Drayage Brokersin Front Royal, VA

The Warren County School Board unanimously approved Shamika McDonald as the new director of special services for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS), as well as a new employment contract with WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger and more funds for the renovations at Leslie Fox Keyser (LFK) Elementary School.

During its Wednesday, March 1, regular meeting, School Board Chair Kristen Pence, Vice Chair Ralph Rinaldi, and School Board members Antoinette Funk, Andrea Lo, and Melanie Salins were present for the votes and other board business.

McDonald officially starts her position on July 1 and has worked for WCPS since 2004. Most recently, she was the assistant principal and then principal at Leslie Fox Keyser (LFK) Elementary School. Also, a former WCPS special education teacher, McDonald, has been filling in as the interim director of special services since the retirement last year of former WCPS Director of Special Services Michael Hirsch.

McDonald on Wednesday thanked the School Board for the opportunity to serve WCPS students and families in her new capacity.

“It has always been my passion to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality education,” McDonald said. “I’m excited to bring new and innovative opportunities to our special learners.” A 1999 graduate from WCPS, McDonald said it’s an honor to now serve the same school system from which she graduated, in the same community where she still lives.

“I’m proud to be part of this school system in which my son, nieces, and nephew attend,” she added. “And I’m thankful that I’ve sat in my last interview because this is my dream job.” The School Board, during its Nov. 15, 2022 meeting, accepted Hirsch’s resignation, which became effective on November 28, 2022.

Contacted earlier today, Hirsch told the Royal Examiner that after serving the students and families of Warren County for well over two decades, he wanted to spend more time with his family. “I have many fond memories, and WCPS will always have a special place in my heart,” he said.

The School Board also approved a new contract for Superintendent Ballenger (pictured above). His current contract of July 1, 2020, remains in effect through June 30. The board approved the new “mutually agreed upon employment contract” with Ballenger that will be effective on July 1.

“The current contract was due to end on June 30, 2024,” Ballenger told the Royal Examiner in an email today. “The board entered into a new contract starting July 1, 2023, that runs through June 30, 2027.”

More LFK actions The School Board also separately approved three funding items that were combined into one item for presentation by WCPS Assistant Superintendent of Administration George “Buck” Smith because they all related to the renovations at LFK Elementary School: a renovations design fee related to the cafeteria, a change order for temporary electrical services, and special inspections. Specifically, the board approved increasing the contract amount with Grimm & Parker by $21,843 to provide the design for the LFK kitchen renovations. This will bring the total contract value to $951,101.80, which is being funded through a federal grant.

Smith explained that the increase was needed because the executed contract with Grimm & Parker in the amount of $929,258.80 included the design development of the renovations for the entire school, and at the time the contract was executed, WCPS staff did not have a defined scope as to the extent of the renovations needed for the kitchen.

The costs were quoted in Grimm & Parker’s fee proposal as an allowance with a not-to-exceed cost of $37,455 and were not included in the contract. The cost was for the design if all the kitchen equipment was to be replaced, said Smith.

“After meeting with the Nutrition provider, Sodexo, the scope was defined and the actual design costs for the kitchen renovations was $21,843,” said Smith (pictured above). “This extra $21,843 has to be approved because currently we can only reimburse as much as $929,258, and that really was held out until we could establish what the design would be.”

Regarding the LFK temporary change order, Smith explained to the board that it was needed for temporary electrical service at LFK and will cost $25,725, funded through the school’s renovations contingency funds.

The design for renovations at LFK Elementary school includes the complete electrical system and components, as well as the replacement of the main electrical switchgear — what Smith described as an electrical power box.

Smith said that immediately upon award of the construction contract with Lantz Construction of Winchester, Va., WCPS staff was notified of a supply chain issue regarding the lead time to receive the new switchgear. The construction schedule called for the new switchgear to be delivered during the first phase of construction, but Smith said that due to lead time issues, it won’t be delivered until late this summer.

