Dan Hoffman: 0:03

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Rouse Review. I'm City Manager Dan Hoffman and with me is Sarah Fry, the PIO.

Sarah Frey: 0:14

Hi Dan, hi everybody.

Dan Hoffman: 0:15

Hello, Public Information Officer. Uh, we today are going to be talking, uh, with, we're going to have a full house today. We're going to talk to Captain Jason Poe. Perry Eisenach, Public Services Director and Dr. Jason Van Heukelen about roadway safety and schools. That's going to be coming up here in just a minute, but first we're going to talk about Council, tomorrow night. So, tomorrow night, and there's really not much to report, honestly. Uh, I'll just say a couple of very quick things. First off, it's the final meeting for the budget. So, if you've not taken advantage of any of the many opportunities to weigh in on the budget, Um, the, the, the clock's ticking. This is past the 11th hour. It's like the 11th hour and 59th minute. Uh, because, Uh, Tomorrow they'll vote on the budget. Um, I'm comfortable with this budget. Uh, you know, we presented options that involved no rate increases whatsoever. We provided an option that did have, um, a rate increase in it for the meals tax. Council selected to go with a half percent increase in the meals tax, which, um, you know, we haven't touched it in a decade. We have very strong meals tax revenue. You know, we look back at the data and even after an increase, and we last increased it about 10 years ago, and the increase before that was 10 years before that, um, you know, revenues stay strong. I think it's important that businesses, businesses pay almost none of this, and when I say almost it's a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of it because it's paid for, it's passed through in essence by the people that pay, you know, for the meals. Um, the other interesting bit of data that, you know, people might be interested in here is that, um, only 20 percent of that revenue comes from city residents. 80 percent of our meals tax revenue comes from people outside the city. Uh, we love it when they come in and eat at our restaurants. We love it when, uh, you know, they visit our businesses, uh, but they also drive on our roads, use our public safety when they're in town. Um, you know, there, there is a, they often use Jim Barnett park. Uh, there's many things that they take advantage of here. So, uh, this is a pretty equitable way. especially in a landlocked city that cannot annex. This is a fairly equitable way if this is the choice of council. And, um, so far they've indicated that it is. So, uh, we'll get that finalized tomorrow night. Uh, otherwise there's not much on the agenda. There is, uh, I think somewhat relatively small land use issue. And then of course an executive session, um, after at the end of the night. Uh, so with that, we're going to take a quick break. We are going to come back and talk to Captain Poe, Pirate Eyes Nock, and Dr. Ben Hukil.

Sarah Frey: 3:28

Are we ready? Are we excited? It's summer. Memorial Day weekend's behind us. We are ready. So first up, the Preston sports complex over at Jim Barnett Park is finished.

Dan Hoffman: 3:40

That was quick.

Sarah Frey: 3:41

Oh, it was like land speed record. Yeah. So we're excited to host a ribbon cutting for Winchester's first turf fields that are not baseball. Um, on Wednesday, May 29th at 5 30 PM at Jim Barnett Park. Come out, join us. Blue Ridge United's going to be there. Park's board is going to be there. It's going to be a great time.

Dan Hoffman: 4:01

Come run around, check out the field. Uh, come say hi.

Sarah Frey: 4:04

It's a cool field. If you haven't had a chance to be on it,

Dan Hoffman: 4:07

come look. It's really nice. It's

Sarah Frey: 4:09

impressive. I stood on it yesterday and felt small because of how big it is. Yes.

Dan Hoffman: 4:15

Yes.

Sarah Frey: 4:16

Alright, next up, Thursday, June 6th, is our next Neighborhood Night! This one's going to be at Park Place Park, which if you don't know where that is, it is on Harvest Drive and Beehive Way. And it's going to start with a pickup party at 530, and then some family friendly activities hosted by Winchester Fire and Rescue Department and Winchester Parks and Rec. Rumor has it there will be some fire trucks, some fire extinguisher, um, things. It's Cornhole, kinds of fun yard games. And then, once dusk hits, we're going to be watching a very popular movie about emotions.

Dan Hoffman: 4:51

Oh.

Sarah Frey: 4:52

That has a sequel coming out a little bit later this summer. I'm not allowed to tell you the name because of our licensing, but you can't figure it out from that.

Dan Hoffman: 5:01

Yeah, easy now. Email me. Don't get us in trouble with the city attorney.

