The Top Grant -- King and Queen County

King & Queen County

King and Queen County Report

Introduction 179K, about 26 seconds over 56K modem
Narrative 30M, about 74 minutes over 56K modem

April - June '04 Quarterly Summary

King and Queen's active Technology Leadership Team (TLT) continued to build on its efforts this quarter by planning events to draw public attention to the their Electronic Village - King and Queen Information Trail and increase its use among its residents. Chief among its accomplishments was the planning of five community meetings in which the KQ Info Trail would be discussed, along with the opportunities it presents to residents, businesses and community organizations within King and Queen County. These five meetings, to be held in different sections of the county to make it easy for residents to attend at least one of them, would be combined with TLT meetings and allow residents to become familiar with the site and its operation.

The first meeting was held at 7:00 PM on June 15 in Newtown District at the Upper KQ Volunteer Rescue Squad Building. The rest are scheduled as follows :

July 20 - St. Stephen's District - 7:00 PM Lawson-Marriott Elementary Cafetorium
Aug 17 - Stevensville District - 7:00 PM Central High School Cafeteria
Sept 21 - Buena Vista District - 7:00 PM Lower KQ Fire Department
Oct 19 - Shanghai District - 7:00 PM KQ Elementary School Gymnasium

On April 12, Alinda Uzel, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Agent/Unit Coordinator and Bill Sanders, incoming Director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) spoke to the Board of Supervisors about the important economic role that the Electronic Village can play in the community.

The May 15th meeting held in the Courts and Administration Building at King and Queen Court House was attended by three TLT members in addition to Alinda Uzel and Matt Lewis, VCE agent. The group planned the five county wide public promotional meetings. The TLT decided to replace the promotional bookmarks used over the past year with cheaper business cards. The TLT will ask the Superintendent of Schools for King and Queen County to have these business cards included in report cards sent home from Central High School. They decided to promote the site to local businesses with flyers to encourage them to sign up for hosting services, and also to include a business card template so the business could easily print cards with the URL to their VBI account listed on it. The group also came up with the following ideas for increasing the use of and promoting the KQ Info Trail Web site:

Changes to the Home page to show visitors to the site local events rather than the informational page that they currently encounter
Include a link to the State Health Department's restaurant inspection site
A scavenger hunt which would offer a reward for a fact contained within the site
A presentation to government classes at the high school with the message that they review agendas for the Board of Supervisors meetings and other events open to the public so they could become more active in local government

On June 14, Uzel reported on the upcoming community meetings to the Board of Supervisors. At the June meeting, Uzel also discussed the newly activated Discussion Forum and requested that Board members provide appropriate community discussion questions for listing there. These discussions will be advertised and the results furnished to the Board. Only seven people attended the first of the five community wide publicity meetings on June 15. This turnout was lower than expected could be attributed to variety of reasons that included the local free newspaper paper not choosing to publicize the event and the location where the air conditioning did not seem to be adequate in combatting the hot and humid weather. Since the next meeting (July 20) was going to be in a local elementary school that served residents in the area, it is believed that some people may have chosen to attend that meeting instead of the one held on June 15. However, those persons who did attend the meeting stated that they were impressed with what had been accomplished, especially the monthly calendar of events, and would assist in promoting the use of the site. They were surprised at the amount of resources available in the County and listed on the site, and saw the site as a real benefit to the community. There was a request to offer some classes for the general public on basic computer skills. Comments from the evaluations included:

"liked the site's appearance, don't make any major changes"
"it is nice to go into a calm, peaceful representation of our county while at the same time finding the businesses and what is occurring here"
"I like the look and feel of the site and am impressed with the list of businesses?
"I didn't realize there were so many and, I guess, there are more that haven't been identified yet"

Attendees were encouraged to seek out unlisted businesses and notify the TLT so they can be added to the site. The TLT held a brief meeting following the public meeting where they decided to sponsor a photo contest to acquire photographs that would appear randomly on the Home page thereby exposing visitors to the site to various views of King and Queen County. The winner would be picked at the Community Pride Day. It was also announced that Matt Lewis who served this project as a VCE agent for King and Queen County was moving to the Northumberland Extension Office on July 12. We would like to formally recognize and thank him for his efforts and contributions to this project.

