May 2012

Fo

is ready to be placed in the building as soon as these systems are in place.

Sheriff Doug King in-formed the Board that the United States Forest Ser-vice would be giving Continued page 5

On April 24, 2012, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors held its bi-monthly meeting in the Boardroom of the County Administration Building.

At the meeting, the Board appropriated funds for the final stages of the Fort Chiswell Emergency Ser-vices Building, learned of funds received from the United States Forest Ser-vice and discussed an up-coming town hall meet-ing.

The Fort Chiswell Emer-gency Services Building is currently in its final stages of preparation for occu-

pancy of emergency re-sponse equipment. The Board appropriated $4,000 for the completion of the septic and electrical systems. According to Cellell Dalton, County Administrator, equipment

Fort Chiswell Emergency Services Building in final stages

Town reaffirms consolidated dispatch On April 10, 2012, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors met in the Boardroom of the County Administration Building at 7 p.m.

At the meeting, the Board discussed changes to the Virginia Retirement System, reviewed a letter from the

Town of Wytheville regard-ing consolidated dispatch, and approved a request to apply for an animal shelter-ing grant.

In a letter from the town manager, the Town of Wytheville reaffirmed its wish to partner with Wythe County in a consolidated

911 dispatch system. This system will allow for better response to County and Town residents in an emer-gency.

Cellell Dalton, County Ad-ministrator, informed the Board of a bill approved by the General Assembly re- Continued page 8

Wythe County Board of Supervisors

MAY 2012

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6

Wythe the News

Inside this issue:

County Water Project Up-dates

2&6

Tourism Committee focuses on economic impact

2

Department updates com-munity field

3

Virginia Dare Bus Trip 3

Department replaces 9-1-1 signs

4

County invites residents to submit logos

5

Cont: Fort Chiswell Emer-gency Services Building in final stages

5

May is Electrical Safety Month

7&8

Cont.: Town reaffirms con-solidated dispatch

8

Rural Retreat Campground now open!

6

May 2012 Public Meetings 7

Virginia Tax Holiday in May 6

Upcoming Class & Events 8

Fort Chiswell Emergency Services Building

May is Electrical Safety Month in

Virginia. See page 7 for all

the ways you can keep your family

safe.

Page 2 WYTHE THE NEWS

the tourism industry, espe-cially in the local area.

During the review, Commit-tee members and stake-holders focused on the statis-tical information provided by the U.S. Travel Associa-tion. The information noted tourism is a major economic driver for Wythe County.

In 2010, tourism created 847 jobs with payroll contri-butions of $16 million in the County through various industries.

On April 5, 2012, the Wythe County Tourism Committee held its final strategic plan meeting with stakeholders from the com-munity.

Minor changes to the plan were made; however, the objectives of both parties remained the same.

The mission of the Tourism Committee as stated in the strategic plan is to maximize the economy in Wythe County by highlighting and promoting all resources in

In addition, visitor’s expen-ditures in 2010 were $108 million, including one mil-lion dollars in lodging taxes collected by Wythe County and the Town of Wytheville.

The Committee felt such figures show the importance of the tourism industry and tourism efforts.

The Committee hopes to engage the local community in tourism efforts and to conduct joint strategies to highlight the County’s as-sets.

Tourism Committee focuses on economic impact

$16,100 are local funds

from connection

fees. The County has

drawn down $668,324.47

from Rural Develop-

ment.

Of the $668,324.47

drawdown, $640,000 has

been loan and

$28,324.47 has been

grant.

Wytheville to Rural Re-

treat Water Line Exten-

sion Project

Prillaman & Pace, Inc.

Old School Road Water Line Extension Project

Rural Development has approved the Engineer-ing Amendment for the Environmental Review and system design by Dewberry for the addi-tional water line exten-sion along Old School Road.

Dewberry has completed the Environmental Re-view and submitted cop-ies to the County and Rural Development.

Wythe County has spent

$690,320.71 total on the

Old School Road Pro-

ject. Of the total spent,

has installed all of the water lines, valves, and hydrants on the original contract and the first change order. Prillaman intends to do the pump station start up the first of June.

