Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Craig County officials and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., are celebrating a major advancement in public safety communications after the county secured a Right-of-Way Access Permit to construct a new emergency radio tower on U.S. Forest Service land.
The permit comes after nearly a year of work with federal, state and local partners. The tower site is located off Forest Service Road, known locally as Hall Road.
Craig County has long struggled with radio dead zones that hinder communication among first responders. Officials said the new tower will dramatically improve emergency response capabilities for county agencies as well as the Virginia State Police, which rely on the same system for rescues in the national forest.
For years, regulatory barriers stalled the county’s efforts to expand its communications network. After being contacted by Craig County Supervisor Jordan Labiosa, Griffith worked with county leaders — including members of the Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Dan Collins and Emergency Management and Services Coordinator Darryl Humphreys — to resolve issues with the Forest Service and secure the easement.
“Sufficient access to public safety communications helps local governments and first responder organizations,” Griffith said. “Craig County has worked diligently to deliver quality emergency radio communications systems, but an issue with the United States Forest Service unnecessarily delayed Craig County’s progress. I commend the Craig County team for their resilience during this process, and I am glad we worked together to find a solution to this issue.”
Collins and Humphreys thanked Griffith for his intervention, saying the permit “will help the citizens of the County and first responders have better radio communications during emergencies.”
Labiosa, who shared news of the approval on Facebook, said the process highlighted the challenges localities face when dealing with federal bureaucracy.
“When it comes to public safety, common sense should always prevail — but too often with the federal government, that is not the case,” Labiosa wrote.
He said the county’s initial request was denied for environmental reasons, despite the fact that the proposed tower would sit just a few hundred yards from an existing road and next to another communications structure — both of which Forest Service officials initially claimed did not exist.
“At first, our request was denied. We were told an appeal would take years and likely be denied again,” Labiosa said. “No better sites exist for this project. That is when Congressman Morgan Griffith stepped in.”
Labiosa said Griffith toured the site with him and other county leaders — including Woody Lipps, Darryl Humphreys, Mudcat Saunders and Jim Cady — to see firsthand “how unreasonable the denial was.”
“Thanks to his support and willingness to take up our cause, I am proud to announce that we now have the easement needed to move forward with construction of this life-saving tower,” Labiosa said. “Craig County is fortunate to have a congressman like Morgan Griffith — someone willing to get his boots dirty, cut through the red tape, and advocate for our community in Washington… where common sense is too often in short supply.”
Griffith previously inspected the Hall Road site with county officials and has taken part in regional efforts to improve emergency communications, including a congressional hearing on the issue in September.
No construction timeline has been announced.
