VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Wythe the News
DECEMBER 2011
Wythe County Board of Supervisors
Fire & Rescue receive $130,000 in grants Special points of interest: • Check out the holiday insert to learn about how Foster Falls is lighting up, where to find local gift ideas and what events are going on near you •
Board of Supervisors address raise concerns
•
Joint boards decided to form a cobudgetary committee to further discuss school facility repairs
•
Find out what Wythe County is really spending on Progress Park
On Nov. 9, 2011, the Wythe County Board of Supervisor’s held its bimonthly meeting at the County Administration Building at 7 p.m. At the meeting, the board accepted more than $130,000 in grants to assist fire and rescue efforts. Two grants were accepted by the board to aid in fire and rescue efforts throughout the county.
Cont. BOS
2
Progress Park interest expected to peak
2&3
The first grant, awarded from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs in the amount of $2,000, was awarded to Max Meadows Fire and Rescue and Speedwell Volunteer Fire Department. These funds were allocated to purchase a new computer for each entity.
Board responds to merit raise concerns
3
The second grant, in the amount of $131,500, was
County boards discuss facility repairs
4
Wythe County meetings
5
County steps into social age
5
County boards discuss facility repairs
6
Public Meetings
7
Wythe County receives nearly $3 million in bridge repairs
7
Max Meadows Fire Dept. heaters functioning
8
County Recreation events
8
Inside this issue:
offered by the Wythe-Bland Foundation to benefit funding of updated equipment and training for the Wythe County Emergency Management Department, Ivanhoe Fire Department, Max Meadows Fire Department, Wytheville Fire Department, Wythe County Rescue Squad, Speedwell Fire Department and
Rural Retreat Fire Department. The equipment, to include a community support pack, a two-way radio system and more, will be used to better meet the needs of the citizens of Wythe County, Wytheville, Rural Retreat and Fort Chiswell.
Daycare survey in Eastern Wythe County At the Nov. 22, 2011 bimonthly meeting of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, Gary Cody, Wythe
County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director, reported his findings regarding board member Coy McRoberts’ request to examine the eastern end of Wythe County for youth and senior activities.
Cody reported the first step would be to establish a program at one of the local schools. He said he’d spoken with the principal from Jackson Memorial Elementary who is in favor of supporting the program. The board requested Cody conduct a survey to assess the need and support for the
program in the area. The survey was to include a means to measure parents support for a before school, after school programs or both programs. Gary Houseman, board member, also suggested Cody look into having sencontinued page 2
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WYTHE THE NEWS
Continued: Daycare -ior programs at the Barren Springs Fire Station as it has a classroom with facilities. Patterson Community Center in Barren Springs was one of the Board of Supervisors’ suggestions for activities in the eastern end of the county. However, the location would take a large investment to meet ADA and Social Services’ approval standards.
“We were fortunate enough that when the great recession started it cut construction prices about in half which opened up the opportunity to do a major project.” Alan Hawthorne, JIDA
For a more permanent loca-
Ladies Auxiliary, just above the fire station. This would be an investment of almost $2 million.
Progress Park interest expected to peak Progress Park began as an idea that could help Wythe County attract industry and boost the local economy. According to Alan Hawthorne, Executive Director of the Wythe County Joint Industrial Development Authority, as the economy begins its turnaround, Progress Park will see more industry showing interest. The creation of the site was originally an answer to question raised by industry leaders eager to take advantage of Wythe County’s many assets, “where can we build?” After months of debate, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors purchased 1,210 acres just east of Wytheville in 1999 for Industrial Development.
As Lot 24 wraps up construction, interest in Progress Park is looking up.
tion for community events on the eastern end of Wythe County, Cody suggested a shell building be constructed on the land owned by the
The “mega” site, first in this region, would be serviced by rail, road, dual electric service, fiber optics and gas service. The site is said to be one of a kind in Southwest Virginia and is being marketed directly by the State of Virginia and the Governor’s staff all over the world as part of Virginia’s trade missions.