On June 21, Sanders and Kevin Inman, TOP Grant Program Support Specialist met with Uzel to tour the county and discuss support needs for the coming year.

The TLT worked with the local school system to send a technology survey home with all fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade students. The survey was related to the Electronic Village and its use; its results will be shared with the IT coordinator of the county school system, the principals and superintendent of schools.

June 15, 2004

The first of five community meetings was held at the Upper King & Queen Volunteer Rescue Squad Building at Newtown at 7:00 p.m.

The attendance was sparse; however, the Board of Supervisor member, Sherrin Alsop, was in attendance. In all, there were 7 attendees. TLT members present were: Matt Lewis, Carole White, Alinda Uzel and Ed Matthews.

Team speculations for the light attendance included the facts that 1) the local free paper chose not to run the promotion for the meeting (this is not an uncommon occurrence!), 2) the facility is not well equipped with A/C and it was a very hot, humid day (even with a window air conditioner and a fan, the atmosphere was warm and humid inside the building) and perhaps local folks were aware of this and avoided the discomfort, and 3) the second meeting will be held at the elementary school that serves this area and perhaps folks opted to attend at this location – we’ll see in July!

During the presentation, it was discovered that the mailing address of the Upper King & Queen Volunteer Rescue Squad as well as the Fire Department were incorrect. These will be corrected as soon as the updated addresses are acquired.

Attendees indicated they had gone into the web site on occasion but it had been a while since doing so. They voiced that they were impressed with what has been done already (especially the monthly calendar of events) and would assist in promoting the use of the site, were surprised with the amount of resources available in the County and listed on the site, sees the site as a real benefit to the community and would support its continuation and expansion. There was a request to possibly offer some classes for the general public on basic computer skills. Comments from the evaluations indicated they “liked the site’s appearance, don’t make any major changes,” “it is nice to go into a calm, peaceful representation of our County while at the same time finding the businesses and what is occurring here,” and “I like the look and “feel” of the site and am impressed with the list of businesses – I didn’t realize there were so many and, I guess, there are more that haven’t been identified yet.” Attendees were encouraged to seek out unlisted businesses and notify the Team so they can be added to the site.

Wonderful, homemade refreshments were served compliments of the Auxiliary of the Upper King & Queen Volunteer Rescue Squad.

Following refreshments, the TLT held a brief meeting. It was decided that the TLT will provide simple refreshments for the next meeting to be held July 20 at the Lawson-Marriott Elementary School in the cafetorium. With the first community meeting completed, it was discovered that the presentation can be shortened and simplified with a special focus on the Village Mall, the value of becoming a Villager, the Calendar and the Discussion Board. TLT member, Donna Elliott will facilitate this meeting. It was suggested that as she makes her presentation, another TLT member navigate the site. The administrators (Carole White, Alinda Uzel and Donna Elliott) will explore the placing of a marquee on the site that will scroll either an upcoming event OR some point or person of interest to county residents. In an effort to acquire a group of pictures to place on the home page and to be seen randomly each time one logs in, it was suggested to sponsor a photo contest – with Junior and Senior categories – with the final “winners” chosen at Community Pride Day. This will be the major topic of discussion at the next TLT meeting. It was announced we will be losing one TLT member, Matt Lewis; he will be leaving King & Queen and moving to the Northumberland Extension Office on July 12.

The meeting was then adjourned.

May 15, 2004

Members present: Alinda Uzel, Matt Lewis, Carole White, Dom Stolfi, Donna Elliott

After reviewing notes recorded at the March meeting (there was no meeting in April however, Alinda Uzel made a brief presentation to the Board of Supervisors and then Bill Sanders, the new Executive Director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village, spoke to the Board about the important role the web site can play in economic development in the rural community) members present developed plans for community meetings and promotion of the web site.

