Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Okay, I'm going to call to order this Monday, May 11th, 2026 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. Our first item on our agenda is uh the moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance led by our county administrator Angie Hill. Please rise as you're able for a moment of silence and then join me as I lead us in the pledge.

Let us pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

Thank you. Um, next on our agenda, we have a presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Mr. David Clark will update us on current road projects. Welcome, sir. Thank you. Good evening. Um kind of an update on what we've been doing maintenance-wise. Mostly we haven't started our construction project yet uh for this summer. Um that will be Taylor Hollow later on in the summer. Um but uh our maintenance the good news in maintenance is a bit uh um we endured a pretty active winter. Um, what that did was keep us from spending maintenance money in the winter time. We spend it on snow, which means we have a little bit more maintenance money this end of the fiscal year um than we uh often do have. And so we've been u putting that to good use and getting a lot of patching work done. Um, and so we have been patching uh patching roads. We've uh in the northern half of the county, we patched up on um in Woodland Hills and Nelly's Cave, Happy Hollow, uh Sweeney Road, which really needed it um quite badly. Um Crab Creek Road, Switchback, uh over in the southern half of the county. We were working on um Meadow Creek, Nollie, Sydney Church, Piny Woods, um could really used it uh well, and Indian Valley. Um also doing some pipe cleaning. cleaned a major pipe across Route 8 on Camp Car's Brook Road and now we're working on some of the um downstream um entrance pipe on that as well. Um the normal gravel roads, you know, it's a good time of year to haul new stone to gravel roads. We've been doing that quite a bit. I won't go into a a list of the gravel roads because that's kind of an every uh an every month thing. We um we had a bit of a um it's I don't want to call it a sinkhole because it wasn't

it's not like it dropped out to nowhere um where we have had major sink holes but there was a a depression in Route 11 Radford Road that we had to mill and pave over that and we got that done um and also a pipe replacement on um where's that other one oil well Walton and Kata road doing some pipe pipe work out there ditching also on Walton Road and we've begun mowing. We started mowing early this year. Hope to get a couple primary mowings in and we usually like it uh um looking good for this um middle of May. So, that's all I have.

All right, great. Um what kind of questions do we have for Mr. Clark this evening? Go right ahead. is all right. There we go. Okay. Um, thank you for being here. I think you know uh them all, but I just want to mention one at a time to hear from you. You know, what can be done or what's the status or whether it's being worked on or not. One of them is the Mount Taber. those pictures that I sent to you that there are

they they claim it's different holes than the regular holes, potholes. So, um the other one is the deercraft neighborhood roads. Um and then the third one is today's you know forward that what can be done on the dry dry run. Um Mount Taber Road, we did look at those and those those are different than regular potholes. It looks like a pipe failure. um or the beginning of one and we'll keep an eye on that um and repair that when we uh

when we have the time for that because right now we are concentrating on a lot of the patching. Um the good news for the patching is we will be able to do some of the worst roads in Deer Craw front. We won't do the whole neighborhood. We'll get try to get that on the schedule, but um Falcon Ridge was probably in the worst shape. That's where the patching very small patching been done up the center of the the joint in the center. We'll be doing some um patching, but it would look a lot like a a full scale overlay. It'll be edgeto edge up at least that part of uh Falcon Ridge and maybe on the entrance to to Deercross Road coming in from the Lusters Gate side, not from the Nelly's Cave side. And we'll work on getting the the whole thing on the schedule probably for 2028, but the rest of it looks, you know, is not that bad. We're getting the worst spots of it. Um and it'll be about over $100,000 worth of patching all all told up in there. And then Drive Run, I mean, Drive Run is has been a I mean, it's just a tough road to maintain. Um, you know, it's got a creek running through it. Years and years ago, it was an open ford, seven of them. Uh, we put those in pipe. That can be good and bad. You know, you don't have to drive through the water a lot, but, you know, pipe get clogged up and then it jumps and takes out the road. So, we've had to put it back together several times, but it's kind of the just the nature of uh of gravel, you know, unpaved roads near a creek um like Mount Pleasant used to be. And I think the first time we paved Mount Pleasant, the creek got up and took out everything we did on Mount Pleasant. Um but short of a construction project and you've got we've already got lots of gravel roads on our construction plan. um drive round will just have to be um you know patched together as as we can just like most gravel roads and like I said you know we got a list of gravel roads that we've been we've been working on we will get to do some of the cleaning out uh of some of the gravels that have washed into it at the end um near Kataba Road um that does require a permit from environmental agencies and

