JONESVILLE, Va. — The Lee County Board of Supervisors met briefly on Tuesday evening to discuss the county’s monthly financial matters.

County Administrator Dane Poe addressed the board about a potential ATV trail for the Stone Creek area of Pennington Gap. He first discussed the financial process of the project.

“As I had informed the board previously about the application process, we have a tentative allocation with the town of Pennington Gap,” Poe claimed.

Poe said that currently, Pennington Gap serves as the official grant applicant, and that the Lee County Board of Supervisors would have to serve as a sponsor for the grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), in order to construct the trail within the county. The trail would be a “multi-purpose” trail, and would cater mainly to all-terrain vehicles.

“The DCR notified us early summer that some additional studies were needed in the area concerning endangered Indiana gray bats, as well as the small world begonia plant,” said Poe. “These studies can only be done in the springtime... and as I have indicated, DCR wants to know if we are going to stay in the project and if we intend to move forward with the project, or if we’re going to stop at this point.”

Poe went on to explain that the studies will cost around $28,000, and the grant process cannot be completed without the examination.

“Even in finding evidence of the bats and the plant in question, it does not jeopardize the project,” Poe said. He maintained that some changes may have to be made in the projected route of the trail to avoid certain areas, in order to address the two issues.

Poe requested that the board consider taking the same action as the town of Pennington Gap to keep the project “alive and moving forward.” He asked the board to commit to the project and provide any additional funds needed for the studies — which has been calculated at roughly $28,000.

Chairman Carl Bailey asked, “Well, who’s responsibility is it for the easements?”

Poe responded:

“The town [Pennington Gap] is taking the lead on that, and some other interested trail riders who have been active in the process. They have taken the lead on obtaining easements up to this point, and have probably obtained about 60 to 70 percent of the easements needed.”

He then explained to the board that if “push comes to shove and we are not able to get the easements, and we don’t do the study, we would simply notify them that we no longer wish to take the grant.”

The project would not be able to move forward without the mandatory land easements. In order for the project to continue, the board will have until Dec. 4, 2009, to notify the DCR with their decision. The total cost of the project is estimated at around $350,000.

District 3 Supervisor Larry Mosley expressed great excitement for the ATV trail project.

“I think this is a good project. It’s a big draw for tourism,” stated Mosley. “And it would be a big boost to the county’s economy.”

Poe responded by stating that, “I am a skeptic by nature, but it’s phenomenal what some communities have been able to build with these trails. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to develop a network of trails, and you have to create an environment that families feel comfortable in.”

Poe ended by saying that an ATV trail would be unique in Lee County, because it would offer a view that most trails cannot offer.

The board promptly approved the decision to move forward with the project.

Additionally, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Jonesville Residency Engineer James Parsons attended the meeting on Tuesday, and updated the board on the Alternate 58 Bridge construction project in the town of Pennington Gap.

“We have finished that project up and opened it up to traffic,” stated Parsons. He went on to say that contractors still have some minor concrete sealant work to finish on the bridge, and he expects that the labor will only interrupt the flow of traffic for one day.

Parsons also asked the board to approve a resolution that would allow VDOT to transfer a portion of Route 58, near the Wise County line, from the Primary System to the Secondary System of State Highways. After a brief discussion, the board approved Resolution 09-046.

In official county business, the board took the following action:

• Approved the Treasurer’s Report.

• Approved the minutes of the Oct. 20, 2009 regular meeting.

• Approved the refund requests of Roberta Holmes Williams, Lee Medical Regional Medical Center, and Lee County Properties.

• Approved monthly disbursements and appropriations, as well as payroll.

• C.M. Callahan was appointed to the Appalachian Juvenile Commission, and Robert Wagner was appointed to the Community Services Board. The board also reappointed Scott Napier to the Woodway Water Authority,

• Approved the Powell Mountain Overlook Project Resolution.

Adam Young is a Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted by e-mail at ayoung@middlesborodailynews.com.