Sarah Frey: 5:04

Right. Um, we'll be watching that in the park. And, we're also going to be having some free hamburgers and hot dogs and ice cream. Awesome. So stop on by. And then, last but certainly not least, Saturday, June 8th, from noon to 6. 30, Parks and Rec is going to be hosting Splash Bash at Jim Barnett Park's outdoor pool. So enjoy the tube slide, diving board, diving board. DJ plays all your favorite tunes and then stick around for some really great door prizes. Sounds

Dan Hoffman: 5:31

like fun.

Sarah Frey: 5:32

It's a fun filled summer in the city.

Dan Hoffman: 5:44

Welcome back. Uh, we're going to talk about roadway safety, which is probably, I'd say this is the, I get the most emails about, uh, emails and concerns that I then immediately forward to Perry to take care of. Uh, and that's why we, today we have Perry Eisenach, our public services director, Dr. Jason Van Heukelum, uh, the superintendent of Winchester Public Schools and Captain Poe from Winchester Police Department. Uh, Captain, you've been with us for how long? Since January of 2017. 2017. So you're on, you're about your eighth year then. Uh, and kind of recent captain, right? When, when, when, when'd you get promoted? Uh, August, September. August, September? Yeah. Oh, it's been a minute. That time frame, yeah. Been a minute. So, uh, before we get into it real quick, What is that, and I'm, from a traffic perspective, because now you're over operations, right? Operations, yes. Which includes all the traffic stuff. What has been your observation on kind of traffic and traffic safety in Winchester and how has it evolved, especially as you've worked the street, and now you're in a leadership role. Tell me a little bit about how you've seen things evolve, have they gotten better? What are you seeing out there?

Capt. Poe: 7:06

Traffic definitely impacts the city. Um, we have a multitude of, of residents, visitors, um, choppers, and they're, this city has a exuberant volume of traffic. Uh, when I first came over in 2017, I will tell you, coming from a deputy sheriff's, um, position, um, We didn't work traffic accidents. The state police did. We worked very few. However, it was quickly embedded in me that we work traffic accidents here, and we have our fair share. And I think, you know, I don't, to be fair, I don't know what the number of vehicles are in the city a day, but there's a lot. And I will tell you that, you know, some of our initiatives have been cell phones and hands free. Uh, I personally believe that's A large magnitude of the causes of the crashes. Yeah.'cause a lot of'em are low impact. Low speed.

Dan Hoffman: 8:00

Um, yeah, that's what I, that's what I. I think what surprises a lot of folks because they're always asking us there's too many accidents, which first off we are relatively low. I mean, we have a lot of low speed roads, but then they say, Oh, speeding is the issue. Speeding is the issue. Put up a lower the speed limit. But that's not the cause of these accidents.

Capt. Poe: 8:21

No, it's not. Uh, I've done countless traffic surveys, uh, from the actual officer doing, conducting the survey to now I review the surveys that the officer's done. And, you know, most of the time, maybe one or two occurrences where the actual traffic survey come back with the data that supported the complaint. Um, for the most part, uh, our visitors and, and, and residents and, and shoppers, um, they're following the speed limit. Um,

Dan Hoffman: 8:51

and the data shows, especially now that we have. 40 plus raised crosswalks throughout the city, which, you know, we've seen in particularly around John Kerr have had a significant, uh, positive effect so far. Uh, and the person responsible for building all of those, you can 99 percent of you love, and 1 percent of you hate them. Perry Eisenach back for his fifth time on the show. Uh, Perry is part of the five timers club here now. Um, yes, the last

Perry Eisenach: 9:19

time I was promised a jacket for my fourth time.

Dan Hoffman: 9:22

Yeah, we were going to do a fourth. But so

Perry Eisenach: 9:25

maybe this time I get a new refrigerator,

Dan Hoffman: 9:27

maybe it was, I, I could not put it in the budget this year. No, the, uh, yeah. So Perry, if you listen, listen to this show, there's probably a decent chance you've heard Perry's voice, uh, Perry oversees, uh, all of the kind of the physical, uh, Uh, improvements that you're gonna see out there. You've got, uh, WPD working on enforcement, but a lot of, a lot of this, the safety aspects is based on the physical design of the roads themselves. So talk a little bit about what we've been doing to improve the physical design of roads to make them safer.