The projected development cost of the park was estimated at roughly $50 million. The portion of the funds Wythe County itself endured has turned out to be much less.
latest funding was a grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, which was requested by the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 25, 2011, in the amount of $650,000.
The county applied for and received a $1.5 million Industrial Facility grant, a $500,000 ARC grant, and a $450,000 Industrial Access Road grant to develop a lot, build a road and provide wastewater service to the Park.
The Board of Supervisors suggested that when occupied, the site would generate over $3,000,000 annually in new taxes to pay for schools, law enforcement, services to seniors, plus 400 potential jobs to the County.
The county’s largest expense came in the onsite construction, which was also substantially funded by the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF). However, the offsite preparation resulted with Wythe County funding only 1.14% of the $4.35 million required. Funding for offsite construction came from grants from third party sources including TROF, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Project Site Planning Grant fund program for a total of $3,650,000. The
Today, the board’s current annual expenses in Progress Park are less than $300,000 and the current tax payments by the Industries located in Progress Park are over $1,800,000. Work to prepare the park began shortly after the land was purchased in 1999. Now, 12 years later, Wythe County, the town of Wytheville and the Joint IDA added a rail spur into the southern portion of the park, built a step-down pressure station for natural gas, installed 16-inch water lines coming into both the northern and southern ends of the park and upgraded the ca-
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
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Continued: Progress Park
Wythe County, in partnership with the Historical Soci-
pacity of the county's regional wastewater treatment facility. The park has the potential to provide six lots that are nearly graded and ready for construction. Hawthorne believes the completion of these infrastructures make Progress Park look more appealing to industry as the country comes off of a recession. While the recession slowed industry interest, it created a financial saving opportunity for Wythe County. “We were fortunate enough that when the great recession started it cut construction
prices about in half which opened up the opportunity to do a major project, the grading, which we are in the middle of,” said Hawthorne. Now that the question of where to build has been answered, Hawthorne feels the interest will pick up stream. “When we pick up that extra traffic [from the end of the recession] we will be in the position to answer the last question that was missing before, this is where you would build,” he added. According to the September 2011 unemployment reports, the Wythe County employment rate is on the
rise once again. With an unemployment drop of 1.5%, the county rates in the top five Virginia counties in the state with an employment rate of 93%. A summary of the past decade shows that the investments in Progress Park have resulted in over 750 direct jobs and hundreds of other jobs required to support the industries located in Progress Park.
ety, is aiding in a historical survey to be conducted by Hanbury Preservation. Residents with ideas and input are urged to give comments on the preservation’s Website for the project, www.hanburypreservation.co m/active_projects/wythe and attend public meetings. The first meeting will be scheduled for mid January 2012.
Every year over $1,800,000 is directly added to the Wythe County tax base excluding the support jobs, salaries, and purchase power of the employees.
Board responds to merit raise concerns During citizens’ time at the Nov. 9 Board of Supervisor’s meeting, one citizen voiced concern about merit raises given to county employees, stating they were not presented in the budget brought before the public. However, board members and Cellell Dalton, County Administrator, assured the individual they were. When the county budget is formulated, it is broken down into sections with line items outlining expenditures. The merit raises were included in the line item marked “salaries.” In addi-
tion, these funds were outlined in budget presentations given by overseeing county employees including Wythe County Sheriff Doug King. Merit raises are not a new occurrence in the Wythe County budget. Nearly every year the board’s personal committee coordinates and evaluates suggestions received from department heads requesting a merit raise for specific employees. In addition, raises were given to all employees, including teachers and other school employees, as is standard in
Wythe County and other counties throughout the commonwealth. Last year’s budget was one of few exceptions. In light of the recession, funds were frozen and employees were given a one time bonus at Christmas, outlined in the budget line item “bonuses.”
The approval of merit raises and step raises in the budget process was standard procedure, disclosed to the public and had no relation to raises retracted from earlier in 2011.
200,000 lights will be brightening Wythe County Dec. 2 & 3. See the holiday insert for more information.
