New Kent Board of Supervisors hear updates on roads, school system’s future plans

By Robb Johnson | November 8, 2020 9:38 pm

New Kent’s Board of Supervisors held a work session Friday morning at the New Kent Forestry Center in Providence Forge.

One of the first issues addressed was with the residents of Rock Creek Villa. Residents voiced concerns about roads in the area. County Administrator Rodney Hathaway made a recommendation to start a process with Virginia’s Department of Transportation to survey the area. Hathaway expressed concerns about the conditions of the current roads, two traffic circles, and if the current roads meet standards set forth by Virginia Department of Transportation to bring it into VDOT’s system to maintain the roads. County leaders granted a motion unanimously for the study.

In another topic, Superintendent of Schools Brian Nichols spoke about several areas that the school system will be looking into for future years.
Nichols started with information referencing the “Return to Learn” initiative that will see kindergartners enter the school system on Nov. 9. First graders are expected to start on Nov. 16. Nichols said that he is hoping that grades two and three will be able to enter the hallways before the holidays before the upper schools open their doors for second semester.

The superintendent also said that they have an intention to provide additional pathways to students through courses. One course Nichols said that they will be looking into is implementing a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) program. He commented that several colleges are offering scholarships and grants for students and that an offering at the high school level can benefit several pupils.

Finally, Nichols said that a preliminary study is looking at the addition of a new middle school. According to the superintendent, they are looking to implement a recommendation into the 2027-28 capital improvement plan (CIP) as enrollment numbers are expected to require the addition of a new school at the second level. Currently there are no financial figures attached to the school.