The general function of government is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. Local government achieves this function through the provision of public services such as education, police, fire and rescue services, and water and sewer. In order for the government to provide these services to the public, each level of government (federal, state, and local) levies some form of taxation to generate revenue. Local government, for instance, relies on such taxes as real estate and personal property taxes, licensing fees, and business taxes.

Pulaski County is governed by a Supervisor/Administrator form of government, meaning that a Board of Supervisors, elected every four years, appoints a County Administrator to handle the administration of its policies. The County Administrator serves at the leisure of the Board of Supervisors. While the Administrator and staff manages the overall day to day operations of a community's public infrastructure, it is the Board of Supervisors and citizen-appointed advisory boards which formulate the policies which enables the government to function and protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizenry.

Between 1991 and 1996, Pulaski County's school enrollment decreased by 8 percent. Pulaski County has joined the growing trend in southwestern Virginia of a shifting population base with declining school-aged children and an increasing elderly population base. As a result of this trend, per pupil expenditures have risen slightly in the past five years. For the school year 1990-91, the Per-Pupil Expenditure was $4,446. For the 1995-96 school year, the Per-Pupil Expenditure was $5,181, an increase of 17 percent. Table 20 contains data on membership figures, promotional rates, graduation rates, and revenues.

According to Table 20, 78 percent of Pulaski County 9th graders graduate in four years. This is three percent above the statewide average but approximately four- percent below average for the region. The high school dropout rate for the County is 4.9 percent, which is one percent above the average dropout rate in adjacent counties. However, the dropout rate is approximately the same as the statewide average.

35 percent of Pulaski County graduates continue their education at a two-year college, and 41 percent attend a four-year college. Overall college enrollment for Pulaski County graduates is twenty percent below the statewide average, but is much higher than four of the seven adjacent jurisdictions.

In the early 1970s, the voters of Pulaski County agreed to consolidate their secondary schools and to issue a $4 million general obligation bond to pay for the cost of building a consolidated high school. The current public school system consists of one high school, two middle schools and eight elementary schools. Table 21 contains current information regarding the schools, grades housed in each school, current enrollment figures, number of classrooms, and site size.

The data in Table 21 illustrates the impact unbalanced change in student school enrollment can have on the school system; as the student population decreases these disparities will increase unless school district boundaries are modified or schools are consolidated. This process is similar to that which resulted in the development of Pulaski County High School at its current location. These solutions do not, however, address the school facility's role as focal point for the community it serves.

Most of the school facilities have a large portion of their acreage devoted to recreational facilities. Use of these facilities by the general public alleviate some of the pressure for dedicated public recreational facilities, and provide the County with an opportunity to be more innovative in developing additional recreational facilities.

In February 18, 1997, the Pulaski County School Board issued a report entitled, School By School Summary of Proposed Capital Plans, which examined the physical needs of each public school in Pulaski County. The following table is a list of Pulaski County Schools and the respective future plans for each:

Close or remodel school.

Critzer Elementary School

(Completed)

Close Draper Elementary School, and replace with new 400-student elementary school on site yet to be determined;

Renovate the school to incorporate year round climate control, provide infrastructure for technology, and limit enrollment to 500 students;

Renovate and add classrooms to Newbern Elementary School, increase the size to accommodate 300 students, provide year round climate control and infrastructure for technology;

Close Northwood Elementary School, reassign students to Claremont and Critzer;

Renovate the school to provide additional space, limit enrollment to 400 students, and incorporate year round climate control and infrastructure to support technology;

(Completed)

Renovate or replace with a new school.

Renovate or replace with a new school.

An increased amount of leisure time and individual stresses in an industrial society can account for an increased demand for the provision of social, cultural, and recreational services. In response, Pulaski County has invested in Randolph and Harry DeHaven Parks and joined the Town of Pulaski in renovating Draper Mountain Overlook. The Town provides mountain recreation at Gatewood Reservoir. The County continues to seek open space areas and recreational facilities which offer year-round recreational opportunities with adequate accessibility and in sufficient quantity, quality, and variety for all of its citizens. County government will continue to pursue recreational activities in the Boy Scout of America park.

Twenty-one years ago, the 1977 Virginia Outdoor Plan noted, "...each city, town, county, and regional agency has the responsibility to plan and develop its own system of local and regional parks... Even the most rural of counties has a need for public recreation areas, either to serve its own population, or to advance economic welfare by attracting outside visitors."