Wythe County has launched a social media campaign aimed reaching the online county communities. The addition of Facebook and adoption of a social media policy are the first steps in a larger plan for the county to communicate with residents online. Read more on page 5
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WYTHE THE NEWS
County Project Updates -Branson Construction has installed the foundation and floor slab for the Emergency Services Garage Building located on Fort Chiswell Road. This project is twentyfive (25) per cent complete. The water line installation on Old School Road is one of many county projects currently underway.
Even in light of the holiday season, December is filled with many county meetings scheduled to take place including Board of Supervisors’ bimonthly meetings and individual committee meetings.
-Steve Martin Trenching has installed the water lines and water service connections along Old School Road, Marble Lane, Fox Den Road, and Harmon Road. Pressure tests have been performed successfully along the entire system. Bacteriological sampling has been performed along the system other than at the end of Harmon Lane.
-Steve Martin Trenching was able to pump the line full from their portable tank to do the pressure testing; but without the pump station on line, the end of the line on Harmon Road could not be flushed and sampled. The pump station is complete and waiting on power. This project is ninety-five per cent complete.
pipe, 1937 feet of four (4) inch plastic pipe, and 290 feet of two (2) inch plastic pipe. The twelve inch, eight inch and six inch water line has all main line valves and fire hydrants installed on the lines. The master meter near Wytheville has been installed. This project is approximately seventy-three (73) per cent complete.
-Prillamin & Pace, Inc. has installed approximately 29,271 feet of twelve (12) inch ductile iron pipe, 720 feet of eight (8) inch C-900, SDR 14 plastic pipe, 478 feet of six (6) inch plastic
-Mid-Atlantic Storage Systems has installed the footers for the water storage tank and delivered the sides to the tank. This project is fifty (50) per cent complete.
Parks & Recreation launches new logo*
See page 7 for the county events calendar.
Wythe County began spreading the holiday spirit just before Thanksgiving by decorating county buildings with wreaths and ribbons. A great way to spread local holiday cheer is to shop locally for presents. Check out this editions’ holiday insert for listings of area businesses who participate in the Chamber of Commerce’s gift certificate program.
Recently, you may have seen this logo on press releases or fliers put out by the Wythe County Parks and Recreation. It’s a new logo, designed by Cottle Multi-Media, hoped to catch more attraction.
tures the blue waters of Rural Retreat Lake, the vast evergreen forests that is the homes of Wythe County wildlife and the warming sunset that can be scene of the never ending mountain ridges.
The logo features common Wythe County outdoor activities including fishing, running, boating, baseball, soccer, basketball and football.
The Wythe County Parks and Recreation Department oversees all of the county’s outdoor activities, sports and events.
In addition, the new logo cap-
In addition, the department
sponsors classes for residents including knitting, Zumba and yoga.
For more information about the Wythe County Parks and Recreation Department and to find out what you can get involved in, visit the county Website www.wytheco.org and click on the “Parks and Recreation” link under the main menu.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Page 5
Wythe County steps into the social age
Max Meadows Fire Department approached the Board of Supervisors regarding an issue with the heating units in its fire stations. Read how the board fixed the problems on page 8.
