Farming for funding

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

The indefatigable planners behind Wythe County’s proposed Appalachian Agricultural Exposition Center have come up with yet another unconventional idea to obtain funding for their vision.
Eric Crowgey, representing the Planning Commission and a group of area agricultural leaders pushing the project, came before the Board of Supervisors once again Tuesday night with the group’s latest proposal.
Crowgey asked the supervisors to consider designating the ag center as the county’s emergency operations center, a move which Crowgey said may make the project eligible for Department of Homeland Security or other emergency services grants.
“We’re trying to think positive and think outside the box in trying to get funding,” he said.
Crowgey listed a number of elements at the proposed site for the ag center – the old Alco Controls/Emerson Electric building on Pepper’s Ferry Road in Wytheville – that would make the spot ideal for sheltering people in the event of a weather or public safety emergency.
The site is close to the two interstates that intersect through Wytheville and has ample space, Crowgey said, for running numerous emergency services.
“We could shelter up to 3,000 people,” he said.
Crowgey also pointed out that the vacant building already on the property has a cafeteria that could be used to feed temporary refugees and that bays at the site are large enough to accommodate an entire Red Cross medical unit.
Even cattle pens, Crowgey said, could be used as stall space to shelter pets.
He also said that the parking lot is vast enough to give helicopters room to touch down.
“I don’t have a lot of details, but we have an idea,” Crowgey said.
As they did last fall when Crowgey alerted the governing body that the ag center planners had decided to move the proposed location for the expo hall and arena from Fort Chiswell to Wytheville, the supervisors applauded the group’s creative thinking but didn’t commit to any financial obligation.
County Administrator Cellell Dalton said he agreed that the Pepper’s Ferry Road site would be a “great location” for an emergency operations center and promised that the idea would be included in the county’s discussions in the coming months about developing a dedicated emergency site.
Since an emergency operations center is by nature rarely used, Crowgey said additional details would have to be worked out regarding any rent or day-to-day presence the county might have on the site.
Leaders behind the proposed ag center have so far struggled to obtain funding for their idea.
Crowgey said the group’s application for Virginia Tobacco Commission funding was turned down recently, although he said another grant proposal may be submitted.
In addition to potentially pursuing Homeland Security money, the group is also still considering asking the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation for funds. The organization dedicated to building the ag center obtained a nonprofit status last year, which gives it a greater ability to tap into funding sources.
Original plans for the ag center called for it to be built on an empty 48-acre site off exit 80 just north of Fort Chiswell.
Developing that site, however, was projected to cost at least $7.5 million. The 21-acre Wytheville location is a more realistic spot to develop, Crowgey said in announcing the group’s shift in plans last October.
Under the latest announced blueprints, cost estimates for developing the Wytheville site are expected to run around $3 million.
Although a few residents of the eastern end of the county have expressed anger at the shift from Fort Chiswell to Wytheville, the emergency center operations idea Crowgey announced Tuesday was for the Wytheville site only and he made no mention of any plans to revert back to the original Fort Chiswell idea.
If the ag center ever comes to fruition, planners have said it could host trade shows, agricultural competitions and sporting events.
Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, Dalton gave his latest outlook regarding potentially calamitous budget cuts from the state.
While emphasizing that changes and updates are expected throughout the next few months, Dalton said current projections show that Wythe County would lose $3.9 million in state funding in each of the next two fiscal years, which begin on July 1.
The county is also facing a potential $1.3 million cut for the remainder of the current fiscal year, including a loss of more than $260,000 in state funding for the operation of local constitutional offices such as those of the treasurer and the sheriff.
“If a portion of this is implemented, it will cripple the Sheriff’s Office,” Dalton said.
Dalton said the county will try to be as flexible as possible with the shifting state budget information, while also keeping local agencies that rely on county funds updated regarding the cuts they could see in the coming months and years.
Providing adequate funding for the schools could be a particular challenge if state cuts materialize at the high levels being cited now.
“I think the School Board budget will be as difficult as we’ve ever experienced,” Dalton said.
With all the expected changes throughout the next few months as the General Assembly conducts its debates, Dalton said a local budget might not be able to be finalized until late June.
Despite the dire financial outlook, the supervisors did take a step Tuesday night to solving a longstanding issue with the condition of the county’s Department of Social Services building.
The governing body voted to go forward with seeking $5 million in bonds through leftover federal stimulus money to help renovate county offices.
As listed in the application and discussed at the meeting, the project would involve demolition of the old Zimmerman house and the construction of a new county building, along with other renovations.
If the application moves forward, the governing body will conduct a public hearing on the project to provide precise details on the scope and cost of the renovations.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).