If you were out over the Labor Day weekend you may have seen some interesting activity at what once was one of the most popular food hangouts in the surrounding Nellysford area. Most recently it was Grill 151 which closed in May of last year. Before that it operated as Rockfish River Grill. We first told you about the closure here. Even back then there were rumors of Vito’s Italian Restaurant in Lovingston opening a second location in the building owned by Nellysford businessman Troy Campbell who also owns and operates Stoney Creek Auto next door.

As we first told you back in early 2007 Sal from Vito’s confirmed to us that he had plans to open a second restaurant location there if he could get everything worked out. “We want to open there and if we do we’ll have a large wine selection, we won’t be jacking up our prices and it’ll be the same menu folks have come to expect from our Lovingston location,” Sal told me last year. NCL has verified pending opening.

A variety of issues now seem to be worked out and apparently the one of Nelson’s favorite restaurants will be opening later this year in the fall as soon as renovation work is completed.

We will keep you posted!

NCL

A photo taken by, Yvette Stafford, of the old Truslow’s Auto Repair & Restaurant Sign as it stood in the mid to late 90’s.

Grill 151 was the most recent restaurant to operate from the old Truslow’s Restaurant location. It closed in May of 2007 and has been vacant since.

Roofers removing old shingles this past weekend from what will soon be Vito’s Italian Restaurant in Nellysford, scheduled to open this fall.

By Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine ©2008
Nellysford, Virginia

You know it’s getting close to Fall when they hold the Community Market in Montebello, Virginia. This year the weather cooperated perfectly and lots of folks turned out for great food, great music, and lots of arts and crafts.

Lots of arts and crafts were part of the annual event held at the fire department.

This youngster seems to be very interested in the old cowbell.

The only way to travel!

Montebello Fire & Rescue Members show off one of their fire trucks at the annual Community Market Day.

See you at next year’s market!

Photography By Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine ©2008
Montebello, Virginia

Thank you Sheila Layton for pointing out the typo in the Relay for Life story in the September issue. It was co-organizer Susan Steven’s parents — not Sheila’s — who suffered from cancer. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Needless to say, both women’s lives have been affected by cancer, which is why they are planning this event.

For those interested in helping organize Nelson County’s first Relay for Life event, call 434-263-5305 or 434-277-9409 for information. Monthly meetings at Tye River Elementary School begin September 2 at 7pm, that is this Tuesday. The event is planned for June 20, 2009.

Photography By Paul Purpura
Nelson County Life Magazine ©2008
Wintergreen, Virginia

Our Paul Purpura has been busy this weekend, capturing all of the events upon Wintergreen Mountain, and down in the valley. Lots more continues right on through Monday, so get out and enjoy!

Wintergreen Performing Arts International Wine Festival

Music acts at Wintergreen Resort

In the valley at Wintergreen Winery, they were pouring up the wine on the first day of their Annual Romp, Stomp & Chomp. It continues through Sunday!

Tons more events will be going on through Labor Day via the Nelson Tourism and Visitor’s Center:

August 30, 31
Romp, Stomp and Chomp! Harvest Celebration at Wintergreen Winery. Do you want to stomp grapes like Lucy? Here’s your chance! Help us send off summer and welcome the harvest on Labor Day Weekend with grape stomping, live music, wine and Virginia foods tasting, specials, winery tours and door prizes. Great picnic fare and scenic riverside picnic sites…all in a family friendly setting. Admission includes wine glass, tasting, live music and grape stomping. 10 am-6 pm. Fee. 434-361-2519

August 31
Montebello Community Market Day.
Annual event featuring regional artists & crafts, live music, bake sale, flea market. Children’s activities and home cooked food prepared & served by the fire & rescue crew. Vendors welcome. Benefits Montebello Fire and Rescue Department. Montebello is near the Blue Ridge Parkway and Wintergreen Resort in beautiful Nelson County. 540-377-5754

August 31
International Wine Festival at Wintergreen Resort 12- 6 pm
Wintergreen Performing Arts is a not-for-profit music organization located in Nelson County. Blue Ridge Mountains bringing a year-round program of education and entertainment to Central Virginia.

August 31
Labor Day Barbeque DelFosse Winery from 11 am - 3 pm. 434-263-6100

Tropical Storm Hanna 5 Day Projection

Updated at 5:30 AM Sunday morning

Forecast By Tommy Stafford - Nelson County Life Magazine
LISTEN TO THE WEATHER BY PRESSING THE BUTTON.

