:19:00] this facility would not pay taxes. We need businesses that will pay taxes, hire more Hanover residents, and contribute in a positive way to our county and our communities. Please do everything in your power to continue making Hanover a place where tax-paying, job-creating businesses want to locate and where Hanover residents want to stay and continue to build strong communities. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Stuart McDonald. I'm a Mechanicsville resident and a proud graduate of Patrick Henry [01:19:38] High School. History will condemn Hanover County if its leaders do not exhaust all legal avenues to prevent a detention center from being established in our county. Illegal immigration is a civil offense that has been met with disproportionately violent, abusive, and inhumane response. The common refrain that only criminals are being detained is false. In fact, at the time of this meeting, 73.6% of current detainees have no criminal convictions. As for the 26% that do, the Constitution guarantees fair treatment and due process to all people, including undocumented immigrants and criminals. Even if you agree with the original premise of ICE as immigration [01:20:17] enforcement, the organization has rapidly and violently overreached their intended purpose by carrying out executions of multiple U.S. citizens in broad daylight simply for disagreeing with them. ICE should be held accountable for their abuses of power, not granted the privilege of expansion into our county. [01:20:34] ICE detention centers are documented sites of human rights abuses, including medical neglect, prolonged detention without trial, and family separation. They are often run by for-profit corporations whose legal obligations are to shareholders, not the safety or well-being of our community. [01:20:51] I do not consent to putting my loved ones, friends, families, neighbors, and children in danger by letting ICE into the areas where we work and live. This is not just my opinion alone. Over half of all Americans agree that ICE makes their neighborhoods less safe, and people are increasingly afraid to leave their homes as more American citizens have been targeted by ICE's unchecked violence. [01:21:10] I urge this board to do everything in its power to reject the establishment of an ICE detention center anywhere in our community and to join us in fighting against tyrannical abuse. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. [01:21:28] Chairman Davis, Vice Chair Stenman, and members of the board. My name is Melissa Brooks. I live along the southern side of the South Anna Magisterial District, and I appear tonight to raise serious concern regarding the federal government's published intent to procure a warehouse facility at 11-525 Lake Ridge Parkway for use as an ICE processing center. [01:21:50] Let the record reflect that this is not about national immigration politics. This is about the use of Virginia land, the integrity of our local zoning ordinances, and the lawful role of this elected board in protecting the interests of the community that it serves. [01:22:08] That role is not symbolic. It is substantive, and it is codified in Virginia law. The DHS letter frames this project narrowly in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and concludes that there will be, quote, no historic properties affected. [01:22:24] And that might be true, but historic preservation compliance is not the same as land use. Their letter of intent does not replace Hanover County's independent authority or your obligation to evaluate if the proposed use of that land is lawful, appropriate, and compatible. [01:22:43] It's also important to be precise about what it is they're proposing. The federal government's not describing a passive warehouse. The letter explicitly contemplates holding areas, secure processing space, controlled access, and other operational modifications that are consistent with a detention or custodial function. [01:23:03] That requires a material change in the use. Now, I'm a Virginian by marriage, but I learned early on what the Commonwealth stands for. Virginia's for lovers might be our tourism slogan, but seek semper tyrannis is our state motto. Even this Iowa transplant knows the significance and that means in this case that decisions that affect Virginia land and Virginia Communities are not made by somebody behind closed doors in Washington DC Thank you for your time. Next speaker, please. Hi, my name is Gaye Gibson. I live in the Chickahominy District I've been a resident of Hanover County for more than 20 years [01:23:42] I'm here tonight to address my strong opposition to the rezoning of a grocery owned warehouse to a detention center on Lake Ridge Parkway Please consider the substantial negative impact this facility would create on every member of this community. We don't want ICE here. [01:23:58] We don't want to live in fear of poorly trained enforcement agency who breaks the law in front of our eyes. We all see the ongoing increase of violence behavior of ICE agents with the lack of insight in other parts of our country. We don't want that here. [01:24:15] Please remember as elected officials and thank you for supporting us as residents of Hanover County. this week so many neighbors were concerned about the strain on our system due to the snowstorm do you want for all of our resources to be increased demands such as water sewage and roads and a police department to be directed towards a highly unstable and cruel system like a detention center a warehouse for human beings you have a choice ma'am let me ask you a question do you have a card in order to speak number seven no adam adam adam pillsbury was [01:24:48] number seven oh no yeah mr pillsbury spoke so who has a card is is is there a katie is there karen fetty here gay gibson i don't have gay gibson on the list who's got who's got a card raise your hand if you have a card 26 ma'am the next number behind you is 26 i don't know where you got number seven from but number seven was adam pillsbury i'm gonna have to go i'm so sorry i got this from the front and i was with julie erickson i don't know miss erickson um i'm gonna have to go to the next speaker because those who have signed and need to get some missed [01:25:24] are you louise evans yes ma'am please come forward my name is louise evans i'm 38 years in the cold harbour district and i am representing hanover county members of the league of women voters the richmond metropolitan area and speaking on behalf of the league the league believes that all people are entitled to fundamental human rights including humane treatment access to legal counsel and fair and legal procedures. Current immigration detention facilities have inadequate medical care, [01:26:00] prolonged detention without timely hearings, and conditions that undermine human dignity. The facility has the probability of straining our EMS, law enforcement, hospital and medical facilities, not to mention the lack of loss of tax dollars from the federal government only in the facility. Many individuals held in ICE custody have not been charged with or convicted of crimes, and many are U.S. citizens or in the U.S. legally. Yet they have been subject to severe incarceration-like conditions that separate families and inflict lasting physical and [01:26:35] psychological harm. The use of detention as a primary tool of immigration enforcement raises profound ethical concerns and violates constitutional rights. Hanover will be known nationally and internationally as being complicit with this inhumane and unconstitutional treatment. Each year, Hanover receives a presentation on the value of tourism in Hanover County. Hanover County has been promoting the 250th celebration of our nation and our role in making this nation. Do we really want to be known as the home of an ICE detention and processing [01:27:14] center that violates the principles of our founding patriots? The League of Women Voters urges you to fight this in all legal means available the league remains committed to empowering voters defending democracy advocating for policies that reflect our shared values of equality justice and accountability thank you as a matter of public record we realized what just took place staff notified me that uh some individuals had cards for the second half so the lady who just came up i don't know if she left that was for the second half so staff is [01:27:52] working on that. We apologize for any confusion, but Director Hunter is working on that now. All right. By the way, Ms. Fetty, Karen Fetty. Okay, very well. Welcome. Thank you, Supervisors. My name is Karen Fetty. I'm a current resident of the town of Ashland in the Ashland District. I'm also a taxpayer, a voter, and I've been a property owner in the Chickahominy, Beaver Dam, South Anna districts as well as Ashland. I also raised five children in the county, and they are now raising my four grandchildren. I'm also a proud alumna of Randolph-Macon College [01:28:29] and a member of Duncan Memorial Church, United Methodist Church. I'm here to voice my strong opposition to this detention facility on moral grounds, and I thank you for your intention to oppose it with me. There are already two detention centers in Virginia, one in Farmville and one in Caroline, our neighbor. As recently as 2023, DHS's own office of the OIG did an unannounced inspection of that facility, and they found many violations, including outdated medical care, [01:29:06] voluntary work program where people would be paying only a dollar a day, which is 13 cents an hour to work. They haven't had a reliable or consistent process for recording detainee grievances. There's contaminated and spoiled food and substandard cleanliness of the food prep areas. Since then, detentions have skyrocketed and oversight has plummeted, basically leaving little or no way for people to be observed and how they're being treated. These facilities are [01:29:45] civil detention centers, but are operated more like prisons. Please continue to oppose this purchase by DHS and all others that may come forward in Hanover County in all ways within your power. Please protect our storied and respected legacy in Hanover. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Next speaker, please. Hi, my name is Jennifer Young, and I am a resident in Ashland, Virginia and the Ashland District. I'm deeply concerned about the proposed ICE detention center [01:30:23] being considered in Hanover. As I'm sure you are aware, ICE and CBP have caused unnecessary chaos, fear, and violence against fellow Americans and immigrant communities in cities and towns around the country. ICE and CBP, excuse me, around the country. ICE and CBP were never meant to function as law enforcement and they are not trained to normal federal law enforcement standards of dealing with the public. Furthermore, I support the presence of our immigrant communities which [01:31:01] by and large have enriched American society, helped local businesses to thrive. I support the principles set forth in our constitution which ensures due process for all and is meant to afford everyone in this country equal justice under the law whether or not they're American citizens. What we are witnessing now with ICE and CBP is the opposite of law, order, due process, or justice. During these paramilitarized immigration enforcement operations, DHS has shot at least 12 people, killed four, including American citizens exercising their first and [01:31:40] second amendment rights. 30 seconds. 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 as a result of administration's intensified operations which made 2025 the deadliest year in decades for deaths in ice custody i ask that you take any possible legal action to prevent this warehouse from being used by ice in our in our county it will make our community far less safe encroach on our liberties and harm businesses and neighborhoods alike man thank you for your comments okay we had a little bit of an issue on on our side with some scheduling do i have [01:32:19] miss jacobs okay uh ameen vafa mr vafa very well and miss buckland very well because that was our issue we're going to allow y'all three y'all to the last on the list so you'll each have two minutes and that will be our final speaker for the first hour of citizens time miss jacobs thank you my name is beth jacobs and i live in the beaver dam district about two miles from the proposed facility i'm here tonight as a nearby resident not to debate national policy but to talk about local impacts in three areas, infrastructure, property values, and economic development. The letter from [01:32:57] DHS makes it clear that they envision significant improvements will need to be made with this facility, and Hanover will be on the hook for updating infrastructure to meet their needs. The letter does not include an analysis of traffic impacts, emergency access, or support times. [01:33:13] There's no evaluation of whether existing county infrastructure can support such a massive facility. I have serious reservations about whether we can handle the scale of activity, and we certainly shouldn't be funding it. Many of us are also concerned about the long-term effects on property values. We've invested our savings and our futures here and did not know we were purchasing property to raise our families near a jail. Should this proposal move forward, it will negatively impact our home values, the Hanover tax base, and thus funding for our schools and other public services. Hanover and Ashland have worked for years to position this corridor as a desirable place to live, work, and invest. I'm concerned about the message of the sense to [01:33:52] businesses and families considering Hanover for the future. This site could be used for tax generation and job creation. Economic development depends on predictability, transparency, and alignment with community goals. A jail does not belong in a mixed-use development. [01:34:08] 30 seconds. I understand the federal government has authority here. However, Hanover has the ability and the responsibility to slow this down. Demand through studies and insist on full compliance with environmental infrastructure safety and building standards i don't see any upside to this for hanover or our community we shouldn't be drained of our collective resources and stifling economic development i urge the board to continue to use every tool available to discourage this project from moving forward is miss sandra murphy in the room does anybody [01:34:45] know sandra murphy miss murphy if you're watching online your purse is in the restroom you can see major mallory and he has it or one of our uniform patrol officers uh here in hanover county we'll be happy to assist you miss sandra murphy uh your purse was left on county property should you need it thank you sir thank you uh good evening my name is ameen vafa and i reside in the chickahominy district um like many here tonight i am registering my opposition to the facility i know the county's options are limited however it can reflect the voice of the community as it has [01:35:23] by opposing this purchase and as the county prepares its response to DHS I have supplied previously earlier today via email to the county to the to the Board of Supervisors two letters that voice opposition to locating a