On Dec. 13, 2011, the Wythe County Board of Supervisors held its bimonthly meeting in the boardroom of the County Administration Building at 7 p.m. At the meeting, the board discussed an increase in trash cleanup, the evaluation of county property for historical survey and county office closings.

One of the first decisions made at the meeting was the county office holiday schedule. In cooperation with state designated days, the board approved the closing of the offices on Friday, Dec. 23, Monday, Dec. 26, Friday, Dec. 30, and Monday, Jan. 2.

It was noted that essential personnel including the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Water and Water waste will operate normal hours with alternative days off for the holidays.

Trash and debris along county roads is a concern shared by many residents and officials in Wythe County. The Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia Department of Highways are currently discussing a community service agreement to help address the issue.

In the agreement presented by VDOT, it will provide vests, trash bags and funding for one supervising officer. While there are portions of the agreement the budget committee and Sheriff Doug King will have to tweak, all were in agreement that this was a necessary step.

One of the final discussions at the meeting was the allowance of the Judge Brown House at Progress Park be evaluated for inclusion in the suggestions for intensive study in the Architectural Survey to be conducted throughout the county. While the board was unsure about allowing the actual researchers to include the house in the survey, it saw little harm in letting local representatives inside to look at the structure.

Cellell Dalton, County Administrator, acknowledged the architectural significance of the many attributes of the house. He did warn the board that inclusion in the survey may require them to consider the house for state and national historical registers.

The recognition would limit the use of the property by the county and would mean costly renovations. The board agreed to let the local representatives look at the property but before it can be included in the suggestion list, the issue and findings must be brought before the board once again.