New Kent capital improvement plan totals $5.6 million

A $5.6 million capital improvement plan (CIP) for the next fiscal year in New Kent is now in the hands of county officials for their perusal.

County administrator Rodney Hathaway unveiled the plan, which includes $3.6 million in countywide projects and $2 million designated for utilities, tonight (Jan. 22) before county Planning Commission members.

Commission members are charged with holding a public hearing on the plan and making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. That hearing is expected to take place at the commission’s Feb. 19 meeting.

None of the projects, meanwhile, are set in stone. Supervisors will have final say on which projects move forward to be included in the fiscal 2013-14 budget.

“It’s going to be a tough budget year for us so I’ve researched each request thoroughly to determine our needs,” Hathaway told the commission.

Hathaway whittled down almost $8.8 million in requests from county departments to arrive at the $3.6 million he is recommending. The projects being recommended, if approved, are to be funded primarily by cash reserves that exceeded 15 percent of the county’s fund balance, as determined by an annual audit. Those reserves total $5.7 million.

The $2 million utility plan is separate from the countywide plan and is to be funded by user and connection fees paid by utility system customers.
Hathway’s recommendations by county department include:

–Accounting/Finance- $850,000 for a new financial accounting system.

–Airport- $50,000 in federal/state grants.

–Building and Grounds (General Services)- $450,000 for a new heating/cooling/air-conditioning system for the courthouse.

–Fire Department- $250,000 for a new ambulance, $52,500 for mobile computer units for both fire and sheriff’s department, and $120,000 for an engineering study and needs assessment for upgrading the county’s radio system. That upgrade could cost upwards of $4 million and appears in the CIP for 2015. Hathaway said the study should result in significantly lowering the estimated $4 million price tag. Hathaway turned down a $500,000 request for a new fire engine and a new tanker.

–Information Technology- $85,000 for data networking upgrades.

–Parks and Recreation- $75,000 to replace bleachers at the Historic School fields and $200,000 to start development on a park to be located off Pine Fork Road. Back in 2005, Farms of New Kent proffered 100 acres for a park site off Criss Cross Road. Hathaway said that location is rolling terrain and presents access problems that could cost upwards of $2 million. Thus the county has worked out an agreement with another landowner, swapping the 100-acre site for 38 acres of flat, easily accessible land between Pine Fork Road and Interstate 64. The agreement, he said, is in the final stages with signing expected soon.

–School Board- $70,000 to finish expanding the middle school to accommodate 1,000 students, $370,672 for bus/car replacement, $94,000 for a classroom trailer at New Kent Elementary, $50,000 for landscaping due to safety reasons at Watkins Elementary, and $350,000 for an engineering and needs analysis for renovating New Kent Elementary. Hathaway said the NKES renovation project is estimated at $12 million. The study is aimed at reducing the estimated amount, he said.

–Sheriff’s Office- $77,531 for upgrading the E-911 system due to state mandate (but with no state money).

The proposed CIP also includes recommendations of $342,000 for vehicle replacement ($300,000 designated for sheriff’s vehicles) and close to $113,000 for computer replacement in most county departments.

The $2 million CIP for utilities features for a $1.3 million water line project along Route 249 from Watkins Elementary to Route 612, connecting the Kenwood Farms/Greenwood Estates water system with the Farms of New Kent water system and extending the line along Airport Road to connect with the Quinton Estates water system.

The overall proposed CIP covers five years through fiscal 2017-18 and totals just over $58 million (minus utilities).

A notable project relegated to the future is $28.5 million for a new elementary school ($3 million for design and engineering in 2014-15, $25 million for construction in 2015-16, and the remaining $500,000 in 2016-17).

“We’re not saying that the $3 million [for design and engineering] will be funded next year, but we recognize the need,” Hathaway said.

Also down the road is almost $1.2 million for a new animal shelter in 2014-15. Aiming for reduced cost, Hathaway said he has asked Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr. to approach Charles City with a proposal to build a regional shelter to serve both counties.

Cast beyond the five-year scope of the proposed plan are $4 million and $2.5 million projects for building respective fire stations on Route 106 and at Bottoms Bridge.