we hope to do that later on the summer so we will get to clean out some of that. Okay. Any other questions? Supervisor Gravki. Thanks. Um I just had one uh driving down I guess southbound on Marramac. Um I noticed a couple pretty significant potholes uh near the shoulder. As you know, there's there's not a whole lot of room there to navigate if there's oncoming traffic and stuff like that. But the first one is right before you get to is it Matamoros? Um the big the big band pass at high school. Yeah. just off of Price's Fork that first.

Yeah. So, there's one there on the right hand side. Um, and then there's another right before you get to the new development. Uh, is that Apple uh or Apple? What What's the name of the road that goes into that development? I noticed one not long ago. I did have them go out and patch that, but I don't know if they've gotten all of them. There may be more coming up. Okay. And then and then you know basically once you get over the little onelane uh bridge there by the uh I guess it's now the the fire training station um just the the right ed well really both sides you know the the shoulder the edges of the road are just starting to deteriorate. Okay, that's it. All right, thanks. Appreciate you.

Supervisor Biggs, did you have anything? um just on the dry run. The the citizen that um sent the email was talking about some erosion that had occurred 14 months ago and still hadn't been fully repaired, but little flags had been put out to I guess deal with it, but nothing had happened. And so, um do you know anything about that? I don't know anything about any of those the flags. I don't know if that would be us even doing that. We generally don't put those that type of marking up. That's more of a utility doing something doing some work in there. I'll I'll look and see what those might be. We had done most of the finished the repair work from

um in fact worked with the property owner. I don't think it's this particular property owner, but worked with a property owner who had property down at the end near the Kataban road to put equipment there and we cleaned it up after we were done. It's one of those, you know, most all the gravel roads, it's not, none of it is VTO rideofway. We're all, we're always, we do have an easement. We have a 30- foot easement to maintain a public rideway or public travel. Um, but uh once we're off that 30, it's all private property and so we work very closely and property owners are pretty good about letting us come in and do, but I don't know what the flag any flags would be. I'll check it out. Okay, that would be great. So, we can answer back that you're going to take a look at it. Okay. Thanks, David. really appreciate it.

Supervisor Kids, I just wanted to follow up on the uh signal on Radford in front of the Arsenal. I know it was put out for contract. Mhm. I don't have I I'll try to get a schedule, but I haven't gotten a schedule from the contractor yet. Okay. When they're doing I don't know where they're working right now. And um I know we've talked about it before about the timing with the lights at the specific time during the day.

It's been a couple more accidents down in that area right that intersection. So I' I'd really like during that time period something to look at so it's not 40 cars deep still but again it's only from like five to six right in that time window. So but it's 40 cars deep on both sides and the problem is that's in the bottom and it crests the hill past the elementary school and past the water plant. So you're coming over and you see it see a line of traffic sitting there. Yeah. So I think it's Onyx up past right near Onyx as you come back towards uh Christiansburg. So, just those two things. But thank you very much for what you do. Um, greatly appreciate it.

I'll also keep you updated. There's there will be a project there later this year to at that signal for turn lanes and everything. That's going to be big. Um, but it's not even out to bid yet. So, it's going to be several months before that's done. Okay. Thank you, Vice Chair Fijicowski.

