On the Horizon
Bedford County leaders focus on growth, waste management, parks and more in 2024 By Shelley Basinger
Photo by Mike Butler
As we bring in the New Year, Bedford County government is looking ahead to several big projects. Here, leaders explain what you can expect to hear more about in 2024.
ADOPTION OF UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Comprehensive plans are the blueprint for future growth and development in a locality. Virginia State Code requires comprehensive plans to be reviewed every five years by the locality’s Planning Commission for necessary updates. This process has been underway in Bedford County since January 2021. It’s projected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Bedford County Community Development has held four citizen meetings and conducted an online survey regarding the comprehensive plan. “We found that citizens generally agreed with the goals and objectives in the current comprehensive plan,” said Director of Community Development Jordan Mitchell. According to Mitchell, the major changes residents will see in the compre6
hensive plan are updates to the Future Land Use Map in certain areas of the County, information and growth updates, and options to address infrastructure (transportation and public water/ sewer) as growth continues. “We are continuing to grow, and we anticipate more growth in the rural areas of the County with broadband internet becoming more widely available,” said Mitchell.
towards making a final decision while also being aware of the necessity to be compliant with all state requirements,” said County Administrator Robert Hiss. “Whether to develop a new landfill cell or continuing to transfer solid waste is a generational choice with both shortand long-range operational and financial impacts. I anticipate this decision being made this spring, during the fiscal year 2025 budget development process.”
POSSIBLE CHANGES AT WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY
FINALIZING A MASTER PARKS PLAN
In 2024, there will continue to be heavy discussion at Board of Supervisors meetings about waste management. At a worksession on Nov. 27, 2023, Supervisors discussed two options for how to proceed with operations at the Waste Management Facility. Option one would transfer all solid waste to a regional landfill, and option two would expand the current landfill. A new Assistant County Administrator will be joining Bedford County in early 2024 and will be largely focusing on this issue moving forward. “The Board is diligently working
Bedford County Department of Parks & Recreation is working with the Salem-based Halcyon Planning & Design to create a master plan for our parks. The goal of this plan is to optimize Bedford County’s existing parks and recreation resources and assets, as well as strategically plan for the future. Bedford County currently has three large regional parks (Falling Creek, Moneta, and Montvale) and two smaller parks (County Rec and Independence). In April 2023, citizens were encouraged to complete a seven-question survey about County parks and their
B e d f o rd C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o n n e c t i o n | W i n te r 2 0 24