Perry Eisenach: 9:57

Sure. So within the past few months, we've installed over 40 raised crosswalks at various locations in the city. The vast majority of those are in school walk zones. So when, um, last year, when the schools looked at their walk zones and they expanded some of those zones, um, one of the big concerns is safety of the kids walking to school. So that's when we we looked comprehensively at The school walk zones, and we identified locations that, that made sense for, for a race crosswalk or speed table to, to slow traffic down.

Dan Hoffman: 10:36

Yeah. So, uh, you mentioned that most of these are, uh, in and around school zones, uh, and, and the cameras that we'll talk about in just a second, those have to be in a school zone. Uh, Dr. Van Heukelen, talk a little bit about how, why this is more important now, especially with expanded walk zones and, uh, and really just also kind of encouraging kids to walk to school. I mean, we, we have safe routes to school, uh, for, you know, because of our compact size and kind of the neighborhood environment around many of our schools. There's a lot of safe, safe ways to get to school and we're trying to encourage that. Talk about how, why it's important to have these routes.

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum: 11:17

Yeah. So first of all, I just want to say we really appreciate the race crosswalks throughout the city, um, specifically around school zones. And, um, you know, as a, as someone who lives in the city and drives throughout the city every day and as part of my job, I'm driving throughout the city. It certainly has an effect, right? You have your routine, you have, um, the typical ways that you travel. And after you hit one of those raised crosswalks one time, it starts to register and then becomes part Part of your muscle memory for lack of a better word of how you drive. And, um, so I think, you know, initially there could be a little bit of surprise, but after, uh, you continue to drive your route, it just becomes part of your, your driving habit, if you will. And then quite frankly, it slows you down, which is the whole point, right? And, um, there's no doubt in my mind that. The raised crosswalks have made our schools, our school Children safer walking to school and we have a number of school Children that walk to school every single day. You know, the public is certainly well aware that last year at the beginning of this year, I'm sorry, we instituted wider, larger walk zones for a number of our schools that was precipitated quite frankly because of a decrease in bus drivers. And so we just didn't have the manpower to deliver that. But, um, you know, even as we've done that, it's now something that, um, you know, we're seeing the benefits of that. And when I say walk zones, we're talking less than half a mile for the most part. And so, um, you know this, we're not expecting kids to walk miles to school. Um, but yeah, when, when we believe it's safe and we have good access and sidewalks, we have crossing guards out there every single day. Um, and I would say it's been a very successful implementation and really appreciate the partnership from our city friends to make that a reality for our kids. Absolutely.

Dan Hoffman: 13:04

So we've talked a little bit about it. School zone cameras. So, uh, as many of you have found out, uh, we now have speed enforcement cameras in school zones. Uh, we are very restricted in the way we can use them. Captains, uh, correct me if I misspeak, but we can only have three. They have to be in a school zone and even then they have, the school zone has to meet a certain criteria. I think the criteria is, is it volume? It should be

Capt. Poe: 13:33

volume. Um, corridor, you know, what, what, what does the, the, the roadway and then the walk, it crosswalks. Gotcha. Gotcha. I knew crosswalks was one of the impact factors.

Dan Hoffman: 13:46

Yeah. So we've got these people have been getting these tickets. It's a, it's only a civil penalty, a hundred dollars. We get asked. All the time. How much money is the city making off of it? We do receive 80, about 88 per citation. Yes, that money goes into the general fund. Yes, it is much more efficient than having an officer sit at one of these places. It is. With the exact same technology in their hand versus um, having a unit out there. It only tickets you if you're going, is it ten miles or more?

Capt. Poe: 14:25

Ten or more.

Dan Hoffman: 14:25

Ten or more over. So you have to be speeding. You know, with some significance granted, you know, 10, 11 miles a night might not seem much, but when it's a 25 mile an hour speed limit, uh, you're going too fast in a school zone while the flashing lights are active. That's the other thing. It's only while the school zones are school zones. So don't speed in a school zone guys. And, and no, this is not a money making venture for us. The revenue does go into. The city's coffers, which we use to pay for police cars, which we use to pay for school, schools. So, yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna get one one day, probably when I make a mistake, right? I'll pay it, I'll feel bad about it, but I shouldn't have been speeding in a school zone. So, um, if you get a ticket, sorry, not sorry. Uh, tell us a little bit about what we're seeing currently, uh, Captain, in terms of volume and kind of, you know, any, any interesting bits you have, uh, cause it's only, they've only been live

