Gov. Glenn Youngkin, state and community leaders and the City of Danville joined Pittsylvania County in November to celebrate the opening of Tyson’s state-of-the-art facility in Ringgold, bringing nearly 400 jobs to the County. The 325,000 square foot plant represents a $300 million investment and positions the company as a key asset within the community.

The County joined the City of Danville when the U.S. Navy broke ground for its Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The Regional Training Center expects to graduate 800-1,000 students per year to fill vacancies across the defense industrial base and provides Pittsylvania County residents with an opportunity to be part of this growing field.

The Gretna Library reopened in September after extensive renovations added adult, teen and children’s reading areas, an outdoor study patio with Wi-Fi access and more, transforming the Gretna Library into a dynamic space for the community to gather, learn and grow.

Improvements celebrated at Wayside Park in October included the rehabilitation of the park’s original Depression-era swinging bridge, as well as other amenities that make the park a desired destination. In November, the park hosted the County’s first youth fishing day, where youth and their families cast lines for rainbow trout. The event will be held again in 2024.

Residents of Horseshoe and Saddle roads in the Bachelor’s Hall-Brosville area will have access to public water after relying on private wells with low yields and poor quality for decades. This project, administered through the Department of Public Works, has the potential to serve more than 60 homes.

With the assistance of a grant from the Virginia Department of Health, the Department of Public Works installed a water line to the Robin Court subdivision in the Banister District, connecting residents to the County’s public water system. This line serves 17 existing properties, with the potential to serve another 30, and addresses radium contamination that has existed in the community well for many years.

A lack of housing continues to be a concern in the region and to address that need, the Board in August approved the rezoning of 579.72 acres to allow for a mixed-use development in the Axton community for a total of 1,838 housing units, as well as commercial uses. This project is also expected to complement development in the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill.

In response to the concerns of residents, the Board of Supervisors approved revisions to the County solar ordinance to further restrict utility scale solar farms. Under the revised ordinance, solar facilities must be at least five miles from another facility, and there is a 2% cap on the total acreage that can be devoted to utility scale solar in any one zoning district. In essence, these restrictions put an end to the future addition of utility scale solar facilities in Pittsylvania County.

Pearson’s Appraisal Service Inc., in partnership with Pittsylvania County, completed the 2024 real estate reassessment. Pearson’s held informal appeal sessions with residents concerned about the change in the value of their property, which increased an average of 48% county-wide. The County recently seated its Board of Equalization and hearings will begin in May.

Pittsylvania County hosted its first Citizens Academy in the fall and the four-session pilot program featured the building of a hypothetical recreational center. The Citizens Academy is designed to give residents an overview of the many departments, services and functions within the County government structure. The four sessions featured the departments of Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Economic Development, Public Safety, Public Works, Procurement, Legal, Finance and Information Management.

Pittsylvania County plans to continue the program in 2024.

The Board of Supervisors partnered with Barry Dunn to update its 2010 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The update includes input and ideas from residents and stakeholders in the community about where they would like to see, in terms of recreation, in Pittsylvania County.

A draft of the updated master plan is expected to go before the Board of Supervisors in the summer of 2024.

The formation of the County’s Department of Parks and Recreation in 2011 is a direct result of the 2010 Master Plan. The development of the County’s Community Center, which provides rental space for a multitude of events and programs, is also an outgrowth of the 2010 plan, as are its robust youth sports programs and award-winning parks.

A testament to training and coordination prevented the loss of life in a catastrophic fire that occurred at the NorthPointe Apartments in mid-November. The fire, which broke out before dawn, called upon the expertise and resources of all the County’s volunteer fire and rescue departments, as well as the “B” shift dispatchers in the 911 Center and the County’s Public Safety personnel. In all, 12 individuals were rescued, and no serious injuries were reported.

 

Three new members of the Board of Supervisors were sworn in following the general election in November - Dan River District Supervisor Eddie Hite, Westover District Supervisor Murray Whittle and Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Kenneth Bowman.

Each bring their own unique backgrounds and experiences to the County as they join Staunton River District Supervisor Tim Dudley and Banister District Supervisor Robert Tucker, who retained their seats on the Board after winning their races in November.

The County’s constitutional officers – Sheriff Mike Taylor, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Haskins, Treasurer Vincent Shorter and Commissioner of Revenue Robin Goard – returned to office after running unopposed in November. Angie R. Harris ran against five other candidates to win the clerk of court seat that has an eight-year term. The 2023 general election, with a record number of candidates, was overseen by the County’s new registrar, Shani Shorter.

In April 2023, the Board of Supervisors welcomed Stuart Turille as its new County Administrator. A native of Lynchburg, Turille had served in local government, both in Virginia and North Carolina, for more than 20 years and has quickly settled into his role here in the County.