Longtime Blue Ridge resident, Sam Foster has announced his intention to seek the Blue Ridge District seat on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors.  He will be running as an Independent.

Foster is well known for his hard work and dedication to public education for more than 35 years, the family farm, and other business endeavors.  He intends to apply this diverse background to assist in moving the County in a positive direction.

Foster states that he attributes his strong work ethic to “the influences of my family, my faith, and my desire to be of service to others.”  This is exemplified through a close family which has been in Botetourt County for five generations, his longtime service and participation in the Cloverdale Church of the Brethren, and service to others through public education and community organizations.  Most recently Foster has added to his community service resume by representing the Blue Ridge District on the Botetourt County Planning Commission.

Prior to and since his recent retirement from full-time employment with the Botetourt County Public Schools, Foster has assisted in the development, implementation, and monitoring of the past several School Board budgets.  This was accomplished during difficult economic times.  Foster sees this experience as extremely relevant as he seeks a seat on the Board of Supervisors.  Asked what was the greatest accomplishment regarding the fiscal challenges, Foster states, “The single most important factor has been the communication and cooperation between the school division and the County which I would fully support and hope to improve upon.”   Further he states “while the school budget is the largest component of the County budget, I am equally interested in other areas such as public safety, parks and recreation, and economic development.”

Foster stated he is accustomed to working in an environment of mutual respect and cooperation and would attempt to bring that atmosphere to the Board of Supervisors.  When pressed, Foster states, “My goal for the County is simply the betterment of the quality of life for the citizens of Blue Ridge and the County as a whole.”  Foster is not shy of his support of public education and subsequently supports a replacement for Colonial Elementary School, “as soon as economically feasible.”

In closing, Foster states “I would be honored to serve the citizens of Blue Ridge as a member of the Board of Supervisors and I respectfully ask for their votes at the ballot box and more importantly their vote of confidence.”

–submitted by Sam Foster

Tony Zerrilla in his office with his young daughter's artwork on the wall.

Do you know the man featured in the photo? He is Tony Zerrilla and he has worked for Botetourt County for the past 10 years. A New York  native, he is finance director for the county. He manages the money flow  in an over 70 million dollar budget. And to his credit and the hard work of administration and elected officials, Botetourt County is the smallest county in Virginia to hold a AA bond rating.

He is also a miracle.  His heart began to fail in 2009. “Congestive heart failure is no fun,” said the father of two and stepfather to a grown son. His children here in Botetourt are young and in school. Not being able to breath is frightening, he admitted. Zerrilla is a member of The Church of the Transfiguration in Fincastle and was immediately placed on a prayer list for his parish.  In 2010 he had an LVAD ( Left Ventrical Assist Device) implanted. That is the same device that former vice president Dick Cheney had implanted during his tenure in Washington (with the Bush Adm.)

Fast forward and  Zerilla knew the only option to better health would be a heart transplant.  From February 2010 forward he had 24 hour per day power pumping his heart. A battery pack during the day and power device at night. He went on the transplant list and began to wait. And, other churches like Rainbow Forest Baptist Church where his wife Pat is a member, began to pray and people placed him on prayer lists not only here in Botetourt County, but other churches in places all over. “I have no way of knowing how many people were praying for me.”

On Thanksgiving Day morning, 2010 a nurse at UVA called him and said. “Mr. Zerrilla, would you like to receive a new heart today?” Twelve days after the transplant he was out of the hospital and on to physical therapy. He will not speak of the donor only to say it was a young person whom he regards as a personal blessing.

In the spring of 2011 Zerrilla was working out  at the BAC at 5:15 in the morning. He plays  golf again. He is at the office in the  regular hard working job  he performs and trudged through what was a tough budgetary process like a Spartan. He is still the go to finance man for the smallest county in Virginia with a AA bond rating.

This summer he is going to take the family to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and this fall to Disney World in Orlando. Less than a year after he  received the new heart!

Said Zerilla, “The experience of having stage IV congestive heart failure, and being medically saved by a mechanical device, and then receiving a heart transplant is an experience which justifies your faith. ”

Zerrilla finished with, “The amount of support from family, friends, and the County including Mr. Burgess and other employees was overwhelming, with thoughtful gestures such as keeping in touch through email at UVA. I am very thankful for the power of prayer and would like to say thanks to all of those persons who placed me on so many prayer lists. These kind actions were truly appreciated.”

Zerrilla delivers financial updates to the Board of Supervisors on June 28.

Long & Foster Realtors will move the office’s 49 employees to its southwest Roanoke County location, the company has said, to save the cost of rent.  The move will take place in the next several weeks. Long and Foster has been in Daleville for over a decade.

You can read more about the announcement here.

Students from Virginia high school and college technical education programs won the nation’s highest awards at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Industry leaders representing over 1,100 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions recognized the students for their demonstrated excellence in 94 hands-on occupational and leadership contests, such as robotics, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. All contests are designed, run and judged by industry using industry standards. The SkillsUSA Championships have been a premier event since 1967.

Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education.  The SkillsUSA Championships is for high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA.

In addition, for the fifth year, high scorers in the contests received Skill Point Certificates.  The Skill Point Certificate was awarded in 86 occupational and leadership areas to students who achieved a high score defined by industry. The Skill Point Certificates were introduced in 2007 as a component of the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System.