Yes. I just got two items. The first is um I think it was about a year a year and a half ago on Alageney Springs Road at the intersection of Gazebo Drive. You all did a you shored up the the the bank of the south fork of the Ron Oak River. Right across the road at the intersection of Sisen Hall Drive, there was uh erosion that was starting to go underneath the pavement and y'all repaired both of those things. The the um the area right there at Sison Hall has eroded again. Uh, I haven't stopped to look underneath to see if it's gotten underneath the road, but it you could see it from the road that it has eroded quite a bit.

It it probably needs something more than just, you know, rip wrap in there, but um I don't know if it's ready for a drop inlet out there in the rural area, but um it it looks like it's something that's going to probably reoccur, but if somebody could go out and take a look at it. All right. There may be something we can do to get the drainage work working better through this. You got three you got three pipes there. You got two coming in and then one going under Yeah. Alageney Springs into the river. So, um it's drainage issues when you're in a drought and then all of a sudden you get a few inches of rain that seems like they open up all the time.

The other issue I have is from a citizen and this is a lot tougher. His complaint was this time of year more bike bicyclists on North Fork Road. Um he said that they're riding in the road and they're just riding dangerously and he feels like they're one of them's going to get hit eventually if they keep continuing that. And I told him that um you know North Fork leads to one of the byways that we have that run through that area for I mean a lot of bicycle traffic on it.

So I said uh you know I don't really know what the solution is. and he felt like if we put some signs up forbidding any bicycles to be on Fork Road that would solve the problem, but I told him I didn't think that was realistic. But have you all had that issue in other areas that you found any kind of solution or help? No, we've had requests like that before. Um, particularly I think we had one on Mount Zion Road one time uh to keep bicycles off, but generally our signage goes the opposite way. We put up signs that say share the road. Right. Right. Well, yeah. I know it's one of those things and as weather gets warmer that's that issue is going to go up. I I'm sure. But I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Okay. Yeah. You work on that one. Yeah. Thank you. And I just have one thing. Um, at our parks and wreck open house last week, um, somebody came up to me and I apologize, Supervisor Grasskey, this is in your district, but it was just we were in the same place at the same time. Um, on um between McCoy and Banister on Wake Forest Road.

Um, could you take a look at that road? He said, "Some work has been done, but it's still like a patchwork quilt." Um, and it's specifically on the section that he frequents most. Not he he said he doesn't know about beyond that, but between Banister and McCoy. It's on Wake Forest Road, between two other roads. Is there between McCoy and Banister? On Wake Forest. Banister. Yes. And that was all I had. Did anybody else remember anything? All right.

One more thing I'd like to mention. We had our six-year plan public hearing. I don't know if the board has received any other comments or anything, but um if there is uh any other further discussion, I'll work with county uh staff to get a resolution ready for the uh first meeting in June for you to pass. Okay. Um so, just there are any changes, you know, let me know and we'll um I'll write up the resolution that way. Otherwise, I'll do it the way it was presented. Okay. All right. Great. Thank you so much. Thanks for being here this evening. Appreciate your time.

Okay. Next on the agenda is our public address. Um we did have a signup sheet in the hallway um before the meeting to allow citizens to sign up in advance. We don't have any signups on the hallway um sheet, but anybody in the audience is welcome to come forward and address the board during this time. Um, following the names on the signup sheet, which there are none, other speakers will be allowed. Each speaker has four minutes, whether speaking as an individual or a representative. All comments must be directed to the chair and other supervisors from the speaker's lectern at the front of the room. Please begin by stating your name and where in the county you reside, and debate between speakers and members of the audience will not be allowed. Speakers may leave written statements and/or comments with the board clerk at the end of the dis here and speakers will be judged out of order should they engage in personal attacks, use profanity or abusive language or debate with the audience and not address the supervisors. Accepted etiquette is to not applaud or make loud responses. So public address is open if anybody present would like to come forward and address the board this evening. Seeing no one come forward, I'm going to close public address. We do not have an addendum this evening, so we'll move to our consent agenda. Is there a motion on the consent agenda?

