[1:59] Mhm.
[2:34] » All right, my watch is showing 6:00. So,
we'll go ahead and call this meeting to
[2:39] order.
Please rise for the invocation by
[2:42] Reverend Wayne Moore, High Point Baptist
Church.
[2:47] » Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for
[2:51] this wonderful country that we live in
and better freedom for 250 years. Thank
[2:57] for all those who made sacrifices to
give us this freedom and to
[3:02] protect and continue to have it today.
And Lord, we thank you for our founding
[3:06] fathers who recognized that we had
certain inalienable rights that were
[3:11] given by you and not by government, but
that government is to protect those
[3:16] rights. We thank you for the great
documents that we have the Declaration
[3:20] of Independence, the Constitution of the
United States of America.
[3:24] Lord, we pray that you would help us to
be faithful
[3:27] and continue to live uh by these values
and protect these for our future
[3:32] generations.
Lord, we pray for this body of local
[3:35] governing officials here tonight that
you would give them direction and
[3:40] guidance and wisdom.
Lord, that you would bless the people of
[3:43] Patrick County with prosperity, with
happiness, with peace.
[3:47] And we would use all the blessings that
you give us to further the gospel and
[3:52] to proclaim your great name to all that
we can.
[3:55] Lord bless us as we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
[3:58] » Amen.
>> And the pledge of allegiance.
[4:03] Pledge of allegiance.
>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[4:06] United States of America,
and to the republic for which it stands,
[4:11] one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
[4:19] » And a moment of silence in recognition
of US military serving here and abroad
[4:23] and all public safety.
[4:52] Well, you can be seated.
[5:03] All righty, the first item of business
is approval of the meeting agenda. Do we
[5:07] have any amendments to the agenda?
[5:14] » Any changes, sir, are
annotated in red.
[5:18] » Okay.
[5:22] All righty.
And Mr. Cox would like to speak briefly
[5:26] after the employee recognition.
[5:32] And can I go ahead and get a motion to
approve as amended?
[5:39] » Second.
>> We have a motion and a second. Any
[5:42] discussion?
[5:45] All righty, we'll proceed to vote. Mr.
Marshall?
[5:48] » Yes.
>> Mr. Kendrick?
[5:49] » It uh
>> Mr. Cox?
[5:51] » Uh
>> Mr. Wood?
[5:53] » I.
>> And I vote I as well.
[5:56] The meeting minutes from June 8th, 2026.
Do we have any amendments to those
[6:03] meeting minutes?
[6:08] All right, being there are no
amendments, we will take those as
[6:11] approved as presented.
Approval of the bills, claims, and
[6:15] appropriations.
Do we have any questions?
[6:19] » Yeah, the uh
the year-end transfer summary shows that
[6:22] some of the salary elements
in last year's budget ran well under
[6:27] what those positions actually cost, and
others ran well over.
[6:31] Um the transfers square the estimates
with the actuals after the fact. I'm not
[6:35] questioning the math, and I'm not
pointing fingers. This board, myself
[6:38] included, adopted that budget, and the
careful reconciliation work in front of
[6:42] us is to the credit of our new finance
officer, who inherited these numbers on
[6:46] short notice. My concern is simply this:
We're approving differences after the
[6:50] money is spent, not having had a role in
its formulation. I would like to be sure
[6:55] the current year's budget doesn't carry
the same liabilities forward.
[6:58] I'm handing the county administrator a
short written list of questions on the
[7:01] specific items, and I ask that staff
respond in writing.
[7:05] Until I see those answers,
I can't say the numbers in front of us
[7:09] are the ones I verified.
Um it's a due diligence thing, and not
[7:14] criticism of anyone on the staff.
[7:18] » All righty, any other questions, or
comments, or concerns?
[7:23] » I might have a question earlier today,
but I think it's been answered over uh
[7:27] I said it's being graded this morning.
Maybe on page 42.
[7:33] About the
That's one of them.
[7:37] Under uh
these questions.
[7:44] These questions.
[8:00] » You have
a total page
[8:02] 44 should be corrected to
$170
[8:06] and $1.96.
[8:11] » That is correct, right?
>> It has been corrected. Yes, sir.
[8:18] » All righty, anything else?
[8:22] All right, I'll take a motion to
approve.
[8:26] » I'll make a motion.
>> All righty, can I get a second?
[8:29] » Second.
>> Have a motion and a second. Any further
[8:32] discussion?
[8:35] All right, we'll proceed to vote. Mr.
Marshall.
[8:37] » No.
>> Mr. Kindred.
[8:39] » Aye.
>> Mr. Cox.
[8:40] » Aye.
>> Mr. Goins.
[8:41] » Aye.
>> And I'll vote aye as well.
[8:44] We will proceed into our presentations.
Uh the first one is Patrick County
[8:48] partner.
Do you want to start that one?
[8:52] » Yes, sir.
[9:02] So, this evening I have the pleasure of
presenting the Patrick County Partner
[9:05] Award to Dr. Richard Cole. I wanted to
say thank you to the citizens that had
[9:09] contacted me to nominate Dr. Cole for
the award this award. I've had the
[9:13] pleasure to know Dr. Cole and his family
for approximately 5 years now. When I
[9:17] think of Dr. Cole, I think of simply one
that puts county and people over self.
[9:23] You do not have to look hard to find Dr.
Cole. One minute he is working at the
[9:26] ticket booth at the county fair, the
next minute he is administering health
[9:30] care to a patient, and the next minute
he is attending a meeting to help steer
[9:34] the county with the strategic vision
plan.
[9:37] Like many of the residents of Patrick
County, Dr. Cole does so with humility,
[9:41] compassion, and a deep love and
commitment to Patrick County. And sir,
[9:47] you have the resolution. Would his
family like to come up while they read
[9:50] the resolution?
>> Proclamation of the Board of Supervisors
[9:54] of Patrick County, Virginia, honoring
Dr. Richard Cole for a lifetime of
[9:58] extraordinary service.
Whereas Dr. Richard Cole was raised in
[10:02] Patrick County, harboring a vision from
the tender age of five to become a
[10:06] physician and return to his roots to
dedicate his life to the health and
[10:11] well-being of his neighbors. And whereas
fulfilling that lifelong dream, Dr.
[10:15] Cole, alongside his wife and their six
children, returned to Patrick County in
[10:20] 1984, establishing the Patrick County
Family Practice in 1990, which has since
[10:26] grown to employ approximately 50
dedicated staff members.
[10:30] And whereas for over four decades, Dr.
Cole has selflessly assumed the massive
[10:34] responsibility and financial burden of
recruiting physicians to the region, a
[10:39] vital community service traditionally
managed and funded by local hospitals.
[10:44] And whereas Dr. Cole has consistently
demonstrated unparalleled integrity and
[10:49] devotion to his staff, routinely
prioritizing the payroll of his
[10:53] employees over his own financial
compensation.
[10:57] And whereas during periods of immense
instability, when the local hospital
[11:01] repeatedly closed and reopened, and
others sought higher ground, Dr. Cole
[11:06] remained an unwavering anchor, ensuring
that the citizens of Patrick County were
[11:11] never left without essential medical
care. And whereas at immense personal
[11:16] financial loss, Dr. Cole independently
purchased a CT scan machine to expand
[11:21] critical diagnostic capabilities within
the county.
[11:24] And repeatedly worked grueling overnight
shifts in the emergency room after
[11:28] putting in full days at his his
practice, often receiving no
[11:32] compensation from hospital owners.
And whereas when the hospital closed yet
[11:36] again during the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, Dr. Cole courageously stepped
[11:42] up into the gap by opening an urgent
care office, equipping it with a vital
[11:47] x-ray and lab services, and becoming one
of the first in the nation to secure
[11:52] Salvia lab
the Salvia Salvia lab machine for rapid
[11:57] COVID-19 diagnosis.
And whereas at the age of 71, Dr. Cole
[12:01] continues to work an astonishing 100
hours per week managing a practice that
[12:06] serves 38,000 patients on the books, and
continuing his relentless recruiting
[12:11] recruitment efforts to fill a critical
shortage of area physicians. Now,
[12:16] therefore, be it resolved that the
Patrick County Board of Supervisors does
[12:20] hereby recognize and commend Dr. Richard
Cole as the Patrick County partner for
[12:25] his heroic selflessness, his enduring
sacrifices, and his monumental
[12:29] contributions to the health, safety, and
longevity of Patrick County and its
[12:34] citizens.
[12:41] » [applause]
[12:48] [applause]
[12:53] » Thank you.
[12:57] That was very nice. I appreciate it.
I don't know what else to say.
[13:04] » [laughter]
[13:06] » That's a picture, please.
[13:16] » I got it.
>> Oh, I'm sorry.
[13:34] » Thank you.
>> Thank you. Thank you. That was very
[13:36] nice.
We certainly appreciate you.
[13:41] Thank you.
[13:44] Thank you.
[13:58] » And then we have employee recognition.
[14:04] » Miss Ruth Galper, come on up here.
[14:15] I don't think I need a microphone.
Uh this month we recognize another one
[14:19] of our stellar performers from our
Patrick County administration team. This
[14:23] Ruth Russell. Miss Ruth has been
employed by Patrick County for 18 years.
[14:27] It comes cliche to say this, but she is
much more to our team than just working
[14:31] in the finance department. I think I've
said that before, but Ruth certainly
[14:36] isn't is, excuse me. When I think of
Ruth, I was always sent back my first 2
[14:40] weeks
working for Patrick County. I was
[14:43] aggressive and I was new to the job and
people thought both people did not know
[14:46] where I fit in to question. To say Ruth
and I bumped heads for about 3 months
[14:51] would be an understatement. Um I guess
the just of it I was chasing things and
[14:55] directed to do things that Miss Ruth had
already done so, but she had all the
[14:59] answers, too.
Ruth is not only instrumental in
[15:02] our finance department. Ruth is a key
player on our team. The quiet, unspoken
[15:07] hero of the things that happen, but
often can be overlooked. If I need
[15:10] something done and I need it fast, I ask
Ruth. Recently, the administration team
[15:15] is going through quite a large turnover
of personnel. We are hurting, to be
[15:19] honest with everyone, and Ruth has
stepped up big time. Not only has she
[15:23] stepped up and made an impact, she has
done so working on holidays and during
[15:26] her time off. Ruth has taken a difficult
job and all the responsibilities
[15:31] associated with it and done so for our
team and for Patrick County. Ruth has
[15:35] answers, Ruth provides guidance for her
teammate, and Ruth accomplishes her task
[15:40] efficiently and does so unassuming well.
Ruth may not be aware of this as I'm
[15:44] sure most people on my team isn't.
One day Ruth
[15:50] came to my office and told she told me
thanks and she said she appreciated me.
[15:54] It was one of the few days that I had
that was bad and I sure didn't need to
[15:58] hear that.
It made my day. I needed a good word
[16:01] that day and it came from Ruth. So,
Ruth, thank you again.
[16:05] You pushed me through a rough day and in
closing
[16:08] that is what Ruth brings to the table.
We always do not hear thank you and we
[16:12] always do not have a good day.
Our team is just people like the rest of
[16:15] our citizens, but Ruth and people like
Ruth make a difference as she did to me
[16:20] personally that day as she does for my
team daily. And thank you for being on
[16:24] our team because we appreciate you.
[16:28] » [applause]
[16:41] » In
in sincere appreciation of your 18 years
[16:45] of dedicated service and invaluable
contributions to the success of Patrick
[16:48] County.
[17:05] » [applause]
[17:11] » I guess he's talking about the song.
>> I can't
[17:17] » Here's the ball.
[17:30] » All righty, and Mr. Cox, you can go
right ahead.