Capt. Poe: 15:37

for a few months now. Yes. So currently, uh, I guess our biggest volume would be Amherst street, uh, in front of, I believe it's Jameswood middle. Okay. That is our highest volume, by far. Um, and I think we're probably north of 3, 500 violations total in all of the systems. Um, They're trying to get me the real data right now, but it's, it's currently not cooperating. Of course. It's brand new. It's brand new. Um, so it, it has had a profound impact on, on the safety of the children and the, the walking community. I mean, that's the goal. The goal is to slow vehicles down in that stretch. And the bottom line is. People get in a hurry,

Sarah Frey: 16:20

you

Capt. Poe: 16:20

know, and we put out the proper signage, we put out the city's, uh, put out the proper lighting, um, warning, and it's, there's, there's been adequate time for our residents and, and travelers, even if you're not from the city, um, I don't know that you can miss those bright flashing lights that say 25 mile an hour school zone. And, you know, at the end of the day, uh, what's more important than our kids? Yeah. I mean, especially when the city established walking zones, that to me, um, I was a little worried about that when, on, on, on its inception. As far as that goes, I was part of the deployment process and being out there for the first day of school when seeing the kids walk in. But once those bumps got placed in and then we upgraded with the cameras, I mean, we're We're the city is doing its part to provide that adequate safety. I mean, there's no doubt about that.

Dan Hoffman: 17:11

Yeah. Just drive down, especially if you're familiar with the city and you've driven down Meadow branch, you know, with any degree of frequency, uh, you, it's a visible difference. You can feel that, you know, it's. Everything's a little slower now. And like you said, it's only

Capt. Poe: 17:28

30 minutes out of the day. Yeah. You know, it's, it's during that time period.

Dan Hoffman: 17:33

The, um, and the average speed on Meadow Branch, and even just a few miles an hour, makes a huge difference. Because we've done studies on Meadow Branch. Perry, uh, has been asked to do many, uh, studies about Meadow Branch because there hmm. At places where, uh, stops were not warranted. Um, but the average speed, even then was about 29 Perry, I think it was about 29 miles an hour in a 25 mile in our school zone that, that road of metal stretch of metal branch, but between the crosswalks, um, and the cameras, I would suspect that's come down at least a few miles per hour. Um, so, you know, yeah. Even if it's still just 26, 27 miles over. It's not bad. It wasn't bad. It's gotten better, uh, and I can safely say those stretches are probably some of the safest roads in the city at this point. Now, we also have some new, um, New cameras going up. If you read the paper, you notice we've got stop arm cameras, uh, that are going to be installed, uh, pretty soon. So, uh, Jason, stop arm on buses. Explain real quick what, what they are and why you really need to pay attention to them.

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum: 18:51

Yeah, absolutely. So, obviously, um, you know, when that bus is stopping and picking up children, the children come from either side of the road. And, uh, many times they're crossing, uh, oncoming traffic. And so that's why we obviously have the stop arms and the blinking, uh, red lights on the buses. And we expect and need, and it's required that everybody stop, right? Well, the kiddos cross the street and get on the bus and, um, you know, I can tell you just from talking to our bus drivers, they are so grateful for this, uh, addition because they see folks, uh, break this law every single day, literally. And it's, it's scary and frustrating, um, because, you know, right now our only recourse is the bus driver somehow has to grab a license plate or report it, which is quite frankly not reasonable or possible most of the time, and, um, and. I don't think we want our bus drivers who are driving a bus to be worrying about grabbing someone's license plate in order to report it. Right. Sometimes they can grab the make and model, but still it's just a, it's a fruitless endeavor to try to capture that and, and hold people accountable. So. And that's a pretty

Dan Hoffman: 19:55

bad infraction. That's why we charge, we're charging two 50 for ticket on for per ticket on this one. I believe it's also a civil penalty.

Capt. Poe: 20:07

Uh, yes. As long as it's, I think, being with

Dan Hoffman: 20:09

the stop arm camera. Yeah, with the stop arm camera. Yes. That's 250 because You know, of course, it's really bad to speed in the school zone. Whipping around a school bus that stopped? I mean, that is definitely, I mean, I remember hearing horror stories when I was a kid of kids getting hit by cars just because they decided they were going to cross from the other side of the street. Absolutely. Yeah,

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum: 20:31

it's a real danger. It's not something to be taken lightly. Yep. And, uh, you know, we need everyone to understand that. Uh, we have, you know, just think of, we have kids, you know, as young as four years old. Yeah. You're right. And so it's not, it's not just middle school and high school kids, which you would expect to have a little more awareness when they cross the street. You know, when, uh, when a mom sends their kid, that's four years old to get on the bus, that kid walks across the street with full faith and confidence that he's, he or she is protected. And, um, so that's why we have those things in place and really appreciate this new initiative.

