By Ryan Kushner

Staff writer

The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors will hold its annual retreat outside of the county this year, instead of at an event center in the county.

The two-day retreat, which is open to the public, is slated to take place in the city of Suffolk, in part to avoid “distractions” in Isle of Wight, according to Assistant County Administrator Don Robertson. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

Robertson said that when a retreat is held at a location within 10 minutes of a Board or staff member’s home or business, there’s always a temptation to slip away from the meeting.

Holding it in Suffolk, about a 35-minute drive from the Board’s regular meeting place at the county court house boardroom, would help eliminate such temptation and allow the Board to focus, Robertson said.

The focus of the retreat will be wide-ranging, but will include training on how to communicate with citizens, and brainstorming what the Board wants the county to be known for, according to County Administrator Randy Keaton at the Board’s regular meeting Thursday, Sept. 21.

The Board will also discuss county projects with department heads on the second day of the retreat.

The retreat will be held at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation (VMAS) Center, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11-12.

Robertson said the county searched numerous centers within an hour from the county before settling on the VMAS Center, which will cost $500 in total to rent.

Other expenses will include lunch for the Board members, according to Robertson, but the annual retreat does not necessarily have a fixed budget.

The Board has held previous retreats at The Smithfield Center as well as Smithfield Station, according to Robertson.

The ODU VMAS Center is located at 1030 University Blvd., Suffolk.  {/mprestriction}