Photography By Ann Strober
Nelson County Life Magazine ©2008
Clearing Skies Over Nelson
Nellysford, Virginia

Today’s weather and is brought to you exclusively by:

-

You can always visit them on the web at www.amfog.net or call ‘em at 540-456-7100

Rainfall totals as of 11:59 PM EDT Saturday night:

-SATURDAY High / Low at NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine in the Rockfish Valley : 94°/68° - RAIN : 0.00″ - YTD: 20.10″
-SATURDAY High / Low at NCL-TWNF on Devil’s Knob @ Wintergreen Mountain : 82°/63° - RAIN 0.00″ - YTD: 28.18″
-SATURDAY High / Low at NCL-Hatcreek Farm on Horseshoe Mountain @ Roseland, VA : 91°/64°- RAIN : 0.00″ - YTD: 26.56″
-SATURDAY High / Low at NCL-Tiger Fuel @ Lovingston, VA : 91°/67° - RAIN : 0.90″ - YTD: 24.74″
-SATURDAY High / Low at NCL-Delfosse Winery & Vineyard @ Faber, VA : 92°/68° - RAIN : 0.00″ EST - YTD: 20.25″

Other area rainfall totals by clicking here.

Don’t forget the Crutchfield Electronics Recycling truck that will be at the RVCC a week from this coming Saturday on September 6th from 9 AM to 3 PM. That’s the same day as the pancake breakfast. For this one day only, Crutchfield is waiving the normal small fee for you to get rid of most any electronics. Nelson County Life, The RVCC & Crutchfield have all teamed up to bring the truck to Nelson for this one special day. They tell me pretty much anything with a corded plug qualifies! Click on the Crutchfield image on the upper left of your screen under the cover photo to learn more.

The second half of the Labor Day weekend looks very nice with sunny skies and pleasant temps. We rise back into the upper 80’s next week.

There’s plenty of tropical activity taking place right now including several new disturbances out in the Atlantic, one that may affect the eastern seaboard by next week. You can see them all by clicking here.

5 Day Forecast For Gustav
Gustav down in the Atlantic, continues to be headed on a track toward the the Gulf of Mexico.

Eastern U.S. Regional Current Surface Map via wunderground

Looking 12-24 Hours Ahead

Your Nelson County Life custom area forecast including: Schuyler, Wintergreen, Crozet, Montebello, Rockfish Gap.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK

SUN: Mostly Sunny 84/60
MON: Sunny 85/60 (Labor Day)
TUE: Sunny 84/59
WED: Sunny 85/61
THU: Mostly Sunny 88/63

All mountain temperatures in the extended period roughly 10-15 degrees cooler than those listed in the valley for afternoon highs.

Have a great & safe Labor Day Weekend!!

KnowYourNelson.com

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Thursday, August 28, 2008

PRESENT: Mr. Tommy Harvey, Mr. Allen Hale, Mr. Tommy Bruguiere,
Ms. Connie Brennan and Mr. Joe Dan Johnson

COURTHOUSE PROJECT - Mr. Randy Vaughn and staff with Wiley & Wilson
presented the final (95% complete) design for the courthouse complex. The
review showed the final layout, parking, entrance, landscaping and interior
finishes for the complex. Mr. Vaughn then presented the final project
budget of $11,172,970. Mr. Carter noted that some of the A/E fees and
Testing/Survey fees have already been paid and financial planning has,
therefore, been based on $10,371,550.

Mr. Roland Kooch, Davenport & Company, presented three options for financing
the project. The options are based on $10,371,550 as the total to be
financed less $2,294,588 equity available to be used for the project -
leaving a total of $8,076,962 to be financed.

Option 1: A Bank-Qualified (”BQ”), Tax-Exempt Private Placement - a direct
bank loan for the entire amount. This option allows the county to finance
the entire amount at 4.5% interest. Terms of financing may be limited to 20
years.

Option 2: Rural Development Loan - allows the county to borrow a maximum of
$7.5 million for this project at 4.125%. The loan allows for a flexible
prepayment plan with no penalties. A second financing vehicle or the use of
county monies will be required to cover the $577,000 not covered by this
option.

