UPDATE: 2:55 p.m., May 27, 2016 — The dog has been released into the care of a rescue organization and is being transported out of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Wytheville, Va. – Wythe County officials say they are presently engaged in talks with an animal rescue organization in order to save the life of a pregnant Jack Russell Terrier.

The terrier was captured on May 18, 2016, following an incident in which the dog (along with other dogs that were not captured) is said to have broken into a chicken coop and killed approximately 34 chickens.

The owner of the dog could not be identified and the dog was retained in custody at the Wythe County Dog Shelter. Due to this fact, the county could not levy charges against an individual. Had an owner been identified, pursuant to the Code of Virginia the courts would have ruled regarding the animal’s fate.

Due to the nature of the incident, the county will not allow the dog to be released to the general public within the jurisdiction of Wythe County.

County officials are working with a rescue organization that is experienced in handling incidences similar to this one in order to spare the life of the dog due to the fact that the animal is pregnant. One of the county’s conditions is that the dog must be taken out of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Local officials wish to use this incident as an opportunity to remind all pet owners that dogs running at large is a crime and can cause serious loss to farmers and landowners.

Wythe County’s economy is largely agriculturally based and incidents such as these can have significant negative impacts upon the community.

The county’s animal control office say they believe the animal will be turned over to a rescue organization by the end of the day.

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Barren Springs, Va. – Earlier this week, the Wythe County Water Department announced that the locality’s waterline installation project running from Poplar Camp to Barren Springs is nearing the final stages of construction.

According to county engineer Bill Vaughan, work on the project is being performed in multiple phases with differing completion dates per area.

Vaughan stated that a portion of the Castleton Road area (running from the intersections of Fort Chiswell Road to Lonesome Dove Lane) has been completed and is ready to be put into service. Residents along this section of the waterline may sign-up to receive water services early.

County water officials estimate the entire project to be completed by July 1, 2016. Residents within 350 ft. of the line are required by law to connect to the line within 90 days of completion of the project.

County personnel will be contacting residents concerning the placement of water meters at the state highway right-of-way. Homeowners will have the opportunity to request meter placement in the most convenient location to service their residence.

The Wythe County Water Department has contacted local philanthropic agencies for information on how low income residents may be able to obtain financial assistance with the installation of connection lines to their homes.

Additional information concerning the mandatory connection area, application process for water service, and low income assistance can be obtained at the County Water Department service desk (County Administration Building, 340 S. 6th Street, Wytheville), or by calling (276) 223-4501.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – The Wythe County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the county’s first property maintenance ordinance during their regularly scheduled meeting this past Tuesday evening.

The vote came following an advertised public hearing in which six residents addressed the Board, none of which spoke in opposition to the proposed ordinance

After a period of answering the questions of citizens pertaining to the ordinance’s specifics, the board voted to approve Wythe County Ordinance No. 2016-01, “Property Maintenance Ordinance of Wythe County, Virginia.”

The new local law states that “It shall be unlawful for the owner of any parcel or property, occupied or vacant, to allow the accumulation of Trash… The owner of any parcel or property shall maintain all exterior property areas in a clean, safe condition free from the accumulation of trash, garbage, refuse, litter, scrap metal or wood, unused household appliances or junked furniture and any substance which might endanger the life, health or safety of any resident of the County. The property to be kept free of litter shall include, but not be restricted to, sidewalks, alleys and driveways; yards and grounds; fences, walls and property lines; drainage ditches and catch basins.”

Exempt from the ordinance is farm equipment, farm machinery and farm implements, or remnants of farm equipment, farm machinery and farm implements; and licensed and permitted businesses regularly engaged in business as an automobile dealer, salvage dealer, scrap processor or recycler.

A copy of the ordinance is available by clicking on the following link: http://www.wytheco.org/documents/PropertyMaintenanceOrd.pdf

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – This morning, representatives of Branch Botanicals, Inc. announced that the company would be establishing its headquarters and first manufacturing facility in Wythe County’s Progress Park.

The company plans to plant millions of cherry seedlings at the industrial park’s Lot 20, relying on many Wythe County farms to cultivate the crop once the seedlings are large enough to be transferred.

“The processes we have developed over decades of trials involve proprietary techniques that — to my knowledge — have never been used in this manner. The results have been the development of multiple unique products that provide effective natural alternatives to commonly used synthetic formulations,” commented Dr. Don Roberts, founder of Branch Botanicals.

According to company officials, the oils will be used in the creation of a number of products that are in high demand globally.

