School Board Passes Resolution Opposing Truck Stop at Exit 24

The Washington County, Va., School Board and a county supervisor now oppose a controversial truck stop proposed for the Exit 24 area of Interstate 81.

In a unanimous vote Monday, the School Board decided to have Superintendent Alan Lee write a letter outlining the board’s concerns to the county Planning Commission and to attend that body’s May 18 meeting.

Planned by Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, the truck stop would be built on state Route 80 about 1,000 feet from Meadowview Elementary School.

“There are heightened risks to children, staff and parents connected to a truck stop being so close to our largest elementary school,” said School Board member Buckey Boone, who made the motion.

He also said the truck stop would mean increased traffic in the area, a likelihood of more accidents and an increase of diesel fuel exhaust, which has been tied to asthma in children.

County Supervisor Tom Taylor, who represents the Monroe District, which includes Meadowview, Emory and Glade Spring, said he attended the School Board meeting and felt its members made a responsible decision.

“I would love to have the jobs and love to have the convenience of a gas station and food establishment at that exit, but we don’t need the trucks. That’s not the place,” Taylor said Tuesday, adding that there are safety concerns because the interchange is too narrow for truck traffic.

What the county does not need, Taylor said, is another problem interchange like Exit 17 in Abingdon, which he referred to as “malfunction junction.” That exit has been on the “five-year [improvement] plan for 20 years,” he said.

Several community meetings have been held to discuss the truck stop, with crowds expressing support and opposition. Proponents say it would bring much-needed development and jobs to the community.

Lee, the school superintendent, said the truck stop could mean some positive things for the community, but there are too many concerns about its proximity to the school, which has about 640 students. He said his main worry is that the truck stop would change the “rural climate” of the school.

“People going up or down the interstate really have no reason to get off at that exit, there is no gas station, no fast-food place, nothing to draw them off that exit, so it’s really a local traffic exit,” Lee said. “But by putting a truck stop there, which means fuel, snacks, and my understanding a Subway or Wendy’s, we are anticipating a large number of travelers coming off the interstate. Suddenly, it would go from an elementary school to a commercial setting.”

Another major concern is the added congestion that would occur when kids are being dropped off and picked up from school every day, he said.

Some board members also fear the possibility of an accident involving a big truck, but Lee stressed they are not worried about the truckers’ driving or behavior. He said school officials are more concerned about the others who would be drawn to the exit.

There also is some concern that there could be a leak or a chemical spill by one of the trucks using the truck stop, Lee said.

Calls for comment to Rick Shuffield, the director of real estate and development for Love’s who held two recent informational meetings here, were not returned Tuesday.

Last week, Washington County Planning Commission Chairman Steve Fisher urged those on both sides of the issue to make their voices heard by those who will decide whether it will be built. The commission will make a recommendation on whether the property should be rezoned and a special exception permit granted, both of which are needed for the project to go forward.

Final approval must come from the county’s Board of Supervisors, and state and federal transportation agencies.

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