New Kent administrator recommending $1.8 million Capital Improvement Plan for next fiscal year

Cost for proposed projects in New Kent County’s Capital Improvement Plan covering the next five years totals almost $29.3 million. But only a small fraction of those projects are being recommended for inclusion in the county’s budget for the next fiscal year.

County Administrator Rodney Hathaway unveiled the proposed CIP Tuesday night before county Planning Commission members. For fiscal 2015-16, Hathaway is recommending approval for projects totaling just over $1.8 million.

Commission members are charged with reviewing the CIP list and forwarding a recommendation to county supervisors following a public hearing scheduled for planners’ Feb. 17 meeting. The Board of Supervisors hosts another hearing and then has final say on which projects, if any, become part of the county’s next year budget.

“[The CIP] I’m proposing totals $1,839,190,” Hathaway told the commission. “Of that, $1,352,225 is [local] tax-supported while the rest is paid for by [state and federal] grants and proffers.”

The lion’s share ($800,000) of next year’s proposed bottom line is slated for county schools. The figure, however, is far below the $2.15 million in projects requested by school officials.

“We worked very closely with school officials to determine which are priorities,” Hathaway said.

Topping the list of recommended school spending is $285,000 for replacing buses, down from $410,000 requested by schools for four buses and a car. The reduction should not have adverse impact, Hathaway said, adding that schools are now on a schedule to replace three buses per year.

Other potential and notable school projects are a New Kent High School One-To-One Technology Initiative ($200,000) that aims to place a computer in the hands of every student, and $125,000 to replace the middle school’s gym floor due to water damage.

Hathaway is also recommending repairs to leaking roofs at Watkins ($50,000) and New Kent ($10,000) elementary schools, HVAC ($35,000) and lighting ($70,000) replacement at the middle school, and painting and staining high traffic areas at all schools ($25,000).

Missing from the recommended list for schools is just over $1 million for the start of a five-year project to renovate New Kent Elementary along with resurfacing the nearby tennis courts at a cost of $60,000, replacing middle school windows ($90,000), and installing a new high school football stadium scoreboard ($15,000).

Hathaway’s recommendations for other county departments are:

–$245,000 for improvements at New Kent Airport, all but $13,900 paid for with state and federal grants.

–$213,000 for the fire department including $118,000 to re-chassis an ambulance (half paid by a matching federal grant), $20,000 for mobile data terminals, and $75,000 for the first phase (site preparation) for construction of a “burn building” training center. The county has secured a $450,000 state grant for building the facility on Parham Landing Road.

–$85,000 for information technology upgrades.

–$25,000 for parks and recreation to replace bleachers at the Historic School fields due to state code issues.

–$390,000 for vehicle replacement ($288,000 of that figure applies to six vehicles for the sheriff’s office).

–$81,190 for computer replacement in various county offices.

Hathaway said county departments submitted close to $4.9 million in CIP requests. Notable among requests not recommended are $400,000 for software in the accounting/finance department, $650,000 for fire department apparatus replacement, and $325,000 to develop the proposed public park on Pine Fork Road.

County public utilities (water/sewer) fall into a separate CIP where Hathaway is recommending almost $344,000 in spending (paid for by connection and user fees) for FY 2015-16. The proposed utilities plan spread over the next five years totals just over $16.4 million.