By Staff Reports
When the Henry County Board of Supervisors meets at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, it will consider adopting a resolution supporting a petition to the Commonwealth Transportation Board to name the Main Street bridge in Ridgeway the “Mayor Edward M. Page Sr. Memorial Bridge.”
The board will also meet at 6 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the Summerlin Room of the Henry County Administration Building.
Page, who also served as Ridgeway’s town manager, dedicated 24 years to public service. The resolution notes that he “worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for Ridgeway residents and his leadership was marked by vision, persistence, and a deep commitment to community development.”
Page, who died July 9, also played a key role in securing funding to replace the Main Street/US 220 Business bridge.
Ridgeway Mayor Craig O’Der is scheduled to attend the meeting.
In other matters, the board will:
*Consider approving an additional $31,200 appropriation from State Asset Forfeiture funds to buy Class A dress shirts as part of the sheriff’s department’s transition to new uniforms. Sheriff Wayne Davis is also asking the board to award a $53,700 contract for the shirts to Read’s Uniforms of Asheville, North Carolina. Funding from the appropriation and $22,500 from the sheriff’s existing budget will be used for the purchase.
*Tim Pace, Director of Engineering and Mapping, is requesting an additional $750,000 appropriation received from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) through their Virginia Business Ready Site Program. The grant funds are designated for engineering related to the development of Lot 3 at Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre (CCBC). Pace is also asking the board to award a $995,000 contract to Timmons Group for engineering and design services for Lot 3 at CCBC
*Sheriff Davis is asking the board to award a $64,187 contract to East Coast Emergency Vehicles, LLC, of Chester, Virginia, to purchase emergency equipment for nine new police vehicles. The Purchasing Department has authorized the vendor as a sole source provider for this equipment. Funding for the purchase was included in the sheriff’s budget.
*Public Safety Director Tim Duffer is asking the board to award a $214,616 contract to Vest Sales and Service, Inc. of Check, VA, for the re-chassis of an existing 2018 Ambulance to a 2025 Ford 4-wheel drive chassis.
*General Registrar Dawn Stultz-Vaughn is requesting an additional $36,650 appropriation to buy seven secure voting supply cabinets. Stultz-Vaughn noted that these items were originally planned for a future capital request; however, an opportunity is now available to purchase them at approximately 40 percent below list price. No funds are currently budgeted for this purpose, but if the board approves, county staff recommend using the contingency fund to cover the cost.
*Sheriff Davis is asking for an additional $33,222 appropriation from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) grant for traffic enforcement. The grant is pass-through funding received from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for FY 2026. Grant funds will be used to pay deputies overtime for performing extra traffic enforcement, the purchase of a LiDAR unit for speed detection, and travel expenses related to grant administration and training.
*Melissa Chapman, Interim Director for the Blue Ridge Regional Library, has requested time on the agenda for introductions and to provide an update on library activities.
*Consider meeting in closed session to discuss appointees to the Community Criminal Justice Board, Patriot Centre/CCBC Advisory Board, and West Piedmont Planning District Commission; the acquisition/disposal of real estate; as-yet unannounced industries; awards and recognition; and personnel matters.
At the 6 p.m. session, the board will:
*Consider a resolution recognizing Election Worker Appreciation Day to honor local election workers, who “play a vital role in ensuring that elections are conducted in a secure, accurate, and transparent manner,” according to the meeting agenda.
Virginia Joint House Resolution 500 designates the Tuesday following each November general election as Election Worker Appreciation Day. The proposed county resolution would recognize Nov. 11, 2025, as Election Worker Appreciation Day in Henry County.
*Hear an update on General Highway Matters from Lisa Hughes, resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
*Hold a public hearing on a rezoning application from Robert Amos for property located at 16783 and 16805 A.L. Philpott Hwy, in the Horsepasture District. Amos is requesting the rezoning of approximately 1 acre from Commercial District B-1 and Agricultural A-1 to Suburban Residential District S-R. He plans to subdivide the property and create two single-family residences.
*Hold a public hearing on a rezoning application from Robert Amos for property located at 17529 A.L. Philpott Hwy, in the Horsepasture District. Amos is requesting the rezoning of approximately 2 acres from Commercial District B-1 to Suburban Residential District S-R, with plans to apply for the required Special Use Permit to convert the lower level of the building into a residence, thereby creating a duplex apartment building.
*Hold a public hearing on a rezoning application from Percy H. Gibson Jr. for property located at 60 Broken Oak Dr., in the Iriswood District. Gibson is requesting the rezoning of three lots from Suburban Residential District S-R to Rural Residential District R-R, and wishes to replace a manufactured home on the property that was destroyed by fire in 2020.
