Press "Enter" to skip to content

Albemarle approves $34 million for capital projects

A number of paused capital projects in Albemarle County can now move forward.

The Board of Supervisors last week approved $34.3 million in capital projects for the current fiscal year.

The appropriations included eight projects that were supported by the county’s Capital Improvement Plan Advisory Committee, as well as funding for maintenance and replacement programs.

Among the approved projects are the first portion of Biscuit Run Park; the county’s greenways and blueways program; an addition to Crozet Elementary School; and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at Western Albemarle High School and a restroom facility for the school’s softball field.

Supervisor Diantha McKeel said she wasn’t against funding the restroom facility for the softball field, but pointed out that a donation for facilities at the baseball field “force into our CIP this amount of money to now be spent for the girls to have a restroom.”

“When we’re looking at these donations, maybe we need to look at them through a broader lens of, ‘If we accept this, what’s the equity issue for the girls?’’ she said.

Supervisors said they were supportive of being more thoughtful about how donations were accepted in the future. More than 10 years ago, an anonymous donor offered funds to each county high school, as well as Charlottesville’s, for artificial turf fields, and the schools were charged with collecting the remaining funding, according to previous Daily Progress reporting.

Supervisors at the time did approve some county funding for the fields.

“If you have somebody that’s being generous enough to put the money forward for whatever the donation is, they certainly have the right to encapsulate it the way they want to,” board Chairman Ned Gallaway said. “But it is contingent on us to perhaps then go, ‘Oh, maybe we could do some sort of match to help address the bigger issue,’ just like they did with the fields.”

During public comment, Chris Hawk, with the Piedmont Environmental Council, thanked the board for appropriating funding for the first phase of Biscuit Run Park.

“We are extremely excited for its opening and hope to see it used for public use by the end of the year,” he said.

In an online public comment, Crozet Community Advisory Council member Joe Fore urged the board to approve the funding for the Crozet Elementary expansion.

“This project is desperately needed to address the serious overcrowding issues at both Brownsville and Crozet Elementary, which are among the very worst in the county,” he wrote. “This project will also help to allay Crozet-area residents’ concerns about increasing density and development in our part of the county.”

On Thursday, the Board of Supervisors and School Board will have a joint meeting to review and discuss potential future compensation-related adjustments ahead of the fiscal year 2022 budget process.

Albemarle’s chief financial officer, Nelsie Birch, said the county is looking at what it needs to do as a government to keep its financial foundation protected while also considering economic stability and workforce stabilization.

“What you’re going to be seeing over the next few months is how can we use our one-time funding very strategically … to strengthen our foundation and to support the community and our county workforce that needs us and is also depending on us, and how do we do that strategically,” she said.

Mission statement

The Board of Supervisors last week also approved a change to the county’s mission statement.

The new mission statement is “to enhance the well-being and quality of life for all community members through the provision of the highest level of public service consistent with the prudent use of public funds.”

Previously, “community members” in the mission statement was “citizens.”

Siri Russell, director of the county’s Office of Equity & Inclusion, said the change was recommended to “reflect the vibrancy of and culture of all of our community members in Albemarle County, including those who are not currently legal citizens.”

During public comment, Caroline Melton, speaking on behalf of Indivisible Charlottesville, said the word “citizens” has legal connotations that leave out many people in the immigrant community.

“Many individuals who cannot claim citizenship are nevertheless an integral part of our shared community,” she said. “They’re our friends and neighbors. They’re folks who live here, who work, worship and go to school here, and they are impacted by decisions that the Board of Supervisors makes. They should therefore see themselves reflected in your mission.”

The change was approved unanimously, though Gallaway was not present at that point in the meeting.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com

Be First to Comment

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *