County updates: courthouse demolition, communications towers and Rocky Forge wind project

During board-member comments the county provided multi-project updates including progress on the Fincastle courthouse demolition and blasting, plans for communications towers and radio equipment, and permitting and plan-review status for the Rocky Forge wind project.

Public-works staff reported ongoing blasting along U.S. 220 related to the courthouse project and said the contractor had completed the third round of blasting and was roughly 50 percent complete on demolition of the old courthouse. Staff said the project had roughly 600 submittals and that early approvals were in process; work included replacing incorrect backfill in an existing retention wall and drilling new weep holes. Staff said the project remained ahead of schedule on demolition and that masons expected to begin work in June after scheduling delays.

Communications staff reported progress on the county's multi-site radio and tower project: four tower leases were complete and three remained outstanding; the county plans to put three new towers out to bid (Reid Mountain, Tinker Mountain and a new Oriskany location). Equipment has been ordered with expected delivery in late December; radios for first responders and the school system will be trued up in late May with ordering in June and anticipated staging for deployment in 2026. Motorola will visit fire stations next week to begin site work for station-alerting equipment.

On Rocky Forge (a turbine/renewables project), staff said turbine building permits were in review and that the applicant submitted a plan revision to place fill at the top of the mountain rather than the base, which would reduce truck traffic; county third-party consultants and zoning staff were reviewing that revision. Staff also said one complaint had been filed related to the project and that the county had 10 days to investigate; a site visit and investigation were pending with DEQ notification to follow.

Separately, staff said a private commercial site (Wawa) was in its third or fourth round of review and that outstanding comments were primarily VDOT-related; if VDOT approval is received, site-plan approval and land-disturbance permitting could be imminent.