Supervisor Pyles, Walking the Walk

“Tracy has helped improve the lives of many in his District over the years.” –Augusta County resident

Augusta County Supervisor Tracy Pyles stood comfortably at the front of the Deerfield fire station’s meeting room at his Tuesday night town hall in the far western reaches of Pastures District. It’s an area he knows well. Growing up in the scenic beauty of the Deerfield Valley, he was a child of the generation allowed to roam freely, climb trees, explore creeks, scramble the mountain slopes, and spend hours away from parents’ watchful eyes.

Within that district is the tiny unincorporated area known as Deerfield, elevation 1739 feet, located approximately 45 minutes west of Staunton, in a picturesque valley on the western side of Elliott’s Knob, the highest point in Augusta County. It peaks out at an elevation of 4463 feet atop the North Mountain range.

To know the area is to know the man.

Augusta County: Tracy Pyles wins re-election in Pastures District

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Augusta County’s Pastures District, on the western edge of the county and bordering with Bath and Highland counties, has three library branches, more than any of he seven districts. That is a direct result of Supervisor Tracy Pyles’ work to bring that community resource to his far-reaching areas of Deerfield and Craigsville in addition to Churchville.

That is just one of the improvements Tracy has brought to Pastures, where there is more national forest land than private land, and houses can be few and far between.

Tracy won a close re-election Tuesday night against Chris Morrison whose family owns the IGA grocery store in Craigsville, bringing in 52 percent to 48 percent.

Winter views of the Appalachian Mountains

By Lynn R. Mitchell

As I drove home from Staunton this afternoon on this cold January day, the air was clear and the mountains beckoned. There was not time to head to the hills so I took some photos instead. Ponds are frozen after days of sub-freezing temperatures. This time of year presents a different kind of beauty when trees are bare and the lay of the land is clearly visible.

Atlantic Coast Pipeline: Better ways to the same end

By Tracy Pyles
Supervisor, Pastures District, Augusta County
Guest Post

The “no-pipeline” slogan fits nicely on 2-inch buttons and yard signs but is an incomplete statement of attitude.  Most of us realize pipelines, whether 1, 2, or 3, will be approved to cross Virginia, destined for the Atlantic coast, in the next 5 years.  The challenge is to insure that these pipelines are smartly placed where they can serve their intended purposes while limiting their impact on the environment, the least risk to our people and force-take the least amount of private property.