NEWS: Triangle Roundup (1-27-25)
Williamsburg ARB mobile platform, Last Word Comedy Festival, JCC Winter/Spring Activity Brochure, JCC skate park, York domestic chicken keeping & more!
Hello and thanks for reading! Here’s a quick rundown of local topics I found interesting over the past few weeks. It includes government meetings, fun events and interesting reading. Hope you enjoy…
Williamsburg
Upcoming Government Meetings
Williamsburg City Council: Monday, February 10, 2025 @ 4pm (Work Session), Thursday, February 13, 2025 @ 2pm (Council Meeting)
Interesting Williamsburg Links
RFP: Architectural Review Board online platform/mobile application (City of Williamsburg) - “fully hosted online platform or mobile application that provides property owners with personalized guidance, such as enter your address; then point and click to a particular architectural feature on a residence for specific recommended guidelines and/or materials that are allowable.”
Williamsburg Last Word Comedy Fest Features 70 Acts, 200 Performers (City of Williamsburg) - “Returning for its second year, the Last Word Comedy Festival will showcase hundreds of stand-up and improv performers from across the country, including headliner acts from Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City, Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.”
Short list announced for DEI Consultant search (City of Williamsburg) - “The City of Williamsburg is seeking to create an environment where all individuals feel valued, respected, and included by fostering a welcoming culture that appreciates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and perspectives of a diverse workforce.” (Original RFP)
James City County
Upcoming Government Meetings
Board of Supervisors - Tuesday, January 28, 2025 @ 1pm (Strategic Plan Hearing)
Planning Commission - Wednesday, February 5, 2025 @ 6pm
Interesting JCC Links
JCC Board of Supervisors Organizes for 2025 (James City County) - “The James City County Board of Supervisors met on Jan. 14 for their annual organizational meeting to elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman. Jim Icenhour was elected Chairman. John McGlennon was elected Vice Chairman.”
Annual Water and Wastewater Services, Construction Repair and Related Services (James City County) - “identify and select qualified and experienced firms to provide a comprehensive range of Annual Water and Wastewater Services, Construction Repair and Related Services for job order contracting on an “as needed and requested basis.” The total cumulative value of all job orders performed under any resulting contract awarded pursuant to this RFP during a single one-year contract term shall not exceed $10 million. No individual job order shall exceed $1 million.”
The Winter/Spring Activity Brochure is Here (James City Count Parks & Rec) - “The new year brings new opportunities and a stronger resolve to live healthier and happier. Let James City County Parks & Recreation play a part in your healthy lifestyle – participate in our programs, visit our parks and facilities and take advantage of the many outlets created to educate, engage and connect our community.”
Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum Awards: Smallcakes Cupcakery (James City County) - “ The General Services Sustainability Division and the Clean County Commission awarded Smallcakes Cupcakery of Williamsburg the fourth quarter Clean Business Forum Award. They are a family owned bakery where cupcakes are baked from scratch daily. Their sustainability efforts include recycling aluminum/tin, cardboard, and plastic. Smallcakes is also a part of the “Too Good To Go” program, an app that allows customers to order day-old products that would otherwise become food waste.”
Skate Park Design Services (James City County) - “The intent and purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit sealed proposals to establish a contract through competitive negotiation for interested, qualified, and licensed firms to provide Skate Park Design Services for design and construction documents for an approximately 15,000 square foot skate park with concrete as a primary material for James City County Parks and Recreation.”
York County / Yorktown
Upcoming Government Meetings
Board of Supervisors - Tuesday, February 4, 2025 @ 6pm
Planning Commission - Wednesday, February 12 @ 7pm
Interesting York County / Yorktown Links
Board of Supervisors Elects Chairman, Vice Chairman (York County) - “At the Board’s annual organizational meeting this week, Sheila S. Noll (District 2) was elected Chairman, and Doug Holroyd (District 1) was elected Vice Chairman. Also, the Board voted to continue its meeting schedule of the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in York Hall.”
Yorktown Hosting Four Winter Markets this February and March (Yorktown Market Days) - “The winter markets will be held on February 8 (Valentine’s Day Market), February 22, March 15 (St. Patrick’s Day Market), and March 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
Domestic Chicken-keeping as an Accessory Activity on Residential Property (York County) - “Application No. ZT-204-25, York County Planning Commission. Consider amendments to the York County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 24.1), York County Code, to amend the performance standards within Section 24.1-414.1, Standards for Domestic Chicken-keeping as an Accessory Activity on Residential Property. “
2025 Annual Community Resource Refresh Forum (York County) - “Family Wellbeing York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office - “This in-person event is your chance to connect with local resources and enhance your family's well-being. The Community Resource Refresh Forum will share information about various community topics and updates from York County, the City of Poquoson, and the York County Housing Authority.”
Sheriff's Business Academy (York County) - “The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Business Academy is a FREE program designed to give businesses of York County and the City of Poquoson a better understanding of the crime prevention resources available to them. This 7 week course of instruction is geared towards business owners, managers, faith-based organizations, and anyone who has an invested interest in the day to day operating safety and security of their business.”
Time to Nominate Outstanding Students (York County) - “Do you know a deserving high school student with a strong academic record and commitment to community service? Nominate them today for the York County Outstanding Youth Awards. Students who live in York County and are enrolled in grades 9-12 at a public, private, or home school are eligible and may be nominated by anyone (adult, teenager, group, or organization). The York County Board of Supervisors will award $1,000 scholarships in each of four categories to be used for post-secondary college or trade school.”
