OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – March 22, 2022

Town Council — Tuesday, March 22, 2022
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, March 22, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:45

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll?

0:49

Anderson, present.

0:50

Bush.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Oliver, here.

0:53

Ford?

0:53

Here.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Manningly?

0:56

Here.

0:57

Here.

0:59

We'll begin with our consent agenda, which tonight consists of approval of the town council minutes for March 8 and March 15.

1:07

And that is it.

1:08

What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda?

1:11

Move approval of the consent agenda.

1:14

Second.

1:14

We have a motion and a second.

1:16

Will the clerk please call the roll?

1:18

Bush.

1:18

Aye.

1:19

Oliver.

1:20

Aye.

1:20

Board?

1:21

Aye.

1:22

Aye.

1:23

Mattingley.

1:24

Aye.

1:25

Anderson.

1:26

Aye.

1:28

We uh have a space in our uh regular agenda for public hearings, but we have none this evening.

1:34

Uh so we'll move on to citizen comments.

1:37

And this evening that includes agency funding requests for the fiscal year 2023.

1:43

Um, and so we will handle this as we do ordinarily with citizen comments, and you can come forward and speak into the microphone, which is that little flat black thing there.

1:55

And we have a little traffic light, and when you begin to speak, the manager will hit the green button and you get three minutes.

2:03

Um, and yellow means what is obvious, and uh red means that your time is up.

2:13

So uh I'll open it up to citizen comments, and this isn't just for agency funding requests this evening.

2:20

You may speak on any topic that moves you.

2:28

Oh, no, okay, you sure?

2:31

If you have a PowerPoint, let me know and I'll open it.

2:34

No PowerPoint, I just have my notes, which I'll be kind of new, but so I'm holding this.

2:40

Uh no, you can just stand up.

2:42

You can just stand and start talking.

2:44

Yeah.

2:45

All right, okay.

2:46

Um, so I'm Karen Healy, and with the Montgomery County Christmas store.

2:50

I'm the fundraising chair, and so this is um a response to the agency request for funding.

2:57

So the mission of the Montgomery County Christmas store is we are a non-denominational, all volunteer, community-wide nonprofit organization that serves eligible low-income individuals and uh families in Montgomery County during the Christmas season by providing a shopping experience characterized by choice and dignity.

3:20

I guess I'm a little nervous.

3:21

That's okay.

3:22

Okay, so we get nervous too.

3:24

Yeah, so more more than 1,400 families were served last um in at the Montgomery County Christmas store in 2021, and all the families are residents of Montgomery County.

3:36

We served 360 families from Blacksburg, and that is almost a little slightly over 25 percent of the total number of families, and this consisted of uh 1,104 family members, and this number is important to us because we use that number to determine um the size of the food box and household goods.

3:58

206 senior and disabled citizens, 579 children, including foster children, uh 120 households were senior citizens, which included 41 senior citizens at Warm Hearth, and the remaining 240 households in the this in Blacksburg had anywhere from one to eight children, totaling 579 children served.

4:23

Of those 240 households with children, 55 of them also had an adult in the home that was a senior or disabled um citizen.

4:34

So every family receives their choice of gently used clean books, um, and that is the only used items we give up.

4:41

Everything else is new.

4:43

So new clothing for each eligible resident shopper, which includes gloves, hats, mittens, um, sometimes boots, uh, underwear, diapers, socks, and pajamas, and at least one full outfit, and sometimes more, as well as coats if um the resident requires that.

5:02

Seniors and disabled, especially in Warm Hearth, also have the opportunity to ask for extra things, such as perhaps like a pan or bedding, even.

5:11

Children and teens receive new, the age appropriate new toys, and every family receives a bag of household goods, which includes toiletries, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper, etc.

5:27

And every family also receives a box of food.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture██████████████████████████26%
Historic Preservation████████████12%
Procedural█████████9%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Senior Services████████8%
Food Security███████7%
Disability Rights███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Economic Development█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting – March 22, 2022

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers of the Blacksburg Municipal Building. The meeting focused primarily on citizen comments regarding funding requests for the Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget from a variety of community agencies. The council also approved the consent agenda and made announcements about upcoming community events. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously approved the minutes from March 8, 2022 (regular meeting) and March 15, 2022 (work session). Vice Mayor Anderson moved approval, Councilmember Sutphin seconded, and the motion passed 7-0 on a roll call vote. (Councilmember Ford was present at the time.)

Citizen Comments on Agency Funding Requests

Citizens spoke in support of their organizations’ funding requests for the Town’s FY2023 Operating Budget. No votes were taken; the requests will be considered during budget deliberations.