detention facility within a locality one dated five days ago from Merrimack New Hampshire and one dated eight years ago from right here in Hanover. [01:35:44] In the Merrimack letter the town council wrote to DHS with concerns about the development of a 1500 bed ICE detention facility reporting this facility would decrease tax revenue by over half a million dollars, leading to increased tax burden on residents to address the projected shortfall. The chairman also expressed concern that likely civil unrest would overburden emergency services, further straining limited town resources. With an identically sized facility, it seems undeniable that similar concerns would apply to Hanover. In the Hanover letter, the county manager registered "strong opposition to the commonwealth in developing a 96-bed juvenile detention facility." The county documented the adverse environmental impacts of the facility, [01:36:23] specifically citing the depletion of the Potomac aquifer and the high levels of scrutiny from DEQ on increased groundwater withdrawals. At the time, the county also wished to avoid "public concerns regarding any new or increased withdrawal in this area." And since the facility DHS has envisioned is more than 150 times greater than the Commonwealth's proposed 96 best facility, we should assume the environmental impacts would be substantially more negative. [01:36:45] The Lake Ridge Parkway warehouse rests on a M2 parcel and is located near businesses such as as Green Top and Bass Pro Shop. One of the sites the Commonwealth selected as a potential facility in 2018 was also zoned M2 right across from 95, and the county argued that this prime commercial real estate required higher development standards to mitigate adverse impacts to complement character of existing development, and that a correction facility adversely impacts economic development potential in the vicinity. [01:37:10] Thank you, sir. Thank you. And finally, Ms. Casey Buckley. I'm a local. Sir. I'm a graduate of Liberty Middle School, Patrick Henry High School, and J. Sarge Community college, which means I've had a history of great teachers and there are some scary parallels with this presidential administration in the German government of the 1930s. But let's get to the Department of Homeland Security's proposed purchase of the warehouse on Lake Ridge Parkway as a human processing transport for ICE detainees. I am against any facilities like this popping up anywhere. Note about the proposed location. It's pretty much direct access of the conjunction of [01:37:48] i-95 north towards dc then to 295 which goes 64 west and east across virginia it's also 3.1 miles [01:37:56] away from hanover county's municipal airport so air flight and then it's close to trains too this [01:40:09] board is now in session miss bucklin miss bucklin it's time for you to speak ma'am good evening board members thank you so much for having us here tonight um my name is casey bucklin and i appreciate your service to our community very much um thank you for the decisions that you've already made on our behalf. I'm so grateful. My husband, my three children, my parents, and I all reside in the Beaverdam district. I am not here only as an individual, a citizen of Hanover, speaking on my own behalf, but I'm here in my capacity as the coordinator of administration [01:40:48] and hospitality for Ashland St. James DeLess, who is under Bishop Stevenson that you heard speak here tonight. I'm here to use my voice in strong opposition to the proposed ICE detention center here in Hannah. A text message that I got from one of my children this morning said, Mom, I'm scared of the world right now, and I'm so scared for the people and their families. My response was, I'm so thankful that you aren't numb to all of this and that you care for people like you do. Good always [01:41:22] wins. God has been working to redeem this, his creation this entire time, but evil will fight for its place in this. Keep doing the next right thing and looking out for the people in your corner of the world. And that's why I'm here to practice a little bit of what I preach. I'm here. Many people have listed very practical reasons for not having our detention center here. But thinking on Hanover's legacy, I ask us to think on, we don't know much that is certain. What we do know is that [01:41:57] History will not look kindly on ice. It will not look kindly on its arrogant above the law leadership It will not look kindly on the men that have hurriedly and chaotically hired and heavenly are heavily armed Have turned then been turned loose with little accountability men who Ma'am are your comments related to the ice facility? [01:42:21] They are Very seldom do we have the chance to publicly stand Ma'am your time has ended. Thank you for being with us Ms. Buckland Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, that concludes citizens' time. I want to make a note. So grateful, regardless of the position someone holds, that you took your time to come to the Board of Supervisors. [01:42:41] I find it interesting. Many of you know, as we stated, that the Board will have no authority over the federal government in placing the federal buildings here. But I believe you came here. You need to put your signs down so you don't block someone's view. We don't mind your signs. Thank you. But I believe you came here because this is the most open and accessible government that you have. [01:43:03] Can't drive to D.C. and walk in and just start talking. Doesn't happen. Here we open the doors. We make it available. It's hard to go down to the General Assembly and do that. So we appreciate folks being here. That said, if at the second half of Citizens' Time, we have to recess, we'll recess one time. [01:43:22] And if I cannot continue to conduct business in an orderly fashion for everyone in this room, then we'll have to stop Citizens' Time. it's my sincerest desire that that does not happen with that the time is 7 33 the board is going to take a 10 minute recess and reconvene for the next item on the agenda a presentation for the process of filling the vacancy created by the retirement of colonel david r hines this board [01:43:45] is in recess we'll now call this meeting to order the next item on the agenda is a consent agenda [02:00:07] as amended have all board members had an opportunity to review the consent agenda are there deletions additions any changes to the consent agenda as amended is there a motion to approve a motion that we approve the consent agenda as with the amendment we have a motion in a second is there any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye motion passes next item on the agenda is a presentation for the filling of the vacancy created by the retirement of Colonel David R. Hines our County Attorney mr. Dennis Walter mr. Walter [02:00:39] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [02:01:02] I'm here tonight to provide an overview of the process for filling the upcoming vacancy in the Office of Sheriff of Hanover County that will come about due to the retirement of Colonel David Hines. As you know, the Sheriff is one of Hanover's constitutional officers, along with the Treasurer, Commonwealth's Attorney Commissioner of Revenue, and the Clerk of the Court. [02:01:22] Our constitutional officers are created by Article 7, Section 4 of the Constitution of Virginia. Those elections happen every four years, with the exception of the Clerk of Court, which happens once every eight years. Those are in November, and then the term begins the January following the election. [02:01:39] The code, as I mentioned, provides for four-year terms. The cycle began in 1995, the most recent one, and those terms coincide with your terms. So every four years, Hanover voters come out, and in November of 2023, they conducted that election and elected our current slate of constitutional officers. The next election is scheduled for November of 2027. By letter back in January, Colonel Hines announced that he will be retiring at the end of March of this year and the notification was sent to the circuit court judges here in Hanover. You all received notice of that as well and he also provided notice to Mr. Hargrove, the [02:02:19] clerk of the court. State code does provide for what happens when there is a a vacancy in any of our constitutional offices. For an immediate-- I'm going to call it a succession plan. The highest ranking deputy who is eligible to serve-- basically, those individuals who are qualified to vote. [02:02:35] If you're a commonwealth attorney, you need to be an attorney practice. But otherwise, you just need to be a resident and a qualified voter of Hanover County. If that individual is present, that highest ranking deputy, by operation of law, assumes the role and has the authority of that office. [02:02:53] In this particular case, Lieutenant Colonel Greg Sixx is currently second in command. He is the undersheriff. And upon Colonel Hines's retirement, at the end of March, Lieutenant Colonel Sixx will assume the office of Sheriff of Hanover County by operation of law. [02:03:10] The Board of Supervisors does not need to take any action. He will need to be sworn in by the circuit court, but there is no formal action that is needed. However, that is not the sole provision in state code with respect to filling a vacancy. The board does have a role in this process. [02:03:27] And that is set out in Virginia Code section 24.2-228.1. And it provides that when there is a vacancy-- and those vacancies can occur in a number of ways-- death of an officer, removal of an officer, or in this case, a vacancy due to a retirement or a resignation. [02:03:44] But within 15 days of the occurrence of that vacancy, the local governing body is to petition the circuit court to issue a writ of election. Now, the actual date of the special election is determined by the circuit court. But state code does provide that the local governing body-- in this case, the Board of Supervisors here-- may request the date of that special election. [02:04:08] The default, as I will sort of phrase it, is that it will be held on the date of the next general election. Most of the provisions call for that. And the court is clearly within its authority to order the special election to be heard. Now, there are some limitations on the calling of special elections. [02:04:28] The first one is, as you can see on the screen, Section 24.228.1 , and that provides that if the vacancy occurs within 12 months immediately preceding the end of the term of the office, the governing body can petition and request that there be no special election. [02:04:45] So for instance, since the term ends at the end of December, If a vacancy had occurred after January 1, 2027, the board could ask that there not be a special election due to the fact that there's less than 12 months. [02:05:02] And that makes sense from a purely administrative standpoint. Does it make sense to have the voters select someone to serve the remainder of a term, which may be a matter of a few months, and then have to come back again to vote on the upcoming term? [02:05:17] There's also a provision with respect to the timing of elections dealing with when it occurs during the year. Because the code section that you can see on the screen provides that if the vacancy occurs within 90 days of the next general election, and the governing body hasn't requested a different date, the special election is actually held off until the following year. [02:05:39] So in this particular case, election day 2026 is November 3. 90 days prior to that is August 5. So if the vacancy had occurred after August 5, 2026, then the special election could be held in November of 2027. We don't have that situation here, as I mentioned, because the date that is in question here is at the end of March. [02:06:00] So those are two restrictions that I've gone through that could apply, depending upon when the vacancy occurs, but is not applicable in this particular case. State code provides that whoever wins the special election basically serves the remainder of the term. [02:06:16] We don't start the clock anew. It isn't a new four-year term. They fill that vacancy. So whoever will be elected in the special election holds that seat until December of 2027. And after that, the new term begins. Now, there are some additional limitations on holding special elections. [02:06:35] First and foremost, as you all know, the tradition in this country is to hold elections on Tuesdays. And so the special election here in the Commonwealth for any of those vacancies have to be held on a Tuesday to try to avoid voter confusion and administrative issues that can't be held within 55 days prior to a general election or a primary election. [02:06:56] In addition, it cannot also be held on the same day as a primary election. And that makes sense because often for primary elections, the entire electorate isn't motivated to come on out and vote. It may just be for one of the political parties that are there. But those are sort of the limitations on that. [02:07:12] Now, one thing that's come up in the past few years that hasn't been addressed, but I just want to raise, it's an administrative provision, is that there's no language in the code with respect to special elections regarding the impacts of 24.2701.1, which is the early absentee in-person voting. [02:07:31] As you all know, the board has a position on its legislative agenda with respect to this, but right now it is 45 days preceding an election. Folks can come on in and vote. So if the early voting doesn't have an impact on how you calculate that-- so if you say you can't have a special election within 55 days, right now there's the possibility that you could have a special election, and then 10 days later, start the voting for the next election. [02:07:58] So I don't think that it's going to be an issue here, as you'll hear in a few minutes with respect to what my recommendation is, but it is something to keep in mind with respect to the administrative burdens. Because as you all know, while we certainly want our folks to come out and exercise their right to vote. [02:08:16] It is not a cost-free proposition for the county as well as the folks who work in the registrar's office. So sort of what the next steps are. That's been a sort of a thumbnail sketch of where we are. But the next steps are, since we know when Colonel Hines' retirement will be, the board has to file a petition within 15 days of that upcoming vacancy. [02:08:37] It can be before or after. It doesn't say-- it just says within that. And the Supreme Court has indicated on multiple times that it can either be before or afterwards. I see no reason to wait until afterwards, since we all know that the vacancy will be happening. Given the timing of his retirement, it does not fit into the provisions that the court would wait until November of 2027. [02:08:59] So this isn't a matter of that the interim position by the provisions of state code would last until December 31 of 2027. Again, that default would be that the special election be held at the next general election, which is November 3rd of 2026. [02:09:15] Now, the board could request an earlier date than that. And I mentioned before, there are some administrative burdens for that. You may have heard that there is currently a