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“I’m so proud to be part of this community event,” said Del. Ellen Campbell Friday morning at the chamber of commerce’s annual state of the community breakfast. “Richmond should take note of this regional cooperation.”
Campbell was one of five elected officials to address the gathering at the Virginia Horse Center to give an update on accomplishments of the past year and what to look forward to in the new year. Others who spoke included state Sen. Chris Head, Buena Vista Mayor Tyson Cooper, Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman and Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors chair Leslie Ayers.
Cooper, who was elevated to mayor in the November elections, said much has been going on in Buena Vista. The city invested more than $1 million in infrastructure upgrades to the campgrounds at Glen Maury Park last year. The city issued nearly 300 business licenses and over 110 building permits, including 15 for new homes. Mountain Gateway Community College began offering classes in the former McCormick Building downtown, and construction is underway on the Wilson Workforce Training Center next door.
“In 2024,” Cooper continued, “we’ll build more new homes, finalize plans and funding for major infrastructure investments, make many improvements to our downtown, attract new
, page B10 businesses, watch our current businesses grow, pave streets and fix potholes.”
More importantly, he added, will be a focus on faith and family. “It will be a year of increased hope; hope in our children and hope in the future. It will be filled with profound acts of charity for one another; acts of service and sincere kindness. And it will be a year of abundant love; love for each other, love for God, and love for our city.”
Friedman began his talk by recognizing the chamber on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. Turning to Lexington’s accomplishments this past year, he alluded to the fire departing getting a new ladder truck, to the repaving of South Main Street to include sharrows for bicyclists, to the completion of the Gateway Garden Triangle at the downtown entrance from North Main Street. More housing stock is in the city’s future, he said, after a contract was signed with Echelon to develop the former Virginia Department of Transportation property off of Waddell Street. He pointed to the addition of the Gold Star Monument at Jordans Point that honors the memory of fallen service members and local heroes Drew Ross and Chase Prasnicki.
Friedman lauded the regional cooperation of the three local jurisdictions, citing joint entities such as the regional jail, the Department of Social Services, Maury Service Authority, the Rockbridge Area Recreation Organization and Rockbridge Regional Tourism. Major city initiatives he’s looking forward to in 2024 include a Threshold “windshield survey” of housing, the hiring of a new city manager, water and sewer projects, North Main Street corridor improvements and major construction projects at Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute.
Ayers, chosen by her fellow supervisors Monday to be chair, declared that “fiscally, Rockbridge County is on firm ground.” She noted that the real estate tax rate was lowered from 74 to 61 cents without reducing services. “We did make hard decisions” to accomplish this, she noted.
Numerous new businesses in the county opened this past year, she said, praising the efforts of Brandy Flint, the county’s director of economic development. She mentioned the groundbreaking for the innovation center, formerly Floyd S. Kay Vocational Center. “We’re transforming education for Rockbridge County students,” she said.
Ayers pointed out that Natural Bridge State Park became fully owned by the state last year. She offered thanks to Will and Janie Harris for bringing the restored 611 steam engine train to Goshen for passenger excursions. She recognized the horse center for being a “major contributor to our economy” and the Virginia Safari Park for being “a true tourism destination. We’re fortunate to have this home-grown business.”
She acknowledged the good done by the Rockbridge Area Health Center, with its 8,000 patients, 30,000 patient visits last year and 100 employees. “They’re providing coordinated care, including pregnancy care.”
Ayers reminded everyone that the county is fully committed to expanding broadband, to complete the last miles of fiber to unserved portions of the community Campbell, elected a year ago to succeed her late husband Ronnie to the 24th District in the House of Delegates, now represents the 36th District, which includes northern Rockbridge County, following redistricting. The November elections, she said, produced the largest turnover in the General Assembly since Reconstruction. “It’s daunting but it presents us with big opportunities. We’re elected to serve all of you. We will be looking for common ground.”
On economic development, she said, she’s sponsoring legislation that would lower the size of land needed for statesupported industrial sites from 100 to 50 acres. She’s sponsoring a bill that would extend Line of Duty Act benefits to more law enforcement officers such as college campus police. Working with the Rockbridge SPCA, she has introduced legislation to create a registry for those convicted of felony animal cruelty. She is sponsoring a bill that would allow home-schooled students the opportunity to play sports at public high schools. She said she welcomes calls from constituents. “We’re here to serve you.”
Head, newly elected state senator who represents all of the Rockbridge area, said his new district encompasses a dozen different jurisdictions, including a sliver of one, Bedford, that has just one house and two residents in it. The current limit of 21 bills that can be introduced by one senator will be a challenge for him, with so many localities to represent. “The big three” of the issues he hopes to address are “education, work force development and doing something about Interstate 81.” He said he’s working on a bill to get an adult protective services registry to prevent people who have been convicted of elder abuse from getting jobs in this field.
He expressed hope that the General Assembly will be able to reverse the trend of “leakage” of young people in Virginia who are leaving to establish careers in other states. “We’re equipping young people for careers and technical education,” he said. “We’re making them workforce ready – to work and stay here. There’s an incredible number of higher education institutions in this district. It gives people an opportunity to stay here.”
He said he’s carrying a bill that will require tires to be recycled. In other states where this has been done, he said, there’s been a big decrease in the number of tires winding up in rivers.
Of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed revamping of taxes, Head said, “I haven’t yet figured out how it’s going to work. I need to get your feedback on it.”