Option 3: Virginia Resource Authority “VRA” - allows the county to borrow
the entire amount at 4.22%. This loan has financing terms up to 30 years
but higher upfront costs.

After reviewing all options, Mr. Kooch recommended Option 2 utilizing an RD
loan. The county would pay the $577,000 up front from the General Fund and
finance the project for 40 years. After repaying the $577,000 to the
General Fund over the first two years of the loan, the county would then
accelerate repayment to pay the loan off in 19 years (in 2027) instead of 40
years.

Mr. Carter said that the project is ready to go to bid in mid-September. He
suggested that staff prepare a resolution accepting the final design and
selecting a financing option for the September Board meeting to allow the
project to proceed. Supervisors agreed.

FABER/SCHUYLER SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SITE - Mr. Hale reported that he and
Ms. Brennan held a town hall meeting in Faber with 60 people attending. He
said that attendees expressed opposition to the county’s proposed use of the
Bunny Lane and Cove Valley sites and the residents of Schuyler asked that
the site remain in Schuyler. Mr. Hale said that he went back to the
potential Schuyler site and walked over it again. Mr. Hale said that that
site is for sale and the county should move forward with the purchase of
that property. Mr. Hale then made a motion (Ms. Brennan seconded) to
authorize staff to hire professional services to evaluate the site and
negotiate the purchase of the property.

Mr. Johnson said that the motion does not preclude the county from
proceeding with one of the other options on the table. He noted that the
county offered the asking price for the Bunny Lane property which is on the
market. He said that if the Schuyler site is not suitable, the county has
options. Mr. Harvey said that he still wants to consider the Cove Valley
site, noting that he thought the group was willing to pursue the issue. Mr.
Hale said that he does not see that group as willing to move forward with
the county. Mr. Harvey said that the proposed Schuyler site is within just
½ mile of the Albemarle County line with a completely different service area
from the Faber site. Mr. Harvey said that the Schuyler site is isolated and
will not be utilized by county residents traveling along Rt. 29. Mr. Hale
said that the site is not isolated if you live in Schuyler. Mr. Harvey said
that the county should go back then and build a site in Afton. He said that
others in the county have had to give up their sites. Mr. Hale said the
Board needs to move ahead with a site. He said that putting one where folks
want it versus where it will cause an uproar makes sense. Mr. Harvey asked
whether the county plans to blow $10,000 for evaluation of a site that is
not feasible. Mr. Hale said that he is not sure whether the site is
feasible. He noted that his motion says that the county will evaluate the
site from an engineering point of view. Mr. Hale noted that the site does
have county water and sewer, three-phase power and a commercial entrance
onto a state-maintained road. Mr. Johnson asked what the costs would be for
the land. Mr. Hale said that it would cost much less than the others but
the price would have to be negotiated.

Mr. Harvey said that he is totally opposed to the Schuyler site, noting that
the site is not in the normal traffic flow for most people and no one from
Rt. 29 is going to go down there. He said that the Board has heard from the
Bunny Lane group, the Cove Valley group and the Schuyler group. He said
that the Board has not met with the service area to tell them that the
county is moving their site to Schuyler. Mr. Hale said that he has talked
to a lot of people. He agreed that the site is not perfect but that he
wants to move forward. Mr. Hale said that while it is true that the site
will not be convenient for anyone traveling on Rt. 29, it is within the
population area. Mr. Bruguiere said that he is willing to examine the
Schuyler site but that it is outside the scope of the Board’s solid waste
plan. He said that it makes more sense to put the site in the Faber area.
Ms. Brennan said that she is willing to examine the Schuyler site but wants
to continue to look for other potential sites. Mr. Hale then amended his
motion to authorize staff to contract professional services at a cost not to
exceed $10,000 to evaluate the suitability of the Schuyler site for a
collection center. Supervisors voted 4-1 (Mr. Harvey voting no). Mr.
Harvey agreed to work with the Cove Valley group to see if there is an
option for that property.

Mr. Hale said that the Board had previously authorized staff to advertise
and close the Schuyler dumpster site while the county consolidated the
collection system. He then made a motion to keep the dumpster site in place
in Schuyler while the county is pursuing their options. He suggested
putting a cable across the entrance with an area volunteer to open the site
from 7am-7pm each day. Supervisors voted 5-0 to keep the site in place with
a cable. Supervisors agreed to review the status of the site at each of
their monthly meetings, noting that the site would be closed if the mess at
the site again becomes a problem.

