Read Citizen Comments & Appreciations

November 24, 2025 - Waste Management

Hi, my name is Richard Toth, and I live at 241 E. Queens Drive in Williamsburg.  We had a very large pile of yard debris to be picked up, and the fella came by this morning and I just wanted to leave a message saying thank you! He did a terrific job, cleaned up everything, and it looks better than it did before we stacked the debris there. So, I just wanted to say thank you to that fella, whoever he is, and I appreciate a really good job. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, God bless.  Happy Thanksgiving!

November 17, 2025 - Waste Management

To: Roane, Stephen <Stephen.Roane@yorkcounty.gov>
Subject: Thank You York County Waste Management Center 

Steve, 

I would like to express my thanks and a "Job Well Done!!!" to the employees of the York County Waste Management Center.  When I arrive to recycle items the check in person is always professional and courteous. Then when I go to the recycling area the employee at the corrugated drop off table always helps me unload my vehicle   and if I need additional  help, assists me with placing glass/plastic/paper  items in the appropriate container.   

Respectfully Submitted 

Al Crane LtCol USAF Retired
Vietnam Veteran

October 21, 2025 - Commissioner of the Revenue

Dear Lisa - 

We are  new to the York County community; we've only lived in York County since August 2025. 

On October 21, 2025, we called the real estate department about a tax bill received last Friday and due on December 5, 2025. Kim helped us with our tax matter. We requested the name of Kim's supervisor, so we could reach out to you about how helpful Kim was to us. 

Too often, we can be quick to complain, but slow to praise; in short, we found Kim to be the consummate professional and a breathe of fresh air. We hope you will place this email correspondence in Kim's personnel file, so it can be reviewed the next time she is evaluated; but please do not wait to let Kim know how much we appreciated her help; please share our praise with her, sooner than later, and many thanks. 

Best Regards, 

Robert & Helen. Roybark

October 14, 2025  - Public Works

Mr. Falin,

I’d like to take a moment to formally acknowledge and thank one of your employees, Nick Petersen, for the outstanding service he provided during a recent visit to my rental property.

Nick responded very promptly upon receiving the call and quickly assessed what was a concerning situation for my tenant. As I wasn’t on site at the time, he interacted directly with the tenant in a  professional, courteous manner and provided clear communication throughout the visit.

Based on Nick's experience, he explained what he believed the issue might be, offered practical recommendations, and assisted the tenant to the full extent of what was possible within his role. I also appreciated that he took the time to return my call personally. He was respectful, knowledgeable, and again, professional, and our conversation was very productive.

I shared with Nick that I had exposed a good portion of the sewage line based on his recommendation but hadn’t seen any root obstruction.  It was the correct line of reasoning and he thoughtfully provided additional insight and suggestions based on that information. Furthermore, he noted that future work by the county might be needed to raise the cleanout to ground level—an observation I found both helpful and proactive.

Thanks to Nick’s excellent customer service, a potentially stressful situation was made far easier to navigate. Please extend my sincere thanks to him on behalf of both myself and the tenant. He represented your team exceptionally well.

Respectfully,

Paul Finkenauer

September 10, 2025 - Waste Management (Willie Banks)

Mr. Roldan from 208 Beechwood Drive called and wanted to say thank you for a great job on the yard debris collection.  Willie went above and beyond in picking up his yard debris.  He cleaned up so well after collecting the debris and he was very appreciative.

September 8, 2025 - Fire and Life Safety

Chief Baldwin,  

My name is Jeff Harris, I am a primary care doctor at a long established clinic in Yorktown and prior to medical school was a paid firefighter/medic in Northern Virginia.  I had and continue to have the pleasure and honor of interacting with Chief Kopczynski. 

I wanted to share a positive story with you which should not go unnoticed.   

I visited a patient who was at home on hospice the last week of July - his wife related that during a large storm on the 26^th of July her power went out, which meant that her husband's oxygen concentrator stopped working.  Although she did have oxygen cylinders, she could not figure out how to attach the regulator and get the oxygen to flow.   She had heard that because her husband was on hospice (he had a growing brain tumor) she should not call EMS or have him taken to the hospital, but he was NOT supposed to die due to lack of oxygen, so she called 911.  She felt very guilty about this.  However, the crew who arrived (she believes from Station 4) was more than accommodating - they not only got her oxygen cylinder working but due to concern for when the power would come back on they left her several oxygen cylinders from their unit just in case she needed more throughout the night.  Before they left the crew made sure all her other needs were met - I believe she said they even helped reposition her husband in his hospital bed.  She was more than grateful.   

I don't have to be convinced York County is a great place to live, but stories like this certainly make me feel better about all the things that happen here. 

