The Patrick County community met new faces in county leadership and heard about major updates at a lunch Wednesday.
Lunch with Your Community Leaders is an event to bring the community together to hear information and ask questions about on-goings in the county.

The speaker panel of community leaders in Patrick County.
Patrick County Economic Development Executive Director Patrick Cooper started by introducing himself to the audience as he just started in the role in August.
Cooper is from Syracuse, New York, and lived in Richmond before moving here with his wife and children. He has a military background with focuses in logistics, program and budget management and personnel management, he said.
Since taking on the role, Cooper has presented at a housing summit in Danville with Southern Virginia Regional Alliance showcasing the land the county has to offer for developers.
He is working with local emergency medical services to buy a truck to pull a new mobile health care unit trailer, ordered a life pack 15 medical monitor, communications equipment and a custom truck bed for the trailer all to increase medical capabilities in the county.

The meeting room for the event was filled with community members.
Cooper said business development center flooring is undergoing an asbestos treatment and the EDA is about 95% finished with documents to secure funding for the Cockram Mill/Freehouse Brewery project.
West Piedmont Planning District Commission Interim Director Kristie Eberly said the WPPDC has been assisting with the following projects: Moonshine Heritage Trail, the Rich Creek Business Park, the Star Theater, the county broadband initiative and the business development center.
Patrick County Tourism Director James Houchins’ updates included: attending the VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit in Richmond, an upcoming increase in promotion of the county and its amenities, the need for increased housing and a hotel, the opening of an RV resort in Meadows of Dan, an increased focus on sports tourism and a work session for the Moonshine Heritage Trail project next month.
Primland Resort General Manager Rajiv Malhotra reported a strong year of business at the resort with around 70% occupancy for the 2023 year at a rate of around $805 per room per day. Investments to the property include: the completion of two luxury tree house rooms that run $4,000 a night, a new mountain home being built with six rooms and estimated to be completed early next year and a redesign of the lodge in January.
Virginia Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Lisa Price-Hughes said that there are many projects planned in the future including two intersection safety projects for spring 2025, a $5.4 project for improvements to intersection at Virginia 8 and Ashby Drive for fall 2025, a project on the T.J. Geore Bridge estimated at over $10 million in costs and the four-mile section of U.S. 58 Vesta Project estimated at $235 million tentatively scheduled for summer of 2024 and expected to take six to seven years for completion.
Patrick County Parks and Recreation Director Travis Murphy took on his position eight months ago. He said parks and rec will introduce more senior activities soon, that the sports youth programs are “going strong,” that he plans to expand the adult softball program and make increased efforts to meet the needs of all the area parks.
Stuart Town Manager Bryce Simmons gave an update on completed projects including: $2 million waste treatment plant improvement project in Stuart, the installation of a new raw water pump in the plant with ARPA funds, the hiring of a new public works inspector, reinstated the town of Stuart planning commission and completing the Star Theater feasibility study which led to the purchase of the building which was renovated and will be leased to One Family Productions.
Currently the town of Stuart is working on a downtown revitalization project including a plan completed by Hill Studio in March and approved by the town council. The town has applied for $1.7 million to fund aspects of the plan and improvement include: parking, playground with ADA accessibility, a new bandshell over the farmers market, wayfinding signage, funding for properties identified in a feasibility study for underutilized properties on Commerce Street and the Megadeck.
Patrick County Administrator Beth Simms said the county needs to address housing, attract new businesses, improve water and sewer infrastructure, make the community more attractive, focus on trails and outdoor recreation master planning and said that she is looking into the progress on the hospital that was originally set to open in the first quarter of 2023.
Branch Civil Project Superintendent Chad Sutton spoke about the Lover’s Leap construction project. He said the 7.4-mile, two-lane project is on schedule and involves moving 10 million yards of dirt and they have moves 4.3 million so far.
Patrick & Henry Community College Site Facilitator Angie Brown talked about the Patrick County branch’s offerings including: the Fab Lab with a variety of equipment for 3D printing and more, programs with younger students to reach them at an early age, a mechatronics lab, classes that lead to in-demand credentials in multiple fields, welding classes, a powerline worker training program and a work ethic training program.
Patrick County High School Assistant Principal and CTE Coordinator Trey Cox gave updates on educational programming including: the upcoming opening of the CTE Marketplace at the new school board office, dual enrollment courses with P&HCC and the addition of forestry programs in the future.
Sarah Wray of One Family Productions and Reynolds Homestead closed out the event by saying, “Let’s get to work.”