First warnings issued by the Virginia Department of Emergency Services on Friday predicted the Dan River would crest Sunday at 28.9 feet. Within the previous 24 hours, rainfall measurements recorded 2.46 inches had fallen at Danville, 1.9 inches at South Boston and 1.6 inches at John H.Kerr Dam.
It had all the markings for another major flooding event in Riverdale that would have inundated US 501 along the business strip and covered portions of US 58 near the stoplight.
More rain- from one to three inches- even fell Sunday afternnoon prompting still more flood warnings along the Roanoke and Dan rivers. Warnings that both affected property owners and local officials insist were not all delivered.
"They left us hanging the whole weekend!" one Riverdale merchant Bunny Propst complained who received the first warning Friday but nothing else until late Monday afternoon.
The predicted crest of between 23-24 feet was expected last night. Flood stage is 19 feet but at 24 feet, no businesses in the Riverdale area are affected.
Halifax County Emergency Services Director Dan Sleeper said he office received the first bulletin on Friday and that he contacted those Riverdale area merchants of the expected flooding. Sleeper said that no other printed bulletins were received by his office until Monday. Since then, Sleeper said that he had spoken with the NWS office in Blacksburg to learn that seven bulletins had been issued relative to the Dan River.
"It's (the system of notification) never failed before," said Sleeper who told reporters that he was trying to determine if bulletins may actually have been received in Halifax by dispatchers but someone never reached his desk.
National Weather Service officials in Blacksburg are admittedly puzzled by what they say happened on the "Dirty Dan". They blame the first bungled forecast in part on the Southeast River Forecast Center (National Weather Service) in Atlanta, GA where all information is analyzed and warnings are issued.
"Way off" was how officials at the Blacksburg weather center described the first forecasts. Even as the weather service adjusted downward their warnings, "Dirty Dan" refused to cooperate they said.
As for the number of warnings however, NWS officials say as many as 15 flood warning statements were issued from the time the threat began and that five of those warnings addressed specifically the Dan River.
"I hate to hear that," said Mike Gillen at the NWS Blacksburg office. "We did absolutely nothing different," in providing warning statements to affected communities he said.
"The only possibility I can imagine is that South Boston is no longer an independent city," Gillen added suggesting that the problem might lie in communications between South Boston and Halifax County.
"They're suggesting something entirely incorrect!" South Boston Town Manager Ken McLawhon responded. McLawhon said that he and Halifax County Emergency Services Director Dan Sleeper had been in contact with each other since the threat of flooding occurred on Friday when the first and only warning statement was received.
"We're totally perplexed," McLawhon said adding that this was the first time his office had not received the bulletins which he was told had been issued.
The process of issuing warnings initiates with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg. Warnings are passed along to the Emergency Operations Center in Richmond and affected localities are notified through the Virginia Criminal Information Network.
At the same time, warnings are posted directly with television and radio stations including the weather channel. "In three minutes, it's crawling!" Gillen remarked.
Local weather bulletins are available 24 hours a day by dialing 540/552-0497.
Staunton River Battlefield State Park will welcome visitors to the site of a "significant" Indian artifacts find beginning next month.
Over 1,200 artifacts already discovered in a small four-foot dig by Longwood College archeologists initiated the scheduled spring dig, one expected to yield information about life along the banks of the Staunton between about 800 a.d. and 1500 a.d.
The site will be the focus of archaeological excavations from May 18 - June 9 and those interested in visiting the site should contact the park visitors office at (804) 454-4312 or Brian Bates at (804) 395-2875 before May 8.
Longwood College Archaeology Field School discovered indications of the prehistoric Native American site in the park last summer.
Although it is not unusual to find ancient Indian projectile points and pottery shards scattered along Halifax and Charlotte counties' rivers, it is unusual to find so many apparently well-preserved artifacts in a such a small area, according to park officials.
The current Staunton River Battlefield excavation is located on the Charlotte County side of the river on land recently acquired by the park.
The discovery marks a major Saponi Indian find since there is little historic data, explained Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett, who was instrumental in acquiring the additional park land through the Frances Barksdale Lynn family.
Carbon present in the land is also yielding well-preserved organic artifacts, according to Staunton River State Parks Manager Tim Vest.
Usually acid destroys organic pieces but carbon in the soil has protected pieces found in this particular park dig, added Vest. Among finds are a bone awl and a fish hook.
Bennett and Vest are thrilled with the latest park find and hope to see a museum located on the Charlotte County side of the Staunton for the relics.
"The battlefield is the keystone," said Bennett of the Civil War battle for the Staunton River railroad bridge. On June 25, 1864, Confederate forces turned back assaults by Yankee troops thereby saving Gen. Robert E. Lee's remaining communications and supply line to the South.
