From the Fork Union post office to Pettit Foster Lane, Rt. 15 will be improved with curbs and gutters, crosswalks, concrete sidewalks with grass utility strips, vehicle entrances, street lights, and metering equipment, at a cost of $481,760.
The Fork Union streetscape project is mostly funded by two transportation grants from VDOT. VDOT put in 80 percent of the funds, or $385,000, and the county contributed a required 20 percent match at $96,760.
Three alternate plans give the options of extending the improvement area to Academy Road, substituting brick pavers in lieu of the grass utility strips, and adding trees and furnishings. The alternate plans come at a total additional cost of $106,000.
S. Walker Construction submitted the lowest bid and expects to begin the project sometime in March, Finance Director Eric Dahl told supervisors. The project should be completed around the end of November.
Between money already expended, the $354,730 construction contract itself, and a 5 percent contingency fund, the $481,760 is essentially completely allocated. “It’s going to be tight,” Dahl said.
Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the contract with S. Walker Construction.
In other matters:
• The Pleasant Grove bathrooms should be operational by March 1, County Administrator Steve Nichols told the Board. Wayne Stephens, director of public works, engineered a design that allows the toilets to flush without the expense of a “big water fix,” Nichols said.
• Management Analyst Mary Anna Twisdale delivered the second quarter budget report, saying that each county department is on track with expending about 50 percent of its budget except for the Board of Supervisors. The Board has spent more than half a year’s worth of its budget due to the costs incurred in the Davenport lawsuit, which currently total around $900,000.
• Roxanne Carter-Johnston is the first community volunteer coordinator for Fluvanna County. Her responsibilities include spearheading the volunteer recruitment efforts of county and community programs, Nichols said, and serving as the primary initial contact for people interested in finding a role in which to volunteer.
• Supervisors declared a local emergency for Tuesday, Feb. 17 in response to a significant winter storm event.
