Save Pickett Park!
Dear Sir:
Pickett Park (PP) is a piece of land that the County wants to sell.
It’s been portrayed as a bedbug-infested money pit. But it’s SO much more, hidden away. WE are the people of PP — not Chinese spies. Real people who are working, living, and paying taxes in Nottoway.
Let me introduce some of us:
I’m Sharon Fassold, owner of Signs Designs & More. We started this business in PP; for 23 years we’ve been offering our services in Nottoway. Is the Board of Supervisors willing to throw that away?
I have an employee who is a single mom, supporting her little girl. Throw her out?
Next door is the milk co-op, a business that’s been here for 26 years. Throw them out also?
“B” stays at The Lodge, the commute home is too long. Quit your job, get out?
“C” and family couldn’t afford a house. They move often for the military, so they live in the campground. Close it down, everyone move out?
Vietnam Vets, the Food Bank, & MCC (“Restore and More”)? They don’t count, either?
Who DOES matter?
I understand we need to upgrade the courthouse. But hurting us to achieve that goal by selling PP? Please show me how a one-time pay-out outweighs years of food/rent/ gas/taxes from all these people.
It’s ironic the previous Board of Supervisors ignored upkeep of both the courthouse & PP.
Now PP is on the chopping block to pay a small portion of improvements. With proper management, this could be both a point of pride and profitable for the County.
Board member, Ronnie Roark ordered that plaque on the General District Courtroom wall sign with parts that our business secured. That sign reads, “In God We Trust.”
WE the people of PP put our trust in you to protect us. Please do the right thing and don’t hurt your own people for a small money-grab.
Sharon Fassold
Signs, Designs, & More
Pickett Park
Town Hall needs an investigation
Dear Sir:
With the abrupt departure of the latest Treasurer, don’t you think it’s time to investigate Blackstone Town Hall? It’s time to DRAIN THE SWAMP.
Maybe Councilman Chris Page can get his “Aunt Abigail” to come down and investigate. Page acts like he’s the watch dog of Blackstone. He’s “for the people?” What a joke.
Why isn’t the puppet mayor out checking the Town’s electric meters?All the puppet is doing is the same thing that he did for DBI — not a damn thing.
It’s time for the state to come in and investigate the Town. Not sayin’ but just sayin’.
Sam Mordan
Jetersville
Blackstone taxpayer
Solar could boost local economy
Dear Sir:
I recently visited downtown Blackstone, VA, and it felt vibrant and welcoming, as if I walked into a Hallmark movie.
Storefronts are occupied, businesses are active, and there’s a clear sense of pride in the community. That kind of success is the result of people who care about their town and who understand that preserving what you love requires continued economic growth to protect Blackstone’s future.
That’s why I see the proposed Rocky Ford solar facility as an opportunity worth serious consideration.
I’ve seen firsthand how projects like these can support local economies. Until recently, I served as President of the Currituck Chamber of Commerce, a rural community in North Carolina that benefits from four utility-scale solar projects.
I have no financial stake in the Rocky Ford solar facility and am not affiliated with its developers. I just want to share the impact these solar projects had on our county.
The most significant economic impacts came during construction. Workers in the area were eating meals, staying in hotels, buying gas, getting haircuts, and shopping locally.
That influx of activity can make a real difference by giving businesses the breathing room they need to reinvest and grow. It helps the restaurant owner replace aging kitchen equipment, the hotel upgrade rooms to stay competitive, and the barber shop bring on that extra employee.
Importantly, utility-scale solar is also a low-impact, long-term neighbor. Once construction is complete, these facilities operate quietly, with minimal traffic, no impact on your local schools, fire or EMS.
They sit quietly, generating tax revenue to help the citizens of Nottoway County. In Currituck County, solar projects coexist with agriculture, tourism, and our small community.
I encourage Nottoway County residents to look at this project through the lens of what it is and what it can enable: a stronger local economy, more tax revenue to help with critical needs, and a future where your downtown continues to thrive.
Josh Bass
Moyock, NC
Belt-tightening, not solar, is best approach
Dear Sir:
I am praying that Nottoway Supervisors find other ways to balance the County’s budget besides approving Solar Farms.
What happens if they destroy farm land and go belly up? I could go on for days about what it will do to our precious farm land — but the one thing I will say (and Supervisor Bo Toth knows this first-hand): our beef industry is in dire straits, and farming in general will be more important to our kids and grandkids as hyper-inflation hits. And yes, we will see hyper-inflation because a large number of financial wizards are telling us the dollar will be replaced as the reserve currency — hence gold at $5,000+ per ounce and silver at $80+ and rising.
