Addressing issues with school system’s and county’s wastewater plant highlight dialogue at Charles City joint meeting
Dealing with items that need to be addressed by both Charles City’s School Board and Charles City’s Board of Supervisors, a joint Mar. 9 meeting was held in hopes that both groups could find solutions to capital improvement projects and budget concerns in the upcoming cycle.
One of the primary focuses at the meeting in the high school’s media center were conditions of two wastewater treatment plants in the courthouse area. Plants at the Charles City Administration Building and Charles City school complex have both met their life expectancy and needs either upgrades or expansion.
A presentation by Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson and a representative of Bowman Engineering talked about the issues the plants were facing and how fines could be levied against parties by DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) if they weren’t addressed in the upcoming years. With upgrades needed at both facilities, options were discussed to speak on the issue.
According to Johnson, rebuilding the plant at the school would cost around $1.45 million. A standalone plant at the county administration building carries a price tag of $2.26 million. However, with projected financing, that cost would total $9.7 million over 25 years.
However, another presentation provided a cost for a regional plant that would cover both the schools and the county. The $3.085 million proposal would cover areas from the courthouse complex to Lott Cary Road. The plan would also allow the possibility to expand for future retail and housing in the area. Over a 25-year period, the total cost is pegged at $5,854,162.
Johnson provided the school board with more information about how expansion could lead to more students in the school system. She commented that land across the street from the elementary school has been purchased by the county and garnered interest from at least three major retailers.
Some of the other benefits of having a regional plant is personnel. A combined facility would only require one certified tester to be onsite, whereas separate plants would need one per plant. Currently, Charles City Public Schools subcontract out to have an operator on site.
After the presentation, school board at-large representative Preston Adkins had questions about liability and responsibility of managing the facilities if the regional route was pursued.
“Who would have to pay for the fines?” he asked Johnson, along with county supervisors. “If a line breaks, who will be responsible for cleaning up the spills?
“I know the purpose and the reasoning behind this, but I have a lot of questions that I still need to be answered,” Adkins concluded.
Johnson responded, saying that if a regional plant was created that the county would be responsible for the aforementioned issues. But Johnson said that the issue is a pressing one and should be addressed in the upcoming proposed budget.
In another budget discussion topic, Charles City Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy provided brief comments about the school’s intentions in her upcoming budget proposal.
Joppy addressed supervisors, saying that her main concern and focus in her budget will be adequate staffing, sustaining positions that were granted by COVID-19 relief funds, and assisting with learning loss.
The superintendent provided a small glimpse of her focus areas in her budget. Those areas were providing funding as VRS (Virginia Retirement System) rates increase, increasing minimum wage, increasing bus driver pay, accounting for increased fuel and food costs, providing raises to employees, maintaining levels of service to students and staff, reviewing the pay scale, addressing critical shortages in education, and maintaining funding for mental health services.
Joppy’s formal budget presentation is expected to be made at the Mar. 15 school board meeting. Supervisors are expected to hear a formal budget presentation and recommendation from Johnson at its April monthly meeting.