The Shadow
ASHWOOD – The Virginia Tech Economic Development Department continues to fine-tune an economic development strategy for Bath County.
During Tuesday night’s regular February meeting of the Bath County Board of Supervisors, Dave Nutter an economic development specialist at Tech, updated supervisors on the progress of the study.
He was accompanied by Virginia Tech graduate student Amy Jahnke for the presentation.
The study includes a target market analysis – workforce demographics, industry clusters, primary occupations and skill sets of workers. It will include a study of the Bath County industrial park and recommendations.
“We’re still in the process of conducting the study,” Nutter said.
Nutter and Jahnke outlined Bath County employment trends between 2002 and 2008. An average of 1,379 workers live in Bath County but are employed outside the county, while 440 are living in Bath County and are employed in Bath County and 382 are employed in Bath County but live outside the county.
A 2008 Primary Job Comparison indicated that 17.1 percent of Bath County workers are employed in the accommodations and food service sector, while 13.2 percent are employed in manufacturing.
The Virginia Tech study will also focus on Bath County’s industrial park.
“What factors of the Bath County industrial park could be leveraged to encourage companies to locate there,” Jahnke said.
Nutter and his team will continue to assimilate information before making final recommendations in their study to supervisors.
“These are challenging times,” Nutter said. “At the same time, there are opportunities, too.”
Nutter was approached by former Bath County Administrator Bonnie Johnson about the current study. He and his team had previously worked with the county on a 2009 tourism study.
“Virginia Tech has a very strong mission to reach out and work with communities as part of our land grant mission as a university,” Nutter said.
Much of their work is focused on rural areas, particularly in southwestern Virginia.
“We’ve been designated as a university center by the Economic Development Administration for 25 years, and we’ve been able to use the funding we get from that to work with communities.”
In other business Tuesday night, supervisors approved a rezoning application and authorized the disposition of a small parcel of land. Both came after public hearings.
Supervisors authorized a rezoning application by Wayne Williams for 1.827 acres in the Millboro Magisterial District from A-2 (Agricultural General) to B-2 (General Business).
Williams has indicated that he plans to built a storage unit facility on the property.
Supervisors also approved the conveyance of 0.38 acres of land owned by the county to Dr. G. Dastgir Qureshi for its tax value of $1,000.
The property is located near Starr Bolar Chapel in the Warm Springs Magisterial District.
In other business Tuesday night, supervisors:
– accepted the June 30, 2011 audit report from James Kelly of Robinson, Farmer Cox Associates and approved a one-year contract extension with the firm for auditing services;
– scheduled a March public hearing on a grant application for the Pinehurst Heights Community Development Block Grant project;
– scheduled a March public hearing on a proposed outdoor lighting ordinance;
– entertained staff reports from Treasurer Pam Webb, Superintendent of Schools Sue Hirsh, County Planner and Zoning Administrator Sherry Ryder, Sheriff Robert Plecker, Recreation Director Mark Nelson and Bath County Code Official and Emergency Services Director Andy Seabolt, who outlined a Medevac plan for the county;
– reviewed and discussed a list of surplus equipment and resolved to work with the school system in coordinating a spring and fall disposition of this surplus equipment;
– approved the purchase of their service weapons by two retiring employees of the Bath County Sheriff’s Office;
– approved payment by electronic transfer of the county’s Virginia Municipal League/Virginia Association of Counties loan;
– rescheduled a March 7 work session to Friday, March 9;
– approved the transfer of $51,705 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to the Bath County School Board to offset rising fuel costs;
– approved the appointment of Ramona Garcia to the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Board;
– approved the appointment of Pam Webb to the Pinehurst Community Development Rehabilitation Board;
– developed a Health Insurance Review Committee;
– reappointed Andy Seabolt as Emergency Services Coordinator;
– appointed County Administrator Matt Walker as public information officer.
