Rural Nelson Annual Report by Constantine Roussos, President
March 13, 2007

I don't get many opportunities to make a speech so I asked one of our Board members, Charlie Weinberg, if he knew any secrets to speech making. He said that actually he did know one. Make the beginning really good. Make the end even better and don't put much in between. I also noticed in the email announcement for this meeting that Kim said that there would be "brief" remarks from the president. I did get the message ... and so I apologize for the false advertisement.

When Kim informed me that she was able to book Rapunzel's for our annual meeting I was elated. This is one of my favorite places in the County and, honestly, the best coffee house I have ever been in. I just wish I could come to more of the performances here. The musical talent is extraordinary.

Looking out at you all I see extraordinary talent of a different nature. I see a dedicated and engaged group of individuals. Unfortunately, fewer than a majority of people in any community really try unselfishly to make a positive difference and, for Nelson, many of those people are here tonight.

You all have read the Rural Nelson Mission Statement so I will not repeat it once again. You can read that and much more on the website, ruralnelson.org. But allow me to mention our most important product - information. If people are to have input and make a difference in this community they must be informed. Informing the people of this community accurately, in an unbiased manner is Rural Nelson's reason for being. And we all know who the prime mover of information is in Nelson County - our own field officer, Kim Cash.

I will deviate this year from my previous practice of reciting a litany of Kim's activities for the past year but let me just mention her most time-consuming activity - attending and writing reports on county meetings. You all get the reports in your email so you know to what I am referring. Since our last annual meeting there have been 15 Planning Commission meetings, 25 Board of Supervisor meetings and 8 Economic Development meetings. Kim literally attends more of these meetings than the people who sit on those boards.

Speaking of Board meetings allow me to report on the activities of our own dedicated board. The Rural Nelson Board met last April 4 (2006) and amended the by-laws to allow honorary board members. The board also voted to establish a PayPal system to allow credit card donations via our website. That has been in place since the summer of 2006. I encourage you all to try it out. It is my understanding that the larger the donation the more satisfying the experience. On September 20 the board met again and learned that a long-time Rural Nelson donor made a donation to our local NPR radio station and received six personal announcement slots for her donation. She offered Rural Nelson the use of those announcements. The Board decided to use one on October 24th to announce the joint October 26th Rural Nelson/Keep Nelson Beautiful meeting. Four more NPR radio announcements remain and must be used before October of this year. The Board agreed to use one to announce this Annual Meeting, one for the upcoming May meeting on Ethics of Land Use and one for the September meeting on Water Resources. Our November meeting is slated to cover Affordable Housing. Noting the bad weather and resulting disappointing turnout at this year's Summer Festival and in consideration of the fact that the money from the Summer Festival is used to fund scholarships for Nelson students, the Board voted unanimously to donate $500 to the Nelson County Summer Festival.

Let's talk about Fundraising Efforts. Some of it is mundane. For example, Kim sorted our database and prepared a donation request letter that was sent to 219 selected email addresses. But much of our fundraising involves activities. I know that requests for volunteers at fundraising activities causes people to groan. But, we insiders know that people who don't participate are missing some of the greatest entertainment in the County.
Just listen to what our volunteers enjoyed - for free.
The Central Va Rodeo on May 20 and 21 was a fantastic show - unspoiled by the presence of Borak. RN received a $500 donation.
The Summer Festival on June 24 and 25 boasted great entertainment, crafts, etc. and RN received a $1000 donation.
And the Steeplechase at Oak Ridge on Oct. 29 was THE social event of the year. In addition to seeing some of the most talented horse flesh around who could forget the terrier races - over, under and through obstacles in pursuit of a racing squirrel tail. And best of all RN volunteers didn't have to settle for the cheap seats as one might at, say, a UVa football game. No, we were directing traffic in the $1000 per parking spot area right along side the track.

But, putting fun and games aside, we continue to have serious issues to deal with here in Nelson. Issue that can shape the destiny of this County. The Zoning and Subdivision ordinances seem to be temporarily out of the limelight but are still a huge issue for the future. We need to stay committed to encouraging the Board of Supervisors to ultimately craft the best documents possible. Occasionally attending a BOS meeting helps and keeps Kim from getting too lonely.

Perhaps the current issue getting the most attention is Biosolids/Sludge. The subject is controversial and complex. Even the name is controversial. Is is Biosolids or Sludge? There are many types of waste - your personal which may be contanied in your own septic system, municipal, industrial, etc. and it is not clear how best to process them. To see the magnitude of the problem consider that, on average, each one of us produces 4.6 pounds of municipal solid waste per person per day. In the course of a lifetime, say 80 years, that adds up to 134,412 lbs. per person. That's a lot of ____. There is much disagreement on the best way to process and handle this sludge and on how much of a health risk it poses. We all need to stay informed and let our concerns be heard. Rural Nelson has led the way in providing information on the regulation and use of sludge. The topic of the October 6, 2004 Rural Nelson meeting was on the Regulation and Use of Biosolids/Sludge. Rural Nelson added a section on the website for Biosolids/Sludge information citing numerous sources both pro and con with respect to the use of biosolids as fertilizer. Our joint meeting at Lake Monacan with Keep Nelson Beautiful on Oct. 26, 2006 was titled Water, Sewer, Biosolids, Recycling and Solid Waste Disposal. Although we heard much good information on recycling and solid waste disposal at that meeting the topic that drew the most questions was biosolids. Most people came away from that meeting with many unanswered questions and some did research on their own. You can follow this ongoing controversy through Rural Nelson email and in the newspapers.

I want to announce that we still have DVDs available. You may recall that the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation produced a DVD and accompanying publication, "Catching the Watershed Wave", promoting government/citizen cooperative efforts to protect water resources. The DVD production featured Nelson County and Charles City county. Rural Nelson was prominently featured on the DVD. I don't know when the full-length motion picture will be released but it is rumored that Kim will be played by Angelina Jolie. You don't want to miss that one!

Also, be sure to purchase a Rural Nelson ball cap while they are still available.

Finally, we need your input, your ideas and your help to make more of a difference here in Nelson. Please try to respond to Kim's request for volunteers and let us know of ideas you may have. Keeping Nelson a place in which we would like our children and grandchildren to live is a lifetime effort.

Thank you all for attending.