Proposed five-year $253 million CIP for New Kent includes $152 million for next fiscal year

New Kent Supervisors received a look at a five-year capital improvement plan (CIP) during the Jan. 28 work session. And one thing is for certain; New Kent has big goals and plans to spend lots of money.

New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway presented the five-year recommendation of $253,825,548 during the meeting. Of that amount, more than half ($152,790,754) is planned to be used in the next fiscal year.

The five-year proposal presented by Hathaway comes as a recommendation from the county’s planning commission. The $253 million in expenditures will cover several areas, with the $152 million planned for next year leading the charge.

The two major projects recommended for next year by the planning commission is to begin construction of a new county courthouse ($70 million) and replacing the current New Kent Elementary School with a new facility ($58 million). While the courthouse has essentially received the go-ahead from county leaders, the new school continues to undergo discussions to be constructed. In previous meetings with Davenport and Company, the county’s financial advisor, it was determined that borrowing is expected for both projects. However, under current county guidelines, borrowing for both projects will result in the county exceeding their own restrictions. Approving one project would not see an impact to the tax rate, but approving both projects would see the addition of three-and-a-half pennies and four pennies in the tax rate if construction is delayed for the school project. Starting the school project earlier would result in two-and-a-half pennies tax rate increase per year for the next two years to begin.

Over the last few weeks, pushes for the elementary school’s development have been presented to county leaders by the school board and superintendent of schools Brian Nichols. However, the board recently denied approving transferring funds from the Colonial Downs set aside account to the school board to initiate engineering and design costs. While that denial did not pass, the project continues to be an ongoing topic.

Another big-ticket item on the county’s CIP is the construction of Fire Station #2 in Quinton. The goal is to construct a new facility on land recently purchased at the 3400 block of New Kent Highway. The station carries a cost of $6,442,000, consisting of three bays for equipment.

Another major CIP project includes $4,867,951 for the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA) to assist with roundabout projects at the intersection of New Kent Highway (Route 249) and Dispatch Road, as well as the roundabout at the intersection at Courthouse Road (Route 155) and Kentland Trail. That money would also be used to assist with the rehabilitation of the Emmaus Church Road Bridge (Route 106) that spans over Interstate 64.

New Kent High School’s Athletic Complex second phase that will see the construction of a new concession stand and locker rooms come in at a cost of $3.5 million on the CIP, a new community center at Wahrani Trail ($1.5 million) to be constructed and used as a new voting precinct for District 5, New Kent Sheriff’s Office projects at a cost of $1,446,973, and HVAC replacement at New Kent High School at $1,057,248 round out the top tier projects in the proposal for next year.

The Public Utilities CIP, which is self-sustaining, introduced a budget of $53,760,000 over the next five years, including a recommendation of $16,395,000 for the next fiscal year.

The two priorities according to New Kent Director of Public Utilities Mike Lang are the Brickshire Water Tank replacement ($10 million) and the water system interconnections ($5.5 million). Lang also advised county leaders that adding a water line alongside New Kent Highway would be necessary in the future at a cost of $8 million.

Discussions with Davenport and Co. are ongoing, with county leaders asking about anticipated revenue from new developments. District 1 Leader Thomas Evelyn specifically asked about if there was too much pressure being put on developments in anticipation of revenue coming in. District 3 Supervisor John Moyer chimed in, saying that public utilities may see a three-cent tax increase due to water and sewer projects, along with an additional tax increase from the county for future CIP projects.

While discussion and funding continue to be in the early stages, public hearings for the CIP for both the county and public utilities are expected to take place in the future. The public utilities hearing may occur center as deadlines are approaching by the middle of March, with Lang asking for direction from the county on what projects that will be funded.