By Taylor Boyd
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors discussed the possibility and intricacies of allowing children to participate in recreational sports at the Feb. 8 meeting.
Denise Stirewalt, of the Peters Creek District, said the recreation department is allowing some use of the Rotary Building and field for sports.
“Because of that, because the Governor’s order to have a plan by March 15 to allow the kids to go back to school, and because the school board already voted to allow contact sports in school, I see no reason why the Recreation Department cannot open up recreational sports,” Stirewalt said.
“Maybe they can have a plan in place to present by March 15,” she added.
Clayton Kendrick, of the Mayo River District, and Clyde DeLoach, also said they believe the Recreation Department should open sports for children.
“We need some guidelines, and I don’t see why we can’t talk to other localities that are doing it and get some guidelines,” said DeLoach, vice-chairman and of the Blue Ridge District.
“Children need to get rid of that energy. But it is hard on those children not having an activity and they are staying at home and getting bored. They are losing out. They need something to motivate them to do their work to be able and get out,” Crystal Harris, chairman, said.
and of the Smith River District, said, and added that the board should have already had a plan in place because it will take a while to implement.
“There are strict guidelines to go by and I feel like the recreational department needs to go by the same guidelines” as the high school does, Harris, of the Smith River District, said.
At the high school level, “outside sports is only 25 people total, other than the players” allowed to watch, Harris said, adding that there also are guidelines on mitigation strategies like cleaning.
In other matters, the board:
*Approved a resolution to declare Handy Mountain Road a Rural Rustic Road, which will allow the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to pave the road.
* Heard an update from Lisa Price-Hughes, resident engineer of VDOT, about the department’s construction projects in the county. She said surveying would begin around VA-103 in the Lee’s Kar-Go area in Claudville in the next couple of weeks.
“The rural rustic we had planned for last year, Squirrel Creek, we’ll be starting in as soon as the weather breaks this summer,” Price-Hughes said, adding drilling also will be done to get additional information and take core samples on U.S. 58.
*Approved the bills, claims, and collections with a 3-2 vote.
*Set a public hearing on a proposed Judicial Sales and Administrative Fees ordinance for March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
