The Mathews County Board of Supervisors, meeting last Thursday in the historic courthouse, unanimously voted to create a park on 1.95 acres the county owns at the end of South Bay Haven Road on Gwynn’s Island.

Supervisor Mike Walls said that the Mathews Parks and Recreation Commission had suggested the county move ahead with creating the park after having a cleanup day at the site. He said the group proposed rebuilding the pier, creating a kayak launch, adding a fence along the adjacent neighbor’s property line, building a pavilion on the concrete pad that was left after the house on the site was demolished, and adding parking spots, a porta-potty, and trash cans. He moved to approve the request, but not limit the amenities to just the ones stated.

Supervisor Janice Phillips asked how much the park would cost, but Walls said there was no cost estimate. He said that facilities manager Tim Tillage had said he already had the funding in his budget for rebuilding the pier.

Supervisor Tom Bowen said a vote would mean that the county has a plan for the park and that it can be implemented over time, and Tillage said in a subsequent interview that the park amenities will be installed as funding, code requirements, and FEMA requirements allow.

Bowen also provided background on the site, reminding those present that the county purchased the property after the residence was flooded.

“It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of waterfront in the county,” said Bowen. “We can use it for public property, and I think we should.”

However, he said the property is in a residential neighborhood and that the county will need to be a good neighbor and keep a close eye on the site to make sure that people don’t make trouble there and that “kids aren’t coming in and being rowdy and noisy.”

Background

The future park property, located at 897 South Bay Haven Drive, was purchased in 2016 with a FEMA Flood Hazard Mitigation Grant. Under the terms of the purchase, the property was to permanently remain open space and could only be minimally developed with open-sided structures, public restrooms, a dock, and other such amenities.

In 2020, then-Mathews Maritime Foundation vice president Tom Robinson suggested that the site be made into a maritime park. He envisioned various amenities, including meandering nature trails with signage discussing the county’s boatbuilding history, the area’s flora and fauna, aquaculture, and the history of Gwynn’s Island and the Battle of Cricket Hill. He said at that time that the maritime foundation would fund development of the park.

However, Bay Haven property owners didn’t welcome the idea of a park in their neighborhood without strict limitations, such as not allowing motor vehicle access or on-site parking. Mathews Maritime Foundation disassociated itself from the project and in late 2021, the board of supervisors voted against the proposal. The idea has been resurrected by Walls a number of times since then, but consensus of the board of supervisors was elusive until now.

Emergency dispatch presentation turned down

Bowen appeared to light a firestorm when he made a motion, seconded by Phillips, to have the board hear a proposal by Greg Hunter, manager of the regional radio system that Mathews is part of, for a central dispatch system for the Middle Peninsula. Other board members were not in favor, and emergency services personnel lodged objections, as well.

Bowen explained that working through this year’s budget had been “a particularly difficult process,” that the board “looked at every place we could to squeeze a nickel,” and that funding is going to be “an ever-increasing problem.” He said Mathews has to provide the same services as larger localities, but with less money, and that the county needs to find ways to save money.

Hunter needs letters of interest from other counties that might be candidates for joining a regional system in order to apply for a $1 million state grant to explore combining services and establishing a regional dispatch system, said Bowen. He said such a system would be able to operate with as few as 16 dispatchers and thereby provide a 50 percent savings for the county. This would also save money by cutting down on employees moving from one department to another for higher pay and thereby lessen turnover, he said, adding that listening to the presentation would not obligate the county.

Walls expressed adamant opposition to the proposal, saying that Sheriff April Edwards and one of her dispatchers had already told the board that such a system would not work for Mathews.

Board chair Tim Doss said that the county can’t join a regional dispatch system without the sheriff’s approval, since she’s in charge of dispatch. In addition, he said that whenever a locality joins a regional system, employees lose their jobs, and by Hunter’s estimates, 34 dispatchers across the region would lose their jobs.

Supervisor Dave Jones said the county had gone through a lot of corrections on the radio system now being put in place, and he would like to see it in operation and get the sheriff’s thoughts on the matter before looking at a new system.

Phillips said that the county’s dispatch services cost just under $900,000 now, and that the costs “will only grow.” She said she would hate to pass up being part of a feasibility study on decreasing costs.

Edwards was invited to address the board regarding the matter, and she spoke passionately against it. She said that Hunter is “selling a big package that looks good on paper, but the services offered to our community would decline.”

During public comment, 911 communications center manager Laura Carson, Mathews Volunteer Fire Chief Ronnie Lewis, and Scott Bergman, president of the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, added their objections to the proposal.

In other matters, the board:

—Heard a report from County Administrator Ramona Wilson that the cost to run a forced main sewer line to a remote drain field to serve the county’s property at 384 Old Ferry Road (the location of Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill) would be around $583,000. This would include the cost of demolition, replacing the septic tanks, and all equipment. The other option for the property—applying for a permit for permanent pump-and-haul—would cost around $72,000, she said, and would include design, engineering, permit fees, and construction, which would involve removing the existing tanks and installing new ones;

—Held a public hearing on VDOT’s 6-Year Plan for county roads and, after no comment from the public, unanimously adopted the plan;

—Held a public hearing on gifting the former Mathews Boys and Girls Club to the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department to be turned into Station 1 and, after no comment from the public, unanimously approved the gift;

—Unanimously approved a request by the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission for an interim financing plan, in conjunction with with other localities on the Middle Peninsula, that will provide the commission with back-up funds in the unlikely event that federal grant funding for a project defaults;

—Recognized Judi Green, senior executive and deputy clerk to the board, for being named to the Municipal Clerks Honor Roll for the second time by General Code, which manages online municipal code, zoning code, and building code content for 4,000 local governments in 44 states.