Lee, Scott officials plan appeal to VDOT - Kingsport Times-News Online
Lee, Scott officials plan appeal to VDOT
By Wes Bunch
Published March 24th, 2009 | 0 Comments
GATE CITY ? Delegations from at least two local county governments will head to Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff Wednesday night to take part in a public hearing held by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
VDOT spokeswoman Michelle Earl said the hearing, which begins at 6 p.m., would revolve around proposed budget cuts and office closures associated with the agency?s ?Blueprint for the Future.?
?There are some changes,? Earl said. ?The impacts that are mainly being focused on are rest areas, safety service patrols ? which we don?t necessarily have in this region. It will also focus on mowing, roadside maintenance and changes in our residency offices, because we will be closing and consolidating some of them.?
Among the 15 residency offices proposed for closure is the one one in Jonesville. Thirty-six equipment repair centers statewide would also be closed.
The changes are an attempt by VDOT to deal with a projected $2.6 billion budget gap over the next six years.
If the Jonesville office is closed, VDOT?s residency in Norton would be responsible for Lee, Scott, Dickenson and Wise counties.
As a result, supervisors and county administrators from Scott and Lee counties are planning on expressing their concerns about the impact VDOT?s downsizing plans could have on their localities.
?Several board members, as well as myself, will be attending. So we will be well-represented,? Scott County Administrator Rufus Hood said. ?We?re just hoping to let them know we?re interested in what they?re doing and we?re just waiting to see what they?ve got planned ? hoping that they?ll reveal something for us.?
Lee County Administrator Dane Poe said the closing of the residency and the new maintenance standards were the main issues that would negatively affect the two locales.
?We?re opposed to the closure of the residency and repair shop here because we think it is going to put too much burden on one residency to cover all of the counties in the area we?re in,? Poe said. ?We?re also opposed to some of the new maintenance standards. When you look at them ? and get down to unpaved roads especially ? when you have less than 1,000 cars a day, maintenance is practically nonexistent.?
Both counties? Board of Supervisors have previously expressed their displeasure with VDOT?s proposal, passing resolutions and writing letters stating their opposition to the residency?s closing and the reduction in maintenance funds, which both boards say are essential from a safety aspect.
The letter written by the Scott County Board of Supervisors called the proposed changes a ?losing proposition for Scott and Lee? counties that would cause roads to ?go unattended and deteriorate further.?
For more information on the hearing and ?Blueprint of the Future? visit Blueprint for the Future Meetings.
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