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2013-08-07 Scenic River Designation - Banister RiverPITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION — BANISTER RIVER RESOLUTION 2013 -08 -07 VIRGINIA: At a meeting of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Monday, August 5, 2013 in the General District Courtroom of the Edwin R. Shields Courthouse Addition, the following resolution was presented and adopted: WHEREAS, the Virginia Scenic Rivers Program was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 1970 for the purpose of identification, protection, and preservation of certain rivers, or sections of rivers, which possess high quality natural beauty; and WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has been charged with administering the Scenic Rivers Program and developing an objective evaluation process to judge the suitability of river segments; and WHEREAS, several Pittsylvania County residents joined staff from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to visit the Banister River and evaluate its eligibility for Scenic River designation; and WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation completed its evaluation and determined that the portion of the Banister River under review in Pittsylvania County was found to qualify as a Virginia Scenic River; then THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors does hereby support the designation of the Banister River, from the Route 29 bridge in Pittsylvania County to the point where the Banister River leaves the County at the Pittsylvania/Halifax County line, as a Virginia Scenic River; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Pittsylvania County will contact our General Assembly representatives to request that they serve as patrons for the legislation that will codify the Scenic River designation. Given under my hand this 5th day of August, 2013. arshall A. Ecke , Chairman Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors William D. Sleeper, Pittsylvania County erk oard of S pervisors 4 Douglas W. Domenech Secretary of Natural Resources COMMONWEALTH of VIRGIN DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREAII 600 East Main Street, 24th Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 786-6124 July 16, 2013 Mr. William D. Sleeper Pittsylvania County Administrator Post Office Box 426 Chatham, Virginia 24531 Re: Scenic River Study of a Banister River Segment within Pittsylvania County Dear Mr. Sleeper: At your request on behalf of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) staff conducted a study of a Banister River segment in Pittsylvania County. You requested that the study begin at Bearskin Creek and Strawberry Creek; however, DCR staff began the evaluation where the river was accessible. The specific segment found to meet the program criteria is from the Route 29 bridge to the Route 640 bridge, which is the beginning of the current Scenic River designation enacted by the General Assembly in March of 2013. The field evaluation was performed on May 1 and 2, 2013. DCR staff, along with support from the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC), local citizens, and the Halifax Town Manager, paddled the study corridor. Staff is very appreciative of the support received from the local representatives who guided the trip. Background research for the study started during the spring of 2013 and continued through June. Based on the completed work, the 24.9 -mile segment of the Banister River from the Route 29 bridge to the Route 640 bridge has been found to qualify for designation, and, if the County wishes to proceed with the process, the length of the current Banister Scenic River will be extended from to 38.4 miles to 63.33 miles. Should the Board of Supervisors wish to continue with the designation process, please notify Lynn Crump of my staff. The Board will need to pass a resolution of support for extending the designation of the Banister. Extending a Scenic River designation is comparatively uncomplicated as it does not require a full report. Another part of the designation process is for the County to contact your local General Assembly representatives to request that they serve as patrons for the legislation that will codify the designation. The attached draft legislation should prove helpful in this regard. State Parks • Nonpoint Pollution Prevention • Outdoor Recreation Planning Natural Heritage • Dam Safety and Floodplain Management • Land Conservation Mr. William D. Sleeper July 16, 2013 Page Two The proposed river section will be presented to the Board of Conservation and Recreation at their September 11, 2013, meeting for the membership to consider endorsing the extension of the Banister Scenic River as described in this letter and the attachment. We look forward to hearing from you regarding your interest in pursuing the formal designation. In addition, please send this office a copy of the Board resolution of support. We anticipate that the necessary requirements can be completed in a relatively short time so that designation legislation can be presented in the 2014 General Assembly. If you would like Department of Conservation and Recreation staff to participate in any general or public informational meetings, let us know, as we are happy to assist. We appreciate your interest in the Scenic Rivers Program, and we want to help wherever possible to facilitate extending the designation of the Banister. For additional information, please direct your questions to Lynn M. Crump, Environmental Programs Planner, (804) 786.5054, or Lvnn.Crump @dcr.virginia.gov. Sincerely, Attachment Danette Poole, Division Director Planning and Recreation Resources C: Greg Sides, Assistant Pittsylvania County Administrator Mark W. Moore, Pittsylvania County Director of Parks and Recreation Carl Espy IV, Halifax Town Manager Lynn M. Crump, DCR, Environmental Programs Planner Banister River Code — extended § 10.1- 411.3. Banister State Scenic River. A. The Banister River from the Route 640-29 bridge in Pittsylvania County to the confluence with the Dan River in Halifax County, a distance of approximately 36-463.3 miles, is hereby designated a component of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System. B. Nothing in this section shall preclude the Commonwealth or a local governing body from constructing, reconstructing, or performing necessary maintenance on any road or bridge.