Wildwood industrial park outlined

Debt expenditure questioned

By Amy Boucher

INDEPENDENCE – A question about a budget item led to a briefing Tuesday night by Grayson County Administrator Jonathan Sweet on the Wildwood industrial park, a joint venture among Grayson, Carroll County and the City of Galax.

“Why are we sending one hundred-plus thousand dollars to Wildwood?” Wilson District Supervisor Glen “Eddie” Rosenbaum asked during a county budget workshop.

Sweet said that’s debt service on $5 million that the three localities borrowed to build the “megasite” industrial park adjacent to I-77. Grayson owns one-third, and will share one-third in tax revenue generated by industries that locate there.

Sweet said the state has already spent $7 million on the park, and the Virginia Department of Transportation is contributing $800,000 more to build an industrial access road. He counted that as a good return for less than $2 million invested by the county.

Sweet said the localities had to work together to get the “megasite” grant. “It was money we [Grayson] would never have gotten,” and the county now has a stake in “prime industrial real estate on the interstate….Wythe County has had tremendous success with their megasite.”

Progress Park in Wythe has a large soft drink manufacturer and an associated bottle manufacturer, among other industries.

Sweet said Wildwood authorities are targeting the automotive and food processing industries and the park will be getting increased water capacity. Automotive and food processing provide “high-paying, quality jobs” that will attract other industries to the park. Machinery-intensive industries will pay higher taxes.

“They’ve not located the first business in that yet, have they?” asked Rosenbaum.

Sweet said the park is not ready for occupancy but one industry that ended up going to Mebane, N.C., was seriously interested. “We weren’t ready for them.

“Marketing is going to be intensive. But we’ve already got hits, before we’re ready….Something big is going to happen.”

Sweet warned that the localities would have to be selective in their choice of tenants, to maximize jobs and revenue.

“I hope it will work out for us,” said Rosenbaum.

Supervisor David Sexton said Sweet is “forward-thinking” and has put in many hours on job creation. “We’re fortunate.”

Rosenbaum questions bus needs, obligation

 

Wilson District supervisor will visit school bus garage

By Amy Boucher

INDEPENDENCE -- The newest member of the Grayson County Board of Supervisors is not convinced that the county needs new school buses and does not believe the supervisors should be bound by the commitments of prior boards. The other four supervisors appeared to differ on both points from Wilson District Supervisor Glen “Eddie” Rosenbaum, but supervisors John Brewer and David Sexton, at the suggestion of County Administrator Jonathan Sweet, encouraged him to visit the county school bus garage and evaluate the bus fleet for himself.

The action came Tuesday night at a budget work session. The supervisors voted unanimously to approve a yet-to-be-completely-determined school budget, approving spending the minimum amount required by law to get the most state dollars, plus an additional $75,000 for a new school bus, provided the school system also purchases a bus through its regularly budgeted funds.

The school system had asked for $250,000 over the minimum funding.

Sweet, who stressed that the county and school budget numbers are not close to final, told the supervisors that he was able to take $75,000 that already was budgeted for a school bus in the “transfers” section of the county budget and simply move it into the school budget.

The sequestering of that money came about as the result of action by the board at a budget work session on May 18, 2011. The board voted 4-1 on a motion by Joe Vaughan to set aside 25 percent of the county’s car decal tax money, up to $75,000, to buy school buses. The money was not to be spent until April of 2013and the school system was to match the spending “with 20 purchases of similar buses.”

In a separate motion that carried 5-0, the board voted to create a School Bus Replacement Fund to “be populated each and every Fiscal Year from this point forward by way of dedicating and allocating up to $75,000 or 25 percent of the annual revenues generated from the sale of county decals, whichever is less.”

The original purpose of the county decal was to pay for school buses, but at some point in history the money was funneled into the county’s general fund. Grayson generally brings in around $285,000 a year from the sale of decals.

At Tuesday’s workshop, Sweet told the supervisors that the approximately $18 million, 2014-15 county budget is still about $66,000 short. And because the state hasn’t approved a budget, the county doesn’t have exact figures on what the school system will require to meet the minimum local effort.

“Is all our buses diesel-engine powered?” asked Rosenbaum “250,000 miles on a diesel’s nothing. That’s a fact.”

