My Accomplishments and Vision for the Future

Elderly

Assisted Living Facility for the Elderly

I negotiated with Forestland Group on behalf of the town of Haysi to secure the purchase of their land holdings in the old Splashdam area. Public ownership of this large tract of land will allow for the development of community-oriented projects such as a youth center, community center, or municipal park, and plans already exist to create an elderly care facility on the site.

At my urging, the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens, the non-profit group that operates Four County Transit, has agreed to plan for the operation of a full time adult assisted living facility on this property. This facility will provide patient care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Current blueprints for the facility include 55 bedrooms, meeting rooms, medical care offices, etc. I am working with AASC’s administrator to get funding for construction.

Education

Combining Youth Education, SOL Preparedness, and Water Quality Improvement

I wrote a successful grant proposal last month that will fund a biology degreed person stationed in Haysi to work exclusively on the Russell Fork River. This person will help develop a ninth grade Earth Science textbook on the Russell Fork, McClure and Pound Rivers and work with students and teachers to monitor our streams and help clean up pollution of our watershed. This will allow our students meet their state SOL requirements while getting a hands-on education in our local streams instead of studying watersheds hundreds of miles away. In conjunction with this project, I also convinced the school board to let us establish an office and a lab in a vacant building at Haysi High school.

One Stop Shop Education Center

I was recently appointed to a committee formed to interview engineering firms concerning the renovation of the county industrial park’s empty shell building into a center for higher education, business training, work force development and research. If constructing this facility turns out to be economically feasible, it will provide a one stop shop education center for young and old alike.

Transportation

Road Improvements

I had $209,000 in transportation funding transferred to the Sandlick District that was previously appropriated to the Clintwood District. Part of this money will be used on the back side of Rakes Ridge to finish fixing the road down to the Buchanan County line. Steve's Branch and Hadley Drive are scheduled for improvements also, as are numerous other dangerous spots around the district.

Safety

In accordance with the Haysi Town Council, I convinced other supervisors to add “the new road” (Route 83) in front of Turner Chevrolet to a speed study request to be performed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. I also voted for other areas of the county to be studied, including a new playground in Trammel, to increase public safety.

Recreation and Tourism

Athletic Field

I successfully requested $24,100 to construct a new football practice field at the fairgrounds, giving the Haysi Varsity, J.V., and Little League football programs a state of the art facility.

Hiking/Biking Trail

I have been working for the past ten years to improve opportunities for recreation and tourism in Dickenson County. This includes a long-planned hiking and biking trail from the town of Haysi to the Breaks Interstate Park. The plan also includes an intersecting trail that will extend from the dam to Clintwood. I collaborated with Congressman Boucher to fund this project and after a series of legal delays and red tape, we are ready to begin construction. In fact, we have authorization from the agencies involved to pour footers for the bridges spanning the mouth of the Pound River at Bartlick when weather conditions permit.

Fishing and Whitewater Tourism

This past spring, I led the formation of an organization called Friend of the Russell Fork. The purpose of this organization is to promote fishing, tourism, and environmental cleanup along the Russell Fork River. We are working to get authorization for weekend summer water releases from the dam to support natural fish populations that currently struggle to survive downstream, increasing opportunities for our local fishermen and women to get their feet wet. These releases would also be designed to accommodate a longer whitewater tourism season with no change in current summer lake levels and no impact on recreation on the lake itself.

We participated in cleanup of the Guest River and McClure River using innovative trash removal techniques and involving a coordinated effort of officials across four counties. These trial runs gave us practice for a large cleanup effort of the Russell Fork River next year. This will be an important step toward improving the quality of our drinking water, improving fishing, and boosting tourism.

Public Water and Sewer

Over the past several years during my tenure as your supervisor, Dickenson County citizens have seen expanded availability of both public water and public sewer service. In the next few years, approximately 90% of citizens should have public water available to them. $1.5 million in federal funding is set to double the capacity of the Haysi wastewater treatment plant and expand sewer service to surrounding communities. My goal is to make sure that these expansions and other measures take place to improve both our safety and quality of life.

I previously mentioned the biology degreed person funded by the grant money I obtained last month. Aside from education, one of the goals of this project is to assess sources of contamination in our streams and drinking water supply. Ultimately, these surveys will allow us to get federal dollars for improving and expanding public sewer availability throughout the county. Because of this project, Dickenson County will be a step ahead of neighboring counties without such programs in terms of our ability to get federal funding because we will be able to identify specific needs during the request process.

I also wrote a resolution last year defining terms under which the BOS will approve construction of a proposed hydropower plant on John Flannagan Dam and Reservoir. My resolution will protect our public drinking water supply and will make sure that tourism and recreational activities centered around the dam and river are not harmed. The permit application has never materialized, however.

Community Concerns

Protection and Emergency Services

I helped get funding for the Haysi Volunteer Fire Department and Haysi Volunteer Rescue Squad in various requests to the BOS including life saving equipment and improvement of their facilities.

School Resource Officer

I successfully urged other BOS members to approve a collaborative funding effort with the town of Haysi that allows resource officer, Leroy Yates, to continue serving at HHS and SES.

Haysi Public Library Expansion

I convinced the other supervisors to vote unanimously for $42,000 in funding to transform the old Haysi Clinic building into the new home of the Haysi Public Library. Work is underway on the interior and drywall is being installed. This project will give the library designated parking, provide more space for books, increase public internet access, and increase accessibility of library resources to children.

Sidewalks

I was successful in getting money to build a sidewalk from Haysi High to downtown and have been overseeing its progress. This project is completed to the Ireland Baker Bridge and should be finished in December. I hope to replace the sidewalk leading to the new clinic next summer.

Cable

I supported the county’s new cable franchise ordinance, passed in August, which will ensure residents throughout the county get adequate service from their cable provider. This ordinance requires cable companies to render efficient service, make repairs promptly, and interrupt service only for good cause and for the shortest time possible.

Public Interests

Wasteful Spending

I secured a deal with the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens and that will save the county $72,000 every year by using they agency’s Four County Transit Buses to transport our students to UVA-Wise, MECC, and SVCC. We were scheduled to pay $120,000 per year of taxpayer funds using our own drivers and buses. I negotiated to pay $48,000 per year using their drivers and buses.

Open and Honest Government

My voting record reflects my desire to see public authorities and other government entities conduct business honestly, fairly, openly, and be accessible to the public. I’m a staunch opponent of corruption, mismanagement, and cronyism.

I served on the Financial Committee of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) and worked to improve its efficiency, structure, and overall support for Dickenson County. To increase VCEDA’s public accountability, I continue to be vocal about my desire to see more elected officials serving on the authority instead of appointees.