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Supes Disagree Over Freedom Park ProjectThursday, January 27, 2011 A nearly $1.3 million contract to build an interpretive center at Freedom Park in James City County was approved by supervisors Tuesday, though two on the board didn’t think it was a good idea. As part of the 2005 parks and recreation bond referendum, the plan to make various improvements to Freedom Park has already begun, with water and sewer lines already installed and the master plan approved by the board in 2008. The current $1.3 million project will focus on building an interpretive center in the park which will also offer programming and meeting space. Supervisors approved the contract award Tuesday, with Chairman Mary Jones and Jim Kennedy dissenting for slightly different reasons.During a discussion on the plan for Freedom Park during the board’s work session Tuesday, supervisors reviewed the current plan, which is to build the interpretive center and rest room facilities, to expand parking and to make some stormwater improvements. Intersection improvements at the entrance to the park (the intersection of Longhill Road and Centerville Road) are already in the planning process. Staff told the board that in fiscal year 2012, the county will spend about $33,000 on maintaining the park, which is not an increase over the year previous. Jones said she liked the idea of the park improvements, but didn’t like the idea of spending the money this year. Parks and Recreation Director John Carnifax said the supervisors could put the project on hold, but said he didn’t feel comfortable walking away from the project completely because citizens had voted on the bond referendum with the expectation the project would eventually be done. Supervisor Jim Icenhour pointed out that the full referendum amount had already been borrowed, the county was paying the interest, and the funds were ready to use, and Supervisor John McGlennon agreed, pointing out that the county was not making a return on the funds that aren’t being used. Kennedy said he felt there were other park projects that he thought the funds should be used for, like the planned renovation of Mid County Park which would cost about $1.7 million. He also was concerned about creating a new park which would need to be staffed and maintained when there was one that was currently well-used in need of repair. Supervisor Bruce Goodson argued that citizens had been clearly informed that Freedom Park was one of the projects planned for the referendum dollars, and that this is an issue of public trust. The board voted 3-2 to approve the contract. |
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Comments
2- Why not use the money to pay back the bond. It is clearly a different economy than it was is 2005. This is not a prudent use of money.
3- The county has well over a dozen parks. Certainly, if the money must be used, it would better suited to improving one the more used parks. I think improving Mid-County/Kids burg would be a much better use of funds.
4 - I voted for Icenhour last time, but if he is going to waste money on stuff like this then I am changing my vote.