Stafford’s newly approved capital improvement plan includes school renovations, a new courthouse, no road improvements

STAFFORD — The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted on the 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Plan during the June 19 meeting. The CIP was passed with a vote of 5-2.

The CIP was revised by the Finance, Audit and Budget Committee Meeting just hours before the Board voted on the final CIP.

The adjustments to the CIP include lowering the cost of a new courthouse building to $40 million, down from a proposed $52 million. The plan also includes new money for school improvements.

Mark Dudenhefer, Garrisonville District, frustrated with the CIP, said there were zero dollars for road projects included.

“The CIP included a line now that talks about a million dollars going into the road projects, but that money is not appropriated or guaranteed,” said Dudenhefer. “We will receive some additional based on the legislators passing of a floor on the gas tax, but that also is a diminishing dollar amount.”

Cindy Shelton, Aquia District, commented on her push for a pre-school for all children, not just special needs children.

“One of the interesting things we’ve learned in the past few years is that our children are basically formed by the time they go to school,” said Shelton. “One of the challenges we see as we go forward is what do we do about that? If we now know that all children need to be going to school earlier then we need to have a vision for all those children.”

Jack Cavalier, Widewater-Griffis District, has overseen 15 CIP documents and said that the current CIP was the most expensive he’s ever seen.

“It was by far the most work and the most deliberation that’s ever been put into one so for anybody to think that we didn’t consider this thoughtfully they’re seriously remiss,” said Cavalier.

This was the first year of a joint-process with the Stafford County School Board. Board members saw some ups and downs but are hopeful to make next year better.

“I don’t ever want to do another year like this,” said Cavalier. “Almost all the projects are school related so we have recognized that need in the community.”

The newly approved renovation of Ferry Farm Elementary was very high on the School Board’s list of improvements and Tom Coen’s, George Washington District. A portion of the school will be demolished to make way for a new 22,000 square foot addition that includes a new library.

“When I got on this board, Ferry Farm had not been dealt with for a decade,” said Coen. “The idea of trying to do rebuilds, building new elementary schools, and building everything that everybody wants was not possible so the goal had to be doing something credible, realistic, and meaningful to Ferry Farm and doing it as soon as possible and this CIP does that.”