Highland Supervisors July Meeting

The Highland Board of Supervisors had a light agenda for their regular July meeting. First up were updates from various county service agencies.

Sarah Rexrode from the Department of Social Services reported that DSS had begun their cooling assistance program, which runs through August 17th. They did not hire for a human services job opening, and we’re re-advertising for the position. Case loads were light at this time, and notably, was the first time in six years that there were no children in foster care.

Sheriff Tim Duff reported his office’s workload for the previous month. He noted there had been a security threat to court personnel which had been dealt with successfully. His office also carried out two classes, one on concealed weapons and one with a local bank on security concerns.

EMS coordinator Chris Vernovai reported the rescue squad had responded to 120 calls in the year to date. He informed the board of additional grants that he had procured for squad equipment, and noted that an EMT class will be held in September. Applicants before the August 1st  deadline who successfully pass the class and are voted in as a probationary member to the squad will have their class fees paid by the squad. Stay tuned for an upcoming story on Allegheny Mountain Radio for more details.

Turning to action items, the Board voted to take part in a second planning grant related to telecommunications and broadband access. The work of the initial grant, done in conjunction with Bath County, is nearing completion, and the grant management team had recommended participation in this follow up. The grant amount would be $50,000, and would require a 15% match, split between Bath and Highland. The Board’s decision was contingent on Bath’s participation, to be decided at their next Supervisors meeting. In relation to this, the Board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Central Shenandoah Planning District for work on this project.

The Highland County Humane Society had sent a request for $3,000 in matching funds to receive a grant from the Two Mauds Foundation, to be used for the spaying and neutering of animals. The request was tabled pending having a representative from the Society attend a future meeting  to present more details.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the Board approved an application from the Highland County Fair Association to issue a fireworks permit for this year’s fair.

The Board’s next meeting will be a work session on July 15th.

For Allegheny Mountain Radio, this is Scott Smith.

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Scott Smith

Scott Smith is the General Manager for Allegheny Mountain Radio and Station Coordinator and News Reporter for WVLS. Scott’s family has deep roots in Highland County. While he did not grow up here, he spent as much time as possible on the family farm, and eventually moved to Highland to continue the tradition, which he still pursues with his cousin. Unfortunately, farming doesn’t pay all the bills, so he has previously taken other jobs to support his farming hobby, including pressman/writer for The Recorder, and Ag Projects Coordinator for The Highland Center. He lives in Hightown with wife Michelle and son Ethan. In his spare time, he wishes he had more spare time, especially to ride his prized Harley-Davidson motorcycle. scott@amrmail.org

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