PittCo Happenings

Latest Episodes:

Interim County Administrator Clarence Monday Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Interim County Administrator Clarence Monday joins the show to introduce himself. Monday, who served as the full-time County Administrator from 2014 through early 2017, talks about his previous tenure with Pittsylvania County and his interim work for other localities. Monday says that his job is to keep the ball moving up the field on important projects, and right now the two main goals are to get a budget approved and help the Board of Supervisors find a new County Administrator.

Strain on Public Safety, Volunteers, and Hospitals Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Public Safety Director Chris Slemp and EMS Coordinator Kasey Seay talk about recent trends with high 911 call volume, the significant impact of frequent hospital diversions across the region, and the ripple effects those hospital diversions have on Public Safety staff and the County's many volunteer agencies. Despite record-breaking calls for transport service and extended wait-times at hospitals, volunteer agencies across the County are still responding to over 90% of calls that they are dispatched for.

Chairman Vic Ingram Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Newly appointed Chairman Vic Ingram joins the show to talk about his experience on the Board of Supervisors, the recent termination of County Administrator David Smitherman, and what the goals of the current Board of Supervisors are after the swearing in of three new members. Ingram shares that some of the Board's biggest priorities are fire and rescue, economic development, and solving issues with reassessment.

Pittsylvania County 2021 Year in Review Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Administrator David Smitherman joins the show to discuss some of the biggest successes and developments in the County during 2021. He talks about the impact of the County's partnership with RiverStreet Networks, contextualizes the importance of the County's economic development efforts, shares about the County's effective use of federal funds, highlights continued budget improvements, and a variety of other topics.

Economic Development 2021 in Review Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe joins the show to discuss the highlights of 2021 for Pittsylvania County's Economic Development efforts. During 2021, there were three announcements of new companies locating in Pittsylvania County (or an industrial park that is jointly-owned with the City of Danville), two companies announced the expansions, and Governor Northam came on three separate occasion for groundbreaking ceremonies for new projects across the County.
Matt also talks about what's coming in 2022 and discusses the strength of the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill.

Public Safety 2021 Review Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Public Safety Director Chris Slemp joins the show to talk about the progress and improvements made in the County's Public Safety and volunteer fire and rescue agencies during 2021. Some of the topics include improved response rates, increased call volume, Fire and Rescue Commission changes, pay for volunteers, the success of the Pittsylvania County Public Safety EMS staff, and progress at the 911 Dispatch Center.
This is the first in a series of episodes recapping Pittsylvania County's 2021!

2022 Reassessment Update Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

Assistant county Administrator Dave Arnold joins the show to discuss Pittsylvania County's 2022 reassessment. Pittsylvania County hired Brightminds, LLC, a proven and locally-based appraisal company, in 2020 to complete the reassessment process, which is required to done every four years for localities with more than 50,000 residents. Updated valuations were recently mailed out to property owners, who have the opportunity to schedule a meeting with Brightminds' assessors between December 6 and 17.
Dave talks about the importance of the reassessment process, shares some of the high-level trends that are happening with this reassessment, and explains more about the meetings with Brightminds. You can learn more about reassessment and how to schedule a meeting at pittsylvaniacountyva.gov/reassessment

Brosville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

Carolyn Jarrett, Chief of Brosville Volunteer Fire and Rescue, joins the show to discuss the agency's history, some of the challenges facing volunteer departments across the County, and how Brosville has maintained consistent service. Some of the steps the agency has taken to keep response rates high and response times low is issuing per-call stipends and paying people to man the station from 8-5. Carolyn also shares about the difficulty in finding enough funding and volunteers to keep the station running, but she praises her community and volunteers for their dedication and commitment.

Setting the Record Straight on the Blue Ridge Rock Festival Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

Pittsylvania County Administrator David Smitherman joins the show to discuss the events leading up to the Blue Ridge Rock Festival and what really happened during the four-day event. Below is a summary:

The plans for the Blue Ridge Rock Festival were good, but they were not administered correctly. There were serious public safety risks Wednesday and Thursday due to failures in traffic management, transportation, camping, sanitation, and other areas.
In front of many other regulatory agencies, Purpose Driven Events directly requested that Pittsylvania County take over external operations of the festival.
Purpose Driven Events signed contracts with Danville Public Schools and Pittsylvania County Public Schools for transportation services.
No County employees received two paychecks for working to the direct benefit of Purpose Driven Events. Off-duty professionals (including bus drivers, public safety staff, and Sheriff's deputies, for example) were compensated for their time, but were not paid as County employees.
To this day, the promoter still has not been able to provide an accurate head count for the Blue Ridge Rock Festival.
Based on complaints and comments by the promoter and vendors, as well as the promoter's difficulty in securing a bond, the County had legitimate concerns about collection of monies owed.

When to Call 911 Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

911 Manager Ronnie Fowler, who oversees the Pittsylvania County Dispatch Center, talks about the role of dispatchers and his experience over the past 30 years in the Dispatch Center. With many regional hospitals and emergency rooms frequently going on diversion due to short-staffing, the dispatch center is constantly adjusting where they direct transport agencies to take patients, which can have a negative impact on the whole public safety system. Ronnie encourages citizens to use discretion before calling 911 to save critical resources for true emergencies where every second and minute matters.

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