More opioid crisis payouts for Petersburg? Plus, a new medical center & more: THE AGENDA.

Welcome to The Agenda! This weekly feature will cover all the public meetings in Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights that may be important to you.

The Petersburg School Board will have its regular meeting this Wednesday after a tumultuous few months that included a vote of "no confidence and no trust" by the Petersburg Education Association (PEA) in late May and the swift departure of the new interim school superintendent Dr. John Farrelly in mid-June.

Farrelly had replaced former Superintendent Dr. Tamara Sterling after she left her position amid much controversy and secrecy in March, including allegations of financial impropriety. The local educators’ union, the Petersburg Education Association, blamed the Petersburg School Board for Farrelly's sudden departure, claiming that it interferes too much with the day-to-day operations of Petersburg's public schools.

Also, city council meetings are on the books this week in Petersburg and Colonial Heights.

Petersburg City Council to consider funding new community recreation center by local high school

This Tuesday, the Petersburg City Council will consider an ordinance to set aside $500,000 to fund the construction of a new community recreation center adjacent to the outdoor athletic field at the Petersburg High School. The center, dubbed the Fieldhouse Sports Training Facility, would primarily serve the local high school students, but would also be open to the public.

According to the upcoming city council meeting's agenda , the money would come from city funds set aside for Petersburg's public schools. The proposed amenities at the community recreation center include an indoor practice facility with a turf surface, a weight room, a varsity locker room, a visiting locker room, a fitness room, a wrestling space, coaches’ offices, conference rooms, multipurpose areas, classrooms and more.

More opioid crisis payouts in Petersburg's future?

Petersburg is currently participating in the National Opioids Settlement , with defendants including Janssen, Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Teva, Allegran, CVS, and Walmart.

On Tuesday, the Petersburg City Council will consider a draft resolution that would allow the city to participate in an opioid settlement against Kroger (and all related entities.)

In late 2023, the Virginia Attorney General's Office reached a tentative settlement with Kroger that would require the grocery chain to pay up to $1.37 billion to participating state and local governments for its role in the nationwide opioid crisis. The settlement would also require business practice changes to help prevent similar crises in the future.

The settlement will be paid out to local governments in installments over 11 years. Virginia’s anticipated share of the settlement could potentially be $28 million. In order to participate in the settlement (and payouts), Petersburg must adopt the draft resolution approving the city's participation in the settlement by August 12. Currently, the city is on track to approve the resolution, which you can read here .

Petersburg considers selling land for new kidney and vascular health medical center

The Petersburg City Council will also consider the sale of city-owned property at 101 West Washington Street to ECIMED-1, LLC on Tuesday for the development of a new medical center for Kidney and Vascular Health.

While the assessed value of the city-owned property is $346,500, the purchase agreement would sell the property to ECIMED-1, LLC for $173,250—half of what it is worth.

The medical center, which would potentially be a five-story project with an estimated building cost of $17 million dollars, is projected to generate $215,900 dollars annually in revenue for the city. According to estimates, the new medical center would also create 50 plus new jobs in the community.

The purchase agreement is on track to be approved by city council. The approval of the purchase agreement between the city and ECIMED-1, LLC is the final action required before development of the new medical center can begin.

Colonial Heights City Council to hear updates on Fall Line Trail

The Colonial Heights City Council will also convene this Tuesday for their regular meeting.

At the meeting, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will present updates to city council on the ongoing Fall Line Trail project , which is nearly 44 miles long and connects Ashland and Petersburg.

The multi-use trail—which aims to connect people and places throughout the region—will begin at Petersburg's Patton Park, run through Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Hanover, Henrico and Richmond and end at Ashland's Trolley Line Trail.

The trail will run along existing roadways, paths, trails, abandoned railways and utility transmission corridors in addition to new locations. Destinations of interest within half a mile of the trail will include Carter Park, Bryan Park, James River, the Appomattox River Trail, Old Towne Petersburg, VSU, VUU, the Virginia Capitol, VCU Medical Center, Main Street Station, 9th Street, Brookland Parkway and Boulevard Bridge. Learn more about the ongoing trail project here .

Colonial Heights 'green slime pit' to be replaced by new pond fountain. See the options.

The Public Works Department will also provide the Colonial Heights City Council with updates on the city's ongoing Temple Avenue Improvement Project.

This includes a presentation on different options to replace the existing VDOT-owned pond fountain at the traffic roundabout on Temple Avenue at Interstate 95. The pond has long-been considered an eyesore by locals, and was called a "green slime pit" by Colonial Heights Beautification Committee member Jessica Younce in 2018.

Interested? You can view the different pond fountain options here .

Upcoming public meetings

This week's public meetings in Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights are as follows:

Tuesday, July 16

Petersburg City Council Closed Session Meeting , 3-4 p.m., Multipurpose Room of the Petersburg Public Library. View the agenda for this meeting here .

Petersburg City Council Regular Meeting , 5-6 p.m., Multipurpose Room of the Petersburg Public Library. View the agenda for this meeting here .

Colonial Heights City Council Closed Special Meeting , 5:30 p.m., City Council Chambers, 201 James Avenue. See the agenda for this meeting here .

Colonial Heights City Council Regular Meeting , 7-9 p.m., City Council Chambers, 201 James Avenue. See the agenda for this meeting here .

Wednesday, July 17

Petersburg CDGB Advisory Board Meeting , 6 p.m., Multipurpose Room of Petersburg Public Library. You can find the agenda for this meeting here .

Petersburg School Board meeting, 6 p.m., School Board Office, 255 South East Blvd. Find the agenda for this meeting here . Questions? Contact Clerk Lauren Williams at 804-732-0510 ext 1053 or lawilliams1@petersburg.k12.va.us.

Hopewell Community Development Block Grant Committee Meeting , 3 p.m., Municipal Building (City Council Conference Room), 300 N. Main Street. Inquiries? Contact Director of Development Chris Ward at (804) 541-2221.

Tuesday, July 23

Hopewell City Council Regular Meeting , 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building (City Council Chambers) 300 N. Main Street. Inquiries? Contact City Clerk Brittani Williams at (804) 541-2408.

Keep Hopewell Beautiful Committee Meeting , 6 p.m., Appomattox Regional Library (Hopewell Branch), 209 E. Cawson Street. Inquiries? Contact Senior Planner Kelly Davis at (804) 541-2269.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: More opioid crisis payouts for Petersburg? Plus, a new medical center & more: THE AGENDA.