Quiet coming week in county government; Louisa schools to get weapons detectors; Redd to replace Downey as LCHS principal; Hamilton Road bridge closed; Lake resident named to top public safety post
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
Quiet coming week in county government
According to Louisa County’s website, there are no public meetings scheduled for the coming week at publication time.
Other meetings:
Thursday, June 1
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Water Street Center, 407 East Water Street, Charlottesville, 7 pm. (meeting materials) A link to join the meeting virtually is included in the meeting materials.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Louisa schools to get weapons detectors
Louisa County Public Schools will equip each of its six schools with weapons detectors ahead of the 2023-24 academic year, Superintendent Doug Straley announced in a video shared Friday evening.
Straley said implementing the detectors adds another layer of security to local schools and the decision was unanimously backed by the division’s Safe Schools Task Force, a collection of about 50 community members including law enforcement officers, elected officials, school staff and parents.
“At the end of the day, my main goal is to make sure I’m doing everything I can as your superintendent to make sure our students and staff are kept safe. That’s a responsibility I live with each day, and I can promise you I don’t take it lightly. I believe that with the addition of these detectors, we are adding another layer of protection at our schools that keeps us all as safe as possible, while also maintaining our warm and welcoming environment,” Straley said.
Straley described the detectors as “less intrusive than a metal detector” and specifically designed to identify weapons. He said that every student and visitor will be required to go through a detector upon entry to school buildings.
Weapons detectors are typically used in stadiums and other large venues because they are less sensitive than metal detectors and operate more efficiently. The detectors don’t require people to remove car keys or cell phones because they are designed to identify dense metal. Computers often trigger their alarms, however, and items like umbrellas and large three-ring binders could also set them off.
The division plans to install the detectors in the coming weeks and use them in summer school on a trial basis. At the beginning of the next school year, they will be implemented via a phased plan, Straley said.
Each school’s administration will select a team of employees to receive specialized training to staff the detectors, Straley said in a telephone interview Friday night. To ensure that students can enter school buildings quickly and with minimal intrusion, the division plans to update its school supply list, removing items that could trigger the detectors, and communicate additional information to students and parents about how the devices operate prior to the next school year.
“Our administrative teams have visited several schools that use these same units and have developed a quick and efficient plan to address this,” Straley said. “Our goal is to make the process quick and easy as students enter the building.”
A demonstration included in the video shows high school students placing their computers on a table before moving through the detector and elementary school students, who don’t typically take computers home, traveling directly through the device. If a student or visitor triggers the detector’s alarm, they will be subject to a search.
Friday evening’s announcement came as a surprise to many community members as the Louisa County School Board hasn’t publicly discussed implementing weapons detectors or solicited public input. Straley said Friday night that the decision to purchase the detectors was vetted via the Safe Schools Task Force, noting that 12 to 15 of its members traveled to other localities to see the devices in action. The task force, which convenes at least four times a year, doesn’t hold public meetings.
At its March meeting, the school board voted 6-0 to spend $375,966.50 on 23 weapons detectors, 23 handheld metal detectors, ancillary items and training for staff. Jackson District representative Frances Goodman was absent.
The purchase was not publicly discussed at the meeting but green-lighted along with a handful of purchase orders as part of the board’s consent agenda, a block vote that typically covers routine administrative items. Straley said that the division used federal pandemic relief funds to buy the detectors at a cost of $15,498 each. The devices have a minimum seven-year lifespan and Ceia USA, their manufacturer, provides yearly software updates.
The division purchased Ceia’s OPENGATE model, according to the purchase order. A marketing brochure describes the OPENGATE device as a “groundbreaking” system that provides “automatic screening of people with backpacks and bags for threat detection.” The brochure states that the devices are user-friendly and portable and don’t require any mechanical or electrical connection between their two free-standing towers.
Straley said that the division considered various options but chose OPENGATE because its less intrusive than some devices while still offering the functionality the division desired. LCPS initially considered purchasing the devices only for the middle school and high school, he said, but instead opted to install detectors across all six schools.
A growing number of school divisions in Virginia are implementing weapons detectors in the wake of a six-year-old shooting his teacher at a Newport News elementary school in January and other weapons-related incidents. Henrico County Public Schools announced last week that it plans to install detectors in all 74 of its schools, pending school board approval. HCPS has had multiple incidents involving threats and weapons recovered on its campuses, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Straley said in his video that the decision to implement the devices in Louisa wasn’t prompted by “any sort of incident on our campuses.” Rather, it’s part of an ongoing effort to upgrade the division’s safety standards. He pointed to previous efforts to strengthen school safety including the division’s 2019 decision to place a school resource officer in every school. More recently, the division added two crisis counselors who work with students from all six schools and placed an additional school counselor in each elementary school and the middle school.