The Discussion Board is listed on the home page and can be activated whenever we choose. It is set up to encourage discussion between citizens and the local government by having an opportunity to share opinions about current issues of concern. Mrs. Uzel will share with the Board at their June meeting that this is ready to be utilized and ask that they provide discussion questions whenever appropriate. There will be a deadline for discussion, comments will be compiled and then provided to the Board.

It was decided that instead of having the five community meetings AND separate TLT meetings, to combine the two. It was felt that this would encourage others to become involved in the design, promotion and continuation of the project. TLT members are asked to attend each community meeting, at each meeting a different TLT member will take facilitation leadership, and the TLT meeting will follow the presentation to the general public. A script that each leader will use will be prepared as well as a CD with the web site on it so it can be presented quicker and without having to be connected to the Internet. The Extension staff will confirm the meeting places suggested by the Team. Dates and locations of the five community meetings are as follows:

June 15, 2004 - Newtown District - 7 p.m. - Upper KQ Volunteer Rescue
Squad Building - Alinda Uzel to take leadership
July 20, 2004 - St. Stephens District - 7 p.m. - Lawson-Marriott Elementary
Cafetorium - Donna Elliott to take leadership
August 17, 2004 - Stevensville District - 7 p.m. - Central High School
Cafeteria - Carole White to take leadership
September 21, 2004 - Buena Vista District - 7 p.m. - Lower KQ Fire
Department - leadership to be determined
October 19, 2004 - Shanghai District - 7 p.m. - KQ Elementary School
Gymnasium - Matt Lewis to take leadership.

A promotional business card was developed to replace the bookmark. This is easier reproduced and more economical for supplies and time.

Much discussion occurred over how to keep the web site in the public’s eye in order to increase its use and visibility. It was decided to ask the Superintendent of Schools to support this effort by allowing the inclusion of the business card in all the envelopes when report cards are sent to parents of students at Central High School, allow the distribution of flyers promoting support for the local economy by supporting local businesses and by adding a business card template to the web site so local businesses can print their own off the site with the only cost being the purchase of business card stock at discount stores or supply houses.

It was suggested that we consider changing what the person who logs into the site sees first – to have the local events come up with possibly a focus on the one event coming up next. Discussion also occurred around possibly having a scrolling banner with announcements about up-coming events. This will be discussed at greater length at the next meeting. Also suggested was to have a link to the VA State Health Department’s restaurant inspection site. That will also have to be researched before being added.

Other promotional ideas were to have a scavenger hunt kind of event which would hide something in the pages and connect it to some type of award if found. This needs to be researched further and discussed. Another idea was to make a presentation to the government classes at the high school, have them check out the agendas to the Board meetings and other public meetings and encourage them to get more actively involved in local government.

The next meeting will be combined with the Newtown District Community Meeting and will be held on Tuesday, June 15, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. at the Upper King and Queen Volunteer Rescue Squad Building at Newtown. Their Auxiliary will provide refreshments.

January - March '04 quarterly summary

The King and Queen TLT met two times during this quarter. On February 17 the major agenda item was discussion of the Technology Assessment Master Plan with J. Nichols and development of a tentative schedule for this activity along with identification of local leaders to be interviewed. The March 23 meeting centered on an evaluation of the Take Charge process, conducted by P. Gibson from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). A community readiness workshop was held on February 12 in the King and Queen Courts and Administration Building. J. Shetrone of the BEV staff gave a presentation about the community site and the potential for businesses or organizations that wished to develop a web presence at no cost. Twelve representatives from local businesses, churches, and nonprofit groups attended and four began the registration process to establish their web pages. Several of those present put forth ideas of how they could direct customers from their businesses to other local businesses, thus increasing the local economy. The following day messages were received from five additional groups who had not been able to send a representative to the session, but wanted more information about establishing a web presence on the King and Queen site.

