By Madeline Otten
Correspondent
A new business is coming to Fluvanna County thanks to a 5-0 vote by the Fluvanna County Planning Commission on Jan. 15. The Planning Commission approved a sketch plan for the approved headquarters of the five star rated company, Foothill Irrigation. Their new headquarters will reside in the Zion Crossroads area, in the Zion Station Industrial Park, which includes a 2,016 square foot office as well as outbuildings and outside storage areas.
Foothill Irrigation started serving clients in the Charlottesville area in 1987 and offer irrigation installation and maintenance as well as whole house filtration systems and landscape lighting. Installation can include water line installation, submersible pumps, pump stations, trenching, design build, and storage tanks. Maintenance includes contracts, electrical troubleshooting, system renovations and upgrades, yearly backflow testing and certification, certified irrigation audits, and emergency services.
“After 30 years, we have outgrown our facility in Earlysville and identified the site in Zion Crossroads as an ideal location for many reasons: proximity to existing clients; I-64 facilitates access to new markets; availability of labor from the Fluvanna/Louisa areas; and infrastructure that is finally catching up to 21st century standards,” said owner Bradley Hill. “The last point is important because we would not have considered this location without municipal water and broadband Internet.”
To ensure the best results for their clients, Foothill Irrigation has certified irrigation contractors, which certifies that the candidate has met an advanced level of competency in the execution of contractions or subcontracts to install, repair and or maintain irrigation systems and certified landscape irrigation auditors who collect site data, make maintenance recommendations and perform minor repairs, develop a basic irrigation schedule, and more. Foothill Irrigation also meets Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria through partnering with WaterSense
“We are delighted to bring Foothill Irrigation to Fluvanna County,” said Fluvanna County’s Economic Development Coordinator Bryan Rothamel. “Foothill has a long history in the Charlottesville area of bringing superb service. We welcome the crew to Fluvanna’s business community.”
With Foothill Irrigation making its way over to Fluvanna, it will bring 15 new jobs to the county. In addition to new jobs, it will also bring more benefits to the county.
“I guess that benefit is in the eye of the beholder,” said Hill. “From my perspective, Foothill brings new tax revenue; demonstration to other companies that the Fluvanna area is vibrant and corporate-friendly; we will purchase from local retail merchants (Lowes, Tractor Supply, gas, food, etc.) as well as 15 associates who will do same; many existing (and hopefully new) customers in Fluvanna/Louisa who will now have greater access to our services; and a growing company looking to leverage the local workforce.”
While there is no set date for the opening of the office in the Zion Crossroads area, the capital investment is $800,000 for this project. Customers can check out their website – foothillirrigation.com – for more information and get a free estimate.
