The Shadow
COVINGTON, VA (VR) — The Alleghany County Board of Supervisors approved a bigger cost-of-living raise for county employees and awarded several infrastructure contracts Tuesday after hearing updates from the U.S. Forest Service and the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office.
District Ranger Kevin Kyle of the Forest Service’s Warm Springs Ranger District told supervisors his agency is moving forward with a new wastewater treatment plant at the north end of Lake Moomaw. Final design and permitting are nearly complete, and Kyle said the $5 million to $7 million project should go out to bid by late summer.
Kyle said 152 of the lake’s 198 campsites remain open, with additional first-come, first-served camping available at McClintic Point and campgrounds on both ends of the lake. Two campgrounds in the Bolar area will remain closed this season because of failing restrooms, giving crews time to resurface tent pads, improve drainage, and refurbish bathhouses. He is also weighing whether to keep Morris Hill Campground open through November for deer season if a campground host can be staffed.
Other highlights included the reopening of Bolar Flats Marina under a new concessionaire, restoration of the Tower Hill Trail near the Bath County shooting range, and approximately 13,000 acres of prescribed burns completed this year, with roughly 10,000 more acres planned for next year.
Kyle said about 11 miles of heavy road maintenance should be completed by early fall, with another 11 to 16 miles planned for 2027. He also announced the hiring of a new Forest Service law enforcement officer and said a new trail planning group will meet within two weeks to establish 10-year priorities for the district’s roughly 230 miles of trails, with input from the county and the Alleghany Highlands Trail Alliance.
Supervisors thanked Kyle and applauded the Forest Service for directing more funding toward local projects. They also urged federal officials to continue investing in these much-needed improvements, calling them an essential use of federal funding.
Sheriff Kyle Moore, delivering his quarterly report, said his office responded to several serious Fourth of July weekend crashes, including one believed to be fatal that remains under investigation by Virginia State Police. A severe thunderstorm also knocked out 911 and radio service, forcing deputies to rely on portable radios, landlines, and generator power. Moore said service was restored by 10 p.m. that same night, and jail operations were not interrupted.
Over the past quarter, deputies responded to 3,986 calls, served 2,403 civil process papers, and made 144 felony and 141 misdemeanor arrests while logging more than 150,000 miles, including transport runs. Moore said inmate medical care has been outsourced to Southern Health Partners, which now manages medications and medical records through inmate tablets. His office also continues working with the Botetourt County Drug Task Force under a new agreement allowing deputies from Alleghany County, Botetourt County, and Clifton Forge to assist across jurisdictional lines.
Supervisors praised the sheriff’s office for publicizing major arrests on social media and thanked deputies for their continued hard work on behalf of Alleghany County.
In other business, the board approved an asbestos abatement and monitoring contract for the Rosedale building, funded by a federal Brownfields grant. Negotiations and the decision to encapsulate asbestos where possible reduced the abatement cost to about $192,989, with monitoring adding roughly $15,900. The work must be completed by March to meet the grant’s requirements.
Supervisors also awarded the Intervale lift station rehabilitation project to NewCo Mechanical Contracting, the lowest responsible bidder, at approximately $759,000. They also approved a supplemental appropriation for a Virginia Department of Health grant supporting water and sewer upgrades in Cliftondale.
To keep pace with state-funded positions, the board increased a previously approved 2% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees to 3.5%, effective Aug. 1. County Administrator Ken McFayden said the additional 1.5% increase will cost about $70,000 from the general fund, which can be covered through contingency funds, and will help prevent pay compression between state- and locally funded positions.
McFayden also announced Beverly Bowers as the county’s new director of public works and outlined a regional workforce initiative involving Alleghany County, Covington, Mountain Gateway Community College, and area school divisions. The initiative aims to connect roughly 2,000 non-working adults with manufacturing and other local employment opportunities.
