The Patrick County Board of Supervisors addressed a request to petition the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a market modification to Patrick County’s satellite network during its meeting on Monday, Nov. 18, and later approved the installation of a Revolutionary War Soldiers Monument at the Stuart branch of the Blue Ridge Library and Patrick County Museum.
FCC Petition Request
Richard Landis, of Stuart, asked the board to petition the FCC to allow Patrick County residents to access Virginia-based news and weather through satellite providers like Dish and DirecTV.
“Right now, for most of us that currently (have) satellite, whether it’s Dish or Direct, we only get news from North Carolina. We live in Virginia. I don’t need North Carolina news; I’d really rather hear what’s happening in Virginia,” Landis said.
Landis noted this issue dates back to the 1960s when the FCC established broadcast zones. At the time, mountainous terrain blocked antenna reception of Virginia stations, forcing reliance on North Carolina programming.
“With satellite, we no longer” face that issue. “So, we should be able to get our own state’s news,” he said, emphasizing that Virginia weather warnings, political updates, and other local news are currently inaccessible to residents.
If approved, Landis said the solution would involve only redirecting satellite dishes. “That’s it. There’s no other thing that has to be done except change the direction the antennas are pointed,” he said.
Doug Perry, chairman, and of the Smith River District, said “He’s asking us to request the FCC to open it up to allow these TV satellite companies to provide stations out of Roanoke, so you get Virginia stations as well.”
While some board members supported the request, others called for more information before proceeding. Jane Fulk of the Dan River District suggested waiting until the Dec. 9 meeting, citing concerns about potential disruptions to existing services.
Revolutionary War Monument
The board unanimously approved the installation of a Revolutionary War Soldiers Monument at the Stuart library. John Reynolds, president of the Patrick County Historical Society, presented the proposal, which was initiated by board member John Wesley Martin, a descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier.
Reynolds said the monument, crafted from granite and standing approximately seven feet tall, will list 160 to 170 soldiers from the area who served in the war, with space to add additional names if discovered.
“It will have printed 160 to 170 names on it with space to add more. The top of the monument will include ‘Patrick County Historical Society’ and a relief of a minuteman soldier,” Reynolds said.
The monument will be situated to the left of the walkway leading to the library, near the flagpole. Reynolds assured the board there would be no cost to the county, as the Historical Society would cover any maintenance needs.
“This will be a monument that lasts a long, long time for the county. Being a veteran myself, these Revolutionary War veterans need to be commemorated just like all the others,” Reynolds said, adding that the monument will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026.
In other matters, the board also:
*Heard from Stuart Volunteer Fire Department President John West regarding comments from County Administrator Beth Simms that appeared in the November 13 edition of The Enterprise.
“Ms. Simms, one of her statements was, and it’s in partial context to that all of her other employees would be better off to quit their jobs and apply to work in EMS (Emergency Management Services) department,” he said, adding that isn’t quite accurate, because EMS employees must meet certain qualifications, including completion of a 162+ hour course.
“I know we tried to have them here in the county, we need to have a certain number of people to be able to do that,” he said.
Simms’ other texted statement was about compression and equity issues being created because of the pay reinstatement to Station 8 employees.
“There’s not an equity issue unless you’re talking about other EMTs and paramedics, because unless you’re talking about them across the board type of pay raise, it’s just not the same type of thing. It’s no different than talking about someone who’s operating the waste treatment plant versus someone who’s on trash crew,” he said.
*Heard from Steve Ferring about funding to the Department of Social Services. He said it appears the board is applying the DSS funding mismanagement to the entirety of county functions and resources.
“This is dangerous and irresponsible, and it’s obvious that you know less than the professionals that administer the day-to-day county functions. Your irresponsible management with” DSS “for the last three years, not only put foster children in mortal jeopardy, but our county finances in peril as well,” he said.
Ferring requested Clayton Kendrick, of the Mayo River District, tell residents the financial liability of the bills that remained unpaid from last year total from his chairmanship of the subcommittee that had financial oversight of DSS.
“Odd that these required funds of up to $6,300 for fiscal year are not in the current budget. One can only assume he knew this problem existed, since he was the cause of its existence in the first place and the chair of the committee that drafted the current county budget,” Ferring said.
*Heard from Debbie Foley, captain of the Smith River Volunteer Rescue Squad, about the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) services and the restoration of Station 8.
*Heard from Virginia Department of Forestry Technician Cory Johnson, who introduced himself to the board.
*Heard from Walter Scott, who talked about what’s being done with the old school board office building and Rural Services trash pickup schedules.
*Heard an update from Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) President Dr. Greg Hodges regarding the Patrick County Education Foundation and the Patrick Promise.
*Awarded the bid to Schnabel for the Ararat Watershed Dams Professional Engineering Services.
*Awarded the bid to American Roofing Company to redo the roofing at P&HCC’s Stuart site.
*Scheduled a public hearing for December 9 to consider giving additional funding to the Child Services Act (SCA).
*Heard a DSS update from Director Carol Craig.
*Discussed the dangerous dog vaccination fees ordinance.
*Approved an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the board and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) regarding the Business Development Center Interagency Agreement.
*Approved a resolution for Delay in Solar Applications.
*Appointed Megan Stokes to the DSS Board for the At-Large position.
*Approved the Oct. 21 meeting minutes.
*Approved the bills, claims, and appropriations.
*Heard the administrator’s report from Assistant Administrator/Human Resources (HR) Director Donna Shough.
*Heard the supervisors’ reports.
For additional details, the board’s full meeting minutes are available upon request from the county administration office.