The temporary electrical service includes the addition of two temporary breakers to utilize in the existing switchgear that will ensure continuous power to the portion of the building that isn’t under renovations, he said, adding that the new switchboard is tentatively to be installed during next year’s 2024 winter break when power can be shut down to the entire building.

“We have to put breakers into the building to run power during construction,” said Smith, who added that funding will have to come from the LFK contingency fund “because it’s not one of those things that we thought we would have to deal with in that limited amount of time.”

The School Board had expected to pay for temporary electrical service out of the contingency fund because supply chain issues have been ongoing for the last few years.

The third board-approved item regarded special inspections for the LFK renovations that will cost $24,007 in contingency funds, which will be paid in a contract awarded to ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC to perform the special inspections.

Smith explained that the plans and specifications as developed by Grimm & Parker for the LFK renovations call for the owner — which is WCPS — to be responsible for the coordination and cost for the special inspections required for the construction.

“This is standard practice in the industry and provides the opportunity to ensure the general contractor is using appropriate construction materials and methods as part of the renovations,” he said.

However, Smith said the special inspections were not included in the original budget he presented to the School Board.

“The question has come up, well whose responsibility is this? I did some research to find out when and where we were told or not told” about needing to have these special inspections done for this work, said Smith, who added that he reached out to Grimm & Parker, which confirmed that it had on three separate occasions explained that WCPS, the owner, needs to have them completed.

This is Smith’s first project in his current position. Smith acknowledged that he did not recall seeing such information about the special inspections, but said, “I cannot deny the fact that they were presented.” He took the blame for the oversight and said he’s instituted a plan of correction for himself that includes looking more deeply into what’s being presented to WCPS by potential contractors.

“One thing is just making sure I’m taking tremendous notes,” he said, adding that he’s also assigned himself a mentor who is familiar with multiple, different types of projects within the school division.

Prior to the School Board’s vote to approve the $24,007 contract award to ECS Mid-Atlantic to perform the special inspections, board members Rinaldi and Salins commented on Smith’s mistake.

While she said she respected Smith for saying he “overlooked something,” Salins said that as the School Board and WCPS are “all learning how to do this,” she thinks one of the processes that should be addressed is the Warren County permitting process.

“I discovered in trying to track this back where this could have been caught sooner… in other counties they require that you have your special inspections company secured and have them actually sign off on paperwork in order to ever pull your building permit,” said Salins. “So, there is not even a chance of having this as a surprise later.

“Maybe we could just, going forward, revise and look at how we handle some of these things so that it’s not a surprise, because I found out that our special inspections paperwork was just left blank,” she said. “It wasn’t signed. It wasn’t dated. It was never submitted at all. Clearly, we didn’t know that it was supposed to get done and they issued the building permit and the job was started anyway.”

Rinaldi thanked Smith for his research and his “acknowledgement of some things.” Rinaldi also said that he holds Smith “in the highest regard.”

“And if there’s something that we can do to get Grimm & Parker up here at our construction meetings, that would be great too,” he said. “I’m sure they have a project manager for us and that would be good to get him up here.”

The School Board voted 4-0 to approve the special inspections contract award, with Salins abstaining from the vote “on the grounds I have a family member employed by one of the bidding firms,” she said.

Other actions

Among several other items up for action, the School Board also unanimously approved the following:

Superintendent info Superintendent Ballenger also gave out attendance awards for the month of February and provided a preliminary presentation on the upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget.

Skyline High School received the Most Improved Attendance Award, and Principal Danelle Sperling (pictured above at podium) brought in several student-athletes from the high school’s wrestling and indoor track teams to acknowledge their sports and academic accomplishments and to accept the award.

A.S. Rhodes Elementary School became a four-time attendance award winner, and Skyline Middle School, which had a 91.75 percent attendance rate in February, received the secondary attendance award.

