County gets land next to schools
CRAIG COUNTY – With an eye on the future, the county has been successful in acquiring property at 6 Allegheny Circle, next to Craig County schools on Rt. 615, Craig County Administrator Richard Flora told the board of supervisors at their August meeting.
“The school has been hemmed in with no way to expand for years,” Flora said. “I think this will be a win-win situation for both the county and the schools.”
Craig County acquired land near here for future expansion uses by Craig County Schools. Photo by Ann Harrell
Plans are to move the Craig County School Board Office now located on Rt. 311 in New Castle, to the new site. Other plans which will be announced later are also on the drawing board that are expected to greatly benefit the schools.
Members of the Craig County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to appropriate $161,700 to the Industrial Development Authority for the purchase of the property. Flora said despite other bidding for the property, he felt the county obtained the property for a fair price.
In other actions, the board of supervisors:
• voted to apply for the federal Department of Transportation Tiger II Grant that is in the $8-million-range. The grant is designed to promote tourism in the Craig County area.
The grant money would be used to improve safety on the Appalachian Trail where it crosses Rt. 311 in Roanoke County, Craig County and Monroe County, W. Va.
It will also improve access to the Dragon’s Tooth Trail on the AT, improve US Forest Service’s Steel Bridge Campground and other smaller projects that may be identified during the application process, supervisors learned.
The grant would be used to upgrade tourism facilities along Rt. 311 on out to Peters Mountain and would include three overlooks, kiosks, and a renovated trailhead parking area and pedestrian bridge across Rt. 311 at the Appalachian Trail, Dragons Tooth Site. Work could begin as early as October 2010.
• passed a Resolution of Appreciation for the Craig County Public Library Director Marguerite Noga, who was hired for the job in July 2007. Noga has been a tireless personnel manager, webmaster, financial advisor, grant writer, collections specialist, computer technician and volunteer, supervisors pointed out. In addition she has developed programs for senior citizens, children and local business owners. She has also been responsible updating collections, cataloging, and has been instrumental in helping directors come up with long range goals in order to reach their five-year plan.
Board of Supervisors newcomer Martha Murphy, who represents Simmonsville, has been appointed to serve on the library’s Board of Directors. The library asked the BOS to appoint one of its members to serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the library board, in order to forge a stronger working partnership between the library and the BOS.
• learned Craig County Circuit Court Clerk Sharon Braden’s office has received a grant in the amount of $13,199 from the Library of Virginia for Plat Preservation. Braden also requested partial funding for a new recording system for recording criminal proceedings in court. The system would serve a dual purpose, as the Craig County Board of Supervisors could use it for recording minutes during their meetings, which are held in the circuit court room.
Braden said the current system is outdated and the court will not be able to get replacement parts any longer. The new system will use CDs instead of tapes, and will put Craig County in sync with surrounding jurisdictions that have been using the system for a number of years, she said.
• discussed the possibility of applying for a United States Department of Agriculture grant to locate a farmers’ market in New Castle. The idea was discussed in a work session following the July meeting. If obtained, the grant could mean many good things for the county as well as the schools.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be Sept. 2 at 3 p.m. at the Craig County Court House.