The 1989 Virginia Outdoors Plan had the following recommendations for development of local and regional parks:

The 1996 Virginia Outdoors Plan made several general and specific recommendations which have a direct impact on Pulaski County:

Pulaski County has two regional parks within its jurisdiction. One is Claytor Lake State Park which includes 472 land acres and is adjacent to the 5,000 water acres in Claytor Lake. The facility includes 3.1 miles of hiking trails, several miles of bridle trails which can be accessed via concession stand at the park, a beach area, a picnic area, rental cabins and 132 campsites. In the past ten years park attendance has increased by 111,978 persons from 214,879 to 326,857 persons. The second is the New River Trail State Park. This is a linear park developed under the greenway concept on an abandoned Norfolk-Western railway right-of-way. The Park's planned length is nearly 60 miles long; currently all but two 2-mile sections of the trail are available to the public. Roughly a third of the park will be located in Pulaski County, the remainder of the Trail runs through Wythe, Carroll, and Grayson Counties, and the City of Galax. The park parallels the New River, offering recreational opportunities for hiking, off-road bicycling, horseback riding, and fishing. Once complete, the New River Trail will link the Town of Pulaski with the Town of Galax and the Mount Rogers Recreational Area in Carroll County. Both Claytor Lake and the New River Trail Park are illustrated in the existing and future land use maps of the County.

Jefferson National Forest offers considerable recreational opportunities for County residents. At least 19,290 acres are available for public recreational use. The Forest Service recorded 28,200 recreation visitor days of use in 1978. There are no specific figures for the current recreational use in the National Forest in Pulaski. Activities in the national forest include hiking, hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. In the Wytheville Ranger District, there were 220,000 recreation visitor days, and 344,400 recreation visitor days in the Blacksburg Ranger District.

Another recreational opportunity in Pulaski County is the Transamerica Bike Route. This bike route is located on Virginia routes 626, 611, 658, and 654. The route is not marked throughout its length in the County. Coordinating additional bike routes with historic attractions, outdoor recreation opportunities, or other regional bike routes has not been actively pursued in the County.

Park facilities represent a considerable investment in land acquisition, capital costs, and continuing maintenance. It is important that site locations and designs not only be in keeping with the recommended state standards but that construction be based on expressed public demand or actual usage. There are various school facilities that could be opened to the general public, as well as improved to meet current demand. However, local school facilities should be used to supplement, not replace, dedicated recreational facilities. School facilities are occupied for school functions less than full time represents a substantial recreational opportunity. Community specific demand studies may indicate that schools fill particular recreational facility roles adequately, but are insufficient in other ways. County investment could then focus on those shortcomings.

Although economies of scale favor larger parks, a major number of park users are younger children who walk or bike to facilities. This would seem to encourage the use of neighborhood parks and pocket parks. Optimum park size can only be determined by a user study. User studies may also indicate that the general public would be best served by smaller scale investments, such as boat ramps, parking areas for the New River State Park Trail, or improved lighting at existing facilities.

There are a number of sites, buildings, and communities which have historic or picturesque qualities that could be preserved or enhanced. Historic preservation is another resource from which the County receives important recreational dividends. Preservation is much simpler and less costly if old buildings and old places are kept in use, rather than relegated as museum pieces. The Virginia Outdoors Plan recommends the coordination of historic landmarks with a recreation system, wherever possible. By coordinating these two goals, the County can promote open space planning, provide areas for group gatherings or picnicking, and maintain a valuable resource and educational tool, simultaneously. The County's Board of Supervisors is currently in the process of evaluating at least three sites/areas in the County evaluated for historic significance: Snowville, Boone's Furnace, Furnace at Max Creek (which is located on the Boy Scout Reservation). The Town of Dublin's downtown area is listed on both Federal and State Historic registers. The Town of Pulaski has three historic districts; North Residential, Historic Commercial, and South Residential, all of which are listed in State and Federal Historic registers.

Table 22 provides a listing of the recreational opportunities provided by the Recreation Department to citizens of Pulaski County.

Boys Basketball             93                                 77                                 170

(Winter)

Girls Basketball             60                                 48                                 108

(Winter)

Boys Basketball             35                                 46                                 81

(Older, Spring)

Youth Baseball             118                                 86                                 204

Tee-Ball                         57                                  41                                 98

Coach Pitch                    48                                  36                                84

Girls Softball                   55                                  54                                109

Hershey's Track              60                                 55                                 115

Playground                     100                                 15                                 115

Tennis                              45                                 10                                   55

Wrestling                         35                                   35                                 70

Cheerleading                    34                                  26                                  60

Football                            47                                 36                                   83

Soccer                             73                                 56                                   129

Dublin Lions Field

Dublin Middle School Field #1

Dublin Middle School Field #2

Dublin Elementary Field

Riverlawn Elementary School Field #1

Riverlawn Elementary School Field #2

New River Field (Police Academy)

Belspring School & Field

Hiwassee Field

Hiwassee Recreation Building

Snowville Elementary School Field #1

Snowville Elementary School Field #2

AT&T Field

Draper Valley Golf Club

River Course Golf Club

Thorn Springs Golf Club

Town of Pulaski

Calfee Park

Loving Field

Cool Springs

MacGill Village

Gatewood Reservoir

Sixth Street Park

Dora Highway

Jackson Park

Valley Road Park

Other significant recreational and tourist-related points of interest in Pulaski County include Harry DeHaven Park at Claytor Lake, which offers swimming, boat slips and a boat ramp; Allisonia Landing, a boat ramp at Claytor Lake; Draper Mountain Overlook; and Randolph Park, a multi-purpose facility which is being developed by the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors. To date the County has spent more than $500,000 on the Park.