The other supervisors said they believe the school system has a mix of gasoline and diesel buses. Schools’ Superintendent Kevin Chalfant has said that 19 buses have over 150,000 miles. A new school bus costs around $90,000. The school system intends to buy a $110,000 bus next year for activities, providing the supervisors pony up the extra funds for one regular bus.

“I really don’t have a position on the level of need,” Sweet told Rosenbaum.

“But at least for this year, this is something that has already been promised to them by the Board of Supervisors,” said Brewer, the board’s chairman.

“I don’t feel like we’ve got enough information on this bus thing,” said Rosenbaum.

Sexton said students travel a lot. “We’re putting them on buses that are really aged.”

Brewer said the board had given its word. “It’s in writing.”

“Maintenance is a lot cheaper than buying a bus,” said Rosenbaum.

Sweet said students in a nearby locality were injured in an accident involving the failure of an aged chassis. “The school board is requesting that the board make good on a policy that’s already in place.”

Brewer suggested the supervisors could ask for information on the age of the buses in addition to mileage.

“I think we should keep our promise,” said Oldtown Supervisor Kenneth Belton.

“I can see the need for a bus study going into next year, but once you’ve made a promise, you’ve made a promise,” said Brewer.

“Well did we say we ‘may’ do it or we would do it?” asked Rosenbaum.

Sweet read the motion approved by the earlier board. Elk Creek Supervisor Brenda Sutherland is the only member who voted on the motion still serving on the board.

Rosenbaum said this board should not be limited by such prior action. “I do think we need the freedom to make choices and not be bound by contract after contract after contract.”

Sweet said that if the supervisors decide to reverse the action on the bus replacement fund, they should wait until after the funds already collected are spent on buses. And he said he would arrange for Rosenbaum to visit the school bus garage, which also repairs county vehicles.

Rosenbaum said the supervisors should do something “about this commitment we’ve got wrote in stone for next year.”

“We might need to do a little more research and definitely have it on the agenda a week ahead of time so the school board can defend,” said Brewer.

Sweet did not go through the budget by department and did not distribute copies to the public of the draft budget, but showed some of it on a projection screen.

The Board of Supervisors’ budget of about $63,606 is up 8.5 percent from this year. That includes the addition of $5,000 for a coyote bounty suggested by Rosenbaum.

He is also responsible for adding $8,300 to the Community Support section of the budget to buy materials for re-roofing the Flat Ridge Community Center, the former Flat Ridge School. Sweet said the community will provide the labor, making these “leveraged dollars.”

The remainder of the community support budget “we cut in half.” Sweet said. “We tried not to honor new requests” but to keep other funding level.

The budget shows a saving of $200,000 on care of prisoners because of the county’s successful day report program, which keeps more convicts out of jail. The regional jail charges $24 a day per prisoner.

About the school budget, Brewer said, “We’ve done all we can do.” He said paying for five resource officers – deputies who staff schools – is costly, “but we had to do it.”

Before the supervisors approved the school budget, Sweet set the financial stage, saying the approved amount is:

“Based on the notion that the county has not yet received an approved state budget, the fact that the composite index has required the county to provide an estimated increase in local funding above last year in the amount of approximately $206,000; the understanding that the School Board will be receiving an increase in their overall budget despite a decrease in their average daily membership of approximately $1,120,000 from all sources; with the further understanding that the county has provided the school system with an additional appropriation in this current fiscal year in the amount of $100,000 as well as an additional $207,000 for facility improvements that should yield residual cost savings to the school system going forward; the consideration that the county incurred the expense of providing an additional two new school resource officers this fiscal year and intend to continue the expense through next fiscal year for a total of approximately $287,000 annually appropriated and expended on school safety; and lastly with the confirmed annual refinanced debt payment increasing by more than $500,000 annually for a total of more than $1.18 million.”

The school board had hoped to get county funds beyond the required minimum to spend $90,000 on a bus; $100,000 on a “digital conversion” to upgrade technology in the schools and begin to provide each student in grades four through 12 with a laptop computer; and $60,000 to maintain facilities, including making classroom doors lock from the inside.

