By MARK THOMAS, Star-Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:11 AM EDT

Officials from local, state and federal government take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for a joint water line connecting Pittsylvania and Henry counties. Construction on the $5.7 million line should start in October and be finished next summer.

Construction should start in October on a Pittsylvania-Henry water line, an infrastructure partnership officials said Monday would boost economic development for both counties.

"To have industrial and business growth, you've got to have a good water supply," 5th District Rep. Virgil Goode said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Brosville Industrial Park on U.S. 58 West. "I think this will be beneficial for many days to come."

Moments later, Goode and officials from the state and two counties cut a ceremonial ribbon for the 17-mile line that will run along U.S. 58 from Brosville to Philpott Lake.

Goode called it a "red-letter event" for the two counties.

"This is about jobs. This is about building jobs and changing the economy for Southside Virginia," Danville Del. Danny Marshall said during the noon ceremony, attended by about 60 people, many of them elected and appointed officials and employees of the two counties.

Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber said the line sets the stage for commercial and industrial development in the Brosville park and on U.S. 58.

H.G. Vaughn, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, said the water line would serve a 1,200-acre parcel his county bought for an industrial park.

He said it would also offer water service to residents in the eastern part of Henry County now served by Martinsville.

"This is a winning deal for residents in the entire region," Vaughn said.

Officials touted the partnership between the counties that made the water line possible. Behind the speakers, flags from both counties waved in the breeze.

"This is the kind of partnership that will move not only Southside forward, but all of the commonwealth forward during the next few years," Chatham Del. Robert Hurt said.

Vaughn said the project "sets the standard for cooperation between local jurisdictions." He said his county looks forward to working with Pittsylvania County on other projects.

That could be a joint industrial park.

"We hope in the future," said Barber. "Regionalization is going to bring this area back to where it was financially and job-wise."

Barber said supervisors should work on industrial development in the northern part of Pittsylvania County first, but a regional park with Henry County is a possibility

The water line is being done in three segments. The first goes from Brosville to the Henry County line. A second part will connect the new pipe to an existing Henry County line. The third segment will go around Martinsville and connect to Philpott.

The project should be finished next August.

Costing $5.7 million, the line is being funded by the Economic Development Administration, Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and dollars from the two counties.