February 25, 2004

A community wide informational meeting regarding free web pages for local groups and businesses was held on Thursday, February 12, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. in the King & Queen Courts and Administration Building's Court Room.

Jaime Shetrone made a PowerPoint presentation about the kqinfotrail and the potential for each community group and local business to develop a linked web page at no cost.

Participants introduced themselves and told a little about their business or group and how they thought being e-connected might help them.

There were 12 participants representing churches, local businesses and non-profits. Upon conclusion of the meeting, 4 participants began the registration process to establish their web pages. During an informal exchange, several businesses shared how they could direct their clients to the other businesses, thereby, increasing the local economy.

The day after the meeting, we received 5 messages via phone and e-mail apologizing for not being at the meeting but wanting more information about developing the web page.

October - December '03 quarterly summary

The King and Queen Information Trail (the community network developed as part of this project) was showcased at the county-wide event Community Pride Day held on October 18. This is the only annual event that includes the entire county and focuses on the positive aspects of living in King and Queen. This event also connects folks with available resources in the county, and activities draw families and children. More than 2,000 county residents attended and had the opportunity to see a display promoting the community web site. Three hundred bookmarks were distributed, and handouts and enrollment forms for businesses and community organizations wishing to be listed on the site were available. Several new businesses completed their forms that day.

A positive outgrowth of the community network in King and Queen has been the addition of a site for children. The Community Prevention Council provided resources for the development of a link just for kids that includes a calendar of events for children and youth, resources for help with homework, and connections with the local DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. This site www.thetigertrail.net can be reached through the King and Queen community network or accessed directly.

The King and Queen Technology Leadership Team (TLT) met 10/21 to discuss project related activities. R Roberts from the Blacksburg Electronic Village attended this meeting and provided an overview of Community Connections (for non-profits and community organizations) and Virtual Business Incubator (for home based and micro businesses) -- services that are provided as part of this project.

July - September '03 quarterly summary

The King and Queen TLT is moving forward with the community technology assessment in their county. The technology assessment process will be led by J Nichols, Information Technology Manager for Communication Network Services, at Virginia Tech. Mr. Nichols has a strong interest in community development and how communication infrastructure can support both economic development and community participation. Initial plans for the assessment were shared with the TLT at the September meeting. Data collection will begin with a survey on computer and web use that will be conducted at the three schools in King and Queen County and also posted on the web site. Assessment plans will be shared with the Board of Supervisors, County Planning Commission, and County Economic Development Commission prior to initiation of data collection to enlist their support. King and Queen County also supports an annual Community Pride Day that focuses on family fun, but also on connecting folks with available resources. This year more than 1,400 people attended. The Information Trail web site was promoted with bookmarks, handouts, and surveys for businesses, organizations, and clubs regarding knowledge of and interest in posting opportunities. Over 300 handouts were distributed.

At the TLT meeting held on August 19th, R. Roberts demonstrated the community discussion board and provided a hands-on opportunity for members to experience its capability.

On July 23, 2003, King and Queen sponsored a workshop, Cashing in on Business Opportunities: Developing a Winning Business Plan. Of the 21 persons who attended, 13 have participated in at least four hours of instruction on related topics over the past several months.

Evaluation surveys indicated that: 100% learned more about the purpose of a business plan 100% learned more about use of computer software to assist in business plan development 92% learned how to conduct a market analysis 85% learned more about potential sources of funding 77% learned how to compile financial data

Two actions that participants intended to take immediately included: Begin writing a business plan (7) Study the resource material I received (4) Do research (2) Conduct preliminary market analysis (1) Determine my market (1) Contact government officials about zoning (1) Contact a representative at a nearby Small Business Center (1)

The equipment (software and hardware) needed for running the Community Network in King and Queen County has been deployed and is fully operational. It has been tested by members of the project team, King and Queen County technology leadership team and the residents of King and Queen.

August 20, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their August 19th meeting.

Meeting minutes

July 22, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their July 15th meeting.

