$532 million for CIP

As the economy continues to stabilize, the county is once again proposing a fiscally conservative plan that will guide capital improvements through the next five years.

The $532 million capital improvement plan was presented publicly for the first time last week during a meeting of the county’s budget and audit committee. A public hearing on the CIP is tentatively scheduled for March 14 during the Board of Supervisors meeting. The board is expected to vote on the plan March 28.

“We tried to stagger [projects] so there would not be one particular year where there would be a shock in operating expenses,” said Allan Carmody, director of the Chesterfield Department of Budget and Management.

The plan includes county, school and utility projects.

County CIP

The county’s share of the CIP totals $165.6 million and includes a few big-ticket items, such as a new roof and HVAC system for the Chesterfield Circuit Court building, a new fleet maintenance facility, a mental health facility for adults with intellectual disabilities and a public safety training center in Enon.

Below are a few county projects proposed for funding during fiscal year 2013, which starts July 1.

• Public safety training center at Enon, $4.1 million. FY13 includes partial funding to build a training facility at 14300 Allied Road in Bermuda District for the county’s public safety providers. Final projected cost will be $8.6 million.

• Mental health intermediate care facility, $3.7 million. This project will provide a 9,500-squarefoot, 12-bed care facility to be built at 6801 Lucy Corr Court for adults with intellectual disabilities. Most operating and capital costs will be reimbursed to the county through Medicaid.

• Courthouse roof/HVAC replacement, $1.9 million. Funding will be used to continue replacing the roof and HVAC system at the circuit court building.

• Major facilities maintenance, $1.2 million. Funding will be used for major maintenance, such as roof and HVAC replacement, parking lot resurfacing and structural repairs, at county-owned properties.

• Park land acquisition, $600,000. County will purchase land for future parks.

• Post closure maintenance at landfills, $525,000. Funding will cover maintenance needs at three closed county landfills to comply with federal and state regulations. The CIP includes $3.3 million over FY13-17 for this purpose.

• Heavy equipment wash station, $380,000. Funding will be used to build a wash station in the government center complex for county equipment, such as backhoes, dump trucks and other construction-type equipment. The station will be used by numerous county departments.

• 360 West District police station, $300,000. The FY13 CIP includes partial funding to build a new police station in the Hull Street Road corridor near Route 288 to serve the Matoaca and Clover Hill districts. The total cost of the completed project is $5.2 million.

• Fleet maintenance facility, $300,000. FY13 includes partial funding for the design and construction of a 45,000-square-foot fleet maintenance facility in the northwest quadrant of the county. Once completed, the $5.1 million facility will handle 20 percent of the maintenance workload for county vehicles and provide for Chesterfield’s fleet needs through 2025.

• Historical properties maintenance and repair, $300,000. The CIP allocates $300,000 annually in FY13, FY14 and FY15 to maintain and repair historical properties near the county complex, including Castlewood, Magnolia Grange, the historic jail and the county museum.

• Airport environmental assessment, $180,000. This assessment is required by the Federal Aviation Administration and state environmental regulations and will study the airport’s impact on nearby farmland, fish/wildlife, air quality and noise. The study must be completed to move forward on future airport improvements.

• Central Library, $175,000. Funding will be used to convert unfinished space for public use and replace furniture and equipment as needed.

• Civil War parks improvements, $100,000. Funding will be used to maintain and improve the county’s seven Civil War parks.

School CIP

Chesterfield County Public Schools’ CIP totals $154.5 million and was approved by the school board last month. Projects to be funded in FY13 include additions at Beulah Elementary and Midlothian High schools. About $8 million has been earmarked in FY13 for HVAC upgrades and other maintenance projects at schools. The school system’s five-year plan does not include building any new schools.

Last week, the county’s Citizen Budget Advisory Committee began discussing the possibility of a future bond referendum, which could fund new schools. During last week’s budget and audit meeting, Midlothian Supervisor Dan Gecker expressed concern over school sizes. In recent years, CCPS has built onto numerous county schools to relieve overcrowding.

“I wonder whether we’re not shortchanging our future by having elementary schools and middle schools beyond optimal sizes,” Gecker said.

Patty Carpenter, Midlothian school board chair, said the school system has added onto schools because there isn’t money to build new ones.