Last month, county officials tasked the Wythe County Rescue Squad with serving the Lead Mines Rescue Squad’s former coverage area; mandating that qualified emergency responders be based out of the Wythe County Emergency Services Building, located along Fort Chiswell Road, in Fort Chiswell.

 With responders being ready to go, around the clock, data from the county’s emergency communications center is proving their decision was for the betterment of the people.

 According to the E-911 center’s data, emergency response times in the area have been cut by a total of more than three minutes since the Board voted to dissolve the Lead Mines Rescue Squad.  This is significant, because numerous studies have proven that there is a substantial correlation between the final outcome of a patient’s health and the response times of qualified medical personnel.

 Additionally, E-911 data revealed that between the dates of August 14 and September 6, 2013, Wythe County Rescue Squad had zero rollover calls.  This number can be compared to eighteen calls rolled over by Lead Mines Rescue Squad for the same area between the dates of July 1 and August 12, 2013.  Rollover calls occur when an emergency rescue squad is unable to answer to the request of a citizen and the nearest rescue squad from another agency is forced to respond.

 Earlier this week, county officials were able to reach a consensus in their effort to ensure local residents receive the highest level of care possible.  They agree that that emergency response units dedicated to servicing the area will maintain the identity of “Lead Mines.”

 The Board of Supervisors will be voting upon their final resolutions regarding the future of emergency services for the eastern portion of the county at a later date.

 Encouraged by the data which confirms that his organization is surpassing expectations, J.D. Hancock, Executive Director of the Wythe County Rescue Squad thanked his organization’s career and volunteer personnel.

 Hancock added, “Since the county asked us to expand our coverage area to include eastern Wythe County, our agency has responded to 242 emergency calls, 66 of which have been in that area. We have crews stationed in both Wytheville and Fort Chiswell 24/7 with advanced providers to ensure citizens receive the care they need quickly.”

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As the last major portion of Wythe County’s Speedwell Waterline Extension project steams toward completion, construction crews are now tackling many of the project’s greatest obstacles, including crossing the winding stream, known as Cripple Creek.

Beginning their work on Monday, construction crews from Central Builders and Cherokee Construction worked to build a cofferdam around the north bank of the brook, just inside the community of Speedwell.

After a cofferdam was successfully constructed, crews pumped the dammed area Tuesday morning and then proceeded in digging a trench three feet below the creek bed.

Workers then installed the waterline along the northern section of the creek, before encasing the pipe in concrete.

Wednesday’s often rainy weather slightly delayed the work, however, crews continued their operations on Thursday, along the southern side of the creek – ultimately  laying the 350 feet of pipe that spans Cripple Creek by Friday evening.

The work is part of a greater operation aimed at providing water to residents along multiple roadways, including Grayson Turnpike, Cripple Creek Rd., Crockett Rd., Tabernacle Rd. and Old Stage Rd.

In addition to supplying residents along the waterline’s path affordable and dependable drinking water,
Bill Vaughan, Wythe County Engineer, says the new line will also be a critical component in providing an added measure of security to county residents.

“This new waterline will increase public safety in the area by providing a reliable source of water for the local fire department by removing the need to draw water from dry hydrants or more distant existing hydrants.”

Additionally, Vaughan says the water will be cleaner and “not subject to contamination from surface bacterial sources.”

Construction on all portions of the present waterline projects are expected to be completed by December of this year.

Once construction is finished and health officials test the water, local residents will then be permitted to hook up – this is projected to occur in January 2014.

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In 2011 the Wythe County School Board contracted OWPR, an architectural and engineering firm based in Blacksburg, Virginia, to perform a facility study on public schools in Wythe County.

The study’s goal was to identify and pinpoint the individual structures that stood in the greatest need of repair.  The report deemed Sheffey Elementary School and Rural Retreat Middle School most in need of renovations.

Dr. Wesley Poole, Director of Facilities and Operations for Wythe County Public Schools, says the findings were based upon “a number of qualifiers.”

Following the study’s release, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors authorized $9 million to be spent in updating the two buildings.

Soon afterwards, the Wythe County School Board named R.L. Price Construction, Inc. the winning bidder on the Sheffey Elementary project and Clark Brothers Company, Inc. the winning bidder on the Rural Retreat Middle School project – both companies are Virginia based.

Poole says the renovations are extensive and include stripping large sections of the schools down to their outer shell in order to properly meet new standards.

“Construction includes replacing the existing plumbing system, electrical wires, windows and flooring in sections of the schools with more modern versions.”

Contractors are also installing an entirely new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that will prove to be more efficient in terms of cost and comfort.

Poole says the schools will also be getting an external facelift.

“Both schools will receive a new canopy entrance to give some character and identity to the buildings.”

Phase one of the project began last month when demolition crews began work inside the two schools, with the most extensive work being carried out at Sheffey Elementary School.

Once the new school year begins, officials at Sheffey Elementary plan to relocate certain classes to the school’s auditorium – gymnasium, while some Rural Retreat Middle School classes may be moved to the high school while construction projects continue.

Additionally, workers at the Sheffey Elementary School will soon begin construction on the multi-purpose Sheffey Community Center, which will serve as both a gymnasium for the school, as well as an afterhours community center for the county.

With the vast majority of the project set to be completed by August 2014, county officials say the new improvements are part of a greater long – term strategy aimed at enhancing the overall education experience of Wythe County students.

The heavy rains which have fallen on our area in recent days have caused elevated water levels to saturate certain local roadways. This saturation has created instances of roadway ponding.

Though most, if not all of these roadway ponding areas have since been cleared of water, the county wishes to remind local motorists to exercise caution when approaching these areas.

According to the National Weather Service, “Most flood-related deaths and injuries could be avoided if people who come upon areas covered with water followed this simple advice: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

The county, in collaboration with VDOT is monitoring known roadway ponding areas in order to establish a plan to alleviate this problem in the future.

Should local residents know of specific areas prone to roadway ponding, the county is encouraging them to contact officials by calling (276) 223-4500 or by emailing the county at [email protected].

At the request of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, a greater number of inmates from the New River Valley Regional Jail will be spotted picking up litter alongside county roadways.

According to Keith Dunagan, Chief Deputy for the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, the Board has secured as many as eight inmates from the regional jail to work six hours every Saturday along county roads.

In the past, inmates from the regional jail have typically worked in Wythe County only one day each month.  Dunagan says, “If the weather holds up, local residents can now expect to see inmates working every Saturday – year round.”

“In the days to come, as new inmates become qualified to work outside the jail, we hope to expand the program to include additional litter pick-up days.”

The program began this past weekend, when inmates collected over fifty bags of trash beside Fort Chiswell Road.

County officials are encouraging local residents to offer their input, regarding roads which stand in most need of clean up.  Concerned citizens are asked to contact their district’s Supervisor or email the county at [email protected].