Chris Fewster left Anderson & Associates to become Franklin County’s first staff engineer in September, but he’s still working with some of the projects he was involved in as an A&A project manager.

"I’m doing the same kind of work I’ve done at A&A for 14 years - water and sewer systems - but I’m on the owner’s side of things now," he said. "I’m doing more planning, construction oversight, and operations."

Chris was hired to help plan and develop the countywide water system and provide technical assistance throughout Franklin County.

"Because it’s a new position, the County is allowing me to define the county engineer role as I go," Chris said. "It’s pretty much a create-your-own job-description situation. Each day varies enough to keep it interesting."

The 500 mile meandering shoreline along Smith Mountain Lake has become a hot place to build now, and the largest part of this development is occurring within Franklin County, driving growth in the county. Chris is working closely with county staff, consultants, and developers to develop the utility infrastructure for the mushrooming Westlake-Hales Ford-Burnt Chimney area, as well as planning utilities for the corridor along U.S. Route 220. He’s also working closely with the Recreation Department to develop the 37-acre Smith Mountain Lake Community Park and to improve Wade Park.

Chris sees familiar faces as he contracts with A&A on Ferrum Water and Sewage Authority projects and the Forest Hill water improvements project.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the Fewster home base - he and his family still live on their 50-acre farmstead in Floyd County, site of a major home addition project and one of the best backyard ski slopes around.

Chris, an Old Dominion University alumnus, says he and his wife moved from Tidewater years ago to find the perfect place to live. They found it, and then they found jobs. Chris said "Without the support of A&A through the years, we may never have been able to live out our dream of a rural life in the New River Valley."