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County staff report broadband progress, cannery and water‑tank funding requests, codification and 911 upgrade
Summary
County staff and the ex officio supervisor reported broadband construction nearing June completion in much of eastern Wythe County, federal funding requests for a Watts Gap water tank and a new cannery were submitted, a codified county code public hearing is set for May 26, and the county has replaced its 911 dispatch software.
County staff provided multiple operational updates to the Planning Commission on May 4, including broadband construction schedules, requests for federal funding for infrastructure projects, progress on codifying county ordinances and an upgrade of emergency dispatch software.
Deputy County Administrator (speaker 5) summarized a monthly update from Citizens, the broadband contractor, saying contractors expect to complete the bulk of eastern‑end construction by June and listing recently finished road segments. He said some easement issues have slowed parts of the build and that Citizens is using direct‑bury cable rather than conduit in many areas. "They've got potential for about 8,000 [customers]," the deputy administrator said when commissioners asked about service potential in the eastern part of the county.
Ex officio Supervisor Burnet said the county submitted congressional funding requests for several projects. He described a Watts Gap water storage tank project with pipe on‑site valued at about $1.1–1.2 million and an overall estimated project cost of $6–7 million, and said the county requested $5,000,000 in federal assistance (the transcript does not assign that specific amount to a single project in all remarks). Burnet also discussed a proposed new cannery and commercial kitchen on county‑owned land at Fairview Business Park and said the request would move the cannery out of the school site if federal funds arrive.
The deputy administrator said a three‑year codification project is nearly complete and that the Board of Supervisors has set a public hearing for May 26 to consider adopting the new structured county code. Staff also reported replacement of the county’s computer‑assisted dispatch system, moved from an older vendor to Southern Software with grant funding covering most costs.
Staff reiterated that the county remains in an outdoor burn ban because of dry conditions and reminded commissioners about the July "Liberty at the Lake" festival, which the county has budgeted $50,000 to support. No formal votes on funding were taken during the meeting; the items were reported for informational purposes and for future board consideration.
