Mark Kimmel, longtime leader of York County Conservation District, retiring
York Dispatch
In 1985 when Mark Kimmel joined the York County Conservation District, he was one of only three full-time employees in the department, and there wasn t much public awareness about ecology and the protection of natural resources.
A lot has changed in 36 years.
Kimmel, who is retiring from his post as manager of the county s conservation district, will leave behind a staff that s grown to 23 people, all working in an increasingly complex field. When I started working to do farm plan mapping, you had to wait two weeks to order in the plan map from Colorado through the Soil Conservation Service back then, he said. Now, we have GIS and the plan maps are at the tip of our fingers, but it probably takes us longer with all the additional paperwork requirements we’ve added to it over the years.
York County could be getting a new gunsmith.
On Feb. 10, the York County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit for a home-based firearms sales and gunsmithing business at 211 Henry Lee Lane near the Lafayette Gun Club and Crossroads Community Church.
Andrew J. Piske and Stephanie M. Piske own the 0.4 acre property located in a neighborhood zoned R20 medium-density single-family residential and the special-use permit would allow them to use the existing single-family home with the detached garage for their business.
“I am actually not the online retailer of the firearms,” Andrew Piske said at the planning commission meeting. “I am actually a representative of the ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] who is submitting the background checks to the state police and verifying their documentation.”
Business notes: Child Development Resources will acquire control of the Historic Triangle Messmer Community Services Center; George Washington Inn and Conference Center on Merrimac Trail to become apartments; and Williamsburg Landing honored.
Under the proposal presented last month to the York County Planning Commission, at least 20,000 square feet of the building would be reserved for use by potential users, like educational, commercial/retail and or business/professional services.
Temporary contract
Williamsburg City Council voted unanimously Jan. 14 to discuss an interim agreement with a contracting company for the fire station on North Boundary Street. READ MORE.
New apartments
An application by Schottenstein Realty Company for the purpose of redeveloping an existing motel (the George Washington Inn and Conference Center) into a 125-unit rental apartment building has been approved by the York County Planning Commission. READ MORE.
School delays
Some families looking to send their kids back to school may have to wait just a little bit longer. READ MORE.