Dan Hoffman: 21:05

So it's the end of the school year, uh, and, We, you know, next, oh, it's this week, graduation is this week, um, yeah, and, um, you know, we've had a, you know, a year under our belt with speed, uh, raised crosswalks, cameras, you know, a lot of extra stuff going into next year. Uh, Jason, what, what, what? What do you see kind of your focus in, is, in terms of safety for kids, whether it's walk zones, obviously we've got, um, SROs in every school. Yeah. Um, you know, what kind of things are we going to be thinking about for next year, um, now that we've had a little bit of time with all, with some of these new tools?

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum: 21:53

Yeah. No, I think, uh, next year's a year of keep on keeping on. Uh, we've had a very successful year. We've problem solved along the way. We continue to add safety mechanisms in partnership with the city, but also at the school division. And, um, you know, we're I believe this was a very successful implementation of expanded walk zones. And, um, you know, one of the things just as a data point, you know, people worried a little bit about attendance, right? And, of course, across the country, chronic absenteeism after Cove. It has been a huge focus, and I'm happy to report that our attendance is is better this year than it was last year, right? At all of the schools with expanded walk zones. So it had no impact on attendance, which was, you know, from a school perspective, it's great first concerns like your kids just not come to school. Well, that's not true. They, they come to school. Guess what? Mom and dad still want their kid to come to school and mom and dad problem solve too, right? We really appreciate the families. that have to problem solve as well. They got to rearrange their schedules a little bit. They've got to have somebody maybe walk their kid if they're really young and they're not comfortable. You know, upwards of fourth grade, then parents are a little more, um, willing to let a fourth grader walk half a mile to school. Um, but then obviously inclement weather is a challenge and parents have to scramble a little bit. So we are asking our families who live close to the schools to do, to change their habits and really appreciate the fact that they've done that and made it successful. So, uh, it's a, it's a joint effort for sure.

Dan Hoffman: 23:16

Absolutely. Well, that is the time we've got. Uh, thank you guys very much. Um, Perry, we'll get that jacket for you. Uh, Jason, are you counting the days to summer break?

Dr. Jason Van Heukelum: 23:28

Always, always looking forward to graduation. Yeah. I know my, I

Dan Hoffman: 23:32

know my, uh, sophomore is looking forward to summer and, uh, Captain Poe, well, you know, just keep arresting people. We'll be here. Keep doing your thing. We will be here. All right, guys. Thank you very much. Yes, sir. Thank you.

Sarah Frey: 23:46

Next up, Kit and I are going to go visit a Roman's Hair Empire and interview the owner, Shannon Roman, about this incredible, um, hair empire that they've started. So, stick around.

Kit Redmer: 24:06

Alright, hello folks. This is Kit Redmer, Communications Director with the City of Winchester. And today, we have a segment for you. which is our community spotlight segment. We are visiting Roman's Hair Empire and Beauty Academy right here off of 522 and I'm here actually with Shannon Roman, who along with her husband Rick are co proprietors of the Beauty Academy. So, we are very lucky to be here just to, just to get to know the Beauty Academy and, um, understand how they operate. And also just talk to Shannon a little bit about, um, the amazing work that she's doing on behalf of our, our young folks and, and young adults here in the community. So, with that, Shannon, um, welcome to the Rouse Review. It's great to have you here. And I was wondering if you just talk to us a little bit about the history of the hair empire and beauty academy Um, that's a great name, by the way Maybe you can you talk to us how you came up with that awesome name But talk to us a little bit about you know What inspired you and rick to to open a beauty academy and what you're doing for the community?

