The section of Rt. 53 between the roundabout and Ruritan Lake Rd., which is about eight-tenths of a mile, currently has a speed limit of 55 miles per hour (mph). But the county has been “bugging” VDOT to lower the speed limit to 45 mph for quite some time, said County Administrator Steve Nichols. “It’s a bad curvy stretch,” he said.
Supervisors have often commented on what some see as a dangerously fast speed limit on a short stretch of road bookended by a roundabout, which requires slow speeds, and the 45 mph section of Rt. 53 that stretches between Ruritan Lake Rd. and the Fluvanna County High School.
“This makes it more contiguous from the traffic circle to the high school,” said Nichols. “It just makes a lot more sense.”
Supervisor Don Weaver noted the lack of visibility for drivers attempting to turn onto Rt. 53 from Ruritan Lake Rd.
Nichols said that VDOT is in the process of making the change.
Supervisors also allocated $9,975 toward the demolition of what Nichols described as four “extremely dilapidated structures” on Rt. 6 in the floodplain in Columbia. The money is a 5 percent match required by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
None of the buildings are occupied. Once the buildings are razed, the plots they stand on will be owned by the county and will be kept as green space, said Nichols.
Not only are the buildings unsightly, but they pose safety hazards to people, such as adventurous children, who may try to enter them, said Nichols.
Supervisor Mozell Booker expressed concern that the dilapidation in Columbia is the first thing visitors to the county see when they enter Fluvanna via Rt. 6.
“I want to see movement on a change in look for Rt. 6,” said Nichols.
The Board also established the Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Council, which will be made up of Fluvanna County volunteers. The council will “promote Fluvanna as an ideal business location and an affordable tourist attraction,” said Aaron Spitzer, interim director of parks and recreation.
The council will attempt to discern barriers to doing business in Fluvanna and to see how those obstacles can be addressed, said Nichols.