The following students are Skill Point Certificate recipients from your
area:

* Team E (consisting of ZACH HODGES, DUSTIN CALDWELL, COLTON HOSTETTER, Patrick McSherry), from Burton Center for Arts & Technology (Salem), was awarded a Skill Point Certificate inTeamWorks.
* Team B (consisting of SIOBHAN REA, HANNAH KINDER, Jessica Astacio), from Burton Center for Arts & Technology (Salem), was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in TechPrep-Law,Public Safety & Security.
* Christopher Christensen, from Troutville and a student at Botetourt Tech Educational Center (Fincastle), was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Pin Design.

“Over 5,600 students from every state in the nation came to compete in the SkillsUSA Championships this week,” said SkillsUSA executive director Tim Lawrence. “This is the SkillsUSA partnership at its best. Students, instructors and industries are working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce and every student excels. These students prove that career and technical education expands opportunities.”

According to Lawrence, recent survey data says that 75 percent of these students will go on to higher education. Included in that number are 40 percent who will be attending college and working at the same time. Of those graduating from school, 76 percent plan to work in the field for which they’ve trained.

“They’re the employees industry wants to hire and promote,” Lawrence said.

Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $35 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. All contests are run and judged by industry experts using industry standards for employment. Contests assess hands-on, employability and academic skills.
Over 1,700 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.

The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System was developed as an extension of the SkillsUSA mission and supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The System recognizes students for excellence in occupational training; it assesses and documents the entry-level technical proficiency and cumulative experiences of candidates. For more information about the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System, visit www.workforcereadysystem.com.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually and has served more than
10.5 million members since it’s founding in 1965. The organization has more than 17,000 sections and 54 state and territorial associations. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.

The Fincastle Fourth of July Fireworks display will be held on Monday, July 4, 2011 starting at 9:45 P.M. at Breckinridge Elementary School. There will be many new awesome fireworks. Bring a chair or blanket and a picnic dinner and enjoy the fun. A hat will be passed around for donations to be put toward the cost of the fireworks which totaled $3,500. If you haven’t been in the past, you have missed a fabulous display of fireworks. Try to come this Fourth of July!

Submitted by Paige W. Ware.

Daleville Baptist Church will be having it’s Vacation Bible School “Big Apple Adventure” beginning Sunday, July 17, through Thursday, July 21; the hours are 6:15-8:45pm. All children and teens, age 4 through grade 12, are invited to attend. On Saturday, July 23, beginning at 6:30pm, will be the “Big Apple Finale” with a special performance by Chagy the Clown. Daleville Baptist Church is located at 375 Orchard Dr. (corner of Valley Rd and Orchard Dr), Daleville. The website is www.dalevillebaptistchurch.com; the VBS registration form is available on the website.

Submitted by Sharon Umberger.

A VDOT Traffic Alert notice can keep you from waiting in line!

SALEM – Beginning July 11, 2011, two roads in Botetourt County will be closed to through traffic while crews perform pipe replacement work. Both roads are just south of Buchanan.

A portion of Route 643 (Mountain Valley Road) in Botetourt County will be closed from 1.18 miles east of Route 645 (Fringer Road) to 2.6 miles west of Route 625 (Pico Road).

In addition, a portion of Route 625 (Pico Road) will be closed from 0.5 mile east of Route 643 to 2.1 miles west of Route 43 (Parkway Drive).

Both roads will be closed for two weeks while crews replace pipes. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes around the closures.

–VDOT

Following a theme of  pioneer stories, Linda Hamilton wowed kids at Fincastle Library in the morning as well as at Eagle Rock Library on Wednesday afternoon June 29.  Born in Tennessee and currently a resident of Harrisionburg, Hamilton is a professional story teller. She is described by Book VA! “as a master storyteller who uses stories filled with humor, tenderness, and enthusiasm to teach about safety, character education, and love of self. ” Her first story on Wednesday was about pioneer girls on the prairie who listened to what their father told them to do rather than ask “why?” Ultimately, their lives are saved from a prairie fire.

Each week for five weeks the Botetourt Library system sponsors a summer reading program and each week a guest entertainer makes the rounds of the four county libraries. Tuesdays at Blue Ridge Library, Wednesday at Fincastle and Eagle Rock and Thursdays at Buchanan.

The Academy Soccer Camp, coached by Mike Crossin and Bradley Lang, is going on this week from 9:00 a.m.-noon at Cloverdale Elementary School and ends June 30.  The camp is in its fourth year running and currently has 43 students enrolled, ages five to 13. Academy Soccer Camp aims to teach basic skills to both those who have never touched a soccer ball before, as well as to improve those who play regularly.  No matter what a child’s skill level, Coach Crossin and Coach Lang make the camp fun for everyone, while teaching the kids important soccer skills that will help them improve their game.

“This is one of the biggest turnouts we have ever experienced,” Coach Crossin said.

“We have really been blessed by how great the Botetourt County kids have been this Summer,” added Coach Lang.  “They all  get along and work together so well.”

Both Coaches teach in Franklin County, and decided to start Academy Soccer Camp as a way to help kids improve their soccer skills, and get those who have never played before interested in the sport through use of different soccer techniques throughout the duration of the camp.  They incorporate everything from regular soccer drills, to fun games of “red light, green light” with a little soccer twist.

The last camp of the summer will be held in Franklin County from July 25-28., and the cost is $70.

to view photos from the camp, click here.

written by Kayla Gurley, special to the Botetourt View

Jerry Goad rockin' Elvis on the acoustic! What can you do at MMC?

Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea at Botetourt Commons in Daleville  has a group of musicians every Wednesday that play old timey music in the coffee shop with the Roanoke Old Time Jam. The folks  who work there at MMC hope to expand musical interests with locals and others who want to play acoustic guitar on Tuesday nights.

Best way to reach them and accomplish play time  is to drop by the shop and sign up!