The fort site was saved by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, noted Bennett and Vest, and served as the core for Staunton River Battlefield Park.
The park, which opened in 1995, now covers 300 acres and welcomed 27,000 visitors last year.
"It has excellent attendance," said Vest.
In addition to the battlefield site, the park also offers nature trails, two wildlife observation towers overlooking a managed wetland area, and a museum with Civil War exhibits, a history of the Battle of Staunton River Bridge and a history of rural electric power, a display provided by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Virginia Power.
During April and May the park is expecting "600 school children who will learn about the Battle of Staunton River Bridge as well as tour the nature trails," said chief ranger Jim Zanarini.
With its new and old growth as well as wetlands, Zanarini said a diversity of wildlife can be found in the park.
Also on the tap at Staunton River Battle State Park this summer, a June 20-21 Civil War battle reenactment for the bridge.
South Boston Town Council Monday night approved a BPOL tax break totalling between $60,000 and $62,000 to be shared by business, professional and occupational licensees.
Council also figured a way to perform some $38,000 in cosmetic treatment and repairs to the Taylor Building so that the structure remains viable.
But mostly there were only minor changes suggested--or none at all--as Council members leafed through the $6.5 million l998-99 South Boston budget Monday night.
It probably was the final workshop on the new budget as Council hustles to get it ready for a first reading at its May 4 meeting.
On Monday, council also reiterated its desire to go with a town real estate tax levy of 21 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The county levy will be in addition to this, of course.
Each 1 cent of levy produces approximately $26,000 in revenue, Town Administrator Ken McLawhon said, meaning that the 21 cent rate will bring in about $543,300.
The discussion of making changes in the BPOL tax was initiated by Councilman W. C. (Buddy) Wilborn.
Under the plan approved, the town will offer a 15 percent discount for all who pay in full and on time. It applies to all--those in the old and new portions of the corporate limits.
This will mean a collective benefit of between $60,000 and $62,000 to those qualifying.
This is a substantial hike in the discount rate over the previous amount of 5 percent.
The Taylor building is a concern for Council members, who view the property as a valuable asset but also see it as a potentially expensive budget item.
The budget that went to Council Monday night contained a $78,180 item for the Taylor building--to pay for replacement of 47 windows on the east, north and south sides, and to make repairs in deteriorating areas of concrete.
As agreed upon, however, Council will spend only about half that much money. Members agreed to go with a plan to do the necessary stucco work now and spend $5,000 for a design for getting the rest of the necessary repairs taken care of.
This plan would leave $40,000 in the budget that most likely will be utilized at a later time.
Council has expressed a desire to have the Taylor building in condition to serve as an incubator site for new business. It has been through this experience before, having hosted the startup operations of Medical Textiles.Council talked at length about filling in the two now-unused town swimming pools, but did not zero in on a plan to get it done.
Recreation Director Matthew McCargo said plans are going forward at the present time to develop several tennis courts at the Grove Avenue playground.
Also, McCargo said, a skateboard area is under consideration for an areas behind Vaughn Armory that is to be paved soon.
Council affirmed a $2,500 gift each to the new museum, the Prizery and the Chamber of Commerce.
Town Manager McLawhon said efforts to reduce town personnel have been fruitful, with positions eliminated an down-scaled.
"We are doing away with positions as we can," said McLawhon. "We are doing more with less."
Council talked the consolidation theme with the county on several items, among them library services.
Two of the newcomer candidates for the May elections, Tom Raab and Ed Owens, sat in on the Council budget workshop session, occasionally asking questions and offering suggestions.
A request was approved Monday night by the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to offer a buy out of South Boston's share of the William M. Tuck Airport.
The airport is two-thirds owned by the county and one-third owned by the Town of South Boston.
After subtracting prior state and federal capital funding of the airport, the remaining equity stake held by the two local jurisdictions was assessed at a total of $144,846, according to Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper.
One-third of that amount, or $48,282, was deemed the buy out amount that the county will now offer officials of South Boston to gain total ownership of the facility.
The buy out proposal was earlier approved by a 3-1 vote in the board's Finance Committee meeting, with supervisors Garland Ricketts, Tom West and Robbie Smart voting in favor and supervisor Dickie Abbott voting against the recommendation.
When that recommendation was brought before the full board, the motion passed by a 6-1 vote, with Abbott again being the lone dissenter. Supervisor Bill Abbott was not present for the vote.
Dickie Abbott stated that his opposition to the buy out request stemmed from the way he said the final ownership of the new armory on Hamilton Boulevard was conducted.
"We wasted our money (county's share) on the armory because they (the town) just took that over and we didn't get anything," Abbott explained. "Now is the time to deal with that."