[17:37] » First of all, I would like to extend a
word of thanks to the various
[17:41] organizations in Happy Camp.
The Stuart Road Club
[17:46] and veteran organizations,
Mission Road Club, all that.
[17:51] The newly formed Blue Star Mothers
organization
[17:56] and the VA service officer that came
down and gave us a unit 10
[18:01] and
put a program called
[18:04] Pints for Valor
and it was
[18:07] a program designed to make veterans
aware of
[18:11] services and service agencies that might
be able to help them
[18:16] navigate through their problems with
being a veteran.
[18:20] And I I think Stuart Road deserves a big
thank you
[18:24] uh for those efforts.
Now, I ask your indulgence for a few
[18:30] minutes as I make my comments.
[18:34] For the past 6 months and the beginning
of
[18:37] 2026
or 2025,
[18:41] we started to celebrate America's 250th
birthday.
[18:46] There have been celebrations all over
the nation
[18:49] and the awarding of this.
[18:53] Tonight, as I make my comments, I hope
you will keep that celebration in mind.
[18:59] I'm not a legal scholar, teacher, or a
preacher.
[19:03] I make these comments to the proud
citizens of these United States of
[19:07] America.
They're made in effort to refresh our
[19:11] minds what it to be a citizen
as we continue to celebrate 250th
[19:17] anniversary
of the founding of our great nation.
[19:22] It would be erroneous and a plain of
error to not recognize that the United
[19:26] States is a nation of immigrants.
Immigrants through hard work and a dream
[19:32] of hope
that permeated their goals to establish
[19:35] a future for themselves and their
descendants
[19:39] in a country that provided them
opportunities
[19:43] of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
[19:48] As a result of laws of immigration, we
are a diverse nation
[19:53] with diverse goals,
but one coordinated goal of becoming a
[19:58] united nation.
[20:01] The objective of this diverse population
is first found
[20:06] in the preamble to our Constitution, and
not the Constitution itself.
[20:12] Constitution was developed to guide us
in our choices towards leading the
[20:16] intended republic
that provided the opportunities and
[20:20] liberties our founding fathers
sought to provide also.
[20:27] Those words are
"We the people of the United States, in
[20:32] order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic
[20:38] tranquility,
provide the common defense, promote the
[20:42] general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty
[20:47] to ourselves and our posterity, do
ordain and establish this Constitution
[20:53] for the United States of America."
[20:57] Our forefathers could not envision all
the social, economic, and political
[21:02] strife that we see in today's society,
but the document they created was a
[21:07] living document
with certain inalienable rights granted
[21:12] not by man, but by God.
Over the centuries of our existence,
[21:18] this document has evolved
by providing amendments to our
[21:22] Constitution
that has filled our basic unquestionable
[21:27] rights in the first 10 amendments that
we now refer to as our Bill of Rights.
[21:35] Our founding fathers were wise enough to
recognize that a developing nation
[21:40] needed guidance and direction
to avoid becoming an authoritarian
[21:45] dictatorship or principality ruled by
kings and princes.
[21:50] They chose a form of government that
would be ruled by the people and for the
[21:55] people
and not to be dictated to by one
[21:58] individual or group of people.
And our leaders were selected to be
[22:03] selected by the will of the people.
Our representatives
[22:09] were never intended
to seek their patriotism and self-
[22:16] unselfish acts of service as a means to
personal success, fame,
[22:22] and economic riches through their
efforts and thanks to their business.
[22:26] Our fathers recognized that being an
elected representative
[22:31] was not to be used to gain power and
authority
[22:36] as a result of their elected position.
They fully understood
[22:42] that unempowered power and authority
gained
[22:45] was rife with the opportunity to
opportunity for corruption and abuse.
[22:52] Fathers never intended for our elected
officials of public service
[22:56] to become a career profession.
Many of the planners of our nation
[23:02] have suffered
loss of financial gain and property.
[23:07] Indeed, many of the planners
of this nation were deprived of their
[23:12] properties, rendered penniless, and some
even faced certain death.
[23:18] Nevertheless, they stood up to those
tyrannical acts in pursuit of a more
[23:22] unified and just nation.
[23:27] Over the course of our nation's history,
we've lost many heroes in faith
[23:32] to the ravages of war.
World War II, Korea, Vietnam,
[23:38] and so many other actions that have
caused the disability and death of so
[23:42] many soldiers and leaders
who took an oath to protect and defend
[23:47] our country against all enemies,
foreign and domestic.
[23:53] Their sacrifices and sacrifices their
families have not been in vain.
[23:59] Political ideology
and even communist communist and
[24:04] socialist
ideology is the most serious risk
[24:08] threatening the stability of our great
nation today.
[24:12] We are at risk from outside sources,
but the greatest risk all Americans face
[24:19] is within our own country,
domestic terrorists.
[24:27] Today,
as this meeting began, we asked you to
[24:32] stand with the four survivors
with the service and hearing and
[24:36] swearing
and repeat our nation's pledge of
[24:39] allegiance.
I ask you to take a moment and think
[24:44] about your pledge, what it means to the
future of our great country.
[24:49] I ask you to remember what has gotten us
to this 250th celebration of our
[24:55] country,
and while we still share the great hope
[24:59] » [clears throat]
>> of liberty,
[25:01] pursuit of happiness for all of its
citizens.
[25:05] God bless the USA.
I thank you our citizens,
[25:09] our elected representatives,
and hopefully
[25:13] the hope that can still be our guiding
light.
[25:16] Thank you.
>> Thank you, sir.
[25:20] All righty, we will proceed to the
public comment period.
[25:25] And first on the list is Tara Burgess.
[25:35] » Sorry, I'm a little bit slow.
>> Take your time.
[25:41] » I don't want to climb up on that box.
[25:54] Can you hear me?
>> Yes, ma'am.
[25:56] » Okay. Um,
I'm here to speak in opposition to
[25:59] closing Dogwood Road. You know, it's
been going on for a while.
[26:04] Uh,
pardon me while I get my notes cuz I
[26:07] can't remember anything anymore.
Um,
[26:11] I feel the Dogwood Road should remain
open serving all the public as an open
[26:15] thoroughfare.
The school board should not control or
[26:20] steal public property from the public
who are currently using it, especially
[26:24] when that property is being used every
day, all day. We use that road when we
[26:28] go to vote, we go Walmart, transfer
station, Tractor Supply, Do It Best, the
[26:33] hospital, Stagecoach Coffee, the
courthouse, the county offices, this
[26:37] meeting,
the library, nonstop, and everything
[26:42] else in Stewart.
>> [clears throat]
[26:44] » And I feel that saying, "Oh, but the
children." is gross emotional
[26:48] manipulation. There are other are of
dealing with student safety than to
[26:52] endanger those same children and their
families and everyone else trying to
[26:56] make blind exit at crossover. Vdot
offered alternatives
[27:02] that seem like they would work to me.
In addition to that, I would like to
[27:06] point out that the current safety
measures for that area cannot be
[27:11] fairly judged because
[27:15] they're not even completed. There is no
warnings limit, you know, the flashing
[27:20] 15 mile an hour warning sign of the
school zone. There is none coming in
[27:25] from Harden Reynolds.
There is also on on Abbott Penn coming
[27:30] south
um there is no 25 mile an hour marking
[27:34] when you come over that hill. There is a
15 mile an hour flasher, but there is
[27:38] not 25 mile an hour which contributes to
the lack of safety there.
[27:43] » [cough and clears throat]
[27:45] » Um there is however a shiny new 25 mile
an hour sign right before that school
[27:50] crossing
which would lead people to think, oh,
[27:53] now it's maybe up to 25 not down at 15
anymore.
[27:57] Um I feel that choosing the nuclear
option of closing this
[28:01] the road is short-sighted and if and
when the needs of the citizens change
[28:07] and we end up closing or relocating
HRMS, we can't just open Dogwood Road
[28:12] right back up because that road won't
meet current Vdot standards. It's
[28:16] currently grandfathered in, but if you
close it, we won't be able to get it
[28:19] back.
I feel that closing Dogwood Road does
[28:23] active harm to the community of Crites
by removing the central point where
[28:27] those roads come together. It remove the
central feeling of that intersection and
[28:31] impede access to the envisioned Crites
community center and park.
[28:36] Feel that closing Dogwood Road does
active harm to new businesses in the
[28:39] area, notably Clay and Twig and the now
it has a name Glenn's Grill
[28:46] uh that just opened.
And the envision community or Vision
[28:51] Crates Community Center and Park will be
another place the students will cross
[28:55] the road to get to. Are you going to
close
[28:58] as the school board going to close the
Abbott Penn next? It also has safety
[29:02] issues for the students and community
such as that blind hill.
[29:06] And where will we be voting? Will we
move that voting area because we can't
[29:10] get to that gymnasium anymore? Where
will the recycling bins go?
[29:15] I think that VDOT and the citizens have
given you many other reasonable options
[29:20] besides ripping up that road.
I know [clears throat] public service is
[29:24] hard especially when the pool of decent
people willing to serve is limited and
[29:28] people accuse those of serving in
multiple roles of nefarious motives.
[29:33] I've been there.
I believe that
[29:37] » [clears throat]
>> you chose I believe in you because you
[29:38] chose to serve us and I hope that you
will come to a good compromise for all
[29:43] as this decision will have lasting
effects for our community. Thank you.
[29:47] » Thank you.
[29:51] » [applause]
[29:55] » And next is Stanley Fain.
[30:12] » First of all,
I'll let you folks in up there
[30:15] understand that you have a thankless
job.
[30:18] I certainly appreciate everything you
do. I mean and I know you're in a
[30:21] situation
that many times that you're sitting here
[30:24] and you've got to think discuss this
either right or wrong and then it's
[30:26] sometimes not a good middle road and
then it's it's just a bad situation.
[30:31] I am here tonight to speak of our PSA.
I think the train's already left on this
[30:36] situation I'm talking about.
Understanding it was a public hearing I
[30:40] knew nothing about. Um
not sure how you notify that, but
[30:44] anyway, I I I got word of it through a
Facebook post the
[30:49] uh like 5:00 today of.
But anyway, so what's happening in
[30:52] situation? PSA is good for Paden
Springs. It really is. In all reality,
[30:56] back whenever Jimmy Easton Bobby Polin
and
[30:59] and all those folks got together and
know knew that Paden Springs had a
[31:02] problem and it's no doubt that PSA's
good.
[31:04] The problem we got is there's some folks
being charged and not using an ounce of
[31:08] water or or treatment one ounce of
sewage into system.
[31:14] And so, they're getting I don't know
again if it's going [clears throat] to
[31:18] be an increase or not. I'm assuming it's
going to be an increase for that, but
[31:20] what's happening
for whatever how many years it's been
[31:23] going on with them paying for this and
not using an ounce of it.
[31:26] So,
if I look at fairness, which we all
[31:29] should probably look at fairness in
government and everything else we're
[31:31] talking about,
is it fair to raise the price for
[31:34] someone not buying anything
or not using anything?
[31:40] I don't I'm looking. I'm not sure any of
you folks out there are even
[31:44] using PSA for sewage. Is that right?
John, are you?
[31:48] So, you know, it's only the small area
of Paden Springs and I'm not sure what
[31:52] the budget PSA is, but it seems like
that somewhere along the line they
[31:55] forgot that
you know, if you own property, you're
[31:58] having to pay this mandatory fee whether
you use it or not.
[32:02] I I would like for you guys to kind of
look at this and see if it's something
[32:05] that that you can do at least to keep
the increases from going up or just just
[32:10] say, "Well, let's go ahead and increase
everybody whether you're using it or
[32:12] not."