So move. Second. Any discussion? Madame clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Mr. Kits, I. Mr. Fijicowski, I. Miss Biggs, I. Mr. Graky, I. Miss Kuran, I. Chair Dematz, I. Seven eyes. Okay. And now we'll move into the new business section of our agenda. We'll title this the Marty McMahon section this evening. Um the first item of new business is to schedule a public hearing. This is related to a VOTE easement and PSA easement on Route 8 uh for the Reiner Road Widening Project. Marty, would you like to say a few words before I get a motion? No.

Um the only thing I would add is that we we're required to have a public hearing anytime we we convey a property interest. And so that that's why we have this and the PSA water line is being relocated. So that that's why uh their existing easement is going to be vacated in a new one which will be close by and we've talked with um uh water department staff and and and they're good with it. So okay. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Is there any discussion on this item? Seeing none, madame clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Mr. Fijicowski, I. Miss BS, I. Mr. Gravski, I. Miss Karan, I. Mr. Kits, hi. Chair Matz, I.

Seven eyes. Okay. The next item is uh vacation of existing lot lines on county properties, specifically 305 Rook Street in Christensburg. Marty.

Sure. The I like to call this just a clean up on aisle 4. It's it's um it it it's our parcel that we bought uh where the new EMS fire department's going to go. Um and so it's an older parcel and it had a bunch of different lot lines within it. And so what what we're doing is there a plat's been um designed. It's in your as a tab and um and this resolution is going to authorize the vacation of those interior boundary lines and will authorize the chair to sign the plat on behalf of the county. Okay. Is there a motion? So move. Second. Is there any discussion?

Seeing none. Madam clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Miss Biggs. I. Mr. Graky. I. Miss. Karan. I. Mr. Kits. Hi. Mr. Fijicowski. I. Chair Demottz. I. Seven eyes. I mean, six eyes. All right. Next item is the second amendment to the facility use agreement with the Eastmon Community Foundation.

Sure. The um the what's happening here is the five-year term is expiring um next month in June. Um and so this will be the second amendment uh where we had already um added five years previously. And so what what this amendment does, it does two things. um it keeps the lease um that that the the facility use agreement extends it five more years to June of 2031. And it also um recognizes that we have two new improvements out there that they're using. One is the new concession building that the board um um had um um improved and also the restroom building which is a new building. So they the foundation will get to use those as well.

Great. Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Okay. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, madame clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Miss Biggs. I. Mr. Gravy. Hi. Miss Karan. Hi. Mr. Kits. Hi. Mr. Ficowski. I. Chair Deamontz. I. Six eyes's. Okay. The next item is the lease agreement for temporary courthouse parking um related to construction activities. Correct.

Marty. Yeah. the um as you well know, the county is getting ready to replace the roof on the courthouse, county courthouse. Um and so the current parking lot that's used by uh many for the courthouse, which is next to if you're looking at if you're facing the courthouse, it'll be to the left um next to it. And so they're going to have to use half of that parking lot roughly as a staging for construction. Um, and so we've been able to secure u a a lot not too far from there that we used previously when we had um parking issues. Um, and so we're um it's over on um adjacent to Pepper Street near the corner of Pepper Street and First Street. Um, and we're going to be able to use that for six months. It's a onetime payment of uh $4,500 and it'll provide um some some parking uh during this time and we're going to lose half that parking lot. Okay. Is there a motion?

Some moved. Second. Any discussion? Just just a quick question. Do we have I I read through it real quickly, but do we have exclusive use of that parking lot? We we have Yeah. Yes, we do. Public use. Okay. Yeah. Cool. It's a good question. And just one clarifying question as well. The um equipment will not be stored in the ADA accessible parking area. maintain. Yes, that that's a good point, too. Yep. Mhm. Okay, madame clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Mr. Grassy, I. Miss Karan, I. Mr. Kits, I. Mr. Fijicowski, I. Miss Biggs, I. Chair Demottz, I. Six eyes.

