Editorial: Reflecting on the progress of Charles City and New Kent County

*This is an editorial by Andre’ Jones and the views and comments in this story are his and not a reflection of the views of the New Kent-Charles City Chronicle.

I know. It’s been a while since I’ve written an editorial or one has appeared in the Chronicle. There are several reasons why it hasn’t appeared, but let’s just say that plans that the business had intended to do has been temporary put on hold. But enough about that, let’s get into the meat of this editorial.

With Spring Bring in full effect and many coverage areas enjoying the week off, I thought it would be a good time to look at the statuses of both Charles City and New Kent County. Looking back at more than 29 years of coverage by the Chronicle (11 of which I had the opportunity to personally observe), it makes me take a deep dive into what these localities have done and what each one is dealing with, both positively and negatively.

I’ll first start with my hometown of Charles City. I grew up in a county that is extremely rural. Growing up, I didn’t have to worry about businesses, economic development, and so forth. All I had to focus on is going to school and making sure that I was in the house after playing outside on dirt basketball court.

But now, as an adult, I can truly see that Charles City still has a lot of potential, but a long way to of as well. Gone are the days of kids wanting to play outside on a consistent basis. Technology has thrusted its way to the forefront, and economic development has become essential to surviving in today’s time for every locality and city in the Untied States. For Charles City, the county I love, they have to find a way to accelerate the process and in a hurry.

Because of the lack of economic development, the type of people living in Charles City is changing. The county has gone from an environment where youth could prosper to a retirement community for the older generations to live in. Those are facts, not just comments.

You can see this detail in the school systems. The current high school (used to be middle/high school) was constructed in 1993 with a capacity of 1,200 students at a cost of $28 million. (I was one of those students). But as time passed, enrollment kept dropping. And dropping. And dropping. Today, That school houses grades 7-12 with roughly 220 students. By comparison, when I graduated, grades 6-12 had nearly 550 students.
Often, I hear the blame and questions on why this is happening. I could say that it’s because teachers are leaving to head to other areas to make more money. I could say that parents are taking their children elsewhere for classes that aren’t offered at the school. I will not say it’s for a better education because those teachers who are there are dedicated.

Economic development does affect the learning environment. And when you have to play catch-up, you have to catch-up in everything, and that includes education. Sitting in Charles City’s Board of Supervisors meeting in March, District 2 Representative Bill Coada said it correctly when he said that a five-percent raise isn’t going to do it for teachers. He’s right, but will a 10-percent raise do it as well? Probably not.

And that doesn’t go for just teachers. Law enforcement officers and first responders are in the same boat. Government employees and local business owners struggle to hire. How do you pitch working in a locality with few amenities and say it’s a place to grow and live? How do you afford realistic living wages?

I know what you’re saying. Give these people more money. I think the county should, but at what cost? With so little economic development, it’s going to come on the back of citizens to afford these increases. From cost-of-living to work wages, any increase to help these people will result in a tax increase. And more than likely, there will be a tax increase this year. How much? It depends on what the citizens think.

Overall, Charles City has to get on the ball and expedite a lot of processes. Being able to get strong infrastructure will be a must within the next five years. Being able to expedite the process to build homes that are up to standard, affordable, and safe will start to attract more families. But businesses have to want to come to Charles City and that is going to be a pitch that county leaders make.

Yes, we love the addition of the Dollar General stores, but it’s time to break the mold and get businesses and places that will make the county attractive to others. A grocery story, a fast food restaurant, a shopping center, a place for movies or fun attraction such as miniature golf or go-karts, it only takes that one key piece to be the spark. I’m hopeful that within the next few years, Charles City can grow and the burden of surviving can be taken off the back of the citizens and be lifted by businesses.

Now, moving to the neighbor to the north in New Kent County. Oh boy, where do I start here? Well, I guess the best way to say is that even though New Kent is becoming very attractive to eyes from surrounding people, it’s booming up fast.

Maybe even too fast.

That is the problem that New Kent County is dealing with. While their attractiveness to businesses has continued to be a selling point, their attractiveness also has shown citizens that living there could be beneficial for them. With a major interstate dissecting the county, even if you don’t have a job within the county borders, New Kent makes it attractive to live in a county and make a big city income with access to Richmond, Williamsburg, and even the Hampton Roads Area. And while those cities benefit from the employees, New Kent is working to try to keep people employed within their county walls.

Colonial Downs started as the main eyecatcher for the county. I remember when McDonald’s was introduced to Bottoms Bridge in the mid-1990s and from there, that area has sprung up into a bustling business area. Travel plazas, an Autozone Distribution Center, and now a Buc-ee’s convenience store in the works, New Kent is trying to be able to hang with other localities when it comes to attractiveness and desire to work there.

But that point is not here yet, but the residents are. Using New Kent County’s School system as a reasonable gauging point, that system yielded as many students as neighboring Charles City in the late 1990s. Now, the projection for FY2023-24 is 3,500 students in five schools. That number along with business projections has led to a budget of over $100 million for the county. And yet, it still probably isn’t enough.

Currently, a two-cent tax proposal increase is being advertised for New Kent County. County Administrator Rodney Hathaway admitted in the past that it’s not for the current situation, but for future situations. One of these examples is the construction of a new fire station in the Bottoms Bridge Area. That station is positioned in an area where Hathaway says the most calls are coming from. And with the price tag of at least $7 million budgeted for the creation of the station, the utilization of local services are only expected to increase.

Making a quick boomerang back to New Kent school’s system, the projected increase was expected, but not by so many students in so quick of a time. The opening of Quinton Elementary School relieved some stress at the bottom tier, the middle school level is quickly becoming overwhelmed. In discussions several years ago, Hathaway said areas of the county were being looked at to construct a new middle school by 2028. But if the growth of New Kent doesn’t slow its pace, it may be coming sooner rather than later.

Finally, while New Kent is thriving in economic development, one area that they are lacking in is internet coverage in the county. Providing accessible service to citizens in the county has been the Achilles heel in New Kent. And while they have reached agreements with service providers, it has also been a nightmare unless you live in business friendly areas. But even then, the service has cost users a lot of money.

As I look back at our localities, both areas has its positives and negatives. The one thing that I can truly say without question that no matter if you live in Charles City or New Kent, they both need work in order to meet the needs of the citizens, employees, and next generation. I may be one person, but I am using my platform to speak up because we need to work together to find solutions and not build onto problems. I look at this situation similarly when I ask for volunteers to run the concession stand at athletic events: Are you willing to give a little of your time now for the sake of the future? If you relate this to our citizens and businesses, are you willing to pay more on taxes to establish a foundation for future growth or to sustain current situations?

That is a lot to think about but in the end, we have to continue to voice our decisions and make choices that we firmly believe in. Charles City and New Kent will only become what we allow it to become. I know there is talk about Charles City remaining rural and how people don’t want New Kent to become the new “Short Pump.” But are you going to continue to put the burden on growth on the back of taxpayers or on the backs of companies who can afford it based on what they bring to the table?

It’s time to sit down as individuals, citizens, school leaders, and county leaders and come up with a plan that has all of our input and what we’re willing to sacrifice instead of a select few who show up at meetings.