By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The Board of Supervisors held a rare special meeting on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 6) to approve an urgent Fluvanna County Public Schools request for $221,000.
Blame it on Tropical Storm Debby.
The track at Fluvanna County High School is currently being resurfaced, and late in the previous week, the contractor, Rekorten BBS, discovered cracks in the asphalt foundation.
While not unexpected, the discovery added to the cost and complexity of the project.
Superintendent Peter Gretz told the supervisors that Rekorten’s recommendation was to grind up, or mill, the cracked asphalt, lay a new layer of fresh asphalt, and then let that cure for 14 days.
However, with an estimated 3-5 inches of rain expected to hit the region Wednesday and Thursday, even a few days’ delay in the process risked the track not being ready for the FCHS track team’s first home meet on Aug. 30.
The contractor was ready to start milling the old track on Tuesday night if they had a signed contract for the additional work. That prompted the supervisors to call a special session on Tuesday afternoon rather than waiting for their regular meeting on Wednesday night.
Chair Chris Fairchild (Cunningham), Mike Sheridan (Columbia), and Mike Goad (Fork Union) attended in person, while Tim Hodge (Palmyra) joined remotely. Tony O’Brien (Rivanna) was unable to attend.
The $221,000 request would cover the estimated cost of the work, plus about $20,000 in contingency funds.
Gretz said they could potentially recoup $28,000 if they chose a black finish instead of the steel blue finish selected by the school committee.
His preference was to keep the steel blue finish, “but I also want to be transparent with you, and just as we’re coming here, asking for your partnership to take care of this, that is something that we can do.”
Supervisors didn’t ask for any alterations to the project and approved the $221,000 request on a vote of 4-0.
Palmyra School Board member James Kelley, who attended the special meeting and advocated for the allocation, said he stopped by the track at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, and Rekortan crews were ready to begin milling.
“I think we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief on Aug. 30 when we win our first home game on a new, beautiful field,” said Kelley.
He thanked the supervisors for “their commitment to our shared vision.”
