Massaponax Church Road improvements will be part of public-private project

Date published: 10/25/2007

By DAN TELVOCK

Making improvements to a half-mile portion of Massaponax Church Road near a new elementary school is back in the laps of Spotsylvania County supervisors.

But paying for it still hinges on the school system finding an additional $1.87 million.

"They have a capital-funds account that has some earned interest in it," said Deputy County Administrator Doug Barnes. "We suggested that they might use those monies. It is in excess of $3.5 million."

The School Board will make a decision soon. "The School Board will take that up when they present the draft agreement," said James Meyer, assistant superintendent of administrative services. "I am anticipating it soon. That will be the next step in this process. That agreement is going to prescribe that the School Board will provide the funding."

Elementary School 17 is under construction for a fall 2008 opening. The occupancy permit was contingent on the School Board paying $4 million toward improving the half-mile section of the narrow road that some supervisors have deemed dangerous. This agreement was part of the special-use permit for the school that supervisors approved last year. Since then, the project has become a political football and a catalyst for controversy between the boards and among supervisors.

School officials, who badly wanted to have the school open on time, reluctantly agreed to pay $4 million to improve the road. Now supervisors ask that the School Board pay a total of about $5.47 million.

The approximately four-mile road from U.S. 1 to the U.S. 17 Bypass is included in a 2005 bond referendum transportation package that voters approved.

When the School Board bid the project, it discovered that the costs nearly doubled for that half-mile section. School staff then asked supervisors to amend the special-use permit to allow the school to open without the full road improvements.

Meyer said the school system used $400,000 of the $4 million for turn lanes at the entrance, which must be done before the school opens. Supervisors funded $600,000 for turn signals at the road's intersection with the U.S. 17 Bypass.

On Tuesday, supervisors agreed to wrap the project into its public-private agreement with Spotsylvania County Infrastructure, a private construction and design firm.

Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com

Spotsylvania Supervisor T.C. Waddy asked this week that county staff meet with state transportation officials to discuss options to pave rural roads. Waddy's Livingston District has 20 of the county's 35 unpaved roads. Waddy said he asked for the meeting because of the concerns from residents on Grand Brooks Road. The motion passed 6-0 with Supervisor Vince Onorato absent for that portion of the meeting.

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Date published: 10/25/2007

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