proposal-- not sure if it's going to happen, but there's currently a proposal that on April 21st, there's going to be a vote on the proposed amendment to the Constitution of Virginia regarding the redistricting of congressional districts. [02:09:36] Obviously, we all know that there's some court proceedings ongoing, but there's a proposal that in April there will be a special election. In June of this year, there is currently scheduled a primary for the US Senate and the US House of Representatives, should those need to happen, and the special election can't be held at that time. [02:09:52] Remember that early in-person voting is 45 days before those, so if it's the April 21st, 45 days before that will be sometime in early March, and the June one will go into sometime at the beginning of May. So between those, there may be about a week and a half between the April 21st election and the beginning of early voting for the June one. [02:10:13] So certainly those are matters for the board to consider in terms of asking for the timing. So what is it that I'm asking for you here this evening? Based upon the timing of Colonel Hines' retirement, I've been preparing to act as follows. [02:10:29] First and foremost, I've been working with the circuit court and the sheriff's office on the steps necessary to make sure that Lieutenant Colonel Six assumes those duties and that that transition is as seamless as possible as by operation of law the board does not need to do anything. I am preparing to file a petition on behalf of the board between March 16th and April 15th which is the 15 days before or afterwards to make sure that the circuit court is aware of the upcoming vacancy and to outline the state code provisions related to holding special elections much like I did here this evening. The one thing that I will need some direction from the board [02:11:02] is with respect to any information with respect to holding a special election and what that date will be. So ultimately, while the date of the special election is to be determined by the court, what I'm proposing is to say that the board has determined that there's no need to hold the special election prior to what I mentioned as the default, the November 3rd, 2026 general election. [02:11:25] Certainly the circuit court may decide otherwise, but I think based upon the number of elections that we have, the fact that there will still be one year after that election, November 2026, seems to be a reasonable time to have that, understanding that there will be someone who is the sheriff between now and then, so there isn't a concern about a vacuum or any question with respect to the sheriff's office that's done. So tonight what I'm asking for is a motion to authorize me to file a petition with the circuit court to have that upcoming vacancy filled in [02:11:58] accordance with the provisions of state code and then as with the inclusion of language regarding the november 2026 election that the board sees no reason why the court should not schedule it for that date and i'm happy to answer any questions but at this time that is what i'm asking the board to authorize me to do thank you it seems reasonable that the board would not ask to deviate past the or prior to the the regularly scheduled election in november but at this point i want to take a [02:12:35] consensus uh see if there's a consensus on that before we move forward is there anybody who objects to to that seeing none very well uh thank you mr walter uh we appreciate that uh there is an item to be discussed i will now open it up to board members any board members have questions or comments seeing none is there a motion mr chairman mr hersburg motion to authorize the county attorney to file a petition with the circuit court to have the upcoming vacancy in the office of sheriff be filled in accordance with the provisions of the code of Virginia as recommended by the county attorney second [02:13:14] motion we have a second is there any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries the next item on the agenda are planning public hearings our deputy director mr. Pompeii will be with us this evening mr pompey the first planning public hearing for the night is a request for a special exception to allow an accessory family housing unit in the summer plains subdivision [02:13:51] which is in the henry district summer plains is located outside of our suburban service area the designated growth area and is designated rural slash agricultural on the general land use plan this particular property is zoned ar2 agricultural residential 2 it's a two acre lot in the summer plains subdivision within that zoning district the applicant has the right to request a special exception to allow an accessory family housing unit in this particular case the housing will be occupied by the applicant's brother there are certain use standards that must be met per the zoning ordinance and this particular request adheres to those use standards for accessory [02:14:29] family housing units so this is a typical request we have seen at board meetings in recent months with the special exception the applicant submitted a sketch plan that shows the existing house outlined in blue and that red hatching shows where the proposed accessory family housing will be for the applicant's brother it'll be within the existing home in just over 500 square feet in area this is the floor plan it'll be a studio type apartment where there's an existing attached garage that'll be converted to living space for the applicant's brother with there's a bathroom kitchen and one open space this is what the exterior of the existing home looks like from [02:15:07] from the street where that yellow circle is, that's where the existing attached garage is. It'll be converted to living space. The exterior appearance from the street will remain unchanged, again, because it's just converting that garage to a living space and the access will be in the rear. [02:15:24] These are staff recommended conditions that align with many of the conditions that have been approved with other accessory family housing units. The size is limited to no more than 561 square feet. That's close to the maximum size of 25% main dwelling that's allowed per the ordinance it's valid for three years following approval or until the family member no longer resides in the unit the proposed use and the renovation and conversion of that garage to living space must meet all building inspections and health department requirements and the standard condition with all our special exceptions it must adhere to all applicable development regulations that concludes staff's presentation this is a public hearing item [02:16:01] the applicant is present to answer any questions the board may have but they do not have a formal presentation plans very well there any questions for mr pompey thank you sir we will now open the public hearing the applicants here do they wish to make a statement seeing none is there anyone here who wishes to speak in support of this case is there anyone here who wishes to speak in opposition seeing them we will close a public hearing this is in my district i move for approval of sc 2025 00030 second we have a motion in a second is there any discussion all those in favor [02:16:37] please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion passes the next two public hearing items relate to existing sign structures that are being modified and need some approval from the board of supervisors through a special exception the first sign is near the interchange of interstate 95 and kings dominion boulevard which is route 30 and that is a sign request to make it taller and larger than permitted by ordinance in the beaver dam district this is where the property is located the property itself is larger and in the red hashing and the sign is the red circle right near [02:17:15] the ramp to northbound 95 from Route 30. It's an existing sign and I'll show a picture of that later. But the property is zoned M3 and B3 and many of the properties at the interchange have commercial and industrial zoning. So the existing sign that's there, you'll see it when you drive down Interstate 95, is a pre-existing non-conforming sign and the applicants proposing changes. [02:17:40] In particular, a new sign face, as well as a new sign that shows the fuel prices and is electronic. It's a non-conforming sign because it does not meet current zoning requirements. A non-conforming sign can be refaced, but you cannot change the size, shape, or illumination without coming to the Board of Supervisors. [02:17:59] And in this case, they're adding that fuel sign, which changes the size, shape, and illumination. So it needs to come to the Board of Supervisors for a special exception. And again, this is where the sign is located. the doswell truck stop that existing sign near the on-ramp to northbound interstate 95 on the right is the sign that exists today and on the left is what the applicant was originally proposing with the application and what went out in the staff report you can see that top sign is refaced adding the fuel price sign that triggers the need for a special exception and then removing some of the older signage that is lower down on the sign structure this was in the packet the applicant [02:18:35] has revised the colors on the sign face in particular to address the concerns presented since the staff report went out. What's now proposed in the current elevations would be the blue and white lettering on the sign face and then again that fuel sign underneath. And there's a proposed condition, a recommended condition that reflects the applicant's intent to remove some of that older signage below the existing sign or the top sign face. So in this case there's certain criteria that must be reviewed as a special exceptions considered this sign is not really changing in terms of height it'll remain the same same height again removing some of the [02:19:13] older signage refacing that top sign and adding the fuel prices in the comprehensive plan this area is designated destination commerce which is more interstate oriented businesses such as the truck stop and those types of things so that sign fits in with the intent of this area these are staff recommended conditions the applicant must get a sign permit prior to installation of the new sign within 30 days of installation of the new sign the applicant must contact the planning department to schedule an inspection and then those existing signs must be removed the sign structure must be non-reflective neutral color if the use is discontinued for six months or more [02:19:50] the sign must be removed and then the standard condition with all our development regulations is that it must adhere to all of the applicable elevations there was a question about the properties conformance with the zoning ordinance there have been some code violations in the past including one this year but all of these violations have been corrected at this time that concludes staff's presentation the applicants representative is here tonight to answer any questions but they do not have a formal presentation plans mr. Pompey you combined se 22 and 29 together in the presentation is that correct no they're separate love of [02:20:27] another presentation on 29 later. Okay, very well. Then I'll hold a separate public hearing. Thank you, sir. With that, any questions for Mr. Pompei? Seeing none, we'll open the public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak in support, or is the applicant available for a statement? [02:20:43] Do they desire to make one? Seeing none, is there anyone here in opposition? Seeing none, we will close the public hearing. Mr. Steinman, this is in your district, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is an improvement, I guess, to design that's currently there. [02:21:01] So I'm going to motion that we approve SC 2025-00022 as submitted with the conditions of removing the old signs. Second. I have a motion. We have a second by Ms. Dibble. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. [02:21:17] Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Mr. Pompey. This next request relates to another sign along the Interstate 95 corridor, this one farther south near the interchange with Lewistown Road in the Ashland District. [02:21:34] There is an older gas station on the east side of Interstate 95 along Lewistown Road. It was originally a shell station. You can see that parcel highlighted on the screen. It was originally a shell station. That station was vacant for several years, and the existing sign lost its nonconformity, so they have to come back to make any changes to that sign if a special exception is approved. [02:21:56] The property is Zone B3, and there are many commercial and industrial properties surrounding that interchange. This is an aerial view of the property. You can see the gas station towards the front on Lewistown Road with the gas pumps, and then the sign is in the back. It's an existing sign that you can see from Interstate 95 right now. [02:22:13] As I mentioned, that sign was associated with a previously run Shell gas station. That gas station was vacant. The sign face was taken down with a vacancy of the gas station, and that has lost the sign's nonconforming status. So in order to replace the sign face, the applicant and the property are going to need to go through the special exception process. [02:22:34] Again, the sign is at its existing location. The structure itself exists behind the gas station, and this is what it looks like. As you can see, the sign face was taken off when the Shell station left the property. The sign structure remains, and this is the proposed Exxon sign that will go where that existing sign face or former sign face is located. [02:22:57] So in terms of the special exception criterion we look at, we review special exceptions. the sign will not be any larger or taller than what the existing sign structure can support. This sign is near the Brown Grove Rural Historic District. There are some properties farther east on Lewistown Road that are within that Rural Historic District. [02:23:16] However, the sign is more oriented towards Interstate 95 and not the district itself. So it's not as visible to the districts that would be otherwise. This has similar conditions to the previously reviewed sign in the Beaverdam District, but this particular request the applicant must obtain a sign permit if the special exception is approved per condition one the support structure must remain white or another non-reflective neutral color if there's a change in use for the building is vacant for six months or more the sign must be removed and then the standard condition with all our special exceptions any development and sign must adhere to applicable development regulations that concludes staff's presentation [02:23:55] the owner and the applicant's representative are here tonight but they do not have a formal presentation plans. Thank you, sir. Any questions for Mr. Pompei? Very well. I'll open the public hearing as the applicant here wish to make a statement. Seeing none, is there anyone here to speak in support? Anyone in opposition? We will now close the public hearing. Ms. Pritchard, this is in your district, ma'am. Thank you, Mr. Chair. These very nice folks have opened and [02:24:27] rehabilitated an abandoned business on Lewistown Road. Their entire family has put time and effort into making this successful. And all they're really asking is that a sign that already exists get to have a new facing on it, and because of the time involved, it needed to come forward for a special exception. [02:24:52] I could not support this more strongly. So that being said, I move to support SE 2025-00029. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. second by Ms. Floyd. Any discussion? All those in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Mr. Pompey. The next public hearing is in the Cold Harbor District and this is a request for a special exception to allow a home occupation, which in this case would be a [02:25:26] commercial kitchen, to operate within an accessory building. The property is zoned A1 on a private road called Adams Lane, which is just off of Cold Harbor Road. This is where the property is located. it's outside the suburban service area in an area designated rural agricultural. The property itself along with many of the other properties on Adams Lane are zone A1 agricultural. In the A1 zoning district property owners can have a home occupation by right without approval by the board of supervisors within the home itself but if the home occupation is within the accessory structure that's what triggers the requirement for a special exception which this property owner [02:26:04] is seeking. Here's an aerial view of the property. The house itself is along a curve on Adam's Lane. You can see the yellow line shows where Adam's Lane goes on the north and the west side, and the home and the kitchen that the accessory structure will be in are located towards that curve in the pink circle. So as part of this request, the accessory building, which is adjacent to the home, will serve as a commercial kitchen. That building's already set up as a kitchen-type building that has all the equipment needed to operate the commercial kitchen. Adjacent to that building, there's a smaller smoke shed that will also be used to prepare food for the business. [02:26:45] Originally, and I'll talk about this a little bit more, the applicant was proposing cooking classes to help teach people about food preparation, and that has now been withdrawn since the staff report went out. In terms of this business, it operates Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. That is one of the requirements of any home occupation in the county applicants or the applicant has indicated that customers will come to the property to purchase goods there's a food trailer that's parked on site and the only employees are the property owners and the applicants themselves there's no other employees that come to the site for this particular business this shows the [02:27:22] property and where all the different outbuildings are positioned the orange peach colors where the house is the brighter pink magenta is where the kitchen is you can see the proximity of that accessory building to the main home and then the smoke shed is behind it. All that is near a circular driveway that accesses Adams Drive. And then here's just another look at the property. This particular drawing shows where the food trailer will be on the side of the house in the existing driveway. And this gives you an idea of what the site looks like. You can see the exterior of the kitchen. The top left picture shows where that building is in proximity to the main dwelling and [02:27:59] you can see the interior as well as the smoke shed that's being used. Again all these are existing buildings. As I mentioned, this property is located along a private road known as Adams Lane in the area designated rural agriculture in the Commerce of Plan. That aligns with the low-density rural residential development that's occurring in the area, and there are some recommended conditions that relate to the private road, ensuring that traffic is minimized on that particular roadway. [02:28:25] In this case, there's no new access points proposed. There is a maintenance agreement for Adams Lane and the applicant participates actively in the maintenance of that roadway. So there have been some changes since the staff report has gone out. These show the nine conditions in the staff report based on feedback from the community and some letters in support that were received from the property owners that live between the applicant's house on Adams Lane and Route 156. Some changes were proposed in a memo that you have in the folder and those [02:29:02] letters of support are also in the folder however at four o'clock this afternoon we received some concerns from another property owner so we're proposing staff proposing some changes and conditions that are different in the staff report and different than the original memo for the board to consider as we go forward so the revised conditions that staff is recommending based on that late feedback from community members is that there's a revised condition to allow limited food sales on the property. [02:29:35] That's part of the applicant's business, but there are some limitations on the number of customers that could come on site that I'll show you to help protect the private road from overuse. There is a revised condition to state that only people that live on the property can be employed on site. [02:29:52] And then there is another condition requiring extensions by the board. The special exception is only granted for a certain amount of time. So here are the specifics. Based on the feedback received in the email that you all have in the packet from 4 o'clock today, there's a proposed revision to food sales number 5 that would allow on-site food sales of no more than 15 customers per week. [02:30:17] and the applicant must keep a log of that and submit it upon request or with the renewal of the special exception in two years. Condition seven will be revised to say non-resident employees are not permitted to work on site. That aligns with what the applicant is already doing and that only people that live there work there. [02:30:35] To address some of the traffic concerns, removing the personal cooking classes, those were pretty limited in the staff report but now removed entirely. And then a brand new condition that this special exception is granted for two years. And then beyond that, it must come back to the Board of Supervisors for renewal. [02:30:54] And during that time, we'll verify all the conditions are met. And that also helps ensure that with the increased usage of the private road, it's not causing negative impacts in terms of maintenance and wear and tear on that roadway. So, that last slide shows the latest version of the recommended conditions, again, based on the feedback that's been received since the staff report has gone out. [02:31:17] The applicant's aware of those changes, and they are also here tonight. They don't have a formal presentation plan, but they are available to answer any questions. Very well. Thank you, Mr. Pompey. Are there any questions for Mr. Pompey? Mr. Ersberg. Mr. Chairman, thank you, sir. [02:31:33] Just one quick question. We do have the letters of support and the one letter of opposition. just wanted to get this on the record. Do the letters contain an agreement with Mr. Minter to maintain the private road as he has been in the past? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You're welcome, sir. Anything further from Mr. Pompei? Anything further? Very well. We will now open the public hearing. Is the applicant present [02:32:08] and wish to give a presentation or statement? Applicants available for questions. Is there anyone here who wishes to speak in support? Anyone who wishes to speak in opposition seeing none we will close a public hearing mr. [02:32:26] Herzberg this is in your district sir thank you mr. chairman I'd like to point out that the mentors operated treats and treasures for about 10 years they did a excellent job delicious food I've been in there many times with my child and we always enjoyed the pies the limeade the sandwiches and y'all did a really great job they're just at a place in life now where they need to dine downsize us They've gotten up there in the years and they can't stand on their feet 14-15 hours a day But they do want to do they they want to continue to provide some good meals [02:33:04] For people in the community and this business has a tremendous amount of community Support and I certainly support everything they want to do the one concern that I've had is use of a private road because we've seen those concerns in the past and I believe it's important that the board is sensitive to owners of the private road. And so we do have three letters of support from the owners who reside between the mentors and Cold Harbor Road. We do have one letter of [02:33:42] opposition based upon 300 customers per month on the parcel which is just past the mentors. so we have talked today this afternoon mr. chairman and I do would like to explain why I had to step out for a minute sir it was to take care of this so we would be prepared for the meeting today today sir just to let you know so we we have come up with some changes that I think will be sensitive to the neighbors and I'd like to get all those on the record before I make a motion of [02:34:17] course sir first of all mr. mentor has agreed to maintain the private road as he has been in the past second of all the mentors have agreed to zero non-resident employees their daughter katie lives on the property and she's certainly welcome to work on the kitchen and the food they've agreed to no additional structures being added to the property so they're not going to add any more garages or sheds or anything like that they have agreed to no more than 15 customers [02:34:51] per week on an average. So a week like Thanksgiving, or if they have a big family event or something going on, there may be a little more, but the next week needs to be a little less. And they understand that. So the key word is 15 customers per week average, which the last publication of this staff report had up to 300 per month. This gets it down to around 65, right in there somewhere. [02:35:21] And I think that's very sensitive to the neighbors no non-resident employees Oh, the other thing is no classes They've agreed to take out the classes and by dropping out the non-resident employees in the classes that reduces the trips On the private road and because they're no longer operating treats and treasures at the at the store This is actually a lesser traffic impact on Cold Harbor Road itself I would think and I do know not just think There are residents on the road and in the community who really appreciate this opportunity [02:36:01] to get these really good home-cooked meals right there in the Cold Harbor District, right there on Cold Harbor Road. The one other thing I'll add, I would like for you to just put a sign for your entrance, a small one, just about the side of the little yard sign that says, Treating Treasures with the arrows so people go in. [02:36:22] We don't want them going down to the back. then when they go to leave because the mentors have a horseshoe driveway there's no reason for anybody to go in the back but you just have an exit another sign about this big that says exit to the right so that is another way that we're being sensitive to the neighbors in the back because we don't want the traffic going missing the entrance or turning out the wrong way with all of these and they've agreed to that i can tell so with all of that i make the motion to approve Special section special exception 2025-00028 [02:36:56] Wendy and Peter Lance Miller second we have a motion the second is there any discussion all those in favor? Please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries Thank you, sir The last planning public hearing is in the Mechanicsville district And this is a request to vacate some unimproved right away within the Laura Lee subdivision So the Laura Lee subdivision, again, is in the Mechanicsville District off of Bell Creek Road. [02:37:31] That subdivision was recorded in 1972. As part of the subdivision's recordation, there was a 50-foot right-of-way that was dedicated but not improved, a paper road, if you will, that was in the subdivision but not built. There is a request by one of the adjoining property owners to vacate that unimproved right-of-way. [02:37:49] In cases like this where the right-of-way is vacated, half the right-of-way will go to one adjoining property owner and the other half will go to the property on the other side. And one special consideration with this case and I'll show you a series of maps going forward is that this particular unimproved right-of-way provides access to the Tremue Estate Lane area which is designated for residential development as part of the suburban service area and currently only has access from a private road with limited easement width. So this is where the right-of-way is, highlighted in red towards the center of the screen. You can see how it connects to the area that's currently served by the private road, [02:38:29] Tremu Estate Lane, off just east of Bell Creek Road, which is on the left side of the screen. This subdivision, Laura Lee, is zoned R1, and again, it's an older subdivision from the 1970s, but the properties of the north are primarily zoned A1 at this time, but are designated in comprehensive plan as suburban neighborhood residential with a recommended density of one and a half to three units per acre. And this is just where that unimproved right-of-way is in blue on that older plat from 1972. If this request were approved, half of the right-of-way would go to lot five and [02:39:06] half would go to lot one. And this is an overview of what the right-of-way currently looks like and how it relates to the surrounding area. The right-of-way highlighted in yellow on the two aerial maps and you can see how on the left the larger map how it connects to the area that is lower density residential development zoned a1 right now but in the comprehensive plan has the potential to redevelop with one and a half to three units per acre after going through the rezoning process one challenge for the current property owners is right [02:39:39] now there is a limited width of that private road easement based on our research portions that are only 20 feet wide even to do a family subdivision in rs you need at least 50 feet so without if this right-of-way were abandoned that area along that private road would be difficult to develop or redevelop without acquiring additional parcels that have frontage on bell creek road and you can see the bell creek road frontage has a lot of smaller lots already recorded and developed if you look up close mary davis is the person that requested this vacation she's to the right [02:40:17] or the east of the right of way and then David Phillips is on the west and you can see from the photo it's unimproved with some of the driveway going in that area. In terms of the recommended conditions if this request were approved the applicant would have to prepare a plat that identifies the right of way vacated and they would have to go through the process and expense of preparing that plat with the surveyor that would be reviewed by the planning department and then it would be recorded with the