Bath Supervisors approve drought resolution

October 15, 2014

The Bath Board of Supervisors approves a resolution on drought relief for Bath County farmers.  At it’s Tuesday night meeting the board heard from Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Rodney Leech about how the lack of rain this year has affected Bath County livestock producers.  Leech said the water table is down, about seven inches short.   The resolution states that Bath has received only twenty seven inches of it’s normal thirty four inches of rainfall this year, with only nine inches of rain since June 1.  Leech said the recent dry weather has affected pastures so there is limited grazing available and there were very few second cuttings of hay.  He also said that some farmers have already begun feeding hay.   Leech said the board’s approval of the resolution was needed in order to receive any assistance that may become available for livestock producers.

The board also approved a rezoning request on property at 9405 Sam Snead Highway in Mitchelltown.  The approval was to rezone from R-1, Residential Limited, to B-2, General Business.  County Planner and Zoning Administrator Sherry Ryder said she had not received any opposition to the rezoning request and that the planning commission had unanimously voted in favor of it.  Ryder said there are currently no plans for the property, but the owners requested the rezoning to make it more appealing as they try to sell it.  There was a public hearing Tuesday night on the rezoning request and three people spoke in favor of it.

A public hearing date was set for the board’s December 9th meeting to receive comment on the county’s 2014-2019 Comprehensive Plan.  The Comprehensive Plan is available on the county’s website at  www.bathcountyva.org, under Public Information.

And the board approved the reappointment of Ray Rodgers and Paul Dressler to the Bath County Building Code Board of Appeals.  The board’s recommendation for those reappointments will be sent to Judge Franklin for his approval.

And the board appointed Carl Behrens to the Rockbridge Regional Library Board of Trustees.

And Supervisor Claire Collins was approved to be the voting delegate for the Virginia Association of Counties annual meeting.

Story By

Bonnie Ralston

Bonnie Ralston is the Assistant Station Coordinator at WVLS and a Highland County news reporter. She began volunteering at Allegheny Mountain Radio in the fall of 2005. In 2006 she became an AMR employee and worked in Bath County for eight years as the WCHG Station Coordinator and then as the news reporter there. She began working in radio while in college and has stayed connected to radio, in one way or another, for more than thirty years. She grew up in Staunton, Virginia, while spending a lot of time on her family’s farm in Deerfield, Virginia. She enjoys spending time outside, watching old TV shows and movies and tending to her chickens.
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