Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
MONTGOMERY COUNTY- The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors met May 13, 2024 in a regular session that highlighted Virginia Department of Transportation updates for Montgomery County and ordinance amendments for Districts Two and Four.
David Clark from the Virginia Department of Transportation presented updates to the Board of Supervisors. His presentation discussed updates on maintenance and progress on the projects for Montgomery County. These updates included discussion of brush cutting and trimming on Rustic Ridge Road and Brush Creek Road in Riner. Mowing along the roads has started for Montgomery County via the Department of Transportation and the concrete slab on Crab Creek Road is almost done and will soon be ready for asphalt.
During the public hearings portion of the meeting, Marty McMahon, the county attorney, explained that the registrar discovered a discrepancy when the state did their audit in terms of mapping. The mapping error was done at the time of the last census and this required ordinance amending of the Districts Two and Four boundaries in order to move three residents on Laurel Ridge Road in Riner to the District Four precinct. The parcels in question are 2065, 2097 and 2265 on Laurel Ridge Road in Riner. This mapping error caused a split voting precinct which by Virginia state law and mandate is not allowed. McMahon explained that after the Board of Supervisors approves this amendment, the next step in the process would be to submit a certification of no objection from the Attorney General’s office as required by state mandate. This will take some time to process, but it will solve the issue of a split voting precinct. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to resolve this issue and approved it to move forward.
Scott Woodram presented and addressed a proposal for an upgrade to Old Town Fields in Shawsville. These fields are operated and maintained by the Eastmont Community Foundation whose mission it is to support and enhance the quality of life in Eastern Montgomery County. ECF uses Old Town Fields to host a variety of events such as their annual concert series, the fireworks display on the fourth of July and various sports events.
The Eastmont Community Foundation is proposing the building of public restrooms, which the facility does not currently have, and a second building that would be used for storage. Both buildings are proposed to be built with masonry blocks and the proposed bathroom would be located where the current ticket booth is located. The organization will not replace the ticket booth at this time because they do not see it as a focus for these facilities at the moment. This property is currently in use not only by the Eastmont Community Foundation but Shawsville Middle School as well. Because the middle school still uses this property and there are no bathrooms, students have to cross the road and use the restroom in the school building.
The Board of Supervisors did not vote on this issue on May 13, 2024 due to requesting more financial information regarding the two new buildings proposed. They will vote on this at a later date.