AMENDMENT TO ZONING & SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE/INDIVIDUAL SEPTIC SYSTEMS -
Supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize staff to advertise for the proposed
amendments for public hearing on Tuesday, October 14th at 7:30pm.

OTHER BUSINESS -

BIOSOLIDS - Mr. Bruguiere said that applications have been received to apply
biosolids in the county and the county, therefore, needs to hire an
inspector. He suggested hiring the same inspector working in Amherst now.
Mr. Carter reported that that inspector has been contacted and will not be
able to do the work in Nelson. He noted that staff is working on a job
description for the position and will be moving forward with contracting or
hiring someone shortly.

With no Public Comment, the meeting was adjourned.

Copyright 2000-2008 by Rural Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Reports may
be reprinted or excerpted with attribution.

Forecast By Tommy Stafford - Nelson County Life Magazine
LISTEN TO THE WEATHER BY PRESSING THE BUTTON.

Photography By Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine ©2008
Late August Rain
Near Nellysford, Virginia

Today’s weather and is brought to you exclusively by:

-Cantaloupes $1 this week.

You can always visit them on the web at www.amfog.net or call ‘em at 540-456-7100

Rainfall totals as of 11:59 PM EDT Wednesday night:

-WEDNESDAY High / Low at NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine in the Rockfish Valley : 67°/59° - RAIN : 1.49″ - YTD: 17.17″
-WEDNESDAY High / Low at NCL-TWNF on Devil’s Knob @ Wintergreen Mountain : 56°/49° - RAIN 2.08″ - YTD: 24.62″
-WEDNESDAY High / Low at NCL-Hatcreek Farm on Horseshoe Mountain @ Roseland, VA : 62°/57°- RAIN : 1.88″ - YTD: 24.83″
-WEDNESDAY High / Low at NCL-Tiger Fuel @ Lovingston, VA : 64°/58° - RAIN : 1.43″ - YTD: 22.37″
-WEDNESDAY High / Low at NCL-Delfosse Winery & Vineyard @ Faber, VA : 68°/59° - RAIN : 1.38″ EST - YTD: 18.25″

Other area rainfall totals by clicking here.

Don’t forget the Crutchfield Electronics Recycling truck that will be at the RVCC a week from this coming Saturday on September 6th from 9 AM to 3 PM. That’s the same day as the pancake breakfast. For this one day only, Crutchfield is waiving the normal small fee for you to get rid of most any electronics. Nelson County Life, The RVCC & Crutchfield have all teamed up to bring the truck to Nelson for this one special day. They tell me pretty much anything with a corded plug qualifies! Click on the Crutchfield image on the upper left of your screen under the cover photo to learn more.

What a fantastic rainy day on Wednesday! As you can see in the photo above, rain fell most of the day and continued overnight last night.

Look for showers, possibly a rumble of thunder today as rain is again likely. Most people have already received well in excess of an inch of rain as of midnight last night, and we can expect more today with those cool pre fall temperatures again.

By Friday we’ll see some occasional sunshine mixed with showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Saturday has the chance for some scattered thundershowers early with improving conditions as the day wears on, the second half of the Labor Day weekend look mostly sunny and pleasant.

5 Day Forecast For Gustav
Gustav down in the Atlantic, continues to be headed on a track toward the the Gulf of Mexico.

Eastern U.S. Regional Current Surface Map via wunderground

Looking 12-24 Hours Ahead

Your Nelson County Life custom area forecast including: Nellysford, Massies Mill, Love, Covesville, Crozet.

THURSDAY: Continued mostly cloudy, rainy, and cool, rain not as widespread as yesterday.
* Highs Valley: 70-73°
*On the mountains: 64-67°
*Winds: NE 10-15 MPH
*OVERNIGHT: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows valley: 61-64° : Mountains: 56-59° : Winds: NE-5 MPH

FRIDAY: Partly sunny with scattered thunderstorms. Warmer.
* Highs Valley: 81-84°
*On the mountains: 71-74°
*Winds: Becoming S around 5 MPH in the afternoon
*OVERNIGHT: Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Lows valley: 65-68° : Mountains: 64-67° : Winds: S-5 becoming L & V MPH

EXTENDED OUTLOOK

SAT: P/S T-Showers 85/63
SUN: Mostly Sunny 84/60
MON: Sunny 82/60 (Labor Day)
TUE: Sunny 82/61
WED: Sunny 83/61

All mountain temperatures in the extended period roughly 10-15 degrees cooler than those listed in the valley for afternoon highs.

