By Sarah Vogelsong
CP Reporter
Abundant Life Academy got a two-week reprieve from the Board of Supervisors at their Jan. 27 meeting because of legal concerns, although the supervisors made it clear that the boarding school’s time is running out.
At a public hearing on the potential revocation of Abundant Life Academy’s special exception permit, Director of Planning Michael Finchum advised the Board that an “inadvertent” mistake had been made in notifying ALA’s owners of the public hearing. Finchum recommended that the hearing be continued at the Board’s next meeting to allow Planning Department staff to resend the appropriate notice to the owners.
Under Virginia state code, no special exception permit may be revoked unless the owner is notified at least five days before a public hearing on the matter.
To avoid any legal complications, the Board unanimously agreed to continue the public hearing at its Feb. 10 meeting.
ALA has been embroiled in problems for the past year. At least seven students ran away from the academy, and five employees were convicted of crimes ranging from sexual battery to assault and battery by mob. At a December meeting of the Board of Supervisors, it was revealed that the owner of ALA had never secured a county business license to operate in Caroline. The school’s 34 students were sent home or transferred to similar facilities at the beginning of December.
Two citizens residing on properties adjoining ALA’s land spoke during the Jan. 27 hearing to encourage the supervisors to revoke the permit.
“These guys have not been the neighbors that they told us they would be,” Charles Albert said.
In addition to airing concerns about the trespassing of individuals from ALA on his property, Albert also told the supervisors that he had on “several occasions” heard gunshots coming from the property.
“Not just one or two shot(s) from a shotgun of an errant hunter. … This was target practice, both pistol and rifle-caliber,” Albert said. “I know this; I own a firearm store, so I’m pretty confident in my ability to determine what kind of gunshots sound like.”
Albert owns the Big Dog Outfitters gun and ammunition shop in King George.
No one in attendance expressed any support of ALA.
“I think it is clearly the consensus of the Board that this is not a good use for this particular property, especially for this particular group that’s there now,” Board Chairman Calvin Taylor said. “The only reason that we are even considering continuing (the public hearing) is to satisfy a legal concern.”
Mattaponi Supervisor Floyd Thomas agreed: “They’ve violated enough,” he said. “So I’d like to vote now, but I will wait—not happily, but I’ll wait.”