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Residents urge supervisors to keep school resource officers; several voice opposition to data centers
Summary
During public expression at the April 9 meeting, multiple residents and the sheriff urged the board to maintain school resource officers (SROs), while other speakers opposed proposed data centers and small modular reactors; the board voiced support for SROs during closing comments.
At the Wise County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 9, a large contingent of residents told the board they want school resource officers preserved in local schools, while a smaller group raised concerns about proposed data centers and small modular reactors (SMRs).
Speakers who identified support for SROs included Ryan Phillips (Wise), Jazlyn Rowe (Big Stone Gap), Sheriff Grant Kilgore, Jonathan Vipperman (Norton), Morgan Hall (Wise), Amy Kus (Coeburn), Tony Mullins (Coeburn), Taran Young (Big Stone Gap), Morgan Baker (Big Stone Gap), Samantha Hubbard (Norton) and Harry Kelly (St. Paul). Several of those speakers described SROs as important to student and campus safety. The minutes record no formal board action tied directly to the public comments, but supervisors later expressed support for SROs during board comments.
Other members of the public spoke against proposed data centers and SMRs. Those who explicitly raised opposition included Lee DeMontigny (Coeburn) and Jane Branham (Big Stone Gap). Lauren Albrecht (Big Stone Gap) raised concerns about water studies in the context of data centers. Additional public comments covered recycling, priorities for VDOT road repairs, property reassessment, budget concerns and a desire to encourage local farming.
The meeting record lists many speakers by name and town; remarks were recorded during the public-expression portion of the agenda. The board did not take immediate formal action in response to these comments during the April 9 meeting.