Um I I know again I'm asking you
[32:15] probably something other that you
think's no big deal, but in my
[32:19] situation, I've got a shop that's
closed.
[32:21] It'll be around 900 bucks this year.
Uh or or more
[32:26] for nothing.
And I'm sitting here scratching my head,
[32:30] "What do I do about this?" Well, I guess
they'll probably don't do anything. If I
[32:32] don't pay it, you're going to you're
going to go ahead and assess my
[32:35] property. So, somewhere along the line
you're getting money out of it, but
[32:38] you know, when it gets to the point that
whenever you're paying for something,
[32:41] what do you get out of it?
In this case, if you're not hooked up
[32:44] and using it,
like like that particular one is, uh
[32:48] you're getting nothing for it.
So, I'd ask you kind of look at this and
[32:51] see if it's really fair to be doing this
to landowners that's not hooked up. I
[32:54] guess you call it a uh
What is it called? What kind of fee is
[32:58] it called?
>> Service fee.
[33:00] » Service fee, whatever. But anyway, I
again, I think the trains are left on
[33:03] this one, but but anyway, I just want to
bring it to attention that that that
[33:06] maybe you're not aware of what's going
on with this, and you're probably
[33:08] looking at so much stuff you don't
understand it, but but I'm sure there's
[33:11] some other folks who are going to be a
little bit upset about if we get an
[33:13] increase on this thing again for not
nothing kind of usage.
[33:18] I didn't sign up for the road deal, but
I think you don't need to close that
[33:20] road, by the way, as well.
I appreciate your time.
[33:25] » Thank you very much.
[33:30] And Rhonda Pruitt.
[33:43] » Hello.
Normally, I'm here to talk about the
[33:46] food bank. Tonight, that's not yet, but
I want to say thank you for everything
[33:50] y'all have done here while I'm in person
um to help us in the past year.
[33:55] Today, I'm talking about the road
closure at Hard Reynolds Memorial
[33:58] School.
I am a rebel.
[34:01] I am a proud rebel. And I was in the
first sixth grade class after the
[34:05] Patrick Springs-Hard Reynolds merger.
So, I get to say that. I was in that
[34:10] first sixth grade class.
All four of my children attended there,
[34:14] and so did my daddy, which was before
me, obviously. My son is 33. He was one
[34:20] of the seventh grade boys basketball
champions at that school.
[34:24] My daughter's 31, she cheered. My other
daughter's 24, she was the seventh grade
[34:28] girls basketball champions,
and
[34:32] played on the first softball team ever
that came to HRMS.
[34:37] My youngest daughter's 21. She was in
the van and played softball at Hardin
[34:41] Reynolds.
None of them were hit crossing the road.
[34:44] And you know why?
Because of the staff.
[34:48] We have an excellent staff at that
school.
[34:52] Hardin Reynolds is not a primary school.
When these kids come there, in the
[34:55] fourth grade, fourth, fifth, sixth, and
seventh grade, they're preparing to go
[34:59] to the high school
where they walk across a five-level
[35:02] parking lot every day.
Possibly, some of them.
[35:07] So, we are preparing them to go on.
We're not treating them like children.
[35:10] We want them to grow. We want them to be
you know, we want them to succeed.
[35:18] That That's what we're here for.
And they know the word stop and go. And
[35:23] when they they tell you, when you come
on your third grade trip,
[35:26] you don't go across that road without
somebody with you.
[35:30] You have to have somebody with you. And
that continues throughout their
[35:33] schooling there. I've been there. I
know.
[35:36] My kids will tell you.
They make a point to drill it in the
[35:41] child's head. If you want to play in the
gym, if you want to go to recess in the
[35:44] gym, you got to follow the rules.
Because we can stay inside.
[35:48] You can stay on the basketball court not
going in the gym where it's cool.
[35:52] Now,
you might be saying that I don't have a
[35:55] dog in this fight because I don't have
kids that go there anymore, but that'd
[35:58] be where you're wrong.
Because
[36:01] I am the poll chief for the Creasy
District precinct at Hardin Reynolds
[36:04] Memorial School gym.
We are the largest precinct in Patrick
[36:09] County with over 1,700 registered
voters.
[36:14] Have any of you thought about where
you're going to put us?
[36:17] Where will we go to vote? You can't tell
us they're not going to vote.
[36:21] You got to find somewhere for them to
go.
[36:24] That That's where they are all used to.
So,
[36:29] surely there are other ways to
accomplish whatever goal it is that
[36:33] you're after.
Maybe crossing gates, crossing guards,
[36:36] you know, like they have at railroads.
Push a button.
[36:39] Gate goes down, kids go across, gate
goes up.
[36:42] I mean,
surely that would be less expensive
[36:47] than
taking up this road and making the the
[36:52] adjustments to cross over road.
I mean, and then during the
[36:57] uh
winter break or when you're during the
[37:00] summer, leave them up if nobody's there.
Maybe have the school resource officer
[37:05] pull his car up and him stand on this
side while they go across.
[37:08] You're taxing an already poor county
with making adjustments to a current
[37:12] road and closing one that there's
nothing wrong with.
[37:16] You know, if you're looking for things
to do with the school, I mean, help them
[37:20] figure out the car rider line situation,
which is always out to Crooked Spur
[37:23] Baptist Church
in the road because there's nowhere for
[37:26] them to go.
There has to be a solution other than
[37:30] closing the road. And it's it's just
ridiculous that this has gone on this
[37:34] long. We have no stoplight at a four-way
intersection in Patrick Springs where
[37:38] people get hurt and killed all the time.
But yet,
[37:42] nobody will They We can't put a light
there. But nobody's been injured
[37:47] at the school.
So, it's been that way for many years.
[37:51] Remember the saying, "If it ain't broke,
don't fix it"?
[37:54] I can think of numerous purposes for the
money that you're wanting to spend on
[37:59] this road.
Thank you.
[38:02] » Thank you.
>> [applause]
[38:09] » And next we have Don Wood.
>> Dan
[38:13] » Dan
[38:21] » Thank you. I wanted to talk about
Appalachian Power.
[38:25] Specifically, their family or their
practices and how they take land and how
[38:30] they use land.
I live out by Fairdale. They're
[38:34] rerouting that power line. I asked them
to consider doing something differently
[38:39] um because of my health condition. I'm
allergic to a chemical called Bronopol
[38:45] that is in herbicides and insecticides.
Herbicides
[38:50] are very dangerous to me. I'm going to
pay a price just for being here tonight.
[38:55] So, instead of doing that,
it appears that they go hog wild. I
[39:02] actually met with them and talked to
them about, "Please let me know when
[39:05] they're spraying."
And they did not. I found out they
[39:08] sprayed the other end of Fairdale Road
when my foot swelled up and I ended up
[39:12] in crutches for 3 months.
I called and asked to speak to whoever
[39:16] was in charge of this operation,
and they put me in touch with the young
[39:21] fellow at AEP who proceeded to explain
to me exactly what chemicals they use,
[39:26] about how they mixed four different
brands of chemicals together, including
[39:31] one called Aquacide.
I asked him, "Are you sure you used
[39:37] Aquacide?" And he said, "Yes."
Aquacide, as the name implies, is
[39:43] intended to be used for aquatic
vegetation.
[39:46] Not intended to be sprayed all over the
road.
[39:51] When it's used,
at least in my experience, like at
[39:55] Jordan Lake, North Carolina, before the
state of North Carolina used Aquacide,
[40:00] they posted notices all over the
community
[40:03] to let people know they're not supposed
to be swimming in the lake and to keep
[40:07] their pets out of it and not to have any
fish
[40:11] or eat any fish that comes from it.
Sorry, I'm nervous.
[40:15] So, what do I see when I drive down
Union Bridge Road and across Goblin Town
[40:21] Creek and I look upstream right now, I
can see where they sprayed
[40:25] just recently, a lot.
If I look to the right, I can see where
[40:30] that water goes right up to the swimming
area at Fairy Stone Lake.
[40:36] I didn't see any cautions or warnings. I
didn't hear about any and I live there.
[40:42] This is highly irregular.
Consistent with that, you can just look
[40:47] at coming into town on Highway 8 when
you turn off 58 and you cut down on 8,
[40:53] you cross the Mayo Creek. Just look to
the right. Look at where they sprayed
[40:58] all above the stream.
Not supposed to do that.
[41:04] Along that same vein, while they were
out there before
[41:08] several months ago, they started work
out there. I asked the guys to avoid one
[41:13] particular section of the easement on my
property because I thought it had
[41:17] wetland obligate species
that I thought it was an ephemeral
[41:21] headland and that I was considering
converting it into a permanent
[41:25] conservation easement so I can make a
little money off of it.
[41:29] They might want to reconsider what their
plans were.
[41:33] This Thursday, they showed up with
equipment and immediately the first
[41:37] thing they did was they took a tracked
piece of equipment and drove all over
[41:40] the section that I thought was a
wetland. Now, it may or may not have
[41:45] been a wetland. Nobody tested the soils.
I know it had the hydrology and the
[41:50] zoology but I don't know nobody dug any
holes in the ground to test it.
[41:56] This is appalling.
It sucks.
[42:00] I've only been here about a year and a
half and I'm looking at having to sell
[42:03] out and move
because of Appalachian Power's business
[42:08] practice.
All I I for was to be notified when they
[42:12] were spraying and a little bit of
consideration as they were moving this
[42:15] line
instead of putting it on my land, maybe
[42:19] they can move it over to the state land
since the state is asking for this to be
[42:22] done.
[42:25] No consideration. In fact, they came out
and met with me to look at it and said,
[42:29] "Yeah, that'd be a great idea. That
actually your plan looks like it would
[42:32] be more workable, less expensive and
more efficient."
[42:36] And then they came back without warning
and just started cutting trees.
[42:40] They cut a tree in front of my house
today that had a 105-in circumference, a
[42:45] white oak.
105 in circumference. That indicates
[42:50] that that tree was alive when
[42:56] the chestnut blight hit.
That would have been a tree that should
[43:00] have been saved.
They should have tried to make an effort
[43:03] to go around it.
They seemed
[43:07] determined to take all the big trees
down on either side of that road
[43:12] regardless of their status as
potentially being an old-growth tree.
[43:18] I just wanted to make you aware of it
and aware of what kind of things they've
[43:23] been doing.
And um I could speak much more about
[43:27] other things I've noticed in their
business practice,
[43:30] but I'll leave it at that for right now.
I'm just letting y'all know
[43:34] » [snorts]
>> that this is going on in your county.
[43:37] I feel like they're taking advantage of
me on the
[43:40] on my property rights.
I feel like they have taken advantage of
[43:43] me because of my disability.
It's ugly and I would like to see
[43:49] something done about it. Thank you very
much. Thank you.
[43:53] » [applause]
[43:57] » And Ed Anthony.
>> Mr. Chairman.
[44:01] » Yes.
>> Uh
[44:03] would it be possible for for to come in
on Mr. Woods
[44:07] discussion briefly.
[44:11] » We normally don't comment on
public comment, but if you want to do
[44:16] something afterwards,
you can do that.
[44:18] » I'll be happy to make myself available
to you to talk.
[44:20] » I'll be here afterwards.
>> Okay.
[44:24] » Over here, sir. I'll start with you. Can
I ask a question of the
[44:29] uh
people here?
[44:30] » Sure.
Make it quick.
[44:32] » Those of y'all who are against the road
closing
[44:35] Harden Reynolds Memorial stand up just
about 3 seconds and sit back down.
[44:42] Thank you all.
[44:47] Thank you all for hearing me for just a
minute.
