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Tobacco Commission hands out $476,000 for projects in Scott County
Published 06/14/2006 RYE COVE - Massive piles of blue water pipe currently lie dormant in the parking lot of Rye Cove High, soon to be part of a public water system that some area residents have been waiting decades for. A fast-track project to pump water from a reliable source to the school was one of four projects earmarked for funding in a ceremony hosted by the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission Wednesday on the school's campus. Checks totaling almost $476,000 were handed out by commission members Delegate Terry Kilgore and state Sen. William Wampler Jr., including $190,000 in tobacco funds that will aid in a water extension that will bring water to the Rye Cove valley and schools. "We hope that by providing these funds, the cost of the project that is being handled partly by the school system can be brought down so that dedicated funds can be used for the students and educational needs," said Kilgore, who chairs the Tobacco Commission. Early cost estimates for the project put the total price tag at $450,000. Once final hookups are complete from water extensions in the Mabe/Stanleytown communities, the Scott County Public Service Authority will take over ownership of the lines. Superintendent of Schools Jim Scott has stated previously that the system would be able to provide additional funds to get the water lines installed at Rye Cove High and Intermediate, both of which currently depend on wells to provide water for hundreds of students during the day. Scott has also stated that there have been occasions where minor mistakes such as a commode left running or a faucet left turned on has resulted in water having to be bused to the school in water tanks in years past. The project also got another financial boost, as Lenowisco Planning District Commission Executive Director Ron Flanary announced that the Virginia Department of Health was providing an additional $83,000 to help with water line construction in Rye Cove. "The amount of homes being serviced with new projects in this part of Southwest Virginia is really amazing when you look at it. Officials in Scott County have really gotten together to help people get clean drinking water," Wampler said. Construction crews with the PSA are currently at work on the project to get public water installed in the two schools by the beginning of the next school year this August. Officials with the Scott County Economic Development Authority (EDA) will be able to begin developing another phase of the e-Corridor Technology Park Southwest in Duffield thanks to a $161,500 Tobacco Commission grant awarded Wednesday. EDA Executive Director John Kilgore said the funds will be dedicated to preliminary engineering and partial construction needs that go along with adopting an additional 35 acres of land inside the park for prospective technology tenants, bringing the total number of acres available in the park to 75. "Part of what we are assigned to do as members of this commission is revitalize the economy of the tobacco-production region. Our children and others will be able to get their computer programming degrees and come to work in the e-Corridor park back home," said Delegate Kilgore. The EDA also received two more funding packages Wednesday: one for $114,000 to complete renovations to the roof and ventilation of the Pioneer Center for Business Opportunity in Duffield, and second, a $10,000 grant that will aid in marketing efforts that will tout the Lenowisco region as a new destination for technology-driven companies. |