Letter of appreciation from Fincastle mayor
As mayor of the Town of Fincastle, and on behalf of the town and its citizens, we are thrilled to see the community’s vision for the new Circuit Courthouse taking physical shape.
The courthouse has always been the lifeblood of the Town of Fincastle. This new facility will provide the essential security, accessibility, and modern infrastructure our county needs. Most importantly, it honors our heritage by beautifully preserving the historic architectural character that defines Fincastle. By incorporating timeless elements like the traditional red brick exterior, restoring the historic bell, and resurrecting the iconic clock tower steeple, we are ensuring our past remains a living part of our present. We are also pleased that the county has committed to rebuild the historic Breckinridge Law Office and Western Hotel building in the new Courthouse Square, in recognition of their historic significance.
Looking at the bigger picture, this courthouse remodel is not an isolated project. It is the anchor for a multi-phase investment into the heart of historic Fincastle. As this project moves forward toward its 2027 completion, it paves the way for new community green spaces and enhanced walkable areas that will revitalize our downtown area for businesses and families alike.
Thank you to Botetourt County, the project managers, and our town’s citizens for their continued patience and support as this generational construction project continues.
Mary Bess Smith
Mayor, Town of Fincastle
Reader discusses board meetings and Google data center
The June Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting accentuates why there should be a modification of the Citizen Comment Period – specific to agenda items – to exclude comments during this period of time on public hearings which are on the same agenda; five of them at this meeting on the 2 p.m. segment and four more on the 6 p.m. one.
Why?
The purpose of a public hearing is to hear public comment about a particular matter. If some (like those who clamor for all BoS meetings to be held at 6 p.m.) feel as if they are so important that they should not be made to wait to speak at the 6 p.m. public hearings, perhaps they can make general comments during the second Citizen Comment Period just before Board Member Comments and Reports? That way, those in attendance who do not attend to act as a cheerleading squad for chronic complainers, can hear the conduct of county business before they (and one or two of the supervisors, possibly the same one or two who were later lectured about telling the truth?) may get tired and hungry and want to depart.
At this meeting, the BoS received a dressing-down from a very unlikely source. He started out by saying he wanted to address something that is difficult to talk about – telling the truth. I have always noticed that someone speaking of something they seldom practice and about which they know little, if any, is quite difficult. That was on full display at this meeting.
During that scolding session, I could not help but wonder what it might be like if one of our elected members of the BoS or of the School Board were to be absent for a meeting, or two, three, or more, with no contact about why and never again to be seen in Botetourt County. If something like that were to happen and local newspapers or outlets published articles headlined by “Where is so-and-so?”, would that equate to telling the truth or being honest, or would it be the exact opposite?
And, in the presentation about telling the truth, he said that we are about to lose all of our water, which probably could not be further from actuality. While I am sure that the demonstrators at the Google event at LBHS on June 17 believe nothing but what they are told at the Chronic Complainer Club meetings, they should read the excellent four part article by Dwayne Yancey published in the Cardinal News on June 22, 23, 24 and 25, 2026 and then they can form an opinion based on facts rather than myths.
Among many other relevant facts, those four articles point out:
- It has been said for some time that we will run out of water in 2060. New studies now place that date very close to 2100.
- Carvins Cove is at one of its lowest levels in the past four decades, but all of the Roanoke Valley’s water systems are connected now whereas they were not in the past so there is more water available.
- Carvins Cove at full pond holds 6.42 billion gallons of water and as of last week held 4.48 billion gallons. If Google were to use the 2 million gallons per day, which it has reserved (and may not use), Google would use 730 million gallons per year, which is less than 7% of what is there now and the Roanoke Valley Water Authority loses nearly three times that amount per year (2 billion gallons) due to leaks.
- And much, much more useful information from the Western Virginia Water Authority which is fact and not fictional numbers dreamed up to support some untenable position.
If you want to continue to oppose Google, please look for facts, instead of fiction, which support your complaints. It owns property here which is zoned for a data center and few, if any, voiced any opposition at the legally advertised hearing(s) which resulted in the rezoning of that property. It plans to start construction soon. From speaking to many of the Google experts, I am convinced that Google is not on a mission to come into a community to attempt to ruin it and then sneak out in the middle of the night.
One other complaint is that electric bills will go up. One of the local TV stations recently ran an interview with an APCo representative who pointed out that all of our electricity bill is not just for the electricity used. Part of it goes for infrastructure, and Google, by paying its electricity bill, will also be paying for infrastructure, which he said may actually reduce our electricity bills. Ponder that.
