HFI planning new events for 2024
To the people of Fincastle and the surrounding area:
In 1968 a group of citizens concerned with the preservation of historical significance of Fincastle and the surrounding area formed Historic Fincastle, Inc. (HFI). It is still a very active group of citizens today.
My name is Patsy Dickerson, and I am serving as president of HFI today. There is a very dedicated and hardworking Executive Board: David Lloyd (vice-resident), Yvonne Saunders (treasurer) and Meredith Shelton-Bowman (secretary) and Board of Directors (Cindy Bailey, Lynne Bolton, Lyn Burton, Kip Burton, Richard Flora, Sharon Lloyd, Keith McMurry, Lissy Mirenda, Caroline Naysmith, Don Naysmith, Marcia Neighbors, Betty Reynolds, and Jay Saunders) who continue to carry out the original mission of HFI “to support the preservation of the historical, physical, cultural, and natural resources of Fincastle, Virginia and its surroundings.”
New and returning members are always welcome to join in the planning and carrying out of our projects and programs throughout the year. A membership form is located on our website, hisfin.org, that is currently being updated to reflect what we have done and what we are planning to do. If you are interested in the history of the area and would like to help archiving the history, past and present, HFI is looking for someone to serve as an archivist for the Early Cabin. HFI is also updating our walking tour and signage around town.
Three of our annual activities, Step-Back Into History (May), Fincastle Fall Festival (September 28), and Holiday Home Tour and Marketplace (December 14) will continue this year. There is a place for everyone and anyone who would like to help with the planning or carrying out of these events. Contact HFI (historicfincastleinc@gmail.com) if you have any questions or are interested in helping.
We have three new events/celebrations “under construction” for this year. Throughout the year, we will be celebrating our historic churches in Fincastle: First Baptist, Fincastle United Methodist Church, Fincastle Presbyterian Church, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Each of these churches will have a day of celebration where a local historian will give the history of the church followed by a musical presentation. The dates and programs are still being planned. Stay turned for updates.
HFI will also celebrate our children and summer by sponsoring an “Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Hot Dog Social” at the Big Spring Park. It is presently scheduled for the weekend of July 13-14 but is still “under construction” also. David Lloyd and Meredith Bowman-Shelton are chairmen of this event.
The last big undertaking will be the creation and publication of “Around Fincastle II, Last Half of 20th Century.” We will have an organizational meeting on March 26 at the Fincastle Library at 12:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend and share in the collection of materials/pictures for this book.
Please consider being part of “the preservation of the historical, physical, cultural, and natural resource of Fincastle, Virginia and its surroundings” and join and participate in HFI.
Patsy Dickerson
Fincastle
Comments on the last Board of Supervisors meeting
First of all, a big RAH-RAH for WAWA! Many thanks to the supervisors who voted in favor of the SEPs to allow this great business to come to our county. They will do their part to make this a better community.
When I arrived at 1:40 p.m. for the Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting on February 27, the parking lot was full, as was the auditorium. The Chronic Complainers and their embedded cheerleading clowns came out in full force to complain about everything, moan about the taxes they will have to pay on the valuable real estate they own, and blame the BoS for everything from:
(1) there not being enough single family homes in the county (even though the BoS is not in the construction business);
(2) for letting people from California, Oregon and Washington buy property in the county (as if one must submit information regarding where they have previously lived before they can buy property here);
(3) for getting NOTHING in exchange for the taxes they pay (obviously forgetting they can sleep at night due to the excellent law enforcement, fire and EMS services we have, and ignoring our schools, our libraries, our recreational opportunities, etc.);
(4) for having too many convenience stores and gasoline pumps (which are all market driven); and
(5) on and on, ad nauseum.
In general, about everything except the weather!
As usual, some of the Procedures and Governing Rules for Public Hearings and Meetings were largely disregarded, just as in the January meeting I attended. Most noticeable were the rude outbursts from misinformed, under-informed and/or uninformed citizens during the Western Virginia Water Authority’s presentation about long-term infrastructure plans, questioning where the county (?) was going to get the money to pay for same.