Okay. And our final order, excuse me. Our final item of new business does not feature Marty. Um, though you can speak on it if you'd like. This is an appropriation for the circuit clerk's clerk's office um for upgrades to courtroom recording equipment. Is there a motion? Some moved. Second. Is there any discussion? Madame clerk, if you'll call the role, please. Miss Karan, I. Mr. Kits, I. Mr. Fikowski, I. Miss Bigs, I. Mr. Gravky, I. Chair Deontz, I. Six eyes's.

Okay. And now we're into the report section. Uh, first up is Marty. Uh, I have no report.

All right. And our county administrator, Angie. I do have a report. Um, since the last board meeting, we had our last two village meetings for McGomery Matters. They were held in Briner on April 23rd and Price's Fork on May 7th. They were both well attended and we got a lot of citizen input, so that was good. Um the next steps for that process are work sessions with the planning commission and the board of supervisors and then we'll schedule public hearings for the vi village plans and for the future land use map and then that will those items will be approved. We also had, as Chair Deont mentioned, the um open house for parks and recck master plan, which we can, I'm sure she'll share a little bit more about that, but that was um well attended to. That was very successful. And as a reminder, this week is National Police Officers Memorial Week. And this Friday, May 15th, is National Peace Officers Memorials Peace Officer Memorial Day. They're passing me this paper about that right now. Um, and so we have more information about that. On Friday, there's going to be um an event that the sheriff's office is going to sponsor. Also, this Friday, Chris is going to attend and serve as a panelist for the business growth discussion at the Rowan Oak Blackburg business council meeting along with representatives from Rono City, Reno County, and Pilaski County. So, that I appreciate Chris doing that. And finally, I want to recognize our employee engagement committee. As always, they went above and beyond last week uh recognizing our employees during public service employee appreciation week. Um I appreciate the board support as well. You guys do a lot to help us be able to support the employees because I

know all of you do and that means a lot. It's important that we show them that we respect and appreciate the great service they provide to our citizens. That's all I have. Thanks. Thank you. All right. Now to board members reports. We'll start with Supervisor Kits. Sad. Sadly, I really have nothing to talk about at this point in time. So, thank you. No report. All right.

Supervisor Biggs. Um, I attended a dinner last Thursday night and that's why you all have your little magnets um that say free NRV resource app in case anyone needs help. And um they had a very nice um celebration. I think last year you and I went to that, Miss Hill. It was very nice. I also attended the Rafford Arsenal celebration last Monday which was interesting because they gave the whole history of the arsenal and I had no idea about the entire history. So, it was really really interesting. And um one of the things I found out was that um during uh I guess during the war when England had a lot of German soldiers that were prisoners, Churchill evidently called up Roosevelt and asked could the prisoners come over to America. And the arsenal actually had I believe it was 648 German soldiers and they lived in tents that were on top of like concrete that somehow was heated and they did things like um doing gardening um laying saw doing all this stuff. But the interesting thing was after the war was over and they were released 70% came back and settled which I thought was I had no idea you know so it was really interesting learning the history but it was a good event so we were represented

so and that's it. Thank you. Uh Supervisor Gravki.

Sure. Um, Miss Hill touched on this, um, but I was able to attend the Prices Fork Matters, uh, village meeting last Thursday. Um, as always, just my hats off to our planning team and the staff there. They were just doing such a great job with helping the folks that came in and and just having conversations with them, explaining the different boards that were up and, you know, the kind of input and and helping to solicit that feedback. Um, it was it was a really great event. They I think they told me they had like 20 or 30 people there before the doors even opened and like 40 by the time the event started. Um, so I was glad I got there 30 minutes afterwards. Um, but you know, it it it was just a it was a really great event. Had great conversations with folks there. So again, um, thank you to our planning team. Um and then last week also Tuesday uh I I didn't go as a supervisor representative but um I was at the corporate research center and attended the ribbon cutting for the new entrepreneurs resource center uh at the corporate research center. Um, some folks may remember the knowledge works uh kind of ecosystem and so the the ERC is picking up where that kind of left off and this bridges that entrepreneurial gap that exists between resources that exist on campus for faculty, students, uh, graduate students, things like that. Um and then some of our you know incubator type uh programs that exist throughout uh the New River and and Rono valleys. Uh it's an awesome space. They're working really hard to pull together, you know, mentors and um bring together other entrepreneurs to to really just help support each other and help uh boost the