Tourism initiative targets Grayson, Mount Rogers region

Regional "brand," economic development planned

 

By Amy Boucher

INDEPENDENCE -- Developing new activities for visitors and helping them find the hidden treasures of the Mount Rogers region, as well as giving the region a catchy name, are among the goals of an economic development initiative being guided by the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission.

Senior Planner Brian Reed and Gavin Blevins of the MRPDC outlined the initiative Tuesday afternoon at a public meeting in Independence attended by six members of the public, two county employees and a reporter.

Among the catchy "brand" names on a list circulated at the meeting were "Mountain Sanctuary" and "Grand Adventure Unleashed." Reed said a management team would need to come up with a better name. "Mount Rogers Area" was suggested, as well as "Sky Islands."

Half of the $80,000 in grant funds expected for the project will go to consultants for help with branding, marketing and small business enhancement.

The area is bounded by Glade Spring, Saltville, Chilhowie, Marion, Rural Retreat, Independence, and Damascus, and includes the towns of Troutdale and Konnarock, Grayson Highlands State Park, a large part of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and parts of Grayson and Smyth counties.

Reed said the idea began in Troutdale, when the town applied for a Community Development Block Grant to improve housing. Council members partnered with a group called Appalachian Spring and "we started brainstorming," Reed said. The intent is "to develop a regional brand and promote economic development through the natural assets in the Mount Rogers region," according to information distributed at the meeting, and "to discuss the idea of regional coordination to promote opportunities to develop outdoor related businesses and market the region to outdoor enthusiasts across the United States."

Damascus is serving as the grantee and the project won a Department of Housing and Community Development grant of $5,000 in early April, which led to this and other public meetings across the region.

Reed and Blevins also are compiling a list of recreation businesses and sites along with photos. Reed said seven of the eight towns in the region are working on downtown revitalization and they all serve as "gateways to key outdoor recreation assets."

They've collected brochures from every spot they've visited -- "the amount of paper is just mind-boggling" -- and Blevins plans to put the information in a spreadsheet which could be used to make a Web site or an app for portable devices.

The inventory phase will be complete by May 28, after which the Department of Housing and Community Development will hold a facilitated planning meeting in a central location for all interested parties across the region to develop a plan of action. The department will grant another $35,000 "to hire professional consultants to work with the localities, the management team, private businesses and other stakeholders to help develop a regional brand and marketing strategy."

Appalachian Spring will kick in another $15,000 for consultants.

None of those grants can be used for implementation of any project, Reed said, but he will be seeking another $20,000 from the Virginia Department of Tourism and $20,000 from the state for "building entrepreneurial economies."

One enormous need in the region is signs to direct visitors to businesses and attractions, but Reed said that the state requires anyone who wants to erect a sign to purchase it through a private company called Virginia Logos. He said the signs are almost prohibitively expensive and some require a recurring placement fee.

Area Ranger Beth Merz of the National Recreation Area told Reed that the NRA had to pay $5,000 for a sign that said "Camping."

Reed said he really needs input from business owners about how to market the area. He is hoping they will volunteer to serve on the management team or at least attend the facilitated planning meeting.

The list of possible regional names came from Kitty Barker at Virginia Tourism, but Reed said, "It needs something simple, kind of like 'The Crooked Road.'"

Gary Greer, who owns Creeper Trail Bike Rental in Whitetop, said 250,000 people a year come to visit the Virginia Creeper Trail, but don't stick around to discover the rest of the area.

"We want to change that," Reed said.

Many people ask what else they can do after spending half a day on the Creeper Trail, Greer said.

Mary Young, who owns a farm and vacation rental house in Grayson, said she keeps a big notebook for her guests full of brochures and information about the area.

Grayson's director of planning and community development, Elaine Holeton, stressed that whatever plan the effort develops has to be sustainable, after the grant money is gone. Someone will have to keep up with the assets, she said.

Reed agreed. Even with a Web site, "Who's gonna maintain it?... Do you set up a board? A non-profit?"

Scott Jackson-Ricketts of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center said that the region has to have a social media presence.

Holeton noted the impending opening of a zipline business in Whitetop is an example of "this whole concept of giving more things for people to do." A single marketing entity could offer visitors information about the Museum of the Middle Appalachians in Saltville, the 1908 Courthouse in Independence and the Settler's Museum in Atkins.