Meeting minutes

April - June '03 quarterly summary

King & Queen County held 3 TLT meetings this quarter, on April 8th, May 13th, and June 9th. The TLT began testing their community network on May 20th, and presented the site to the King & Queen County Board of Supervisors on June 9th. The site went live to the public on June 10th and can be viewed at http://www.kqinfotrail.net. There has been an extroadinary word-of-mouth response in King & Queen County, with over 100 members registering on the community network so far.

One outcome of the work on this project in King and Queen County was the organization of a regional May 9 Agri-tourism Business Opportunities Conference held in King and Queen Courthouse. This regional conference was supported by the VCE programs in Planning District 18 which includes King and Queen, King William, Essex, Gloucester, and Middlesex counties. More than 60 persons registered for the conference, including the Director and Associate Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, a staff member of Congresswoman J.A. Davis from Virginia Congressional District 1, and economic development officers from surrounding counties. State Senator B. Bolling sent his regrets. Conference speakers included Dr. Ann Lastovica and Andy Haskins, Associate Professors at Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA. A panel of entrepreneurs currently engaged in agri-tourism and direct marketing ventures shared their experiences with the audience. Evaluation survey results described below indicated that the conference had met a perceived need and that additional community readiness workshops are needed.

Evaluations completed by conference attendees indicated that:

72% learned ways to determine the opportunity that best suits their situation
60% learned of resources available for beginning an agri-tourism business
52% gained some new ideas for their agri-tourism business
48% plan to begin the start of their agri-tourism business
12% plan to expand a current business

Spin-off workshops on the following topics are now being scheduled.

Developing a Business Plan Identifying/Reaching My Customer and Marketing on the Internet Tax Issues/Legal Issues for my Business Funding Resources

The workshop on developing a business plan will be held on July 23, 2003 at the King and Queen Courthouse.

June 23, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their June 9th meeting.

Meeting minutes

Additionally, they have sent along the following information about their recent efforts:

On May 9, 2003, the TLT of KQ sponsored an agri-tourism conference. This builds on the use of the community web to increase the economy of the county by supporting existing businesses and encouraging the development of new ones. The TLT involved Extension ANR and FCS agents in Planning District 18 in the planning and implementation of this effort with expertise and leadership from the VCE Specialists, Ann Lastovica and Andy Hankins.

On July 23, 2003, based on evaluations from the Agri-Tourism Conference, the 2nd workshop will be held in KQ. The topic is "Developing a Business Plan." John has met with her and Dr. Ann Lastovica is giving leadership to this - other "experts" on the topic will be involved in the session.

We are working with a local community action agency to plan and implement a series of 5 community workshops utilizing laptop computers. This agency has the computers, which are wirelessly connected, and trainers and have agreed to implement these workshops to county residents who would like to learn how to use a computer, access the internet and just get an overall understanding of computers. One component of each of these sessions will be introduction to the KQInfoTrail, how to access it if you don't have internet access at home, and how to use it to connect with available resources within the County.

May 16, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their May 13th meeting.

Meeting agenda
Meeting minutes

April 11, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their April 8th meeting.

Meeting agenda

January - March '03 quarterly summary

The King and Queen County Technology Leadership Team (TLT) went through three sessions of the Take Charge process on 1/9/2003, 1/16/2003 and 1/23/2003. In these sessions they discussed where the TLT thought they were at present, where they wanted to be in 2020 and how they planned to get there. They summarized the technology needs of King and Queen county as follows: - Complete development of the Community Village web site - Survey assessment of current computer/internet usage - Seek grant funding to support infrastructure, equipment and training - Agri-Tourism Regional Conference (develop micro-business in KQ)

Details of these sessions and activities of the King and Queen County TLT can be found on the web site for this project at http://top.bev.net/counties/kingqueen.php.

The members of King and Queen TLT have clearly understood the possibilities for the use of technology to transform their county and are working enthusiastically and aggressively to make that vision a reality. They have started working with the project coordinator, Jaime Shetrone on using the insights gained during the Take Charge process for generating content for their community network Web site.

