Your Big Ticket CIP Report
A break-down of all the big ticket items in the CIP for this year
No worries, like reruns, these reports will be free. All I ask is that you think about becoming a paid subscriber.
The Budget. Like an elephant, we need to eat it one bite at a time. So here’s what you should know about the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan).
Each entry will be simplified down to who is asking for it (the department), what they want (the name of the project), and how much it costs (an estimated cost). I’ve taken the liberty of rounding some of the dollar amounts to make it easier to wrap your brain around. I’ll also try to give some summaries as I think may be necessary. And finally, I’ll be limiting what I show here to requests of $1 million or more. There’s a lot of smaller requests but the big ticket items are what most people care about.
It should also be noted that the priority on each item varies from “Urgent” to “Future.” In other words, some stuff needs to be funded now and some stuff should be funded at some point down the road. So just because it’s listed doesn’t mean it will all be funded tomorrow. I also noted a few items that were listed that I swear were already completed. Hopefully future meetings will clarify the status of these items.
Who: King George County Schools
What: Vo-Tech 2 story building
How Much: about $19 million
Context: Both the School Board and the Supervisors are excited to put the pedal to the metal on CTE. I’m excited too. But I’d like to tap the brakes a bit and make sure the wrestling team, KGEF, NJROTC air rifle team, and everyone else in the current VoTech building has a new home first. Then let’s tear down the old one and build a new one. The new building is going to house some new CTE courses as well but Culinary Arts is probably the one I’m most excited for.
Who: King George County Schools
What: School Bus Refresh
How Much: about $3.2 million
Context: This happens pretty much every year. They buy five or so new buses and get rid of the older, higher mileage buses.
Who: King George County Schools
What: KGHS- Bleacher Replacement
How Much: $1 million
Context: If your kid has been in a KGHS PE class in the last five years, you know the bleachers are broken, or semi-broken, on a regular basis.
Who: King George County Schools
What: KGHS Roof Top units
How Much: $5.8 million
Context: The presentation says this will replace 13 HVAC units on the roof. They also hit the end of their expected life expectancy in 2022.
Who: King George County Schools
What: PES- VRF system
How Much: $4 million
Context: Based on a quick search, “VRF” stands for “variable refrigerant flow.” I’m assuming that’s what they want to replace. The presentation states they are near the end of their life.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Ambulance Replacement Program
How Much: about $2 million
Context: This is just like the school bus replacement schedule. Except it’s for an ambulance.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Fire and Rescue Station (Shiloh)
How Much: $11 million
Context: The Fire Department has been trying to get a new Shiloh station for a few years. To my knowledge, they have not found a site yet. However, I would like to propose the area between 301 and 3. It’s zoned commercial and it’s for sale. It would make for a great Shiloh government center with a school, fire and EMS station, mini-hospital, etc.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Aerial 1 Ladder Truck
How Much: $2.7 million
Context: Current equipment can reach a second story window. But not really anything beyond that. Getting an aerial truck will fix that. This item is also a frequent data point in proffers form data center developers and may get funding from a developer before it gets funded by the county.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Replacement of Reserve Engine 1
How Much: $1.2 million
Context: Again, just like the bus and ambulance replacements. It’s on a schedule and near, or at, the end of its life.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Replacement of Rescue 1 (Heavy Rescue)
How Much: $2 million
Context: Same as above.
Who: Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services
What: Fire & Rescue Training Center
How Much: $3.5 million
Context: The plan is to combine the training center with the proposed Shiloh station. It would also save some money in the long term as we continue to grow, we could train our own employees locally.
Who: Sheriff
What: Mobile Command Replacement- KGSO/KGFD
How Much: $1.5 million
Context: Again, like school buses and ambulances, the current command center vehicle is ready to be replaced.
Who: Engineering
What: Old Courthouse Remodel/Repurpose
How Much: about $6.5 million
Context: It should be noted that a cheaper option is also on the CIP and it’s to tear down the old courthouse. Sadly, I predict some of the Supervisors will ignore the history of the old courthouse and look at the lower cost of demolition.
Who: Engineering
What: New County Building
How Much: $27 million
Context: To quote the proposal “A 40,000 square foot County Building located to the east of the Revercomb building. This building will provide office space for the school board office, social services, registraur [SIC], and other county departments requiring more space.” What concerns me is not the typo but that it says to the east of the current Revercomb building. That’s where Smoot is. I’m hoping this is also a typo and they mean to the west.
Who: Engineering
What: New Central Storage Facility
How Much: about $5.3 million
Context: It’s listed under engineering but this storage building is for the school system. But it may be used by other departments.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Barnesfield Park Upgrades
How Much: about $2 million
Context: The new Master Plan will shed light on all the details but in short, there are a lot of upgrades people. A lot. And they’re needed. Barnesfield has been around for a few decades so I would love to see a new bathroom. Or running trails. Or playground.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Wayside Park Improvements
How Much: $2.5 million
Context: In conjunction with Barnesfield, we have Wayside. Again, I’m sure bathrooms on location would be delightful.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Field and Parking Lot Lighting - Sealston Sports Complex
How Much: about $1 million
Context: Better lighting means fields can be used longer and parking lots will be safer.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Trailways Plan Implementation
How Much: about $1 million
Context: My dream is that the county buys the DRHT and works in tandem with Caledon to create a massive trail network that spans nearly the entire county.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Ralph Bunche School Renovations
How Much: $10 million
Context: Another dream is to see Ralph Bunche usable again. It has sat empty and unloved for too long. It really needs to be restored, preserved, and used as a museum or some other community facility.
Who: Parks and Recreation
What: Recreation Center
How Much: $14 million
Context: Well, if we had spent money on the old KGMS, we could have had a new rec center. Instead, we get to hope and dream of a new facility. I mean, the Citizens Center is nice and all but, it’s a bit dated. And almost always full.
Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll be back with some of the cheaper requests next.
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Sources:
This news has been slowly accumulated from a variety of public news sources but primarily the public meetings held in King George County.