By Matt de Simone
Last week, Botetourt County Board of Supervisors representative Billy Martin recently gave another update on the current state of Botetourt County.
Martin mentioned the promise of spring and the county’s hopes that warmer weather will bring more opportunities for local residents to spend time outside in the sun, While COVID numbers continue to rise, the rate of infection is much slower within the community. Roughly 20 percent of Botetourt County citizens have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. VDH continue to hold clinics in the county to provide some of the more vulnerable members of the community a chance to receive shots.
He encouraged the community to continue doing their part in practicing social distancing as the world continues to move out of the pandemic. Martin also shared a few of the resources available to the county. He announced the launch of the county’s broadband website (www.bocobroadband.info) and about their expansion projects, including a full list of contacts for the Internet service providers, and encouraged people to reach out to them directly.
The Department of Fire & EMS hired its first full-time recruitment and retention specialist, Taylor Lundford, to support the efforts to recruit the volunteer forces in the county, effective March 8. Lunford is a Botetourt native and a Blue Ridge resident.
Finally, Martin took a moment to provide a reminder about outdoor burning. He reminded the community that through April 30, no burning is allowed until after 4 p.m. if within 300 of woodlands or grass brushland that leads into woodlands. This law applies to all types of fire.
For more from Martin’s update, watch the video on Botetourt County’s YouTube channel.