"The other thing that we really want to see out of this is small business development," said Reed.

"I think people are more open to tourism [business] ideas now," Greer noted.

Holeton said sustaining tourism businesses through the winter months is "a big challenge we can't ignore."

"That's a problem Damascus has had for a decade," Reed agreed.

Greer said the area could market its music in the winter.

"Marion's doing moonshine," said Reed. The town has the state's only legal moonshine distillery.

"What are the things that we are missing?" asked Jackson-Ricketts. The Blue Ridge Discovery Center has a science-based, brick-and-mortar educational center as its goal.

Reed was very enthusiastic about a suggestion to convert the old Mount Rogers School into such a facility, and said it might qualify for tax credits like the conversion of the old Marion High School into the Wayne Henderson School of Appalachian Music. "Music's been beat to death but nobody's addressed the naturalist side of things.. That's an awesome idea."

Geocaching and bouldering are among other activities pursued by visitors.

Grayson building official Jimmy Moss said the region needs more convenience stores to serve horseback riders and motorcyclists.

Greer said the region needs more visitor centers and Holeton suggested that information could be distributed through country stores.

Holeton asked the business owners, "What's missing?"

Jackson-Ricketts said, "Coordinating what is already available."

Reed said that the Department of Housing and Community Development will require at least a five-year work plan.

What's getting paved?

Help sought for Big Ridge, Riverbend roads

By Amy Boucher

INDEPENDENCE – Three Grayson County residents spoke at a public hearing May 8 on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s plan for improving secondary roads over the next six years. Two supported improvements to Big Ridge Road and one asked for work on Riverbend Road.

Both roads are in the six-year plan, but will not see construction until the latter years of the plan, Riverbend in 2016-17 and Big Ridge in 2017-18.

Jeff Russell of VDOT’s Wytheville Residency briefed the Grayson Board of Supervisors on the plan. He said that Grayson has qualified for more construction projects because the “rural rustic” road designation, which allows VDOT to surface roads without significantly rebuilding them, only requires a count of 50 vehicles per day.

Steve Cornett and Diana Shields both asked that the unpaved portion of Big Ridge Road be paved. The road was added to the plan this year, but construction won’t be completed until 2018, assuming that VDOT funding stays on track as outlined in the plan.

Cornett said the section from Sweetwater Road to Virginia 658 is a thoroughfare and that it has been “40 years to getting the entire section paved.”

Cornett said the part of the road that has been paved “was not done correctly” and has been patched and is rough. “It’s in terrible condition, the paved portion, now.”

Shields said she was among those who lobbied for paving Big Ridge 40 years ago. She said the road creates a huge amount of dust, partly because of the Christmas tree trucks that use it. “I have to live on Claritin.” She asked officials to “move it up a year or two” on the plan.

Joy Murray of Riverbend Road said she has been attending secondary road hearings for 14 years. Half of the road is due to be paved as a rural rustic road by 2016. “Please do our whole road,” she implored. “Our road washes away, part of our road, every time the river gets up.”

The six-year plan unanimously approved by the Grayson supervisors includes:

* Spring Valley Road, at the intersection with 604, Old Colonial Road, .1 mile: reconstruct, replace the bridge, improve pavement, 2014.

* Shale Hollow Road from 857 to 805, .15 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2014.

* Freedom Lane, from 604 to end of state maintenance, .5 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2014-15.

*Hidden Valley Road, from U.S. 21 to end of state maintenance, .85 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2015-16.

* Clover Lane, from 660 to end of state maintenance, .12 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2015-16.

* Riverbend Road, from 602 to 1.8 miles east of 601, 1.8 miles: reconstruct and surface, 2016-17.

* Old Ferry Road, from U.S. 58 to 634, .95 miles: reconstruct and surface, 2016-17.

* Big Ridge Road, from 662 to 764, 1.6 miles: reconstruct and surface, 2017-18.

* Little Road, from 668 to 673, .2 miles: reconstruct and surface, 2017-2018.

* Scale House Lane, from .8 mile west of 634 to 634, .8 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2018-19.

