Founders Vision Overlook improvements

Founders Vision Overlook likely attracts more visitors than any other place at Wintergreen. Everyone from curious people who have never heard of Wintergreen driving over from the Blue Ridge Parkway to full-time WTG residents can be found here at any time of the year.

The 17-acre property overlooking Wintergreen Resort’s mountain village has an observation platform with exhibits and a wildflower garden, but the incredible eastern view, some 3,500 ft above the Rockfish Valley, is the major attraction.

The overlook can offer a wild scene in the winter with the resort’s snowmaking, chair lifts, and hundreds of skiers all moving in different directions, with mountain tops peeking out of the clouds below in the background and the horizon extending to infinity.

This year, the property’s ownership was returned to the Wintergreen Property Owners Association from the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen, which acquired the overlook from WPOA in 1997. During that time, the Nature Foundation added native plants and built the observation platform.

WPOA will install some overdue improvements over the next several months.

“Our initial efforts will be simple,” says WPOA Executive Director Jay Roberts. “We’re going to improve the view. We are looking at reducing the grass slope and ruts by bringing in some fill, raising the elevation of the existing rail fence. We’ll improve the drainage, then install sod turf after the grading. Renovating the observation platform, including re-laying the brick walkway, is also planned. We’ll re-pave and adjust the position of the parking area. There will also be new signage on Wintergreen Drive.”

“Less asphalt with expanded and improved grass areas will combine to provide better places to sit and take in the dramatic scene. If all goes as planned, next spring we will have a fresh overlook in place,” says Roberts. “Overall, we’re building on what’s been proven to work. This effort is another way our community is improving and celebrating its outdoors spaces.”

 

Using a cell phone to call 911? Remember to say - I'M AT WINTERGREEN!

Consider storing the direct number for Wintergreen Dispatch as a “favorite contact” in your cell phone. The number is 434-325-1106.

Cellular 911 calls within Wintergreen are tricky.

Within the past month, we have experienced a delayed response to 911 calls from within Stoney Creek because the cell call was routed to neighboring counties. Fortunately, the delays were slight and didn’t have an effect on the outcome of the call.

The Wintergreen 911 center can only receive landline 911 calls. Cellular 911 calls from Wintergreen are typically routed to Nelson County and Nelson can directly dispatch our resources without delay. With that being said, cellular systems do have overlap, and therefore it’s easy to imagine cellular 911 scenarios where the caller is within Nelson County, however the call is received by a different county.

There is a new national number for mental health emergencies. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number is 988 and it works anywhere in the United States.

If you dial 911 with a cell phone, you will likely hear “911, what are you reporting?” You should start your answer with the words “I am at Wintergreen.”

911 was created so that citizens would never have to look up the number for emergency services. It has worked. Virtually every man, woman, and child knows 911. We can’t recommend any number other than 911.

You may choose to store the direct number for Wintergreen Dispatch as a “favorite contact” in your cell phone. The number is 434-325-1106. Our Wintergreen Police dispatchers answer this line 24/7.

-Curtis Sheets, Chief Wintergreen Fire & Rescue