As social networking becomes more prevalent in the lives of many residents, Wythe County has jumped into the new media age to a booming response. The county’s presence on Facebook is part of a larger effort to connect with the residents of Wythe County and help better communicate information. The Wythe County Facebook account officially launched on Oct. 29, 2011. In the month of its existence, the account has been accepting and adding friends by the hundreds, with a current friend count of almost 1,300. By “friending” the account, users can view status updates that contain information about Wythe County meetings, news and public information. In addition, users can view press releases in the “notes” section of the page and view photographs of events from around the area. “Social media is an important tool to keep the public informed,” said Jenna Coleman, Public Information Officer for Wythe County. “During my interviews for this position, it was evident that the personal committee, Mr. Dalton and the entire Board of Supervisors wanted to make a conscious effort to reach the residents of Wythe County and who ever was hired would have social media as a key responsibility.” At the beginning of the launch, the Facebook account was adding 80 to 100 users per day to its friend list. Today, the average daily friend
count is about 30 users. The decline in daily user adds is not considered a negative attribute, however, it is a sense of stability. “The hundreds of users a day in the beginning shows that in the first few weeks we really reaching those online county residents that were waiting for the chance to connect through social media,” explained Coleman. “The fact that we have a stable number of users requesting the account daily is a sign of success in itself.” Coleman added, “With the more than 800 million users on Facebook sending out an average of only eight friend requests each per month, it really is a remarkable thing to have almost three times that daily.” In addition to the Facebook account, Wythe County has “pages” that users can “like” for specialized up dates. There is a general Wythe County page to accompany the account, which Coleman hopes will give added communication venues. “It’s a known fact in the social media world that users will accept a friend request or send a friend request faster than they will like a page, which is why we created the account first,” said Coleman. “Now that we have a stable base, we are branching off into pages to give more specific information that a user might need. We hope the additional county page will get messages out there faster and prevent an important update from getting
lost in newsfeeds.” Other pages include the Wythe County Parks and Recreation page where users can find updates about classes, events and announcements from the Wythe County Parks and Recreation Department. Also, a Wythe County Tourism page has been created to help promote the industry of Wythe County. Other pages including one for a recycling initiative will be launching soon. Coleman added the “like pages” are just beginning to grow and every resident should be aware of the county’s presents online. In addition to Facebook, Wythe County recently launched a Twitter account hoping to relay information though “tweets” to users who use Twitter both online and via cell phones. Other social media account will be launched soon including those on LinkedIn and Google Plus.
The Grinch was one of many special guests at the Ivanhoe Christmas Parade held on Nov. 26, 2011 at 4 p.m. Other special guests at the parade included Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark and her festive four legged companion who rode on top of a decorated con-
At the Nov. 22, 2011 Board of Supervisors meeting, a social media policy was adopted that established guidelines for the county’s social media use. The policy can be found on the county Website A link to the Wythe County Facebook account can be found on the homepage of the county Website or by visiting www.facebook.com/ wythecounty. Links to Wythe County pages and the comment policy can be found in the account’s information section.
vertible to greet the holiday season and the Ivanhoe residents. For information on other up coming holiday events, see this edition’s holiday insert.
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WYTHE THE NEWS
County boards discuss facility repairs
Spiller is one of many schools studied by OWPR for repairs needed to the facility. In total, the repairs to all of the facilities would cost $31.4 million.
“I heard some one refer to this as a ‘chip’ we are working at but to me it looks more like a rock,” said Danny McDaniel, Board of Supervisors member. “we’ve dealt with chips now it’s time for a rock.”
Board of Supervisor’s member Coy McRoberts was one of many special guests at the 2011 Ivanhoe Christmas Parade on Nov. 26, 2011. For information on other up coming holiday events, see this edition’s holiday insert.
