Supervisors approve 6 Year Road Plan, recognize retired members, employee

By MIKE WILLIAMS

The Patriot

Pulaski County’s Six-Year Road Plan was approved by the Board of Supervisors during its monthly meeting on Monday.

The plan sets priorities for secondary road construction projects in the county.

Six projects make up the plan, and include:

1. Route 114 Turn Lane and Access Management – Extend Right Turn Lane
2. Route 693 Julia Simpkins at Hoover Color Curve – Widen and Relocate Curve
3. Route 709 Burleigh Horton Road – Hard Surface Unpaved Road
4. Route 792 Davis Hollow Road – Hard Surface Unpaved Road
5. Route 726 Sayers Road – Hard Surface Unpaved Road
6. Route 830 High Road – Hard Surface Unpaved Road

The Secondary Construction Budget for 2022-23 includes Route 706 Burleigh Horton Road ($169,652) and Route 792 Davis Hollow Road ($20,000).

Through the plan, Boyd Road’s unpaved areas were paved last year. Burleigh Horton Road is next up for repaving.

Also, during Monday’s meeting, former supervisors Charles Bopp and Joe Guthrie were honored.

Bopp served as Robinson District Supervisor from 2008 to February of 2022. He also held the office of Vice Chairman from 2010 to 2017 and again from 2020 to 2021.

According to a resolution approved by the board in recognition of Bopp, he has “lived his entire life in Pulaski County, graduating from Pulaski High School in 1971 and successfully operating his beef cattle farm that has been a part of the Bopp family since 1898.

“He correspondingly served on numerous boards and committees during his long tenure as an elected official that included the Pulaski Encouraging Progress (PEP), Pulaski Adult Day Care Services, Fairview Home Board, New River Valley Regional Commission, Free Clinic of Pulaski County, Calfee Community and Cultural Center Board of Directors, and the Department of Social Services Board.

“He remains a dedicated member of the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation (RRMT) Museum Board, Chair of the Museums Brick Garden Committee and member of the RRMT Finance Committee,” the resolution states.

The board also approved a resolution honoring Guthrie.

Guthrie represented the Cloyd District from 2016 until his mid-term resignation in February of 2022, and as a member of the Pulaski County School Board beginning 2012 through 2016.

He became the Chair of the Board of Supervisors in 2020 and served in that capacity until the time of his resignation in February 2022, due to his appointment as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) by Governor Glenn Youngkin on January 4, 2022.

“Joseph Guthrie has lived his entire life in Pulaski County and is a sixth-generation owner and operator of the Guthrie family farm on the outskirts of Dublin.

“Guthrie graduated with honors from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Agricultural Economics and earned a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics and International Trade from Massey University in New Zealand where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

“Prior to his recent acceptance as Commissioner of VDACS, Guthrie served as the Senior Instructor in Agricultural Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences where he helped prepare and ready the next generation of agriculturalists and leaders.

“During his time as a local elected official, Guthrie correspondingly served on numerous authorities, boards and commissions, including the Fairlawn Sewer Authority, Friends of Claytor Lake, New River Community Action, New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Investment Area Consortium, New River Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization, Onward New River Valley, Pulaski Community Youth Center, Pulaski County Educational Foundation, Pulaski County Emergency Communications and Virginia’s First Regional Industrial Facility Authority.

“He has also been an active leader in several local, state and national organizations including Pulaski County Farm Bureau, the CALS Faculty Association, Virginia Cattlemen’s Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board.”

The board also recognized Alice East upon her retirement March 14 from the Pulaski County Circuit Court Clerk’s office.

The board also voted to proclaim April 10-16 as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Pulaski County “in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our county and citizens safe.”