The Wampler Eanes Reassessment Video Presentation was very informative, but largely ignored by the Chronic Complainers. If they would just watch it two or three times, as I had already done, they might learn something, as I did. Yet one of the bellyachers accused the appraisers of “cherry picking” the examples used in the video. Rest assured, there are more and will be more bona fide examples of properties selling for more than the 2024 reassessment values. Supply and demand at work again.
All citizens have been made aware of the appeals process AND that such process could result in their assessment being increased. Funny how some do not want their property to be worth as much as it really is until they want to sell it!
One of the loudest whiners, while moaning about the recent reassessment, failed to mention that she paid $64,300 more (almost 30%) than its then-assessed value for her property when she bought it in January 2019. Nevertheless, she now grumbles. Is it possible her property is worth almost 30% more now than the value placed on it in the 2024 assessment?
Another protester starts out saying that the assessment on one of her properties went up $250,000 (actually it was $225,900) and, as I heard it, that her other three properties went up $150,000 each (actually it was $109,100, $66,900 and $101,300). Those percentage increases are in a more modest range compared to others in the 50%-70% range, or higher. To me, it seems difficult to sympathize with someone who lives in a house with 3,873 square feet of finished area and who owns well in excess of a million dollars worth of real estate according to the 2020 assessment.
If you have homeowner’s insurance and insure for replacement value of your property, take a look at your policy to see the replacement cost thereon. Hopefully you will be asked that question if you appeal. In fact, once you look at that, you may find it wise to leave good enough alone.
Bob Patterson
Fincastle
Asks Del. Austin to vote ‘No’ on slot machines
My family and I are requesting Del. Terry Austin to vote “No” on slot machines in convenience stores in Virginia.
Further, it’s such a deception and disrespect to the citizens of Virginia to present slot machines as “skilled gaming.” What kind of skill does a person need to operate slot machines?
As a substitute teacher, I’m deeply concerned about “another” proposal that only looks at “money” generating/making, rather than the harmful effects it’ll have on particularly economically poor citizens, including coming-of-age teenagers.
It is such a nearsighted proposal when it looks to do anything other than bringing money, and money only. No society has a long-term vision when it only looks at what it can get from legally encouraging gambling. It is doomed to fail in the long term.
I ask Del. Austin to be a statesman whose primary goal and purpose is working toward the positive outcome of the future of our family and our people. Rather than a politician, who only sees the next election by saying and doing anything and everything to be elected.
Again, in the long term, no society or home can prosper by encouraging gambling as a means to generate revenue.
Anna Yu
Cloverdale
New reassessments defiy logic and common sense
Residents of Botetourt County recently received the reassessments of their properties. There are a lot of upset people, ourselves included. The major portion of our home was built over 80 years ago and the newer addition was built over 40 years ago. The only renovation dine in the past five years was the building of a small deck and replacing the siding on a 10×12 building. We did the work ourselves.
The four homes surrounding us are at least three-tenth of a mile away in every direction. Only one of these homes has been built in the last 22 years. And yet, our reassessment went up 93%. We are already paying taxes on our 22 acres, based on an assessment of over $3,400 per acre.
A couple in Eagle Rock saw their assessment go up 63%. Theirs is the only home on the street that is less than 40 years old. Their home was rebuilt due to a fire. Only two of the other homes have had significant renovations. I called their road a street, but the county labels it an alleyway, so the county does no repairs or snow removal.
I have heard from several people that reassessment have gone up from 63% to 96%. This defies logic and common sense. Inflation would probably have driven up our assessment, but not to this ridiculous extent.
I challenge the assessors and the Board of Supervisors to find buyers for some of these homes at the new reassessed values. The couple in Eagle Rock is more than willing to sell their home for more than $250,000, which is the new assessment.
The Board of Supervisors could help us out by lowering the tax rate, but that will happen when pigs fly. They might need the new money to build new buildings at Greenfield to stand empty as a testament to wasteful spending.
Barbara Fridley
Eagle Rock
