Month: July 2017

LOCAL DENTIST PROVIDES FUNDING FOR AIR CONDITIONERS AT COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER

by wytheCommunity

WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – Dr. Brian Pettit and his wife Stacey moved to Southwest Virginia in 2013 and soon afterward launched a dental practice in the heart of Wytheville.

It was during this same time that the couple visited the local dog shelter and adopted a boxer named Ember.

“Rescuing Ember opened our eyes to the way dogs should be treated,” said Stacey Pettit, adding, “Ember quickly became a very important member of our family.”

It was because of the couple’s newfound love for their boxer that Stacey began volunteering at the Wythe County Animal Shelter.

Pettit, along with several others, arrive at the shelter at 8:30 in the morning and walk the dogs being housed, as well as give them “love and treats.”

“We just want to make for sure that the dogs have an opportunity to get out. There is a core group of about six volunteers who are faithful.”

Pettit said that while volunteering at the shelter she noticed a need.

“The shelter has a heater, but as it got hotter, we realized there is no air conditioner.”

In order to meet this need, this past Wednesday Stacey presented the Wythe County Animal Shelter with a check, on behalf of the offices of Dr. Jeffrey B. Pettit, DDS, PC, in the amount of $1,280.84 – the amount necessary to purchase air conditioning units at the shelter. The Wythe County Buildings & Grounds Department will install the units thanks to Envision Environmental donating the necessary equipment and tools to perform the installation.

“We are really appreciative not only of this donation, but also of the faithful volunteer work Stacey and so many others do for the dogs being housed in our shelter on a daily basis,” said Wythe County Code Enforcement Officer A.B. Dunford.

This past month, the Wythe County Dog Shelter underwent a state inspection and passed without a single violation.

“There has been a steady push in making our dog shelter the very best possible and this donation will go a long way helping this to become a reality,” concluded Dunford.

Individuals wishing to volunteer at the dog shelter are encouraged to contact Dunford by calling the dog shelter at 276-228-6003.

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COUNTY SECURES GRANT FOR NEW AMBULANCE ON BEHALF OF LEAD MINES RESCUE SQUAD

by wytheGovernment

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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PUBLIC HEARING: Partial Exemption from Real Estate Taxation for Certain Rehabilitated Commercial & Industrial Real Estate

by wytheGovernment

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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