circuit court after being reviewed by planning staff again with the the applicant covering all the costs and fees. That concludes staff's [02:40:55] presentation but again I think the main issue as we discussed was without this right away access to that area and orange would be severely limited to accommodate any future development within the suburban service area. That concludes staff's presentation. I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have. Any questions from Mr. Pompey? Just one Mr. Chair. Mr. Hudson. Thank you Mr. Pompey for your presentation is it not accurate to say that this abandonment would make it more difficult for fire [02:41:30] ems to access the property as well yeah and that's one thing i forgot to mention late this afternoon we received two emails from property owners along that private road and they said you know with the weather we're experiencing it's difficult to get back there if not impossible right now with some of the elderly residents they expressed concerns that if that right of way was taken away the the private road would be the only access and again in conditions like this it's it's pretty inaccessible because of the nature of the private road thank you mr. Pompey that's mr. chair thank you sir [02:42:07] any further questions seeing none we will open the public hearing is there anyone here who wishes to speak in favor or is the applicant here and wish to make a statement anyone in favor anyone in opposition seeing them we will close the public hearing mr. Hudson this is in your district sir Thank you, mr. Chair. I can certainly understand why the applicants would certainly want to have this abandoned abandoned but in lieu of the public interest of the whole I'm feel that I'm gonna have to deny the application we have a motion for denial is there a second second we have a motion in a [02:42:45] second any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries next item on the agenda item number 10 is a presentation for consideration of approval of the exterior trim for the Wickham building annex renovation projects noted in the board agenda and Mr. Kilduff is a deputy county attorney he is a deputy county administrator and an engineer engineer diametrically opposed to attorneys thank you sir deputy Kilduff thank you for being with us please start your presentation thank you chairman Davis members of the board mr. Badesky mr. Walter Todd Kilduff deputy county administrator presentation for you for the Wickham annex [02:43:24] renovation project which is taking place right across the street as some of the citizens and guests we have today that as they drove in, they may have seen some fencing along the road. That's this capital improvement project we have. When we were designing this project and meeting with our architect, the one thing we asked them to do was to look at the exterior of the building and try and come up with an exterior trim package that more closely resembled the other structures we have here on campus. Even though the fence is there now, this is the building as it exists today there's round rectangular windows with a concrete base nothing really fancy about it which is not the end of the world it's one of the oldest [02:44:00] structures on this campus but with all the other renovations we've done and the new buildings we asked them to come up with architectural features that made it look more colonial style look more like it would fit in with some of the other structures on campus so this is the architectural drawing you'll see strong differences in the windows, the door trim, the cornice work. There's muntins in the window, which is basically the cross hatching. So there's definitely some more colonial style features that they've added to the structure. If you also take note of the red cloud that's above the building in the architectural engineering world, we call that red revision clouds. What that means is that [02:44:38] represents something that's either been added or subtracted from the drawings. In this particular case, we had in the drawings, we had what we call a mansard roof. Let's skip to this image real quick mincer roof is that angled roof that you see with all the other structures on campus but going back to the existing building it's a flat roof right now with the exterior trim package and the mansard roof we actually brought that to our facilities committee and the actual trim package was included in the contractors bid package so that's part of it an added piece was the mansard roof we said hey we're not projecting necessarily to do this with the project but if the cost works and everything works out it's something [02:45:17] that we could potentially work into the project with the approval of the facilities committee and the cost was roughly an estimate by the way we didn't get a contractor cost but it was a little over four hundred thousand dollars and that was this past summer so the chances of it being higher today are high but we again just want to be clear we don't have a contractor's cost that could change a lot of things but the estimate we had was about four hundred thousand so with that we ended up taking this because it is exterior to the structure we actually had to take it to our architectural review board. Because this structure is within the courthouse historic preservation overlay district, we call it the HPO, it has to go to the [02:45:55] architectural review board for approval as well. So just so you know, and we have this in here, this is the excerpt from the county code on what the architecture review board reviews. If you wanted to see that, I'm not going to read through this word for word or anything, but they basically can look at what the exterior of the buildings look like as far as trim goes, color, texture, styles, those kinds of things. So this is something that they can look at. And in their meeting that they had on January 11th of this year, they had a long discussion about the trim package, but more specifically the mansard roof that wasn't a part of it. Just to be clear, the agenda item for the [02:46:32] architecture review board was specifically the exterior trim because the facilities committee had guided staff to not include it. That's why you see a red revision cloud I showed earlier that's blank because it had been removed. The architecture review board had picked up on that and they asked why we had to remove it. So we explained why. And they actually denied the exterior trim package because they said they liked the roof and that should be a part of it. They felt like it wasn't really a complete plan if it was just the trim without the roof piece. So because it was denied by them, I was explicit and explained to them that if you deny this, we do want to take it back to the facilities committee that originally had it removed, which we did. So at the facilities [02:47:10] committee's January 15th meeting, which coincidentally happened to be a few days after that, We explained everything that I just explained to you to the Facilities Committee. The Facilities Committee upheld their original decision to keep the Manter roof away from the project and just keep the architectural exterior trim package that we had originally shown. [02:47:30] But the Facilities Committee cannot override the Architectural Review Board. The only committee that can do that is the full Board of Supervisors. So with the Facilities Committee approval, we are bringing this to you as the full Board of Supervisors as the only ones that can actually override an architectural review board's decision. [02:47:47] So we had received this letter from planning staff, which includes the denial from the architectural review board, and it states we have 30 days to appeal it. With the Facilities Committee approval, we made the appeal, hence the presentation today. [02:48:03] So the options we have in front of you are, first and foremost, you can uphold the ARB's decision, which would mean that we would add the advanced roof back into the project. What that would do, and I just want to be clear on this, we'd have to go back to the architect, get a change order to add it back into the drawings. [02:48:20] There's a lot of different steps I have outlined up here, but again, we don't have a contractor's cost. We'd have to get a cost from a contractor. We already have a contractor doing the work with the exterior trim package as part of his contract, so nothing changes there. This would be in addition to his contract, or this decision hasn't been made, or we'd have to put that back on the street for another contractor to bid on. [02:48:40] The concern with that is that the current contractor is doing adjustments to the roof and we don't want to avoid that warranty So if we added a mansion roof with a separate contractor, you could sort of see how this this would unravel and just be difficult We can work through that if that is decision of the board But I just wanted you to know the concerns we have from the staff's perspective and probably one of the bigger things is the time Impacts if you recall this projects have been put on pause from financial reasons number one But number two is we have to wrap this project in with the registrar's voting cycle because this impacts the registrar's office as well. And we do not want to impact that anymore. At the moment, we're good. We're a thumbs [02:49:15] up on the schedule. We are not impacting the registrar's voting schedule. This could potentially impact that. Again, no decision has been made yet. That's what we're asking for today. But we would work through that if we need to. Second option would be to override the ARB's decision, which would be to approve the extra year trim package as presented without the roof. And as stated earlier, nothing would really change the status quo. Contractor already has a contract for that work, so that stays as is and then there's potential third option which is to again allow staff to move forward with the extra year trim package and table the mantra group for for a future date any any date in the future would just increase the cost again today it's about 400k it could [02:49:55] be more in the future so with that we did our best to try and I know that's a lot of information I know it's a lot to take in from the different committees that we met with and everything but we did our best to come up with some motions for you the first one would be a motion to approve ARB's decision to deny the exterior trim package and have staff go back and add in a roof feature. [02:50:13] Second would be to deny the Architecture Review Board's decision and basically have staff move forward with the trim package as is. And then I left the deferred one mostly empty because I'm wasn't too sure exactly how this conversation would go. Motion to defer the ARB until whatever conversation we have. So with that, I'm here to answer any questions. We also have our Director of general services dana fox sitting to my left to answer questions as well and with that i i'm complete thank you chair davis thank you mr kilduff director fox thank you for being with us ma'am uh are there any questions for mr kilduff miss dibble i have more of a uh clarification that was [02:50:50] a lot to uh understand raise your hand if you got it probably didn't think so it was a lot so love you bro I tried and thank you for bringing this to us so just to wrap it up very succinctly the Finance Committee gave this project a budget and the windows and the trim package are within that budget correct and the Architects Review Committee wanted to add the new roof for a cost additional [02:51:24] cost of? Approximately $400,000. $400,000 and a delay of the project. Potential delay, but yes, we're leaning towards that because we'd have to get costs. Potential more money. Correct. And so the existing roof is structurally sound. Correct. Correct. So that's it in a nutshell. I'm kind of disappointed that we're here because we have a budget. We need to work towards a budget. I feel that one of our number one priorities and i know mr davis agrees with me is fiscal responsibility we have a good roof it's a good looking roof we're making the building look so much better [02:52:01] the windows needed to be replaced we'll get a tighter building and we should stick with the budget and in my opinion humble just move on thank you miss devil mr hudson uh thank you mr chair i do want to go on the record and say that i will be approving the project as presented i don't see need to add the roof however i will add that in the interest of the mechanicsville district i could be persuaded if my colleagues would want to add some powder-coated uh light posts to my roundabout in the village of mechanics not in the project not in the budget okay miss pritchard thank you ma'am [02:52:39] thank you mr chair as my colleague from mechanicsville apparently publicly um denounces my my Tendency towards language. I will not comment on his light pulse. What I will say is I support the support the Finance Committee's decision on this and That being said any member of the architectural review board who wants to come forward and donate $450,000 the minute they donate that money. I'm all in in the meantime. We have to stick to the budget Well, it was non-controversial up until that Thank You mr. Richard [02:53:19] Comment this is mr. Herzberg my I just have a comment the black light poles have already been worked out And ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna move forward on county business the thank you any further comments mr Stoneman, thank you. Mr. Chair as I sit on the facility facilities committee and we were up I was a big part of the conversation around that. I just want to point out that this is a standalone Building now and so it kind of has its own features. I was originally leaning toward the the new roof line But this this design I think the more I looked at it [02:53:55] I think it looked really looks good and I think this cost savings was a big was a big component of that So I just wanted to go on record saying that I truly support this project And I do think it's going to be a welcome addition to our campus. Thank you. Mr. Thutman. Anything further? [02:54:12] It was not Ladies and gentlemen, after consultation with the facilities committee, reading what they have looked at, what they approved, substantial consultation with the finance committee, both Chair Dibble and Ms. Pritchard, it does seem to make sense. [02:54:31] There's more than a consensus on this. The project can still be done. It can be done within budget, which is extremely important, and maintain the character of the historic courthouse complex as well as surrounding buildings. So with that I move to approve the architectural review my my apologies I moved to deny the architectural review board's decision to deny the exterior trim package to the Wickeman X renovation project Until a roof that more closely matches the other reason the courthouse campus can be included in the project This further would approve the exterior trim package that is in the current design drawings. That is the motion Is there a second we have a second by Miss Florida. Is there any discussion all those in favor? [02:55:10] Please indicate by saying aye aye any opposed motion carries thank you as the last item on the board's regularly scheduled business