“Our focus is on being proactive, not reactive. Our goal is to continue to enhance our standard of safety at LCPS,” Straley said.
Redd to replace Downey as LCHS principal
Louisa County High School will have a new principal for the 2023-24 academic year.
Lee Downey, who has served as the high school’s principal for the past nine years, announced in an email to students and parents Thursday afternoon that’s he stepping down from the post and moving to a new role in the school division.
Downey said that Louisa County Middle School Assistant Principal Rodney Redd will replace him as the high school’s top administrator. Redd served as LCMS’s 7th grade principal during the last school year.
“I’ve had the privilege of serving as the principal at Louisa County High School for the past nine years now. During that time, all of us—students, families, and staff—have become a family. We have built what I believe is the best high school experience in the country, and it’s been an amazing journey,” Downey said, adding that he’s excited to pass the baton to Redd, who he described as an “outstanding educator” with “a track record of integrity and success throughout his career.”
This summer, Downey will take on a new role as the division’s director of secondary education where he’ll work alongside Redd and the high school and middle school community.
“This is a bittersweet decision but the great news is that in this new role, I will be working closely with both Louisa County High School and Louisa County Middle School students and families as we continue to strive to lead the way,” he said.
Redd brings nearly 20 years of experience in education to the principal’s job. Before joining the middle school’s administration last year, he served for six years as director of student activities and as an assistant principal in Charlottesville City Schools. Prior to that, he worked as a special education teacher, high school football coach and college football coach.
Redd is a 1999 graduate of North Carolina State University where he played on the Wolfpack football team. He received a master’s degree in education from Virginia State University and a certificate in K-12 administration and supervision from Longwood University. Noting on the division’s website that he “believes in being a lifelong learner,” Redd is currently working on a doctorate in leadership studies at the University of Lynchburg.
Redd lives in Louisa County with his wife, Karen, who teaches at the middle school, and his three children, all of whom attend Louisa schools.
During his nine years as principal, Downey oversaw the high school’s transition from mobile units to a new school building after a 2011 earthquake rocked the county and severely damaged the old high school. He also helped LCPS navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, which shuttered schools for part of the 2019-20 academic year and prompted the division to employ a hybrid learning model combining remote learning and in-person instruction the following year.
As Redd takes the helm, the division is preparing for more changes including the construction of a $25 million Career and Technical Education Center on the high school’s campus. The Louisa County Board of Supervisors appropriated money for the center’s design this fiscal year and could fund construction as soon as FY25.
The high school will also transition from Class 4 to Class 5 for Virginia High School League competition next fall, a move prompted by its growing enrollment. While Lion sports teams will continue to participate in the Jefferson District during the regular season, post-season play will pit the squads against mostly large suburban schools from the Richmond area, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
VDOT closes Hamilton Road bridge
A nearly 100-year-old bridge in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District has been closed to traffic until further notice.
The circa 1929 steel truss bridge, which spans the South Anna River on Hamilton Road (Route 695), was shut down, effective May 24, after an inspection by the Virginia Department of Transportation revealed a significant structural deficiency, according to a press release from Louisa County.
Vehicles are encouraged to detour on East Jack Jouett Road (Route 640) or Poindexter Road (Route 613) while VDOT establishes a signed detour route that avoids all reduced-weight structures. Per the department’s most recent traffic count, 58 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
According to the county’s release, VDOT’s inspection “revealed significant deterioration to one of the beams” that supports the bridge’s timber deck, prompting the closure.
VDOT Residency Engineer Scott Thornton said in an email to Engage Louisa that, in accord with National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), the department inspects all bridges on a 24-month cycle but inspects the Hamilton Road bridge every 12 months due to its poor condition. He said VDOT consultants conducted an annual inspection in March then the department’s bridge safety inspectors followed up with an interim inspection on May 23. That same day, VDOT decided to close the bridge indefinitely beginning the following day.
Thornton said that VDOT engineers are developing a plan to repair the beam and reopen the bridge to at least some vehicles, but it’s unclear when the bridge would be brought back into service. He said the beam “will require significant repairs” and anticipates the work will cost about $35,000. The county’s press release said that even after the beam is repaired, the bridge would be “posted for a severely reduced weight limit.”
