LOW MOOR – Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Bennett will serve as Alleghany County’s spokesman before the Virginia Commission on Local Government next week.
Supervisors voted Tuesday night to designate Bennett as their spokesman. The Commission on Local Government will be in the Highlands March 21 and 22 to conduct hearings related to a proposal to consolidate the Alleghany County and Covington governments.
The consolidation proposal put forth from a committee of citizens from Alleghany County and Covington, calls for the creation of the city of Alleghany Highlands. The COLG hearings next week will center on determining if Alleghany County and Covington qualify for a consolidated city government under Virginia law.
Bennett will testify on behalf of the county during a formal hearing March 22 at the Alleghany County Courthouse in Covington. The hearing will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the circuit courtroom.
Bennett said he will work with County Administrator John Strutner is preparing his remarks for the COLG. Bennett will be given approximately 20 minutes to speak. Covington Mayor Rob Bennett is also scheduled to speak on behalf of the city.
“I promise you that Mr. Strutner and I will spend several hours getting ready for this and making sure we do it right,” Steve Bennett told supervisors Tuesday night.
In addition to Bennett and the Covington mayor, the commission has also allotted time to hear from Kevin Terrell, who represented Alleghany County on the citizens’ committee that developed the consolidation plan. Terrell did not vote in favor of the consolidated city proposal and he declined to sign the plan before it was submitted to the state last summer.
“One person on the consolidation committee never did agree to it. To the COLG’s credit, they are giving him the time to present his side also, which should be done,” Bennett said.
The March 22 hearing will also feature testimony from Joe Carpenter and George Goode, who are co-chairman of the consolidation committee. Experts who assisted the committee in developing the consolidation plan will also be called to testify.
The public will have an opportunity to provide input on the consolidation plan during a March 21 public hearing at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. The hearing will be held in Moomaw Center and begin at 7 p.m.
In other business Tuesday, supervisors:
– Discussed Monday’s announcement of 100 jobs coming to the former AET plant in Covington.
Continental Waste Management LLC will invest approximately $6 million to establish a post-industrial and post-consumer plastic recycling plant at the former AET property.
Operations are expected to begin by early summer.
Bennett noted that Alleghany County contributed funds to a $150,000 local incentive package that was used to help lure the company to Covington.
“This does make a point that when it comes to economic development, we are all in this together,” he said.
Boiling Springs Supervisor Shannon Cox, who works for the Virginia Employment Commission in Covington as a work force services representative, said the office received about 250 resumes Tuesday from individuals interested on the 100 jobs. The company has not begun accepting applications.
– Approved an application to the Virginia Department of Health for financial assistance to install a new water line in the Dolly Ann Area.
Chris Clark, public works director, said the project is expected to cost $1,232,878. The county is filing for $1,222,878 in assistance from the health department. Clark said the county has already received a $10,000 grant for the project that will be used to pay for engineering services.
– Discussed realignment of the county’s seven magisterial districts.
The districts must be readjusted using population data from the 2010 Census. Strutner said three redistricting scenarios, developed by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, are being reviewed by the county registrar’s office and the electoral board.
After the registrar and electoral board complete their review, the proposals will be forwarded to supervisors.
“We are going to have to move some people and it’s going to affect just about every district to some degree, with the exception of Boiling Springs,” Strutner said.
– Reappointed Robert McDowell of Roaring Run Road to the Industrial Development Authority. His term will be for four years.
– Approved waiving a $2,500 water tap fee for Clifton Forge Little League Baseball.
The Little League program is planning to upgrade its concession stand at a ball field in the Sharon area.
– Announced the upcoming retirement of county Treasurer Anna Fox.
Strutner presented supervisors with a memo from Fox, informing them of her plans to retire Dec. 31. Fox would have been up for re-election this November.
“This will be a pretty big loss. Anna Fox is one of the best treasurers in the state of Virginia. Her record proves that,” Bennett said.