March 19, 2003

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their March 11th meeting.

Meeting minutes

February 27, 2002

The King and Queen TLT met on February 25th, 2003. Tiffany Wyatt, a sixth-grade student at Lawson-Marriott School was presented with a gift certificate for $100 to commemorate her winning entry for the name for the electronic village – King & Queen Information Trail.

Meeting minutes
Award press release

January 24, 2003

King and Queen have completed their Take Charge! View this powerpoint presentation (11 megs) to see their results.

January 13, 2003

The first Take Charge meeting went very well - for those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you and hope you can join us next Thursday for meeting 2.

We took votes on the two top names for the village (King and Queen Life - KQLife) and King & Queen Information Trail (KQInfoTrail). The preference by a vast majority was KQInfoTrail.

Next Thursday's meeting will not be in the auxiliary gym - it will be in a large classroom in the main section of the building. Enter the main entrance and continue to your right past the cafeteria and continue past the cafeteria managers office to the first classroom on the right. (signs will be up to point you in the right direction.)

King and Queen Take Charge Meeting 1

October - December '02 quarterly summary

The Technology Leadership Team (TLT)is formed and they are progressing rapidly in this project. TLT was trained on Nov. 19th. Take Charge is scheduled for January. The laptop meant for use of King & Queen citizens groups have been delivered to the VCE agent, Ms. Alinda Uzel.

December 3, 2002

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information about their November 19th meeting.

Meeting minutes

October 9, 2002

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information after their October 8th meeting.

Meeting agenda
Meeting minutes

July - September '02 quarterly summary

King and Queen County are developing their Technology Leadership Team and have made several efforts to include people county-wide in the project through a contest to name the web site and other press releases.

September 24, 2002

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) has sent on the following information after their September 17th meeting.

Meeting agenda
Meeting minutes
Name contest press release

September 2, 2002

The Technology and Community Website Committee (TLT) met for a second time. They have selected September 17th at 7:00pm as their next meeting date.

The group wants to conduct a county wide contest with a savings bond as a prize for the web site name (URL). Potential names will be collected at the community pride day in October, and the committee will vote on a winner.

Meeting agenda
Meeting minutes

August 1, 2002

See the press release from King & Queen county about the "Getting Rural Virginia Connected" program!

Also, see the survey results from the participants at this meeting.

July 22, 2002

Unit Coordinator has made informal presentations to several local groups to generate interest:

King & Queen Community Involvement Team
Governmental Department Heads
King & Queen Woman's Club
King & Queen Ruritan Club

UC has met with Specialist on two occasions to visit across the County and meet contacts to generate interest.

Two advertisements have run in the local paper that goes to all households free-of-charge to generate interest in attending the countywide informational meeting

Posters and flyers have been distributed countywide to invite residents to the informational meeting.

130 personal invitations to the informational meeting were mailed out on July 19. These invitations went to:

All clubs and organizations in the County including fire/rescue, service organizations, NAACP, prevention council

Every church in the County
Board of Supervisors and County Administrator
School Board and Superintendent of Schools
Principals and Staff of all county schools
Chief, Tribal Council and Members of Rappahannock Tribe
Directors and members of King & Queen Historical Society and the Graves Museum
Business heads that have shown support for progress in the County over the years
Private residents that have shown interest in economic growth in the County in the past
Miscellaneous other "movers and shakers" in the County
Directors of Senior Citizens groups

A countywide informational meeting will be held on August 1 - participants at that meeting will be given an opportunity to volunteer to serve on the citizen planning committee. Several residents have already volunteered (representatives from black churches, Community Involvement Team, Rappahannock Tribe, Ruritan Club, one production farmer, one retiree and other private citizens). If there are not enough volunteers from the meeting, others will be recruited. Plans are to involve at least 2 youth who are involved in technology education at the high school.

There is strong support from the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator. Also, from everyone we have spoken with over the last few weeks. So far there have been few obstacles.