By Ed McMinn, News Messenger editor
In his report to the Christiansburg Town Council Tuesday night, Jan. 24, regional tourism executive director David Rotenizer told the council that tourism spending in Montgomery County totaled $238 million in 2022.
Rotenizer also reported that the county had been awarded $180,000 under the auspices of the American Rescue Plan Act. He also said the local tourism offices are working hard to have a spread in Virginia’s 2024 state travel guide. According to Rotenizer, 275,000 copies of the travel guide will be printed and distributed. A digital version will also be available.
Rotenizer noted that citizens had often complained that “Parks” on the town’s website had nothing on it. He said that oversight had been corrected and information had been added.
Early on, Mayor Mike Barber introduced Alfred Lacey, the owner of Sandro’s Restaurant in the Christiansburg Marketplace, as the newest member of the tourism council.
In other action, the council set a public hearing for March 24 relating to property on Cambria Street.
By a 5-0 vote, the council approved a request to subdivide into two a parcel of land along 295 Jones St. By a 4-0-1 vote, the council further approved a request to subdivide property along Majestic Drive NW. The request was to subdivide with no further plans for development.
The final action of the evening of a meeting that needed only 36 minutes to complete was a vote approving staggered terms on the New River Passenger Rail Authority for Mayor Mike Barber and Town Manager Randy Wingfield. Authority members serve four-year terms.
