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Residents Raise Health, Privacy and Trust Concerns at Wythe County Meeting
Summary
Speakers at Citizens Time reported pesticide spraying on leased farmland, privacy worries about 'flock' cameras and distrust stemming from closed meetings and NDAs; the board pledged follow-up and suggested staff coordinate with state agencies.
Several residents used Citizens Time to raise distinct but related concerns about health, privacy and trust in local decision‑making.
Joe Upcavage described repeated pesticide spraying on his leased land and said that after posting on social media he experienced more spraying; he said he cannot obtain the applicator's name and that state enforcement (VDACS) had limited options without identifying information. "I'm literally being poisoned," he told the board.
Other speakers raised privacy and transparency worries tied to data‑collection cameras and to negotiations with developers: Sherry Burgess summarized a community poll that placed resource consumption (power, water, utility cost) as the top concern at roughly 40–54 percent; several speakers demanded clearer disclosure of developer commitments and asked the board to publish more data and to host site visits so residents can see operational data centers.
County staff and supervisors responded that they would follow up — Chair Smith asked Mr. Barr and other staff to coordinate with appropriate agencies and provide answers, and staff offered to add a Q&A section on the county website and gather questions and responses for public distribution.