Prillaman has installed 167 water services. Sixty-four percent of the con-tract time has expired with the addition of the one hundred days for change order #1.

This project is at 98 per-cent complete.

Mid-Atlantic Storage Sys-tems has completed the water storage tank. The tank is ready for use.

Continue page 6

County Water Project Updates

Wythe County is in-

viting residents to

participate in the

creation of a new

tourism logo. Find

out how you can get

involved on page 5.

Spring has arrived in Wythe County and with the warm weather comes fun days at Rural Retreat Lake! This photos was taken in the field of butter cup flowers next to the trout pound.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6 Page 3

Find out more about Max Meadows Com-munity Field and its recent updates in the

first edition of the Parks and Recreation seasonal online maga-

zine to be release in May 2012

Department updates community field

On April 17, 2012, Wythe County Parks and Recrea-tion and Building and Grounds departments worked to improve Max Meadows Community Field.

The improvements in-cluded seeding areas of the park, preparing the baseball fields with fresh top soil, and updating flower beds. Department heads and staff members

all got their hands dirty to ensure the Max Meadows community has an ade-quate environment for spring and summer activi-ties.

The Virginia Dare is a 

19th Century replica 

side wheeler that is 63’ 

long, 20’ wide and 26.6’ 

tall. The Virginia Dare 

was built in the spring 

of 1989. The trip will 

consist of a chartered 

bus to Smith Mountain 

Lake, lunch and nar‐

rated tour on the Vir‐

ginia Dare while enjoy‐

ing the peaceful scen‐

ery of Smith Mountain 

Lake  

The trip will take place 

on June 9, 2012 

Cost: $65 per person 

Call 223‐6022 for more 

info.  

Virginia Dare Bus Trip 2012

Page 4 WYTHE THE NEWS

Department replaces 9-1-1 address signs Virginia will have a tax free weekend during the month of May to encourage citizens to prepare for natural disasters. See page 6 to find out more. 

Construction has officially begun on the Rural Retreat Lake and Campground Disc Golf Course. A grand opening will be held in the month of May.

During the past few months, Wythe County’s Building and Grounds crew has been working to replace many 9-1-1 address signs.

When finished the crew mem-bers will have placed 240 signs throughout the County.

Signs include those on public roads and private drives.

According to Ikey Davidson, Wythe County Emergency Man-agement Director, there were hundreds of signs throughout the County that were in disre-pair.

Together the Emergency Man-agement Department and the Building and Grounds Depart-ment worked to identify the signs and replace them.

The replacement of the signs will make for safer roads and residents throughout the County.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6 Page 5

Wythe County would like to invite residents and high school students to submit artwork for a County Tourism logo.

Submissions are due to the Wythe County Ad-ministration Building, Attn: Gary Cody, 340 South Sixth Street, Wytheville, by 5 p.m. on June 24, 2012.

The Wythe County Tour-ism Committee believes it is important to obtain feedback from the com-munity and schools on the future branding logo.

The Committee would like to involve the citi-zens in Wythe County in the process to help for-mulate a branding logo that will appeal to tour-ists.

“We think it is important

to involve our people in the process,” said Gary Cody, Wythe County Director of Tourism, “so we have a full under-standing of how we should portray Wythe County to tourists from what our people here prize the most.”

The information and/or artwork submitted will help the Tourism Com-mittee embed a concept into the future logo of Wythe County Tourism to help sell the area to travelers and vacationers.

In the end, it will brand Wythe County as a pre-mier tourist destination.

Those eligible to make a submission include: Wythe County residents 18 years or older and stu-dents currently attending Fort Chiswell High

School, George Wythe High School and Rural Retreat High School.

Submissions should aim to incorporate, to the best of their ability, Wythe County’s moun-tains, interstates, history, New River and the County seal.

The logo or concept cho-sen as the winner will inspire the official County Tourism logo used to advertise and market the County as a tourist destination.

Wythe County Tourism Committee will choose the winner. The County welcomes all submis-sions.

For more information, contact Gary Cody at (276) 223-6065.

