UPCOMING: - Thursday, September 27th - BOARD OF SUPERVISORS' WORK SESSION ON PROPOSED E&S ORDINANCE AMENDMENT - 2:00pm Courthouse - Thursday, October 4th - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 3:00pm at The Nelson Center ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MARK YOUR CALENDAR: - Rural Nelson Meeting on Wednesday, October 17th at 7:30pm at The Hamner Theater at Rockfish Valley Community Center. "What if it never rains? - Water Planning for Nelson County." Speakers will talk about recent studies, current and future needs, protection of existing resources and development of alternative water sources. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PLANNING COMMISSION Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Present: Ms. Philippa Proulx, Ms. Emily Hunt, Mr. Mike Harman, Ms. Linda Russell, Mr. Mike Tapager and Mr. Tommy Harvey SPECIAL USE PERMIT/ROCKFISH VALLEY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT (RVVFD) - Mr. Tommy Harvey, representing RVFD, has requested a permit to allow installation of two 30,000 gallon propane storage tanks on the fire department property at 11100 Rockfish Valley Highway in Afton. The tanks will be approximately 125 feet from the edge of the highway at the northern end of the department's property with the area in front of the tanks screened from view and the storage area to be enclosed by a chain link fence. Mr. Boger noted that the property is zoned Agricultural (A-1) and would be in compliance with Section 4-1-10b, "Open storage with or without gates". He reported that an E&S plan is not required and that the only signs for the facility would be those required by state and federal regulations. Mr. Harman asked what the primary use for the tanks will be and Mr. Boger said that Tiger Fuel will refill their trucks from the tanks and that there would be no retail sales at the site. Mr. Harvey said that he does not believe, based on the area now marked off, that the site will be visible from Rt. 151 but that trees would be planted if it were visible. Ms. Proulx asked Mr. Ron Moyer, representing Tiger Fuel, how much truck traffic would there be for the site. Mr. Moyer said that that depends on the weather, but typically one large truck every day or every other day and 3-4 small trucks per day. Mr. Tapager asked how many trucks currently go in and out of the Front Street (Lovingston) site and Mr. Moyer said 3-4 propane trucks and 3-4 oil trucks. Mr. Harman asked whether any of the trucks would be parked at the site and Mr. Moyer said that they would not. Ms. Russell asked how much propane each of the small trucks holds and Mr. Moyer said that, if empty, they hold 2,400-2,500 gallons. During Public Comment, MS. REBECCA BURNBAUM, an adjoining property owner ask where the money from the lease of the site goes; what days of the week and what hours of the day trucks would use the site; whether additional tanks would be requested in the future; the age and size of the tanks, specifically the height; and what the dangers are if there is a leak, explosion, etc. MR. HARRY BAUM, Afton, asked whether the county can mix a commercial operation with a non-profit association; whether there is any enforcement on site plans as things often do not get done; and how long the lease would be on the site. Following Public Comment, Mr. Harvey clarified that the Fire Department receives the money from the lease. He said that there is no lease in place yet but that it would be a minimum of 10 years with automatic renewals. Mr. Moyer said that normal operations would be Monday through Friday 8am-5pm unless there was severe weather, in which case some weekend work would be required to provide propane to customers. Mr. Moyer said that the tanks would probably be new but if they were used tanks, they would have to be certified by the Department of Energy. Mr. Moyer said that he had never heard of a tank exploding. He said that the fittings on each tank are checked periodically and there is an additive in the propane to warn if there is a leak. He noted that he has not had a tank leak in Lovingston since installation in 1995 or 1996. Mr. Moyer said that it is hard to know whether there would be a future request for additional tanks, noting that it would depend on growth and the usage of propane. Ms. Proulx noted that this permit would allow for two 30,000 gallon tanks and that the permit would have to be amended to add any additional tanks. As to enforcement, Mr. Harvey said that the installation will require a building permit so inspectors will monitor and the fire department will do the screening to make sure the tanks are not visible from the road. Ms. Proulx noted that nothing in the Zoning Ordinance prohibits a non-profit and commercial operation. Mr. Harvey stated that the fire department personnel are trained to work with propone and would deal with a problem. He said that if the site becomes a big problem, the fire department would shut it down. Ms. Russell said that the northern part of the county is growing, the use of propane is growing and Tiger Fuel cannot service the northern part of the county out of one tank in Lovingston. She said that her only concern is that there be good screening and that the wooded buffer be maintained permanently. She then moved (Mr. Harman seconded) to recommend approval of the permit with two conditions: 1. that the existing screening on the western and northern property line be maintained and replaced if trees become diseased; and 2. any lighting for the site be submitted to the Planning Office for review and approval. Commissioners voted 4-0 (Mr. Harvey abstaining) to recommend approval. Meeting adjourned. Copyright 2000-2007 by Rural Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Reports may be reprinted or excerpted with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OF INTEREST: - Monday, October 1st - Meet-the-Candidates Forum - 10:00am-12:00 noon at The Nelson Center. The following candidates will be speaking: SOUTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR - Mary Kathryn Allen, Joe Dan Johnson, Johnny Ponton, Larry Saunders SHERIFF - Mac Bridgewater, David Brooks 59TH DISTRICT DELEGATE - Watkins Abbott, Connie Brennan - Wednesday, October 10th 7:30pm-9:30pm at the Rockfish Valley Community Center - Project151, a citizen advocacy group will hold a public meeting to gather ideas and share information on improving safety on Rt. 151 and Rt. 6. The group is seeking effective enforcement of existing traffic laws, restricting long haul trucks, and reducing speed limits where appropriate. For more information, go to www.project151.org. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This report, sent to over 600 Nelson County citizens, was made possible by the generous donations of Rural Nelson members and supporters. We need your help to continue this service. Please consider donating. Kim T. Cash Field Officer Rural Nelson, Inc. P. O. Box 401 Lovingston, VA 22949 434.263.5000 www.ruralnelson.org