OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - June 27, 2023

Town Council — Tuesday, June 27, 2023
BodyBlacksburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, June 27, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:48

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

0:54

Anderson, present.

0:56

Bush.

0:56

Here.

0:57

Oliver.

0:57

Here.

0:58

Board is absent.

0:59

Eggers.

1:00

Here.

1:01

Addingly?

1:01

Here.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Welcome all.

1:05

We will begin this evening with the consent agenda.

1:09

And that includes approval of town council minutes for June 6th and June 13.

1:15

A resolution 6C23 declaring the town's intention to reimburse itself from the proceeds of one or more financings for public improvements.

1:26

We have a resolution 6D 23 transferring $695,000 between American Rescue Plan Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds projects.

1:37

We have a resolution 6E23 writing off the town's uncollectible water, sewer, and refuse service recyclables, miscellaneous receivables, and real estate taxes.

1:48

We have a resolution 6F23 authorizing the waiver of sidewalk closing fees in downtown Blacksburg.

1:56

What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda?

1:59

I move approval of the consent agenda.

2:02

Second.

2:03

We have a motion and a second.

2:04

Will the clerk please call the roll?

2:06

Bush.

2:07

Oliver.

2:08

Aye.

2:10

Aye.

2:10

Addingly.

2:11

Aye.

2:12

Stephen?

2:12

Aye.

2:13

Henderson.

2:13

Aye.

2:15

Uh public hearings.

2:16

We have none this evening.

2:18

And so now I open it up to our section of citizen comments.

2:23

Anyone who would like to speak on any topic of your choosing may come forward.

2:27

And we have a three-minute timer.

2:30

Some of you have been here before, and some of you are here for the very first time.

2:33

But the way it works is that we have a little stoplight up here.

2:37

And when you begin to speak, the um the our town manager will hit the timer, and it goes green, yellow, red, meaning exactly what you would think.

2:50

And uh, and then your time is up at the red button.

2:58

Hey, Vitania.

3:02

Hi, my name is Latonia Walker, and I'm a resident of Blacksburg.

3:07

I live in the Without community, and my family's been a part of Blacksburg and Montgomery County since the early 1800s.

3:18

So I'm just gonna give you a little bit of background as we talk about Oddfellows Hall.

3:23

But I am here today to represent the Montgomery County Community Review Council, and we're an organization committed to promoting equity in the preservation of the county's diversity.

3:53

Gilbert Vaughn became the first resident of Newtown in 1974 when he purchased the first plot of land.

4:00

He was formerly enslaved on the whole plantation.

4:08

And for more than 60 years, Oddfell um, excuse me, on May 13th, uh the leaders of the Tadmore Light Lodge, number 6184 of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, purchased a small lot on the corner of Barger and Gilbert Streets.

4:26

And for more than 60 years, the hall became a central place to hold regular meetings and social gatherings, collect dues, and support members economically with insurance and state estate management.

4:36

It also served as a meeting space for the Order of St.

4:39

Luke, the Busy Bee Society, the How Household of Ruth Lodge 5533 of the Grant and the United Order of Oddfellows.

4:47

Oddfellows helped keep black Americans on their feet through the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era by offering loans and grants to community members in need, and it served as a welcoming space for African Americans.

5:00

In the 1970s, road construction and other development resulted in the decline of Newtown as a predominantly African American neighborhood.

5:10

Nonetheless, Newtown and St.

5:12

Luke and Oddfellows Hall are important reminders of the resilience, pride, and community spirit of the people who lived in this neighborhood, as well as the injustice that segregation imposed.

5:30

Just to talk a little bit about some of the things we are concerned with today.

5:37

Oh, Christine micro.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Procedural███████████████████21%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████13%
Racial Equity███████████12%
Public Health███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - June 27, 2023

