With elevations from 2,348 to almost 4,000 feet, Bluefield,
is one of the highest towns in Virginia. The Appalachian mountain
landscape is scenic, but prone to flooding; two-thirds of the town’s flooding last
July came from urban run-off and not from rivers. Town Hall, built partly over Beaver Pond
Creek, added to the problems.
Derrick "Opie" Ruble,
whose official title is Zoning Administrator/ Environmental Technician, is spearheading
the effort to build a town stormwater utility system. Bluefield is one of the first small towns in the
state to consider using a stormwater utility. Efforts have been spurred by need and not by
federal mandates. Because of this, Opie
has been traveling around Virginia researching approaches to stormwater management and
speaking on the Town’s efforts.
But that is only one of many hats Opie
wears. "I’ve got about 14 titles," he says. "I’m flood-plain
administrator, zoning secretary, E&S (erosion-control) administrator and inspector,
GIS manager, and more. In a small town, you have many responsibilities."
Bluefield’s population is just over
5,000 and growing, as shopping centers and medical buildings go up and businesses move
from West Virginia to take advantage of lower taxes
and business costs. The town is poised for a major business/residential/medical
development on the edge of town.
Anderson & Associates is under contract to
provide Bluefield engineering services, another
facet of a 30-year relationship. Project managers work with town officials on GIS, water
systems, and stormwater management, and have provided expertise in planning and grant
applications.
Opie has contributed to a
developer-friendly guidance manual, a flow chart to help contractors meet town ordinances
during the building process. He’s also in the midst of upgrading zoning ordinances to
meet the demands of modern development trends, as well as the creation of a new
comprehensive plan.
"We’re playing catch-up as Bluefield
changes from a bedroom community to a growth center," he says.
Opie grew up just outside Bluefield and made the decision to stay after he
completed an overseas tour in the service. He worked with emergency services and earned an
associates degree in environmental management before joining the town in 1997. For 10
years, he’s been with the fire department, where he serves as training officer and
answers fire calls at any hour. "In my free time, I take work home," he says,
but he does allow himself some mountain biking for relaxation.
Opie and his wife Andrea, whom he
met in Human Relations class, live in Bluefield.