To watch the School Board’s March 1 meeting in its entirety, go to: https://wcps.new.swagit.com/videos/209329.

In this town talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with Michelle Ross, Executive Director of Samuels Public Library, and Lewie Moten from Code Jamboree.

Samuels Public Library’s annual Day of Giving is set for February 23, 2023, but you can double your impact throughout February, thanks to Lewie Moten of Code Jamboree. Moten has committed to matching all Day of Giving donations during the month of February up to $3,500!

“Our staff always strives to provide free and convenient access to information and ideas throughout the year. National Library Lovers’ Month gives us another opportunity to elevate new library services and make supporting our community library easy and fun,” said Michelle Ross, Director of Samuels Library. “We are grateful to Lewie Moten of Code Jamboree for recognizing the importance of local library services during National Library Lovers’ Month with his generous Day of Giving Matching Grant that will mean every dollar donated in February will go twice as far in bringing exceptional library services and programs to Warren County and Front Royal.”

Lewie Moten moved to Front Royal in 2018 to be closer to his family, and last year opened his national software consulting company, Code Jamboree. An active supporter of the Front Royal and Warren County community, and a lover of libraries himself, Moten said the Day of Giving Matching Gift Sponsorship was a perfect fit. “I loved my community library growing up,” Moten explained.

An early gamer, Moten still has his Atari 400 that he grew up with – although the 410 tape cassette drive is missing. “If you saw the keyboard, you’d clearly see why I occasionally had blisters and I had to switch turns with my brother to program games. I would go to my community library every week and check out every book I could on programming. I am honored to be able to support Samuels Public Library with a $3500 Day of Giving Matching grant to help them provide the latest resources to our community and help them motivate others to give during Library Lovers’ Month.”

Make your donation before February 23, 2023, and DOUBLE your impact! DONATE NOW.

You can stay updated on the progress of Samuels Public Library Day of Giving by visiting their website at www.samuelslibrary.net, on Facebook, or stopping by our beautiful community library at 330 East Criser Road.

About Samuels Public Library Samuels Public Library brings people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. A 501(c)(3) organization, the library added nearly 10,000 new books, media, and digital resources last year. Patrons checked out over 350,000 books and electronic and digital services and attended 566 in-person and virtual programs. Staff answered 17,000 questions, expanded outreach programs into the community, and added a memory lab, board game section, and more, all while providing essential computer access, wireless service, and public meeting spaces for the community. To learn more, visit www.samuelslibrary.net or call (540) 635-3153.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. Let us know if you have an idea or topic or want to hear from someone in our community. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

The Warren County School Board unanimously approved Shamika McDonald as the new director of special services for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS), as well as a new employment contract with WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger and more funds for the renovations at Leslie Fox Keyser (LFK) Elementary School.

During its Wednesday, March 1, regular meeting, School Board Chair Kristen Pence, Vice Chair Ralph Rinaldi, and School Board members Antoinette Funk, Andrea Lo, and Melanie Salins were present for the votes and other board business.

McDonald officially starts her position on July 1 and has worked for WCPS since 2004. Most recently, she was the assistant principal and then principal at Leslie Fox Keyser (LFK) Elementary School. Also, a former WCPS special education teacher, McDonald, has been filling in as the interim director of special services since the retirement last year of former WCPS Director of Special Services Michael Hirsch.

McDonald on Wednesday thanked the School Board for the opportunity to serve WCPS students and families in her new capacity.

“It has always been my passion to ensure that students with disabilities receive a quality education,” McDonald said. “I’m excited to bring new and innovative opportunities to our special learners.” A 1999 graduate from WCPS, McDonald said it’s an honor to now serve the same school system from which she graduated, in the same community where she still lives.

“I’m proud to be part of this school system in which my son, nieces, and nephew attend,” she added. “And I’m thankful that I’ve sat in my last interview because this is my dream job.” The School Board, during its Nov. 15, 2022 meeting, accepted Hirsch’s resignation, which became effective on November 28, 2022.

