County OKs Meeting With Abingdon Over Complex

The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted after a lengthy debate late Tuesday to plan a joint meeting with the town of Abingdon to hash out details of a proposed recreation complex. This is the purchased site.

By: Debra Mccown | Bristol Herald Courier
Published: July 09, 2008

BY DEBRA McCOWN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
ABINGDON, Va. – The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted after a lengthy debate late Tuesday to plan a joint meeting with the town of Abingdon to hash out details of a proposed recreation complex.

A motion to offer the town a deal where the county would get majority representation on the governing board for the complex and foot 70 percent of the bill was rejected in a 3-4 vote.

The four members who voted against the motion – Dulcie Mumpower, Tom Taylor, Odell Owens and Jack McCrady – said the percentage of representation should match the percentage of financial contribution and indicated that if agreement could not be reached on this point the project should die.

“I think the town council is doing what they think is best for Abingdon, and we’re doing what we think is best for the county... we’ve just come to an impasse here,” Owens said. “I think what happened is we saw ballfields before we saw dollar bills. ... Considering all the problems, I just think we probably need to start over and just let this thing go, whatever action we want to take, but next time we’ll be better prepared.”

McCrady reiterated that representation needs to match financial contribution.

“Obviously it’s very important to these people to control the thing. I don’t understand that,” said Supervisor Jack McCrady. “It’s a business proposition. When you put up 60 percent, you should have 60 percent of the representation. That’s just the way it is.”

The Abingdon Town Council unanimously approved a resolution at its July 1 meeting to recommend to the board of supervisors that a seven-member board of directors be appointed to manage the proposed complex.

The town’s recommendation was for three members to be appointed by the county and three by the town, with the seventh member appointed by the other six.

The composition of the managing authority for the complex is the only remaining hurdle to the project moving forward.

Also at the meeting, the board voted to rezone close to 50 acres between U.S. Highway 11 and Interstate 81 to business use.

The property is near Exit 13. The owner of approximately half the property plans to relocate Dominion Auto Auction to the site. The owner of the other half may sell it to a developer and/or relocate other businesses to the site.

Both property owners said their current business locations would be affected by the planned widening of Lee Highway.

Also approved was the rezoning of two small parcels from agricultural to business use near the intersection of U.S. Highway 11 and U.S. Highway 58 for use as part of a Lowe’s shopping center.

The board also approved a special exception permit for the City of Bristol, Va., to operate a city Parks and Recreation Department in a house in between Sugar Hollow Park and John S. Battle High School.

dmccown@bristolnews.com | (276) 791-0701