North vs. South

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: June 15, 2008

Chatham Mayor George Haley tore open an old wound this week when he complained that Pittsylvania County’s northern end always came up short on county government projects, attention and money.

“I want to know, unequivocally, what the towns of Chatham, Gretna and Hurt and north of White Oak Mountain have received from the Board of Supervisors in the last four or five years,” Haley said during Monday’s meeting.

It’s an interesting question. Here’s part of the interesting answer:

 

• Tax dollars collected from the economic development projects with Danville — Swedwood, Yorktowne Cabinetry and eventually CBN Secure Technologies Inc. — will be spent for the entire county;

• The county built a new home for the Department of Social Services in Tightsqueeze;

• Chatham and Gretna high schools will receive the same renovations that Dan River and Tunstall high schools will get;

• Citizens from the northern end will sit on the county’s newly organized recreation advisory committee;

• A plan to reopen Whitmell Elementary School has been indefinitely delayed, even though Twin Springs Elementary School is second only to Tunstall High School in total enrollment;

• The Board of Supervisors supported a state study of uranium mining in the county, resisting intense political pressure to stand against the proposal; and

• The county helped Green Rock Correctional Center receive water and sewer service.

Haley was angry the Board of Supervisors recently voted not to renovate the former Chatham Elementary School for county offices. But it’s not clear that renovating an old building is the best choice for new county offices.

The real problem is that the Board of Supervisors is obligated to renovate the four high schools, at a cost of $70 million, and it must soon find a way to expand Virginia’s most overcrowded local jail.

Still, there have been plenty of complaints that the board’s attention has been focused on the southern end of Virginia’s largest county.

To a certain extent, that’s true. But why has that happened?

The best chance Pittsylvania County has to transform its economy is through economic development partnerships like the one it has with Danville. That can’t happen if the Board of Supervisors spends all of its time, money and effort to make sure that each of the county’s seven magisterial districts receive exactly the same amount of local government spending.

Businesses and industries want to be located near population centers, and they want to deal with partnerships, not individual cities and counties warring over new jobs and investment.

Haley is frustrated with the Board of Supervisors, but he should be willing to go along for the ride and see how far it takes his town. The attention Pittsylvania County has given its “southern end” will eventually help all corners of Virginia’s largest county — including Chatham.