By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors held their October meeting at the Administrative Offices in Daleville last Tuesday.
The board recognized Director of Facilities Ricky Dowdy for his assistance providing his services for the First Bank Tinsel Trail held in the Town of Fincastle.
Valley District Supervisor Matt Scothorn also recognized Secretary to the County Administrator & Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Susan Fain, who retires at the end of 2021 after 41 years of service.
“(Fain) has been a fixture in our county for 41-1/2 years,” Scothorn noted. “With that, she’s gone through five administrators, greater than 50 boards of supervisors (representatives). I wanted to take a minute and thank her for everything she’s done.
“She is truly the glue that holds the office together and she has served the citizens, visitors, and staff of Botetourt County with professionalism, dignity, and respect. Your seat will be hard to fill and you will be very missed. We will continue to celebrate you over the next two months and want to you to remember you are always a part of the Botetourt family.”
During the public comments portion, a citizen mentioned an issue with littering in Blue Ridge around the Boxley Fields area and asked for possible signage to prevent littering in the area. Blue Ridge Supervisor Billy Martin mentioned that he’s spoken with VDOT about the situation.
Ray Varney, resident engineer at VDOT, made mention of the public comment regarding the littering issue. He mentioned that while he was aware there may be an issue, he didn’t currently see anything that would deem it necessary to install signage.
Varney also provided his monthly VDOT update including information about Exit 150 improvements, a new railroad project, closures that include a portion of Greyledge Road, and some resurfacing projects in the area.
The public hearing portion of the meeting featured County Planner Drew Pearson proposing amendments to the Comprehensive Plan’s Sewer and Water Infrastructure Map for properties located on Sanderson Drive (State Route 605) and along Industrial Drive (State Route 822). The board approved these amendments.
Pearson also made a request from Laymoore Development Company to vacate a portion of right-of-way on Tinker Valley Drive in Daleville. The board approved the request.
Director of Community Development Nicole Pendleton closed the public hearing by proposing amendments to miscellaneous offenses (Ch. 15) of the Botetourt County Code to designate the sheriff to enforce trespass violations on private property at the request of the landowner. The goard approved the amendments.
Deputy County Administrator David Moorman then gave an update on the county’s solid waste transition plans moving forward.
Additionally, three more consent agenda items regarding the minutes of September’s meeting, the participation in opioid settlement lawsuits, and the real estate tax refund all received the board’s approval.
For more information regarding agenda items for the October Board of Supervisors meeting, visit botetourtva.gov/your-government/board-of-supervisors.