SSentinel.com Serving Middlesex County and adjacent areas of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck since 1896 Vol. 117, No. 2 Urbanna, Virginia 23175 • April 14, 2011 Two Sections • 75¢ Another debate brewing in town appearance. An architect, Riddick Public hearing on offered free assistance in design- fi rehouse addition ing features that could make the building more attractive. set for tonight Urbanna Mayor Don Richwine said at Friday’s work session of the town council that HARB can only by Tom Chillemi make “recommendations” regard- ing a building. The Middlesex Volunteer Fire Design guidelines Department (MVFD) plans to add Richwine, who also serves as a three-bay addition to its existing town administrator, wrote a staff fi rehouse in Urbanna. report for HARB on the fi rehouse The proposed addition has addition. Richwine cited a sec- a four-foot brick facade at the tion of the town’s historic district bottom, but has metal sides and “design guidelines,” which recom- roof. mends “designing new additions Flipped on Route 33 On April 6, following a public in a manner that makes clear what hearing, the Urbanna Historic is historic and what is new.” The driver of the Dodge Caliber above, a 22-year-old Middlesex woman, was able to walk away Architectural Review Board Further, Richwine’s report after her vehicle overturned in the median of Route 33 on Monday about 11 a.m. According to State (HARB) issued a certifi cate of quotes the guidelines stating, Police, the driver was westbound near Curves at Locust Hill when the car ran off the road, over- appropriateness. However, on “Design for the new work may be corrected, overturned and came to rest with the front of the car sticking in the eastbound lane. The April 11, town resident Bob Calves contemporary.” driver is charged with driving under the infl uence of drugs (DUID). appealed HARB’s decision to the The staff report notes there are Urbanna Town Council. Calves’ two steel buildings in the neigh- appeal states, “The present fi re borhood of the fi rehouse—one station building and the proposed on Grace Street, which houses a addition is the signature building law offi ce and beauty salon, and as seen when entering town from another building off Grace Street Proposed redistricting the west. Its appearance is critical that houses the Central Middlesex in setting the tone of the charac- Volunteer Rescue Squad. ter of the town. The [proposed] However, according to a town addition as presently approved by historic overlay map, neither of jeopardizes seats of two HARB falls far short. The HARB these steel buildings is in the his- erred in not addressing the overall toric district. appearance of the project.” Richwine’s report recommends Calves’ appeal notes the plan is that HARB approve the fi rehouse school board members incomplete because no landscap- design. ing plan was submitted. Calves’ appeal argues, “The pro- by Larry S. Chowning supervisors has proposed dividing seats. Although the HARB vote was posed addition is out of character the county into fi ve districts, and “I’m still not totally sure how it 5-0, HARB board member Chris with the present structure and the The possibility of the Middlesex each district would have one repre- will work,” said Culley, who rec- Riddick indicated he had concerns County Board of Supervisors cre- sentative. ommended the redistricting pro- about the fi rehouse addition’s (See Firehouse, page A10) ating two new voting districts has A public hearing on the redis- posal to supervisors. at least two school board members tricting proposal is scheduled for Culley indicated Harrow and wondering whether they will be Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. Shores will probably be allowed eligible to run for offi ce in Novem- The proposed redistricting is in to complete the two years left on Smoke alarm alerted ber. response to 2010 census data, their four-year terms, and Hurd School board members Beth and county administrator Charles and Walton will not be on the Hurd of Deltaville and Lee Walton Culley noted the year after a census school board at the end of 2011. family to burning house of Urbanna are up for re-election is taken is the only time new voting “I’ve asked county attorney Mike this November. Hurd lives in Pine- districts can be considered and old Soberick for an offi cial decision, by Tom Chillemi room and threw things out the top District and Walton lives in ones changed. but I’ve not heard from him yet,” window to Dillon on the ground. Saluda District. Hartfi eld District and Harmony said Culley. Surviving a house fi re takes Mrs. Clarkson had assumed Also currently representing Pine- Village District would be the two At the school board meeting planning—and some luck. Clint escaped by using the stairs. top District is Garland Harrow of new districts created under the pro- Monday night, Walton said, “I Ramona Clarkson of Wake can It was nearly a fatal mistake. Deltaville, and also currently repre- posal. However, no current school think it was a convenient time to do attest to that. With the upstairs window open, senting Saluda District is Richard board member lives in either of it with regards to the supervisors, On the morning of April 2, Mrs. the stairwell had become like a Shores of Urbanna. Both of these these new districts. but I don’t think they even consid- Clarkson was rousted from sleep chimney, choking with hot, acrid school board members have two If the fi ve-district plan is adopted, ered what it was going to do to the by her son Clint, yelling that the smoke. “The smoke was so bad I more years to serve on four-year it would leave both Harrow and school board. I don’t think anybody house was on fi re. couldn’t see,” she said. terms they were elected to in 2009. Hurd in the new Pinetop District has given it any consideration.” Directly under Mrs. Clarkson’s Trying to feel her way down the Middlesex currently has three and both Shores and Walton in the The fi ve-district redistricting bedroom, the living room was stairs, she tripped on the third step districts with two board members new Saluda District. Since each plan does not impact any of the fi ve burning, belching thick smoke and tumbled down the remaining representing both Pinetop and of these districts would have only members of the board of supervi- that swirled into her bedroom 10 steps. Mrs. Clarkson, 48, was Saluda districts, and one board one board seat, school offi cials sors. Each current member would when Clint opened her door. able to get up and get out of the member representing Jamaica Dis- are puzzled on which board mem- Clint, 20, and his brother house even though she would trict. However, the county board of bers would be entitled to those two (See Redistricting, page A10) Dillon, 19, had been watching TV later learn she’d hurt her hip and upstairs when the smoke alarm left arm. “I was in such a panic I blasted. They ran downstairs didn’t know I’d hurt myself,” she and used three fi re extinguishers said. Bay Aging directors ignore state law; trying to stop the fi re. She made it to the rear of the Dillon bolted upstairs, got his house to meet with her sons. The cell phone and called 911. He family had a fi re plan, but in the claim fi scal issues are being addressed then went outside and put a ladder panic of the moment, things fell to his brother’s second-story bed- apart, said Mrs. Clarkson. by Audrey Thomasson business in secret. Board members Information Act (FOIA). During room at the back of the house, Clint and Dillon broke out a emerged from a two-hour closed both board meetings, treasurer away from the fi re. front window and fought the fi re The Bay Aging board of direc- session and voted to approve per- Bill Reisner made the motions to Meanwhile Clint alerted his tors last Thursday again chose to sonnel matters identifi ed only as enter closed sessions to discuss mother and then went to his bed- (See Fire, page A3) defy Virginia law after conducting those “discussed in closed ses- “personnel and personnel-related sion.” matters.” When the board returned The motion was identical to one to open session Reisner’s motion approved at an emergency meet- stated: “I move that the personnel ing on February 25. Agency presi- and personnel-related matters dis- dent Allyn Gemerek and his wife, cussed in the closed session of the vice president Kay Sheldon, have board of directors of Bay Aging be not returned to work since that approved. .” session. The minutes from that According to attorney Alan meeting do not include a com- Gernhardt at the FOIA Advisory ment that Gemerek made after the Council of the General Assem- closed session. He told the board bly, the motions both to enter a that his family was in the midst of closed session and to take action an emergency health issue so he in open session must be clear as to didn’t care what action the board the subject and purpose. “A gen- took against him, or if he lost his eral reference is not suffi ciently job. satisfactory,” he said. “Was that Afterward, board chairman motion defi cient? Yes. But I would Jimmie Carter and Bay Aging not expect them to change until attorney B.H.B.