Cooperative Living January 2015 - 18

Though separated by the Chesapeake Bay
and miles of Old Dominion, the
communities of Monterey and
Exmore share similarities and
challenges common to many
small towns in Virginia.
Monterey
★
★
Exmore
Monterey: A Place Apart
by John Bruce, Contributing Writer
M
ayor Rich Holman welcomes you
to Monterey, Va., population 147,
elevation 2,894 feet and Virginia's
smallest municipality in the state's least
densely populated county, Highland.
Holman, 67, is a native of the rural
Kentucky community of Frogue and a Navy
veteran who retired as a linguist from the
National Security Agency after a series of
duties that included service as a translator in
Ethiopia. He and his wife, Linda, moved to
Highland in 1993 from the Shenandoah
Valley after living in the Washington, D.C.
suburbs.
As is the case with many places, Highland
is populated by " come heres, " people who
decided to move there, and " from heres, "
those who have lived there all or most of
their lives. Many " come heres " stumbled
on Highland, and the Holmans were no
exceptions.
" We came here looking for Bartow, W.
Va., because we always noticed that the temperature
was lower, " Holman recalls. They
decided to stop in the county seat of
Monterey more than two decades ago and
they've been there since. The cooler air and
scenic beauty of the Allegheny Highlands
were a welcomed departure from the tailgating
traffic and sweltering summers east of the
Alleghenies, he says.
" We still can't get over the breathtaking
beauty, " Holman says of Highland and the
high-valley town of Monterey. There, he and
Linda have run Cherry Hill Bed and Breakfast
16
for 22 years and in that time have introduced
many newcomers to Highland who have settled
there.
Holman won the mayoral race in the
spring of 2014 to take his first role in elected
office. He sees his job as guiding the threemember-plus-mayor
town council to bring
the town and county officials closer together
and promote community participation.
" It bothered me to see empty storefronts, "
Holman says of the roughly one quarter of
Main Street's two-dozen businesses that have
shut down after the economy tanked in 2008.
Most recently closed was the Highland Inn,
the town's main lodging facility, whose former
owners attributed the bad news to the continuing
economic slump.
There's talk around town that things
might be changing for the better. " There are
some things happening now, " Holman says.
" There has been work on Main Street startups. "
One
of the town's best strategies to continue
the momentum is to get the word out
to people outside the county and inform
them that there is opportunity in Monterey
and Highland, the mayor says. " As mayor, I
can show them opportunities and put them
in touch with other people who can show
them opportunities. I feel I know a lot of
people who have an influence in getting
things done. "
One of Highland's greatest qualities is its
security, Holman points out. The prospect of
raising a family where children can play outside
safely is a major advantage. Security in
where someone lives can go a long ways to
overcome what some people say is isolation,
he says.
" I'm really proud to say we are secure. We
have a really good sheriff's office. We have
peace and quiet. To me, that's one of the big
things.
" People don't steal cars in Monterey, " he
says, pointing to what locals say was the closest
thing. That was when a blind dog accidentally
shifted an unoccupied vehicle into
motion and it rolled down a hill last summer.
" A dog did, and a blind dog at that, " Holman
chuckles. " You will have to come to Monterey
to get the rest of that story! "
Council member Jack Kilgallen is a
Seattle native and career Navy veteran who
bought land near Monterey in 1986 and followed
his wife, Ann, and daughter, Jackie, to
make Highland home after moving from the
Washington, D.C. area on his retirement from
Elsevier Science, Inc.
Now serving his first full term on town
council, Kilgallen, 67, says he was attracted to
Highland for its beauty and outdoor recreational
opportunities and so that he and his
wife could raise their 12-year-old daughter in
a safe and loving small-town environment.
One challenge the town faces is continuing
the charter that authorizes the town to
operate as a political subdivision. " Some residents
want to fold the town into the county, "
he says.
He says that there has been some opposiCooperative
Living/January 2015
Cooperative Living January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2015
