By Matt de Simone
Botetourt County and community partners held their annual “State of the County” address last Thursday at the County Administration Offices in Daleville. The event covered the county’s initiative reviews in 2023 and looking ahead the future of Botetourt in 2024 and beyond.
This year’s address focused on “Getting to know BOCO,” focusing on the various departments within the county, highlighting their numerous achievements, providing insight, and noting their successful collaborations.
County Administrator Gary Larrowe and Buchanan Supervisor and Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Amy White provided welcoming remarks. Larrowe credited White for her work in organizing the 2024 address. He noted the “extra care” White took in helping put together this year’s event.
“The state of the county is very good,” White said during her welcoming remarks. “I believe that in all of my heart… I didn’t give us the highest mark because I think there are always times and things we can improve upon. After today’s event you are going to see the commitment to that continuous improvement, and that’s what I am most excited about. Let’s face it, we’re starting from a very good place whenever we envision improvement. We are in a very good place in Botetourt County.”
Following Larrowe and White, key staff members from various county departments provided a look into their 2023 and the upcoming year’s activities and goals. Those staff members included:
- Director of Economic Development Ken McFadyen talking about the Economic Development Authority’s (EDA) engagements throughout the county in 2023
- Director of Community Development Nicole Pendleton spoke about an “uptick” in building permits, the county reaching “over $70 million” in construction permits, long-range plans, active projects, and numerous awards by members in her department
- Director of Parks & Recreation Mandy Adkins noted the exciting participation in Botetourt youth sports, recreational services, and the upcoming “BOCO Wild” event in Buchanan on June 8
- Library Director Julie Phillips went over library programming in 2023, noting an increase in visitors and engagements
- County Fire & EMS Chief Jason Ferguson gave examples of emergency services to the community, helping those in need during over 5,000 unique incidents last year
- County Communications Director Tiffany Bradbury spoke about office engagements in 2023 and the focus of the communications department
- Botetourt County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Russ noted the system’s academic achievements in 2023, educator recognitions, strategic direction results, and upcoming grant opportunities. Supervisor of Career & Technical Instruction Mike Ketron joined Russ in noting Botetourt Technical Education Center’s (BTEC) achievements, noting their career signing day last spring that saw 31 county students sign letters of commitment to various employers.
This year, the event adopted a hybrid format, with approximately 40 people in attendance. The presentation and video are available at www.botetourtva.gov/stateofthecounty. To stay informed about the county and sign up for updates, visit at www.botetourtva.gov/notifyme.