On Nov. 9, 2011, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and the Wythe County School Board held a joint meeting to discuss a facility study, which evaluated the needs of county schools and education related buildings. The findings showed millions in repairs that the two boards will discuss to determine what must be done and how it will be funded. Many Wythe County schools have been updated and repaired within the past several years. Overall, many of the repairs identified in this study involve ADA updates, additions of bus canopies and upgrading electrical systems. In total, the cost of the suggest modifications resulting from the study came to $31.3 million. Five projects identified for Phase I with an estimated cost of $12 million. They included Rural Retreat Middle School, Sheffey Elementary School, Fort Chiswell Middle School, Speedwell Elementary School and Scott Memorial Middle School. One of the major decisions to be made a Rural Retreat Middle School pertains to the Agriculture Building. Repairs are needed the exterior portions of the building including replacing the windows. The school board has been discussing whether or not to make the repairs or remove the building. Another project at RRMS is replacing the gym floor. Like many of the gyms in the county, the floors and been sanded for maintenance to the extent that they are down to the nail heads, according to Dr. W. Lee Brannon, superintendent. Spiller Elementary is one of the larger projects presented in the
study. Due to the growth of specialized programs, the addition of more instructional space is necessary. OWPR presented the boards with two options. The first would be an addition to the front portion of the school. This addition would provide a secured entrance to the school, relocation of administration and special programs, and more general instructional space. The second option would construct a new school that would house some of Spiller’s students. A smaller school could be constructed to house students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, allowing more usable space in the existing school. Some members of the Board of Supervisors’ members felt it would be more beneficial to construct some form of a new school rather than spending money to add to an existing school on a small, restrictive lot. Fort Chiswell Middle School was constructed to provide more space for students at Fort Chiswell High School, However, during the construction, a portion of the plans were not completed because of budgetary restraints. OWPR suggested the completion of the project by adding the two omitted classrooms, two more additional classrooms and a set of bathrooms. This would give more instructional space and make the middle school more independent from Fort Chiswell High School. Other projects suggested included repairs and updates at all county schools such as secured entrances, occupancy sensors
for classrooms, and exterior door and window replacements. Maggie Poole, Board of Supervisors member, raised a question asking why consolidation was not included in the study. Chalmer L. Frye, school board chairman, said it never came to the school board’s mind because in general county schools currently have almost more students than they can handle. In the discussion, both boards agreed the projects need to be taken care of but will take time. Many of the projects are things left over from previous repair cycles and were identified in studies in the late 1990s. “I heard some one refer to this as a ‘chip’ we are working at but to me it looks more like a rock,” said Danny McDaniel, Board of Supervisors member. “we’ve dealt with chips now it’s time for a rock.” Members of both boards acknowledged the projects will benefit some of the county’s more important residents, the students. Frye said the students are the future decision makers of the county and should be treated as such. In preparation for evaluating the school board’s capital improvement budget, the Board of Supervisors requested Brannon arrange tours of each school for first hand accounts of what is needed. In addition, the boards will establish a co-budgetary committee to figure out ways to fund projects.
No decisions have currently been made by either board regarding what projects will be considered for funding.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
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SCHEDULE OF EV ENTS December 2011 Public Meetings
Sun
4
Mon
5 Planning Commission
Tue
Wed
6 Building & Grounds
7
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
8 Economic Development
9
10
11
12 Recreation Commission
13 Board of Supervisors
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 Water Committee
21
22 Budget Committee
23
24
25
26
27 Board of Supervisors
28
29
30
31
Wythe County receives nearly $3 million in bridge repairs Wythe County was one of 12 counties in Southwest Virginia awarded funds from the VDOT Commonwealth Transportation Board to repair and replace bridges. Wythe “Bucky” Sharitz, Wythe County Board of Supervisor’s chairman, believes the repairs will make roads safer for all county residents and visitors to travel. Among the three bridge projects, which include eight individual bridges, Wythe County was awarded nearly $3 million dollars in repairs. A $1.1 million dollar contract was awarded to Lanford Brothers Company, Inc., Roanoke, to repair six bridges on Interstate 81. Elk Knob, Inc. of Pennington Gap, received $287,664 to
replace a portion of the Route 614 bridge over Beaverdam Creek on Ramsey Mountain Road. In addition, Olympus Painting Contractors, Inc. of Tarpon Springs, Fla., received a $1.7 million contract to make bridge repairs at Interstate 81 Exit 81 in the Fort Chiswell area of Wythe County and at Interstate 77 Exit 64 in the Rocky Gap area of Bland County. Regular maintenance, repairs and replacements of bridges have proven benefits not only to driver safety but also to environmental and economical stability. Sharitz feels VDOT is taking good care of Wythe County residents and is grateful.
“[The Board of Supervisors] realizes the importance of bridges to serve Wythe County citizens,” said Shartiz. “We compliment VDOT on their support of Wythe County.” Shartiz added the repairs will be a great benefit to families and children in the county as it will make students traveling to and from school safer. The collective $5.4 million dollars awarded went to other counties comprising of Washington, Smyth, Lee, Scott, Russell, Buchanan, Tazwell, Bland, Wise, Dickenson, and Grayson.