  • Karen Healey (Montgomery County Christmas Store Fundraising Chair) described the store’s mission and noted that in 2021 the store served over 1,400 families, of which 360 came from Blacksburg (slightly over 25% of the total). She detailed the items provided (new clothing, food boxes, household goods, gift cards) and asked for continued support.
  • Tina King (Executive Director, New River Valley Agency on Aging) requested $7,738 for FY2023 (a $500+ increase) due to rising service costs, inflation, and increased demand. She reported that 2,015 Blacksburg residents received services in the past year, including 4,000+ home‑delivered meals, 230 transportation trips, and health insurance counseling that saved residents across the New River Valley $421,000 in one year.
  • Representative of The Lyric (with Councilmember Mattingly recused and away from the dais for this presentation) stated that in 2021 the Lyric showed 45 films serving nearly 8,000 individuals, hosted live streaming events, and opened its space to community groups. Future projects include upgrades to the concession area and ticket booth. She encouraged council support.
  • Alex Barge (Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia) highlighted that one brain injury occurs every 20 seconds and that 1 in 30 Virginians has a disability from a brain injury. In Blacksburg, that could be about 1,400 potential participants. He described free case‑management services and noted that over 60% of participants live below the poverty line. He requested funding support.
  • Jean Haskell (Vice President, Montgomery Museum of Art and History) noted the museum’s mission to preserve history and present art. She cited a capital campaign to purchase a historic bank building (goal $1.6M; raised nearly $1M) and that Montgomery County donated $100,000 and Christiansburg $50,000. Blacksburg residents are the fastest growing membership segment. She asked Blacksburg to join in supporting the museum.
  • Kate Skelly (Executive Director, Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation) thanked the town for past support. She described the museum’s work in preserving and promoting Blacksburg’s art, history, and culture through exhibitions, tours, and events, and requested continued funding.
  • Elizabeth Fine (1306 Hillcrest Drive, Blacksburg resident 42 years) spoke in support of the Montgomery Museum. She noted that Blacksburg has not yet contributed to the capital campaign and requested that Blacksburg match Christiansburg’s $50,000 donation. She argued the museum strengthens regional connections.
  • Laina Schneider (Executive Director, Live Work Eat Grow) requested funding for the community garden program, which serves about 100 families at three garden sites on town property (Hale Garden, Wong Park, Garrison Park). Funds would support maintenance and staff. She noted challenges with groundhogs and deer.
  • Clara Cox (Blacksburg resident) spoke in support of the Montgomery Museum, emphasizing its role in preserving local history and educating the public. She noted the museum’s upcoming move to a larger space and asked for council funding.
  • Jessica Jones (representing Downtown Blacksburg Inc.) highlighted DBI’s gift certificate program (over $43,000 sold in 2021), its $200,000 annual operating budget, and events such as Summer Solstice Festival, Art at the Market, and Stepping Out. She requested that council approve funding, noting that many events operate at a loss and rely on financial support.
  • Ryan Martin (Executive Director, YMCA at Virginia Tech) requested $5,000 (a renewal of $2,500 for waste management/recycling plus a $2,500 increase for expanding international program activities, including International Welcome Week). He described the YMCA’s recycling drop‑off and services for international community members.

Other Citizen Comments

  • Doug White (2137 Brooksfield Road) expressed ongoing concerns about the Windsor Hills Pump Station. He stated that a sewer release occurred in December 2021 and that a force main is 30 years old. He claimed that one pump was replaced with a higher‑horsepower pump, potentially causing overpressure, and that releases may enter a karst aquifer affecting neighboring wells. He asked council to review submitted data, inspect and pressure‑test the force main, and engage with him in dialogue about the issue.

Council Announcements

  • Mayor Hager-Smith announced the annual Dialogue on Race on Saturday, March 26, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Christiansburg Middle School (in person).
  • Vice Mayor Anderson promoted the Lyric’s Oscar night on Sunday, March 27, including door prizes, swag bags, and an Oscar bracket contest with up to $500 prize.
  • Councilmember Colliver noted a performance by the Master Chorale and Children’s Chorale on Saturday, March 26 (or April 2) at the Moss Arts Center at 7:30 p.m.
  • Councilmember Sutphin announced the Clothesline Project display on the Virginia Tech drill field on Tuesday, March 29 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., weather permitting, postponed if bad weather) featuring t‑shirts from survivors of gender‑based violence. He also announced the Take Back the Night rally on Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m., downtown Blacksburg.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (7‑0).
  • Funding Requests: No votes were taken; citizen comments will inform the FY2023 budget process.
  • Next Meetings: Work session April 5, 2022 (11:00 a.m.); regular meeting April 12, 2022 (6:30 p.m.).

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson, present. Bush. Here. Oliver, here. Ford? Here. Here. Manningly? Here. Here. We'll begin with our consent agenda, which tonight consists of approval of the town council minutes for March 8 and March 15. And that is it. What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda? Move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Bush. Aye. Oliver. Aye. Board? Aye. Aye. Mattingley. Aye. Anderson. Aye. We uh have a space in our uh regular agenda for public hearings, but we have none this evening. Uh so we'll move on to citizen comments. And this evening that includes agency funding requests for the fiscal year 2023. Um, and so we will handle this as we do ordinarily with citizen comments, and you can come forward and speak into the microphone, which is that little flat black thing there. And we have a little traffic light, and when you begin to speak, the manager will hit the green button and you get three minutes. Um, and yellow means what is obvious, and uh red means that your time is up. So uh I'll open it up to citizen comments, and this isn't just for agency funding requests this evening. You may speak on any topic that moves you. Oh, no, okay, you sure? If you have a PowerPoint, let me know and I'll open it. No PowerPoint, I just have my notes, which I'll be kind of new, but so I'm holding this. Uh no, you can just stand up. You can just stand and start talking. Yeah. All right, okay. Um, so I'm Karen Healy, and with the Montgomery County Christmas store. I'm the fundraising chair, and so this is um a response to the agency request for funding. So the mission of the Montgomery County Christmas store is we are a non-denominational, all volunteer, community-wide nonprofit organization that serves eligible low-income individuals and uh families in Montgomery County during the Christmas season by providing a shopping experience characterized by choice and dignity. I guess I'm a little nervous. That's okay. Okay, so we get nervous too.

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