[44:51] Gentlemen,
[44:54] good evening to the Board of
Supervisors, our county commissioner,
[44:57] and press,
and others who are attending tonight.
[45:01] On September 8th, 2025, the majority of
the BOS, excuse me, Board of
[45:06] Supervisors,
voted to disregard the request of the
[45:10] people of Patrick County and the Mayo
River District to keep section
[45:15] of Dogwood Road in front of Harden
Reynolds Memorial School in Critz,
[45:19] Virginia, open.
The vote to close this section of the
[45:23] road was brought to the Board of
Supervisors
[45:27] by the school board.
This action was made without concerns of
[45:31] ongoing businesses, patrons, and
citizens and landowners in the area.
[45:38] We the people presented a petition of
466 signatures to keep the road open
[45:44] with several safety precautions noted to
be installed such as
[45:49] stop signs, flashing caution lights,
drop bars, and
[45:53] uh at the crosswalk
to keep children safe.
[45:58] The chairman of the
uh Board of Supervisors
[46:02] accepted the petition to be entered into
the record of the minutes and no other
[46:06] word of this petition has been noted by
the board since.
[46:11] The road closure
was not a suggestion of VDOT.
[46:17] The vote of the Board of Supervisors to
close the road became null and void
[46:22] because of legalities. Number one, the
decision to vote
[46:26] on the road closure was not properly
addressed as specified. It was supposed
[46:31] to be announced in writing written form
in two newspapers
[46:35] published at least
twice a month that month prior to the
[46:40] meeting and it was not done. It was only
one done.
[46:46] Number two, the resolution for the vote
to discontinue the road
[46:51] that was filed with the County
Commissioner's office stated different
[46:56] reasons for the road closure
than the original reason that was voted
[47:01] on by the Board of Supervisors.
It stated the road no longer provided
[47:07] public sufficient convenience to warrant
maintenance
[47:12] instead of the safety reasons
that were proposed by the school board
[47:16] at the meeting for the reason to close
the section
[47:21] of the road
in front of
[47:24] Harman Middle School.
[47:30] If that were to If that road were to
close,
[47:33] it'll never be reopened. I want you
gentlemen please think about that.
[47:38] Without spending millions of dollars
for
[47:42] uh
to bring it back into VDOT
[47:45] road re- uh road system requirements.
[47:51] You need to think about that now. Once
that road is closed,
[47:55] it will never return.
What if someday something bad happens
[48:00] like
and uh heaven forbid it ever happen
[48:04] that our school closes.
Then that road is no longer there.
[48:08] And it won't come back.
It'll never come back.
[48:12] So,
I'd like to thank all of y'all, and all
[48:16] the people who have helped us and are
still helping us to keep our road open.
[48:22] Especially all the folks who collected
uh
[48:25] signatures for our petition,
those who signed the petition,
[48:30] those who attended the Board of
Supervisors meetings,
[48:33] everyone who attended the community
meeting at Stella Christian Church this
[48:37] past spring.
At um
[48:40] Stella Christian Church, we can thank
them for offering us and allowing us to
[48:44] use
their facility to meet.
[48:49] Thank you very much.
>> Thank you, sir.
[48:57] And next is Leroy Trent.
[49:10] » Well, I don't have anything wrote out,
but I do will tell you when I was a
[49:13] little boy, I went to the school. I
never seen an accident there. I've never
[49:18] heard of one being there, and I don't
think the road needs closing cuz it's
[49:22] going to create a big hazard. I got a
tractor trailers we go through there
[49:26] sometime, and we go through that road
that got It's going to be a disaster.
[49:31] And when you think about all the
children,
[49:34] all these people up forward is going to
get killed, and other people going to
[49:37] get killed when they pull out over there
on Avery Penn Road
[49:41] like in the wintertime,
we going to be caught out in the
[49:45] sometime slick. And what you going to do
when you take out? First thing you going
[49:48] to do is spill a bit slide to the ditch.
What are going to do when the cars
[49:52] coming over the hill? They can't stop.
They're going to run right into the
[49:56] buses. You need to think about the
children a little bit and quit thinking
[50:00] about the school or whatever now. We
never had a problem.
[50:03] And I don't see why we should even think
about closing that road.
[50:08] Like I say, when we went to I went to
school, we parked cars there.
[50:13] A lot of things different now.
We was crazy, but we had a lot of common
[50:17] sense. We had good back in the good uh
uh vehicles. No no problem.
[50:23] We behaved ourselves, but you know what
most of all, we know right from wrong.
[50:28] Just like when we was little,
we'd ride a bicycle.
[50:32] When we hear a car coming, we didn't get
out in the middle of road and think we
[50:35] was a big truck or car and hog the road
up. We would get off the road and let
[50:40] the cars go.
What has happened to the people? What
[50:43] has happened to our decisions? Why don't
we think about this like the man said.
[50:49] If you want to do something to improve
it, put some stripes up and down the
[50:52] road there and let us know which side to
be on and mow the side of the road a
[50:56] whole lot better than what we do and we
can all get along and see what's coming
[51:00] and I think we'd be much better off.
That's all I got to say.
[51:04] » Thank you, sir.
[51:10] And next we have Steve Fearing.
[51:41] » Thank you. Please.
[51:46] I think I'm short one.
Thank you.
[51:48] I think that was all of
[52:08] » Well, good evening. Have a good evening.
We have a brief
[52:14] » [clears throat]
>> We have reviewed your budget
[52:16] for 2026-27
fiscal year
[52:20] and it would appear
that it
[52:23] as well as the last one
is kind of a wag budget.
[52:27] » [snorts]
>> At the last meeting and again at this
[52:29] one
you'll be approving a number of
[52:32] transfers
from accounts
[52:35] that were over budget
to cover expenses that were under
[52:39] budgeted.
We're curious at the way you think these
[52:42] transfers are necessary
and who's responsible for their
[52:46] preparation for inclusion
in your board package.
[52:51] We would think
that the Board of Supervisors budget
[52:55] committee
would want a clean posting
[52:59] of all expenses against budget
to revise the 2026-27
[53:04] budget.
It makes sense.
[53:08] There are several issues, however,
that your budget committee overlooked
[53:13] that we will again call to your
attention.
[53:16] The budget for inmate food
is once again very high.
[53:22] If you calculate the daily cost of food
budgeted
[53:25] you see that $8.70 $8.70
is the budgeted amount
[53:33] per inmate
per day.
[53:37] A year ago, the average cost per inmate
in the state of Virginia
[53:40] was between $3.00 and $6.00.
You were above it last year, too.
[53:47] Even allowing for inflation,
we're paying far more than needed.
[53:53] The last 2 years, we've mentioned this
discrepancy,
[53:57] and have not been able to get an
agreement from either the Sheriff's
[54:00] Department or the County Administrator
to re-bid the current
[54:05] food contract. Last bid, I think, in
2021.
[54:11] We propose that the County
Administration
[54:14] be made responsible for the jail
administration
[54:17] in order to provide transparency to the
taxpayers.
[54:21] This proposal does not necessarily
increase the cost of running the jail,
[54:25] since no new position would need to be
created,
[54:28] but it would certainly give us better
control of the budget that's currently
[54:34] being used to finance the jail.
[54:38] » [clears throat]
[54:41] » So, we propose the County Administration
take it over.
[54:45] The budget for our 911 service
is riddled with charges for
[54:50] communication services that seem to be
duplicated, and in some cases,
[54:55] triplicated,
with portions of these expenses shared
[54:58] to other departments.
It appears that we could save a great
[55:02] deal of money by consolidating or
eliminating these redundant legacy
[55:07] systems.
This operation should also be assumed
[55:11] and managed by the county,
because once again, we're faced with the
[55:14] transparency issue
from the Sheriff's Department
[55:18] when we were when we inquire as to the
management of our taxpayer dollars.
[55:26] » [clears throat]
[55:30] » We hope
that the Sheriff's Department is not
[55:33] only
mismanaging We hope that the Sheriff's
[55:37] Department is only mismanaging our money
and that the lack of supplying
[55:41] information is not symptomatic of
something more problematic.
[55:46] We also propose that this unit be
managed by the county administration
[55:49] to provide a venue that will allow for
the modernization of 911 services
[55:55] and transparency of funding.
[55:59] We previously asked the administration
to centralize the purchasing of
[56:01] janitorial supplies for the county,
the jail, and the schools to save money.
[56:07] In February, we queried the
administration regarding the status of
[56:10] this request
and were informed that the bid for these
[56:13] supplies was eminent.
To date, there's been no follow-up.
[56:19] We had previously proposed 3 months ago
that the Board of Supervisors consider a
[56:24] real estate tax cap for our senior
citizens
[56:27] who have resided in the county for 20
years or more and are over 65
[56:33] 65 years of age.
This proposal has not been placed on the
[56:37] agenda and addressed by the board.
Given the circumstances of the last
[56:42] year, this is more important than ever.
Around 200 of our seniors are on the
[56:48] cusp of losing their ability to pay
taxes and provide for their health,
[56:52] food, and medications.
While we agree this is a side up side
[56:58] objective,
while we agree that the employee
[57:00] recognition for exemplary work on our
behalf is laudable,
[57:05] we feel it's only a placebo if it's not
accompanied by a real reward, not just a
[57:10] plastic dust collector.
Let's give a reward of a $100 gift card
[57:15] to accompany that dust collector.
The cost of doing so once a month would
[57:20] be easily covered by the savings in
janitorial supplies.
[57:24] Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[57:30] » Next, we have Vance AG.
[57:42] » Good evening. Thank you for my time.
[57:49] Some of the comments made prior to me
have pretty well said it probably
[57:54] in more detail, but very clear with
regards to the closing of the Dogwood
[57:58] Road.
Basically, we now know that the request
[58:04] and the vote for closing of the Dogwood
Road is null and void.
[58:09] Therefore,
we start all over again.
[58:13] VDOT offered up many alternatives as
noted.
[58:17] You have 25% of that community even
petitioned against closing that road.
[58:25] I think each one of you up there
swore and pledged to serve the
[58:30] constituents
and the citizens and taxpayers of this
[58:33] county.
[58:36] And I think it was said earlier by
Mr. Cox,
[58:41] you're not here to serve one individual
or one small group of people.
[58:46] We want to serve for the best of all and
and more importantly, the majority.
[58:53] Further discussion and debate needs to
be in regards to
[58:58] uh the alternatives for that road.
But I question this. I'm an inquisitive
[59:04] person.
If that road is not worthy of being
[59:09] maintained for the what few dollars it
is to put a little asphalt and
[59:13] uh tar and gravel on it,
then I would also challenge the question
[59:18] the legitimacy
of the enrollment and the head count for
[59:23] the current and the next 10 years for
Hardin Reynolds School.
[59:28] It's a business.
It's got a balance sheet.
[59:32] And the revenues that come in as a
result of a legitimate enrollment and
[59:37] head count needs to be considered.
Cuz the essential spending for the
[59:43] payroll, maintenance, and operations of
that facility is part of the
[59:48] expenditures.
[59:54] One of the supervisors
did some homework
[59:57] and found no fatalities to students
over the decades that school's been
[1:00:03] open.
And he also found that there are no
[1:00:06] documented near misses at that facility.
The vehicular transportation accidents
[1:00:14] were documented and noted.
Yes, it's a traffic issue.
[1:00:19] The road
being concluded as being closed
[1:00:25] as further, I guess,
disclosed begs the question.
[1:00:31] We made some rash decisions and a rash
vote based on a uh very limited amount
[1:00:38] of discussion and research. It was not
an emergency.
[1:00:42] So, let's let's continue the discussion.
The safe the the safety resource
[1:00:48] officers and the teachers have been good
stewards of the policies of the public
[1:00:52] schools
for that and all of the locations in
[1:00:56] that's my opinion.
