Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority (ACEA) Meeting   3/12/2026

I'll open the floor to discussion about chair and vice chair.

I'm moved that the curbs might be reelected.

All in favor?

Those opposed?

So I assume second Thursday, this same time.

This is just the second Thursday of the month for the rest of the year in room 235 except for you'll see April and May we have to be upgraded unfortunately to the room next door but I'll remind you of that closer to the time and this notice will just be posted at the front of the county office building once you have all adopted it.

Do we need a motion to approve the schedule?

Yes please.

I can do more detail next meeting if you would like.

There's no limit on how many times a director can serve.

Aye.

Thank you.

James?

Yes.

Could you do a calendar invite for the whole

If the software, if Outlook will do that, yeah, I'll try doing that and invite you all to it.

We just put it on our calendar.

Tough.

Like I said, it would make my life easier and his life harder.

Happy to do it.

All right, remote participation and virtual meeting policy.

your own health, your family's health, or personal matters like business.

And hopefully it's not an issue for anybody.

You can have all virtual meetings for special meetings, which is not the regularly scheduled meetings, or regular meetings if we're under emergency or weather events, that sort of matter.

I like both if you're busy with virtual meetings.

I believe so.

Then they will admit the remote person and then that person, once admitted, becomes part of the quorum.

from the District Court meeting, then you lose the quorum.

The class is on.

I move that the Albemarle Conservation Eastman Authority adopt the remote participation and workflow meeting policy for 2026.

Are there any other matters?

We don't have anyone online.

James?

This is the existing clearing.

This is subsurface disturbance.

We didn't want to just slide right over this term.

I would like to point it out, but I would think that that would be pretty useful in surface disturbance.

And so that's all for the presentation, just to say that our recommendation is to approve it.

It's the exact same property.

Yes.

Just curious.

They're doing work in that area that includes this parcel and others.

Is Dominion asking us to sign it?

No.

So this is part of their whole strategic management project.

So their current lines are above ground?

There isn't a current line in this location.

How's the property served?

I don't know.

It says, will not serve other properties.

But that's not, yeah.

Tegan or something.

So my way of thinking of the approval of this body should be conditioned upon reading whatever right-of-way language Dominion is proposing for this particular

And there was one other point.

Is there language that says it's for the exclusive use of this parcel?

No.

So if they did want to turn this one into a transmission, they would need to acquire more easements in the future.

So we'd have some say about any extension coming in the value.

Whereas the right-of-way would go.

So everybody's gonna know that that's the extent of what's being heard.

What is this line serving?

The house, the dwelling of the blacks.

Okay, it is.

And what they're trying to get to is just running underground from the neighboring property to that line that goes up the driveway.

It probably doesn't mention it, but what's the subdivision clause of Esmont's site?

It was two to begin with.

It's a right to play here.

I think it was just a paragraph saying we can pull it up.

So my preference would be to have language in the right-of-way to serve this property.

Let's make a concise act and put it in right now.

I don't want us to draft it.

And we've been advised that when someone wants an overlying easement on property that we hold interest in, it's prudent for them to seek approval from that easement holding body.

What's prudent?

How does that stay in the board?

I don't know.

I'm sorry.

I mean, to their credit, when they find that they've got a property with a conservation easement, they're checking with the alders to make sure there isn't a problem.

Request a language.

I'd defer to the attorneys if they disagree, but I think this is simple enough that I can convey what you have said and we'll all understand when they've met the mark or not.

To clarify, giving permission, but this can fully serve this property.

with such language is permitted so we don't have to come back to another meeting.

That's how I understand your request, yes.

Signed by the landowners and dominions.

But it sounds like, notwithstanding the fact that it's already been signed, that the direction of the authority is to go back and insist that it be amended and then re-signed.

So she already needs to go back to the landowners to obtain that signature.

What's the cause of the easement that requires that?

Any, it's in part three, any future conveyance must mention, I'm paraphrasing, but any future conveyance must mention, yeah.

We're finding that it does not convey permission.

That's not the question.

We're saying it does not, nor are we making a finding of it's okay, or we're saying it's not a conflict provided that it's for the solace of the property.

Okay.

We need some, does that, provided that the instrument indicate that the electric easement provide, that it's in the soil.

I just want staff to know.

And if there's a direction to require it in the instrument, that should be part of it.

Or we could say we find that it's not any conflict provided that the instrument conveying the right of way requires that it only serve the property.

Was that a motion?

Does that really work?

I mean, cause then you're just saying it's the wire, but what you really want to say is that the easement itself can't be extended or widened.

It's one house on property, right?

So the property that's across from them, that Ricky Bobby property, that's a large tract that's on the market, is Dominion running power to that, do you know?

And we're not aware of any construction on that property that would require power.

We'll come to that in close session.

with the conservation easement provided that the instrument recording said right way requires that the easement corridor can only serve this property.

The subject property.

Which would include the parcel to the south.

No, never mind.

We might be able to, depending on the reason.

Only because one other parcel in the same easement.

Just the unprotected properties that you don't want to do.

Unanimous.

Thank you.

All right, so can I read this, James?

Yes, and it's also on the screen.

Committed the Albemarle Conservation Peace and Authority Convene in a closed meeting presented to Section 2.2-3711A of the Virginia, which on Section 8 encompasses the council's advice that the legal knowledge that raises the participation of conservation peace and language addressing permitted land uses requires sufficient legal advice by such council.

Director Fennell.

Aye.

I will now pause the... Are we good?

We appreciate it, Bill.

I move that the Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority, certified by a recorded vote, that the best of each member's knowledge will be public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion authorizing the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed meeting.

Obviously, by and large, most of the authorities' easements are donations and the ACE program is still paused.

We'll point out, speaking of records, I believe that makes us the largest county-run or locality-run easement program in the state, at least in terms of acreage.

And you saw the one pager.

Thank you.

Otherwise, you want us to send it?

But in a way, this body may get involved with some of the other issues on the strawberry.

The right-of-way does go over.

Thank you for the heads up.

Just a quick update to say that the homestay permit that you all saw in November for the Ragged Branch property was approved by the board earlier this month.

Thanks very much.

Who wants to go home?

Chair, we are adjourned.