Rural Nelson President's Report for Annual Meeting, Wednesday, March 1st, 6:00pm at Hilltop Berry Farm submitted by Constantine Roussos, President When I first sat down to write this report I naively wondered whether I had enough to report on. Once I started assembling my notes I doubted that I could keep the report down to a few hours. Of necessity, over the past 2 years RN has put much focus on getting and reporting the facts on the development of a new zoning ordinance - mandated by the Commonwealth. Our publication, A Citizen's Guide to the Zoning Ordinance, is most likely the widest read publication in Nelson Co. Kim and Mike put an immense amount of time into reading and condensing the full proposed ordinance into something you and I might have time to read and understand. RN stayed the course on the zoning ordinance, reported the facts and counseled for reason and calm in a sea of controversy. But, the controversy rages - not on whether we should have a new zoning ordinance but how we will survive the controversies caused, in part, by using an outdated ordinance. You know the issues - shotgun ranges, overdevelopment in Wintergreen and Nellysford, wood chip operations, ... The good news is The Supervisors have gotten through their review of the full zoning ordinance. They are now going back to focus on the primary areas of concern - division regulations in Rural & Farming; uses in Business; cluster or conservation subdivisions; putting the Corridor Overlay District back into the ordinance; uses in Light and Heavy Industrial, etc. These are some of the key areas of the proposed ordinance and citizens need to be aware of the discussion and decisions made. The COURTHOUSE PROJECT has major implications for the future of the County. It includes a substantial purchase of land, connecting the project to the revitalization of Lovingston, planning for future expansion and growth, etc. Citizens should be involved in the discussions, plans and decisions. If you follow County government you know there are many other issues "on the burner". They include the following: Nellysford Planning Process Lovingston Revitalization Piney River Phase III - water and sewer services to an area where septic tanks do not work and wells are contaminated. Blue Ridge Tunnel project - bike and hike trail using Claudius Crozet's historic and amazing engineering feat - a tunnel through Afton Mt. Blue Ridge Trail project - Currently 2 mi. long and soon to be a 9 mile trail on the historic Va Blue Ridge Railway and along the Piney River. Wintergreen Hotel/Village project. Broadband over the powerline project - a major part of a potential County initiative to provide high speed internet throughout the Co. VDOT Six-Year Plan for Secondary Roads. Schuyler Historic District. Paid EMS program. Individual Land Use Issues - rezonings, permits, subdivision plats, site plans, etc. These have all been on the agenda at various County meetings. Perhaps you missed one of the 41 Board of Supervisors Work Sessions or one of the 12 Planning Commission Meetings or 12 Economic Development Authority Meetings that took place since RN's last Annual Meeting in March of '05. It is understandable if you missed one; after all there were a total of 65 meetings. Rural Nelson, embodied in the person of Kim Cash, our Field Secretary, attended and reported on them all. These are reports on activities that are shaping the present and future of this County. Reports found nowhere else - not in the County records; not in the Nelson Co. Times; nowhere else but on our website and, if you subscribe, in your emailbox every week. ===================================================================== Rural Nelson Board Meetings were held in April, June, July, Sept., Nov. and Jan. In both April and June we focused on Fundraising. Joyce Burton, our Treasurer, showed us our financial records. Hand-to-mouth is no way to live. Joyce admonished us to be more productive fundraisers. Charlie Weinberg splashed the cold water of reality on us by pointing out that in a small county like Nelson there is a limited number people who donate to good causes and do the work. Many worthy organizations are competing for the same limited dollars and volunteer time. Many ideas were discussed at the meeting; one of which was the sale of ball caps - they are here. Please consider purchasing one or more. We also discussed a fund-raising letter to be sent to our email list. Another idea (thanks to Joyce) was that of a mini-festival which would include music, food and a silent auction or a raffle. This eventually became The Rural Nelson Harvest Festival and Wine Tasting Fundraiser, at Cardinal Point Winery. But there was an even larger fund-raising coup to come. As a result of our fundraising inquiries, an anonymous donor gave us a $10,000 50/50 matching grant. So, every $100 (or $20) that you donate to RN is worth twice that amount to us. Of course, as always, Kim organizes and recruits volunteers for fundraising activities that keep us afloat. At these events, Rural Nelson members provide services such as parking cars in exchange for donations. These activities include the Steeplechase, Lineman Rodeo and Summer Festival at Oak Ridge. Additionally Kim's knowledge of governmental processes and issues is in demand and she is called upon to write press releases and speak before groups. All of this strongly supports our mission of informing the public and often translates into donations and is in addition to Kim's persistent duties of attending and reporting on County meetings. In fact, this past June we commemorated 5 years of RN County meeting coverage with a Field Officer. In July we planned the Annual Picnic at Montebello to take place in August and the Harvest Festival and Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Cardinal Point Winery schuduled for October. Both of these events turned out to be great successes and a lot of fun for all who attended. If you missed either one you can catch a flavor of the activities on the RN website. In September we planned the final logistics for the Cardinal Point fundraiser. A number of issues were on the agenda at the November meeting including preparation of a ballot of officers and Board Members for election at this meeting. Additionally, we reluctantly agreed to give up our office in Lovingston in order to save much-needed cash. Joyce estimated our savings will total $2,640 in rent plus utilities per year. Next, in an effort to better promote our meetings, we agreed to move from monthly to quarterly meetings. We hope that this will enable us to advertise the meetings further in advance and more comprehensively and, consequently, attract a larger audience. Two new committees were born at this meeting. First we agreed to create a fundraising committee to coordinate significant fundraising activities like the Cardinal Point Harvest Festival. Second, Robert suggested an Advocacy/Policies Committee to identify important issues, research them and bring recommendations to the full Board. Robert is now chair of that committee. Some of the isses suggested include niche agriculture, affordable housing, water quality and other issues which we hope you will help us identify and volunteer for. We also managed to adopt our operating budget at the November Meeting. The January meeting also was one to be remembered. First the Nominating Committee submitted the slate of officers and Board members presented here tonight. The next bit of news we consider to be a major coup for Rural Nelson. