November 10, 2022

A publication by Gloucester's Department of Community Engagement and Public Information

Gloucester Becomes Bee City USA® Affiliate

Gloucester County has recently become a Bee City USA® affiliate, joining many other localities across the country united in improving their landscapes for pollinators. The County has implemented a Bee City USA – Gloucester County Committee, which meets quarterly to help carry out the mission of sustaining pollinators, which are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90-percent of the world’s flowering plant species.

To learn more, click here.

Gloucester County is proud to "shine a light on veterans" to honor those serving and those who have served this Veteran's Day.

#OperationGreenLight for Veterans is a nationwide initiative designed to shine a light on the service of our veterans and their families.

Public Meeting Regarding Aberdeen Pier Replacement Project Scheduled for Tonight

Gloucester County officials will be hosting a meeting tonight (Thursday, Nov. 10) at 7 p.m. to address concerns of local watermen and others who utilize the Aberdeen Creek Wharf. The County has received a $112,000 grant from the Virginia Port Authority’s Aid to Local Ports Program to replace the two-pier structure, which is in severe disrepair. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the T.C. Walker Education Center’s Cafeteria at 6099 T C Walker Rd, Gloucester, VA 23061. 

To learn more, click here.

Public Input Being Sought on Potential Zoning Ordinance Changes That Would Remove Some Burdensome Regulations

County staff, in partnership with the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors, have completed a comprehensive rewrite of Articles 1-9 of the County’s Zoning Ordinance. Articles 1-9 include regulations for all the zoning districts, permitted uses, supplemental regulations for those uses, and general development standards related to other items such as screening and buffering, common open space, etc. 

After a four-year long in-depth review, staff is excited to present the draft to citizens in the form of public open houses to occur in November. Open houses are planned for the northern, central, and southern sections of the County. The purpose of these meetings is to help citizens understand the zoning changes so that they can express their concerns or appreciation for the changes to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors when they hold formal public hearings on the changes. Meetings will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

November 14 at Abingdon Elementary School

November 17 at the Gloucester Main Library

November 29 at Rappahannock Community College’s Glenns Lecture Hall

To learn more, click here.

Sign Up for BEE Alert as Nicole Expected to Impact Area

Impacts from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole are likely across the area from late tonight through Friday night. The main threats are heavy rain, isolated tornadoes, and severe thunderstorm wind gusts. The tornado and thunderstorm wind threat will be later Friday morning through Friday night. Heavy rain will begin to move into the area later tonight and continue off and on through Friday night.

If you have not signed up for Bee Alert on your mobile device, please do so by going to www.gloucesterva.info and clicking the Bee Alert link...it will alert you if there is an imminent tornado threat or other danger to your particular area.

2022 Commemorative Ornament Features Abingdon Church

Gloucester County’s 2022 commemorative ornament featuring historic Abingdon Episcopal Church is now available. For the past 24 years, the Gloucester County Historical Committee has chosen a historic location, person, or event to commemorate with a keepsake ornament.

The ornament may be purchased for $18.00 at the Gloucester Visitor Center, Gloucester County Library, Museum of History, and Treasurer’s Office. Custom-made in the United States, the ornament is a limited edition with only 250 having been produced.

The Indigenous Peoples celebration was a huge success!

This past Saturday morning, the celebration kicked off at Machicomoco State Park & the weather could not have been any more beautiful! There were many great educational booths set up throughout the park. An attendee could also take a tour of the Timberneck House or sit and enjoy a performance from the Rappahannock Dancers Group & Maskapow Drummers!

The Parks, Recreation & Tourism team enjoyed speaking to visitors who had traveled to come to the event and showcase what all there is to do in Gloucester & Pocahontas’s connection to this area. The attendance for this event surpassed the set goal and we can not wait to start planning for next years celebration!

Check out some photos from the day and if you have any from the event you would like to share use the link below!

https://eventsalbum.com/upload?guid=54ANIGDI

A Message from Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue

"On Tuesday, Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad received at least 17 calls for service in an 8-hour period, about 4 times our normal call volume for that timeframe. Our staff was able to respond to 16 of the calls with Abingdon Fire and Rescue picking up the 17th. On another recent evening, we received 7 calls within an hour, transporting 8 patients. The handling of all these calls was a tremendous effort by our on-call staff as well as many others that stepped up to help. Our call volume is constantly increasing and we are in search of new volunteers to join our dedicated team of Firefighters and EMTs.

If you’re interested in serving our community, please visit http://www.gvfrs.org/join/ for more information and to download our application. Training is provided."

LIBRARY NEWS

PARKS & RECREATION NEWS

Recap from the Fall Foliage Paddle this past Saturday!

"We got super close to our resident Great Blue Heron. Saw lots of ducks, Canada geese and a Belted Kingfisher. Lovely sunset. Almost full moon. We talked about what causes leaves to change to reds, golden, orange and brown and how different variables of a hot dry summer or a very rainy, cool spring can be factors. The amount of sunlight the trees get is what starts the change as we lose daylight approaching the color changes."-Ranger Elizabeth

Programs like these are always happening at the park! Check out our catalog of activities by visiting the link below!

www.gloucesterva.info/civicrec.

Stay ahead of the game and mark your calendars!

Winter/Spring Parks, Recreation & Tourism program registration will be available for residents of Gloucester on Nov 14th and non-residents on Nov 16th for the following activities:

Basketball 12-18 years of age

Adult League Basketball

Spring Soccer

STAR

Gymnastics

Karate

Bingo

Yoga

Zumba

Christmas Holiday Parade

Park Programs – Including Pictures In The Park being held on Dec 10th!

Please note that there are still programs open right now that you can register for as well. Visit gloucesterva.info/civicrec to see what all is being offered!

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Replayed Post on Money, Health, and Other Things!

Looking to cut back on spending and save some more money ahead of the holidays? Over the next few weeks, the Virginia Cooperative Extension will revisit past posts on reducing spending. This week, they’ll discuss plugging spending leaks! To learn more, click here.