By Matt de Simone
It was announced during last Tuesday’s meeting of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors that Apex Clean Energy will begin construction on the Rocky Forge Wind project beginning Monday of this week.
The meeting’s agenda shared that both the onsite and offsite civil plans have received approvals from the county. Additionally, the land disturbance permits have been issued and a pre-construction meeting was held to authorize commencement of clearing and grading construction.
The county’s Director of Community Development Nicole Pendleton shared that over the last month there had been a lot of “movement and information” coming into the office regarding the project. Last week, Pendleton received an update from Apex confirming construction beginning this week. She shared with the board that the office is expected to receive forthcoming building permits for the turbines themselves and the ancillary facility.
Board Chair Amy White asked about the January 20 presidential memorandum regarding the “temporary withdrawal of all areas from offshore wind leasing” and asked for comment on the matter. Pendleton deferred to the county attorney, Mike Lockaby, on the matter. Lockaby said that “it is dependent upon whether there are any outstanding federal permits needed” by Apex.
“To the best of our (the county’s) knowledge there were no further permits that Apex needed from the federal government that would be held up by this executive order,” Lockaby said, adding that managing permits is ultimately up to Apex and that he’s still continuing to analyze what the executive order will mean in practice moving forward. Changes, if any, regarding this order as it pertains to the wind project will be shared with the board.
Photo by Matt de Simone
Courthouse and EMS storage updates
Capital Projects Manager Rich Evans and Fire & EMS Chief Jason Ferguson updated the board last Tuesday on the latest regarding the ongoing Botetourt County Courthouse construction project. Evans requested from the board additional lease space (14 months) for courthouse files in the Clark building across Back Street from the courthouse’s location. Evans shared the initial space leased for storage couldn’t contain the weight of all the files that needed storage. The board unanimously approved the lease.
The county noted that at the December 17, 2024 meeting, approval to award the Courthouse Construction Contract was granted. As plans progressed towards the start of the demolition, it was determined that additional storage and office space was needed for the project to commence. County staff recently negotiated a lease to accommodate the additional space needed for more storage of files.
Chief Ferguson requested additional space in the Clark building for EMS central supply. The leasing of two suites in the upstairs portion of the building is intended to satisfy the needs of both spaces until a more permanent solution can be identified. The board unanimously approved this request.
The Department of Fire & EMS currently occupies the Dodd building located at the corner of Back Street and Botetourt Road in Fincastle. This location houses thousands of dollars in consumable emergency medical supplies, as well as backup components for specialty medical equipment.
A cache of personal protective equipment, training aides, and some emergency management support equipment occupies the current space. As of late January, the space is being transitioned to the control of the general contractor that will demolish the building as part of the courthouse project.
Additionally, Fire & EMS occupies the old Finance building on Main Street in Fincastle for its uniform and wearing apparel storage, as well as its only available conference room and office space for the on-duty shift captain.
