County to fix train tracks to Intertape plant

An 800-foot stretch of train tracks from the Norfolk Southern main line to Ringgold West Industrial Park, where Intertape has its plant, will be getting emergency repairs.

The short stretch of tracks is owned by the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority, leaving the responsibility of the cost of repairs up to the county. Once inside the industrial park, Intertape is responsible for repairs to the tracks.

County Administrator Dan Sleeper said that repairs will cost $11,270.

Sleeper told the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors the tracks are in such poor condition that Norfolk Southern has threatened to stop servicing the plant, fearing that a train could derail.

Burnett’s Construction, of Ringgold, is the only local company that can do the repairs. The estimate they submitted included photos of loose spikes, rail plates and rail joints, as well as defective or deteriorated crossties. The settling of the rail bed is blamed for the problems.

The board reluctantly approved the repairs, but Chairman Coy Harville asked Sleeper to contact Norfolk Southern to try and negotiate sharing some of the cost.

On another topic, a third county high school principal has pitched the idea of spending the expected $5.7 million “change” from a voter-approved $70 million bond to renovate the four high schools on additional improvements at the schools.

Principals from Dan River and Chatham high schools have already spoken to the board, and the principal from Tunstall High School is expected to speak to them in December.

Kenyan Scott, principal of Gretna High School, spoke to the board Monday night, pointing out that each high school also needs renovations in outside areas, which are used by both school and community groups year-round.

Scott said when the projects are completed in August 2010, the “unexpected funds” left at the end of the interior renovations should be invested in education.

“Recreation, too, is an important part of education,” he said.

In an earlier interview, Pittsylvania County Schools Superintendant James McDaniel said the exterior work needed is not just to sports facilities, but include paving, fencing, bathrooms, storage and security.

McDaniel said he knows the Board of Supervisors will not make any decisions until the interior renovations are done and they know how much money is left over, but principals, community groups and booster clubs want to keep reminding them of the need for exterior renovations as well.

“Were trying to help the supervisors see the importance of investing some of these funds now, while we have it,” McDaniel said.

Supervisors also voted unanimously to appropriate $318,000 to fund renovations at the courthouse, with funds to be reimbursed to the General Fund from Courthouse Maintenance Fund fees received through the court system.