Thursday, April 30, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Abingdon Customer Survey Results
Thank you to everyone for your feedback on the Abingdon Customer Survey yesterday! We greatly appreciate your input. Here are the results of the survey for everyone to view-
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Abingdon Customer Survey
The Governor's office plans to lift Executive Order 53 on May 8th, allowing non-essential retail businesses and restaurants to begin operating again.
The purpose of this survey is to help Abingdon businesses gauge customer sentiment as they make plans to re-open safely.
How soon after the Governor's order is lifted on May 8th are you ready to resume your favorite activities? Let us know!
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Election - Information from Derek Lyall, Director of Elections & General Registrar
Please share this information regarding
Town Council Elections on May 5, 2020:
At this time, the May 5, 2020, Abingdon election will go forward as scheduled. We encourage all residents of the Town of Abingdon to vote by mail to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19.
Voters who wish to vote by mail may visit https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation to submit an online request for an absentee ballot. When completing the application, select “disability or illness” as your reason for requesting a mail ballot. The deadline to submit a request for a mail ballot is 5:00 p.m. on April 28, 2020. Curbside voting from your car is also available in the rear parking lot at the Washington County Government Center Building (1 Government Center Place, Abingdon, Virginia).
Anyone with questions should contact the Department of Elections at (276) 676-6227.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Monday, April 20, 2020
Planning Commission Cancellation Notice for April 27, 2020
TOWN OF ABINGDON
Abingdon, Virginia
NOTICE
THE PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING
FOR MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020
AT 5:30 P.M. LOCATED IN THE
ARTHUR CAMPBELL CONFERENCE ROOM
FIRST FLOOR
133 WEST MAIN STREET
HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Due to NOT having a quorum
For information regarding the meeting, please contact:
Janice Dornon
276-628-3167
Friday, April 17, 2020
Procedures for April 20, 2020, Town Council Meeting
TOWN OF ABINGDON
133 WEST MAIN STREET · P. O. BOX 789 · ABINGDON, VIRGINIA · 24212
Procedures for April 20, 2020, Town Council Meeting
Due to social distancing guidelines as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, below are the procedures for the Town Council meeting on Monday,
April 20, 2020.
·
A quorum of councilmembers is expected to be present for this
meeting, which will take place in the council chambers at Town Hall. Based on the opinion of the Attorney General,
the Town must have a quorum of councilmembers physically present to conduct
business.
·
The council meeting will be live-streamed via the Town of Abingdon
YouTube page.
·
The council chambers will be closed to the public. However, citizens who wish to attend the
meeting and address the Town Council during the public comment portion of the
meeting or a public hearing can do so at Town Hall.
·
Those who wish to address the Town Council must enter the building
on the first floor. Citizens who sign up
to speak will be directed to the Arthur Campbell Room one at a time where their
comments will be live-streamed directly into the council chambers.
· We
encourage citizens to participate in local government and communicate their
concerns to Town officials. If you would
like to contact Town Council members or staff, please go to www.abingdon-va.gov
for this information.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Monday, April 13, 2020
Town of Abingdon, VA Offices Closure Schedule UPDATED ON 4-13-2020
Town
of Abingdon, VA Offices Closure Schedule
The Town of Abingdon is taking several
measures to support the goal of protecting the well-being of our
community, and the capacity of our overall healthcare system. The Town of
Abingdon offices will be CLOSED until further
notice. Essential employees will still report to work as scheduled. Feel free
to contact employees by phone at 276-628-3167 or via e-mail.
·
Tentatively, the Town
Council Regular Meeting/Budget Work Session is scheduled for April 20, 2020, at
6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public with
certain procedures that will be released closer to the meeting time, however,
we encourage you to view via live stream on the Abingdon TV YouTube page.
As a reminder, for the duration of the State of Emergency
within the Commonwealth of Virginia, the following policies are applicable:
·
The First-half 2020 Real Estate
Taxes due date is May 20, 2020. As a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the Abingdon Town Hall is closed to the public. The staff regrets that we will not be able to
process your payment in person, however, please use the following alternative
payment methods:
o
U.
S. Mail
o
Online
– www.abingdon-va.gov/online-bill-pay
o
Credit
card via telephone: (276) 525-1464
o
Dropbox
located at the front of the Municipal Building
·
Payment of other
taxes, fees, and utility bills may also be completed through the methods
outlined above.
