A Valley county began the year with new leadership, and possibly a new direction. The new members of Page County's Board of Supervisors formally took office Friday.

John Woodward is the new Chairman of the board. He wants to end the furloughing of county employees, a move made last year in light of a dwindling budget.

The previous board instituted 12 furlough days for the fiscal year that started in July.

Woodward says the board has already begun looking for places to save money. For example, he says the county's attorney has agreed to a pay cut.

"The main objective is to be open with the county as to what's happening, keep them informed," says Woodward.

Woodward says not enough information was made available about the controversial purchase of the Hudson farm property.

The $7 million deal is called Project Clover. It's meant to be the site of business development in the county, but no one is set to move to the space.

"I'm not saying the purchase was wrong. I'm just saying they could have kept [people] a little more involved, so the people could be a little more understanding as to how the money was spent," says Woodward.

The issue dominated the campaign.

New District 1 Supervisor Robert Griffith says, if in six months, nothing happens on the site, the contract may be renegotiated.

"Nobody's going to get everything they want. There's going to have to be a compromise," says Griffith.

More than 1,800 people signed a petition asking the board of supervisors to cancel the deal entirely. Critics say the county can't afford the payments.

Woodward says a public meeting about Project Clover is tentatively set for January 19. At that time, Woodward says he'll release new information about the land deal. A meeting place may be selected next week.

"We're very concerned about that land purchase and what the previous board did. And, we're going to be more vocal with the public on this issue," says Griffith.

The new supervisors say the issue of employment remains a priority.

The county's unemployment rate climbed to more than 11 percent in November, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

District 5 Supervisor Jeff Vaughan knows the effects of that as a businessman in Shenandoah.

"With my exposure to other industries and the technology that's out there, hopefully we can be a county that can look more outside the box," says Vaughan.