Shannon Roman: 25:08

Okay, so some years ago um, me and my husband had sat down and just Kind of was talking about doing things. I was out in the field working. I've been in the field for over 20 years Um, just basically working at different salons. Um, I have been a teacher at different schools Um locally here in winchester And after doing that I felt as though there was so much more that I wanted to give I didn't want to just be a teacher anymore and go under Different curriculars that other people had, but what I did and what I took from there was a way of success for each student, um, and different people being able to teach any and everybody and letting them know that even though it's a trade, it's still a big accomplishment. Not everybody is a college child. Um, I wasn't a college child. I did do some college, but I didn't do a whole lot and I ended up in cosmetology and I have to say, one of the best things that I've ever done. Um, just a little bit about the history of, um, Romans was my oldest daughter, who is now in medical school. She, uh, we was looking into opening up a business and she's the one that actually came up with the name. The last name, Roman, is our last name. Um, and the hair empire was basically just saying how big and powerful it could be. And then the beauty academy part, because I do not like the name beauty. I like beauty academy because I feel as though it is an academy. It's more than just a school. So they're not just learning how to just do hair. They're learning people skills. They're learning how to survive, um, in this day and age as well. And they're also learning how to make people beautiful, how they make people feel about theirselves. So we also, we just don't just have to. Um, and so we don't just teach just to do somebody's hair just for money, but we teach them that each individual that comes in here is special in their own way. And it's up to us to pull that specialness out of them so that they can see it and be happy with their selves. So it has a lot to do, um, with women, men, self esteem, all of that. Some young ladies and men come in even here, um, to go to school and have low self esteems where we've actually helped them to build and get confidence in their selves. So we're here for more than just We're here to help this community, um, with any way that we can and also help the students here at Romans to become all they can be. I know that they usually say that through the military, but I'm going to steal that today and say that they can be anything that they want to be in our field as well.

Kit Redmer: 27:48

That's awesome, Shannon. As a, as a U. S. Army veteran, you know, be all, be all you can be, you know, I appreciate that, but I'm glad you're using it for the academy as well, using that phrase. It's a great phrase. Um, that, that is really impressive, and thank you for sharing that with us. You know, you just gave Sarah and I a tour. of the academy, and you were able to point out all the different stations of the academy, the different phases the students work through. Um, I, you know, as somebody who, you know, I've got a pretty easy haircut, right? So I just, I just go in, somebody chops my hair, usually I go to a hair salon, and, and I don't think much of it, but, but we forget, you know, how much there is to, to learning cosmetology. You know, and how many different, like you touched on some of the different skills that your, your students have to, to acquire, um, can you talk a little bit about the cosmetology program that your students go through, um, you know, and all the different skills that they're developing. It's much more than just cutting hair.

Shannon Roman: 28:43

Absolutely. So in cosmetology, a lot of people, when you first say it, they call us hairdressers, so they just kind of label us to hair, but we actually do different things. So we do nails. Um, we help people on their, you know, the one day of their lifetime, which is their days of getting married. Um, we do all the way down to laying someone to rest. So people don't realize they always look at it as just being hair. So we do nails. We do makeup. Um, We do barbering, we do waxing, we do eyelash extensions, we do everything in the beauty industry, except for tattooing. Um, now, if they wanted to do tattooing, that is a separate license, but we also, um, have classes that if they want to get into other things, we will bring professional people in. And they can get certificates through that as well. So, it's so much more, so that's what it is when we talk about cosmetology. Now, uh, now other than that, we're, we talk about the students coming in and what other skills they learn. Some students that I get, they don't have people skills, but they know that this is what they want to do. Some people are shy, so what we do is we try to, we try to pull it out of them to show them that you can do this. And that you, you know, people skills, talking to people on a daily basis. I make them talk back to me, you know, if I'm sitting here speaking to you, talk back to me, let's get in, engage in a conversation. This is what's needed because every barbershop you go to and every salon you go to, you're always going to hear the stylist talking to their client. Um, sometimes they call us the psychologist because people will get off of work and be like, Oh my goodness, my day. And then they'll just. I'll pour their day on you. Um, and I try to tell them to always make sure that they're good listeners. Because I feel like when I used to go in the salon, I'd love it when someone would just sit and listen to me. And, you know, and while listening to me, And I turn and then they would turn me around. I would look at myself and I'd be like, wow, it's not so bad after all, after seeing the work that they've done. Um, so they're learning a lot. So we've had a lot of young ladies. I love to work with young ladies and young men that are out here and some that may need second chances. Um, I, uh, love to work with, um, any individuals. Um, we, we work with programs throughout the, uh, the community. We work with schools. We work all the way down to the alternative schools. Um, I have to say those are some of the ones that I really like to get a hold of because I feel as though when they get to a point of not being able to respond and relate to everyone else, if they want to do this and they come into our program, they grow, they grow in essence of of not Um, and I'm not being that same child that they were in school, where they may have ended up going to alternative school because of other things. So, I do try to go out to different, um, schools like that and, you know, and talk to the young ladies and, you know, see what we can do to make it better for them. And I believe that that has a lot to do with the way that our community is molded and built here in Winchester is through our youth. So, we can get to them and give them a positive, a positive aspect on life and what they can do. I think we have a win win situation.