Any near-term repairs might only be temporary measures as VDOT considers a larger project to upgrade the bridge. In response to citizen concerns about the structure’s inability to accommodate certain emergency vehicles, the Board of Supervisors began initial discussions with VDOT last fall on how best to address the bridge’s limitations. The structure is too narrow to accommodate some emergency vehicles and insufficiently rated to handle vehicles over five tons. Those conversations led supervisors at their March 6 meeting to formally request that VDOT develop a plan to make the bridge accessible to all emergency vehicles and equipment.
The request permits the department to start a formal process to replace or rehabilitate the bridge. Because of the area’s historic designation, plans to significantly alter or replace the structure are subject to the National Historic Preservation Act’s Section 106 process, which allows the public to weigh in on federally assisted projects that could impact historic properties. It’s unclear if VDOT’s near-term repairs would require approval through the Section 106 process.
“District bridge staff are working with our Environmental section to make sure that any proposed repairs can be completed under the maintenance guidelines that have already been established for the structure,” Thornton said. “Should these repairs require a permit or anything that would be subject to Section 106 process the structure will remain closed until these processes have been completed.”
Thornton said that the department is currently working on procuring a third-party facilitator to help residents of the historic district, the county and VDOT reach consensus on a long-term plan for the bridge.
“So far there have been three meetings with local stakeholders, the County, and VDOT. The intent of these meetings was to set and agree to a purpose and need for the structure,” Thornton said. “Several options regarding how to address the bridge are still being considered at this time and the purpose of the 106 process is to find the most equitable solution that can safely convey vehicular traffic up to and including all emergency vehicles and equipment.”
VDOT initially tried to address concerns about the bridge eight years ago, Thornton told the board last October, but walked away from the process because stakeholders couldn’t agree on how to move forward. He warned at the meeting that, if nothing was done to the bridge, it would eventually be shut down for safety reasons.
Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones, who represents the area, said in a brief interview last week that she and the county are hopeful historic district residents and VDOT can come to an agreement on how best to address the bridge in the long-term. She said that she wants to retain the bridge’s historical elements while ensuring that the structure can accommodate residents’ needs.
Lake Anna resident named to state’s top public safety post
Governor Glenn Youngkin last Monday announced that a Louisa County resident will fill the state’s top public safety post.
Lake Anna resident Terrance C. “Terry” Cole will be the commonwealth’s next secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Cole will replace former Fauquier County Sheriff Robert Mosier, who has served as secretary for the last 18 months and plans to resign effective June 1.
“Secretary Mosier admirably led our public safety efforts across the Commonwealth, furthering our commitment to reduce violent crime and fight the dangerous influx of illicit drugs such as fentanyl. I thank him for his service to the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said. “I am pleased to welcome a respected and experienced law enforcement professional, Terrance C. Cole, as the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. With the breadth of his leadership experiences at the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States, Mr. Terrance Cole is well equipped and incredibly qualified to lead our public safety efforts, ensure safe communities across the Commonwealth, and tackle the scourge of illicit drugs in Virginia.”
Cole brings 28 years of law enforcement experience to the job, most of it with the DEA. He spent 22 years with the federal agency, managing complex police operations and federal taskforces, directing teams involved in drug interdictions and enforcement actions, and delivering anticipatory programs in multiple regions.
Cole served as assistant regional director for North Central America in the DEA’s Mexico City office, chief of staff for the agency’s chief of Global Operations overseeing 400 offices, and chief of staff to the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Special Operations division coordinating partnerships with 31 law enforcement agencies. Most recently, Cole worked in the private sector, serving as senior vice president of Aperia Solutions, a company that provides tools to facilitate payments and other financial transactions.
Cole takes on the secretary’s role as Youngkin ramps up efforts to address the fentanyl epidemic. In mid-April, Youngkin signed an executive order launching his Crushing the Fentanyl Epidemic initiative, a multi-pronged plan to staunch the flow of the illicit drug and address overdoses and opioid addiction. The order tasks the secretary of Public Safety with working with the Virginia State Police to develop a strategic plan to combat the illicit trafficking and sale of fentanyl in jurisdictions with the highest rates of overdose deaths, among other efforts.
Beyond his role fighting illicit drugs, Cole will oversee the work of 10 state agencies including the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Department of Emergency Management.
“I am excited to return to public service and have this incredible opportunity to work with Governor Youngkin and his senior leadership team. My extensive experience in law enforcement, overseeing multiple agencies in federal task forces, and direct involvement in the interdiction of drugs coming into the United States meshes with current task forces such as Operation Bold Blue Line and the Crushing The Fentanyl Epidemic: Strengthening Virginia's Interdiction and Enforcement Response to Fentanyl Crisis,” Cole said.
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