Pulaski County has one central library located on West Third Street in the Town of Pulaski, and a branch library located on Giles Avenue in Dublin. The Library also operates an outreach service, delivering books and providing story time programs at a variety of locations in the County. The Commonwealth of Virginia has not set clear standards against which library systems can be measured, but has prepared a document titled, Planning for Library Excellence. This document recommends, among other goals, that rural libraries serving areas like Pulaski County strive to achieve the following minimum goals:

The next few years will be a time of excitement and challenge for the Pulaski County Library System. An exciting time because the libraries are an integral part of today's global information society. Citizen awareness of global information available through the library is one of Pulaski County Library System's challenging goals for the future.

The Pulaski County Library serves its county as a center of information and life-long learning in addition to providing recreation, cultural resources, and other services for its patrons. A special emphasis is placed on stimulating younger children's interests and appreciation for reading and learning. The library continually promotes and encourages reading, life-long learning, and the use of its various collections.

Adult services will improve as the Library adds specialized information sites. Their goal is to provide patrons immediate access to current and authoritative information. This high-tech space will be buzzing with the sounds of electronic information retrieval through the use of CD-ROMs, an Online Database, and the Internet.

For sixty-one years, the Pulaski County Library has provided excellent services to its users. Unfortunately, crowded conditions such as diminished public space with little room for collection growth, limited workspace for the staff, and little to no provision for electronic equipment makes it woefully apparent that it is time for a change. Parking space at the library is at a premium, especially on days that court is in session.

The most pressing issue facing library staff is whether or not the libraries will be ready to meet the needs of Pulaski County residents in the near future. What is really important to library staff is the patron's opinion, because without users there is no need for libraries, except to serve as information warehouses. After all, patrons believe that the library's reason for being open is to meet their needs. Therefore, a belief that services are "good enough" does not inspire a library to improve and challenge itself. Continuous improvement should be a way of life.

Examination of alternate means to improve the library by either expansion or constructing a new library facility is a library board priority. Information and questions concerning the future needs of the library should be answered now so the library can prepare to meet the challenge of providing services to the citizens of Pulaski County in the future.

The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department provides protection through a force of 65 full-time employees, including 26 law enforcement officers, 21 correctional officers, 2 civil process servers, 3 court room security deputies, 7 dispatchers, 3 secretaries, and 3 cooks. The Town of Pulaski provides police protection with 31 sworn officers and 9 support non-sworn officers. The Dublin Police Department employs 7 sworn officers and 1 non-sworn, support employee. Additional assistance is provided by the Virginia State Police Department's Dublin field office.

Table 24 represents Pulaski's Crime Rate Index for the years 1993-1997. The purpose of this data, is provide citizens and community leaders an idea of the crime trends in their locality. Further, to quote from the Crime In Virginia report, "[F]or practical purposes of measuring the trend and distribution of crime....the Uniform Crime Reporting program is based on a Crime Index. This index is composed of those crimes considered to represent the most local crime problem and the most serious by nature of motive or by the volume in which they occur. Essential also to the maintaining of uniform and consistent data is the establishment of standard definitions which are used for the State and National Programs. The UCR Crime Index Offenses and their definitions, listed in order of seriousness, are:

(1) Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter - The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being      by another.

(2) Forcible Rape - The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.

(3) Robbery - A vicious crime which takes place in the presence of the victim to obtain property or anything of value by force or the threat of force.

(4) Aggravated Assault - An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe bodily injury.

(5) Burglary - The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft.

(6) Larceny - The unlawful taking or stealing of property or articles of value without the use of force.

(7) Motor Vehicle Theft - The unlawful taking of stealing of a motor vehicle.

Between 1993 and 1997, the overall Crime Rate Per 100,000 persons steadily declined until 1997, when the County's Total Crime Index almost reached the 1993 index level. The state's Total Crime Index has steadily declined since 1993. Within Pulaski County, the Towns of Dublin and Pulaski's Total Crime Index has risen and fallen with the County's Total Crime Index. Table 24 documents the changes over a five-year period.