“We will provide the first commercially available all natural and organic cherry flavoring to food and beverage manufacturers right from our Wythe County facility,” said Dr. Dan Tolley, President of Branch Botanicals, Inc., adding, “We will also be producing natural fungicides, insecticides, an antimicrobial, and preservatives from the oil of the plants.”

Making a $21 million capital investment in the project, leaders of Branch Botanicals say they plan to employ at least 40 full-time employees within the first three years of the operation.

State Senator Bill Carrico presented Wythe County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tim Reeves with a check in the amount of $200,000 from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission – an investment the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund made in the Wythe County based project.

“Today is a great day for the workers of Wythe County. Once again, another job creating project has recognized the reality of Wythe County being the ideal place to invest in the future – our infrastructure, interstate system, workforce and climate all work together to make our community a prime manufacturing location,” said Reeves, following the announcement.

Wythe County competed with Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio for this project.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – The Wythe County Treasurer’s Office has announced the scheduled judicial sale of more than 20 real estate properties in the county.

The special auction will take place in the Circuit Court of Wythe County on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at 2 p.m., located at 225 S. Fourth St. in Wytheville.

Properties listed for sale will include residential and commercial real estate, all which have delinquent property taxes dating back at least seven years – the taxes on some properties have not been paid since 1997.

Landowners whose properties are scheduled for sale will have until May 11th to pay the balance of their taxes, as well as pay any attorney fees associated with listing the properties. This may be done by calling the Wythe County Treasurer’s Office at (276) 223-6070.

Individuals wishing to participate in the auction are advised to arrive early at the circuit courtroom and register – a driver’s license or other state issued photo ID is required.

Winning bidders will be required to pay at least 25% or $1,000 (whichever is highest) of the property’s price the day of the auction and the remaining balance within 15 days of confirmation of the sale by the court. There will be a 10% buyer’s premium added to the final bid to determine final contract price which shall also be due with the deposit on the day of the auction.

All deposits must be made in the form of personal check, traveler’s check, cashier’s check or money order. No cash will be accepted. Properties are offered for sale as-is, with all faults and without any warranty.

Click here to view the properties scheduled for sale.. Questions concerning the properties subject to sale or the tax sale process should be directed to TACS online at www.taxva.com, by email to [email protected], or by phone to (804) 548-4418.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – The Wythe County Engineer’s Office is notifying residents who drive along US 52 / Fort Chiswell Rd. near Exit 24 to expect delays on Monday, May 2, 2016, as the final stages of waterline installation will consolidate traffic to one lane throughout much of the day and possibly into Tuesday.

“Workers will be performing an open road cut near the intersection of Fort Chiswell Rd. and Old 52 Rd.,” said Wythe County Engineer Bill Vaughan.

According to Vaughan, the work is part of an effort aimed at delivering county water to Jackson Elementary School.

Vaughan said that connecting the elementary school to the county’s water system will provide a higher level of water quality for students and faculty – the school is projected to be on the county system prior to the upcoming school year.

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Jeremy T.K. Farley — April 27, 2016

Wythe County’s emergency management team is encouraging local churches and religious establishments to attend a security training seminar geared exclusively toward faith-based organizations and houses of worship.

The safety and security event is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, 2016, at the Abingdon Church of Christ (19508  Dennison Dr., Abingdgon, VA), lasting from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The free training program will provide a presentation on how religious organizations can be welcoming and also safe at the same time. Topics will include violence in places of worship, addressing potential threats, policy and planning for violence and safety in outreach. This training is open both to public safety personnel and members of houses of worship.

The class will be lecture-based and dress is business causal. Meals will not be provided, however, time will be made available for lunch.

Sponsored by the Virginia Fusion Center, the Safety for Faith-Based Organizations event is just one of many ways the Virginia Fusion Center seeks to fulfill its mission of fusing together key counterterrorism and criminal intelligence resources from local, state, and federal agencies as well as private industries in a secure, centralized location.

Individuals interested in attending the security event must register at the following link: https://www.research.net/r/NTM9HBX

Additional information may be obtained by contacting Special Agent Austin White of the Virginia State Police: 804-674-2237, [email protected].

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Wythe County’s first responders are now enjoying nearly 300 new portable and mobile radios. The newly purchased radios will provide additional safety features for first responders, as well as GPS mapping capabilities for the county’s 911 dispatchers.

Purchasing the radios was made possible thanks to three separate successful grant applications the county made, totaling to over $300,000.