However,
[1:01:04] if
we're trying to
[1:01:07] uh
write a grant
[1:01:11] for monies of any kind,
there's terms and conditions for the any
[1:01:15] grants that come forth from this uh
county and/or
[1:01:19] Commonwealth of Virginia. They all got
terms and conditions and it might
[1:01:24] include matching grants.
Well,
[1:01:30] if it's justified, I'm worthy of that
discussion.
[1:01:35] But, we want to make sure we get our
money's worth.
[1:01:39] And if the intent
Well, let's just say this.
[1:01:45] I would like to have a copy of the grant
request. Who authored it and who signed
[1:01:49] off on it?
Cuz what's the ulterior motive here?
[1:01:53] More money.
And if we don't have enough money,
[1:01:57] we go out Oh, we're going to borrow some
more money if we want to
[1:02:02] allow ourselves to
be manipulated.
[1:02:07] » [clears throat]
>> It opens the door for wasteful
[1:02:11] and fraudulent
expenditures.
[1:02:14] And I'll use Meadows of Dan as a good
example of that. We experienced and
[1:02:17] endured that years ago by previous
administration, okay?
[1:02:23] We got to own it.
But, we're going to also manage it.
[1:02:27] So, therefore,
[1:02:30] I would conclude that
let's just call it
[1:02:35] line item expenses.
Budget for what we really expect.
[1:02:41] Moving money as was previously stated,
that's mis appropriation of funds.
[1:02:46] You know, if one line of
lines out, then you come and make a
[1:02:50] request.
But, we're not going to do it just
[1:02:53] randomly because
it's in the budget.
[1:02:57] Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[1:03:02] » [applause]
>> And last call, is there anybody else
[1:03:06] that would like to speak?
[1:03:10] Come on up, Galen.
[1:03:43] » Sorry about being a little bit late and
not getting in and signing up for
[1:03:46] everything, but uh
my doctor kept me a little bit longer
[1:03:50] than I wanted to with that laser
surgery.
[1:03:53] But uh
I am addressing the 58
[1:03:58] intersection at Patrick Springs.
I went around with the new uh resident
[1:04:04] engineer, I guess you'd say, about that
road. And she informed me that now it's
[1:04:09] been classified as a scenic byway.
I don't know who, what, where, when, or
[1:04:17] how this was done,
but
[1:04:21] I don't think none of us Did y'all know
it was a scenic byway?
[1:04:25] She says due to the fact it's a scenic
byway, we can't put a stop light there.
[1:04:29] I call BS.
Something needs to be looked at in
[1:04:34] another study because they've done a
study on that intersection.
[1:04:38] And what they found in that study, they
have not done yet.
[1:04:43] Which was involved in daylighting,
fixing the curbing that has been broke
[1:04:47] up, plowing the snow and stuff.
And them things happen.
[1:04:52] But somewhere along the line, we need
[music] to look at
[1:04:58] something being done down there
because it is
[1:05:02] very, very, very dangerous.
And in reference to the Dogwood Road,
[1:05:10] uh I went down there for the meeting
that they had at the church.
[1:05:15] And went out by the new way they was
wanting to send us. And you have to pull
[1:05:19] halfway out in Abram Penn
just to see down towards the post
[1:05:24] office.
Now, how safe is that?
[1:05:28] And where are they going to put the
people that pick up their kids that
[1:05:32] lines up from the school all the way
past Wright's Baptist Church?
[1:05:38] Uh, they've moved the little building
that was there back from the road. You
[1:05:43] can see really good.
If
[1:05:46] APCO would do their job and clean the
trees away from that telephone pole
[1:05:52] that is completely grown up with trees,
you would see the gym
[1:05:57] plain as I'm looking at y'all right now.
So, I know there was a little courting
[1:06:02] going on behind the doors
of some of the school board people of
[1:06:09] wanting this road closed. And
I got involved in actually
[1:06:16] seeing it happen.
So, I know they were courting the
[1:06:21] supervisors to try to get this road
closed.
[1:06:25] And the haste of doing this,
Lisa Price Hughes said if she knew that
[1:06:31] y'all was going to vote to close that
road that night, she would never had
[1:06:35] presented anything.
And it would have been a null and void
[1:06:41] situation.
And they say they talked with the
[1:06:45] Commonwealth attorney of the state of
Virginia.
[1:06:48] And somebody that can't even spell
Virginia, our senator, is trying to tell
[1:06:52] us what to do down here. We don't need
it. That's BS, too.
[1:06:58] So, let's keep that road open. Let's do
a new vote, new hearing,
[1:07:03] and be done with this situation. We've
kicked this can down the road for the
[1:07:08] last
12 months maybe.
[1:07:12] And it's time to stick a fork in this
cuz this pig is done.
[1:07:17] Thank you all very much.
[1:07:24] » [applause]
[1:07:26] » All righty, and now we will go on to new
business
[1:07:30] and we've got VDOT.
[1:07:52] » In the
Pull the microphone over there to you.
[1:07:55] » I'm sorry.
Um
[1:07:58] in you all's packet you should have the
um um
[1:08:02] documents for this this um
needed resolution for changes to
[1:08:09] construct the uh
changes due to construction. Um this is
[1:08:13] in regards to a section of 58 that was
widened. The construction actually
[1:08:19] completed I think in 2016.
Um the project ran from
[1:08:25] um
Big Reed Island Allen Creek in Carroll
[1:08:29] County through Floyd County and then
about
[1:08:34] 3/4 of a mile into Patrick County and
connected with the four-lane section
[1:08:39] there and Meadows of Dan. And um
um once the the project was completed
[1:08:47] this uh
this here is is needed just to finalize
[1:08:52] and get proper documentation for those
the changes done to the roadway and um
[1:09:00] um
the the amount of changes is
[1:09:06] on 58. It's 3/4 of a mile. And again,
it's it's
[1:09:10] abandoning the section that was two lane
and adding it back as four lane. And
[1:09:15] then those are also
0.05 mile change to a secondary
[1:09:20] connection.
Um so, this resolution would just be to
[1:09:25] do the the
um next step of just getting this
[1:09:29] documentation finalized. We would submit
a package to central office just for it
[1:09:34] to be recorded.
>> Okay.
[1:09:37] Does anybody have any questions?
[1:09:42] All right, I'll take a motion to
approve.
[1:09:45] » I'll make the motion.
>> We have a motion. Do we have a second?
[1:09:50] » Second.
>> A motion and a second. Any further
[1:09:52] discussion?
[1:09:55] All right, we'll proceed to vote. Mr.
Marshall.
[1:09:57] » Aye.
>> Mr. Kendrick.
[1:09:58] » Aye.
>> Mr. Cox.
[1:10:00] » Aye.
>> Mr. Wood.
[1:10:01] » Aye.
>> And I vote aye as well. Thank you very
[1:10:03] much.
>> Um thank you.
[1:10:14] » Then next we have um
Mrs. Kirsten Kirsten Beasley with a
[1:10:19] grants update.
>> Yes, sir. She just wrote me while we
[1:10:22] were here. Her child had a fever.
She found out that it was hoof and mouth
[1:10:28] or something like that. So, she said she
could not be here, but um
[1:10:33] as we spoke about before and in the
budget, we've had the county has had a
[1:10:36] grant writer in there at least last
year. What we decided to do um
[1:10:41] cost savings to the citizens as well, we
brought Kirsten Beasley, who's a local
[1:10:46] Patrick County resident, on board. And
on July 1st, she attended a department
[1:10:52] head meeting for the county. Um she sat
down with any department head um
[1:10:58] who was looking for grant support for
ideas. She spent 4 hours at the county.
[1:11:03] She went back and she listed on her
spreadsheet the grants that she is going
[1:11:08] to apply for and work for the county.
Um
[1:11:13] Again, Kerstin's a
Patrick County lady.
[1:11:17] Absolutely a joy to have on our team in
the capacity as a contractor for us.
[1:11:23] Uh
probably the biggest thing is is looking
[1:11:26] at what we're saving as a county. When
we did the budget, we had our budget
[1:11:29] committee meetings when we were working
on it.
[1:11:33] We cut the cost of grant writing for the
county probably in half.
[1:11:37] Um
I told Kerstin, you know, we need some
[1:11:39] results. We need some grants. We need
some businesses from EDA. We need a few
[1:11:44] things to start shaking and making
things win, but uh
[1:11:47] again, I just wanted to be able to
present Kerstin to you all this evening
[1:11:50] so you would know that she has worked
for the county.
[1:11:53] Um EMS has reached out to her different
sections.
[1:11:57] Department heads have reached out to
her, spent a lot of time talking to her.
[1:12:01] So, she will come every month on the
first work day of the month, have an
[1:12:05] open house in the county administration
building. Supervisors, if you have an
[1:12:10] idea and there's something that you
heard of or if you're chasing,
[1:12:13] please use her.
And um
[1:12:16] No, that was it. I just wanted just to
do a uh
[1:12:19] formal introduction from Kerstin, which
again, her child is sick this evening
[1:12:23] and she stayed home.
Look, any questions on that, gentlemen?
[1:12:29] Any questions from the board?
[1:12:33] All right. Thank you very much.
>> Thank you, sir.
[1:12:37] » We will proceed to old business. Mr.
Mike Bailey man
[1:12:41] from APCO.
[1:12:49] » Good evening. Thank you for for me here
this evening.
[1:12:52] Tonight, [snorts] I was here to discuss
the uh line route along the rail trail.
[1:12:57] From our previous meetings, we got your
feedback about the overhead lines and
[1:13:02] some concerns about
how that might impact future development
[1:13:07] on the parcel. To help address those
concerns, we have
[1:13:11] put together this map here, which I has
been passed out, where instead of
[1:13:15] overhead, it is now an underground line
which will be following the tree line.
[1:13:20] This underground line has a 20-ft
right-of-way down from the 40-ft
[1:13:24] right-of-way of the previous overhead
line.
[1:13:27] And
from our discussions out in the field,
[1:13:30] Mr. Overby, um
we feel that this addressed the concerns
[1:13:35] about
future use of the parcel as well as
[1:13:39] allowing room for that picnic shelter
that you had discussed and things of
[1:13:42] that nature.
To explain this map on a uh
[1:13:47] more detailed level,
it still would be an overhead line where
[1:13:52] that red line is going across the rail
trail where it will get to the double
[1:13:56] circuit A-frame pole within the tree
line. Once it reaches the tree line,
[1:14:01] those lines will go underground where it
will then follow the tree line until you
[1:14:05] get to the box that sits splice boxes.
With this being a double circuit, there
[1:14:09] would be one box per circuit in that
area and it would then follow the line
[1:14:15] up until it gets to the parking lot. It
will go underneath the parking lot.
[1:14:19] There will be and then they will go
above ground
[1:14:22] to meet [clears throat] with the
existing lines on the opposite side of
[1:14:25] the parking lot.
Um I also have our
[1:14:30] customer design supervisor here. If you
have any questions related to
[1:14:35] the design on a more technical level and
I guess at this point, do you all guys
[1:14:41] have any questions or comments or
concerns with this underground
[1:14:46] line route.
[1:14:50] » Um, I have a question for you.
>> Yes, sir.
[1:14:53] » I understand App Alliance is going to
take several pieces of parcels of land
[1:14:58] right in there.
Why were those parcels not chosen to
[1:15:02] route this instead of
going along the route it is now?
