Graduate students Andrea-Nicole Pruett and Beau Hubbard are both seeking a master’s degree in urban and regional planning and are focusing their graduate projects on development in White Stone. Frere told council last Thursday he had a meeting scheduled for December 11 with Pruett, Hubbard and their advisory panels in Richmond to discuss the projects.

Pruett lives in West Point but works in Kilmarnock and has family in Lancaster County. Hubbard was born and raised in Weems.

“Their projects will be used somehow in the town’s comprehensive plan,” said Frere.

Hubbard’s project will focus on the property east of Rappahannock Drive and north of Chesapeake Drive, according to Frere. He will evaluate the existing usage and possible future land use of an undeveloped tract.

Pruett is focusing on the existing commercial corridors, evaluating the existing zoning ordinance and making recommendations on changes to the commercial district in the zoning ordinance, said Frere. Additionally, she will look at uses for existing vacant commercial properties, the pedestrian and traffic flow in White Stone and need for off-street parking.

Frere told council both projects had to be completed by May.

In old business, council discussed a joint meeting with Irvington last month to discuss problems with water systems provided by Aqua Virginia in both towns.

Councilman Joe Sliakis said there were valid complaints but he thought Aqua “felt like they were addressing the issues and are meeting the state guidelines,” so nothing more would be done.

To me, “it was a Charlie Brown meeting, just a lot of whaa-whaa,” said Mayor Lloyd B. Hubbard.

Council also revisited the request made by Lancaster County Treasurer Bonnie Haynie at its November meeting. Haynie has asked the town to repay $11,203.41, which the county overpaid White Stone because of a calculation error in the sales tax distribution based on old census information. Sales tax revenue is distributed to the towns based on the number of school-age residents. The census information the county was using for several years was incorrect, Haynie told them last month.

Town attorney Matson Terry asked council last Thursday if they had considered asking the county to forgive the debt. Mayor Hubbard and several council members indicated forgiveness was doubtful.

Mayor Hubbard said an alternative would be to ask the county supervisors to earmark the money repaid by Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone “for something good for the county.”

Sliakis agreed, saying “It’s extra, unbudgeted money they hadn’t planned on” getting.

Terry asked the board for the authority to contact state representatives to find out why the sales tax revenue is based on school-age population rather than the town’s generation of taxes. By consensus, the board directed Terry to make the inquiry.