Last week, President Trump signed an Emergency Order directing the Dept. of War to enter a long-term power purchase agreement with coal-fired plants…including allocating money to upgrade and sustain coal plants in WV, OH, NC and KY. He went on to say “beautiful clean coal” is more reliable than alternatives. He is prioritizing coal for grid reliability and national defense, and you can bet incentives for solar will be impacted in a significant way.
Silver is a required metal for building solar panels, EV batteries and defense systems and the U. S. has been using 1.25x more each year than is available to purchase. Our reserves are gone. China has stopped exporting silver and is hoarding it for national security. This is why we are now moving away from green energy and Trump is ‘pivoting’ to one of our greatest assets in America — coal.
I implore you to think before you spend — before you raise taxes AGAIN, before you give raises, before you spend thousands on training. Examples: County Administrator Steve Bowen had a viable option for the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue to move into the brick house yet someone knee-jerked and put us into a long-term rental. Emergency Services Coordinator Buddy Hyde rides around in a car (see him everywhere). Will the car go away when the grant does, or will that become a new budget line item?
Now is the time to look for ways to cut because, as I have heard all of my life, you can’t get blood from a turnip. I realize it is easier to raise taxes than cut government spending but can you — in good conscience — continue on the trajectory you’re on when people are hardly affording to live who own homes; or the next generation will never be able to afford to buy a home — they’re turnips.
Think of your kids and grandkids and what kind of county you will be setting them up for — don’t be THAT Board.
Kathie Kingery
Concerned citizen
Nottoway County
Going to be a banner year!
Dear Sir:
There are many positive initiatives afoot in Blackstone as well as continued developments and a few hiccups to iron out.
Although in this moment, all the news is not stellar, overall the good far surpasses the bad. Special thanks to State Delegate Lee Ware and Senator Tammy Mulchi for sponsoring budget amendments on behalf of the Town’s plannedFrom Pagewaterline4 replacement project.
To those who appreciate our efforts, thank you for your support and encouragement. To those who suspect the worst — and I think those are the few — please be patient. Nothing good comes from doubt and distrust. Given time, we will work out the kinks and deliver good results. At the end of the day, that is what truly matters.
I encourage you to keep score because 2026 is poised to be a banner year for Blackstone. There will be some bumps in the road, but stay focused on the big picture and avoid getting overly absorbed by the setbacks.
Stay calm because the future remains bright. Again, we will work through any issues that pop up. We always do. And remember, we have your best interest at heart in every decision and action we take. On that, you can rest assured.
Lafayette Dickens
Brunswick Avenue
Mayor of Blackstone
Time to rethink several issues
Dear Sir:
Nottoway County does not need a courthouse at all. It has a regional jail in Farmville, why not a regional court facility?
Use Prince Edward’s courtroom and rent it by the hour! It would be a better situation than what exists now. The judges can have their toys and at a lesser cost to the County.
The County office building in Blackstone has enough wasted space to accommodate most of the County offices. The voter registrar’s office location in Burkeville is also a tremendous waste of space and heating cost. A lot of consolidation is in order.
It is too easy to raise taxes — no one says a word! With all the new housing tax revenue, why did the tax rate increase, in addition to a new tax for fire and rescue? Where is the money going?
A new pet kennel in Burkeville, museums, taverns, recreation centers, private airport facilities, medical buildings, residential properties, family memorial properties, libraries, taverns, fire and rescue that are out of control and an armory boondoggle.
All because of fear! They will keep taking as long as Nottoway keeps giving.
After Armbrusters and Mitchell’s burned, local people became totally submissive. No one will stand up to anything. The same thing occurred with two buildings in Farmville. This has led to very bad management.
Blackstone was built on industry and agriculture. It was a prosperous town of beautiful homes and people with pride. Those attributes should be revived. It is no place for silly museums and ticky-tacky new construction.
It’s time to, once again, see products “Made in Blackstone, VA USA”
Fred Hanbury
Gravatt Ave.
Blackstone
ID prevents voter fraud
Dear Sir:
A huge thank you to U. S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and U. S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) for putting commonsense over blind TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) in their support for the SAVE Act.
This law will ensure our elections are secure and fair. This legislation is supported by the clear majority of Americans, according to recent polls like Pew Research.
Democratic lawmakers love to claim their voters are the most educated but, in the same breath claim, they are too stupid to get an ID. So which is it?
Jacob Allen
Farmville
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