Kit Redmer: 32:05

That's awesome, Shannon. And, you know, I was thinking about it, too, as you were giving us a tour. There's so much talk today about, you know, the student loan crisis, and so many of our young folks are just burdened with student loans, or going to college, and then not really sure what to do with their degree after they get it, or whatever the situation might be. And you're offering folks another path. Here, um, so you mentioned the schools just talk for a second about the different schools you're working with and some of the students So I think a lot of folks in winchester are aware of you know The innovation center winchester public schools and the and and the great work they're doing, you know, teaching students about the trades But this is another path as well. So just um, talk to us about some of the schools. You're specifically working with

Shannon Roman: 32:49

So we work with um students from charando high school. We work with students from clark county, which is in barryville We work with school students from Jameswood, um, Dow J. Um Handley High School. Um My other campus in front rule. We work with Warren We have students that come as far as West Virginia over this way, and then we have students on the other hand that go, comes all the way from Woodstock area. So we work with pretty much any, um, we work with DARS, which is the Department of Aging and Rehabilitation. Um, we have um, Um, and we have worked with the Winchester workforce. Um, you know, when it comes to the older, um, groups, we have worked. We've worked with so many different the innovational center. I work with them as well. Um, when we first opened, they brought a busload of kids over and we did get students sign up from there. Um so being that we're the only cosmetology program in the area getting being able to afford, um, and being able to survive. I think a big portion of it. The reason why I decided to do the things that I do when it comes to finances is because I want them to be able to go into a salon and not have to worry so much. I mean, we already have other bills to worry about, but then to worry about big loans over our head. Um, so The way that we set it up here is where the student is paid off when they leave. Um, that way they can just focus on, you know, being the best they can be, building a book. Um, a lot of them build books before they get out of here. So they go into, yeah, they go into the field with clients and we allow them, which if you go into a regular salon, they don't really allow you to take the clients, but we're a school. Um, Everybody that we have here on the professional side, they already have their, you know, their clients. But anybody that comes in that loves any of these young ladies or young men, we like them to go with them because that gives them an advantage when they go into the salon. We also do job placement. So we are have relationships with all different types of salons from here. to West Virginia and then down the other way to Manassas. Um, I have placed students in Warrington to work when they, you know, they feel like they want to move to a different area. Um, so we do do child placement and we try to get them the best fit. Our biggest thing here is continuing education. No matter what you do, no matter school, the the You know, the beauty industry is forever changing. So I want to make sure that they go somewhere where they can feel grounded and rooted, where they can continue to make money and build. Um, hopefully I'll see someone come along 20 years from now and have a school as well. I was going to say,

Kit Redmer: 35:33

actually you, you touched on exactly what I was about to ask you, which is just to clarify, so a student will come in, they'll, they'll take the course, um, to fulfill the requirements, and then there's a, there's a test, correct, that they have to get their license, um, and then just talk, Two tests. Okay. So there are two tests. And then, um, the, the next step typically would be to go work at a salon and be placed at a salon. And maybe at some point in the future, maybe even become a salon owner, right? That's awesome. That's awesome. All right. Well, um, And remind us, too, the length of the program. Typically, how long do students take to get through the program?

Shannon Roman: 36:11

So, it usually takes, um, 12, it can take anywhere from 12 months up to 19. Um, it, out to 24 is probably the most that we'll do. The most that we can. Now, we can go further than that, but we really want the student To be able to get into their career. So we try not to let him lag too long. A trade school is not supposed to be like semesters. Um, trade school is supposed to be a quick path to something that you love to do. Um, and, uh, kid, you just had mentioned to me about people opening up salons. Well, I have one of my teachers in my front Royal. She went to my school. T six, six or seven years ago, and she owns a salon here in Winchester. Um, yeah, so she wanted to start teaching, so she got in touch with me, um, and she said, Hey, I'm coming back. And I'm like, four. And she said she wanted to teach. So, um, I do have a lot of students that are out in the field that opened up salons and that are booth renters, which that means they're in their own, um, little, you know, section. Yeah. Um. that are, you know, that are salon owners and it doesn't take long to do so. I say at the most you can, you know, from what I'm hearing from them, they worked in the field for about a good two years, gained their clientele and then found a spot to settle in and making more money than they probably could ever in whatever else they wanted to do. These are some talented people and that's, that's our mission here is just to try to get them out there, get them in the work field and You know, make magic happen. Everybody's going to need a haircut. Everybody wants color. Everybody wants, you know, all this new stuff coming up and we're the ones that's doing it. So as I said, I, I'm, I've always loved cosmetology. So, um, it's more of a passion for me than work.

