| The
Wise County Board of Supervisors met in a Workshop meeting
on Thursday, September 1, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. in the Appalachia
High School Auditorium. The following were present:
Honorable
Fred A. Luntsford - Chairman
Honorable
Ronnie Shortt - Vice-Chairman
Honorable
Robert R. Adkins
Honorable
Steve Bates
Honorable
Virginia Meador
Honorable
John W. Peace II
Honorable
Leland Branham
Honorable
Robert Robbins - members of said Board and
Glen
A. Skinner - County Administrator
Shannon
C. Scott - Assistant County Administrator
Karen
T. Mullins - County Attorney
Annette
Underwood - Executive Secretary
PRAYER
T.
G. Branson led the Board in prayer.
PLEDGE
All
led in the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
MINUTES
For
review and approval.
AGENDA
The
following items were presented for addition to the agenda:
Add
to Roads and Highways
(1) Resolution
"Watch for Children at Play" signs
Add
to consent Agenda Under Budget Amendment
No.
20: Source of revenue - ARC Grant - $50,000.00
Virginia Tourism Authority Grant - $50,000.00
Expenditures - Virginia Heritage Music Trail - The Crooked
Road ($87,830.00)
Add
to new Business
(1) Ordinance
Creating Wise County Office for Economic Development
It
was the consensus of the Board to add these items to the
agenda.
IN
RE: VOTING MACHINE DEMONSTRATION
General
Registrar Tom Chester presented to the Board information
regarding the new voting machines and a brief demonstration
on the use of the machine. He explained the sensitivity
of the machine to temperature and other climatic logical
extremes. Mr. Chester expressed his appreciation to
the Wise County School Board for making available an excellent
storage facility for the voting machines. He further
noted the possibility for the need of a generator or other
emergency back-up on election day should there be a power
outage at one or more precincts.
Mr.
Chester explained that training sessions have been held
for those individuals assisting at the polls and it has
been suggested that a video be made showing the operation
of the new machine and have it shown on Channel 97 to further
educate the public.
Sometime
in the near future, Mr. Chester said he would need a letter
from the Board declaring the old voting machines as surplus
property to allow proper disposal of the machines.
IN
RE: SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA MEDICAL CORPS
Kristine
K. Morris, MRC Coordinator, stated that the Southwest Virginia
Medical Reserve Corps is a cadre of volunteer health care
professionals and community members trained to respond to
any type of public heath disaster that may affect the communities
of southwestern Virginia. The MRC will assist citizens
in the regions of the Cumberland Plateau, LENOWISCO and
Mount Rogers by responding to medical emergencies such as
bio-terrorism incidents, large communicable disease outbreaks
and natural disasters. There is initial MRC orientation
and annual training, and opportunities for elective training
and drills available throughout the year.
IN
RE COAL- FIRED POWER PLANT
Jim
O'Quinn, Project Coordinator for VCEDA Board, presented
a power point presentation regarding the proposed Coal-Fired
Power Plant development in Southwest Virginia. He
reviewed the benefits of the new coal plant regarding increased
jobs, boost in the economy and economic development as well
as tax revenues.
IN
RE: PUBLIC HEARING - E-911 ROAD NAMES
A
public hearing was duly advertised for this date to receive
citizen's comments regarding six (6) proposed E-911
road name additions.
There
was no public opposition to the proposed road names.
There
being no comments, the public hearing was closed.
IN
RE: PUBLIC EXPRESSION
Frank
Kibler, representing LENOWISCO Planning District, provided
information regarding the LENOWISCO Comprehensive Hazard
Mitigation Plan. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(HMGP), administered by FEMA, provides grants to States
and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation
measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose
of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property
due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures
to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
HMGP
funds may be used to fund projects that will reduce or eliminate
the losses from future disasters. Projects must provide
a long-term solution to a problem, and a project's potential
savings must be more than the cost of implementing the project
(cost-benefit analysis). Funds may be used to protect
either public or private property or to purchase property
that has been subjected to, or is in danger of, repetitive
damage.
Virginia
Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) chose to approach
plan development in the western part of the state at PDC
level. PDC's were encouraged to develop regional plans
including district localities.
LENOWISCO
received $100,000 in FEMA and VDEM funding, to be matched
by $35,000 in local cash/in-kind from three Counties and
City. Wise County has participated both in plan development
and with local funding.
Dewberry
has been selected to develop LENOWISCO's plan.
A
full draft of the plan has been forwarded to VDEM and FEMA
for review, and LENOWISCO has recently been advised of the
Plan's approval.
Mr.
Kibler noted that the Plan is being presented to the counties
and City for adoption during the month of September.
He asked the Board to favorably consider the Resolution
Adopting the LENOWISCO Comprehensive Hazard Mitigation Plan,
which will complete the participation process.
Larry
Bush, a resident of the Exeter area, voiced his opposition
to re-mining in Wise County. He expounded on the fact
that early strip mining has made our county a wasteland
by destroying our trees, polluting our streams and air.
He asked the Board to consider adopting a resolution opposing
re-mining in Wise County.