I hope your transition into the position has not been too rocky! 

Feel free to contact me at any time for any reason. 

Thanks for what you do. 

Dr. Jeffrey Harris, DO

Yorktown Family Medicine, TPMG

September 5, 2025 - Tourism & Events (Trolley Driver)

July 30, 2025 - Public Works

Good morning Samantha.  Thank you so much for the opportunity to meet at The Lakes at Dare pump station on the 16th.  I learned and was enlightened so much about this vital infrastructure and the folks who manage and maintain it (including you) that most of us take for granted until something goes wrong.  I shared some of what I learned and my experience with at the community board of directors (BOD) meeting held later that day. 

For future reference, our current BOD president is Dennis “DC” Campbell,  

Thank you again,

Kermit B. Ashby, M.D.

July 14, 2025 - Parks and Recreation / Public Works

To whom it may concern,

The McReynolds Athletic Complex (MAC) hosted our 2025 Virginia State Little League Softball tournament 4-9 July. This tournament is not your typical travel ball tournament where teams come in and play shortened games all weekend and that’s it.  These teams consisted of eight 9-11 year old and twelve 10-12 year old girl softball teams from 16 Little League districts in VA. The Championship teams of these tournaments will represent Virginia in the LL Regional Tournament. The Regional games are broadcasted on ESPN.

I’m explaining this to you so you may recognize the impact the experience at the MAC had on the overall Little League Inc. and the 20 VA teams. Some things I’d like to point out.

The MAC’s performance was simply Outstanding in all aspects. We do a survey after every state tournament, and this feedback has only positive comments for the MAC and its employees. Many visitors expressed both verbally and, in the survey, how beautiful the complex is kept and just the overall venue.  The teams from the grounds, fields, and concessions played such a vital role in the feedback.  I’d like to point out a couple examples.

On Monday, approximately 6pm, we got hit with a freak downpour. ¾ inch in about a half hour. We had two games of “pool play” left that day that had to be played or we would have to move the tournament one whole day. This would’ve caused approximately 12 teams to stay a whole another day to see if they were advancing to the quarter finals. After the downpour, Judson did an assessment and said he thought he could get both fields ready by approximately 9:30. Many were skeptical, but yes, he and team did it and we played at 9:30. As many said, simply miraculous! Additionally, we played 10 full games on 3 fields a day with full dragging and lining between each game, sometimes a half hour in between, zero games started late.

Another situation I’d like to point out, the concessions team was fully onboard, making this a memorable experience for these teams and families. Concessions were open and stocked every day, and the personnel were friendly and accommodating. We had another freak event where there was an infestation of honeybees. It was just crazy, but because they are protected, the concession team voluntarily went around to trash cans and gathering points and washed down with water.  We did have several folks get stung but could’ve been much more if it wasn’t for the concessions team.  Also, after our rain delay expressed above, Robbie offered to stay and manage the concessions until we finished at about midnight.

I just want to close by saying this was a great tournament primarily because of the efforts of the MAC team. You probably will notice that I’m Taylor’s father, but my comments are not necessarily directed to him, but should be focused on the whole MAC team, class act. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Bob Sherrill
VA District 7 Administrator

May 8, 2025 - Public Works

 I just wanted to reach out and let you know that the PM crew—Alex, Antwann, Steve, and Anthony—were absolutely awesome and very professional! It was a pleasure working with them. They arrived promptly, explained everything clearly, and made the whole process smooth and easy. 

Ashley House

May 6, 2025 - Public Works

Tim / Mike, 

Received a call from a citizen (Erin Weniger at 300 Lexington Court in Kiln Creek) thanking Alex McKeen for going above and beyond to help her out with a sewer backup.  She said he was really patient with her and was able to troubleshoot / fix an issue they had been dealing with for a couple weeks, please pass along everyone’s thanks / job well done, 

-Jon  

Jonathan Seiter, Assistant Director
York County Public Works

April 28, 2025 - Waste Management

County Manager/Supervisor:

As a new resident of Williamsburg, specifically in the Waller Mill Heights subdivision, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Lori from York County Waste Management this morning. Lori conducted herself with the utmost professionalism, providing clear and comprehensive information regarding the services available in the area. I am sincerely grateful for her assistance, which has helped ensure a smooth transition into our new community. Thank you, Lori, for your outstanding service and for making our introduction to the area such a positive experience. 

Jim Green 
108 Posmold Turn
Williamsburg 

April 23, 2025 - Planning Division

Dear Ms. Jeanne,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for meeting with me about the property at 3204 Big Bethel Road.

I really appreciate how generous you were with your time, especially considering I stopped by without any notice. You made me feel welcome and took the time to answer my questions, which was incredibly helpful. I left with a much clearer understanding of the property, thanks to your input.