Have a great Thursday!!

KnowYourNelson.com

PLANNING COMMISSION
August 27, 2008

Present: Ms. Emily Hunt, Mr. Mike Harman, Mr. Mike Tapager, Mr. Tommy
Bruguiere (Board Liaison)
Absent: Ms. Philippa Proulx and Ms. Linda Russell

FINAL SUBDIVISION/SAMUEL & GRETCHEN PRICE - The applicants submitted a final
plat for a family subdivision to divide 1.910 acres from 12.60 acres on
Crabtree Falls Highway in Roseland in Tye Cliff Subdivision. Mr. Boger
reported that the plat is complete. Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the
final plat.

REZONING/JEFFREY COFFEY & TERESA NAGY - The applicants are requesting a
rezoning of approximately 3 acres located at 2910 Patrick Henry Highway from
Industrial/Floodplain M-2 to Business/Floodplain B-1 to permit renovation of
the American Cyanamid office building for apartments and other B-1 uses.
The business was closed after the 1969 flood and the majority of the site
was identified as a “Super Fund” cleanup site by the Federal Government.
Several small businesses have operated out of the first floor of the
building but have since closed. The building is used now primarily for
storage and has a new roof. The present M-2 zoning restricts the use of the
building to industrial and the owners would like to consider other options
for using the building. Mr. Boger noted that there are between 8-14 sewer
connections available that could possibly be used for the site so use of the
building would be limited. He noted that the applicants have indicated that
there are two commercial wells on the property with good water and the
existing entrance appears to meet VDOT requirements.

The applicant, Ms. Nagy, said that the building is an eyesore and housing
would be a good thing for the community. During Public Comment, Mr. David
Hight, a member of the Nelson County Service Authority Board, said that the
apartments would provide additional users for the county’s new sewer line
and provide some payback on all the money the county has spent for the
system.

Mr. Harman said that he would love to see the site developed and agreed that
it has been an eyesore. Commissioners voted 4-0 to recommend approval of
the rezoning. Mr. Tapager noted that the way the county’s rezoning process
is set up, every rezoning is a “spot zoning”. He suggested that the
Commission look at amending the Comp Plan to require that every rezoning be
considered as a planning issue with a Comp Plan amendment.

REZONING/TOMMY & DIANE HARVEY - The applicants are requesting a rezoning of
2.732 acres located at the intersection of Rt. 151 and Rt. 840 (Tanbark
Road) in Afton from Residential (R-1) to Business (B-1) Conditional with
proffers to permit the building of a 5,000 sq ft medical center and office
space. Mr. Boger noted that the applicants had submitted a list of uses
that they would voluntarily proffer away as uses permitted on the property.
Mr. Harvey said that the medical center is presently in a bad location and
needs room to expand. He said that he has met with VDOT and there will be
two entrances to the site, one of which will be on Rt. 151. He said that he
would like to line that entrance up with Afton Service Center across the
road and cut the bank back to allow for better sight distance. Mr. Harvey
reported that none of the adjoining landowners have a problem with the
project. Mr. Jim Gates, a partner on the project, said that all building
plans are preliminary but that he expects there to be a 5,000 sq ft brick
building with the medical center taking 3,500 sq ft. He said that a
compatible tenant would lease the remaining space. Mr. Tapager asked why
the applicant had not proffered 8-1-14, Sale of new and/or used cars. Mr.
Harvey said that it was an unintentional oversight and that he would be
happy to add that to the list, which would then include all uses except
8-1-2 (”Retail drugstores, feed and seed stores, food sales and restaurants,
wearing apparel shops, auto and home appliance services, banks, barber and
beauty shops, hardware stores, offices and personal and professional
services. Wholesale and processing activities that would be objectionable
because of noise, fumes, or dust are excluded.”)