While elaborating on his impending vote in favor of the buy out request, supervisor Earl Watts told fellow board members, "It's worth it just to get rid of them. Leggetts has been the biggest beneficiary of that airport over the last thirty years anyway."
Sleeper stated that he would send the formal buy out request to officials of South Boston by Tuesday or Wednesday for their deliberations.
With a proposed county budget of $59,468,312 on the line, only one citizen spoke Monday night during two public hearings before the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
In the first public hearing which concerned the $39.8 million budget for the Halifax County Public Schools, John Woody told the board that the school system's custodial and cafeteria employees deserved higher pay.
In the second public hearing which concerned the overall proposed county budget of $54,468,312, no one spoke either in favor or in opposition.
With no opposition, the board approved a meeting for Monday night, April 27 in which they will vote on the school board budget. That vote has to be made before May 1, which caused the additional meeting.
The meeting will be held in the second floor public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Office Complex in Halifax and will begin at 7 p.m. The vote on the overall budget will not take place until late-May or early-June.
Prior to that budget vote, a public hearing has been scheduled for the proposed increase from one to two percent over $100 of utility bills for commercial and industrial customers. Residential customers will not be effected.
That public hearing is scheduled for May 18 in the same meeting room. It will begin at 7 p.m.
In other matters:
· Two state law enforcement grants of $63,481 and $39,867 were declined by the board under a recommendation by Sheriff Jeff Oakes.
Those grants would have been used to fund positions for the Halifax County Sheriff's Department's participation in the Southside Regional Drug Task Force, as well as the department's Crime Prevention Officer.
Local match funding of 25 percent or $25,837 would have been required from the county as part of the grant acceptance, Sleeper pointed out.
Meanwhile, under a statewide $8.7 million law enforcement program created by former Gov. George Allen and carried on by current Gov. Jim Gilmore, the sheriff's department will receive funding for seven additional deputies.
In the past, the State Compensation Board which oversees employment issues of political jurisdictions, utilized a ratio of one deputy per 2,000 residents to determine how many deputies a sheriff's department should have.
Under the Allen/Gilmore program, that ratio was dropped to one deputy for every 1,500 citizens, causing the increased state funding for the seven additional deputies.
However, the county must provide for the fringe benefits for each of the seven deputies, which includes retirement, medical, and other insurance costs. Sheriff Oakes estimated the cost to be between $3,000 and $4,000 per deputy per year.
While Sheriff Oakes expressed appreciation for the new positions generally made available by the state, he had earlier hoped that the grants could be accepted to bolster the department's strength even more.
His recommendation to withdraw support for local matching funds for the grants stemmed from the necessary process of working with county administration officials towards an overall county budget agreement, Sheriff Oakes pointed out.
"I think it's unfortunate that the county budget lacks the financial resources to continue to underwrite these grants," Sheriff Oakes said.
He has already had to accept the resignation of one narcotics investigator who was assigned to the task force because of the non-renewal of the drug grant, Sheriff Oakes pointed out.
"(Local) Matching funds to those particular grants were well worth the money because just in the past couple of years we've received nearly $100,000 in equipment, literature, and other operating expenses for drug abuse education and undercover drug operations," Sheriff Oakes said.
Gerald Thomas Morton of Ashland died Wednesday, April 15, 1998 in Richmond. He was 61 years of age at the time of his death.
A native of Granville County, NC, he was employed by W.W. Enroughpy & Co. of Ashland.
A memorial service will be conducted Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. from Reid Funeral Home Chapel in Ashland.
Survivors of Mr. Morton include one son, Paul Daniel Morton of Telford; two sisters, Ann Morton Winston of Oxford, NC and Mary Leigh Morton Osborne of Rougemont, NC. He was preceded in death by a son, Brian Keith Morton.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider a charity of your choice.
Telia Barksdale Bailey, 88, of 105 Lynn St., Brookneal, died Tuesday morning, April 21, 1998 at the Medical Care Center. She was the wife of the late Louis Philip Bailey Sr., MD.
Mrs. Bailey was born in Halifax County on June 2, 1909, the daughter of Charles Dudley Barksdale MD and Pattie Edmonds Barner Barksdale. She was a member of Brookneal Baptist Church and a former Halifax County school teacher.
Her survivors include her son: Louis Philip Bailey Jr. of Richmond; two grandsons: Matthew L. Bailey of Richmond, Andrew R. Bailey of Roanoke.
She was preceded in death by two brothers: E.E. and J.H. Barksdale and two sisters: Beverly Lovelace and Pearl Wooding.
A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 23 at the Brookneal Baptist Church by the Rev. Charles Ward. Burial will follow in the Scottsburg Cemetery.
The family will received friends tonight from 7-8 p.m. at Henderson Funeral Home.