* Longview Lane, from .55 mile west of 631 to 631, .55 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2018-19.

* Rock Creek Lane, from 687 to 888, .8 mile: reconstruct and surface, 2019-2020.

Wilson District Supervisor Glen “Eddie” Rosenbaum said a county resident asked him about paving the remaining 2.3 miles of Stone’s Chapel Road, which has 15 homes and 5 cabins.

County Administrator Jonathan Sweet said the present list was approved in 2009 and that many roads have been on the list for 12 years or more. “If it’s on this list, it’s already been deemed a priority.”

Next year or the following year the county will put together a road review committee to compile a new list of priority roads, he said.

Russell said that the new section would complete the paving of Big Ridge and that VDOT works on roads like Stone’s Chapel “one bite at a time.”

No one comments at school budget hearing

Funds sought to lock classrooms

By Amy Boucher

INDEPENDENCE -- Part of the extra $250,000 the Grayson County Public School System is asking the county to spend over the required minimum next year will go toward locks for classroom doors.
Assistant Superintendent Judy Greear explained that "to lock down a classroom you really need to be able to lock that door from the inside."
She outlined the budget priorities at the start of a public hearing on the $21.7 million school budget May 8 and mentioned the locks as part of a $60,000 request for maintenance funds.  The school system also wants $90,000 for a new bus, and $100,000 to help pay for a technology program that will eventually put laptop computers in the hands of all students in grades four through 12. All of this would be in addition to the state-required local contribution to schools, estimated to be around $4.8 million.
The school system lists its priorities as: technology, staff salaries, instruction, facilities, and transportation.
(For more details on the school budget priorities and county position, see the March 17, 2014 post.http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/03/grayson-school-board-asks-for-increase.html)
Because the state has not yet adopted a budget, the school system is working from estimated numbers, using the budget the governor submitted as a premise. Greear explained that the school system needs to know what the county will contribute as quickly as possible to prepare contracts for staff members. Without contracts, some could look for work elsewhere.
Greear said employees would get an average raise of 3 percent in the proposed budget and that since 2008-9 "gross and net pay for our staff has gone down."
The Grayson Supervisors asked no questions. County Administrator Jonathan Sweet said the supervisors would take no immediate action but could do so at a budget work session. Their next work session is at 6:30 p.m. May 14.
Supervisors' Chairman John Brewer asked whether the board could approve a school budget without knowing what the required local effort -- the amount the state requires the county to contribute -- is.
Sweet said the county could agree to contribute whatever that amount is without knowing the exact figure, but he wasn't sure how that would affect employee contracts. The county could then decide about any extra money "in a separate motion beyond RLE."
in other action May 8, the supervisors:
*heard from Ruth Ross, land stewardship coordinator of Grayson Landcare, about the organization and its projects. These include the Independence Farmers' Market, a proposed slaughterhouse for local livestock, a "whole farm planning" program which offers free consultations, four "Save Green Expos" with a fifth set this fall focusing on food, and a Land Stewardship Competition for students which took place May 10 and offered $2,000 in prizes. The supervisors unanimously adopted a proclamation in support of the competition.
*Set a public hearing for 7 p.m. June 12 on the 2014-15 county budget.
*Unanimously adopted a stormwater management ordinance that will allow the local building official to administer state-mandated stormwater management regulations. Without the ordinance, construction projects would have to wait for state reviews, Building Official Jimmy Moss explained. The supervisors also approved an associated change in the erosion and sediment control ordinance. Moss assured them that he had written "the least restrictive local ordinance that remains in compliance with the state of Virginia." Sweet pointed out that administering the new stormwater ordinance will add to the building official's workload.
*learned from Sweet that he will ask the Virginia Department of Transportation to undertake a new traffic study in the Troutdale area at the request of Supervisor Glen "Eddie" Rosenbaum. The most recent traffic study there was in 2012.
*entered closed session to discuss a new business or industry or a business or industry expansion and to discuss personnel.

Supervisors unanimously adopt zoning rewrite

Six comment on revised ordinance at public hearing

By Amy Boucher

   INDEPENDENCE – The man who wanted to repeal zoning in Grayson County, Supervisor Glen “Eddie” Rosenbaum, on Thursday night praised those who revised the entire ordinance in three months and made a motion, unanimously approved by the Grayson Board of Supervisors, to adopt the new zoning ordinance.