Fire Protection

The protection of citizens from fire is a public service generally offered by communities throughout the United States. In order for the services performed by a fire department to be efficient and expedient, its personnel and equipment must be of the highest caliber. Efficiency is determined by various fire underwriting agencies through a deficiency point scale. All the fire departments in the County are certified by the Insurance Services Office.

Fire insurance rates were reviewed and improved in January, 1988. Areas within 5 miles of a fire station and 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant received an ISP rating of 6. Areas farther than five miles from a fire station but within 1,000 feet of a hydrant received a rating of 10. The ratings of the various County department service areas are as follows:

Town of Pulaski................................................................ 5

Town of Dublin..................................................................6

Protected Subdivision........................................................9

(Areas within 4 miles of a certified fire department)

County Areas....................................................................9

It should be noted that the major constraints to lower numerical ratings are availability of a water system, equipment, and paid, full-time fire fighters.

Fire protection is provided through eight fire departments equipped with a total response force of nine support vehicles, 6 tankers and 23 pumpers rated at 500 to 1,000 GPM. These departments are staffed by 12 full-time firemen, primarily the Pulaski Fire Department, and 229 volunteers.

The County of Pulaski is protected by volunteer fire departments. The Town of Pulaski has its own paid fire department. The volunteer departments are:

Newbern                        Draper

Dublin                             Twin Community

Fairlawn                          Hiwassee

Snowville

There is no department headquarters location as each volunteer fire department works independently. The County Emergency Services Coordinator provides overall coordination of the independent stations. Dispatch is managed through the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department dispatcher.

The Newbern Volunteer Fire Department is located on Newbern Road (Route 611), in the heart of Newbern. The station building has been renovated with an additional drive-through bay and the construction of an upstairs meeting area. The station offers protection to Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corporation and the Corporate Research Center. This station responds to an average of 90 calls per year.

The Dublin Fire station is located on Lee Highway (Route 11), in downtown Dublin. The Dublin Station serves the Dublin area and a large portion of Pulaski County and receives the most calls per year in the County, over 194 per year.

The Fairlawn Volunteer Fire Department is located in a new station building (1989) on Pepper's Ferry Boulevard (VA 114), near the intersection of Pepper's Ferry Boulevard (VA 114) and Belspring Road (VA 600). This station serves one of the fastest growing areas in the County and the commercial areas along Lee Highway in Fairlawn. The station answers 156 calls per year on average.

The Snowville Volunteer Fire Department is located on Lead Mine Road (VA 693) near the Montgomery County line. This department is housed in a three bay fire station. There is also a substation on Little River Dam Road (VA 605). Snowville responds to 44 calls per year.

The Hiwassee Volunteer Fire Department is located on Lead Mine Road (VA 693), adjacent to the old Hiwassee Elementary School building. The department is located in a new and modern fire station. Approximately 23 calls per year are responded to by the Hiwassee station.

The Draper Fire Department is located in Draper on Old Baltimore Road (VA 658). A new fire station for the Draper Fire Department was built in 1991. This station offers protection to residents of Draper Valley and travelers on Interstate 81. The Draper station responds to 76 calls per year on average.

The Twin Community Volunteer Fire Department is located on Parrott River Road (Route 600) in the Community of Parrott, but serves the areas surrounding Parrott and Belspring. The building has been expanded to double its original storage area. Twin Community Fire Department responds to 44 calls per year.

Pulaski County supports the volunteer units through insurance coverage, assistance with vehicle purchase, assistance with facility construction and vehicle maintenance. The Fire Protection Committee oversees equipment purchases and capital improvements for the County fire departments. This committee, which is composed of County staff and representatives from the volunteer fire departments, is the focal point of long-range planning for fire program development in the County.

Pulaski County is working to establish a 911 Calls Telephone System. The purpose of 911 is to aid the emergency services (ambulance, fire, rescue, and law enforcement) to quickly find a residence or place of business in case of emergency. As part of the emergency telephone system, a uniform rural address system must be installed. In cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service, the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors is working to install this system. The Postal Service will adopt the new house numbering system as addresses. While "Calls" has been in place for a number of years, the system is being complemented by the house numbering system, which is superior to E-911 in that information can be supplemented.

Rescue services in Pulaski County is provided by Regional Emergency Medical Services Inc. (REMSI). REMSI was incorporated in 1994 in response to a series of recommendations made by a consulting firm after local rescue squad leaders, hospital personnel and government officials realized that the volunteer squads in the County were have difficulty meeting the emergency medical transportation needs of the community.