• 12/5 - Planning Commission will meet in board room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 7 p.m. • 12/6 - Building & Grounds Committee will meet in conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 3:30 p.m. • 12/8 - Economic Development Committee will meet in conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 8 a.m. • 12/12 - Recreation Commission will meet in conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 7 p.m. • 12/13 - Wythe County Board of Supervisors will hold its bi-monthly meeting on 7 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville • 12/20 - Water Committee will meet in conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 9:30 a.m. • 12/22—Budget Committee will meet in conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 3:30 p.m. • 12/27 - Wythe County Board of Supervisors will hold its bi-monthly meeting on 7 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 9 a.m.
614 Bridge, Beaverdam Creek
Max Meadows Fire Dept. heaters now functioning Community Events
Wy th e Co un ty M ee ti ng s
During the bimonthly Board of Supervisors meeting held Nov. 22, 2011, a representative from the Max Meadows Fire Department addressed the board regarding a sixteen-year-old heating system at the firehouse that was not functioning.
Wythe County Board of Supervisors The HUB of southwest VA 340 S 6th St Wytheville, VA 24382 Phone: (276) 223-6020 Fax: (276) 223-6030 E-mail: jvcoleman@wytheco.org www.wytheco.org www.facebook.com/wythecounty
Although the original agreement with the fire department was that it would maintain the heating units, the board agreed to have the units examined and pay for the replacement. The concern regarding having an inadequate heating system at the fire station was that the water could freeze in the trucks and
cause costly damage. During a recess of the meeting, Cellell Dalton, county administrator, asked Billy Bowers, Building and Grounds Supervisor, to go to the fire station and determine what kinds of units would need to be installed. Before the meeting ended, Bowers reported to Dalton that the heaters were not in complete disrepair. In fact, when the units were last worked on they were not wired correctly. Bowers corrected the issue and said the heating units should now be functioning properly.
December Community Events Cliff Dicker Memorial Blood Drive Friday, Dec 2, 2011 Time:12 p.m. Location: Old Wythe County Rec Center Address: Fourth Street, Wytheville Description: 12-6 p.m. Great food will be served and door prizes given away. Phone: 276.223.6004 Second Annual "Mr. Strong" Run/Walk 5K Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 Registration: 10 a.m. Start: 11 a.m. Location: Rural Retreat Fire Station Description: Registration fee in any amount given as a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital T-shirts and gifts provide by St. Jude for donations of $35.00 or more. One mile Fun Run for kids 5th grade and younger
begins at 12 p.m. Followed by 1/4 mile Preschool Run. BBQ and Hot Dog Lunches available. Childcare provided for 5k participants. Strollers and families welcome Relay teams also welcome. Shuttles available to/from half-way point. Contact: Susan Spraker 6865177
formance Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 Time: 7 p.m. Location: George Wythe High School Auditorium Address: One Maroon Way, Wytheville Description: Wytheville Community Concert Band presents winter performance. Free
Make Christmas DecorationsSaturday, Dec. 4 or Sunday, Dec. 5 Time: 6 p.m. Location: Dec. 4 Rural Retreat Pentecostal Church/ Dec. 5 Max Meadows Fire Department Instructor: Anita Figge Description: Decorations for all to make for the Christmas holidays. We will offer glittery pony beads, and other materials for you and your children to choose from. Fee: $15.00/student
Operation St. Nick Toy Drive Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 Location: Chamber of Commerce Address:150 East Monroe St., Wytheville Description: The Chamber of Commerce Office is a partner in the collection of NEW toys for children 12 and under. NEW toys will be distributed through the Bland and Wythe County Department of Social Services. DEADLINE for toy collection is December 19. Phone: 223.3365 Email: chamber@wytheville.o rg
Winter Wonderland Per-
Sign up to receive this monthly newsletter via email by contacting Jenna Coleman, Public Information Officer, at jvcoleman@wytheco.org or (276) 223-6020