the entrepreneurial economy in uh the New River Valley. Great. Thank you, Supervisor Karan. Um, think my land use class is going really well using learning a lot. So, I'm enjoying attended the in-person Mon, you know, virtual. I think three more to graduate from that section. Great. Thank you, Vice Chair Fijicowski. No report.

All right. Well, I have a couple of items, so my apologies. Um, I'll start with the parks and wreck um openhouse, uh, the community input driven event to inform the parks and recck master plan. That was extremely well attended. Um there were tons of stations set up kind of all through the first floor um for people to be able to provide input um by post-it note, by writing, by dots. Um all kinds of different ways that uh input was able to be provided on different parks that exist in our community. Um even some aspirational plans for parks. kind of getting a a finger on the pulse of whether or not citizens are interested in planning for those types of things, river parks or other facilities. Um so it was really really well attended and um notably at every single station was a member of staff and it wasn't just parks and recck staff that was part of the event. it was staff from all over the county came out in support of that event and making sure that um citizens that attended had somebody that could help answer questions and kind of give some direction on how to move through the event. So, I think the next step, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is the consultant is going to gather all of that information and start reporting back to the parks and rec commission on um what the citizen input was from not only that event, but also from the surveys and other um community input that's been gathered along the way. So, really exciting progress in moving forward towards the parks and wreck master plan. Um, and then another resource that is new um to our community that might be of interest um to people is the new river valley food and farm guide has been um released and this is um this was a created with support from

a USDA DA agricultural marketing grant called strong food and farm future. Um the new river valley food and farm guide um was put together by live work eat in conjunction with the Montgomery County Extension Office and the Rono Food Shed Network. So it provides a directory to help connect um the community with local food options. Um so it's it it gives everything from honey to beef to agurism type venues. Um, it's just a really cool resource for people that are interested in really plugging in to local food and local product options. The website for that is nrv local food.org and it's a living guide. So, it's not static. If if there's a farm that's not mentioned, we want their information. We want to be able to put that um into the guide. And full disclosure, I'm a board member of Live Work Eat Grow. So, we've put a lot of time and effort into gathering this data and the the goal is to continuously update it as more um local options become available. So, please do check that out. It's a really cool new resource. Um and then two events of note um one to put on your calendar um is the Blackburg Museum and Cultural Found Foundation is having a gospel sing event at St. Luke's and Oddfellows Hall. Um that's off of Gilbert Street in downtown Blackburg. It's a free event. It's going to be on June the 6th from noon to 5:00 pm. There'll be food trucks and um a tent and tons of gospel singers just kind of um having a great afternoon. Hopefully the weather will be great for that because that is an outdoor event. Um and then also um this week uh please be patient on the roads. It's Virginia Tech Moveout and Virginia Tech graduation.

So, graduation events start um this Thursday and go through the weekend with multiple ceremonies um throughout that time frame. So, expect to see a lot of packed cars uh heading up and down 460 as the students kind of leave town for the summer. Um in a similar vein, my son is graduating from Virginia Tech this coming Thursday. I'm very very proud and I want to thank Vice Chair Fijicowski for volunteering to attend the parks and recck commission meeting. Um, obviously I will not be as much as I love parks and wreck, I will not be skipping graduation to attend the parks and recck meeting. So, thank you very much for being willing to attend in my absence. And seeing nothing else, this meeting is adjourned.