Three major outcomes arose as a result of the consultants' recommendations; the first recommendation was to combine departments, where career and volunteer personnel work together, which was recognized as absolutely essential in improving care in rural communities. Career personnel provide advanced clinical capabilities and response time performance that the previous all-volunteer system was unable to furnish. Volunteer and career personnel work side by side, stay in the same stations and use the same ambulance and rescue vehicles.

The second implemented recommendation was changing the corporate structure. The local rescue squads were based on the popular election of crew officers and there was little long term planning. The squads were constantly in a reactive mode and struggling to meet service needs. The new corporation is directed by representatives of the health care systems and local government. The focus of the new organization is the long-term delivery of high quality services to the public.

The third implemented recommendation was charging patients for services. Charging for services provided was and continues to be a very divisive issue for agencies that have traditionally provided services without billing patients. In Pulaski County's situation, it was determined preferable to take advantage of any potential revenue sources before requesting additional local government funding. All patients are charged, even patients transported by all volunteer ambulance crews. The results from the changes has been remarkable.

Overall, the effect of implementing corrective measures as recommended by the consultants has been positive. Response times have decreased 45 percent County-wide, while the availability of mobile intensive care services has increased 225 percent.

Rescue squads are housed in the Towns of Dublin and Pulaski as well as the communities of Fairlawn, Hiwassee and Snowville. Each station has a rescue boat and there are three support vehicles in various areas of the County. The following table outlines currently available equipment and personnel.

Dublin Station        20 volunteer staff members

                                2 advanced life support ambulances

                                1 medium duty extraction unit

Fairlawn Station      20 volunteer staff members

                                1 advanced life support ambulance

                                1 basic life support ambulance

                                1 light duty extraction unit

Snowville Station     14 volunteer staff members

                                  1 advanced life support ambulance

Hiwassee Station         8 volunteer staff members

                                    1 advanced life support ambulance

Pulaski Station             12 volunteer staff members

                                     2 advanced life support ambulances

                                     1 basic life support ambulance

                                     1 light duty extraction vehicle

Career Staffers             14 (includes a mix of full-time and part-time personnel)

One interstate highway, Interstate 81, passes through Pulaski County. Interstate 81 provides access to the City of Roanoke and the Shenandoah Valley to the northeast and to Bristol, Virginia, to the southwest. Just south of Pulaski County, Interstate 81 connects with Interstate 77 which provides access to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, West Virginia. Within the immediate area, Interstate 81 provides a limited-access link between Christiansburg, Radford, and Pulaski.

The primary highways in Pulaski County are as follows:

1. VA 99 from the I-81 service road (F047) to the corporate limits of the Town of Pulaski.

2. US 11 from Memorial Bridge at Radford to I-81 at Exit 89.

3. VA 100 from Interstate 81 at Exit 98 to the Giles County line, and from the Wythe County line to Interstate 81 at Exit 89.

4. VA 114 from US 11 at Fairlawn to the Montgomery County line.

Interstate 81 in Pulaski County has a daily traffic volume of approximately 31,000 vehicles. The most heavily traveled segments of the primary highway system in Pulaski County are: VA 114 between US 11 at Fairlawn and the Montgomery County line (12,000 to 18,000 veh. per day); US 11 between Memorial Bridge (at Radford) and the Town of Pulaski (13,000 to 19,000 veh. per day); and VA 100 between Interstate 81 at Exit 98 and US 11 at Dublin (15,000 to 18,000 veh. per day). This information is based on Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 1996 average daily traffic data for interstate and primary highways.

Based on VDOT 1995 secondary road traffic volume data, Table 26 contains some of the most heavily traveled segments of the secondary road system in Pulaski County.

VDOT is responsible for all routine maintenance activities related to interstate, primary, and secondary roads in the County. Funding priorities for interstate and primary roads are determined annually through VDOT's Commonwealth Transportation Board.

Priorities and timing of improvements for secondary roads are determined by the Board of Supervisors and VDOT each year. In State Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, VDOT allocated $1,754,752 for secondary road improvements in Pulaski County. An additional $8,145,328 in secondary road funding is currently projected for the period FY 1999 - FY 2003. The projects listed on the following page (Table 8) are primary/interstate highway improvement projects in Pulaski County which are included in VDOT's FY 1998 Six Year Improvement Program.

ROAD         SEGMENT                         IMPROVEMENT                          TIMEFRAME

VA 100     Giles/Pulaski County line to     Develop from two to                         Construction

                  5.6 miles north of Dublin          four lanes                                         complete by

                   North Corporate Limits                                                                   end of FY 2000

VA 99         New East Corporate Limits     Widen from two to four                     Construction

                   of Pulaski Town to I-81             lanes                                                complete by

                                                                                                                            end of FY 2003

I-81             Wythe County Line to             Widen from four to six                         PE work

                    Montgomery County Line         lanes (preliminary                               complete by

                                                                    engineering [PE] only)                       end of FY 1999

US 11         Memorial Bridge between         Bridge replacement                        Construction to

                    City of Radford and                                                                       begin in FY 2001 

                    Pulaski County                                                                               and continue 

                                                                                                                          thru  FY 2003

In addition to routine improvements (i.e., surface treatment; and reconstruction to current standards) to several roads, the FY 1998 Secondary Construction Program for Pulaski County includes the following bridge replacement projects: Bridge over Little River on VA 693; and bridge over Back Creek on VA 600.