[1:15:07] » So, the reason why Appalachian Power did
not go with the parcel to the south of
[1:15:12] the Mayo River, and you can see that on
this map that uh
[1:15:16] with all the woods is with that being
such a steep grade, it was going to be
[1:15:21] quite difficult as well as um to install
it as well as difficult to get to that
[1:15:26] line in for maintenance as well as
emergency situations. It's something
[1:15:31] where um
the right-of-way would have to be
[1:15:34] cleared much more than 40 ft to allow
for those poles to be there safely, as
[1:15:40] well as with how steep it is,
um it would be quite difficult to have
[1:15:44] those poles safely installed onto the uh
mountain that way.
[1:15:49] » So, would that be a cost measure as
opposed to
[1:15:53] serviceability
consideration?
[1:15:56] » Cost is not the only factor, um but
yes, the serviceability is the main
[1:16:03] issue there.
[1:16:08] » The The blue line on your map
>> Yes.
[1:16:12] » running here
That's currently a line of some type,
[1:16:16] correct?
>> That is correct. That is an existing
[1:16:18] distribution line.
[1:16:21] » So,
[1:16:23] as Mr. Godsey said,
Patrick County owns 9 acres down in
[1:16:27] there.
AEP owns over 280 acres.
[1:16:31] You already have a line across the
river.
[1:16:34] Has that land not had timber cut off of
it in the last little bit?
[1:16:38] Part of what AEP owns or am I completely
mistaken there?
[1:16:42] » I'm not sure of any timber clearing that
has been going on. If there has been any
[1:16:45] on that parcel. Um
>> Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong piece of
[1:16:48] land.
>> But yeah, this this particular piece of
[1:16:51] land um
that we're looking at on this map is
[1:16:54] opposite of the rail trail. Um
I'm not sure of any tree clearing on any
[1:16:59] of the other parcels.
>> It's like I said, it's
[1:17:02] 249 acre tract, which is pretty good
piece. If I remember right, it goes all
[1:17:06] the way over to the uh
I don't know what that road is back
[1:17:10] there. Back on the back side. Um
>> Wayside?
[1:17:14] » Basically goes to wayside.
Thank you, Kenny.
[1:17:18] Um
So, I'm just uh
[1:17:22] also about that as well.
Um
[1:17:25] So, we're still going to have a double
hitch
[1:17:29] frame hole at Winding Splice Box. How
big is the splice box? Is that a
[1:17:34] We're talking about a car or a human
size? We're talking
[1:17:37] over a home size? I don't know.
>> At at this point in time, it's still to
[1:17:41] be determined the exact size of the
splice boxes.
[1:17:44] Um
Do you have any information on the
[1:17:47] splice boxes?
>> Yeah, the splice boxes that we use with
[1:17:49] this this these two circuits. And of
course, this is the main line. So, we're
[1:17:53] using pretty much the largest
underground cable that we have to be
[1:17:56] able to handle the load. The splice
boxes that are used are somewhere
[1:18:01] They do stand about this tall, somewhere
at our level. And they're probably about
[1:18:05] um
1 and 1/2 times as big as this podium.
[1:18:07] Just as a generalization of what the
size of the splice box is.
[1:18:12] And to address what you're talking about
going across the river, if you go take a
[1:18:15] look at that, that land when it leaves
the river, it pretty much goes straight
[1:18:18] up.
And it'd be the same way. Yes, there's a
[1:18:21] line that goes over it in with the
grade. And as you can think about
[1:18:25] driving a tractor, driving a car,
if you're driving up the hill, it's
[1:18:29] different than trying to drive across
it. And that's the way the new line
[1:18:33] would need to come is across that grade.
So, to be able to try to get any type of
[1:18:36] equipment over there, the amount of of
um grading work that would need to be
[1:18:41] done, but also more so than just getting
it built. And this is one thing we do
[1:18:45] have to try to take in consideration is
getting it built the first time is
[1:18:50] probably the easiest thing that you can
do. Maintaining that line from that
[1:18:55] point on is where you end up um
affecting your customers as far as the
[1:19:00] time frame it takes to get back to it uh
so that we can try to restore the power
[1:19:04] as efficiently and quickly as as
possible.
[1:19:09] » Have you ever encountered circumstances
such as this in other areas,
[1:19:13] particularly along Muscle Shoals Road?
>> As far as having facilities
[1:19:18] Yeah.
>> Where you've got environmental factors
[1:19:21] such as this. You say it's too steep.
And yet you own 200 and some acres
[1:19:26] through there. Is there not separate
access ways that you can get in without
[1:19:30] having
to follow the route you're prescribing
[1:19:33] now? That would be just big economical?
>> Just a No, this right here is the most
[1:19:38] economical way that we have to try to
build this line. It is determined to be
[1:19:43] the most reliable way for the customers
and the people of Paster County to have
[1:19:48] this line built this way.
>> Just a curiosity, why does that Why does
[1:19:53] AEP have that much land on side of the
river that they can't use?
[1:19:57] » Now, that as far as the land purchase
when it was Whatever was negotiated cuz
[1:20:01] I'm assuming it was part with the
station as far as that work there.
[1:20:04] » Yes.
>> I don't have any information over there
[1:20:06] uh Mr. Kendrick to to know decisions or
um
[1:20:11] I do know that at times to get one piece
you're made to get all of it.
[1:20:17] And that's a possibility to to get the
piece that was needed
[1:20:22] it was required to get get this also.
That possibly.
[1:20:27] » If I may add, my name's Robinham with
Appalachian Power also. That was one
[1:20:30] large tract. So, that that's how that
particular annexation went. Seller
[1:20:35] wanted to sell the entire tract of
property. So, that's why we have so much
[1:20:39] property.
>> Why did you need that much property
[1:20:42] AEP for AEP? Why did you need just for
curious reasons? Why did you need that
[1:20:46] much property in that area?
>> We It's proposed for a new station.
[1:20:51] It's going to be the mayor of River
Station.
[1:20:52] » Okay. And And another thing that
concerns me a little bit with that line,
[1:20:55] too, is right the other side of the
jail. Doesn't it come across a pretty
[1:20:59] good-sized piece of property that the
EDA owns?
[1:21:02] Or the county?
[1:21:06] » Uh on
It would be a piece of land that would
[1:21:10] go between the rail trail and the jail.
[1:21:17] » I'm not quite sure where that Is that Is
that parcel shown on this map?
[1:21:21] » I'm not sure, either. I can't tell heads
or tails from these lines.
[1:21:24] All these lines, right?
>> [laughter]
[1:21:27] » I see. But So, shown on this map is the
Patrick County Jail, EMI Imaging, and
[1:21:33] then to the far left, there is the
parking lot to the rail trail. So, if
[1:21:40] I I'm I might be misunderstanding the
question here, but to talk about the
[1:21:45] parcel that is owned by the EDA, the
only parcel owned by the EDA that is on
[1:21:49] this map is the parcel that contains the
parking lot for the rail trail.
[1:21:54] Um for the parcel you're speaking of,
I'm not 100% sure of where it's located.
[1:21:59] So, I'm not
>> It concerns me a little bit cuz if you
[1:22:03] can put it on the other side of the
river, it might clear up that piece of
[1:22:06] land instead of dividing it up to where
it can't be used or utilized later on.
[1:22:11] That That concerns me a little bit, too.
And I may be wrong on it, too, but I
[1:22:15] think we still got about 12 acres
uh right there beside of that Probably
[1:22:19] beside of EMI.
And if that if that rail comes across
[1:22:24] what I've seen in some of these
pictures, it's going to be detrimental
[1:22:27] there, too. Or if you could get on the
other side of the river, it might
[1:22:29] prevent both problems.
>> I I I see, but like
[1:22:34] like Brian explained, I mean, we we're
not we're not currently pursuing the
[1:22:38] line on being on the other side of the
river river due to those concerns
[1:22:42] regarding serviceability.
>> Well, I can understand that too, but it
[1:22:46] it bothers me a little bit on on the
real chill property, you know, that was
[1:22:49] grants and everything else put up for
that, and even though it's under the
[1:22:53] ground, how how far would it be
underground? Will it be protected by
[1:22:56] conduit or what what's the arrangements
on all that?
[1:22:59] » Yes, the line would be protected by
conduit. As to how far it would be
[1:23:03] underground, would you
>> be a minimum of 48 in below the ground.
[1:23:07] It will be installed in conduit,
protected by conduit.
[1:23:10] » Um
>> The location where it's at now, from
[1:23:13] what I understand, is right at the edge
of the flood plane for that area there.
[1:23:17] So, as far as you know, that was as
to stay out of the flood plane, that was
[1:23:21] as far down as we could get so that we
wouldn't be encumbering the use of the
[1:23:25] property if it ever, you know, for
whatever development you would have in
[1:23:28] the future for that.
Okay.
[1:23:36] » All righty, any more questions?
[1:23:44] All right, I will accept any motions.
[1:24:01] I need a motion.
[1:24:04] Pick one.
[1:24:13] » Can I ask a question?
Why would we make a presentation like
[1:24:17] this and the public that's sitting here
be included to see a map of what we're
[1:24:23] talking about. I know we're the real is.
real travelers, but I really don't know
[1:24:27] what he's talking about with the lines
and all that other stuff. So, this could
[1:24:31] be beneficial if you're going to do a
presentation to have somebody present
[1:24:35] something that the public that's coming
to these meetings could be fun of it at
[1:24:40] least a little bit.
Just a thought.
[1:24:52] » All right, I need a motion.
>> I'd like a motion not to approve these
[1:24:56] taxes.
[1:24:58] » Okay, we have a motion [applause] and we
have a second.
[1:25:01] Any further discussion?
[1:25:09] All righty, I'll call for a vote. Mr.
Marshall?
[1:25:11] » No.
>> Mr. Kindred?
[1:25:14] » Which way we voting now to
To not
[1:25:16] » To not approve.
>> Uh
[1:25:20] » Mr. Cox?
>> Uh
[1:25:22] » Mr. Wood?
>> Uh
[1:25:32] » I'm going to vote
no.
[1:25:40] So,
you'll have to come up with a better
[1:25:43] option.
>> All right, we will if you have any more
[1:25:47] feedback for us, please reach out to me
and I will bring that back to
[1:25:51] Appalachian Power. Thank you very much
for your time.
[1:25:53] » Thank you.
[1:26:08] » All righty, we will proceed to our
reports. Ms. Carol Craig, Department of
[1:26:12] Social Services.
[1:26:22] » Good evening.
Um really don't have any new updates. We
[1:26:26] continue to meet all our state and
federal guidelines in both benefits and
[1:26:32] services.
Um I would however like to say thank you
[1:26:35] to Mr. McGinness for giving us extra
space
[1:26:39] and making it possible for us to have a
visitation room.
[1:26:42] Um so our families can visit with their
children in a nice room and not be in a
[1:26:49] generic conference room.
Um our furniture was delivered today.
[1:26:54] So now we are completely set up and
excited about our visitations. So I do
[1:26:59] appreciate um
Mr. McGinness's support and appreciate
[1:27:04] the support of this board for all of our
agency and all the families that we
[1:27:08] serve.
Thank you.
[1:27:12] » Thanks.
[1:27:15] And the administrator's report, Mr.
McGinness.
[1:27:19] » Yes, sir.
We have many improvements still taking
[1:27:22] place in our county. The backup
generator for the old school board
[1:27:25] building
uh for the emergency operations is still
[1:27:27] in progress. We have the improvements at
DeHart Park still in progress. Our ITM
[1:27:32] facility managers have upgraded the
conference rooms, the board rooms, as
[1:27:36] well as a few more security upgrades for
the buildings.