uh the board will take a five-minute recess and we'll come back for the second hour of citizens time we are in [02:55:26] this board is back in session i move that the board of supervisors confirm that the state of [03:07:26] emergency declared on january 23rd 2026 stay in effect until further action by the board to end the state of emergency is there a second second we have a motion and a second is there any discussion all those in favor please indicate by saying aye aye all those opposed motion carries mr county administrator please take appropriate action sir okay the next item on the agenda is citizens time we had a dual citizens time we extended it uh for much participation uh earlier we had an hour and now we're going to have an additional hour the first hour was for people who [03:08:02] had signed up the second hour is going to be uh for opponents and proponents regardless of whether someone signed up or not however i do have a number of people who are in opposition to the proposed federal uh processing center being proposed on lakeridge parkway but with that i'm going to go between those who oppose and those who are in support with that citizens time is a time for anyone to come forward uh that is a hand of a resident at this meeting a hand of a resident only to speak to the board on any matter within the board's authority now while we recognize and and it's been codified that the board does not have authority over the federal government in this matter, [03:08:41] we do have an opportunity to provide comments to the Department of Homeland Security, and therefore we are going to have this citizen's time. Keep in mind, this is not a public hearing because the board will not be taking a vote, as there is nothing for us to vote on. With that, I'm going to ask that those who have signs, we want to support your First Amendment rights. [03:08:59] You're welcome to have signs. Please don't display your sign where it may block someone else's view. Lastly, everyone has a right and will have an opportunity to speak. So therefore, we're going to allow folks to speak. Whether you agree or disagree with someone's comments, please refrain from showing that support or opposition and give everyone the equal opportunity to express their First Amendment rights. [03:09:23] So with that, we're going to open up. We have one hour. The first person I'm going to call is Ms. Janet Eddy. Is Ms. Eddy with us? Ms. Eddy. Very well. Ms. Melissa Ansley-Brooks. She spoke. [03:09:40] mr christopher jernigan mr jernigan mr jernigan please come forward state the name the district that you live and you have two minutes sir thank you my name is christopher jernigan i'm part of the chickahominy district i would like to thank you this evening for your time and taking the first steps in the opposition of this facility that's being proposed i would ask that everyone think about the message that it sends to the residents of this county and the neighbors of the people that oppose the building of this facility that would ultimately house people who [03:10:16] are being denied of their rights and freedoms afforded to them by our Constitution. Not because we think that these things are happening, but because we are seeing them happen every day in other facilities like that being proposed here. We see that this is happening. In this age of information, we cannot do what those of history chose to do, which was turn a blind eye to the injustices that are taking place. I fear that this is not the last time that this issue will come before this board, and I would ask that the hand of a board of supervisors hold to its decision tonight and to not allow any facilities like this or similar facilities to take place because ice [03:10:55] is not welcome in hanover county thank you to everyone who wishes to speak in support anyone you don't have to have signed up anyone who wishes to speak in support please come forward thank you sir for being here please state your name the district that you live or the entity that you represent you have two minutes sir thank you mr chair board members congratulations mr davis Mr. Stoneman, on your election. And thank you, Michael Hirsberg, Mr. Hirsberg, for your service [03:11:31] last year. We're in a serious time, crisis, across our nation. When law and order and the rule of law is not observed, not respected, chaos and darkness ensue. Anarchy follows. If every community across [03:12:00] our nation takes a position not to step in and participate in providing solutions for this crisis, we will lose our nation um lake bridge might not be the ultimate site and there might be good good good facts behind that but we should not step aside from our responsibility as citizens [03:12:37] of this nation to help when this nation is in a crisis and we are at that point i ask this board to be vigil of a location that might be appropriate for a facility as such as this and participate in providing solutions for this county and this nation i support law and order [03:13:12] i support our law enforcement all across our county our commonwealth and our nation and i support this board and your decisions thank you sir thank you mr jernigan uh miss lazuri lazuri jennifer lazuri james lynn thank you for being with us you'll have two minutes sir please Please state your name in the district that you live. [03:13:46] James Lynn, Mechanicsville District. I oppose the presence of ICE and their facility in this community. And I ask you to oppose this too in every way possible. To illustrate the effect of ICE's presence in a community, I'm going to relay a recent experience of my daughter, Josie. [03:14:05] Josie Lynn, who is a Mechanicsville High School graduate. She is currently a resident of Minneapolis. On January 15th, at a gas station, she observed a citizen being detained by ICE, being harassed by ICE. [03:14:21] As is her right as a citizen, she pulled out her phone and she recorded three heavily armed, masked ICE agents. Sir, I want to give you latitude. Yes. Can you connect this to the proposal here in Hanover County? Absolutely. Please continue. Because this is what ICE does to a community. [03:14:38] And this is what ICE is doing to a community, my daughter's community, in Minneapolis right now. This is their effect. And three officers, without ICE agents, without showing their faces, accosted her, asked for papers of a citizen not breaking the law, not in a protest, just filling her car with gas. [03:14:59] That's all. I am proud to say that she kept her cool, stood her ground, and no one was detained in this incident. But this illustrates their current mission, imitation, intimidation, and fear. And law enforcement, real law enforcement, acts with integrity and accountability, and neither of these have been displayed by ICE. [03:15:19] Their presence has made the communities in Minnesota less safe. Will you connect this to Hanover County? Yes. Thank you. To the proposed facility by the federal government in Hanover County. The proposed facility would put ICE into our community, and just like it has done to the communities in Minneapolis, would make our community less safe. [03:15:39] That is my point. That is the connection. Law-abiding citizens have been bullied, racially harassed, racially profiled, and murdered by ICE agents. So, again, their presence would make Hanover County less safe. So I just appeal to you in whatever power you can as leaders of the community and citizens yourself to demand transparency and accountability, demand due process. [03:16:06] Yes. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much for your time. Any supporters, ladies and gentlemen, please. Any supporters, proponents, anyone wants to speak in favor? Anyone? Go back to up. [03:16:25] Do I see a hand? Somebody's got to say the man stand up and please come forward. We need to hear you. I'm handling that ma'am. Are you speaking in support? You're speaking in support? Thank you ma'am. If you're speaking against I'll call your name. Anybody speaking in support go back to the opponents. Julie Erickson. Miss Erickson please come forward. Thank you for being with us. Thank you. Hello my name is Julie Erickson and I live in the Ashland District. [03:17:01] I'm here to express opposition to an ICE detention center in Hanover County. Our federal government is applying extreme tactics that abuse our First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights. Free speech, right to bear arms, unreasonable search and seizure, due process, and defendants rights. This makes us all less safe. Transparency is deliberately obstructed. The availability of detention facilities in our community will enable expansion of these tactics and abuse. [03:17:30] The tactics are carried out by a federal force that is unmarked and masked. Their aim is suppression through intimidation and violence. When we witness abuse of our rights, including severe violence, we are told to believe the federal narrative over our own common sense. We are expected to accept that politicians will conduct their own investigations without having to report to the public. The availability of detention facilities in our community will enable this behavior. This makes us all less safe. There is no clear correlation between detention facility [03:18:06] expansion and effective immigration management. There is, however, clear documentation that detention facilities are cruel, expensive, and a disruption and drain on the local community. They do not increase the safety and well-being of any community with the tactics currently used. [03:18:22] As a Christian and member of a local faith community in Ashland, St. James the Last Episcopal Church, 30 seconds, ma'am. I feel called to address the culture, behavior, and misinformation of the federal government's immigration policy agencies. They are counter to every teaching and example of Jesus Christ. Enshrining and enabling such character with a detention center in our county would be an insult and embarrassment to our deeply held Christian values. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to ask for proponents. Is there anyone who wishes to speak in favor? Anyone who wishes [03:18:59] to speak in favor? Let's see. Kimberly Carswell. Ms. Carswell here. Alex Bailey. Please come forward, state your name and the district that you live. Thank you for being with us. Good evening, board. [03:19:20] My name is Alex Bailey. I live in Ashland. And knowing that federal action may supersede yours, I ask you with all the power that you have, with every legal tool at your disposal, to oppose DHS's plan for a processing facility in Ashland. Be tricky. Use every legal tool that you have. I'm a human service worker and minister who's worked with several disadvantaged communities across the greater Richmond area. One of the roles that I valued most was one is an in-school case [03:19:56] manager at a south side of Richmond middle school. My job was to build relationships with students, offer counseling, and to run groups. And most of my students were Latin American immigrants themselves or the children of Latin American immigrants. So I'm going to get there. Yeah. [03:20:14] You need to get there quickly. Okay. Okay. I'll get there. One of my responsibilities was author to get to know the families and to offer them basic need support as they needed it. Before working this job, I thought I understood the fear of ICE, the weight of the fear, why the fear existed. I thought I had a grasp of it when my student Edgar told me that his mom was scared to go to court to testify as a witness to a crime because she feared that she would be deported, though she had never committed a crime. Or I thought I'd understand when Jessica told me that [03:20:46] her dad she hadn't seen her in five years because he'd been deported second sir still i thought that i'd understand the fear when one of my group members shared that his parents were deported and my other group members shared that they also had that fear sir how have you connected this to hanover county i need you to speak to the facility i don't think i'll have the time to do that thank you is there anyone who wishes to speak in support a proponent anyone in support linda wade miss [03:21:22] wade josh gee or josh gee gee gee chalet gee gee melanie medina miss medina yes ma'am please come forward please state your name in the district that you live hello there i'm melanie machete medina um i'm from richmond city uh by way of southgate california ma'am yes i i'm reserving this for hanover county residents um are you hanover county resident yes i am you just said [03:21:59] live in Richmond well I'm I but you live in Hanover County I do okay okay what district I am Hanover what district Hanover County well we have districts in Hanover can where do you live in Hanover I I don't I don't live in Hanover okay well then ma'am I need to reserve this so that's why we asked okay thank you any proponents anybody in support anybody was just speak in support of back to the opponents Kelly Johnson miss Johnson Miss Johnson, please come forward state your name and the district that you live [03:22:40] Kelly Johnson, I live in Chickahominy Good evening board members and fellow neighbors. I've been a resident for Hanover County for about 15 years Our family lives works and goes to school in Hanover County I live a few miles from the property that DHS is considering I'm here because I would like to ask that the board do everything that they can to stop the sale from moving forward I'm certain if this detention center is built it will negatively impact taxpayers property values and damaged Hanover's reputation and put us in the center of a national debate that we did not ask to be at the center of. I want to remind the board, thank you, by the way, for your opposition, [03:23:18] but that we didn't ask for this. If DHS builds this facility, it will require massive changes to local infrastructure and will likely fall on the taxpayers to cover. Taxpayers don't want this and did not ask for this. At this time, we know that detainees are not typically being held far away from where they are being picked up. This means that if released, they rely on local services and supports to get back on their feet. This will strain Hanover community supports, schools, medical facilities, and our infrastructure. Again, your constituents are not asking for this. I, like many, am raising children in Hanover. Our family has a silly but fond memory of going to Bass Pro Shop to see the animals and fish. You haven't lived until you've watched your two-year-old audibly gasp [03:23:58] at a taxidermy bear in a store. But we bought our kids first fishing poles at at Bass Pro. But now imagine taking a kid to buy a fishing pole or snow pants and explaining why the building we pass has armored vehicles, masked men, and barbed wire. That should not be a backdrop to our family members. We want Hanover's reputation to be about friendly families, tasty tomatoes, historical relevance, and a wonderful school system. We don't want our community to be featured in future reports about illegal detainments of citizens, infractions against people's constitutional rights or abuse of those detained. [03:24:32] We don't want our community associated with children being detained or families being divided. This will create an unshakable stigma for