On the agenda: Bridgewater Minutes — ALPR (Aug 11)

MINUTES
BRIDGEWATER TOWN COUNCIL
August 11, 2026
Present: Mayor Ted W. Flory Council: Steven A. Schofield, Travis L. Bowman, William B. Kyger,
Jr., A. Fontaine Canada, James M. Tongue, Stephanie L. Curtis.
Absent: None.
The Bridgewater Town Council met in regular session on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at Sipe
Center, 100 North Main Street, Bridgewater, Virginia.
Oath of Office: Prior to the scheduled meeting and public hearing, Chaz Haywood, Rockingham
County Circuit Court Clerk, was present to administer the oath of office to William B. Kyger, Jr. to
serve until the special election.
Call to Order: Mayor Flory called the Council to order at 7:05 p.m.
Invocation: Mr. Bowman gave the invocation.
Special Presentation: Sergeant Will gave an informative presentation about E-bikes given the rise of
their usage in town. The presentation included the different kinds and classes of e-bike, dangers,
legalities, and safety measures for parents and children to consider including proper helmets and
lights. Most notably, parents need to consider the speeds these bikes reach and teach proper road
rules and stopping distances to stop at higher speed on a heavier bike. Other drivers need to be aware
that these bikes are approaching more quickly when considering pulling out.
Visitors: Mayor Flory laid out some ground rules and expectations since there were a number of
people wishing to speak about Flock, and reminded all present that Council would be making no
decisions this evening about the cameras.
1. William White (111 South Pope Street) voiced his concerns about Flock/ALPR cameras, and
thanked Mr. Litten for the Extra Time discussion recently at Town Hall. Mr. White cited the Fourth
Amendment for most of his concerns with Flock.
2. Shad Edge (New Hope) noted that while not a resident, he works at Creative Cause Solutions and
considers it to be a home and was previously a resident at Bridgewater College. Shad expressed
opposition to Flock cameras, mass data collection, unaccountable private vendors, and compared
Flock to a virus invading.
3. Jenny Riedel (105 East College Street) asked Council to reconsider the Flock contract and noted
that the police chief at the time they were installed requested them, but residents were not given any
input. She shared statistics and information on cases relating to Flock.
4. Robbie Miller (12 College Woods Drive) said that Bridgewater is consistently one of the safest
towns, even before Flock installation, and he doesn’t want to be constantly under surveillance. He
knows the Town had the best of intentions when installing them, but knowing what we now know,
removing the cameras would be best.
5. David Manson (105 McGuffin Avenue) echoed many of the concerns previously brought up but
also brought up improper access to the data being of concern, as well as wrong identification of
individuals based on Flock data.

Town of Bridgewater Council Minutes
August 11, 2026
Page 2

6. Anna Cubbage (4188 Sunrise Drive) listed her connections to the Town, the merits of small towns
and spontaneous “reunions” running into people in town but doesn’t like that Flock now knows
details about where she goes and when. She disapproves of the cataloging of our small-town
information and commented on how invasive the process is. She also noted that none of this
conversation is about being for or against public safety—we all have a desire to live in a safe
community.
7. Janina Greene (319 North 1st Street) also spoke in opposition to the Flock cameras and said
cameras are tools, but the hands they’re in are what matters—she’s all for it in the hands of our police,
but not in Flock’s hands.
8. Mark Flanders (100 South Grove Street) spoke at length about the demise of Bridgewater
character and poor Council judgment, taking issue with Generations Park, the new Town signage, the
historic street sign replacement, school zone cameras, Flock cameras, and the new building next to
Sipe Center.
9. Chris Horst (300 Victoria Drive) spoke in favor of the Flock cameras. He respects right to privacy
but stated there seems to be a lot of misinformation. Flock cameras have been a useful tool and
research says they do not have facial recognition, they’re not looking in your windows or listening to
conversations, and that they’re capturing information about vehicles to be used in legitimate
investigation. Flock cameras can, and have, assisted law enforcement in solving crimes, and
removing an effective tool actively helping to solve crime is not a good idea. Our cell phones track
everywhere we go, what websites and apps we’re using, so if we’re concerned about technology and
privacy, phones are a bigger concern than Flock.
10. Ewan Benjamin (400 Green Street) opposes the Flock cameras. He spoke of his peace-building
degree at EMU, feels the Flock cameras are a dangerous game, and also spoke of not appreciating
cameras catching vulnerable private moments.
11. Rhiannon Bloom (Weyers Cave) has been working in Bridgewater since 2021 and used to attend
Bridgewater College and opposes the Flock cameras. The cameras make her feel unsafe knowing
where she’s going and having them in the town doesn’t make us any safer.
12. Isaac, a Rockingham County resident, says he sees a lot of the dangers of ALPRs and the AI tools
are installed all over. His concern is over where the cameras are installed, and he wants his own child
to grow up in a country where he doesn’t have to feel like he’s being watched by the government all
of the time.
13. Jim Dye (5097 Scenic Highway) spoke of the history of his house and why he chose it, and
considered the history of our country and said he wanted to make the Flock argument more
philosophical and related it to liberty. He said it doesn’t mean things can’t have a benign usefulness,
but if there is a compromise of liberty a price must be paid.
14. Josiah Schulz (114 Northshore Drive) said he has spoken with and respects all members of
Council and feels they’re the right people to be leading the Town. Mr. Schulz said freedom and mass
surveillance are not synonymous, and he doesn’t want the Flock cameras to stay.
15. Zach Williams, current Harrisonburg resident but Turner Ashby High School graduate, spoke in
opposition of the Flock cameras and noted police abuses as well as the fact that residents didn’t
consent to the cameras being installed and it being a breach of Fourth Amendment rights.