[1:27:39] Uh my team has engaged FEMA and has sent
out all notices and conducted all
[1:27:42] necessary notices to hold our first
public open house forum for questions
[1:27:47] and answer period to help our citizens
navigate this as well as educate them on
[1:27:53] the appeals process. So I wanted to
thank Nick and I'm going to give it a
[1:27:57] shot, uh D'Aero, D'Aero, who's our
building officer, and Mark Ferner for
[1:28:01] spearheading this effort. The next
meeting for our citizens is July 20th.
[1:28:06] The first public forum for FEMA is at
the school board building conference
[1:28:10] room from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. And then as
well on July 30th, and that will be at
[1:28:16] the same location, but we will do it
from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. So, we will
[1:28:20] publish that, sir, and get that Amy can
get that on the website so people can
[1:28:24] look at that. The next Patrick County
Citizens Learning Series will be
[1:28:28] conducted at the County Administration
Building on Thursday, August 6th at
[1:28:32] 5:30. This will be an open house type of
event. We will tour the building and
[1:28:36] have question and answer period for all
guests.
[1:28:39] Dinner and refreshments will be served,
and just so the public here doesn't
[1:28:43] lynch me beside the Jeb Stuart statue at
the courthouse, I will pay for that out
[1:28:48] of my own pocket. So, do not worry.
County funds will not pay for everybody
[1:28:53] to attend the meeting and have a supper.
Um it's an opportunity to meet our team
[1:28:58] and see each individual office
uh in the building. More details to
[1:29:02] follow. Um and it's really just a
first-hands operation so our citizens
[1:29:07] can see what we do on a day-to-day
basis.
[1:29:10] Um
we've had a large turnover on our team
[1:29:13] here. We have some people in new
positions, and though it's going to be
[1:29:16] difficult to replace the employees that
are retiring with their vast knowledge,
[1:29:19] we have a hungry team, and we want to
take charge. As I tell my team uh
[1:29:24] monthly, I say to them all the time, and
I've heard my employees say, "Good teams
[1:29:28] have rules. Great teams have standards."
And I think our team is setting the
[1:29:32] standards. We are winning.
On Saturday, June 27th, I attended an
[1:29:37] event open to the public at Dominion
Valley Campground. Free food, great
[1:29:40] entertainment, and free food for the
Patrick County citizens. Um I wanted to
[1:29:45] thank the Dominion Valley Campground as
well as the Roaring Twins for hosting
[1:29:48] this event as well and providing food
and beverage. It was just nice to be
[1:29:53] able to sit in the pavilions and enjoy a
cold soda and engage the citizens and
[1:29:57] answer questions about Patrick County.
Uh my great economic development
[1:30:01] director, James, and I attended a
conference in Stuart, Virginia for
[1:30:05] brownfields. We met many people that are
willing to help Patrick County with some
[1:30:09] projects that we are engaged with and we
hope to get started soon.
[1:30:12] Though
um I do not like leaving the friendly
[1:30:15] confines of our county, benefit of this
conference should be felt in Patrick
[1:30:19] [clears throat] County hopefully in this
next year.
[1:30:22] Um as we wait to hear official word
concerning broadband and the debacle, um
[1:30:27] there's a lot of things that I'm not
privy to say. There's a lot of things I
[1:30:30] do not know.
Uh there was a deadline imposed on
[1:30:33] Riverstreet Networks on July 10th. That
deadline has been extended.
[1:30:38] Um but I think um
our citizens
[1:30:42] and the county as a whole is definitely
definitely postured with the new plans
[1:30:46] that I think that DHCD
and West Piedmont have in plan with the
[1:30:50] county.
Um I also attended another school board
[1:30:54] meeting
and
[1:30:56] we're winning. We're struggling a
little. We're getting beat up.
[1:31:00] You know, uh but again, I'm very proud
of our team and um the work that
[1:31:04] everybody's doing and so that's all I
have, sir.
[1:31:07] » All right. Thank you very much.
And we will go to supervisors' reports,
[1:31:12] Mr. Marshall.
>> Yeah, I was contacted by a constituent
[1:31:16] in Vesta. Uh
He doesn't live here, but he has
[1:31:19] property.
And um he came down to the property and
[1:31:23] and lo and behold, there was a huge
swath of trees and plants that were
[1:31:29] sprayed and killed.
And he asked me to look into it, but
[1:31:32] that's not what shocked me. What was on
his property was the drive out there.
[1:31:37] Uh
you want to talk about damage to your
[1:31:39] future?
I mean, it it was pretty horrific
[1:31:43] driving out there. It's horrible. And I
think it's uh the these are persistent
[1:31:48] herbicides.
And I found out there's there's seven
[1:31:52] different chemicals they're using in
cocktails
[1:31:55] um that they're mixing up and they're
spraying it all over this county.
[1:31:58] And uh it it's going to cause permanent
damage. This stuff does not go away.
[1:32:03] Um so, I think it's high time perhaps
that the administrator go ahead and
[1:32:06] reach out to the state and the local
offices and get
[1:32:10] Yeah. Get somebody
>> provide a lot more information if you
[1:32:14] would like.
>> And um I reached out to them. I reached
[1:32:17] out to the state and I've reached out to
local and do you know I haven't gotten
[1:32:20] any answer?
And I did it
[1:32:22] » a call from president of operations
because I complained about all the
[1:32:27] spraying in my neighborhood.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
[1:32:28] » And they said we'd like to hear
everything I can tell them all about
[1:32:31] what's going on.
>> Maybe get one mic and
[1:32:34] give them all the information on that.
Um something has to be done. I mean this
[1:32:38] this can't continue like this. This is
terrible.
[1:32:41] Um
And and one of the reasons is our water
[1:32:45] resources. This stuff gets into our
water resources, gets into the aquifer
[1:32:49] and it's been proven over and over and
over again um
[1:32:52] uh that it's a carcinogen among other
issues.
[1:32:57] » I I can speak to that. There's a
chemical called Pronol.
[1:33:00] P R O N O L.
It was subject to a lawsuit called Troy
[1:33:04] Corp versus Brown.
I was given Social Security disability
[1:33:09] and VA disability because I'm allergic
to Pronol.
[1:33:13] It was sprayed all over the roads of
North Carolina in 1978
[1:33:17] by a company called Ward Transformer.
It was the first It was the first
[1:33:22] » [cough]
>> superfund site in the United States.
[1:33:25] It is extremely toxic, extremely deadly
and they're giving a lot of people and
[1:33:29] going to be even more so disability
because of it.
[1:33:33] This chemical causes people's lungs and
when you breathe it, the fumes from it
[1:33:38] causes a normal reaction, not for me.
Causes their lungs to fill with fluid.
[1:33:43] It causes you to have a swollen heart.
Its primary action is it causes you to
[1:33:50] swell.
>> And that is one of the seven chemicals I
[1:33:52] saw on that list.
>> It is highly deadly
[1:33:56] and as a matter of fact, the EPA tested
it when they did that case with the
[1:34:01] strong mouse. You don't get to read
about it in a label. It's never on a
[1:34:05] label
because it was dismissed with prejudice.
[1:34:09] But the EPA, when they tested it, said
they could not determine an LD-100 when
[1:34:14] injected, ingested, or inhaled. That
means there was no level at the at that
[1:34:19] they could physically measure in their
lab that was safe. It killed everything
[1:34:23] it touched. Every animal it touched.
It had an LD-100 or LD-50 of 140 parts
[1:34:30] per billion when absorbed through your
skin. Unfortunately, this stuff is in
[1:34:35] insecticides, herbicides, air
fresheners,
[1:34:39] sanitizers, alcohol-based sanitizers,
cleaners. It's everywhere. Just Google
[1:34:44] where it's on a product you use and
you'll see.
[1:34:46] » Now, what I'd like to see happen, Mike,
and and Andrew,
[1:34:50] um
is that the county be provided with
[1:34:53] material data safety sheets on all these
chemicals they're using and a map of
[1:34:57] which chemicals they're using and where
in the county. So, these homeowners and
[1:35:01] landowners can get some kind of
understanding of what's being sprayed on
[1:35:05] their property.
Um
[1:35:07] » Also, last meeting, Mr. Marshall, a
citizen, and and Amy can testify to it,
[1:35:12] had brought up the spray
um and I already responded to that
[1:35:16] citizen. I have a number where you can
call that phone number and you can get
[1:35:19] on the no spray list. It's a guaranteed
so they do not spray your specific
[1:35:25] property. Um still doesn't help us
county wide if they're spraying other
[1:35:29] places. It just
>> They're not notifying the public of that
[1:35:32] and and it's not widely known. So,
unless we're going to advertise and get
[1:35:35] the information out, um I think they
need to come here and speak to the
[1:35:38] public themselves.
They should have a representative. I
[1:35:41] mean, this is a major thing they're
doing within our county. The least they
[1:35:44] could do is come out and speak to us.
>> In fact, the county should send that a
[1:35:47] no spray to the whole county.
Appalachian should be individuals.
[1:35:52] Appalachian should just send that out a
no spray. Appalachian that they can't
[1:35:55] spray poison on our properties and
pollute our water.
[1:35:59] » be a question for the attorney if we can
demand that or not. I don't know.
[1:36:03] » It's within your power, I believe.
>> Okay. If it is, we should do it.
[1:36:07] Absolutely.
>> I mean, just driving down the roads,
[1:36:09] lately, everything is brown on both
sides of the road.
[1:36:13] I mean, forget about what it's doing to
your property. What it's doing What what
[1:36:16] it's doing to our our beautiful county.
>> It looks horrible driving down through
[1:36:20] there. Definitely does. Now,
um if people are familiar or not with
[1:36:25] FERC, that's the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission. And right now,
[1:36:29] the Pinnacles dam project um is in the
licensing process.
[1:36:36] This process takes several years, but it
lasts for 30 to 40 years.
[1:36:41] Um
so, I've attended um
[1:36:45] two meetings so far. Um
and I'm [clears throat] I'm down to
[1:36:48] receive all the information over the
next five to seven years
[1:36:53] on on the docket for these for the
licensing.
[1:36:57] Um
This is all federal and those dams are
[1:37:01] private property, but it's important to
the county because we are the headwaters
[1:37:05] and that's our water resources that
we're talking about. So, we need to keep
[1:37:10] an eye on that. If you go on my Facebook
page, I got a lot of pictures up there
[1:37:13] and what more information.
That's all I got.
[1:37:16] » All right. Thank you, Mr. Kendrick.
[1:37:19] » No, I don't think I had anything. I
think we had one with Piedmont, but it
[1:37:23] was executive.
[1:37:26] » And Mr. Cox.
>> I um
[1:37:29] I attended a couple of the board uh
meetings
[1:37:32] for the uh
[1:37:36] Economic Development Committee
and uh
[1:37:42] There was quite a bit of information
passed around through that, but
[1:37:47] is underway
that will have a drastic effect on
[1:37:52] improving Patrick County life and
facilities that will be available.
[1:37:58] I also attended two
as I mentioned previously two events
[1:38:04] associated with Celebration 250.
And one of them is at the Woolwine
[1:38:09] Volunteer Fire Department
and was sponsored by the uh
[1:38:15] Rotarians up there and they did a
fantastic job of providing entertainment
[1:38:20] for families and the kids that came up.
Uh and also came down the next morning
[1:38:27] after surviving 102° temperatures on
Saturday
[1:38:33] and uh
thank goodness it was a little little
[1:38:36] cooler. I think it was only about 98.
But anyway, that those were good events
[1:38:41] that I attended and enjoyed.
And uh and uh
[1:38:45] » [clears throat]
>> I think those citizens who were there
[1:38:48] enjoyed them as well.
Uh
[1:38:52] one comment I'd like to make is in
regard to an incident that Mr. McGinnis
[1:38:56] just referred to.
Uh the spraying by AEP
[1:39:01] on uh I believe it was Scenic Drive.
