Welcome back to Lynchburg Field Notes, a column that arrives in your inbox on Wednesdays with quick news updates from the past week and previews of what’s coming up next in the Hill City and surrounding communities.
The Lynchburg City Council has filled three open school board seats with appointees and is seeking volunteers for six other city boards. Learn more about the appointment process in today’s edition, plus catch updates on a city initiative to replace lead water lines and learn how you can shape the region’s economic development goals.
You can always reach me at emma@cardinalnews.org with your questions and ideas about the Lynchburg region. If you’d rather chat in person, I’ll be hosting a meet and greet at The Flour District on July 13. This month marks my one-year anniversary of joining Cardinal News, and I want to celebrate that milestone with you — with coffee, cookies and conversations about what local reporting you’d like to see from Cardinal as Lynchburg approaches election season.
New leadership for city boards
The Lynchburg City Council appointed three members to the Lynchburg City School Board last week: incumbent Letitia Lowery and newcomers Jack Schewel and Tiersha Royal.
The nine-member school board has three representatives from each of its three districts. One term in each district — Christian DePaul’s in District 1, Lowery’s in District 2 and Farid “FJ” Jalil’s in District 3 — was up for grabs this year.
DePaul and Jalil did not apply for reappointment. Schewel now represents District 1, and Royal now represents District 3.
The three newly appointed members were selected from a list of more than 20 applicants. Lynchburg is one of about a dozen localities in Virginia that appoint school board members rather than elect them.
Other council-appointed boards and commissions are seeking volunteers for open seats, including:
- The Central Virginia Community College board, which helps advise the school on budgeting, long-term planning, curriculum and student policies;
- The historic preservation commission, which reviews requests for construction that would affect Lynchburg’s historic buildings and historic districts;
- The Martin Luther King Jr. council, which maintains Lynchburg’s center for human rights and recommends community events for MLK Day;
- The museum advisory board, which helps plan and execute activities for the Lynchburg Museum System;
- The economic development authority, which pursues investment and development opportunities for the city;
- The building code appeals board, which renders decisions regarding the application of the city’s building and fire codes.
The city council will consider appointments to those boards and commissions during a closed session on July 14. Interested candidates can learn more about the roles and apply on the city’s website. Applications are due by July 6.
Water line inspections to begin next week
A Virginia law that takes effect Wednesday grants water utilities the ability to conduct inspections of customers’ water lines to identify and eliminate lead lines. Lynchburg Water Resources will begin such inspections starting the week of July 6, according to a city news release.
To determine the material of a customer’s service line, contractors may perform a small excavation between the city-owned water meter and the customer’s home. The “test pit,” as it’s called, will be a 12-inch-diameter hole excavated as close to the city’s right of way as possible. Crews will restore the area following the inspection, and there should be no disruption to water service, according to the news release.
Residents will receive a door hanger to notify them of upcoming inspections at least two weeks before the inspection is conducted. Residents do not need to be home at the time of the inspection.
If a lead water line or eligible galvanized service line is identified, the city will replace it at no cost to the property owner. The city’s goal, in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper requirements, is to eliminate all lead water service lines by 2037.
Residents can learn more about the initiative on the city’s website.
Commission seeking input for regional economic development strategy
The Central Virginia Planning District Commission is updating the region’s comprehensive economic development strategy, a five-year plan to strengthen and diversify the economy in Lynchburg and the surrounding counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.
Residents, business owners and community leaders are invited to take a survey to share their priorities for the plan, which covers various areas of focus including workforce development, housing and infrastructure.
The survey will remain open through July 17 and can be accessed online.
