Construction of Zion Crossroads water system nears
By Christina Dimeo, editor
Construction is set to begin on the Zion Crossroads water and sewer system in about two months’ time.
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors approved two contracts for the system Wednesday (Jan. 9) afternoon.
Supervisors unanimously approved a contract with CB&I LLC to build a 500,000 gallon elevated water storage tank for $2 million. The water tower will be “essentially a twin” of the one just over the county line in Louisa, said Cyndi Toler, purchasing officer.
They also unanimously agreed to a $1.9 million water booster station and wastewater pump station contract with Sargent Corporation.
“We’re finally getting to construction on [the] Zion Crossroads” system, Toler said.
The $11.6 million water and sewer system will connect the Zion Crossroads area with up to 75,000 gallons per day of treated water from the women’s prison on Route 250. It will also route between 100,000 and 125,000 gallons per day of sewage back to the prison for treatment.
The system will be constructed with the ability to connect to Louisa County’s water supply when the need arises. Louisa has pledged to provide 400,000 gallons of treated water to Fluvanna at Zion Crossroads.
Sheridan and O’Brien to lead board
Supervisor Mike Sheridan was reelected as board chairman, a position he has held since 2016. Supervisor Trish Eager nominated Sheridan for the role and Supervisor Don Weaver seconded her motion. The vote passed 4-0-1 (Sheridan abstaining).
“I want to get this water line done,” Sheridan said after the meeting. “I’m honored that fellow board members would see fit to choose me to sit in the chairman’s seat again. It’s very humbling.”
Supervisor Tony O’Brien was elected vice chair, his first position of leadership on the board since he took office in 2013. Former Vice Chair Mozell Booker nominated O’Brien and Eager seconded her motion. The vote passed 4-0-1 (O’Brien abstaining).
“I think we’re really excited about the water projects that are coming to fruition. We’re going to push hard so the water gets done,” O’Brien said after the meeting. “I think it’s healthy for the board to rotate its members in new positions of leadership as it allows them to develop relationships in the different committees that are run by chairs and mayors.”
Supervisors support redistricting efforts
The board approved a resolution to “support redistricting efforts in a different way than has historically been done in the past in the commonwealth,” said County Administrator Steve Nichols, but not all supervisors agreed.
“This is not really our responsibility,” said Supervisor Don Weaver. “I don’t feel like I have enough knowledge on it, and I’m going to abstain on it.”
Weaver said that his thoughts weren’t motivated by political party. “I’m going to make my own decision and I want my own facts,” he said. “I don’t really feel qualified at this time to say yes or no.”
“I think it’s about time that we, Republicans and Democrats and Independents, work together, and I think this is a start,” said Eager.
“There’s so much evidence that gerrymandering is damaging to the health of our democracy and results in more partisanship and more division,” said O’Brien. “I’m looking forward to Virginia finally getting this done.”
“I’m totally committed to [redistricting reform] and I’m going to vote for it,” said Booker.
Sheridan did not state his opinion. Supervisors voted 4-0-1 (Weaver abstaining) in support of the resolution.
Volunteer efforts underway
Carol Tracy Carr told the board that her role as Fluvanna’s community volunteer coordinator has a lot of moving parts.
“The first couple of weeks after I took the job I felt like I was trying to hold an octopus,” she said.
Carr quickly got to work to meet with county agencies that use volunteers, publish an updated volunteer opportunity database, research best methods to connect with county residents, form a community volunteer advisory group, and participate in the 2019 Virginia Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Awards.
“I think the most significant thing I did was form the Community Volunteer Advisory Group,” Carr said. “The octopus was getting a little out of control so I thought if I could get a half-dozen people to sit down with me, maybe we could each take a tentacle.”
Carr has several volunteer initiatives slated for this year. She wants to launch community outreach on a broader scale, explore opportunities for increased student involvement in volunteer activities in the community, investigate collaborating with the newly formed Fluvanna Leadership Development Program Alumni Group and discuss possible coordination of information sharing between food organizations in the county.
“There’s a lot of rich volunteer work going on in the county,” Carr said. “My job is to basically coordinate the efforts. There are people who want to volunteer, and organizations that need the volunteers, and my job is to bring them together.”
