The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, which represents the 17 cities and counties in Southeast Virginia including James City County, will meet Thursday in Chesapeake to discuss and possibly vote on a possible lawsuit to delay the new Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan.

The federal-state Bay cleanup plan, called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), will put the Bay and its tributary waterways on a "pollution diet" over the next 15 years. Virginia’s part of the cleanup, called a watershed implementation plan (WIP), was recently approved.

The HRPDC has argued since the plan’s inception that the EPA’s new pollution restrictions on Bay states will cripple localities with the projected costs of compliance. The organization estimated in October that the plan could cost Triangle localities a combined $85 million each year, though other groups say this may be a high estimate.

Supervisor Bruce Goodson (who represents the county at the HRPDC) let the board know at the end of February that the HRPDC intended to consider pursuing a legal challenge to the EPA, and he said Tuesday evening that the group’s legal advisor felt that the HRPDC had a strong case. Democratic county supervisors voiced their strong objections to the suit during the board's meeting, but were voted down by Republicans with little discussion.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation does not support the idea of a legal challenge, as it will delay cleanup of the already-troubled Bay. Read the CBF’s take on the issue on their website.

Residents can attend the meeting at 9:30 a.m. at the Regional Building on Woodlake Drive in Chesapeake or contact their local government representative to share their thoughts on the issue.

Redistricting Meeting

James City County’s new Citizen Redistricting Committee will hold its first public meeting on Thursday.

The county needs to quickly redraw its districts to ensure each has roughly the same number of people, now that new census data has been released. Supervisors appointed a 10-member group to come up with new district lines.

Read a previous story on the newly-selected committee members here.

The meeting will be held on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the building F board room in the county government complex on Mounts Bay Road. Residents can watch the live video stream on the county’s website http://www.jccegov.com/news/jcctv/live-streaming.php. Information on the Committee and redistricting is available here www.jccEgov.com/redistricting.

Mooretown Road Extension Public Forum

The citizen group the J4Cs is holding a forum on the proposed Mooretown Road extension Wednesday.

The road extension is mentioned in the county’s Comprehensive Plan, and county staff has already begun the planning stages of the project. Two county supervisors recently spoke out against going forward with the plan to extend the road through the county’s new Economic Opportunity (EO) zone, but were outvoted.

Supervisors John McGlennon and Jim Icenhour didn’t like the idea of building the extension through an area that’s not yet developed, as future businesses won’t have to pay for part of the associated costs.

They also argued that, though the project is in the Comprehensive Plan, it was supposed to take place after a Master Plan for the EO zone is in place.

The three other Board members felt that planning a road after development begins can lead to big problems. The plan should be completed in roughly 10 years.

The J4Cs are hosting a public meeting on the topic. Invited to speak are Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Transportation Engineer Benito Perez, county Senior Planner Jason Purse, and “affected citizen” Wayne Moyer.

The meeting will be held Wednesday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the James City County Regional Library on Croaker Road.

Jamestown Beach Park Temporarily Closing

James City County’s Jamestown Beach Park, located at 2205 Jamestown Road, will be closed March 28 through mid-May for shoreline restoration work.

The County received a $100,000 Living Shoreline grant from The Chesapeake Bay Trust (in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center and the Maryland Department of the Environment) to help stabilize and restore 400 feet of beachfront. Over the years, this popular shoreline segment has been adversely impacted by waves and major storm events that have resulted in the loss of usable beach front.

The project will be completed in two phases. Phase I work includes installation of one 150-foot offshore breakwater and one 100-foot spur, both of which will minimize the impact of waves as they approach the shoreline. Both the breakwater and spur will be constructed of recycled and resized concrete rubble that already exists on site. Approximately one ton of sand fill work will follow.

In addition to the Chesapeake Bay Trust grant, the Phase I project is funded by the County’s cash match of $89,400 from the Maintenance Equipment Jamestown Beach Account and $14,107 of in-kind labor for a total budget of $203,507.

Mill Creek Watershed Meeting

James City County is hosting a stakeholder meeting for all who live or work in the Mill Creek Watershed Wednesday, from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at St Martin’s Episcopal Church, 1333 Jamestown Road.

Participants will help shape the Mill Creek Watershed Plan by discussing the future of the watershed, reviewing the goals and helping set priorities for action. Once completed, the plan will guide the County’s management of the watershed and will identify needed capital improvement projects for future funding.

For more information, visit the county's website, call 259-1440 or email stormwater@james-city.va.us.

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