School Board Votes to Increase Minimum Wage
New Rate Will Be $7.25 in July

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor 
  While minimum wage increase proposals have not yet been approved at the federal or state levels, the Buchanan County School Board agreed Tuesday to raise the minimum wage for its employees paid on an hourly basis to $7.25 effective July 1.
  In discussing the proposal, some school board members asked what the impact of such an increase would be on the overall school budget, and while there were no figures offered about the cost, it was agreed, the primary group which would be impacted by the proposal would be substitute cooks and custodians who currently make about $5.15 per hour.
  Superintendent Tommy P. Justus noted minimum wage increase proposals had been tabled in Congress. In the General Assembly session just ended, increase proposals there were also not acted upon. In neighboring Kentucky, however, South Grundy School Board Member David Thornbury noted an increase in the minimum wage had been approved.
  Buchanan Education Association President Edgar Childress noted the Virginia Education Association has campaigned for “a living wage” for all employees and as such, he said anything that could be done to improve the living wage is something the BEA supports.
  Hurricane School Board Member Willie Sullivan noted it is difficult to get substitute cooks and custodians for $5.15 an hour – the current rate.
  School Board Clerk Joyce Presley noted that the only group employed by the school system at the $5.15 rate was the substitute custodians and cafeterias workers and she said there are not many of those. Other employees on an hourly wage scale currently make not less than $6 per hour.
  North Grundy School Board Member Don Newberry suggested the increase in minimum wage was needed to allow some of the school system’s employees to be able to afford to do something as routine for some as taking their families to a fast food restaurant to eat.
  Newberry said he had recently taken his four grandchildren to eat at a fast food restaurant and when he received the bill, he said he had been surprised at the cost.
  Justus noted that the current school board has been interested in improving salaries for its employees ever since it took office.
  Adjustments are continuing to occur with credit being given to employees for prior experience.
  The motion to raise the minimum wage effective July 1 was made by Thornbury and was seconded by Newberry.
  “I think it’s great Buchanan County Public Schools have their own minimum wage,” Garden School Board Member Steve Hamro III said in casting his “yes” vote.
  The vote was unanimous.
  “This will be good news for a lot of people,” said Knox School Board Member Clarence Brown.

Chamber Discusses Plans for Coal Heritage Trail

by JoBeth Wampler
Staff Reporter  
  The Virginia Coal Heritage Trail was the featured topic at last Friday's Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting.
  Presenting the past, present and potential future of the trail, Tourism Development Specialist for the Virginia Tourism Corporation Randall Rose explained how Buchanan County could capitalize on Southwest Virginia's natural beauty.
  Rose announced that legislation that would designate 95 segments of Virginia highways as the "Virginia Coal Heritage Trail" and declare them all to be Virginia byways had passed in both the House and Senate.
  However, the goal is to have the route declared a national byway, which Rose said he hopes will come in 2010.
  Traveling the proposed Virginia Coal Heritage Trail, he said he knows the route could be marketed as more than an educational route. The views are breathtaking and whether a person has an interest in coal heritage or not, it's still an enjoyable road trip, he said.
  Throughout the rest of the year, Rose expects the planning process to continue and a grant request for Corridor Management Plan Assistance to completed by 2008.
  In 2009, he said he hopes all plans for the National Scenic Byway Designation application to be completed and formally filed.
  It's a lot to complete within the next two years, but Rose said those involved in the project have already shown how quickly they can get things accomplished.
  It was less than a year ago in May 2006 that Virginia Tourism Commission President and CEO Alisa Bailey recommended the Coal Heritage Trail in West Virginia, which exists from Beckley to Bluefield, WV, be extended into Virginia.
  Three months later, the Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority board of directors agreed to participate in the effort and planning meetings would follow in the following months to determine a trail route.
  By January, legislation was introduced before the House.
  "That's a lot of progress for a scenic byway in six months," Rose said.
  However, he said the work is not over.
  "We have to determine, as a grassroots effort, what the plan is to market the trail," he told the chamber.
  Because the trail specifically highlights coal heritage, chamber member Billie Campbell identified one hindrance that must be overcome.
  "(Coal mining) is not a thing of the past," he said. "That's a message we're missing when we talk about bringing people in here."
  Instead of focusing on the past presence of the coal mining industry, Campbell suggested that those marketing the trail should partner with local coal corporations to educate visitors on how coal is still prevalent today.
  Kiosks or vista views of historic and currently operational mines could be developed, he said.
  Campbell also suggested that the trail's planning team utilize funds made available through the state to restore old mines. Instead of restoring them to their pre-mine condition, he said, the abandoned mines could be restored for tourism reasons.
  The suggestions were noted and Rose requested persons to contact to begin joint efforts with the local coal mining industry.
  In other business, the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce announced the new members of the Strategic Planning Committee. They include:  Campbell, Nancy Pruitt, Jodi Reynolds, Jay Rife, Mark Mutter and Susan Mayhew.
  "I think this will be an important step that we, as a chamber, will be doing to bring business into the county," Chamber President Garnette Owens said.
  Owens also announced that executive director Mary Belcher will attend a Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Institute from March 29-30 in Fredericksburg.
  The next Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting will be held March 23 at 11:30 a.m. at Food City.