Beyond these capital investments in the County road system, the 2010 Statewide Highway Plan includes the following recommended improvements, as well as improvements to a number of other secondary roads:

Since the Pulaski County transportation system is largely based upon secondary roads, residential, commercial, and industrial growth along these roads has caused some problems. Changes in commercial development patterns have caused scattered development in areas where the road system is not able to meet the demand of increased traffic flow. US 11 in the Town of Dublin and in Fairlawn is a notable example. Increased traffic makes travel through these areas difficult at times. Direct access to and from commercial establishments along arterial roads exacerbates this situation.

Another transportation system issue is the subdivision and development of property along roads that are inadequate to handle the subsequent increased residential traffic. Properties along Claytor Lake and the developments north of Pulaski are examples of this situation. This problem may lead to the transformation of connector routes into neighborhood streets. The Town of Newbern illustrates this problem, where a narrow residential street (VA 611) is also a significant connector from VA F047 to VA 682 and Claytor Lake.

Consideration should be given to improving access to the Dublin Industrial Park area from Interstate 81. The Dublin Industrial Park, D & S Distribution, and the Regional Jail are located along VA 682 and VA 611. Access to these facilities, especially for truck traffic, from I-81 is currently inconvenient from the Exit 98 interchange. The Dublin Industrial Park area can also be reached from the I-81 Exit 101 interchange via VA 611. VA 611 between the Dublin Industrial Park and the Exit 101 interchange is narrow, winding, and lack shoulders. This section of VA 611 is recommended for improvement in the 2010 Statewide Highway Plan. The County should coordinate with the Town of Dublin and VDOT to seek improvements to this section of VA 611 and thus improve access to the Industrial Park area from I-81.

Currently, there are discussions concerning development of a Commerce Park, a Foreign Trade Zone, and an Intermodal Transportation Center in Pulaski County. To the degree possible, the transportation needs and impacts of these major projects should be identified and considered. When these projects are developed, transportation improvements should be coordinated with the County's other transportation priorities through the State's transportation funding allocation process.

The New River Valley Airport, located just north of Dublin on VA 100, recently completed the construction of a state of the art terminal. According to the Airport Master Plan, it provides general aviation, air freight, and charter service. The asphalt runway measures approximately 6,200 feet in length. The Airport is funded by localities in the New River Valley region and operated by the New River Valley Airport Commission. Other services offered at the Airport are aviation fuel sales (including jet fuel) and aircraft rental and sales.

Although commercial carrier usage of the Airport has not developed due to the presence of other more urban transportation hubs (i.e., Greensboro, NC and Roanoke, VA), there is a scarcity of airport facilities across the nation. This scarcity is expected to become critical in the future, exacerbated by the 10 to 15 year development period required to construct new airports.

The Airport, with its associated Free Trade Zone and Customs Entry Port, is an important economic development tool for the New River Valley region. The Airport is also significant because of its impacts on area land uses. A regional Commerce Park is planned in the vicinity of the airport.

The Airport as a regulated facility has an immediate impact on area land use through height restrictions imposed on construction around the Airport. These restrictions are required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and are implemented through local zoning regulations with FAA oversight.

Designation of the Airport as a General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone and as a User Fee Airport has been approved. The Airport has become a Port of Entry and a U.S. Customs Service officer has been stationed at the Airport.

What this means is that Free Trade Zones are treated, for the purposes of the tariff laws and Customs entry procedures, as being outside the Customs territory of the United States. Under FTZ procedures, foreign and domestic merchandise may be admitted into zones for operations such as storage, exhibition, assembly, manufacture and processing, without being subject to formal Customs entry procedures, the payment of Customs duties or the payment of federal excise taxes.

When merchandise is removed from a foreign trade zone, Customs, duties are eliminated if the goods are then exported from the United States. If the merchandise is formally entered into U.S. commerce, Customs duties and excise taxes are due at the time of transfer from the foreign trade zone.