Kit Redmer: 37:56

No, we, Uh, Sarah and I can definitely see that, and I might have to take you up on the color, you know, I'm, I'm noticing a few gray hairs when I, when I look in the mirror, so, um, I might come back for that, but, um, real quick, just, just to finish up, Shannon, you know, it's, it's interesting, I think, you know, it's, it's, it's patently obvious to me that this is a great opportunity for a lot of our young folks, and, and maybe even folks that are a little, uh, you know, a little older, who knows, right, um, but I don't think a lot of people realize they can actually come here for a haircut as well. Right? So can you talk a little bit about if anybody wants to drop by and just get their haircut, what are some of the options for them?

Shannon Roman: 38:32

So we have students that already are cutting. Um, we had Um, we do pretty much fast track them, and we also have students that come in from our front row school that are already seniors. Um, so what we do is we open up our building after 11. Um, and once we open up after 11, people can come in, they can walk in, or they can make appointments, um, for our students to do different services. We do basically everything. So there is not anything that we don't do. The students, we do waxing, we do nails, we do feet, um, we do hair, color, cuts. everything. The best thing about a kid is everything is at a discounted price. So you cannot beat, yes, so you cannot beat that. And then not only is it discounted price, you're also helping someone to learn. And we always have instructors that are on the floor with our students as they are guided through, you know, different haircuts and different things that they're doing. Um, so you never have to worry about walking out a little lopsided. Um, We'll make sure our teachers are very, um, educated and, and they're licensed to be able to stand around and kind of help them, um, get through it. But, um, yeah, that's it. And I mean, everybody loves that. And then also like the fact that you're helping somebody to start a career. You know, because that's what, you know, that's what it's really all about. If they don't know what people fail to realize is that before we became good stylist, we had to have people to practice on. You know, I know my husband was one of them. I practiced on him so much that, um, he had to cut all his hair off. He did. He actually had long hair before. And, um, yeah. And I had to, you know, every day I would come home and learn something different from cosmetology. He would be like, I guess, are you sure you know what you're doing there? I think we only had one bad allergic reaction, I think, out of the whole time. But people don't realize how important it is for people to come out and let these students, um, like I said, we're not going to send you home with no third degree burns or anything, but let them come out and play with your hair. Um, you never know. This is our future of hairstylists. So, I would say everybody be open and, you know, a couple dollars is not going to kill you. Come on out and let us play with your hair.

Kit Redmer: 40:42

Well said, Shannon. And, uh, Rick, thank you for your service as guinea pig, uh, along Shannon's career. Shannon and Rick, thank you so much for hosting our visit today. You heard it here, folks. Come on out. Um, pay Romans Hair Empire and Beauty Academy a visit. You won't regret it. Um, you guys are open Monday through Friday, I assume? We are

Shannon Roman: 41:02

open Tuesday through

Kit Redmer: 41:03

Saturday. There you go, Tuesday through Saturday. Um, from when to when?

Shannon Roman: 41:07

We are open from 9. 30 a. m. all the way to 5 p. m. Student services start at 11.

Kit Redmer: 41:15

Got it. Come on out, folks. Um, Shannon and Rick, thank you guys so much for hosting today, um, and thank you all for tuning in. Have a great day.

Shannon Roman: 41:23

Thanks for having us.

Dan Hoffman: 41:35

Thanks for joining us on another edition of the Rouse Review. Next time we're going to be talking about North Cameron drainage and Juneteenth. We're going to Perry Eisenach again?

Sarah Frey: 41:46

Um, no, this is going to be Kelly. Okay, good.

Dan Hoffman: 41:48

Congratulations, everybody. You get Kelly instead of Perry.

Sarah Frey: 41:51

We're not going to have Perry twice in a month. That would be a lot.

Dan Hoffman: 41:55

We should call it the Perry Eisenach Show. Alright, well, until next time, we'll see y'all on

41:58

Incity Hall.