During Public Comment, MS. ANGELA ROBINSON, Afton, requested that the
Commission deny the rezoning for the following reasons - 1) if the applicant
only wants to develop a medical facility, why were all the uses not
proffered; 2) consistency from the Commission is a reasonable request - the
Commission denied a request for a rezoning to B-1 just up the road; 3) the
Rt. 151/Rt. 840 intersection is of great concern and the issue cannot be
overlooked; and 4) the applicant’s intent is not always what you end up
with. MR. CURTIS BRUGUIERE, Afton, asked how the proposal conforms to the
Comp Plan. He said that Anderson’s Grocery, in business almost 100 years,
was denied a rezoning because it did not comply with the Comp Plan and yet
nothing was to be built at Anderson’s. He said that this project will
include a whole new building. Mr. Bruguiere said that the applicant has
nothing to show what will actually be built there. He noted that in the
future, the property could be sold with the new owner could put in anything
that the proffers did not take away. Mr. Bruguiere said that approval would
be spot zoning, another reason given for denying Anderson’s Grocery. He
said that the area is residential and spot zoning would have a huge impact.
He also noted that Rt. 151/Rt. 840 is a dangerous intersection, more
dangerous than the Anderson’s Grocery intersection. MS. SHELBY RALSTON,
Afton, said that she is pro-business and supports the overall scope of the
project but that the site is not appropriate. She said there are other
sites along Rt. 151 that are more appropriate. Ms. Ralston said that since
the North District Commission representative (Ms. Philippa Proulx) was not
present, she would ask the Commission to postpone the issue until the North
District was represented.

Mr. Harman said that he would like to know more about the plans for the
site, but acknowledged that the issue before the Commission at this time is
the rezoning. He said that he would like to have input from Ms. Proulx and
Ms. Russell before taking action. Mr. Bruguiere said that the real issue is
the rezoning and that the application meets the criteria for that. He said
the other issues should be addressed when an actual site plan is submitted
and not with the rezoning. He said that the Comp Plan does need to be
revised for the Avon/Afton area. Commissioners voted 4-0 to table the issue
until their September meeting and, at the applicant’s request, to hold
another public hearing at that meeting.

CLASS III COMMUNICATIONS TOWER/NTELOS - The applicant applied for an
application for a 130-foot metal tower on property on Rt. 151 across from
the Rockfish Presbyterian Church. The tower will be painted brown with
three flush-mounted antennas. The proposed site is 215 feet from Rt. 151 in
a wooded area and the applicant has requested a waiver of the landscaping
requirements around the facility as well as an exception to Section 20-7-2e
which prohibits metal towers within the viewshed of a Scenic Byway. Mr.
Boger reported that several balloon tests have been conducted for the site
and that nTelos paid for a consultant to the county to review their
information. Mr. Boger noted that the consultant looked at nTelos’ design
and determined the plan was sound.

Mr. George Condyles, The Atlantic Group, said that he had been to the site
and reviewed nTelos’ information. Ms. Hunt asked how much of Rt. 151 would
not have coverage without the proposed tower site. Mr. Condyles said that
1.5 to 2 miles would have poor service from this carrier. He said that
nTelos could probably use a 120-foot tower to achieve the coverage. He said
that he does not think the tower, as proposed, is even as visible as nTelos
says it is. He said that he believes it is only visible in the one spot
going north on Rt. 151 for a couple of seconds. Mr. Tapager asked whether
this would be a tower the county would want to co-locate on as that would
affect whether it should be approved at 120 or 130 feet. Mr. Condyles said
that he has not looked at the county’s emergency radio system plan, but that
it could be a good relay site for the county.

Ms. Valerie Long, representing nTelos, said that the provider has looked at
various other properties in order to do shorter towers at two sites but had
been unable to locate an appropriate site that the owner would agree to
lease. She reviewed the balloon tests and noted the deciduous and evergreen
screening on the site.

Mr. Bruguiere said that he went to one of the balloon tests and never saw a
balloon. He said that he does not think a single monopole is going to
affect the scenic byway and that this is a safety issue for those traveling
Rt. 151. He said that he is in favor of a 130′ pole on that site. Mr.
Tapager said that he could see the tower for about five seconds going north
but he was looking for it. Commissioners voted 4-0 to recommend approval of
the tower with the waiver and exception.