This status has led to increased usage of the Airport and demand for improvement and expansion of facilities. In it's first year of operation as a Customs Port of Entry, the New River Valley Regional Airport has cleared over 950 customs entries with a value of approximately one hundred million dollars. This is a larger volume of entries than the Charleston, West Virginia Port of Entry. The County should coordinate with the New River Valley Airport Commission to ensure that land use and zoning policies for the area around the Airport provide for the following: Future expansion of airport facilities and runways, development and land use which is consistent with airport operations; and an adequate buffer between the Airport and residential development to reduce noise nuisance concerns.

Potable water serving Pulaski County is pumped from several sources and treated at two treatment plants with a combined capacity of 5.7 million gallons per day. While the water systems are essentially separate, interconnections are provided at various points in the distribution system.

The Town of Pulaski pumps water from Hogan and Gatewood reservoirs, 300 million gallons and 1.1 billion gallons capacities respectively. The Town system has the capacity to pump 2.7 million gallons per day. Currently, 2.1 million gallons per day or 77 percent of this daily capacity is being consumed. The water treatment plant for the Town of Pulaski was expanded by two million gallons per day in 1989. The Town of Pulaski water system consists of approximately 45 miles of water line.

The Pulaski County Public Service Authority pumps water from Claytor Lake. The PSA is currently using 1.5 million gallons per day of the 3 million-gallon per day capacity at the existing water plant. Water is stored in ten tanks having a combined capacity of 5.7 million gallons. This information is simplified in the following table.

Pulaski County                Claytor Lake                    1.6mgd*                       6 mg**

                                        & New River

Pulaski Town                    Peak Creek                    2.7mgd                        5 mg

                                        Gatewood &

                                        Hogan Reservoirs

Dublin Town                    Pulaski County PSA        600,000 gpd                1 mg

*mgd = million gallons per day

**mg = million gallons

Source: Virginia's New River Valley Regional Data Book. August 1998

Figure 8 illustrates the PSA water system in the County. The availability of potable water in karst areas of the County is an important step in protecting the health of County residents. It is also an important component of promoting economic development while supporting nodes of centralized growth.

Over the next five years, the PSA anticipates improvements in Fairlawn and Bella Vista; distribution systems will be installed on VA 623, VA 679, Brookmont, and Canterbury. Improvements to the water treatment plant are also anticipated. Extension of the water system beyond these planned improvements will also result from the County's mandatory hook-on policy, which requires developers to connect new homes to the distribution system if the development is within 300 feet of the system lines.

Central sewage collection and treatment systems serve the Towns of Dublin and Pulaski and the community of Fairlawn. The majority of the remaining households in the County rely upon septic tank systems for sewage disposal. A limited but growing number of households rely on sand-filter or another alternate individual disposal system.

Septic tanks depend on drainage in the soil and require deep, well-drained soils to operate properly. Only about 10 percent of the soils in the County have moderate or slight limitations for a septic tank-drainfield system. The remaining areas are even less suitable.

There are also areas in the County where a septic system will function adequately for five or six years, but will eventually saturate the soil, causing the waste to come to the soil surface. Placement of septic tanks in such areas is unacceptable to the Virginia Department of Health, which bases its regulations on a minimum system lifetime of 10 years.

In concentrated residential areas, septic systems have failed because the ground is expected to hold more liquid than actually possible. These problems are occurring throughout the County especially in areas near Dublin, Newbern, and Draper.

To some extent these problems can be avoided or reduced through cooperation with the Virginia Department of Health and its septic tank permit process, and by over designing or restricting septic tank placement to larger lots. However, investment in provision of public sewer is the most effective solution to this situation. These measures protect the homeowner and the community from long term environmental damage and potential health concerns.

There are two existing sewage systems in the County. The Pulaski County Sewerage Authority operates a system which serves the Fairlawn Community. Pulaski County Public Service Authority, serves portions of the Town of Dublin and the Town of Pulaski. Both systems rely on the Peppers Ferry Wastewater Treatment Facility for treatment of its effluent. The treatment facility is owned and operated by the Pepper's Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority (PFRWTA). PFRWTA began operations in February, 1987. It owns and operates a nine million-gallon per day treatment facility, Radford Pump Station, New River Pump Station, and associated force mains, main lines, and user flow meter systems. Figure 9 illustrates the existing system and service area.

Currently, 4.5 million gallons per day are being treated at the Pepper's Ferry Wastewater Treatment Facility. The additional 4.5 gallons per day in unused capacity was built into the facility in anticipation of future demand on the system and excessive wet weather flow. Approximately 2.6 million gallons per day of unused capacity is owned by Pulaski County. Future sale of this capacity is possible. The Town of Dublin, as well as other members, are reaching their contracted capacities, and will find it necessary to expand their portion of the plant capacity.

The availability of this excess treatment capacity is one of the County's economic development lures to industrial prospects. Sewer service has already been extended to the Corporate Research Center, Volvo Heavy Truck Corporation, the Commerce Park, and New River Industrial Park. The existing manufacturing facilities in the Town of Pulaski are served through the Town system.