Contacted earlier today, Hirsch told the Royal Examiner that after serving the students and families of Warren County for well over two decades, he wanted to spend more time with his family. “I have many fond memories, and WCPS will always have a special place in my heart,” he said.

The School Board also approved a new contract for Superintendent Ballenger (pictured above). His current contract of July 1, 2020, remains in effect through June 30. The board approved the new “mutually agreed upon employment contract” with Ballenger that will be effective on July 1.

“The current contract was due to end on June 30, 2024,” Ballenger told the Royal Examiner in an email today. “The board entered into a new contract starting July 1, 2023, that runs through June 30, 2027.”

More LFK actions The School Board also separately approved three funding items that were combined into one item for presentation by WCPS Assistant Superintendent of Administration George “Buck” Smith because they all related to the renovations at LFK Elementary School: a renovations design fee related to the cafeteria, a change order for temporary electrical services, and special inspections. Specifically, the board approved increasing the contract amount with Grimm & Parker by $21,843 to provide the design for the LFK kitchen renovations. This will bring the total contract value to $951,101.80, which is being funded through a federal grant.

Smith explained that the increase was needed because the executed contract with Grimm & Parker in the amount of $929,258.80 included the design development of the renovations for the entire school, and at the time the contract was executed, WCPS staff did not have a defined scope as to the extent of the renovations needed for the kitchen.

The costs were quoted in Grimm & Parker’s fee proposal as an allowance with a not-to-exceed cost of $37,455 and were not included in the contract. The cost was for the design if all the kitchen equipment was to be replaced, said Smith.

“After meeting with the Nutrition provider, Sodexo, the scope was defined and the actual design costs for the kitchen renovations was $21,843,” said Smith (pictured above). “This extra $21,843 has to be approved because currently we can only reimburse as much as $929,258, and that really was held out until we could establish what the design would be.”

Regarding the LFK temporary change order, Smith explained to the board that it was needed for temporary electrical service at LFK and will cost $25,725, funded through the school’s renovations contingency funds.

The design for renovations at LFK Elementary school includes the complete electrical system and components, as well as the replacement of the main electrical switchgear — what Smith described as an electrical power box.

Smith said that immediately upon award of the construction contract with Lantz Construction of Winchester, Va., WCPS staff was notified of a supply chain issue regarding the lead time to receive the new switchgear. The construction schedule called for the new switchgear to be delivered during the first phase of construction, but Smith said that due to lead time issues, it won’t be delivered until late this summer.

The temporary electrical service includes the addition of two temporary breakers to utilize in the existing switchgear that will ensure continuous power to the portion of the building that isn’t under renovations, he said, adding that the new switchboard is tentatively to be installed during next year’s 2024 winter break when power can be shut down to the entire building.

“We have to put breakers into the building to run power during construction,” said Smith, who added that funding will have to come from the LFK contingency fund “because it’s not one of those things that we thought we would have to deal with in that limited amount of time.”

The School Board had expected to pay for temporary electrical service out of the contingency fund because supply chain issues have been ongoing for the last few years.

The third board-approved item regarded special inspections for the LFK renovations that will cost $24,007 in contingency funds, which will be paid in a contract awarded to ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC to perform the special inspections.

Smith explained that the plans and specifications as developed by Grimm & Parker for the LFK renovations call for the owner — which is WCPS — to be responsible for the coordination and cost for the special inspections required for the construction.

“This is standard practice in the industry and provides the opportunity to ensure the general contractor is using appropriate construction materials and methods as part of the renovations,” he said.

However, Smith said the special inspections were not included in the original budget he presented to the School Board.

“The question has come up, well whose responsibility is this? I did some research to find out when and where we were told or not told” about needing to have these special inspections done for this work, said Smith, who added that he reached out to Grimm & Parker, which confirmed that it had on three separate occasions explained that WCPS, the owner, needs to have them completed.

