By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a Fiscal Year 2025 Library Incentive Fund request, presented by County Library Director Julie Phillips during last week’s board meeting. This fund supports capital improvements at county libraries by offering a dollar-for-dollar match, up to 50% of a project’s total cost, for contributions made by nonprofits, citizens, or businesses.
The approved request was submitted by the Friends of the Blue Ridge Library, a nonprofit organization that funded a $10,000 project to upgrade furnishings at the Blue Ridge Library. The improvements included new chairs, lounge seating, and tables from the Roanoke-based company TXTUR. Selections were made based on durability, ease of cleaning, accessibility for patrons with mobility limitations, aesthetic design, and moderate pricing, with quotes solicited to ensure value.
The furnishings replaced original pieces dating back to the library’s construction in the late 1980s, several of which had already been removed due to disrepair. On May 14, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the $5,000 reimbursement request, representing 50% of the total project cost. With this approval, the current balance of the Library Incentive Fund stands at $21,204.
The board also approved modifications to the planned improvements at the Buchanan Elementary School tennis courts (4-1, with Amsterdam Supervisor Steve Clinton voting “No”), which are part of the county’s ongoing efforts to expand recreational amenities. This decision will be revisited in one year’s time based on discussions during the meeting.
Originally, the board had included funding in the Capital Improvement Plan to resurface and convert existing tennis courts at both Blue Ridge and Buchanan parks into dual-use courts for tennis and pickleball. The Blue Ridge courts have already been completed and opened for play, while the Buchanan courts are scheduled to be finished in July following weather delays.
Board Chair Amy White spoke about discussions she previously had with James River staff members. The James River girls tennis team currently practices at those courts at the elementary school due to there not being courts located at the high school. The team qualified for the Region 2C tournament in its first year of play in 2025.
“The plan was in place to have two tennis courts with four pickleball (courts’ lines) marked on the tennis courts so that they could be used for tennis or for pickleball,” White said. “This is a pretty standard practice. What we were going to do is mark them differently.”
White shared that the new markings for pickleball lines on the court could cause some confusion to new James River tennis players. The idea of removable lines was kicked around, according to White, but it was revealed those removable lines could damage the court. She explained the compromise between the county and the school of leaving one tennis court’s markings just for tennis.
Deputy Administrator David Moorman echoed White’s explanation, adding that the dual-marking courts in Buchanan were part of the implementation of the county’s current Capital Improvements Plan. He mentioned that the county and the residents of Blue Ridge were “pleased” with the new dual use courts at Blue Ridge Park and didn’t know of any issues with the markings/movable nets there.
Moorman noted the contractor for the Buchanan tennis courts was put on hold until the supervisors gave their guidance on the situation. White made mention that, currently, there are no tennis courts at James River High School. Lord Botetourt High’s tennis team practices at Hollins University in Roanoke. Safety concerns were pointed out by James River staff as a main reason why it would be easier for the team to travel a shorter distance to Buchanan Elementary for the team to practice.
County Parks and Recreation Director Victor Morales offered information about the guidelines about tennis courts for play and added that “none of them ever specify what allows a facility to be for game use” if courts are ever used by Virginia High School League (VHSL) teams for competition and/or practicing. Morales said that, ideally, the most efficient thing would be to have four tennis courts, as opposed to just two. The current money being spent on the pickleball project in Buchanan is mainly for resurfacing improvements, Morales explained.
Vice Chair Mac Scothorn asked the board if there was room for more courts there and if there are grant opportunities to potentially develop another set of courts beside Buchanan’s current set. Morales spoke about some available grants that could potentially help in doing that in the future. Scothorn thinks that looking into an additional court or two should be up for review.
Amsterdam Supervisor Steve Clinton raised a point regarding responsible use of the county’s tax dollars. “It’s the board’s role to gain optimum use of a tax dollar… It does seem that a combined use court is the best use of taxpayer dollars and it’s something we’ve been talking about and doing for some time. So, I’m having a hard time getting off of that despite that commitment and enthusiasm of (the James River girls tennis team) is certainly compelling… I just don’t think this is the best use of taxpayer dollars.”
Clinton asked Morales about the prevalence of dual use courts for high school tennis matches or practices. The Parks & Rec director responded that tennis courts are most likely dedicated to strictly tennis as opposed to high school basketball courts that double as volleyball courts. He explained that the division lies in that “school boards tend to fund athletic projects (in schools). County governments tend to fund non-athletic facilities (like parks). When it comes to match play, Morales added, there are usually a set of practice courts for schools and another set of courts for match play in most counties or cities “for convenience purposes.”
Moorman made mention that what is “most prevalent for school team play is school-developed courts on school property.” Clinton then asked how long the courts would be in use for the team with White explaining the team uses the court both in-season and off for around six months out of the year.
Fincastle Supervisor Brandon Nicely remarked that he liked the idea of building an additional court for Buchanan, jokingly comparing it to going to the SPCA to get a cat, “you always get two.” He thinks that maybe a better idea to consider is building courts on James River’s campus instead of at the elementary school in the future.
The county received a request on behalf of the James River girls tennis team to refrain from marking the Buchanan courts for pickleball, or to use only temporary tape for dual-use lines. In response, the board took public comments from student athletes and school staff asking that at least one court remain dedicated to tennis without additional pickleball markings.
After discussion, the board ultimately approved a modified version of the original plan – only painting pickleball lines on one of the courts at Buchanan Elementary, balancing community interest in expanded pickleball access with the needs of James River’s student athletes.
“We have to move forward with these courts,” White concluded prior to the board’s ruling. “The public has paid for this and deserves to be able to use them.”
