Some that know me will read this and say, a normal day in the life of Pete. COVID-19 has affected people in so many ways. For me, COVID-19 has represented a period of time, March to the present at this point. If I were to write a book, this would be the chapter that most would describe as downright crazy. I would like to think that we are on the downhill portion of this journey. As you think about this moment in time, what will you remember? I sincerely believe that many good things will come from this. There will…
Browsing: Commentary
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. OK…I admit I missed another holiday. Again! I did remember the event, Memorial Day, but I just did not get around to writing an article about it. However, for this particular miss, I have a good excuse. I am just coming off another week of furlough, that fancy word my company used when they told us that we were going to be laid off one week a month through July. Yes, without pay! So, when every day basically looks like the previous day, it is easy to lose track…
To the Editor: This project is essentially a large gas station with, typical, enhanced experiences (alcohol and lottery opportunities) – picture a Sheets, or another Wawa like the one 1.5 miles away – and a retail strip center – maybe as nice looking as the one going up one mile away, maybe not; apartments and a storage facility – and a projected additional 22,000 vehicles each day. Yes, that’s the projection. It is being called Courthouse Landing by the developer. Notice the reference to the airport and “landing.” The developer is selling it as “the Gateway to Chesterfield.” The County…
To the Editor: I am strongly opposed to the Courthouse Landing Project. My immediate concern is the the virtual planning meeting set for May 19. There will be no public comments at the meeting, so the county has set up Portal to leave comments online. I’m concerned because the previous virtual meeting comments had an unusual amount of comments from the Matoaca District in favor of the project. I’m also concerned about the data obtained from Gatesgreen Drive corridor has 2,750 vehicles per day currently and there will be an additional 2,700 vehicles per day with completion of the project.…
I am reminded regularly that times have changed. I spent many years riding engines, ladder trucks, ambulances, and the TSO vehicle trying to find addresses on the first attempt. During my career, I spent quite a bit of time in Chester, and I knew Chester like the back of my hand. My first assignment as a lieutenant was at No. 2, on Hull Street, next to the old high school. To say that I was lost was an understatement. It’s funny today, I remember more about that district than I would ever think. Getting lost is one thing, but getting…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound, where we have started to live free again. Well, not completely, but we have taken the first baby steps to get small business back on track; I even was able to get my hair cut today. I have to admit I have gotten pretty good using the mustache trimmer to trim the back of my head,. using a mirror to boot! Just for your information, the barber was in a really good mood when she was cutting my hair. I am sure she was just as happy to be…
Last week was Arson Awareness Week. Arson is defined as “the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.” It is a problem not only for the fire service, but for a community. Fires caused by an arsonist could cause the death of a firefighter or a civilian. Until the arsonist is caught, the costs for arson has to be absorbed by the particular jurisdiction. Arson takes place for many reasons: A pyromaniac is a person who has “an obsessive desire to set fire to things.”A juvenile fire setter is a child, up to the age of 17, who sets…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hope you are surviving this crazy world and speaking of crazy, in my world of the Dogpound it does not take the virus to make my life a little bit crazier. For example, I noticed that I was not getting any advance notices from my medical program about the medications that needed to be refilled or ordered. I went to the Web site, and it was not showing most of my medications and did not even have my correct contact information. Oh great, more fun! I called the medical…
To the Editor: As a longtime resident of Chesterfield County, where my three children attended school and my wife was a teacher and elementary principal, the choice to join Communities In Schools of Chesterfield’s (CIS-C) Board of Directors was a good fit. When I first joined the board, I knew the county had poverty but didn’t realize the extent – I learned that since 2000, poverty in Chesterfield increased by 110 percent, affecting thousands of our community’s youth. CIS-C is doing something about it. Our work to serve 9,000-plus vulnerable students in Chesterfield schools levels the playing field for at-risk…
I have written to you many times about the absolute necessity of a practiced home escape plan. The plan is supposed to show two ways out of every room, a safe meeting place outside of the home, the ability of every person in the home to self-rescue (get themselves out on their own). If self-rescue is not possible, then working into the plan who and how to get them out. An adequate number of properly placed and properly operating smoke alarms is imperative to early warning of a fire in your home. Less smoke for you to deal with gives…