Issue #001

In this issue of Blacksburg Connect

📅 Upcoming Local Events

🏛️ Updates from Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Meeting

🧊 [Event Highlight] Experience sound in a new way at the about upcoming CubeFest 2026

Upcoming Events

August 12th

August 13th

August 14th

August 15th

Notes from the Montgomery County Board of Supervisons Meeting

Meeting 8-10-2026

The biggest discussion point from the meeting was the The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Boost Project centers on a proposed Swan Compressor Station in the Elliston community of eastern Montgomery County. The compressor station would increase gas capacity on the existing MVP pipeline and is under federal review by FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). The Board passed a resolution in December 2025 expressing concern about the project, and this meeting revisited the issue after MVP submitted two new proposals to the county.

What MVP Proposed: Two agreements aimed at addressing emergency access problems caused by Norfolk Southern railroad crossings that block Cove Hollow Road (and Canary Road, though the proposals ignored Canary). The first proposal included a pedestrian bridge plus a single-lane emergency vehicle access road that would route under a railroad trestle and around the perimeter of the fenced compressor station site. The second, submitted later, stripped out the emergency access entirely and offered only the pedestrian bridge. Both proposals required the county to take over maintenance and liability after construction.

Why Citizens Opposed the Proposals: Multiple residents argued the proposals were inadequate; the emergency access road couldn't fit a fire truck or ambulance, and a pedestrian bridge alone wouldn't help with vehicle evacuation in a catastrophic event. Citizens also raised environmental justice concerns, citing a Virginia Tech study showing 50-58% of households within a mile of the proposed compressor station are low-income, which could put the project in conflict with Virginia's environmental justice policy. Air quality monitors already show the area exceeding EPA health thresholds on more than half of monitored days. Residents noted FERC released its environmental assessment just days before the meeting (on Friday, August 8th), giving little time for public review, and that the assessment concluded the project wouldn't significantly impact air quality despite the station's own modeling exceeding screening thresholds for six of nine pollutants. Several speakers urged the Board to demand a full Environmental Impact Statement rather than accept the less rigorous environmental assessment. Concerns were also raised about water usage during drought conditions, noise pollution effects on pollinators and wildlife, and the risk of a compressor station of this scale (136,900 horsepower described as the largest proposed on the East Coast).

Why Some Citizens Supported It: A couple of speakers argued natural gas is needed for economic growth in eastern Montgomery County, that it's cleaner than coal (credited with 60% of greenhouse gas reductions since 2005), and that compressor stations elsewhere along the East Tennessee pipeline have operated without issue. One resident noted the proposed site is out of view from the road with no close neighbors, and that Supervisor Fijicowski visited a similar facility in West Virginia and called it "very safe."

Board's Decision: The Board reached unanimous consensus to reject both MVP proposals, with members across all districts calling them unserious and one-sided. The county attorney noted the proposals offered no real advantage to Montgomery County, the county has no staff or capacity to maintain a pedestrian bridge, and the liability exposure was a concern. Vice Chair Fijicowski, whose district includes Elliston, proposed requesting Norfolk Southern's data on how frequently and for how long trains block the crossings at Cove Hollow, Canary Road, and Newtown Road — and the full Board agreed to have the county administrator make that request. The Board's December 2025 opposition resolution remains in effect.

Additional Updates

VDOT Update (David Clark) — Road maintenance updates including paving on Taylor Hollow Road, pothole patching on Wake Forest Drive, Riverside Drive, and Mount Taber Road, and a pipe replacement on Walton Road at Route 114. Supervisors raised concerns about brush overgrowth covering warning signs on Allegheny Springs, Mount Pleasant, and Pilot Road, as well as the narrow Hutchins Road near Christiansburg where a tractor-trailer recently blocked the only access to growing residential developments. A study is underway for that area. The Prices Fork/Route 114 intersection turn-lane project is going out to bid soon.

Public Hearing — Arcola Towers (Meadow Creek/Young's Lane) — A 158-ft monopole Verizon cell tower. Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0. One citizen raised concerns about surveillance equipment potentially being installed on towers. Approved unanimously (6-0).

Public Hearing — Towers LLC (Old Pike Road, Pilot area) — A 190-ft monopole Verizon tower near Floyd County line. Planning Commission recommended approval 4-2. Citizens Joan Wolf and Brian Jones spoke against it, citing concerns about the site's consistency with the comprehensive plan's resource stewardship designation, inadequate visual impact evidence, and procedural issues (late website postings, missed FOIA deadlines, lack of pre-application notice to neighbors). Deferred to August 24th to allow more time for public review of the information.