·
There is a “dropbox” located outside the first floor
of the Municipal Building for patrons to return business licenses, building
permits, and other items to the Planning and Public Works Departments. Other services (such as applications for permits, licenses,
and applications for utility services) may be negotiated by use of telephone or
e-mail communication. Many forms can be downloaded from our website www.abingdon-va.gov (and identified using the Search tool).
·
All essential services will continue (Police,
Fire, Public Works – including trash collection, and wastewater operations).
·
Most committee and commission board meetings are
canceled until further notice. Please refer to the Town’s website for notice of
public meetings.
·
Tourism offices, at 335 Cummings Street, will
continue to serve visitors by phone and e-mail only. The building will be closed to the public.
You may contact the office via phone at 276-676-2282 or e-mail at acvb@abingdon-va.gov.
·
The Muster Grounds, at 1780 Muster Place,
will be closed to the public. You may contact the Grounds via phone at
276-525-1050.
·
Playground
facilities and pavilions with picnic tables will be closed until further
notice. Reservations of outdoor recreation pavilions owned by the Town shall be
discontinued. Public parks shall remain
open under normal operating conditions to provide exercise opportunities to
citizens, as long as patrons remain compliant with appropriate social
distancing guidelines.
- · The Virginia Creeper Trail is CLOSED until further notice. For further questions about this closure, please call the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy at 804-334-5853.
·
The Coomes
Recreation Center will remain closed through June 10, 2020, following the Governor’s
order. For further updates follow their social media pages or check their
website- https://www.coomescenter.com/.
The Town of Abingdon encourages you to take advantage of the
measures listed and ask that you do your part to mitigate this crisis. Continue
to follow the town website and social media pages for updates and schedule
changes.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Temporary Shutdown of Access Points on the Virginia Creeper Trail- Frequently Asked Questions
Temporary
Shutdown of Access Points on the Virginia Creeper Trail
Frequently
Asked Questions
1. Why is the Creeper
Trail temporarily shut down?
· The
Creeper Trail is an outdoor recreation destination for many people from outside
our communities. Current COVID-19 case tracking shows that asymptomatic COVID-19
positive visitors are a leading source of new infections in communities and,
though most nearby states are under stay-at-home orders, many were still
visiting the trail. (For more
information, see Governor Northam’s state-at-home order of March 30 or similar
orders from your home state).
· User
density increases:
o
There were weekly increases of trail users
since social distancing recommendations were made, which resulted in decreasing
social distancing practices.
o
As the Easter holidays approached, there
was a significant uptick of inquiries about the Creeper Trail from out-of-area
visitors. Virginia is under a stay-at-home order as of March 30.
o
As a result of temporary shutdowns of many
other outdoor recreation venues in the area, visitors were being funneled onto
the Creeper Trail, further increasing current and projected use.
o
Based on long-term trends and historical
data, trail usage greatly increases as warm weather approaches.
· Modeling
shows COVID-19 cases increasing in southwest Virginia between now and early to mid-May
when the projected peak will be reached. Town and EMS officials are concerned
that even the normal rate of accidents on the trail requiring EMS’s limited
staff and equipment could over-burden the system, diverting needed resources
away from responding to urgent health needs in our communities.
· Within
the Creeper Trail footprint, we have large elderly populations who are most
at-risk for developing complications and dying from the coronavirus and we have
to protect them.
2. Who does the temporary
shutdown impact?
· The
temporary shutdown of access points along the Creeper Trail applies to everyone.
3. Will the trail be monitored?
· There
will be periodic monitoring along the trail.
4. Are bathrooms and all other trail
facilities open or closed?
· All
bathrooms, interpretive centers, Welcome and Visitor Centers, picnic shelters
and other facilities are currently closed.
5. I just want to ride my bike and not
walk in a group. Can I just go out and ride alone?
· No…all
access points on the Creeper Trail are temporarily shut down.
6. Can I fish along the river?
·
Fishing spots may be accessed by crossing
the trail where necessary but cannot be accessed through normal entry/access
points that are currently shut down.
7. Will trail maintenance continue?
· Regular
maintenance has been temporarily halted on the US Forest Service section of the
trail. Periodic maintenance will continue on the Abingdon to Damascus section
as needed.
8. Since the Appalachian Trail and the
Creeper Trail run together, why isn’t the Appalachian Trail closed?
· Trailhead
facilities and access points to the Appalachian Trail, including parking lots
dedicated to the AT, remain temporarily shut down as well.