our county. Regardless of anyone's political leanings, we can all agree this is not what we want. Thank you. Kelly Johnson, that was you. [03:24:48] Thank you, ma'am. Mr. Chair, if I might ask that some of our speakers could speak up a little bit, I'm having a hard time hearing. Sure. The microphone is adjustable. Board members asked if you'll speak up. Thank you. Is there anyone who wishes to speak in support? Anyone in support? Anyone? [03:25:04] Very well. Sandra Hines, Ms. Hines, thank you for being with us. You'll have two minutes, ma'am. Please state your name in the district that you live. Good evening. I'm Sandra Hines. I'm with the Henry District. I want to thank you all for your decision this evening to oppose the future site for the ICE facility. [03:25:30] I've been a resident of Hanover County for over 25 years. I am a community advocate. I've volunteered in this community for years through various organizations, both faith- and non-faith-based. I've worked with our homeless population, food-deprived, people needing services from our county. [03:25:48] I've also recently had the pleasure to work with many of our refugee families in the community. They are working to obtain citizenship. It's an arduous task, as we all know. Ms. Hines, we appreciate the background. Can you get to the point where you're speaking about the facility proposed by the federal government in Hanover? [03:26:06] I certainly will, sir, yes. Thank you, ma'am. The federal government's rule without subjugation to local elections and laws is not something we welcome our county. If we approve the necessary zoning changes to support this project, we are opening ourselves to more opportunities for loss of revenue, jobs, negate our reputation of being a nice place to do business. [03:26:26] I want to live in a community where the governing positions parallel, do not want to live in a position, in a community where the governing positions parallel those of military force upon its own citizens in an area where commercial and residential growth is evident. If this is proposed, undertaken is successful, there will be a significant increase in the number of federal immigration and customs enforcement agents in our area. This would deter folks who want to move to our county to do business in our county. I would like to continue to live and work in a county that supports our local citizens and the people that also elected you [03:27:03] in the positions that you are. Thank you again for your decision to defer. Open it up to anybody wishes to speak in support anyone logan bryant mr bryant with us move to the next name elizabeth phillips miss phillips seeing none moving to the next name tracy vale rhodes miss vale rhodes uh laura vickers vickers i have a note here that miss vickers has identified as hearing impaired [03:27:38] is miss vickers here is miss vickers anywhere on the property okay very well sally martin miss martin jack garrett mr garrett please come forward state your name in the district that you you live. Thank you all, Jack Garrett. Chick-Hominy District. Is this loud enough? Very well. I want to thank the Board of Supervisors for their service to our community and for the time to share my view on the deposed detention facility. Thank you for your statement earlier this evening. We really [03:28:15] appreciate it and I apologize for any redundancies in my statement. I believe that everyone in this room and across Hanover County can agree that we want our community to be safe and we want to live without fear of violence and criminal activity and that all people are welcome in Hanover County. I also believe that all of us in this room want the constitution and the laws of our land be respected and followed by everyone i'll get there people who engage in criminal activity should be tried according to our standards of due process and receive consequences appropriate to the crime ladies and gentlemen of the board i firmly believe that the presence of a dhs detention facility in hanover county will as has been shown across the country increase the level of fear we [03:28:52] live with increase incidents of violence and so further division within our community some data since january 20th 2025 a senate oversight investigation led by senator john ossoff has reported 41 credible reports of physical and/or sexual abuse occurring in US immigration detention facilities. The same investigation also documented credible reports of medical neglect and denial of adequate food and water. Outside of those facilities, 12 people have been shot by DHS since September, and 9 people have died as a result of the DHS actions this year alone. [03:29:23] Ladies and gentlemen, these facilities make communities like our Hanover County less safe. Given the documented pattern of serious alleged harm in detention settings and outside in the the community's 30 seconds i oppose locating a new dhs detention facility in our county thank you very much to anyone who wishes to speak in support anyone susan park parlier miss parlier susan parlier miss parlier please come forward state your name in the district that [03:29:57] you live thank you for being with us for getting my name right thank you for your service to our community i am the reverend dr susan parlier i am a citizen of ashland i am a deacon in the the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia, and I'm an academic. I teach advanced social work practice. I could fill the room with data and statistics, but y'all have already done that, so I'm not going to do that. What I am going to say is thank you for your earlier letter that [03:30:31] opposes the ICE detention center, because there really is no benefit to having an ICE detention center in our county, and there are many harms to Hanover County, including economic, social, and financial impacts. We lose our feelings of safety in a county that is regularly filled with community events for our citizens and visitors. It is against our morality as human beings to detain people in warehouses like concentration camps without legal cause and [03:31:07] practices. Hence, the detention center will raise many legal and moral concerns. And as we have many other needs, we do not need a federal ICE detention center to distract us for caring for our neighbors and our community. Remembering that I oppose and hope you will continue to oppose and prevent the institution of an ICE detention center in Hanover County, I like to say, may we walk humbly with our God in all higher powers [03:31:42] as we, a collective of citizens, seek justice, love, and mercy in all that we do, particularly as we love our neighbors as ourselves. And I thank you again for your earlier decision and for your continuing support to not have an ICE detention center. [03:32:04] Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Is there anyone who wishes to speak in support? Anyone? Anyone? Stephen Westcott. Stephen Westcott. Sarah Seibert. Sarah Seibert, please come forward. [03:32:22] State your name, the district that you live. You have two minutes, ma'am. Thank you for being with us. Sorry, the back row was a bad choice if I'm speaking. [03:32:42] I'm Sarah Seibert. I'm from South Anna District. Ms. Dibble, I think you've been at maybe all three of my graduations. I went to South Anna Elementary and then graduated from Patrick Henry High School. After graduating, I moved to Florida for college, but I came back in 2021 because of the community. [03:33:00] It's defined by connection, by care for your neighbors, by a sense of safety and belonging. And I'm here tonight to oppose ICE's proposal to occupy a warehouse in Ashland, Virginia. I believe that it will increase violence and decrease property value. [03:33:15] and I know we're trying to keep it connected to Hanover County, but I have an analogy that comes back at the end. So earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum. In it, he referenced a 1978 essay by Czech dissident Volklav Havel called The Power of the Powerless. The essay asked one primary question, how did the communist system sustain itself? His answer began with a green grocer. Every morning, a shopkeeper places a sign in his window that reads workers of the world unite he doesn't believe it nobody does but he puts it up anyway to avoid trouble to signal compliance and to get along and because every [03:33:54] shopkeeper on the street does the same thing the system persists not because people believe in it but because they participate in it hovel calls this living in a lie when one person stops performing when the green grocer removes his sign the illusion begins to crack carney used this essay to describe today's political landscape where the middle powers like Canada quietly comply with the great powers like the United States, even when that compliance undermines their own values and sovereignty. When I listened to this speech, I thought about myself, about all of us, my friends, my family, the people in this room. Ma'am, are you going to be able to connect [03:34:30] this to this? Yes. Strangers in the street. As we've seen in Minneapolis, IAS, a small group with great power uses its authority to enact violence against us, the middle power. In his speech, your final thoughts, your time's up. Final thought. All right. So my ask for everyone is let's unite across party lines. This is not about Democrats or Republicans, and I think we're distracted by that noise. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone who wishes to speak in support? Anyone? Amberlee Bacon. Amberlee Bacon, please come forward. State your name, [03:35:05] district that you live you have two minutes hi all my name is amber lee bacon i'm a resident in mechanicsville um firstly i want to say i appreciate your initial opposition to a detention facility in hanover so at this point i will be speaking to the values at stake in any future proposal that would allow an ice detention facility to be built here in hanover potentially collaborating with ice is not a neutral or technical act it's a moral decision it reflects what we believe belongs in our community and what we're willing to permit on our land from a a conservative perspective, an ICE facility proposal raises serious concerns. It expands [03:35:43] federal authority into local space, commits county land to long-term federal detention use, and risks entangling our community with private, profit-driven detention contracts that lack transparency and local accountability. That is far from what I was taught limited government is, and it is definitely not local control. Sorry, I hate public speaking. From a faith perspective, the concerns go even deeper. Detention facilities like these are associated with prolonged confinement, fractured families, and systems that prioritize punishment over restoration. As Christians, we're called to honor the dignity of every person, to protect families, [03:36:22] and to practice stewardship that reflects love, mercy, and moral responsibility, not just efficiency or compliance. So again, I appreciate your initial opposition to a detention facility in Hanover, but I also want to be clear, procedural neutrality on any future proposals will also be interpreted by the public as support. 30 seconds. People are watching closely, not for talking points but for moral clarity long after ice is relevant and future and this and any future decisions will be part of this board's legacy it'll be remembered by families by faith communities and by those who look back and ask whether compassion and love guided our choices my hope [03:36:59] is that this board continues to choose a path rooted in dignity stewardship and care for our neighbors thank you is there anyone who wishes to speak in support anyone mary hobbs miss hobs Kimberly Catley, Kimberly Catley, Maggie Longest, Maggie Longest, Corey Iglesias, Iglesias, Iglesias, Alex Carter, please come forward, state your name, the district that you live, you'll have two minutes. [03:37:45] Alex Carter, Chickahominy District. Again, like most everyone else, I appreciate you guys doing what you can to stand up and say you don't welcome this. I have to plead with you to do everything else you can within the law, within the strength that you guys have, which is more than what we have, and fight this as best you can. [03:38:11] And to say every chance you get that you do not want to work with ICE. By my measure, they don't care about the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, Second Amendment. Welcome them here. You're free to have your opinion. [03:38:27] Are you going to be able to link this to the facility in Hanover County? Anything that we do to link ourselves to them is going to be in support of what they're doing. And they do not support the Bill of Rights First Amendment. So anything to keep them out of here is what we need to do. [03:38:45] We've heard your comments. Anything further? Thank you. Just, yeah. Okay, anyone wish to speak in support? Anyone? Patty Jackson. Ms. Jackson, thank you for being with us. [03:39:01] Please state your name, the districts that you live. You have two minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the Board of Supervisors. I'm Patty Jackson. I live in the Henry District, and I had to stay here to make sure we were well represented. [03:39:19] Thank you all for your position. We are. I know you are. I just want to make sure the rest of us are. I thought you were talking about the Henry District residents. We're not taking your time. I didn't hear anyone else from Henry tonight. Maybe I missed it. You had three. Three. [03:39:34] Okay, good. Anyway, thank you all so much. I've been a resident of Hanover County for 43 years. My husband and I chose to come here because of the great school system and the peaceful nature of our community. We have been active members of the community. [03:39:50] We've raised our children here. They both ended up being Hanover scholars, graduating from two different high schools in Hanover. So we have loved our time here. My husband was a reserve deputy for over 20 years, which means he got paid a dollar a year to protect this community. [03:40:10] and I'm here representing him as well. His name is Richard Gruver. He's teaching tonight. We have both been adjunct professors at Randolph-Macon College. I've just passed 20 years on that. Yes, and because of our love for Hanover. Dr. Gruver taught my son, so I'm appreciative of that, but I need you to get to the land use matter of the ICE facility. [03:40:30] I am. So as part of my teaching in environmental studies, I teach about land use. I teach about environmental topics. I have had my students read the comprehensive plan for Hanover County, which not that many residents have done. So I think it's extremely important. [03:40:46] In my career, I've spent a lot of time at public hearings, at boards of supervisors, at planning commissions, at state hearings. I've been on numerous advisory boards and work with regulatory agencies. And so I would just say I, first of all, support your position. [03:41:03] support the fact that you have based it on our land use plan and the proper procedures for that. I would recommend that you in addition to asking our federal representatives and senators to help to say that if they are planning to do anything related to an ICE detention facility that they have