Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - July 12, 2022
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Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - July 12, 2022
The Blacksburg Town Council met on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. The meeting was adjourned at 7:22 p.m. Key actions included recognition of retiring Public Works Director Kelly Mattingly, approval of a daycare conditional use permit, withdrawal of land from an agricultural district, amendments to mass outdoor gathering permits, and the appointment of Latanya Walker to the Planning Commission.
Consent Calendar
- Items A & B (Minutes of June 28 and July 5, 2022; Resolution 7-B-22 setting meeting dates) were approved unanimously after being amended to remove Items C and D for separate votes.
- Item C – Ordinance 1996 (FY 2022/2023 budget amendment appropriating $13,364,987 in ARP/CSLFRF revenues) was introduced and a public hearing scheduled for August 9, 2022. Passed 5-0-2 (Bush and Sutphin abstained).
- Item D – 2022-2026 HUD Consolidated Plan and 2022 Annual Action Plan was approved. Passed 6-0-1 (Sutphin abstained).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ordinance 1987 (Mass Outdoor Gatherings): Rebecca Paulson (913 Kentwood Drive) and Rosalie Sawdon (1181 Oakland Square) spoke in favor, thanking Council and staff. Paulson emphasized that due diligence and enforcement would be key to the ordinance’s success; Sawdon described prior game-day activity as “an absolute disgrace.”
- Ordinance 1992 (Land Withdrawal): Javad Torabinejad, a local resident, recommended streamlining the withdrawal process to avoid delays after a rezoning is already approved.
Discussion Items
- Recognition – Resolution 7-A-22: Mayor Hager-Smith and staff honored Public Works Director Kelly Mattingly for 28 years of service, highlighting his leadership in environmental sustainability (energy retrofits, single-stream recycling, biodiesel, fleet electrification) and community partnerships. Mattingly thanked the town. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
- Conditional Use Permit – Daycare at 1017 Progress St N.W.: Staff presentation by Kali Casper. Northside Presbyterian Church, in partnership with YMCA-VT, proposed an after-school enrichment program for K-5th grade (4-6 p.m. school year; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. summer) for up to 47 children. Planning Commission recommended approval 5-0. The applicant, Joe Hunnings, agreed with all staff conditions (state license, modified buffer yard, bicycle racks, queuing management). No public comment. Council approved Resolution 7-C-22 unanimously.
- Ordinance 1992 – Withdrawal from Agricultural and Forestal District: Staff presented the withdrawal of 40.34 acres at 1900 Toms Creek Road, part of the previously approved Berewick Planned Residential Development (76 single-family lots). The Agricultural and Forestal District Advisory Committee (6-0) and Planning Commission (5-0) recommended approval. Rollback taxes will apply. Council approved unanimously.
- Ordinance 1987 – Mass Outdoor Social Gathering Permits: Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer reviewed changes to Town Code § 13-106, including stronger permit requirements (e.g., notification of property owner, guest control, alcohol responsibility) and a new voluntary party registration process for gatherings under 200 people. Police Chief Brewster noted ongoing outreach to student groups and coordination with Virginia Tech on game-day crowd management. Council approved unanimously.
- Ordinance 1991 – Vacating Utility Easements at 513 & 515 Georgia Street: Spencer explained that due to a boundary line adjustment, existing public utility easements needed to be vacated and rededicated in new locations. No public comment. Council approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All agenda items passed unanimously except as noted in the Consent Calendar.
- Abstentions: Councilmember Sutphin abstained from Items C and D due to his employment with Community Housing Partners, which receives HUD funding. Councilmember Bush abstained from Item C due to his unpaid service on the Sojourn Center board.
- Appointment: Latanya Walker was appointed to the Blacksburg Planning Commission unanimously.
- Upcoming Meetings: Work session July 19 and regular meeting July 26 were canceled. Next work session: August 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
- Announcements: Vice Mayor Anderson noted Steppin’ Out (first week of August) and other downtown events. Councilmember Mattingly promoted the Art at the Market event on July 16.
Meeting Transcript
Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll? Anderson, present. Bush. Here. Oliver. Here. Or? Here. Egar Smith. Here. Mattingley. Here. Here. We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Will the uh Vice Mayor please lead us? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We want to begin with a recognition for uh Kelly Mattingley, and so I'm gonna ask you to come forward. Shall I use the you should be able to use the yep that one? No, no, no. All right, well, let's come down here. Yeah. Here we are. Um I think a lot of uh people in the um in the chambers here tonight understand that there are many things that a town government is not allowed to do um by state ordinance. Uh if I could make you stay, but the state won't let me do that. So this is a resolution honoring Blacksburg Public Works Director, Stephen Kelly Mattingley. Stephen, in case anybody missed that. Whereas Kelly Mattingley began his career with the town of Blacksburg as the director of public works in 1994, whereas Kelly has been involved with numerous high-profile projects ranging from new roads and bridges to streetscapes, landscapes, utilities, and building construction. However, his enduring legacy is the creation of the town's environmental sustainability program. Whereas Kelly initiated the first building energy retrofits to all town facilities that introduced energy efficient lighting and HBAC systems, implemented single stream curbside recycling, introduced biodiesel fuel to the town's vehicle fleet, and most recently began the process of transitioning the town's fleet of vehicles from petroleum to electricity in coordination with the town's Office of Sustainability, and whereas Kelly established long-lasting community partnerships by supporting the infrastructure needs for annual downtown events, partnered with the YMCA at Virginia Tech on successful programs such as e-waste recycling and helped found the nonprofit Sustainable Blacksburg, which in collaboration with the town and Virginia Tech has held a series of annual educational events since 2007. Now therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia, that Kelly Mattingley be recognized and appreciated for his contributions and dedicated untiring service to the town and its citizens. Speech. Coming back to Blacksburg in 1991 to raise our family was probably the best decision we ever made. This is a great community. In 1994, I was really lucky to get this job. I didn't have a lot of experience, but uh the town manager at the time, Ron Secarist had faith in me, and uh I really am grateful to him for this opportunity. It's been an honor serving the community for 28 years in this position. And I I've always tried to uh show the public respect that they deserve and treat them as partners and not adversaries. And I hope that they they see that in me as well. Um not sure what the future holds. I've heard retirement's pretty cool, like a lifelong vacation from this point on. Um this time next month I should be a grandfather, uh, which is gonna be very exciting. Um's having a first child, and um they live in Richmond, which is um very accessible, which is gonna be great. Again, thank you. Um I'd really love to stay for the whole meeting. Uh I've got a slightly better offer from uh a cadre of friends back there that includes um pizza and beer and uh hot tub and a fire uh fire pit. So with that, I um did my did my farewell and I wish you all the very best, and thank you again. Mayor, if I may, uh before Kelly gets too far out the door, um I don't want to stand in the way because A Susan is missing out on all the fun stuff the longer we go tonight, but she has another job to do.
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