Only six people made comments on the ordinance at a public hearing. Supervisors’ Chairman John Brewer noted that 250 to 300 people who “loved their county” attended a meeting in January with divided opinions on zoning in Grayson. “It’s been a rocky road.” But he said he is “extremely proud” of the resulting ordinance.

About 30 people attended Thursday’s meeting, which was held in the courtroom instead of the board room in anticipation of a larger crowd.

The supervisors ordered the revision after first taking steps in January to repeal zoning altogether on a 3-2 vote. Rosenbaum, who initiated the repeal, tabled the action in February and with the support of the entire board directed the planning commission to revise the ordinance to make it more "user" and "business friendly."

“What we’ve been through has been a team effort with hard work and dedication to the people’s will,” said Rosenbaum after the vote Thursday, reading from a prepared statement that he said he had a little trouble seeing because he had been fighting a woods fire earlier in the day. He called the resulting ordinance more user-friendly, business-friendly and environment-friendly.

Planning and Community Development Director Elaine Holeton told the supervisors that rewriting the ordinance was identified as a goal in the 2014 Comprehensive Plan. The Grayson Planning Commission met eight times over three months to work on the new draft, focusing on six issues: readability, allowable uses in all districts; property setbacks; general regulations in all districts; exemption of agricultural buildings from zoning requirements; and clarification of the administration section. The planning commission recommended both the revised zoning ordinance and an associated revision to the subdivision ordinance to the supervisors for adoption.

(For detailed information on some of the changes, see previous posts dated March 29, March 26, April 9, and April 15. Click here: http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/03/planning-commission-slogs-through.html; http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-devil-is-in-details.html; http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/03/agricultural-district-dropped.html; http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/04/zoning-revision-tackles-shoreline.html;http://www.amyreports.blogspot.com/2014/04/zoning-ordinance-revision-ready-for.html)

“Thank you for the countless, countless, countless hours you’ve put in on this,” said Brewer, who also serves on the planning commission and was part of the revision.

Two speakers at the hearing, Barbara Russell and Laura George, were concerned that the new ordinance does not make clear that it replaces the old one, finding this language in the “general requirements” section problematic: “The provisions of this ordinance are cumulative with additional limitations imposed by all other laws and ordinances, previously passed or which may be passed after the adoption of this ordinance, governing any subject matter in this ordinance.”

Russell is a former planning commission member.

George said Holeton has told her that the county attorney said the language is not a problem, “but as an attorney, I see a problem. This is the opposite of what you want to accomplish …Our county attorney is wrong.

“We want this to be retroactive and trump all prior rules.”

George, Ruth Ross, Martha Anderson and George Santucci, representing the National Committee for the New River, all asked the county to consider protecting water resources by limiting the amount that water-intensive businesses can use.

“Please ask the planning commission to study this,” George said. “We are sitting ducks for a Nestle Corporation…They come in and suck the water dry and, ‘Bye-bye.’”

Santucci offered an example of a rule the county might adopt. He asked the supervisors to consider a business that uses 300,000 gallons of groundwater a month, and “the impact that might have on neighbors. Aquifers don’t honor tax parcel boundaries.”

Grayson residents have no recourse now if their aquifer is reduced by industrial use. He suggested that if a business proposes to use more than 300,000 gallons a month, it should have to prove first that “that amount of water is there.”

Anderson said she lives near a rock quarry which uses a lot of water and neighbors “are concerned about that.”

Elmer Russell of Troutdale, who has previously spoken against zoning, said, “The people are expecting you folks to do what is right with zoning, and that’s all I ask…Whatever you do, it needs to be done honestly…I’m not saying yay or nay.” Russell said the supervisors should represent the will of the majority.

Almost everyone who spoke praised Holeton and the planning commission for their hard work. Rosenbaum also praised County Administrator Jonathan Sweet for “holding the ship together while the county was experiencing some turbulence.”

The supervisors unanimously approved the revision to the subdivision ordinance, in which planned unit development regulations were moved from the zoning ordinance to the subdivision ordinance.