Art at the River show (Visit Yorktown) - “accepting entries in several mediums including painting, photography, pottery, glass, jewelry, graphics, and mixed media. Deadline to apply is February 1 and the event will be held at the Historic Yorktown Waterfront from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 4.”
WJCC Public Schools
Upcoming Meetings
School Board - Tuesday, February 4, 2025 @ 4:30pm (Work Session); Tuesday, February 18 @ 6:30 pm (Regular Meeting)
Interesting WJCC Links
Bus driver pay increase (WJCC) - “The school board also authorized a $3/hour salary increase for all bus drivers, retroactive to January 1, 2025. The rate increase will also apply to future bus driver hires.”
Superintendent Search Survey Reminder (WJCC)- “Make your voice heard by filling out the online survey to identify characteristics most important to you in WJCC Schools’ next superintendent.”
2025 Bullying Webinar Series – Sign Up Today! (WJCC) - “Join us for the 2025 Bullying Webinar Series in partnership with the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), designed to empower parents and youth with the tools and knowledge to combat bullying in all its forms. From recognizing signs of bullying to understanding cyberbullying dynamics and fostering safer environments, these interactive sessions offer actionable insights for creating a more inclusive and supportive world.”
William & Mary
Upcoming Public Events
Bray School Stories: Read All About It!, Monday, January 27 @ 6pm online (William & Mary) - “W&M Bray School Lab presents a monthly Zoom series by Genealogist Elizabeth Drembus, detailing her on-going search for the descendants of the Williamsburg Bray School.”
Volunteer & Community Internship Fair, Tuesday, January 28 (William & Mary) - “Explore ways to make an impact at the Volunteer and Community Internship Fair, designed to connect you with local nonprofits and campus resources.”
Interesting W&M Links
Renovated Muscarelle Museum of Art grand opening set for Feb. 8 (Flat Hat News) - “The College of William and Mary’s newly-renovated art museum, the Muscarelle Museum of Art, will soon reopen for the first time since the fall 2022 semester. The community grand opening is slated to take place Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m., showcasing brand new exhibits, a modernized architectural design and a new café.”
A spring bouquet of art and music (William & Mary) - “This annotated list of events guides students, faculty and the public to happenings in art, dance, film, literature, music and theater during William & Mary’s spring 2025 semester.”
Pedestrian bridge to connect students to heart of campus (Williams & Mary) - “Students in William & Mary’s new West Woods area will have a safe, direct route to and from the heart of campus when the residential and dining facilities open in fall 2025.”
Colonial Williamsburg
Upcoming Public Events
Winter Farmers Market, January 18th – February 22, Saturdays 9:00AM – Noon - “The Williamsburg Farmers Market features 40 vendors focused on produce, prepared food and farm related products grown or made in Virginia and has been serving between 1,000 and 1,500 people on any given Saturday. The market’s live music and great location at Merchant’s Square in Colonial Williamsburg make it both a local favorite and an attraction for visitors from across the country and around the world.”
Special Event: Come Freedom, Come, February 6, 2025 (Colonial Williamsburg) - “Arts for Learning’s Valerie Davis brings to life the uniquely American story of Martha Ann Fields, an enslaved cook and one of Virginia’s unsung heroes in this powerful program of freedom and empowerment.”
Colonial Williamsburg: Musket Demonstration February 15-17 (VA250) - “The musket was the best tool for warfare in the 18th and early-19th centuries. A member of Colonial Williamsburg’s Military Programs staff will demonstrate the loading and firing of the musket using a loading procedure from an 18th-century military manual that was common for the period. Experience the sounds and smells a soldier experienced during the Revolution.”
Savoring History: A Culinary Evening with Gowan Pamphlet, “February 23 (Colonial Williamsburg) - Join us for an extraordinary four-course dining experience celebrating the flavors and stories of the past. Hosted at Kings Arms Tavern, this exclusive event will feature expertly crafted dishes, perfectly paired wines, and the company of Gowan Pamphlet, a historical interpreter bringing to life the tales of a remarkable preacher and community leader.”
Colonial Williamsburg’s 78th annual Garden Symposium - “celebrate the influence of English gardens on colonial America, April 10-13, 2025 - The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will host its 77th annual Garden Symposium April 10-13, 2025. Offered both virtually and in-person, this year’s conference is organized around influential English gardens and will explore the wide-ranging impact of British gardens.”
Interesting CW Links
Archaeologists Accidentally Found the Incredible Lost Remnants of America's First Soldiers (Popular Mechanics) - “The Revolutionary War artifacts tell the story of what General Cornwallis tried to destroy forever—but couldn’t erase.”
The Colonial Williamsburg Milliner and Mantua-Maker (William & Mary) - “Since 2004, dozens of NIAHD students have benefited from Internships at the Milliner's Shop in Colonial Williamsburg. Expanding on this partnership in 2023, NIAHD faculty and the Milliners began a collaboration to consider the public's experience of museum spaces and to explore how interpretive methods might adapt to meet the interests and priorities of current guests. Goals included foregrounding the labor of enslaved women who worked in the shop and emphasizing the economic and political narratives that circulated in this female-owned and occupied space.”
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. You can contribute too! Email tips and story ideas: contact@williamsburgindependent.com