The Shadow
Welcome back, Shadowers! Whoo-boy, the last time I saw this much denial of the brutal facts was when my mechanic Steven Wright told me, “I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.”
Last week the Shadow submitted several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to address Covington’s apparent violations in their building, water and small business departments. We’ve received several responses back, and to say the least, they are beyond concerning.
Our journey begins with the troubling state of Covington’s water treatment operations. Through our recent FOIA requests, it has come to light that the City has incurred three drinking water violations over the past year, citing two instances of inadequate staffing and recently a failure to monitor for inorganic chemicals, volatile organic chemicals and physical constituents. Such lapses not only risk public health but also expose the city to potential legal and civil penalties. The city has also failed to provide required timely public notices to its citizens on multiple occasions.
Despite assurances from city officials to rectify these violations swiftly, evidence suggests a pattern of delays and blatant disregard for compliance by our city leaders. In a notice of alleged violation dated just last week on May 7, 2024, an official from the Department of Health stated, “Failure to take all the necessary corrective actions in a timely manner to voluntarily return your waterworks to compliance may result in enforcement action. Enforcement actions include permit revocation, administrative orders, and civil or criminal proceedings, and civil charges or penalties of up to $5,000 per day for each violation.”
We’ll have more details soon on this turbulent experience worthy of a Kings Dominion log flume ride.
Speaking of water, Clifton Forge Town Manager Chuck Unroe sent the Shadow team his annual drinking water report. Unroe’s water quality passed with flying colors and has reported they comply with both staff and water testing requirements. Perhaps Unroe should hire himself out as a consultant to show the City of Covington how to properly run and safe and compliant water plant.
Crisis in Compliance: Covington’s Building Department Under Fire
Official city documents received through the (FOIA) request show the City of Covington is mired in controversy and legal risks from operating without a certified building official for almost 3 years since July 2021. The situation has deteriorated under the current appointee, Michael Mines, who despite training, has not passed the necessary certification exams as required by Virginia law.
According to a recent official warning issued March 12, 2024, from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Mines does not possess the required Virginia-issued building official certifications, crucial for ensuring the enforcement of building codes and safety regulations. The city has not only failed to ensure that its building official is certified, but has also exceeded the statutory time limits for obtaining such certification, resulting in multiple compliance violations. Mines, who stepped into the role in September 2022, failed to meet the September 2023 certification deadline. Almost seven months have now lapsed with the City still operating a building department that is technically unable to continue operations as dictated by VA law. Moreover, any contractors, homeowners, or building owners who were issued permits, inspections, and building approvals in the last three years now could potentially face criminal or civil liability if building standards are implicated in any accidents or structural failures.
“The locality [Covington] should consult with legal counsel regarding the liability exposure issues,” stated Sandi Morris, Director of the Virginia Building Code Academy. ”This includes where a civil case names the locality and/or the building official as a defendant, or where the building official brings forth a criminal case under the USBC notice of violation section, and thus raising the legitimacy, authority, or certification of the enforcing official.”
There are too many violations and concerns to list here, but you can read the full article covering the issues being raised in the Tuesday, May 13th edition of the Virginian Review.
In other news, last week resident Ms Haynes spoke at the May 7th Covington City Council planning meeting about the zoning violations going on at the old Edgemont school. Currently, the organization Recover VA is allegedly illegally inhabiting the building. Haynes stated, “What is the status of the Edgemont building… your compliance of it, and basically, you’re breaking the law…what are you doing, what’s the status.” City Manager Dressler replied he has been working diligently on the project. But if he isn’t able to work something out, Dressler stated, he’ll “come over and be the evictor. I’d be happy to do that.” Haynes replied, “I do not want to go to a higher authority, but I will if something isn’t done.”
Covington needs more heroes like you Ms Haynes. Keep going.
In Iron Gate news, a fire broke out last week in one of the buildings in town. Mayor Craig stated, “I will not issue an official statement until the VSP and Fire Marshal complete their investigations. The Shadow research team was unsuccessful in reaching the Iron Gate Volunteer Fire Department for comment. Other sources (WFXR and WDBJ) reported that the fire was at Garten Trucking Warehouse, where carpet and paper products were stored. No one was in the building at the time of the fire. A local volunteer firefighter was injured and transported to a hospital with complications. The condition and identity of the firefighter have not been released. There were no other injuries and no reporting on the condition of the property. Total loss? That hasn’t been reported yet, so stay tuned.
Rounding out our exposé, the Alleghany-Covington Department of Social Services has been scrutinized for failing to meet community expectations on several fronts. The Shadow research team also submitted a FOIA to the State DSS for answers, but as of date, has not received a reply. In the meantime, the Shadow has received more than a dozen complaints from citizens expressing their concerns about the local DSS public service. The Shadow also conducted a poll that revealed a staggering 72% of voters rating their experiences with the local DSS as poor or very poor. This dissatisfaction highlights a disconnect between public service objectives and actual performance. We’ll have more on this issue once we’re able to organize and understand the massive public outcries.
I’m out of time, and out of coffee, but as someone who’s defined by light and darkness, I will leave you to also ponder my mechanic’s questions that keep me up at 3am. “If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work? And what’s the speed of dark?”