9. When will the trail be reopened?
· Over
the coming weeks, we will be evaluating the status of the trail regularly. The decision
to reopen will be based on recommendations and orders issued by the
Commonwealth, the federal government, and the CDC as well as our local
officials and agencies.
10. Who should I contact with questions
about the temporary shutdown of access points along the trail?
·
Call the Virginia Creeper Trail
Conservancy at 804-334-5853. Please do NOT call 9-1-1!
Why have the access points to the Virginia Creeper Trail been closed?
Why have the access points to the Virginia Creeper
Trail been closed?
·
User density increases:
o
Weekly increases of trail users since
social distancing recommendations were made, which has resulted in decreasing
social distancing practices
o
As the Easter holidays approached, there
was a significant uptick in inquiries about the VCT from out-of-area visitors. See
above.
o
As a result of closures of many other
outdoor recreation venues, visitors were being funneled onto the Creeper Trail
further increasing current and projected use
o
Based on long-term trends and historical
data, trail usage greatly increases as warm weather approaches
·
Modeling shows COVID-19 cases increasing
in SWVA between now and mid-May when the projected peak will be reached. Town
and EMS officials are concerned that even the normal rate of accidents on the
trail requiring EMS’s limited staff and equipment could over-burden the system,
diverting needed resources away from responding to urgent health needs in our
communities
·
Within the Creeper Trail footprint, we
have large elderly populations who are most at-risk for developing
complications and dying from the coronavirus and we have to protect them
*Please
direct further questions to the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy at
804-334-5853.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Monday, April 6, 2020
Virginia Creeper Trail Temporary Shutdown Effective Immediately
Virginia
Creeper Trail Temporary Shutdown Effective Immediately
Abingdon, VA – In order to protect public health and safety
during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Virginia Creeper Trail will be
temporarily closed, effective Monday, April 6th at 5:00 pm. The decision
was made jointly by the managers of the trail--the US Forest Service and
the Towns of Abingdon and Damascus.
“Recent overcrowding along portions of the trail, concern
for increasing the burden on local Emergency Medical Services and the health and
safety of all trail users were the driving forces behind this decision,” explains
Matthew Crum, President of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy.
This decision aligns with state and local measures to
contain the COVID-19 outbreak and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). It is aimed at preventing groups from congregating and violating
“social distancing” guidelines and is consistent with the closure of several
other public trails across the Commonwealth.
As of 5:00 pm, Monday, April 6, all access points along the
34-mile trail from Abingdon to Whitetop Station will be temporarily shut down
until further notice.
“Ensuring the health and well-being of our communities,
visitors and employees is our top priority,” says Joby Timm, Forest Supervisor
for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. “We look forward to
reopening the Creeper Trail and welcoming all trail users back as soon as we
safely can,” adds Lisa Quigley, Executive Director of the Creeper Trail Conservancy.
Please
direct questions to the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy at 804-334-5853.
The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail is a
34.3-mile rail-to-recreation trail, traversing through two counties from
Abingdon, Virginia, through Damascus, and ending just past Whitetop
Station in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, at the
Virginia-North Carolina border. Damascus and Abingdon local governments
administer the trail from Abingdon to Damascus (mile 0-15); the George
Washington and Jefferson National Forests’ Mount Rogers National Recreation
Area manages the trail from Damascus up to the North Carolina line (mile
15-34).
Governor Northam’s Order of March 30, 2020: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-55-Temporary-Stay-at-Home-Order-Due-to-Novel-Coronavirus-(COVID-19).pdf
Guidelines for health and safety, recommended by the CDC,
are available at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html.
###
Friday, April 3, 2020
Town of Abingdon Solid Waste Collection Notice for April 7th through April 10th:
Town of Abingdon Solid Waste Collection Notice for
April 7th through April 10th:
Trash collection will occur on a regular schedule next
week (Tuesday, April 7, 2020, through Friday, April 10, 2020).
Large Item (Junk Day) pickup will still occur on Tuesday,
April 7th. Please note that under current reduced staffing due to the
COVID-19 restrictions, some items may not be picked up until later in the week.
If you can delay sitting items out until next month, May 5, 2020, please do so.
Brush Collection is on-going. Again, with reduced staffing
due to the COVID-19 restrictions and with increased demand, it will take longer
than usual to pick up this material.
For questions regarding trash collection, call the Abingdon
Town Shop at 276-628-2361.
Thank you for your patience and consideration.
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