The Wythe—Bland Foundation provided two separate grant funds totaling to more than $225,000. Thanks to the foundation’s endowment, the county was able to purchase 150 portable radios (handheld radios that are attached to the first responder) and 60 mobile radios (radios that are mounted inside the truck), as well as several other necessary emergency equipment items.

The new radios also include GPS mapping capabilities, a function Darlene Lang, Director of Wythe County’s Consolidated Dispatch Center, says will allow 911 dispatchers the ability to see where each emergency response vehicle actually is and aid in routing – helping to cut response times

“This feature will prove to be very helpful in situations where roadways are obstructed and rerouting is necessary,” said Lang.

In addition to the Wythe—Bland Foundation, the county also received $75,000 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Health’s Rescue Squad Assistance Fund.

All portable radios include the “Man Down” function, which enables a firefighter trapped inside a building to issue a call for help.

“Many of the portable and mobile radios that were being used by local emergency responders were becoming outdated and obsolete,” said Wythe County’s grant coordinator Jeremy T.K. Farley.

“We’re extraordinarily grateful to these grant awarding organizations for making these purchases possible,” said Farley.

The new radios and GPS mapping capabilities are only the latest phase in a comprehensive county initiative aimed at making emergency communications throughout the county more reliable.

Like nearly all of Southwest Virginia, Wythe County’s mountainous terrain creates a challenge for effective radio communications. The county plans to make additional grant applications with the goal of solving these problems in the days ahead.

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Jeremy T.K. Farley — April 3, 2016

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Last night Wythe County experienced wind gusts in excess of 50 mph in some places – resulting in hundreds of power outages across the Southwest Virginia locality.

Fortunately, according to the county’s consolidated dispatch center, no wind-related injuries or fatalities were reported over the night; though a countless number of trees were downed, blocking roadways and downing powerlines.

First responders were dispatched to a fire on Cedar Springs Rd. near Rural Retreat, last night, when a downed tree sparked a fire after crashing into a powerline. Crews were successful in containing the blaze before the fire could spread.

Hundreds in the county were without power earlier today, however, as of 1:16 p.m. Appalachian Power was reporting only 173 customers are without electricity in Wythe County.

Compared to many other areas in our region, Wythe County officials say the locality was fortunate to have escaped last night’s wind storm with only minor damages. Nearly 1,000 customers are still without electricity in neighboring Carroll County and more than 18% of Grayson County’s population is presently without power.

Wythe County residents are encouraged to check on their neighbors – especially those who are still without electricity.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – The Wythe County School Board recently announced that the board is considering the pros and cons of renovating county schools in Wytheville versus consolidating the facilities of George Wythe High School and Scott Memorial Middle School.

According to school board statements published in a March 11th article of the Wytheville Enterprise, the combined preliminary costs of renovating Scott Memorial Middle School and George Wythe High School is estimated to cost $21.5 million, as opposed to a $45 million price tag attached to constructing a consolidated facility, housing Scott Memorial Middle School and George Wythe High School.

“No one is debating whether or not improvements need to be made to the school-facilities inside the town limits, but it’s necessary to take a hard look at how best to modernize these schools in order to be the most cost-effective,” said Tim Reeves, chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors.

County leaders estimate that in order to build the $45 million consolidated school complex in Wytheville – as opposed to renovating the two schools – a $0.15 real estate tax increase would be necessary (an increase of $150 per $100,000 of home value on annual real estate taxes).

Recognizing the significance of the decision, the county’s Board of Supervisors has reached out to the public through an online poll, requesting the public’s feedback.

The county has launched an online poll on its official news site, www.WytheTheNews.com, asking residents a simple question: “Would you be willing to support the construction of a $45 million new school complex in Wytheville if it meant having to pay an increase of $150 per $100,000 of home value on your real estate taxes each year?”

The poll is open to county residents only and only one vote per residential address will be accepted (participants must enter their street address). County citizens who wish to vote in the poll may do so at the following link: https://wythethenews.com/wythe-county-school-construction/ 

Under the Code of Virginia, the county’s Board of Supervisors is responsible for funding the county’s school system.

Presently, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors is funding the county’s School Board at approximately +$15.7 million annually, nearly two-times the state’s mandated rate.

Renovating or consolidating schools in Wytheville is just the latest phase in the county’s dedication to modernize the county’s fourteen schools – two years ago the county funded renovations to Sheffey Elementary School and Rural Retreat Middle School.

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