This is Smith’s first project in his current position. Smith acknowledged that he did not recall seeing such information about the special inspections, but said, “I cannot deny the fact that they were presented.” He took the blame for the oversight and said he’s instituted a plan of correction for himself that includes looking more deeply into what’s being presented to WCPS by potential contractors.

“One thing is just making sure I’m taking tremendous notes,” he said, adding that he’s also assigned himself a mentor who is familiar with multiple, different types of projects within the school division.

Prior to the School Board’s vote to approve the $24,007 contract award to ECS Mid-Atlantic to perform the special inspections, board members Rinaldi and Salins commented on Smith’s mistake.

While she said she respected Smith for saying he “overlooked something,” Salins said that as the School Board and WCPS are “all learning how to do this,” she thinks one of the processes that should be addressed is the Warren County permitting process.

“I discovered in trying to track this back where this could have been caught sooner… in other counties they require that you have your special inspections company secured and have them actually sign off on paperwork in order to ever pull your building permit,” said Salins. “So, there is not even a chance of having this as a surprise later.

“Maybe we could just, going forward, revise and look at how we handle some of these things so that it’s not a surprise, because I found out that our special inspections paperwork was just left blank,” she said. “It wasn’t signed. It wasn’t dated. It was never submitted at all. Clearly, we didn’t know that it was supposed to get done and they issued the building permit and the job was started anyway.”

Rinaldi thanked Smith for his research and his “acknowledgement of some things.” Rinaldi also said that he holds Smith “in the highest regard.”

“And if there’s something that we can do to get Grimm & Parker up here at our construction meetings, that would be great too,” he said. “I’m sure they have a project manager for us and that would be good to get him up here.”

The School Board voted 4-0 to approve the special inspections contract award, with Salins abstaining from the vote “on the grounds I have a family member employed by one of the bidding firms,” she said.

Other actions

Among several other items up for action, the School Board also unanimously approved the following:

Superintendent info Superintendent Ballenger also gave out attendance awards for the month of February and provided a preliminary presentation on the upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget.

Skyline High School received the Most Improved Attendance Award, and Principal Danelle Sperling (pictured above at podium) brought in several student-athletes from the high school’s wrestling and indoor track teams to acknowledge their sports and academic accomplishments and to accept the award.

A.S. Rhodes Elementary School became a four-time attendance award winner, and Skyline Middle School, which had a 91.75 percent attendance rate in February, received the secondary attendance award.

To watch the School Board’s March 1 meeting in its entirety, go to: https://wcps.new.swagit.com/videos/209329.

The Port of Virginia® is progressing toward becoming the only US East Coast port with 55-foot-deep channels that are also wide enough to accommodate two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels.

“It’s an important distinction to have because this sets The Port of Virginia apart from our East Coast peers in a way that cannot be matched,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “In less than a year, we’ll be able to handle two-way traffic of the biggest ships afloat. Having the wide channel allows for consistent vessel flow, it will increase our efficiency and further reduce any downtime at our berths.

“Cargo owners, ocean carriers and logistics providers are closely following our progress. Many of the ocean carriers that call Virginia have new, larger vessels that are coming into service within the next year. We are telling them that they can bring those vessels to Virginia without concern for channel width or overhead draft restrictions. We don’t have any bridges in the Norfolk Harbor.”

The biggest section of the 55-foot project is the Thimble Shoal West Channel and the deepening work there is 99 percent finished with full completion this fall; the Thimble Shoal East Channel is 90 percent complete with full completion coming this spring. When the work on Thimble Shoal East is complete, the first section of the two-way channel will be ready for use.

At that time, the port will work with the Virginia Pilots Association, the US Coast Guard and NOAA to update the region’s navigation charts, rules and buoys to reflect the improved channel.

