The Shadow
COVINGTON, VA (VR) — The Covington City Council on Tuesday reviewed the impact of its recently adopted utility rate increase, heard a detailed update on ongoing water and sewer projects, and recognized a series of community events that drew visitors to the Alleghany Highlands over the past several weeks.
City Manager Allen Dressler told council that, effective July 1, residential utility bills increased by $14 a month — $7 for water and $7 for sewer — with no change to refuse charges. The typical monthly residential bill is now $114 for water, sewer, and trash service.
Dressler said the increase is driven by “millions of dollars” in required and long-deferred infrastructure work, as well as regulatory mandates.
“We are a local business, i.e., a small government business, and what goes out has to be coming back in,” he said, emphasizing that every dollar of the increase is tied to specific capital projects and compliance requirements.
Dressler noted that the city is moving forward with an $8 million equalization basin project at the wastewater treatment plant, mandated by regulators, along with a $7 million grant-funded effort to reline aging sewer lines across the city. Recent work has focused on the Parkland Heights neighborhood, with upcoming phases planned for Carolton, Fairlawn, and the Fudge Street/downtown area.
To explain the necessity of the rate hike, Dressler read into the record a resident’s six written questions about the city’s water and wastewater systems and provided formal responses, making the exchange part of the public record.
Among the improvements funded by the increase, he said, are a $760,000 chlorine scrubber, $250,000 in SCADA (remote monitoring) upgrades, roughly $900,000 in ongoing gate valve improvements, and about $1 million in water line work aimed at improving reliability and allowing staff to isolate smaller areas during line breaks.
Dressler said the city remains in compliance with Virginia Department of Health requirements but is working with regulators to address long-term staffing concerns at the water treatment plant, including the difficulty of maintaining the required number of Class 1 operators.
He also fielded questions about whether bills could be credited when customers lose service or are placed under boil-water advisories and said he would not recommend that approach.
“I am not aware of any utility provider that reduces user costs during outages or cases of natural disaster,” he said, adding that staff continue to operate the plants and respond to emergencies around the clock.
Dressler acknowledged that Covington is one of only a few localities in the region that does not use metered water. Moving to meters is under serious consideration, he said, but would require another multi-million-dollar investment and is not yet included in the city’s capital improvement plan.
In other infrastructure updates, Dressler reported that the sidewalk project along South Alleghany Avenue is substantially complete, with only minor issues noted by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The Hawthorne Street Bridge is nearly ready for concrete, and communication with VDOT on both the Hawthorne Street and Rayon bridges has been “very positive,” he said.
Council also heard about recent and upcoming community events. Dressler praised organizers of the Juneteenth celebration at Jeter Watson Park, the Alleghany Cruisers’ “Back the Blue” program, and the city’s rescheduled Fourth of July festivities, which were disrupted by storms but concluded with fireworks the following evening.
The city manager highlighted the work of the police, fire, EMS, and public works departments during severe weather over the July 4–5 holiday period, including responses to downed trees, power lines, and repeated flooding at underpasses.
Looking ahead, Covington will host a large regional fast-pitch softball tournament Thursday through Sunday at the Jackson River Sports Complex, sharing more than 160 teams with several other localities. The city was also selected to host a Friday night concert tied to the tournament.
Dressler said the selection “speaks well of the value of recreation in our community, the value of the sports complex, and the work that we do to attract these types of things here in Covington.”
Council briefly discussed a slate of upcoming appointments to regional boards and commissions, including the Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce, the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, the Roanoke-based regional partnership, and various regional planning and transit bodies. Most of those appointments are expected to be acted on at the Aug. 11 work session.
Members also raised constituent concerns about speeding at the intersection of Gray Street and Patrick Street, particularly with school buses returning in the fall. Staff will look at deploying removable speed humps and increasing enforcement in the area.
In new business, council members expressed interest in a future presentation from local amateur radio operators on how they can supplement police, fire, and EMS communications during emergencies. Staff will work with operator Gene Wood to schedule a briefing at an upcoming work session.
The meeting adjourned after routine approvals of minutes and consent agenda items, including reappointments to several Alleghany County and regional boards.
Hawthorne Street bridge ( Christopher Mentz photo)