County invites residents to submit logos

The County Seal and the New River are just two of the area assets hoped to in-spire the Wythe County Tourism

logo. Read more here to find out how to

put your artist talent to good use.

Cont: emergency services building the department $2,500 for the purchase of sur-veillance cameras.

King hopes the cameras will help eliminate illegal dumping throughout the County.

Tim Reeves, Supervisor At- Large, and Gene Hor-

ney, Supervisor for the Speedwell District, held a town hall meeting May 2, 2012, at 6 p.m. at Speed-well Elementary.

Residents of the district were invited to attend and welcomed to discuss any issue.

The Board accepted $28,000 in grant funding from the Virginia Depart-ment of Emergency Man-agement.

This funding will go to-ward shelter enhance-ments at the new Wythe County Emergency Op-erations Center.

Check out all of Wythe County’s

upcoming meetings on page 7.

Page 6 WYTHE THE NEWS

with electrical power capa-bility • Bottled water of any size, including flavored, carbonated and vitamin water • Two-way radios • Manual can openers • Tarps, plastic sheet-ing, plastic drop cloths • Bungee cords and rope • Ground anchor sys-tems or tie down kits • Ratchet straps • Duct tape • Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, fire extinguishers • Empty gas, propane or diesel fuel tanks or con-tainers

Water storage containers such as buckets, barrels, canteens, coolers

Shop for items on this list that have a sales price of $1,000 or less:

• Portable generators and generator power cords Inverters and inverter power cables. Retail outlets will have information about the tax holiday. For more, go to www.tax.virginia.gov. For information about getting ready for hurri-cane and flooding sea-son in Virginia, please visit www.ReadyVirginia.gov.

Virginia Tax Holiday in May

Cont: water updates Wythe County has spent $4,293,840.07 total on the Wytheville to Rural Retreat project. Of the

total spent $62,300 are local funds from connec-tion fees. The County has drawn

down $4,013,900.74

from Rural Develop-

ment. Of the funds,

$3,316,000 was loan

money and $697,900.74

was grant money.

During Mother’s Day weekend, Rural Retreat Campground welcomed its first group of camp‐ers for the 2012 season. 

The pool will open the last weekend of May, Memorial Day week‐end. 

The 2012 pool season begins Thursday, May 24, from 1 ‐7 p.m.   

Regular hours will begin Friday, May 25 as fol‐lows: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. ‐7 p.m. and Sunday 1 ‐6 p.m. Pool parties avail‐able after hours, Friday‐Sunday only.   Returning events for the summer season will include the annual Fourth of July Celebra‐tion and Kid’s Fishing Day (May 19).  

New this summer will be Wythe County Parks and Recreation Hike for Hounds/Meow Mean‐der (June 2). 

Plan to go shopping the last week of May, and you will save money on many useful items. Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is May 25-31. During that week, you can stock up on sup-plies for protecting your home and business during hurricane and flooding season. You also can add items to your family’s emergency supply kit.

Many everyday items are tax exempt. Shop for items on this list that have a price of $60 or less: • Artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs, reusable ice • Batteries, excluding car or boat batteries • Portable self-powered light sources, including flashlights, lanterns and glow sticks • First aid kits • Cell phone chargers • Weather Band radios and NOAA Weather Ra-dios • Portable self-powered radios, including radios

Rural Retreat

Campground

now open!

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• 5/7 - Planning Commission will meet in the Board room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 7 p.m.

• 5/8- Wythe County Board of Supervisors will hold its bi-monthly meeting at 7 p.m. in the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville.

• 5/15- Tourism Committee will meet in the Board room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 6 p.m.

• 5/15 - Water Committee will meet in the conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 9:30 a.m.

• 5/17 - Budget Committee will meet in the conference room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 8 a.m.

• 5/22- Wythe County Board of Supervisors will hold its bi-monthly meeting at 9 a.m. in the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville.

• 5/28- Recreation Commission will meet in the Board room of the County Administration Building, 340 S 6th Street, Wytheville at 7 p.m.