Pete
Ramey, a resident of the Exeter area, voiced his opposition
to mountain top removal mining and the lack of environmental
restrictions on re-mining. He stated that all our
natural resources are being depleted, the blasting is damaging
homes and schools, and the dust is polluting the air and
endangering citizen's health. He asked for the Board's
assistance in controlling the proposed re-mining.
There
being no further comments, the public expression period
was closed.
IN
RE: ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
Highway
Resident Engineer T. G. Branson provided the Board with
an update on construction throughout the County.
Board
members provided needs in their districts
IN
RE: CONSENT AGENDA
(1) Set
public hearing (6:00 p.m. October 6) on a request for a
Special Use Permit to establish a family cemetery
(2) Set
public hearing (6:00 p.m. October 6) on seven (7) proposed
E-911 road name additions
(3) Budget
Amendments
No.
12: Source of revenue-Miscellaneous revenue, Sale
of impounded cow - $125.00 Expenditure-(3501) Animal Shelter
(505105) Animal Supplies ($125.00)
No.
13: Source of revenue-Miscellaneous Revenue-Sale of equipment
to Carter Machinery, Inc. $5,000.00 - Expenditure (4204)
Refuse Collection (507010) Capital Outlay $5,000.00
No.
14: Source of revenue-Prior year fund balances - $1,500.00
Expenditure (1204) Legal Services (505401) office supplies
- $1,500.00
No.
15: Source of revenue - Prior year fund balance - $4,044.00
Expenditure (1204) Legal Services (505308) General Liability
Ins. ($4,044.00)
No.
16: Source of revenue - Prior year fund balance ($45,169.20)Expenditure
(9400) E-911 County Dispatch (503005) Maintenance Service Contracts
($45,169.20)
No.
17: Source of revenue - Prior year fund balance $1,500.00
Expenditure (3501) Animal Control (503004) Repair &
Maintenance ($1,500.00)
No.
18: Source of revenue - Prior year fund balance -($9,567.65)Expenditure
(4205) Refuse Disposal (505801) Dues & Assoc. Membership
($9,567.65)
No.
19: Source of revenue-Prior year fund balance - $8,000.00
Expenditure (1209) Commissioner of the Revenue (503005)
Maintenance Service Contracts ($8,000.00)
IN
RE: CROOKED ROAD PROJECT
Bill
Smith, who was recently hired as Director for the Crooked
Road Project, briefed the Board on his endeavors to establish
this office and assuming administrative responsibilities
for this regional tourism development project. Mr. Smith
stated that he will be working from an office in Abingdon
to allow close affiliation with Diana Blackburn, who is
the director of the "Round the Mountain artisans" program
for Southwest Virginia. Abingdon is more central to
the project, since it extends all the way to Franklin County
on the east, and the Breaks Interstate Park at the west.
The
funding source for the Crooked Road Project was discussed
with the County of Wise being asked to serve as Fiscal Agent.
IN
RE: OTHER ITEMS REVIEWED
(1) Resolution-Transfer
of Ownership and Control of Adelphia to Comcast
(2) Resolution
Dedicating Support and Proceeds from the Sell of Surplus
Vehicles
(3) Crooked
Road Project - Wise County as Fiscal Agent
(4) Resolution
- Acknowledging Past, Present, and Future of VCEDA
(5) Memorandum
of Understanding - Department of Social Services
(6) Resolution-
Adopting the LENOWISCO Hazard Mitigation Plan
(7) Appointments
IN
RE: ORDINANCE CREATING OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Administrator
Skinner reported that Attorney Mullins is doing some research
on the existing Economic Development Department and the
proposal that has been put forth to create such an office.
A report will be forthcoming at the next meeting.
He explained the need to refine and focus this proposal
to include a heavy dose of entrepreneurial development,
assistance to existing industry and business, assistance
to our municipal governments as they assist in downtown
development work that is now on-going in several towns as
well as a formal working relationship to both UVA-Wise and
MECC, major economic drivers for our county.
He
further commented that several years ago the county launched
a very successful Community Certification Program that brought
together several individuals to critically look at the County
and what we needed to so as a community to be economically
viable. That exercise resulted in Wise County being
"certified" under that particular program. Mr. Skinner
asked that the Board consider revisiting that exercise since
it has been several years and again seek to identify the
County's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and refine
what we wish to accomplish with the economic development
program.
There
were several organizations mentioned that could possibly
be of assistance in using their resources to make this economic
effort viable.
Robby
Robbins commented that in view of New Orleans misfortune,
the County should put forth some effort to assist in that
crisis.
IN
RE: COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
The
County Administrator made a report on the following:
(1) Custom
Communications Update
(2) The
Government channel 97 can now be seen on channel 15
(3) The
School system has channel 10 in A.M.
BOARD
COMMENTS
Board
members made brief comments with the following requests:
(1) The
William's Road sign has been torn down and needs to be re-installed
(2) Draft
a proclamation honoring Bill Robbins for his accomplishments
(3) Hold
the October Workshop meeting in Coeburn
(4) Asked
County Administrator to consider ways to conserve gasoline
and still provide needed services
ADJOURN
There
being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:10
p.m.
ATTEST:
WISE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
___________________
________________________
Glen
A. Skinner, Clerk Fred
A. Luntsford, Chairman
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