Town of Bridgewater Council Minutes
August 11, 2026
Page 3

Mayor Flory did clarify at the conclusion of the Visitor comments that the new police chief would not
make the decision for Council, as it is a Council decision, however as Mayor he felt it unwise to make
the decision without consulting the new police chief whoever he or she may be.
Minutes: Ms. Morgan Shirkey
July minutes were approved as presented.
Finance: Mr. Steven Schofield
1. July Treasurer’s Report (Attached).
Mr. Schofield moved that the July 2026 Treasurer’s Report be accepted for submission to audit.
Seconded by Mr. Tongue. The motion carried unanimously as follows: Those voting aye: Schofield,
Kyger, Bowman, Flory, Canada, Tongue, Curtis. Those voting nay: None. Absent: None.
2. July Bills (Attached).
Mr. Schofield moved to appropriate and authorize the payment of July bills in the amount of
$575,100.19 and to ratify the earlier payment of bills totaling $266,945.82, all as reviewed and
approved by Town staff and the Finance Committee Chairman. Seconded by Ms. Curtis. The motion
carried unanimously as follows: Those voting aye: Schofield, Kyger, Bowman, Flory, Canada,
Tongue, Curtis. Those voting nay: None. Absent: None.
Ordinance:
Mayor Flory assigned Mr. Kyger to the Ordinance Committee, taking over the role from Dr. Miracle.
Administrative Report: Mr. J. Jay Litten
1. Lawn Party After Action Report. Mr. Litten said the report is in the Council packet, and he didn’t
want to go over all the points, but we as a staff had decided to go over what we had done well and
what we need to do better as partners at the lawn party. Overall, we think the 2026 lawn party was a
success from our standpoint, and we understand the revenues were up about 6% over last year, so we
were happy to see that. Offsite parking was generally good, but we need to do a better job of
informing neighbors in the area of what’s expected of them during the lawn party time. Onsite
parking was better than expected, but we need to do a better job understanding what the fire company
wants to do with it so when people call us with questions, we know what to tell them and we foresee
next year back to normal amounts of onsite parking. Buses moved about 500 people from TA to the
lawn party grounds, and we had a fun transportation idea we won’t pursue unless the fire company
endorses it. We brought in extra policing as we do every year—7 extra officers at $55 an hour, with
no significant extra policing issues. We really do need to figure out how to prevent candy from being
thrown during the parades, and we hate to be the bad guys but it’s not safe and someone is going to
get hurt.
Public Works: Mr. A. Fontaine Canada and Ms. Megan S. Byler
1. Milfoil Removal. We’ve been working on this at the staff level and have discussed this Eurasian
milfoil before, and 2 years ago we contracted with a company that cut the milfoil and eliminated a lot
of what we were seeing at the surface level. This milfoil is an invasive species and affects our
ecosystem, choking out other native plant life. From a recreational perspective the milfoil is
unsightly and it’s difficult to kayak through. The previous process was a lot like trimming your lawn,
but there’s a company out of Wisconsin with some expertise due to prominence of the milfoil in the

Town of Bridgewater Council Minutes
August 11, 2026
Page 4

Great Lakes area, and they use diver-assisted suction harvesting (DASH) to pull it and remove it from
the root. Hopefully that has a more long-term effect, so we’re contracting with them to spend 9 days
here. In shallow areas it’ll look like they’re weeding and for deeper areas they’ll have SCUBA gear.
We’re planning this for 2027 by putting it in place now. Mr. Canada asked how we dispose of this,
and Ms. Byler said last time we removed it, let it dry, and disposed of it as we do other brush at the
landfill.
Recreation Commission: Ms. Stephanie L. Curtis and Ms. Megan S. Byler
1. Summer Camp Recap. July 27 started our summer camp that we have done annually since 2018.
We spent the week in many of the parks including Oakdale, Wildwood, Sandy Bottom for mini-golf,
and time at Sipe Center. We also partnered with Ashby Pool this year and got to take the campers
swimming one morning and enjoy time in the water. We had great weather all week and we are
grateful. We had 42 campers this year, plus some junior counselors that have aged out of camp but
have returned to help. A photo montage accompanied the report.
2. Wellness Quarter Events. As we get nearer to opening Wellness Quarter in the late fall, we’re
beginning the planning process in general for day-to-day activities but also larger events we can host
or sponsor ourselves. We’re hoping to show the versatility of the space so early on we’re planning a
pickleball tournament, a collectibles show of some kind such as baseball cards or something like that,
and we’ve discussed a craft show and other ideas. We’re excited today our new Wellness Quarter
manager began work today and already is bringing great ideas to the table.
Community Relations: Mr. Travis Bowman
1. Summer’s End Celebration. Monday, September 7 the fun begins at 8 a.m. at Sandy Bottom with
the Race to the Bottom 5K, followed by Mini-Golf opening at 9 and the Leaderboard Tournament at
11. 5k participants can play mini-golf all day for free by showing their race bibs. Beginning at 3
p.m., Oakdale Park will feature rides, food vendors, and family fun, and Low Water Bridge Band will
provide live music starting at 6:30 on the Oakdale stage. We will end the evening with fireworks at
8:30 p.m.
Economic Development Committee: Mr. Jim Tongue
No report was submitted.
Mayor's Report: Mayor Ted W. Flory
1. Monthly Police Report. Sergeant Will informed everyone that there would be a “Community
Wave” on September 4 from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. at Dairy Queen in Carlyle Whitelow’s memory. Mr.
Whitelow’s birthday is September 6, and this is the 5th anniversary of his passing this year, so to keep
his memory alive people are invited to wave to travelers from the Dairy Queen parking lot as he had
done daily.
Adjournment – 8:31 p.m.

________________________________
Ted W. Flory, Mayor

________________________________
Morgan Shirkey, Clerk