Edwards said this will provide “the first real navigation benefits” to ocean carriers because there will be an area of the channel open to two-way vessel traffic. The project’s companion widening of Thimble Shoal West is set to begin in this spring with completion in the early fall. When this work is complete, the port will be finished with its share of the deepening and widening project Edwards said.

“In parallel to our effort, our partners in this project, the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District office, are making progress on the inner harbor parts of this project,” Edwards said. “The contract for work on the inner harbor has been signed and there is dredge work underway in the Newport News Channel and work on the Norfolk Harbor Channel is scheduled to start by year’s end.

“The Norfolk District has been great partner in this effort and that team is working with a sense of urgency to maintain the momentum that we have going. They have been integral to the success of this project and the end is in sight as a result of our partnership.”

The project’s dredge work began in December 2019, nearly two-and-a-half years ahead of schedule. The port’s preparation for the project, its collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the support of elected officials and the state’s willingness to fully-fund the project ahead of the federal investment were factors behind the early start of construction and ongoing progress, Edwards said.

The work includes dredging the shipping channels to 55 feet – with deeper ocean approaches – and widening them up to 1,400 feet in specific areas. When dredging is complete in 2024, the commercial channels serving the Norfolk Harbor will be able to safely accommodate passage of two, ultra-large container vessels.

The federal government and the port agreed to a 50-50 cost share of the project at its outset in 2015 when the US Army Corps of Engineers began evaluating the economic value of a deeper and wider Norfolk Harbor and commercial shipping channel. The cost of the project is $450 million.

The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VPA owns and through its private operating subsidiary, Virginia International Terminals, LLC (VIT), operates four general cargo facilities Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Newport News Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port in Warren County. The VPA leases Virginia International Gateway and Richmond Marine Terminal. A recent economic impact study from The College of William and Mary shows that The Port of Virginia helps to create more than 437,000 jobs and generated $1 billion in total economic impact throughout the Commonwealth on an annual basis.

The Port of Virginia® is using four new all-electric trucks in its cargo operation at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) as part of the port’s larger effort of becoming carbon-neutral by 2040.

These are the first zero-emission vehicles in use at NIT, which has a fleet of 100 diesel yard tractors that are used to ferry containers around the terminal. The new vehicles -- MAFI T230e Electric Yard Tractors -- and the installation of charging infrastructure are another step toward The Port of Virginia’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040, which was announced last spring.

“Adding this equipment to our fleet of yard tractors allows us to retire some older units and move toward a greener future,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We are always looking for innovative equipment, technology and processes to help attain our goal and do so ahead of our schedule.”

The new trucks went into operation Jan. 12 and will soon be outfitted with GPS (global positioning system) technology that will connect them with the terminal’s operating system. This will allow for location tracking and route mapping, which will drive efficiency.

The electric yard tractors were delivered by Current Trucking in December 2022 and will offset 266 metric tons of carbon per year, which is equivalent to more than 300 acres of forest sequestration. Current Trucking deploys electric vehicles in the Class 3–8 segment and offers solutions inclusive of EV truck procurement and charging infrastructure.

The port is already using some hybrid equipment in its cargo operation and sourcing some of its electricity for cargo operations at Virginia Inland Port, in Front Royal, VA, and its terminals in the Norfolk Harbor from renewable sources. By 2024, the port will fulfill all of its electricity needs at its marine terminals from renewable recourses, well ahead of the goal’s original 2032 “SCOPE 2” deadline.

• Scope 2 emissions are indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.

Last spring the port announced its commitment to reducing emissions through the electrification of assets, implementation of zero-emission technology and purchasing energy from renewable sources. The port’s 2040 carbon neutrality goal focuses on protecting local communities and the environment through fundamental changes in how the port operates.

“Our effort aligns us with some of the world’s leading ocean carriers, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and multinational corporations. It is also a strategic business decision,” Edwards said. “Consumers worldwide are demanding clean, green supply chains and our work puts The Port of Virginia at the forefront of this change.”