2 weeks Ago
— Clarke County officials have taken another step to try and get drivers to slow down along Va. 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) on Blue Ridge Mountain. Electronic speed monitoring signs have been installed beside the eastbound and westbound lanes near Valley Springs Lane.
The so-called "radar signs" display the speeds of passing vehicles and flash when drivers exceed the 55 mph limit. They're mounted on poles below traditional speed limit signs. Although the signs don't have cameras, data they collect on anonymous passing vehicles will be used by county officials in making decisions on future improvements to the highway.
The Clarke County Board of Supervisors paid approximately $8,000 to install the signs, which the county owns. Va. 7 is heavily traveled by commuters between Winchester and the Washington, D.
C., area. The highway has a reputation for speeding and traffic crashes.
Recently, the supervisors met with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) engineers to discuss potential improvements to the highway. County employees have begun doing research into which options would be best. The engineers indicated that if the county is willing to help fund any improvements, they might get done quicker.
Supervisors initially opposed that idea. They asserted that because the state owns and maintains Va. 7, VDOT should pay for any improvements.
But the supervisors might be changing their minds. "The county is possibly willing to put some money into the game," Chairman David Weiss said Tuesday after the board was told about the speed monitoring signs. Va.
7 is county officials' top highway concern, added White Post District Supervisor Bev McKay. The board also found out that VDOT has ordered warning lights to be installed at the intersection of Va. 7 and Retreat Road.
The lights are to flash when Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company crews enter the highway to respond to emergency calls. County Administrator Chris Boies said VDOT intends to install the lights as soon as it receives them. Both the speed monitoring signs and warning lights were ideas mentioned during a public meeting about Va.
7 safety problems held at the fire company last fall. In another matter from their meeting Tuesday, the supervisors approved an update to the Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority's (CEA) sliding scale for property owners' incomes. The scale is used in determining the cash consideration of dwelling unit right purchase easements.
Conservation Planner Lorien Lemmon said the update takes inflation into account to treat middle-income owners fairly. According to Lemmon, the CEA considered eliminating high income tiers altogether. But its members believe the chance of a property owner applying for an easement at that level is low.
The highest income bracket of $205,000 or more has never been used, Lemmon pointed out. "Conservation easement applicants with incomes that high tend to benefit more from donating an easement rather than going through the purchase easement process," she said. Weiss, the Buckmarsh District supervisor, said the update should help people who are "land rich but cash poor.
" Anyone wanting more information about it can call Lemmon at 540-955-4134, or email her at . The supervisors recognized Julia Merriner, a county administrative assistant, as Employee of the Quarter. Weiss noted that Merriner works for three county departments — administration, building inspections and the animal shelter — and provides support to other departments when needed.
She currently serves as the Board of Equalization's clerk, too. "She volunteers to come in on her days off to cover offices or to make sure that everything that needs to be done gets done," he said. Her job description states that she will only provide administrative support at the animal shelter.
Still, "Julia routinely helps out by cleaning cat cages as well," said Weiss. What makes her a special employee, he said, is that she "does tasks and duties because they need to be done, without waiting for them to be formally assigned to her." "She is always cheerful about taking on a new project or task, no matter how busy she is," he added.
Weiss presented Merriner a certificate in recognition of her honor. The board also reappointed Billy Thompson and Robert York to the county's Historic Preservation Commission. Their new four-year terms will expire in May 2029.
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