Under the current waste treatment management system in the County, PFRWTA is responsible for establishing pretreatment requirements for industrial discharges into the sewer system. The current membership in the Authority also incorporates minimization of inflow/infiltration into the participation requirements. This has lead to and will continue to insure adequate maintenance of the sewer line system.

FIGURE 8 - PUBLIC WATER SERVICE AREAS IN PULASKI COUNTY

The New River Resource Authority (NRRA) manages solid waste disposal for the City of Radford, and the counties of Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski, including the towns of Dublin and Pulaski. Disposal facility administration, management, engineering, construction, and operation are managed by Authority personnel and contractors.

Curbside garbage pick-up is available throughout the County. The Pulaski County Public Service Authority has contracted with the Town of Pulaski to provide collection within the Town. The Town of Dublin operates its own refuse collection program. Commercial/industrial green box pick-up is available throughout the County through either public or private haulers. The Public Service Authority periodically sponsors clean up weeks, when leaves and other trash is picked up by the trucks.

Solid Waste disposal for Pulaski County is provided by the New River Resource Authority at the New River Solid Waste Management Area located on the eastern side of Cloyd's Mountain. This disposal facility is located on 938 acres of which, 350 acres are approved for future landfill cell development. The remaining 588 acres of property surrounding the disposal area will serve as buffer and conservation areas. All disposal cell development and operation shall comply with United States Environmental Protection Agency Subtitle D standards and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The New River Solid Waste Management Area anticipates handling 120,000 tons of municipal sold waste annually and has a projected life of 100+ years. The County of Pulaski will contribute approximately 27 percent of the material, or 33,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually. Exhibit 11 illustrates the County's solid waste disposal sites.

The disposal operation is only part of the integrated solid waste management system the New River Resource Authority is proposing for the area. With regards to waste reduction efforts, the Authority is working to develop and operate a municipal solid waste composting program along with a recycling drop box program to meet and exceed the waste reduction goals established by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Pulaski County is embracing recycling through volunteer efforts and the NRRA. The New River Resource Authority has developed two programs which will reduce the domestic and commercial waste-stream in the County and extend the life of the newly opened New River Solid Waste Management Facility landfill on Cloyd's Mountain. The first program implemented by the NRRA is an expanded recycling drop center program to feed the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority's new Material Recovery Facility located in Christiansburg. The second element of the program is the initiation of the source segregated organic composting project located at the new landfill.

To extend the life of the landfill, the Resource Recovery Committee has been working to expand the recycling opportunities for the area's residents. The NRRA's initial drop box recycling program began on November 1, 1990, at the Pulaski Kroger Store. Since that time, operation of the new Material Recovery Facility in Christiansburg, has accepted mixed paper, cardboard, office paper, and old magazines, increasing the recycling rate for the area. Along with these expanded materials, the Committee is exploring the option to have these drop sites manned to aid citizens in their use and offer disposal bins for waste material. These types of facilities in adjacent counties have increased the quantity of recyclables collected and aided in eliminating illegal dumping along the roads. Other drop box sites in the County include Wade's and the Kroger in Fairlawn.

The second program implemented by the NRRA, the source segregated organic composting program, initially targets the commercial and public sectors, including schools, hospitals, restaurants and food stores. This group of customers generates a great deal of organic material like food and paper that may be windowed into compost piles. According to preliminary NRRA estimates, four percent (4%) of the Authority's daily tonnage may be composted if twenty percent (20%) of this group of customers participate in this program. As this program is expanded, it has the potential to divert thirty (30%) percent of the Authority's daily tonnage from the landfill into the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority's Compost program. The finished compost, or mulch, may be used by area landscapers, gardeners, and farmers as a soil conditioner.

While most residents realize that a landfill will always be necessary, there are currently no feasible methods to recycle one hundred percent of the waste. Through the work of the NRRA Resource Recovery Committee, a firm foundation has been established to exceed the twenty-five percent (25%) recycle goal established by the Commonwealth and Federal government.

By gleaning out the valuable materials at the Material Recovery Facility and composting the organic materials, NRRA anticipates a thirty-five (35%) to forty percent (40%) rate of reduction in the landfill volume. As with any program, this goal cannot be reached unless all Pulaski County citizens are willing to participate and support the efforts of the NRRA solid waste management program.

There is a continuing problem in the County with open dumping. Illegal dumps constitute an eyesore and a health hazard, particularly in a karst area such as Pulaski County, where transport of contaminants into ground water is so rapid.

The County has three programs aimed at eliminating this problem:

1. An active litter control program;

2. County-wide curbside refuse collection; and

3. Residential large item pick-up program.