WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – Wythe County’s Emergency Management Team is currently monitoring the potential impact the remnants of Hurricane Irma may have on Southwest Virginia.

According to reports from the National Weather Service, the storm moving into our region “will lead to increasing easterly winds tonight into Tuesday morning.”

Weather Service meteorologists say the strongest winds will occur across the higher elevations along the southern Blue Ridge and foothills as well as parts of the Mountain Empire region of southwest Virginia tonight.

The strong easterly winds, with gusts up to 50 mph, could combine with wet soils to bring down trees. Such a scenario could lead to isolated power outages in the locality.

Due to the possibility of power outages, residents are being encouraged to ensure they have all necessary supplies should Wythe County experience any type of outage. Residents are also being asked to use added caution when traveling or around trees.

For more information on how to better prepare for natural disasters, individuals may visit www.VAemergency.gov.

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – The Joint Public Service Authority of Wythe and Bland Counties will be hosting its annual Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day this coming month on Saturday, September 23, 2017.

The event, which is open to all Wythe and Bland residents, will be held at the Transfer Station located at 169 Kents Lane in Wytheville from 8 a.m. to noon.

Part of the counties’ initiative to keep Southwest Virginia litter-free, the hazardous waste collection day will provide local residents with an opportunity to dispose of unwanted items that typically are not accepted at local convenience centers – at no cost to the citizen.

Acceptable items include computers and monitors, copiers, TVs, ballasts, fluorescent lights, batteries, paints, poisons and corrosives.

Organizers of the two counties’ household hazardous waste day say the event plays a great role in reducing the risk of environmentally harmful materials from being improperly disposed.

Officials of the Joint Public Service Authority of Wythe and Bland Counties say that the event will be on a first come, first serve basis (no scheduling or appointments) and that the contractor will have sole discretion over the acceptance or denial of any substance brought to the collection event.

Prohibited items will include all waste from small businesses (commercial or industrial entities, including home-based businesses), as well as explosive, radiological, asbestos or biomedical waste.  (Explosives include Dynamite, Nitro Glycerin, Blasting caps, Ammunition, Grenades, Fireworks, etc.)

Residents who have questions concerning the event are encouraged to contact the Joint Public Service Authority at 276-228-4907.

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – Wythe County officials are attributing great communications and inter-governmental cooperation for being the key components in allowing a bridge replacement in the Max Meadows community to go off without any issues earlier last week.

Beginning at 7 pm on Monday, July 31, VDOT contractors closed the entrance to Millers Creek Rd. with plans of the keeping the road closed for twelve hours as workers removed the existing bridge structure, replacing it with a prefabricated bridge.

Though necessary, the work would leave the dozens of residents of the Millers Creek community without a main entrance, effectively isolating the landowners from the rest of the county.

“Anytime you look at leaving an entire community cutoff from emergency personnel, it’s a serious situation,” said Joe Hale, Vice Chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and the representative of the Max Meadows area.

“Recognizing the gravity of this situation, our first responders were well prepared and went above and beyond their typical duties in order to ensure that residents in Millers Creek would be cared for should an emergency have occurred.”

Fortunately, no emergencies did occur during this time and workers had the bridge available for emergency use, should it have been necessary, by 10 p.m. and county officials feel that many should be recognized for their efforts.

“The success of this project is testimony to the importance of great communication between governmental agencies,” said Hale, who stated that the communication between VDOT and the county, the county and citizens, the emergency dispatch center and first responder agencies all worked together for a flawless outcome.

“We simply wanted to thank all county staff who communicated and planned effectively, VDOT for their role in keeping us informed, the first responders who were willing to deviate from their typical plans in order to protect a single community, and the workers on the ground who took their jobs serious. It was great work and many people deserve credit,” concluded the two-term board member.

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – This past week the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services announced that Lead Mines Rescue Squad’s grant application for a new ambulance had been approved and that the squad would be awarded $156,632.

In total, the grant award will provide funding for 80% of the total cost of a new ambulance and the Wythe County Board of Supervisors has agreed to cover the remaining amount, which is estimated to be $39,158.

The grant application was prepared and submitted by Wythe County staff on behalf of Lead Mines Rescue Squad and will replace a 2006 model vehicle that has a 1991 refurbished box.

“We’re very appreciative of the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund for providing us with this grant, as well as the county for their assistance. We strive to provide the very best service possible to the citizens and this new ambulance will be a huge help in accomplishing this goal,” said Lead Mines Rescue Squad Captain Sam Alley.

“Grants play an important role in assisting emergency services operations by providing critical funding needed for the county’s first responder agencies,” said Wythe County grant coordinator Jeremy Farley, adding, “Over the past two years alone, the county has secured $541,718 just from the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund. This money is used to purchase everything from radios for first responders to replacing worn out ambulances as was the case with this most recent announcement.”

As part of the grant agreement, Lead Mines Rescue Squad must make the vehicle “available for service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Additionally, the ambulance will have a sticker stating, “Funding was made possible by a grant from the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services, Virginia Department of Health.”

Lead Mines Rescue Squad covers roughly 10,000 citizens and 288 square miles of the county. Last year, the squad responded to 880 calls, the vast majority of which required advanced life support services.

In April the county helped Wythe County Rescue Squad secure $198,925 from the Virginia Department of Health for a new ambulance and in the summer of 2015, the county assisted Lead Mines Rescue Squad in obtaining funding for an ambulance.

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – The Wythe County Board of Supervisors is encouraging residents of the county to attend a public hearing that is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at 7:10 p.m, in order to discuss a proposed ordinance aimed at providing certain real estate tax incentives to landowners who rehabilitate +40 year old commercial or industrial structures located within Enterprise Zones in the county.

