Published: September 06, 2009 09:19 pm      

Richlands ready to expand

RICHLANDS, Va. — The town of Richlands is ready to grow.

With a long-debated boundary adjustment now approved, town officials are ready to expand their municipal borders. However, the boundary adjustment plan approved earlier this summer by the county Board of Supervisors must still be approved first by the circuit court of Tazewell County, according to Richlands Town Manager Tim Taylor.

“As soon as the court signs the petition, and the court order is official, we are ready to implement the transition plan,” Taylor said. “It should be a fairly smooth transition. Most of the things are already in place. We are ready to go, and we shouldn’t have any problems with the transition.”

The plan approved by the supervisors would bring Richlands High School, Richlands Middle School, Richlands Elementary School and the Gateway Shopping Center into the municipal limits of Richlands.

The approval of the plan by the supervisors was contingent upon the town of Richlands agreeing to provide a school resource officer to the area, and an agreement on the school resource officer was approved by the supervisors last Tuesday.

Taylor said the town has had meetings and is working with Sheriff H.S. Caudill on a transition plan for the school complex.

“We have all intentions of providing a school resource officer,” Taylor said. “We will work with the school system, and see what their needs are.”

Taylor said the town also is reviewing several other issues, including an existing water tank serving the school system that is more than 50 years old.

Taylor said the town is ready to expand its borders as soon as the court order is approved.

“We are ready now,” he said. “We’ve already talked to all of our department heads. We’ve made plans. We feel like we have the resources to go.”

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com