Thanks again for your kindness and patience—I truly appreciate it.

Best,

Anjum Kohli

April 3, 2025 - Public Works

A quick note of thanks and appreciation for the recent work done by your crew at my residence at 424 Lindsay Landing Lane, in the Breezy Point area of York County. I called them in the afternoon on April first, and they responded later at about 6:30 PM and worked until my line was clear and draining properly. They returned in the morning of April second with the truck to visually inspect the line and determine what other work would be required. They kept me well informed throughout the process, and have developed a good plan of action for the future. 

The crew was doing the work was : Alex, Steve, Donnell, and Anthony. Please thank them for their good work, quick response, and professional service. Their work is an example ho how all County services should be provided. 

Thanks again.  Charlie Park

March 13, 2025 - Public Works

Hello, I just wanted to give a big shout out to your wonderful crew that came to my home at 101 Kiskiac Turn on Feb 27th to repair a sewer pipe that apparently had broken causing us to have a blocked sewer line. The crew was very professional and polite.  I was able to talk with Nick at the time and he explained everything perfectly.  On March 7th the crew returned just like they said they would to complete the project with landscaping. Thanks again York County dept of public works for everything. 

Sincerely ,

Sherri Salmon

March 7, 2025 - Public Works 

Good morning-

I wanted to write to share a wonderful experience I had with one of your crews last week (2/26).  I had a plumbing issue that partially flooded the interior of my home.  I called public works and they dispatched a crew.  As it turns out, there was a root in the pipe outside. Nick Petersen and his crew were so fantastic! What should have been a horrible day was made better by their kindness and hard work in resolving the issue.

I am so grateful and wanted to be sure you knew what a great team you have!

~Nicole Sneddon

January 27, 2025 - Public Works

Sirs, 

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 25, I returned home after being gone all day to find that the force main in front of my house had ruptured. I immediately called the Public Works Emergency Number to report the issue. A short time later, Matt Martinez arrived on scene to assess the situation. After assessing and confirming the force main situation, he informed me that a crew would be heading to my address to get things fixed. Soon after, the crew consisting of Alex McKeen, Mike Falin, Nick Peterson, Steve N., Cameron, Skip, and Wayne arrived on scene to assist Matt. As a long-term employee of a neighboring municipality, I know that utility crews generally don’t get the recognition that they deserve because most people think “they’re just doing their job.” While it may be true that they are doing their job, they also have families and lives outside of work. That being said, whenever a break like this happens, they drop what they’re doing and come to the rescue. I’m a firm believer that these employees should be recognized more often for the contributions they make to our community, so I just wanted you to know that you have some fantastic employees on your staff. I appreciate each of them and the service they provide to the citizens of York County. Please convey my thanks and appreciation to the crew listed above. I would also like to extend an extra “thank you” to Matt for keeping me updated on the status of everything that was going on. 

Sincerely,

Tina Colonna - 213 Oaktree Road

January 22, 2025 - Planning
 Caitlin,

Dianne and I watched the BOS proceedings last night on TV. Just wanted to say how we both thought you did an outstanding job with your presentation on the very difficult and challenging topic of adult businesses. It was well presented and thoroughly backed up with the details our supervisors needed to make a supportable decision. 

Thank you and the entire planning team for the hard work on this one and all you do for the people of York County. 

Rich 

Richard C. Howell
104 Horseshoe Drive
Williamsburg VA 23185

January 5, 2025 - Animal Services / Fire and Life Safety

January 3, 2025 - Public Works

My husband and I were dismayed having just returned from two weeks out of town to have our half-bath flood from water bubbling out of our downstairs toilet on New Year’s Eve.  It was close to 5:00 pm, so we were uncertain whom to call and very afraid that we wouldn’t be able to get help.  We called 911, and from that moment on, we were thrilled to talk to patient and helpful county workers. They came to our house within a reasonable amount of time and determined that our sewer line was blocked. The washer spin water was too much for the sewer line, hence the flooding three times.  We were able to stay in our home overnight and New Year’s Day until York County was able to send out a crew headed by Nick Petersen on the 2nd. They arrived at 8:00 am, and worked nonstop until after 4:00 pm.  We cannot praise these men enough for the excellent job they did.  We have paving bricks on the end of our drive where the sewer pipe entry is located.  They took them out meticulously so that they could put them back after the job was completed.  Nick explained several times the steps they were taking and was always of a cheerful demeanor telling us that he has the BEST crew.

Nick and his crew did an absolutely amazing job!  We want to be sure they all get the credit due and thank York County Public Works for making this a great county to live in!

Thank you!

Sandy & Jim Ritter
101 Naurene Court