An example of how the proposed ordinance would work is as follows:
If an individual owns a structure valued at $1 million, but the landowner makes an additional $1 million worth of improvements to the structure, raising the value to $2 million, the landowner will only be taxed for the initial value of $1 million in the first year and 100% of the assessed improvements value will be waived. In year two, 80% of the improvements value will be waived. Year three: 60%, year four: 40%, year five: 20%, and in year six the landowner will be paying real estate taxes on the full assessed value.

The ordinance is aimed at encouraging investment and economic development in the locality, as well as providing incentives to individuals and companies to invest in Wythe County.

The full text of the ordinance may be found on the county’s official website, www.wytheco.org.

The public hearing will be held inside the Board Room of the Wythe County Office Building, 340 South Sixth Street, Wytheville, Virginia.

A map of the locations of Enterprise Zones in Wythe County may be found at the website of the Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County: http://wytheida.org/why-wythe/enterprise-zone/

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – Multiple roadways in Wythe County have been closed due to flooding, as anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of rain have already fallen in the locality and weather forecasters are predicting additional precipitation throughout Monday and into the night which may bring an additional 1 to 2 inches.

In Wythe County, the heaviest hit areas are in the locality’s southeastern section, near the New River and its various tributaries. According to USGS data, Reed Creek at Graham’s Forge is discharging 5,690 cubic feet per second (its regular discharge rate is roughly 269 cubic feet per second).

The heavy rainfall has rendered several roads impassable in the county, including the following:

Apperson Dr. – Closed by VDOT
Castleton Rd. has standing water in the roadway (south of Moyer Ln.)
Collins Cove is impassable
Holly Ln. – impassable due to high water
Huffard Ln. is closed
Little Reed Island Rd. – impassable 600 block and beyond
Max Meadows Rd. is closed near recycling center
Moyer Ln. – impassable due to high water
Mule Hell is closed
New Bethel Rd. is closed
Painters Hill Rd. (near 669 Painters Hill Rd.) — highwater
Peridot Ln.
Pope Rd. (Prior to Collins Cove Rd., coming from Huddle) is closed
Ramsey Mountain Rd. – Closed by VDOT
River Bluff – impassable due to high water
Riverview Rd. (near 159 Riverview Rd.) — highwater
Shady River Dr. – impassable due to high water

The county’s emergency management team is maintaining a list of impassable roads in order to better assist emergency responders, therefore if any residents know of any additional roadways that are impassable, they are encouraged to call 911 and notify the county’s dispatchers.

County officials say that at this time, there have been no known injuries and they hope to keep it this way – “The vast majority of flood-related drownings are vehicle-related,” stated Wythe County spokesperson Jeremy Farley. “Citizens are being encouraged to make wise decisions and not to take needless risks. If a motorist comes upon a flooded roadway, ‘turn around, don’t drown’.”

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – The Wythe County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing to receive feedback from the public regarding a proposal to move the Rural Retreat voting precinct location from the Rural Retreat Fire Department to the Rural Retreat Community Center.

Though the move is only 50 yards, the Code of Virginia requires the Board of Supervisors to conduct a public hearing prior to voting on the proposed change.

Representatives from the county’s electoral board say the move is necessary in order to provide greater accessibility for individuals who may have certain handicaps and that the community center was selected because it is the building closest to the fire department.

The public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, 2017, at 7:05 p.m. in the Board Room of the Wythe County Office Building, located at 340 S. Sixth St., Wytheville, Virginia.

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, is closely monitoring the skies in Southwestern Virginia, as the threat of severe thunderstorms is possible for most of our region throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

At 10:35 this morning, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued a severe thunderstorm watch for 50 Virginia counties, including Wythe and all of its neighboring localities.  The watch is valid until 5 p.m.

According to the Weather Service, “Possible threats include damaging wind gusts up to 70 MPH, isolated hail, and a chance for tornadoes.”

County residents are encouraged to monitor local local news and/or weather radio for urgent weather updates from local officials.

This same line of storms is responsible for causing excessive damage in portions of Kentucky and West Virginia.

VDEM’s Emergency Operations Center is at Condition Yellow (Increased Readiness) and is coordinating with U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) to monitor the storm’s impact on Virginia.

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WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced more than $4.0 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for nine Virginia localities, including $359,695 for the County of Wythe.

“I’m pleased to announce funding for ten projects that leverage Community Development Block Grant funding to invest in critical infrastructure,” said Governor McAuliffe. “These projects will help create new jobs and economic opportunities in the communities that receive them. By focusing on infrastructure, downtown revitalization and housing rehabilitation, we are helping communities across the Commonwealth make life better for the people they serve.”

The funding Wythe County has been granted will be used to extend an 8” sewage line to Lot 20 in Progress Park – serving Branch Botanicals, Inc., a planned manufacturing facility that will extract cherry oils for commercial markets.

The company spent $573,445 to acquire the land at Progress Park and is expected to make a capital investment of $21 million in facility construction and equipment.

Additionally, Branch Botanicals has signed an agreement with Wythe County to employ at least 40 persons in the locality within three years.

“Today’s announcement by the Governor is great news for the people of Wythe County, as it means we can move forward with a project that will create a number of high-paying private-sector jobs,” said Wythe County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tim Reeves, adding, “With each new jobs announcement and multi-million dollar investment, we’re sending a message around the world that Virginia and Wythe County are open for business.”

According to most current estimates, approximately 1,000 people work in Wythe County’s Progress Park.

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