CLASS III COMMUNICATION TOWER CO-LOCATION/AT&T/BUCK CREEK LANE - The
applicant has applied to co-locate three flush-mounted antennas at 94-feet
on an existing 107-foot nTelos tower on property owned by Ms. Barbara Turner
Lowery. The co-location would include a 10×20 fenced area at the base of
the tower to locate the ground equipment on a concrete slab. With no Public
Comment, Commissioners voted 4-0 to recommend approval.

CLASS III COMMUNICATION TOWER/NTELOS/WPOA - The applicant has applied for a
permit to erect a 130-foot tower on Heathstone Lane across from the water
tank in an area designated as open space on the Wintergreen Master Plan.
nTelos will flush mount three panel antennas on the tower and a 23-foot
antenna will be mounted for Wintergreen Emergency Services. Both the tower
and the antennas will be painted brown and the facility will be enclosed by
a wood stockade fence. Landscaping will be placed on three sides of the
fence to help screen it from view. The applicant is also requested a waiver
of the required “fall zone” - 125% of the tower height or 162.5 feet in this
case. The tower, according to the applicant, is designed to collapse upon
itself rather than falling over. In addition, the site is only about 60
feet wide and approximately 20.7 feet from the right-of-way of Hearthstone
Lane. Ms. Valerie Long, representing nTelos, presented photos from the
balloon test and noted that WPOA had approved the tower after talking with
all the adjoining landowners.

During Public Comment, MR. CLINT COX, said that he has lived below the site
for 20 years and said that he would like the provider to work harder at
using existing infrastructure instead of putting up a new pole. He also
expressed concerns about the safety of the water tank and the environmental
risks if the tower’s backup batteries failed and leaked. MR. CURTIS SHEETS,
Deputy Executive Director of WPOA and Chief of Wintergreen Fire and Rescue,
said that the most frequent complaint at Wintergreen is the lack of cell
coverage. He said that it is a major safety issue for Wintergreen. MR.
LARRY WHITACKER, Afton and Wintergreen property owner, said that the tower
should not be located in the middle of a residential area. MS. JUDY BARNES,
Afton, said that she is concerned she will never be able to sell her farm
located across Rt. 151 because of the cell towers going up in the county.
She also expressed health concerns with cell towers and said that she is
opposed to the towers for heath reasons.

Commissioners voted 4-0 to recommend approval of the tower with the
exception to the “fall zone” requirement.

SEPTEMBER COMMISSION MEETING - Due to a scheduling conflict with Mr. Boger,
Commissioners voted 4-0 to change the September Planning Commission meeting
to Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:30pm at a location to be announced.

Meeting adjourned.

Copyright 2000-2008 by Rural Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Reports may
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WINTERGREEN, VA - Wintergreen Winery will hold its annual “Romp, Stomp & Chomp” Harvest Celebration on Labor Day weekend Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st from 10am until 6pm each day. Enjoy “Romp, Stomp & Chomp” surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains with live music, grape stomping, wine tasting, Virginia foods sampling, picnics and fun for all. The guided wine tasting includes each of the hand crafted wines including just released 2007 Black Rock Chardonnay Reserve, Thomas Nelson White, Three Ridges Red, 2007 Raven’s Roost Cabernet Franc, 2007 Brent’s Mountain Merlot and 2006 Black Rock Red Reserve.

Plan to stay awhile and take in the scenery with a picnic outdoors and enjoy live music on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday kicks off with Ralph Rush’s acoustic Piedmont and Delta blues. Saturday afternoon will feature 2008 Sedalia Blues Festival champs The Biscuit Rollers with “old time blues for the soul”. The Biscuit Rollers kick off the festivities on Sunday. Sunday afternoon features Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels playing their original Americana roots music. Purchase of a $10 admission per adult (children are free) on Saturday and Sunday includes the wine tasting, live music, a souvenir wine glass, grape stomping, door prize drawings, use of the winery grounds and riverside picnic areas plus wine and gift shop specials. Baked breads, prosciutto, salamis, imported and domestic cheeses, pates, olives, crackers, chips & salsas and other “wine-friendly” light picnic fare will be available for purchase to enjoy with your wine at the scenic picnic area on the banks of the Rockfish River. (The winery will be open for tasting on Labor Day Monday but there are no special activities and there is no admission fee.) No reservations are necessary. Wintergreen Winery is family-friendly and also welcomes well behaved dogs on winery grounds.

For a schedule of the weekend’s activities and directions visit their website at www.WintergreenWinery.com or call (434) 361-2519.