Supes Talk About Proposed Traffic Light on Jamestown Road

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

After hearing from several unhappy citizens at their meeting Tuesday evening, James City County supervisors said they would discuss asking VDOT to look harder at a proposed traffic light on Jamestown Road.

Jack Haldeman spoke to supervisors on behalf of the James City County Concerned Citizens (J4C), and argued a new light so close to the intersection with Route 199 would be dangerous. He also pointed out that with Fresh Market leaving Colony Square, likely traffic demands would change. He requested that supervisors ask for a new study from VDOT which would take into account the myriad of traffic issues all along that segment of Jamestown Road.

Shirley Smith Graham, rector at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church beside Colony Square, also asked supervisors to rethink the light. She said at least 120 cars travel in and out of her church’s parking lot on weekdays, and 250 cars pass through on Sundays. Adding a traffic light nearby would make for a serious problem, she said.

Graham agreed that the church wants to see traffic safety improve, but that a traffic light wouldn’t do the trick.

St. Martin’s has been in its current location since 1967. “Please don’t make us move,” she warned supervisors.

After three other residents spoke out against the idea, McGlennon asked the board to consider working on a resolution which would suspend plans for the light and do a comprehensive study of the larger area along the road, to take into consideration all the various access points, both business and residential, as well as future changes and development plans and other traffic issues.

Numerous business owners and citizens have contacted McGlennon expressing their concern over the proposed light, he said.

He pointed out that safety is not an issue, and there have been no accidents in that area. Also, there is currently no funding from VDOT set aside for the project, so nothing will likely happen in the interim while more study is done.

Supervisor Bruce Goodson said he didn’t feel comfortable suspending the light. He said he expected more study could be done during the engineering phase of the plan which could address any problems.

Goodson also said he was concerned that if there were any future accidents if there weren’t a light in that part of the road that it would reflect poorly on the county.

Goodson finally agreed that he could support requesting further study, but not suspending the light, and supervisors agreed to work on crafting the language for a resolution together.

Other business

Supervisors held their pre-budget public hearing Tuesday. Sue Mellen with financial and management services explained that fiscal year 2012 is the second year of the two-year budget already approved by supervisors, but that likely changes will be made based on new, higher projections on real estate revenues and personal property tax revenues, as well as more state sales tax expected.

Two representatives from area nonprofits came to thank supervisors for support, and one citizen asked that supervisors set aside funds for stormwater projects without using greenspace funds or purchase of development rights funds, and asked that supervisors agree to increase well connection fees.

A local doctor, Cory Butler, asked supervisors to reconsider business license tax rates which he felt were unfairly distributed among various county businesses.

Upon request of board member Jim Kennedy, Financial and Management Services Manager John McDonald explained (for the benefit of the public) that the county has been paying its full contribution to the Virginia Retirement System.

The state has changed its rates for VRS contributions in the last year or two, and teachers’ VRS payments weren’t paid for one quarter from the state, he said, but the county has paid its full share for employees, and the county’s VRS account is 87 percent funded (much better than many localities). It is only under 100 percent due to the poor market conditions, but he expected that would improve soon.