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Albemarle CIP committee gives nod to 12 projects

An Albemarle County advisory committee on Thursday said it supported starting 12 capital projects this year or next.

The county’s Capital Improvement Plan Advisory Committee held its second and final meeting year on Thursday. Typically the committee makes recommendations regarding the five-year CIP, but this year, due to the pandemic, they are making recommendations for projects that had been paused or delayed to advance in the current fiscal year and for the proposed budget for fiscal year 2022.

Projects the committee recommended to start in the current fiscal year include the first portion of Biscuit Run Park, the county’s greenways and blueways program, an addition to Crozet Elementary School and Western Albemarle High School Americans with Disabilities Act improvements and a restroom facility for the softball fields, among other projects.

For next fiscal year, which starts in July, the committee recommended additional funding for economic development partnerships, funding to support transportation projects and an expansion project at Mountain View Elementary School.

Funding for a long-planned Moore’s Creek Trail and Trailhead Park project was also included for fiscal year 2022, contingent upon the county receiving funding from the state.

The committee’s project prioritization list is largely similar to a staff-recommended list that was based on how the projects related to the board’s strategic priorities, their cost, the ability to execute the project and operational impact.

Of 23 projects on the list, 12 were recommended for funding. Projects that were not recommended for funding this fiscal year or next include construction for the second high school center and multiple parks projects.

Capital projects that are part of maintenance and replacement projects, carry-forward from prior years and obligations, like the courts updates, are still included in the capital budget.

Two Supervisors and two School Board members sit on the advisory committee, along with a community member and a planning commissioner. The Board of Supervisors will ultimately have final say on the capital projects.

The board will also have a chance to consider funding other projects that were not part of this process — such as broadband, a solid waste convenience center in southern Albemarle and a roundabout in Earlysville — in a few weeks.

“What we are planning to do is bring to the board, within the next probably six weeks or so, a plan and path forward for your $3.6 million in strategic initiatives money,” county CFO Nelsie Birch said.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com

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