Highland Supervisors Complete Easements For Monterey Sidewalk Project

Monterey, VA – The Highland County Board of Supervisors reached a goal that has been years in the making at their meeting Tuesday evening. The final easements have now been granted so that the Monterey sidewalk project can go forward. This sidewalk and bike path will be 8 to 10 feet wide. It will run along route 250 from the traffic light to Myers Moon Road, then south to the school entrance and west across the school property to route 220 where it will turn north up to the route 250 intersection.

County Attorney Melissa Dowd says the easements were granted by a number of private and business owners and the Highland County Schools all along the proposed route.

“When folks see these people thank them for their civic minded action in granting the easement” says Dowd.

Supervisors Sullenberger and Blanchard commended Supervisor Rexrode’s role in several days of negotiations that brought the final easements to completion. After the Virginia Department of Transportation verifies all the easements, the project will go out to bid and construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2011 and be completed about 6 months later. By moving quickly in September to complete the easement process, the county will be able to use over $600,000 in grant money to fund the sidewalk project. The county’s share will be about $160,000.

In other business, Recreation Commission member Summer Cohen came to the board meeting with a special presentation to the county. Administrator Roberta Lambert describes says Cohen was on hand to present a check representing part of a reimbursement to the board for construction on the county pool.

The check was in the amount of $10,000. The county has continued to work on the bid process for replacing all the gutters and downspouts on the roof of the courthouse. Cook Siding and Window Company of Salem, Virginia submitted the low bid of $9,790.

Supervisor Rexrode made a motion that the County meet with Cook Siding and Window to clarify a few points in their bid, but he felt that the Board could go ahead and accept their bid pending those discussions. The Board approved his motion to accept the bid.

The County is continuing with the application process for a grant to install energy efficient windows at the school. Lambert says the project is to replace 181 windows and the glass in 13 exterior doors at the high school.

The project budget is just over $341,000. The county would receive about $100,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission grant. At this point in the application process the ARC needs letters from the Board of Supervisors and the School Board in support of the application. The Supervisors approved a motion to provide such a letter and to ask the School Board to do the same.

The Board adopted a resolution to establish the Personal Property Tax Relief Act percentage of 85% on qualifying motor vehicles for the tax year 2010. The board nominated Doug Gutshall for the Planning Commissioner of the Year Award given by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission.

Supervisor Sullenberger reported to the Board that he has been invited by the Governor’s office to speak at the Governor’s Energy Conference next week on the process involved in permitting the Highland New Wind turbine project.