Page 7

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

29 30 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 Planning Com-mission

8 Board of Supervisors

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 Water Committee

Tourism Committee

16 17 Budget Committee

18 19

20 21 22 Board of Supervisors

23 24 25 26

27 28 Recreation Commissions

29 30 31 1 2

May 2012 Public Meetings

May is Electrical Safety Month May has been designated by the Gov. Bob McDoneil as “Electrical Safety Month” Here are some tips to keep you and your family safe from accidents that can arise from electrical prod-ucts from age or damage and misuse:

Inform your children

Talk to your children about playing around power lines and poles. This is the real world and not like in the movies.

Flying kites are fun and should be. Take your chil-dren to areas where they will be safe from power lines.

Power stations have fenced areas, and children love to climb fences to retrieve their

toys.

Extension cords

Extension cords are de-signed for temporary use only.

Do not run extension cords under carpets, through door or window openings. Be sure to inspect the cords for nicks, cuts.

If the extension cord does have cuts or nicks do not use them.

Extension cords are cheaper than a new house. Do not over load extension cords.

Exterior Receptacle covers

If you install exterior decora-tions you should use what is

known as "In Use" covers.

This protects you and your cords from the weather when they are plugged in.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters.

All outdoor receptacles are required to be on ground fault circuit interrupters, same with kitchen counter top receptacles and bath-room receptacles.

The GFCI's have a TEST and RESET button on them. You should use the test but-ton regularly to test your GFCI.

It is recommended that GFCI be tested once a month. Continued page 8

Community Events

Sign up to receive this monthly newsletter via email by send-ing a message to [email protected].

The current edition can also be found online at the County Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wythecounty and on www.wytheco.org

340 S 6th St Wytheville, VA 24382 Phone: (276) 223-6020 Fax: (276) 223-6030

E-mail: [email protected] www.wytheco.org www.facebook.com/wythecounty

The HUB of southwest VA

Wythe County Board of Supervisors

-garding the Virginia Retire-ment System (VRS). The bill states beginning July 1, 2012, local government employees will be required to pay a five percent employee contribu-tion to the VRS.

In addition, the bill requires local government employers to increase employee’s creditable compensation by five percent.

Guitar Lessons 

Always wanted to learn to play the guitar? Now’s your chance!  

‐Pick from either of two Sites ‐ Max Meadows Fire Dept. OR Rural Re‐treat Pentecostal Church  

Max Meadows Fire Department ‐ Mondays, 5pm  

OR Rural Retreat Pentecostal Church ‐ Tuesdays, 5pm  

45 minutes per class FEE: $30 per month for 4 Classes. Bring your own Guitar  

Call 223‐6022 to 

register or for more info.  

Cabbage Head Family Fest & Flea Market  

June 9, 10 a.m.‐4 p.m. ‐ Family Festi‐val June 9‐10, 8 a.m.‐5 p.m. ‐ Flea Market  

$2/gate fee Chil‐dren under 8 ‐ FREE  

Come Join in the Fun!  

Food Entertain‐ment Children’s Games  and more. 

Water Color Work Shop 

Pick from Either Of Two Classes  

Sun., May 6th at 

Continued: dispatch The Department of Emer-gency Management and Community Animal Re-sponse Team received the Board’s permission to apply for a pet sheltering grant.

If awarded, the funds from the grant would be used to purchase supplies needed to house and care for pets dur-ing an emergency. Upcoming Classes & Events

Max Meadows Ruri‐tan Building ‐2 ‐4p.m. OR Sat., May 12 at Rural Retreat Pentecostal Holiness Church ‐10 a.m.‐12 p.m.  

Instructor: D. Gail Lawrence  

FEE: $20  

Call 223‐6022 to Sign Up  

Smoke Detectors

Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and either vacuum or blow clean of trapped dust once a year.

Check the wattage of light bulbs in all light luminaries

All light fixtures have a label with the rated size wattage

Continued: electrical

light bulb required for that light.

This also includes table lamps, but especially light fixtures with covers for they hold the heat in.

If the light fixture is missing its label then we recommend 60-watt maximum for safety.