Cheaper and greener to renovate, expand JCC government center, experts say

Happy Tuesday! Today we look at some of the assumptions behind the county government center, and round up closings for the Juneteenth holiday Thursday.

Jun 17, 2025

a picture of the green space where the county office center will be, and a layout of the complex — Proposed site of government center, left, across from JCC Rec Center. (Williamsburg Watch picture, rendering courtesy James City County)

Renovating and expanding James City County’s existing government center would cost less than half as much as building a new center, our latest look at the numbers shows.

Consultants told the county in May 2022 that over time, the cost of building a brand-new government center at a single location would be about the same as renovating the existing site.

The construction costs would be very different -- a new center would cost $99 million to build, and renovating the existing space and adding additional workspaces would cost about $65 million in 2022 dollars.

But the consultants figured the cost of owning both solutions over 30 years would be about the same, because the new center would be cheaper to maintain and the county could sell off excess land.

Things have changed in the intervening years.

As features were added to the new center, and the cost of building inflated, current cost estimates jumped to $189.5 million. They could rise still more when a design is completed and a price is bid this fall.

The county also wants to build an adjacent library building for another $49.2 million.

When we applied the Turner Building Cost index to estimate the cost of keeping the current site in today’s dollars, we got a figure closer to $72 million. We reached out to RKG and Associates, the consultant who presented the alternatives, to critique our analysis but they would not talk to us.

A major assumption in making the two projects appear to cost nearly the same was the belief the county would sell off the Mounts Bay property, generating more than $11 million. Several supervisors are now saying it might be kept for a new school, even though the school system’s enrollment has been flat for several years.

“It’s often a misconception that building new is easier or cheaper,” we were told by Amy Gilbertson, an architect who is a principal at Trivers architectural firm. “The pricing right now in the construction market is pretty crazy.”

The St. Louis-based company should know. The majority of its projects last year were for renovating historic structures, and it was recently featured in a full-page Wall Street Journal piece on the renovation of an old courthouse and public spaces leading to the city’s iconic Gateway Arch.

While the consultants presented new construction as being a greener alternative because it is more energy efficient, Gilbertson said re-using buildings is more environmentally friendly.

Powhatan Supervisor Michael J. Hipple, who is a contractor, has said several times that some buildings are too old to spend money renovating. Gilbertson said in her experience that has not been the case.

There were other assumptions made in the project that may no longer be applicable.

Hipple envisioned a one-stop shop for taxpayers that would be more convenient than going to several buildings. Having all employees co-located would save time and energy traveling between buildings, RKG’s presentation added.

But with so many county functions now available on the county website, it’s not clear that a one-stop shop is even relevant to many taxpayers. Taxpayers can apply for licenses, pay their taxes, and even watch government meetings live online. Video conferencing can replace in-person meetings for staff.

Williamsburg resident Robert L. Wilson, who retired from a Fortune 500 company and has extensive experience overseeing construction projects, said the supervisors’ interest in the new government center seems like a typical case of confirmation bias.

“Once you have the result that you want, you frame the decision” to support your preference, Wilson said.

By contrast, York County, with about 80% of the population of James City County, is still using a 78-year old former elementary school for its administrative center.

Paying down the additional quarter billion dollars’ worth of debt for the government complex and the new library also uses money that could be spent elsewhere, or returned to taxpayers.

Davenport & Company, the county’s financial analyst, told supervisors the county will spend an average of $19 million a year paying its existing debt over the next 20 years, before adding any other debt.

Critics of the government center said that money could be used for schools, first responders, or even cutting taxes that have grown an average of 21% over the last two years. The county did not change its tax rate, but home values shot up, taking taxes with them.

Jay Everson, a member of the county planning commission, noted the county’s budget is counting on taxes to continue growing from increasing home values every two years, and continued growth of new homes.

“We are counting on unrelenting future residential growth,” Everson warned.

The recent spate of complaints over the past month have visibly frustrated supervisors, who pointed out they have held numerous meetings and posted them online over the past few years.

brown leather strap on white textile — Photo by Tasha Jolley on Unsplash

James City County:

County Administration Offices : Closed

James City County Recreation Center: Open

Abram Frink Jr. Community Center: Closed for maintenance

Parks : Open year-round.

Park Stores and Guest Services Offices: Open

Jolly Pond Road and Tewning Road Convenience Centers: Open

Toano Convenience Center: Closed on Thursdays

Garbage Transfer Station: Open

Curbside Recycling: No change

Libraries: Closed.

City of Williamsburg

City offices: Closed

Courts: Closed

Quarterpath Recreation Center: Closed June 19 until 5 p.m., when it will open for youth basketball practices.

Waller Mill Park: Normal operating hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Garbage will be collected on its regular schedule Monday and Tuesday; recycling is not scheduled for collection.

York County

Government Offices: Closed

Courts: Closed

Libraries: Closed

Waste management center administrative office: Closed

Garbage and recycling not affected

Guest Opinion

By Steven Woolley

pictures of the No Kings Rally Saturday — Williamsburg Watch Pic

Saturday's "No Kings" rally was quite an event. I went with neighbors, and we settled under the trees alongside a crowd of others, mostly similar in age, sitting in camp chairs. It was a sociable gathering as old friends greeted each other and new acquaintances were made.

We cheered and applauded when the large crowds around the speakers did, although we couldn't hear anything of what was said. We were there, I think, to show support for the younger generations engaged in more active demonstrations, and perhaps out of an even deeper conviction than they could imagine.

Most of us gathered under the trees were born during or not long after WWII. We were raised on stories of American courage and valor in the defense of democracy. We took pride in American generosity that helped rebuild the economies of former enemies.

We struggled to understand the Civil Rights movement even as we participated in it with high hopes and low expectations.

Whether or not we served in the military, our experience during the Vietnam era demonstrated for us the fragility of our democratic system. With Nixon’s resignation it seemed the danger had passed, and we settled into a more or less comfortable belief that our nation had finally entered a period of stability that would endure. What lay before us was the need to live more deeply into America's promised values of equality and opportunity without discrimination.

We did not anticipate how easy it would be for authoritarian figures to corrupt the legitimacy of our political structure. And so we gathered with the younger generations of our community to make our presence a sign that we are not complacent. We are not content to sit in rocking chairs watching the world go by. We have knowledge, experience, wisdom, and voices that will not be silenced in the defense of democracy.