Shannon Kelly | Altavista Journal News Correspondent
In a regular meeting on September 4, 2018, the Campbell County Board of Supervisors announced that Jeffrey Janiak will be the interim Supervisor for the Altavista Election District. Janiak will represent Altavista until after the November elections, when a permanent Supervisor will be elected. “It was very obvious that [Janiak] was so extremely well qualified, and just really impressed us, and we look forward to having him sit in our midst next time,” Supervisor Borland commented. The Board offers heart-felt thanks to all who applied for this position and Supervisor Hardie encouraged them to pursue other leadership positions where they can. The Board also reviewed finances from Fiscal Year 2018, moved to enter a contract with Coldwell Banker Commercial Read & Co. to help sell available industrial properties in Campbell County, and approved a special use permit for the establishment of a solar energy facility in Lynch Station.
Dragonfly Solar, LLC, an agent for Keesee Family Properties, LLC, presented a special use permit request to “construct and operate an 80 MWac utility scale solar facility on a maximum of 800 acres of the property” located around Bedford Highway and Bishop Creek Road in Lynch Station, Va. The project has a 35-year life span, meaning it will be decommissioned after 35 years, restoring the property to its original agricultural purposes. The facility will feature approximately 300,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) modules (solar arrays), similar to the ones found on some houses, and is expected to generate enough energy to power 15,000 single family homes, which is approximately two-thirds of homes in the county, allegedly. The power will not necessarily go toward single family homes alone; it will merely have the capability. “The power goes where it’s needed,” Blaine Loos, project manager from Apex Clean Energy, said. “In Virginia, we actually don’t generate as much electricity as we use, so we’re forced to import about a third of our power from out of state,” Loos adds, “so having Dragonfly Solar here in the county helps Campbell County say that they’re doing their part to contribute to our energy independence here in Virginia.” Loos continued by listing a slew of other potential benefits the county could experience: some 200 jobs will be created during construction; tax revenue at approximately $50,000 a year may come in; it may attract businesses to the area who prefer this type of clean energy; it is healthy for the environment, producing no pollution and greenhouse gases but much energy; and Campbell County will look like leaders in environmental protection in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Loos assured everyone that the company would be mindful of the community during construction, trying to keep work vehicle traffic off the roads at the busiest times and taking care to screen any visible parts of the facility with vegetation to keep it unobtrusive. Many local residents appeared at the public hearing, with the majority of them supporting this decision. “I believe the Dragonfly solar project is a win-win for Campbell County,” says Derek Mattox of Hurt, Va. Stanley Goldsmith, former Altavista District Supervisor, also expressed his support for the project back in 2017, when the idea was first introduced. Construction will not start until at least next year.
After three different Commercial Real Estate Brokerage firms were interviewed by Frank Rogers, County Administrator; Larry Dalton, Vice Chair of the Campbell County IDA; and Mike Davidson, Economic Development Director, Campbell County will enter into contract with Coldwell Banker Commercial Read & Co. This comes after “the Board instructed staff to develop an RFP and conduct the process to procure a county contract with a Commercial Real Estate Broker for services,” according the the meeting agenda notes. Utilizing the services of a Commercial Real Estate Broker will help Campbell County to sell available industrial properties, and will also help to market the county, according to Rogers.
For some time, the Board has been discussing utilizing a broadband authority to provide broadband internet access to a wider portion of Campbell County residents, an initiative that, as expressed in prior meetings, will hopefully prove an asset to businesses and those doing online school work in particular. The Board moved to begin advertising for a public hearing regarding this action.
It was noted that the past year has been a prosperous year financially for Campbell County.
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