Uh the gentleman that uh got a uh
[1:39:08] had a problem down there.
And uh he had sought resolution and
[1:39:13] couldn't get the answers.
So, I filed with the
[1:39:19] federal
Department of Environmental Quality
[1:39:24] a request to review that situation.
And when I filed it, it says, "Well, we
[1:39:30] we may not contact you. This goes into
the file."
[1:39:34] And I was surprised about 3 weeks later,
I got a contact from DEQ.
[1:39:40] And I explained the problem to them, the
gentleman involved, his address,
[1:39:45] and they said, "Well, with the
information we're calling him."
[1:39:49] And and I believe they did call him.
And as AEP did go back and discuss the
[1:39:56] situation with them.
And I think a resolution was reached.
[1:40:02] But there is a number available if
you've got concerns.
[1:40:06] Um
if you can't get it through the state or
[1:40:09] locally, you can you can file your
inquiry and it can be done online.
[1:40:15] And it didn't fall into a dead box. They
did respond to it.
[1:40:20] And
they had mentioned uh
[1:40:24] that it's not the the
the EQ's policy to require release of
[1:40:29] chemical names
or
[1:40:32] ingredients in the chemicals.
And uh
[1:40:36] so I felt that was a little unusual, but
that's the information I was given.
[1:40:42] And it all involved AEP spray.
[1:40:49] And that's all I have.
>> All right. Mr. Wood.
[1:40:53] » I don't know if I have anything to add
since last time was the
[1:40:56] park director meeting. Uh for anybody
wanting to enjoy Christmas in July,
[1:41:01] uh they have the Grinch, the animated
version, the one that I watched
[1:41:05] countless times around Christmas when
your kid is 18 months old
[1:41:09] and needs to be watched multiple times
per day, but we can't ever pick up where
[1:41:13] we left off, so I've seen the first 30
minutes of the Grinch
[1:41:17] multiple times per day.
But that will be July 25th at the Heart
[1:41:22] Park when the sun goes down.
Um the other thing that surprised me is
[1:41:25] how many of our youth are involved in
our rec sports.
[1:41:29] I wish I had the exact number. I left
that home.
[1:41:32] I think it's in excess of 1,200
different
[1:41:37] athletes that we have. Now, some of
those kids competed more than one sport,
[1:41:41] but uh you know, sports are really
picking up. The soccer program is more
[1:41:45] than you can even imagine.
Um I forget how many teams they had. It
[1:41:48] was in the dozens of teams.
Uh so, you know, if you get a chance to
[1:41:52] go out there and watch those kids play
any of those sports, it's great. Uh
[1:41:56] there's good work going on at all of our
parks around the county.
[1:42:00] As Mr. McGinnis said, the bathroom and
uh
[1:42:04] the D-heart that one It should be
24 hours a day, I believe. I'll follow
[1:42:10] up with you on that, but it's going to
be open longer hours than the one that's
[1:42:13] over the pool.
Uh so, for the people that are there
[1:42:16] during the little odd hours of the day,
you know, playing with their own time,
[1:42:19] not necessarily
uh for different events.
[1:42:22] Um I will tell you, I was at a couple of
places one time, um
[1:42:25] I think it was 3 months ago, and
a guy, I don't know his name, but he was
[1:42:29] able to tell me where I was. He walked
up,
[1:42:31] and he said, "We need a bathroom at
D-heart Park." He said, "My a little guy
[1:42:35] had an accident."
Okay.
[1:42:37] And uh
I said, "We're actually working on that
[1:42:40] right now." I
have no idea who the person was, but I
[1:42:42] got a hug from a random 350-lb man
uh that was excited that now there was
[1:42:48] going to be a public restroom in the
area at D-heart Park. You know, we're
[1:42:50] we're trying to make our parks better
for our communities, cuz it also helps
[1:42:53] with tourism.
Uh so, it also, you know, helps our
[1:42:56] economy.
That's all I have.
[1:42:59] » All righty.
And I don't have anything additional to
[1:43:01] add, so we will proceed to close
session.
[1:43:09] » Could I uh briefly ask a question? Okay.
>> Mhm.
[1:43:13] » I'll direct this to Mr. McGinnis.
Who actually owns the I C D-heart Park
[1:43:19] in Woolwine?
[1:43:23] » We do.
>> I I I can get you that answer. I don't
[1:43:26] want to tell you for sure till I check
tomorrow.
[1:43:28] » Well, I I think I know the answer, but I
wanted
[1:43:31] see if see what response I got. It's
owned by the county.
[1:43:37] Is it considered part of the recreation
department that is funded in part by the
[1:43:41] county?
>> Mhm. Yes, sir.
[1:43:45] » Could you tell me
the
[1:43:51] lack of a better term, the percentage of
revenue that's available for the park
[1:43:55] system that gets distributed to I.C.
DeHart Park or their facility?
[1:44:01] » All the parks are contributed equally um
unless they have a specific project that
[1:44:07] they've come to the board to request,
but those requests go through the
[1:44:12] parks and recreation committee.
>> I was looking through the budget and I
[1:44:16] saw the parks and recreation budget
items.
[1:44:21] The only item I could find that was
pertaining to I.C. DeHart Park was
[1:44:26] $1,700
$1,700, I think it was, that was
[1:44:30] utilized to make some maintenance
equipment
[1:44:34] on the
power supply out there.
[1:44:38] And also, the only other activity I
could find related to that park was the
[1:44:43] mowing of the grass.
Now,
[1:44:48] there's we've got the number one
mountain trail bike mountain trail in
[1:44:53] the state and it's been publicized as
that,
[1:44:56] but we can't take advantage of it
because of lack of
[1:45:00] access to facilities out there.
So, I would ask that perhaps in the
[1:45:06] future budgeting
we consider
[1:45:10] a better budgeting process that would
benefit the I.C. DeHart Park more or a
[1:45:16] greater extent.
[1:45:19] » Well, the park boards need to talk to
the parks and recreation committee and
[1:45:23] get their requests put in.
>> I I don't think
[1:45:27] » The bathroom at DeHart Park in Stuart
was an 80% grant, 100%
[1:45:33] » Correct.
>> So, that was a grant we applied for
[1:45:36] and received
But, all of the parks that you're
[1:45:40] receiving
capital improvements money
[1:45:46] Mount Olympus just got a new whale.
So, every
[1:45:50] everyone got some.
We'll look into that for
[1:45:53] » Now, I noticed that I had this that
a lot of volunteers up there are
[1:45:59] providing
you know
[1:46:02] the primary work around up there.
Perhaps they need to be made aware of
[1:46:08] grant opportunities. I don't not sure
that that organization
[1:46:13] is totally familiar with it.
>> Yep.
[1:46:15] But, it would certainly be be beneficial
they had some guidance in obtaining
[1:46:19] grants for that program.
It can be developed to be a real asset
[1:46:24] to Patrick County.
I just want
[1:46:26] » Well, sir, if you if you gave them my
name, if they're looking for a grant, I
[1:46:30] don't think the Board of Supervisors and
this is without asking permission. But,
[1:46:34] I think the Board of Supervisors would
agree that our grant writer would write
[1:46:38] grants for that entity.
>> Well, we've offered that grant writer's
[1:46:42] services
>> Sir?
[1:46:44] » That's why I was glad to see this lady
come on board.
[1:46:47] » So, if if if if they wanted to and she
actually lives in Woolwine. So, if they
[1:46:50] wanted to meet her, if they wanted to
talk to her, she charges an hourly rate.
[1:46:55] Um
and and she'll be able to give us an
[1:46:57] estimate before she says, you know,
depending on the size of the grant, the
[1:47:00] type of a grant, state, or federal,
state, uh
[1:47:04] you know, commercial type grants, or so,
she'll give us a price, but she will and
[1:47:08] has actually worked with Luke, the Parks
and Rec director, for other grants for
[1:47:12] other parks as well. They've already
started submitting to her.
[1:47:16] But, my understanding is and this is 8
months here
[1:47:19] like like Mr. Wood said, the the parks
and recs division
[1:47:25] oversees the park and rec boards at each
individual park. And last year, if you
[1:47:29] go back and I don't believe I was the
county administrator, if I was it was
[1:47:33] very early on, there was some large
items that each park and rec
[1:47:39] uh committee for their respective parks
had problems with. One was a well, one
[1:47:43] was upgrades and things like that. So,
the board of supervisors, before you got
[1:47:48] here, sir, um had voted to help each
um individual park with major, like uh
[1:47:54] Mr. Woods said, capital improvement
plans.
[1:47:57] So, it's um you know, you're the
supervisors, you
[1:48:00] you dictate policy, I execute it. So, if
you tell me to give them money, I give
[1:48:04] them money. If you tell me not to give
them money, we don't give them money.
[1:48:07] » Well, I'll I'll have to admit that
looking in the budget is not the most
[1:48:10] simple thing I've ever done.
>> That's why people like Miss Donna
[1:48:14] » to the citizens in Woolwine who are
associated with that park, who contacted
[1:48:20] me and wanted
Those Those were the questions they
[1:48:22] wanted
>> There's There's something else we
[1:48:25] overlook a lot of times, too.
West Piedmont's got a professional,
[1:48:29] full-time grant writer.
And
[1:48:32] Doug Curry was on the uh
West Piedmont liaison with him. He
[1:48:38] helped him get a grant from down there.
I think it was about $50,000 to replace
[1:48:42] the picnic tables and work on the
bathrooms and all that stuff last year
[1:48:46] or year before, when A lot of times we
overlook West Piedmont. And we pay their
[1:48:50] dues every year, so we need to take
advantage of it.
[1:48:55] Now, that
that contract grant writer you're
[1:48:57] talking about will be an advantage cuz
she'll be working for Patrick County,
[1:49:01] where you got three or four counties
down there that's going to pull to get
[1:49:03] the grants, but they did get get DeHart
Park up there. I I think it was $50,000,
[1:49:08] wasn't it?
[1:49:11] She didn't hear me, but 50 or 60,000
dollars and they got them new picnic
[1:49:14] tables under the shelter and a lot of
stuff like that. So, we need to keep in
[1:49:17] mind that we got that opportunity down
there that don't cost us anything to get
[1:49:21] it.
>> All right.
[1:49:24] » All right.
>> And there is a lot of money out there.
[1:49:26] You just got to ask for it.
>> I move to support convenient close
[1:49:30] meeting pursuant to Virginia Code
Section 2.2-3711A1
[1:49:35] to discuss and consider following
personnel matters, planning commissions
[1:49:39] with Blue Ridge Economic Development
Authority at large pursuant to 8-31-26
[1:49:45] pursuant [clears throat] to Virginia
Code Section 2.2-3711A3
[1:49:50] to discuss and consider the following
real estate matters Blue Ridge District
[1:49:54] and consultation with legal counsel
retained by the public body regarding
[1:49:58] specific legal matters requiring the
provision
[1:50:02] the provision of legal advice by such
counsel pursuant to Virginia Code
[1:50:05] Section 2.2-3711A8
[1:50:09] related to proposed contract.
>> All right, we have a motion. Do we have
[1:50:13] a second?
>> Second.
[1:50:15] » Have a motion and a second. Any
discussion?
[1:50:18] We will proceed to vote. Mr. Marshall.
>> Aye.
[1:50:20] » Mr. Kendrick.
>> Aye.
[1:50:22] » Mr. Cox.
>> Aye.
[1:50:23] » Mr. Wood.
>> Aye.
[1:50:24] » And I vote aye as well. We are now in
closed session.
[1:50:27] We're going to take a brief
uh break.
[1:50:31] Please return back at 5:08.
>> Thank you.