My name is Brian Wheeler, I am the PTO President at Murray Elementary and the Secretary of the Ivy Community Association.  I speak on behalf of both groups tonight.

At the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting this past July, a concerned parent testified about the safety of his children who were endangered on the way to school by a large truck carrying asphalt.

He said, and I am quoting the minutes here, "his two daughters were almost killed recently by a dump truck hauling out of Albemarle County into Orange County, as they were on the way to school.  He believes it is a serious safety issue for the traveling public that these trucks are put on the road with large loads hauling across the county..."

That parent was Jack Sanford, President of Faulconer Construction.  The parents of Murray Elementary and all the families in Ivy would like to say, "Mr. Sanford, we share your concerns."

On December 31st I sent several board members and Dr. Castner an e-mail about Faulconer Constructions plans to move their heavy industrial trucking operation to the site adjacent to Murray Elementary.  I also copied you on a letter I sent to the Planning Department on this project.

Some on this board have told me in the past there is nothing you can do, this is a "by right" use of light industrial property.  To you I say, "Question authority."  If it walks like heavy industry, if it quacks like heavy industry, then by golly it is heavy industry.  You can't wear blinders because the Zoning Administrator and the County Attorney believe Faulconer is destined to have their new heavy industrial storage and repair shop on this site.  This use is totally incompatible with Morgantown Road and completely flies in the face of what the County intended when it created this light industrial district.  What it had in mind was companies like Mailing Services of Virginia, Smith Time (a watch manufacturer), and MusicToday.com.

Mr. Sanford questions authority when HIS children are at risk.  Tomorrow, our children could be at risk, your school children could be at risk.  The County is an adjoining property owner to this site.  It is your responsibility to ask questions, raise concerns and to ensure other County staff are doing their best reviewing this site plan. 

For example, the County, not VDOT, has to assess the off-site impacts of traffic coming out of any industrial site in Albemarle.  Particularly when that traffic is THIS BIG and carrying mobile magazines of dynamite.  Quoting Code Section 26.12.1, the County has to evaluate whether Faulconer's activities would present "minimum hazards to vehicular and pedestrian traffic" on Morgantown and Tillman Roads.  "Minimum hazards to vehicular and pedestrian traffic." 

Is it going to take the funeral of a Western Albemarle student killed as their car is sliced in two at the intersection of Tilman Road and Route 250 to get your attention?  That is what could happen when those children come barreling around the curve and find a slow moving wide load trailer carrying Faulconer's earth moving equipment out of this site.

Is it going to take reports from Willie Smith that our schools buses are having to retreat and backup to safety on Morgantown Road to get out of the way of these behemoth vehicles?  What if they are forced into a ditch?  These vehicles cannot pass each other on this road.

There is a Planning Commission meeting on this site plan on February 4th.  Please have someone there to raise these concerns and, very importantly, ask that the Planning Commissioners, if they vote in favor of the preliminary site plan, to at least retain the authority to sign off on final review of this site plan.  Thank you.