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation completed production of a DVD and accompanying publication, "Catching the Watershed Wave". The DVD examines efforts in Nelson Co. and Charles City County to protect their watersheds. Rural Nelson is featured prominently in the DVD as is FORWatershed. Both Kim and I are shown in interviews. A copy of the DVD and publication has been given to the Environmental Sciences Department at Lynchburg College for use in its curriculum. Additional copies will be given to public and private schools with an interest in watershed protection. Individuals who wish to promote watershed protection and RN's contribution to it are welcome to take a copy tonight. The creators of the DVD from the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation told us that they were searching throughout the Commonwealth for 2 localities that the Dept. could use in a video production. When they happened upon the websites of RN And FORW they knew they had one of the two localities. They stated that all the information they needed to evaluate Nelson's suitability was there on the websites. In addition to Kim and me, Connie Brennan, Fred Boger, Massie Saunders and others are featured in the production. =========================================================================== Rural Nelson Meetings bring topics important to the citizens of Nelson to light. Here is a recap for the past year. November 2, 2005, 7:30 PM - Peter Agelasto reported on the Rockfish Valley Loop Trail and Model Farm. Peter Agelasto and the Rockfish Valley Foundation, with help from FORW and with Peter's generous land contribution, are spearheading this effort which could provide a much needed recreational and educational facility in the County. The project also includes VDOT's $1,500,000 Rockfish River Restoration Project - a unique effort that is being watched by ecological engineers nationwide. October 5, 2005, 7:30 PM - Passenger Rail to D.C. Meredith Richards September 7, 2005, 7:30 PM - Fire Prevention in Rural Communities Eddie Embry, Lou Murray and Boyd Ritchie from the Virginia Department of Forestry presented a real eye-opener on the dangers of fire to our homes and lives in forested areas. Our foresters presented a nuber of good suggestions on what you can do to minimize the risk to your property, you and your loved ones. August 21, 2005, 2:00 PM - Rural Nelson Annual Picnic Blue Ridge Conference Center in Montebello, Nelson County, Virginia. Beautiful weather, a mountain lake, canoes, paddle boats, volleyball, horseshoes, great food and camraderie made this a memorable event for all in attendance July 6, 2005, 7:30 PM - Public Activism and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Lee Albright spoke to us about his experiences with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. You may recall back in 2002, in the midst of a budget crises, state fish cultural stations (where they grow trout) including Montebello were closed to visitors as a cost cutting measure. The Montebello station is a lynchpin of the local community. The rest of the story reads like a 60 Minutes expose. Lee's investigative activities using the FOIA as a tool sparked a well-publicized scandal within the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries that had a jarring impact all the way up to the Governor's office. Lee's experience serves as a model of how citizen activism can help root out or prevent corruption in government. If you have not been attending RN's meetings you are missing the best show in town. June 1, 2005, 7:30 PM - The Nature Conservancy's Piedmont Program The Nature Conservancy's, Ridge Schuyler, unveiled to us The Piedmont Program of which he is Director. Ridge explained that over the last 9 years 1,000,000 acres of farm and forest land have been lost in Va. Obviously, there is a commensurate loss in wildlife, watershed protection, clean air, etc.. The Nature Conservancy's Piedmont Program attempts to locate and preserve large blocks of forest to preserve the Piedmont ecology. It is an ambitious and desperately needed initiative. May 4, 2005, 7:30 PM - Virginia Outdoors Foundation & Conservation Easements In a similar vein, Sherry Buttrick of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation spoke to us about the role VOF plays in preserving open space in the Commonwealth. April 6, 2005, 7:30 PM - Protecting Water Quality Dr. Thomas Shahady, Assistant Professor in the Environmental Science Program at Lynchburg College, spoke to us about the substantial challenges in protecting water quality in communities. Dr. Shahady is working with local, state and federal officials to formulate a plan to save College Lake at Lynchburg College. The outlook does not look good. Many factors such as weak environmental laws, poor enforcement of existing laws and unbridled development have created a situation where it may not be possible to prevent a once pristine lake from turning into a cesspool of sediment and bacteria. If you missed one or more of these enlightening talks don't despair. The next best thing to being there is reading Mary Buford's reports on our website. Many issues are complex and have no simple solutions. Rural Nelson collects and distributes information and tries to act like a compass to guide us through the morass of politics and controversy to our goals. As a reminder of that function I have brought an assortment of small compasses and laid them out on this table. Please feel free to take one home with you. I hope that this report clearly demonstrates Rural Nelson's commitment to and success in helping to keep Nelson Co. a place in which we all will want to live and be proud of. The more help we have the better we can achieve our goals. Please try to attend our quarterly meetings and volunteer for the very selective activities we engage in. And please let YOUR ideas be known to the officers and Board members. Achieving the goals in our mission statement is a continuing process. Threats to our quality of life abound and will continue to surface. Our diligence can and will prevail. Thank you, Conny Roussos