To the editor:
Fitzgerald Barnes may have saved my life. He spearheaded a campaign to get the Blue Ridge Health District to run a series of COVID vaccination clinics locally at Louisa County Middle School. They vaccinated thousands of locals, including me.
I’ve been here 32 years, and I remember Fitz working on many issues that have brought good things to the county while protecting what we value most. He has worked for Patrick Henry District residents but has been a leader in making the county a better place to live, work and attend school.
Early on, Fitz supported creating first-class parks and recreation facilities and offerings. Citizens made clear in comprehensive plan meetings that they wanted more recreational opportunities for children and adults. Over 20 years ago, there was a referendum on the ballot to fund a swimming pool. Voters passed it, but the board delayed building it for 10 years. Fitz’s support was instrumental in getting the pool built and improving athletic fields and programs. He has always been a supporter, then and now, of the parks department.
He’s also been a consistent supporter of the public schools, improving them and aspiring for excellence. He has supported increasing teacher pay to be more equitable so we can retain good teachers. The latest project on the board is building a vocational center, a much-needed addition for students who do not intend to go to college but still need skills to make a living.
But that’s not all, as they say. Fitz has supported bringing broadband to the county, and helped create the broadband authority, which has spurred the development of broadband by installing towers and leasing space to private internet providers. Once it was clear that there was a market in Louisa County, private towers also started going up. The struggle continues with fiber development by local utilities. Barnes has been on the frontlines of this, helping negotiate the contract with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative to provide fiber networks across the county.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. That’s always been a Barnes priority. He’s been instrumental in bringing several large employers to Louisa. He worked to develop the Zion Crossroads area and Route 250 as places for companies to build warehouses, job facilities and mixed-use residential. Fitz helped bring in local employers like Walmart and its distribution warehouse, Lowes, the Ferncliff Business Park and, coming soon – an Amazon warehouse.
With more jobs, facilities and broadband come more people. This draws medical facilities, restaurants and grocery stores to the area. Our west end is growing to accommodate those who live there and those who live in the broader county. I can now go to the doctor, get medical tests, and have physical therapy locally at Zion Crossroads. Then I can have lunch at Rhett’s Grill before heading home.
We all love the idea of getting more good restaurants, more and better retail shopping and grocery stores. Fitz is working on it. He is committed to keeping those developments in areas designated for growth, instead of sprawling everywhere and ruining the rural character of the county we love.
As a Louisa resident, I think that Fitzgerald Barnes should not only be re-elected as Patrick Henry supervisor, but we should elect more supervisors like him who want to work for the people instead of a party. Let’s elect supervisors who work for all the residents of Louisa County.
Joanna Hickman
Louisa
This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.