to follow the same rules as you've mentioned in terms of locating a jail or a prison in this in this state. It's a very rigorous process with lots of public participation and they have a way to withhold money from ICE for any detention facility [03:41:40] that does not meet local land use planning. So that's my position. I thank you so much and continue to fight the good fight. Thank you, Mr. Jackson. Anyone who wishes to speak in support? Anyone in support? Ben Phan? Mr. Phan? Ben Phan? [03:41:59] The last individuals we have on our list. Going back one more time to anybody in support very well we will close citizens time are you in support you're in opposition i've got those folks but i've gone through that list how many more people do i have in opposition i'm going to give i'm going to give two two more folks an opportunity i'll choose amongst yourself and i'm going to call for proponents again so y'all decide amongst yourselves who's on the list i'm taking [03:42:39] we'll take two more speakers we will open citizens time if you want to speak come to this podium and speak regardless of your position you registered ma'am yeah all right i'm going to take you and two other speakers so this gentleman here gentleman behind there and this this lady here who registered yes sir please state your name the district that you live you have two minutes well uh my name is evan painter uh i'm representing holiday properties we are the master developer of winding brook my district technically is tuckahoe but but uh we are a large property owner in south [03:43:16] right surrounding this property obviously we were as confused and and we'll adjust go ahead sir be property owner I'm vice president of development for holiday properties my apologies last time I maybe stood here was with emergency power getting a special exception for this building with our front loading doors we obviously never thought something like this was gonna to come at that moment and still trying to wrap our arms around it. We have written opposition [03:43:56] and sent to Ms. Dibble and Mr. Podeski already. I just wanted to formally state it now. We believe this use is fundamentally incompatible with the area. We have finally created a mixed-use development in Winding Brook that has residences, it has hotels, it has dining, it has shopping, It has office buildings. This structure used as an ICE facility will destroy Winding Brook. [03:44:24] We have 13 acres of land. I have spoken with staff members on three different projects on our land in Winding Brook over the last few weeks. Those are all on hold right now until this is figured out. They will not come if this facility is constructed. [03:44:41] 30 seconds. nobody else really talking about, you mentioned the CDA implications. Obviously, if people don't want to come in here and people don't renew their leases, the payment, repayment of those bonds will be under stress, to say the least, which is a problem for everybody. I'm getting conflicting information on the improvements they're going to do. Information I've received has been different from the official letter that you guys received. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Thank you. [03:45:15] Okay, you're registered, right ma'am? Yes. Okay. I need to get through those first. And then if I have others, you register too? What's your name? Who? I'm Caroline. All right, you come on up. We've still got time in the total system time. You, ma'am, please. Okay. We've still got time. [03:45:34] So if we've got folks who registered, then I have to go to the folks after that who haven't registered. So I need to get those first. Go ahead, please. Hi, I'm here to oppose the proposed ICE detention facility. I hope to convince you all whether or not you support it. can you state your name in the district that you live in? Yes, Caroline. Yes, my name is Caroline Chickahominy. I hope to convince you all, whether or not you support ICE, that it's directly in the interest of the residents of Hanover County to block ICE's acquisition of the warehouse with every possible mechanism and power you possess. It's a reality that if the warehouse is converted into an ICE facility, there will be massive protests in Hanover County. Whether or not you [03:46:10] agree with the protests, they will happen. Many, many people just aren't okay with a concentration camp, a facility used to detain large numbers of politically targeted minorities in our backyard or anywhere else for that matter. We don't want that blood on our hands. It's factual that 38 people have died in ICE custody since the start of 2025 to date, some due to inadequate medical care. It's also a reality that in the past few weeks, ICE and Border Patrol, both operating under the Kristi Noem DHS, summarily executed two protesters, Renee Goode and Alex Pretty, on video and both times completely got away with it. The federal government immediately smeared and openly lied about the victims while defending an impeding investigation of their killers. [03:46:50] J.D. Vance said that ICE agents have absolute immunity. People who are not protesters or immigrants are not safe from ICE either. On New Year's Eve, an ICE agent brutally killed Keith Porter in California. These realities coexisting means there's no reason to believe that ICE agents won't do the exact same thing they've done in Minnesota and California to residents of Hanover County. And in fact, there's every reason to believe that they would. When the government enables and protects ICE agents who brutalize and murder people, you'll get more ICE agents brutalizing and murdering people because they know they can. That's how it works. Absolute immunity. So stop putting up with it. Block the ICE [03:47:27] detention facility. An ounce of prevention is worth tons of cure. If you block this facility, you'll be keeping residents of Hanover County and surrounding areas safe, sending a strong message in support of constitutional rights, and ensuring that Hanover County will continue to be known as the county with charming small towns hard-working people and beautiful countryside not as the county with the concentration count thank you thank you do I have anybody else who wishes to who is registered sir after this I'm going to close registration [03:48:01] and then we're going to go to close the calling of names or those who are registered and we're going to go to anybody in the room who wishes to speak because we still have until 10 p.m. so we have 23 minutes. Sirs, please state your name in the district that you live. [03:48:18] All right. My name's Daniel. Can you guys hear me? I apologize. I lost my voice playing with my sons in the snow a couple years ago. We got you. Thank you for being here. I live in Ash Creek. I'm here on behalf of my wife. She's a naturalized citizen. We met in the military. [03:48:35] And this is where we call our home for many, many years. I grew up here. It was good schools, safe neighborhoods then and that's why we moved back here um i want to just voice we we don't want this in hanover county uh i take my boys all the time to bass bro i don't want to drive bass i don't think it makes our community safe and appreciate your guys decision thank you is there anybody who wishes to speak in support about in support okay please come forward thank [03:49:11] you sir at this time uh we've we've closed whether you're registered or you're not registered it does not matter at this point and support or opposition we're not working off of a list so it's open mic night at this point please state your name the district that you live thank you for being with us my name is jeff gilley i reside in chickahominy district i understand the board's position uh with respect to the facility and i've heard many arguments tonight about what it would do to the surrounding neighborhood, but I also believe that we're suffering from NIMBY, not in my backyard. [03:49:49] I would implore that the board coordinate with Department of Homeland Security and perhaps through planning propose alternate sites that they might look at. I can understand from a logistical perspective with DHS why they would want to be in Hanover and close to 95 and be able to serve a greater area. I've also listened to law enforcement at a federal level be besmirched tonight, which I found offensive. They took the same oath that I took to support and defend the [03:50:23] Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. A nation which does not keep its borders sovereign and controlled is no longer a sovereign nation. I say that I am married to an immigrant, naturalized citizen, and her mother immigrated and became naturalized. They both grew up in a Soviet communist system, and they are both aghast at what they are seeing at the moment. So I asked [03:50:56] the board to consider proposing alternative sites which may work better with the overall plan and not impact the community in the manner in which we've heard tonight. But not in my backyard. That does not cut it. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Ladies and gentlemen, we're not going to have this. I've got to get folks in here. Yes, sir, please. David Stevens. I'm in the Mechanicsville District. I'm here to oppose the ICE facility in Hanover. My opinion is that you should do everything possible to stand up for Hanover. In my opinion, we should put every legal road [03:51:35] back, and I appreciate your comments already, that this can be delayed through inspections, through administrative actions, through environmental reviews, slow this to a crawl. I don't have a Hanover pedigree, but I will say that our state motto, I think, is clearly anti-fascist. [03:51:57] And this is why, you know, I've never been paid for my opinion. I will also say that, you know, for me, I'm taking tomorrow off because I have chronic migraines. So not only have I not been paid for my opinions, but I can guarantee this will trigger a migraine and tomorrow I will take off. [03:52:20] I say that because this is the emotions, this is the passion that a lot of people in this county have about opposing this facility. You know, and just to close, I will say that the increased presence of ICE will cause us to be a show-me-your-papers county. [03:52:45] The lies told about the protesters will be told about the peaceful protesters in this county. And if it goes forward, that's what's going to happen. I will also add that if Jesus had simply complied, the state would not have put him on a cross. [03:53:05] Thank you. Next person, please come forward, state your name and the district that you live. Thank you for being with us. Hello, can you hear me? My name is Quincy Sherry, and I am Chickahominy District. I'm here to oppose the ICE, whatever everybody's calling it, detention center in Hanover County for a lot of reasons that everybody has stated tonight. [03:53:31] I grew up on Church Hill. I've lived in Chicago. I've lived in a few places around the world. I know what it's like to live in a rough area. An ICE detention center simply means more ICE agents on the ground. dealing with us. We have to deal with them. I moved to Hanover County when I moved back from Chicago to take care of my mom and to live in a safe community where I could go to the garden center and play in my garden and not have to worry about taking a wrong turn. And I will tell you, I'm terrified of ICE. I'm terrified of being the next Renee Good. It freaks me out. I want Hanover and my home to be a safe place, and I don't feel that ICE makes it a safe place. Thanks. [03:54:12] Is there anyone else who wishes to speak tonight? Anyone? Please come forward, state your name and the district that you live. Hey, my name is Katherine Grayson. I'm in the Ashland District. I just wanted to bring one point to mind. I heard it hinted at earlier, but when we talk about the area that this facility is supposed to be in, immediately across the street, there's a hotel. And I've sat in Ashland Town Council meetings and other town meetings where [03:54:51] we're trying to drive tourism. We're trying to bring people here. We're already having trouble generating revenue in our hotels how is that view that's literally all i came up here to talk about is all the other points have been hit how about that view like that's it thank you for your time thank you for being with us is there anyone else who wishes to address the board anyone please come forward state your name in the district that you live is there anyone after this individual please [03:55:30] come forward okay hello my name is sterling and i live in the chickahominy district um i'm just going to keep it. What is your last name, sir? Sterling Barbette. Thank you. Thank you. I'll just keep it short, simple, and sweet. As someone who's growing up here for the past 24 years, I've seen this place go through a lot of change, and it's always been more exciting change. I'm excited, you know, by the Chipotle that's on 301, things like that. And I feel like this new ICE facility, it's all been said, it would make the district feel less like a home to me. It would become a place that is unrecognizable to me. [03:56:09] and that is something that definitely terrifies me and my family so i want to continue to have pride in this county and i believe wherever if this comes back again wherever it lands i really hope that the stance would remain the same thank you is there anyone else please come forward state [03:56:31] your name the district that you live anyone else anyone is there anyone else who wishes to speak if so go ahead and line up so we'll know my name is beth mcmillian i'm in the chickahominy district Totally unprepared. I didn't think I'd be able to speak tonight, but everyone else has been much more eloquent than I could be, but I wanted to add my voice to those saying, please do not bring [03:57:10] ICE facility to Hanover County. We talk of law and order and chaos. ICE operates outside the law. There is no order and it brings so much chaos and we do not need this in Hanover County. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for being with us. Citizens time is now closed. Next item on the agenda or announcements? Are there any announcements by board members? I have one announcement. Administrator Podetsky let everybody know, and I know folks now have great access to information, but we do have more winter weather coming in, so [03:57:45] we'll put out as much information as it relates to Hanover County as we can, as soon as we can. As soon as we can. We just want to make sure it's verified, and that's from a public safety standpoint and access to county services. As soon as have that that information uh we will put that out at this time we don't have a statement on on what possible services would be impacted uh but please stay tuned use all methods there and we will have the widest all methods available to you uh to access county information and we will disseminate as widely as possible but uh please be on the lookout for that is there anything from [03:58:21] board members mr county administrator mr county attorney time is 9 47 the board will adjourn until our next regularly scheduled board meeting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 for a regularly scheduled board meeting. We are adjourned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coraggio Consulting ยท aguyonx.com