The Gloucester Board of Supervisors voted to approve an ordinance amending the Colonial Group Home Commission’s Exercise of Power Agreement following a public hearing Tuesday in the colonial courthouse.
The major change in the ordinance is the commission’s name, now Colonial Juvenile Services Commission.
Along with Gloucester County, other localities in the Colonial Juvenile Services Commission are York, James City and the City of Williamsburg. The commission oversees a variety of juvenile justice community-based programs. Under its previous name it managed the Crossroads Community Youth Home, which operated in Williamsburg until closed in August 2020 due to low numbers of youths in the program.
Gloucester Social Services Director and member of the Colonial Juvenile Services Commission Lisa Kersey said despite the closing of Crossroads, a need still exists. The name change coincides with a change in mission, purpose and role for the commission. It will aid in administrative programs and with courts. The commission will also look to impact youth through community-based programs and services in at-risk communities.
The board approved the ordinance change by a 5-1 margin, with supervisor Kevin Smith absent and Phillip Bazzani voting against. Bazzani voted against the request, he said, because exact commission-related costs to Gloucester were not available during the meeting.
Regular agenda
The board unanimously approved a request from Gloucester County Schools to adjust its FY2022 operating and capital budgets to account for cost changes in the Achilles Bus Loop project.
The first change was to move $16,950 from the Page Middle School Ballfield project to the bus loop project. The change was brought on by an error in the rollover amount from FY2021 for both projects.
The second change for the schools was an appropriation of $20,674.91 from the operating fund to be moved to the capital improvement budget to account for a last-minute change to the Achilles Bus Loop project. The change is for hydro-excavating and additional storm drain installation. The changes were made at the request of VDOT following the discovery of previously unknown underground utilities.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Walter Clemons originally said the cost of the Achilles Bus Loop project was $789,916 but even with changes, the total cost came in under budget at $698,700.19.
The board also unanimously approved adjustments for the FY2022 capital budget due to ongoing project carryovers from FY2021. The Court Circle ADA and the Social Services Building Remodel required reductions in the FY2021 capital fund budget by $26,420 and $57,683, respectively.
Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Spivey also noted that the Court Circle ADA project ended up being about $383,000 over budget.
The board unanimously approved a request for a public hearing to consider an ordinance change to a plat of land that was formerly associated with what would have been the subdivision, Pinebrook Phase 1.
The request came from attorney Michael Soberick who represents the property’s current owners. The ordinance change would vacate the plat from Pinebrook and certain easements associated with that subdivision. The change would also remove the county from the subdivision and eliminate its ties to Pinebrook.
Gloucester County Attorney Ted Wilmot said Pinebrook had never developed and it never would as the new owners of the land have no intentions of doing so. The public hearing will held on May 3.