The Maysville Voice: February 2021

I hope everyone enjoyed the big snow we had last weekend.

As we normally do, we have a great deal to consider and discuss on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021 during our 6 p.m. Board of Supervisors Meeting. We will be discussing many topics, including a wonderful and welcomed announcement from Dominion Energy, tax revenue impacts from COVID-19, a re-zoning case for a business expansion, bids for a roof at the high school, agency committee/board appointments, a broadband update, and much more.

As always, I would love to hear from you on any issue. You can call or text me at 434-390-7023, email me at jmiles@buckinghamcounty.virginia.gov, or stop by and visit me at 13170 W. James Anderson Highway (my house is beside Herbert Maxey’s law office on Route 60).

Here is a link to our agenda and supporting documents: https://buckinghamcountyva.org/Board%20Packets/2021/feb%208%202021%20bd%20pckt.pdf.

Here is a link to the YouTube channel to view our meeting live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfIL3rVTUEqgxBwXCQoBDTA.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information

Everyone is anxious about receiving their COVID-19 Vaccination. You can find updated information at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/piedmont/ or call 434-969-4244. Visit the new #VaccinatePiedmont webpage at https://scvnn.org/vaccinatepiedmont/. Central Virginia Health Services is also offering vaccines, as is Central Health (for existing clients). Please continue to have patience with this unprecedented process.

The Vaccine Summary Dashboard shows Virginia’s significant progress in vaccinations. As of today, Virginia ranks 9th among all states for percent of the population that has received at least one dose, and 10th for percent of available doses administered. More than 8 in 10 available first doses have been administered. (It is important to note that the number of doses shown as being “received” by hospitals and local health districts does not account for the doses they then redistribute to other partners such as physicians and pharmacies.) The federal government has increased Virginia’s allocation of vaccine by approximately 23%, from 105,000 to 129,000 new first doses per week. While this is good news, the increase for each of Virginia’s 35 health districts is still relatively small. All states rely on the federal government to distribute vaccine doses by population, and the pace of incoming doses is not expected to increase again until March. As part of a federal retail pharmacy program, 36 CVS Pharmacy locations in Virginia will soon receive a total of 26,000 first dosesbeyond Virginia’s normal allocation. The Commonwealth is working with CVS to identify locations and registration processes that will help promote equitable distribution. The number of weekly doses and retail locations as part of this program are expected to increase in the coming weeks.

As your supervisor, I have been advocating for increased doses of vaccinations here in Buckingham and in the Piedmont Health District, and will continue to do that. I participated in a Regional Virtual Town Hall recently, and you can see that here: https://www.facebook.com/FarmvilleAreaChamberofCommerce/videos/253297966207536. The town hall offers insight into the vaccination process from the Health Department, along with information on the safety of the vaccine.

Governor Calls On Schools To Reopen

Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday called on all K-12 school divisions in the Commonwealth to make in-person learning options available by March 15, 2021 in accordance with the health guidance the Northam Administration put forward in January and new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For Buckingham County School Board’s reopening plan, visit www.bcpschools.org.

Recognizing significant learning losses over the past year, Governor Northam also encouraged school divisions to offer classroom instruction during the summer months for those who choose. Governor Northam joined Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. James Lane, and State Health Commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver, MD, MA in applauding educators for their dedication to navigating a challenging and uncertain year, and highlighting data that show in-person learning is safe with proper mitigation measures in place. The governor, along with top state education and public health officials, communicated this goal to school superintendents on a call this morning and in a letter available here.

Changes at Library and New Mural

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the library is only doing curbside services. Please click here for more information: https://cvrl.net/.

Maysville District Resident Cris Arbo recently completed a beautiful mural in the new library space. Click this link to see a video of her awesome work: https://youtu.be/7YvqIVF52K0.

Please Contact Me!

PLEASE always feel more than welcome to call, email, text or visit me (using social distancing for the time being). If you have any comments, ideas, criticisms, compliments, or anything to say regarding my representing you on the Buckingham Board of Supervisors, please get in touch with me. You can call/text me at 434-390-7023, email me at jmiles@buckinghamcounty.virginia.gov, or come see me at 13170 W. James Anderson Highway in the court house village. I would be pleased and happy to hear from you anytime.