Bob Patterson
Fincastle
Buchanan District
Open letter from Mark Tyson to Botetourt County citizens
Newly elected to the Board of Supervisors for the Buchanan District, Linda Rottman, appointed me to the Planning Commission this past January. During my short term serving on the Planning Commission I have been increasingly concerned about the division between what the people of the county want versus the direction the county is pursuing. Foremost of this disharmony is continued unwanted growth and the consternation of adverse consequences regarding the upcoming Google Data Center. It is quite evident in the increasing signage, demonstrations, posted writings, and strong comments at public proceedings.
I have directly approached many demonstrators and commentors, and those communications repeatedly conveyed that the primary concerns are that the data center as well as continued growth will severely tax our limited resources, especially water, cause electric power rates to soar (as other data center communities have experienced), and cause crippling economic hardship to many in our county.
Although many factors deserve much consideration, I have focused on the water issue as it affects everyone across our county. I raised the following motion during the June 8 Planning Commission Public Session:
“to review and assess the degrees and probabilities of water shortages arising from continued county growth, upcoming Data Center water demands, as well as other potential causations, and review associated plans and related costs to mitigate / prevent potential water shortage problems from materializing during the next 10 to 20 years.”
The motion passed 4 to 1 with Commissioner Lucas seconding the motion and Commissioners Lucas, Hartman, me and Chair Leffel voting to pass it. It was decided that a “Structure” would be determined during the July 13 Planning Commission 6 p.m. meeting and that it would then be “Conducted” during the August 10 Planning Commission 6 p.m. meeting.
I subsequently went through various iterations of a “Structure” to be considered for adoption and determined that an investigative Water “Hearing” may yield the best results. On June 12, I submitted a four-page comprehensive “Structure” (Version 5.2) to the Planning Commission members. FOIA requests released it into the public sphere as well as my subsequent follow-on associated letter to the Planning Commission members. Thus, I am providing both in this “Open Letter” to the people of Botetourt County. My proposed investigative Water “Hearing” can be found on ibb.co/jvZW86ST and my follow-on letter can be found on ibb.co/b5NFPr3F. An excerpt of my follow-on letter follows:
“I have been advised that such a “Hearing” would be unprecedented in Botetourt County, but I believe the Water importance to everyone in the county warrants this action. Some residents are already complaining of low water pressure, well water issues, and continuing drought concerns. Yet these are in advance of the upcoming Data Center water demands anticipated to be 8 million gallons per day which is by far greater than all of Botetourt County’s current public water usage.”
I have received criticism from some that this is not my “job” as Commissioner to attempt launching such a Water Situation investigation, but I have received very strong support as well. Code of Virginia (§ 15.2-2210) indicates that one of the roles and duties of the Planning Commission is to advise the Board of Supervisors of the development of the community, including infrastructure, and that a community’s water situation (including drinking water supply, wastewater, and stormwater management) is fundamentally integrated into a Planning Commission’s infrastructure scope.
I urge that you convey your position by emailing me at mtyson@botetourtva.gov, reach out to the other Commissioners, or comment at the upcoming July 13 Planning Commission 6 p.m. public meeting at the Greenfield Administration Center, which I hope you will attend.
Mark Tyson
Buchanan District Planning Commissioner
Support more solar, not less
With only 12% renewable energy on our grid as noted by Virginia DEQ, we need more solar and wind power, not less. I was dismayed to learn that the Botetourt Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors denied 2MW and 5MW solar arrays in the June 23 meeting.
Some in the previous meetings said that heavy metals would leach into the ground from sealed silicone solar panels and flood from panels somehow when they’re gapped 1/4″ between the 3×5 panels. Both NIMBY statements are false.
Reprinted from 2024 DER:
False Claim #2: Toxic heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium (not in proposed solar arrays), leach out from solar panels and pose a threat to human health.
“Studies have shown the heavy metals in solar panels, namely lead and cadmium, can leach out of the cells and get into groundwater, as well as affect plants.”
Roughly 40% of new solar panels in the United States and 5% of new solar panels in the world contain cadmium, but this cadmium is in the form of cadmium telluride, which is non-volatile, non-soluble in water, and has 1/100th the toxicity of free cadmium. Most solar panels, like many electronics, contain small amounts of lead. However, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DER) has assessed that “because PV panel materials are enclosed, and don’t mix with water or vaporize into the air, there is little, if any, risk of chemical releases to the environment during normal use.” The Massachusetts DER has further assessed that, even in the unlikely event of panel breakage, releases of chemicals used in solar panels are “not a concern.”
The Europeans are far ahead of us on renewable energy and we need to catch up on a GW scale. We’ve had solar on our house since 2008 and mostly just pay the monthly service fee. These proposed community solar arrays would help others do the same that live in apartments and can’t put them on their homes, but apparently the Board of Supervisors doesn’t care.
We need all the solar and wind we can harvest for clean energy and to bring our electric rates down!
Mark E. Hanson
Fincastle