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Roger E. Hedgepeth Chambers. Council approved the consent agenda and 2023 board/committee appointments, heard extensive citizen comments regarding the preservation of St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, and received an update from Councilmember Bush on the museum's Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) report. The meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved Town Council minutes from June 6, 2023, and June 13, 2023.
  • Approved Resolution 6-C-23 declaring the Town's intention to reimburse itself from the proceeds of one or more financings for public improvements.
  • Approved Resolution 6-D-23 transferring $695,000 between American Rescue Plan/Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds projects.
  • Approved Resolution 6-E-23 writing off uncollectible water, sewer, and refuse service receivables, miscellaneous receivables, and real estate taxes.
  • Approved Resolution 6-F-23 authorizing the waiver of sidewalk closing fees in downtown Blacksburg.
  • The consent agenda was adopted by unanimous roll call vote: Bush, Colliver, Hager-Smith, Mattingly, Sutphin, and Anderson voted yes; none voted no. Councilmember Ford was absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Latanya Walker, speaking for the Montgomery County Community Review Council, provided historical background on St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall and raised concerns about its preservation.
  • Christine King, also from the Montgomery County Community Review Council, requested that Town Council amend its agreement with the Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation, citing lack of diversity on the Foundation Board and institutional neglect. She also called for increased town oversight and an external investigation into workplace harassment and inequitable treatment of employees.
  • Heather Nicholson expressed concern that the Town is failing in its duty to preserve St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, which she said represents not only Blacksburg history but Virginia and U.S. history.
  • Jody Daniels, a Montgomery County Community Review Council member and volunteer collections manager, raised concerns about museum artifact preservation. She cited the CAP report, noted that the collection had been stored in non-climate-controlled conditions, and stated that less than one-third of the collection has been properly curated. She proposed hiring a museum consultant, securing safer storage, and providing dedicated curatorial funding.
  • Toni Pitts expressed support for preserving Odd Fellows Hall, stating the Town has a responsibility to preserve a building significant to African American history.
  • Gabriella Parker spoke twice. First, she expressed opposition to the Town's use of chloramines and fluoride in drinking water, claiming negative health effects. Second, she raised concerns about lead in drinking water and requested the raw lead data from the 2020 sampling and the Town's plan for this year's testing.
  • Nikki Giovanni expressed concern about the preservation of St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, asking why Blacksburg is not prouder of its history and what the Town is afraid of when it comes to preserving the building and Newtown's history.
  • Delores Walker expressed concern that African American neighborhoods in Blacksburg have been eliminated piece by piece, and that Odd Fellows Hall is the last remnant of a once-thriving Black neighborhood.
  • Joshua Fitzgerald expressed support for preserving St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, stating that the Black community has the same right to have its history preserved as the white community.

Appointments

  • Mayor Hager-Smith presented reappointments and new appointments to multiple boards and committees, including the Blacksburg Planning Commission, Blacksburg Housing and Community Development Advisory Board, Board of Building Code Appeals, Board of Zoning Appeals, Business Relations Committee, Corridor Advisory Committee, Historic or Design Review Board, Public Arts Committee, and Recreation Advisory Board.
  • Council approved the appointments as presented by unanimous roll call vote: Colliver, Hager-Smith, Mattingly, Sutphin, Anderson, and Bush voted yes; none voted no. Councilmember Ford was absent.

Discussion / New Business

  • Councilmember John Bush responded to citizen concerns about St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall. He said subcommittees are being formed to review the CAP report—one for the Alexander Black House and one for St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall. He noted that the Odd Fellows building has been restored to be as authentic as possible, and invited audience members to speak with him directly.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously (6-0).
  • The 2023 board and committee appointments were approved unanimously (6-0).
  • Council heard citizen comments and committed to reviewing the CAP report recommendations through subcommittees.
  • Councilmember Bush offered to discuss the museum and hall preservation concerns with interested citizens.
  • The meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll. Anderson, present. Bush. Here. Oliver. Here. Board is absent. Eggers. Here. Addingly? Here. Here. Welcome all. We will begin this evening with the consent agenda. And that includes approval of town council minutes for June 6th and June 13. A resolution 6C23 declaring the town's intention to reimburse itself from the proceeds of one or more financings for public improvements. We have a resolution 6D 23 transferring $695,000 between American Rescue Plan Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds projects. We have a resolution 6E23 writing off the town's uncollectible water, sewer, and refuse service recyclables, miscellaneous receivables, and real estate taxes. We have a resolution 6F23 authorizing the waiver of sidewalk closing fees in downtown Blacksburg. What is council's pleasure on our consent agenda? I move approval of the consent agenda. Second. We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the roll? Bush. Oliver. Aye. Aye. Addingly. Aye. Stephen? Aye. Henderson. Aye. Uh public hearings. We have none this evening. And so now I open it up to our section of citizen comments. Anyone who would like to speak on any topic of your choosing may come forward. And we have a three-minute timer. Some of you have been here before, and some of you are here for the very first time. But the way it works is that we have a little stoplight up here. And when you begin to speak, the um the our town manager will hit the timer, and it goes green, yellow, red, meaning exactly what you would think. And uh, and then your time is up at the red button. Hey, Vitania. Hi, my name is Latonia Walker, and I'm a resident of Blacksburg. I live in the Without community, and my family's been a part of Blacksburg and Montgomery County since the early 1800s. So I'm just gonna give you a little bit of background as we talk about Oddfellows Hall. But I am here today to represent the Montgomery County Community Review Council, and we're an organization committed to promoting equity in the preservation of the county's diversity. Gilbert Vaughn became the first resident of Newtown in 1974 when he purchased the first plot of land. He was formerly enslaved on the whole plantation.

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