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The
yellow
mark
leading
to
two
county
homes
is
the
proposed
new
road.
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Board
Okays
Start
of
Process
To
Take
in
Hurricane
District
Road
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor
Members
of
the
Buchanan
County
Board
of
Supervisors
agreed
5-2
last
Monday
to
begin
the
process
of
taking
the
Teresa
Gail
Harris
Road
into
the
county
road
system.
County
Road
Engineer
Marcus
Stiltner
presented
the
road
for
consideration
at
the
request
of
Hurricane
Supervisor
William
P
Harris.
The
proposed
road
serves
only
two
homes
and
the
property
is
jointly
owned
by
siblings,
Teresa
Gail,
Danny
Ray
and
Jeffrey
Harris.
The
proposed
road
is
approximately
330
feet
in
length
and
is
off
of
County
Road
4270
(Jay
Harris
Road)
on
Grissom
Creek.
The
road
would
serve
the
two
homes
owned
by
brothers,
Jeffrey
Harris
and
Danny
Ray
Harris.
William
P.
Harris
told
fellow
board
members
last
week
that
he
had
asked
to
be
able
to
construct
the
road
some
time
back
and
Stiltner
agreed
the
issue
had
come
up
before
and
was
not
acted
upon,
adding
he
was
re-presenting
the
issue
at
Harris'
request.
Knox
Supervisor
Pat
Justus
made
the
motion
to
begin
the
process
of
taking
the
road
into
the
county
system
and
Harris
seconded
it.
As
the
vote
began,
South
Grundy
Supervisor
Roger
Rife
asked
point
blank,
"Is
it
a
road
or
a
driveway?"
In
the
past,
county
road
policy
has
suggested
there
needed
to
be
three
or
more
homes
to
qualify
for
inclusion
in
the
county
road
system,
but
that
policy
is
now
being
redeveloped
and
a
moratorium
in
place
on
taking
new
county
roads
in
the
system
was
lifted
last
year.
When
Rife's
question
was
not
immediately
answered,
he
asked
Stiltner
again
before
he
cast
his
vote,
"is
it
a
road
or
a
driveway?"
Stiltner,
who
appeared
to
be
in
the
position
of
being
between
two
supervisors
on
an
issue,
stated,
"I
don't
want
to
answer
that."
Rife
then
voted
"no"
and
as
the
vote
came
to
Garden
Supervisor
Buddy
Fuller,
he
also
voted
"no."
"I
don't
want
to
take
no
driveways
in,"
Fuller
said.
The
motion
to
begin
the
process
of
taking
the
road
into
the
county
system
passed
5-2.
Harris
suggested
the
road
in
question
was
an
"extension
of
a
county
road."
There
was
no
further
discussion.
For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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DSS
Board
Interviews
Candidates
State
Recommendation
to
Re-Advertise
Is
Ignored
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by
Scotty
Wampler
Staff
Reporter
Three
candidates
for
director
of
the
Buchanan
County
Department
of
Social
Services
were
interviewed
again
Monday
night,
this
time
by
the
newly-reorganized
administrative
board,
even
though
a
memo
from
the
regional
office
passed
on
a
state
recommendation
that
the
board
re-advertise
the
post
before
hiring
a
director.
One
board
member
objected
to
the
interview
process,
but
was
out-voted
on
the
issue
by
the
others.
Monday's
meeting
was
the
first
for
the
newly
organized
board,
recently
appointed
when
the
board
of
supervisors
dissolved
the
old
DSS
advisory
board
and
re-initiated
the
administrative
board
form
of
governance.
In
the
search
for
a
director,
Judy
Holland,
Brenda
Jackson
and
Tammy
Fields
were
questioned
individually
during
a
closed-door
interview
process
that
lasted
more
than
two
hours.
Two
additional
candidates
will
be
interviewed
by
the
board
later
this
month.
Though
the
board
first
attempted
to
enter
closed
session
for
personnel
matters
to
discuss
and
interview
the
candidates,
and
to
consult
with
board
attorney
Vern
Presley,
Prater
district
board
member
Paul
Hayes
objected,
citing
concerns
related
to
a
letter
from
interim
Buchanan
DSS
Director
Sherina
Justus
stating
that
recommendations
had
been
received
through
the
regional
office
from
the
Virginia
Department
of
Social
Services
Human
Relations
Department
in
Richmond
which
recommended
the
local
board
re-advertise
the
vacant
directors
position
due
to
the
six-month
span
that
had
passed
without
filling
the
position.
Interviews
for
the
post
were
conducted
some
six
months
ago.
At
that
time,
the
top
candidates
were
ranked
by
the
interview
panel,
but
in
the
interim
period,
as
the
DSS
board
make-up
has
changed
from
administrative
to
advisory
and
back
to
administrative,
a
new
director
has
not
been
hired.
"I
need
some
direction,"
Hayes
said
at
Monday
night's
meeting,
adding
that,
being
new
to
the
board,
he
was
unsure
of
his
exact
responsibilities
as
a
board
member
and
wished
for
further
clarification.
Hayes
further
expressed
concern
related
to
the
letter
from
the
regional
and
state
office
recommending
the
post
be
re-advertised.
E-mail
correspondence
between
DSS
Western
Regional
Director
Tony
Fritz
and
DSS
Department
of
Human
Relations
Daphne
Reid
obtained
by
the
Mountaineer
after
Monday
night's
meeting
contained
a
specific
recommendation
from
Reid
that
the
post
be
re-advertised.
"Due
to
the
length
of
time
it
is
taking
to
fill
this
position
and
with
the
change
to
the
board,
it
is
recommended
that
the
position
be
re-advertised,"
Reid
wrote.
"This
will
give
the
new
board
the
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