In his 26 years with the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission (MRPDC), David Barrett has seen the draining out-migration reverse. In fact, a growing number of retirees are moving in to settle along the Blue Ridge Parkway, mountain vistas, and Washington County’s South Holston Lake.

The Smyth County native returned to the region for a PDC job after receiving his bachelor’s degree, playing on an ACC and Sun Bowl championship football team, and working for the UNC-Chapel Hill athletic department. When he came back, Olin Chemical shut down, laying off 2,000 workers in Saltville. Textile mills in Carroll County had also closed.

"I knew the place was distressed, and I wanted to come back to help," Barrett said. "I wanted to improve the quality of life and return jobs to the area."

Now PDC director, Barrett says he’s especially proud of two projects that have a major impact on the district: a sewer development program in eastern Washington County and a new 12,000-sq.-ft. community services facility in Whitetop. The latter, a cooperative project between Grayson County and the Mount Rogers Improvement Club, will house a library, distance learning center, an employment office, health services, and other community offices and be completed by September. It received $1.5 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Appalachian Regional Commission, USDA Rural Development, Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, Southeast Rural Community Action Program, and private sources.

"There was tremendous volunteer community involvement in this project. It has been a great experience," Barrett said.

Barrett says what his district still needs are improved north-south highways, more strategically placed technology parks, and more water and wastewater infrastructure.

MRPDC’s recent projects with A&A include a redevelopment plan for Glade Spring’s town square (which is actually a triangle), funded by a VDOT TEA-21 grant. A&A is also working with the town on a walking trail, a CDBG funded comprehensive neighborhood improvements project, and has prepared maps to facilitate a boundary adjustment.

Barrett has served as the roving town manager of Saltville, Troutdale, and Glade Spring and as deputy director of the PDC before being named executive director of the six-county, two-city district in November. He’s seen the power of local governments cooperating and the promise of tourism, as visitors discover the beauty of the Mount Rogers District.