City residents worry JCC government center will make Longhill Rd. crossings more dangerous
It's April 2. Skipwith Farms residents say the new government center and library complex will make a bad situation worse. Beavers are a concern for Greensprings flooding.
Not all the people concerned about the new James City County government center live in the county.
Williamsburg residents who live just east of the center on Longhill Road worry that increased traffic when the center comes online in two years will make a tough traffic situation even worse.
We spoke with several residents of the Skipwith Farms homeowners group, representing more than 200 homes. The neighborhood, which has become increasingly attractive for young families, is across Longhill from most of the attractions that families enjoy, and that creates a danger crossing the road, they said.
Besides school children going to James Blair Middle School, “you’ve got the moms and dads walking their kids down to Kiwanis Park” said Dorothy Rounds of John Wythe Place. “You’ve got people going for tennis, you’ve got the softball field...the football field down by Kiwanis. Down the other way, you’ve got soccer fields and baseball fields, and the little playground area down by the (James City County recreation center) So people are walking back and forth, and they have to cross (Longhill). Some (drivers) stop, some people don’t. “
The Longhill Woods development across Skipwith Farms on Governor Berkley Rd., has only one exit point at that road which could become bottlenecked with a lot more traffic, they added.
The city of Williamsburg installed several well-marked crosswalks across Longhill, but rounds said many drivers continue speeding well past the 25 mph limit.
“I’ve been passed (driving) on Longhill Road,” which is a no-pass zone, said Rounds. “I’m doing 25, 26 miles an hour. (and) I’ve had people passing me. ..and not happy with me.”
She showed us one sign at a crosswalk that had been clipped and damaged by a driver.
One of the challenges is that the James City County portion of Longhill has a speed limit of 35 mph, which lowers to 25 when drivers cross the city line. Not all of them slow down.
Williamsburg, as a city, has the right to set speed limits within its borders, but the Virginia department of transportation sets the speed limit on the James City side, which VDOT maintains.
Skipwith residents worry traffic will get even worse now that the county is adding a library annex to the center.
“Because of the way they’re setting up the libraries, where each one will have a specialty, that one is supposed to be the technology center,” said Judy Leasure, another Skipwith association member. “There will be people from the city going to that library, and they will be coming down Long Hill Road.”
James City County performed a study on the traffic impact of the new government center last year that estimated it would generate 3,921 more trips, of which 5% would come from Longhill.
Leasure said she had traded emails with city Public Works Director Jack Reed, who said the city would monitor traffic once the new center is open and had several low-cost options to slow down traffic.
“But we still are caught in this sort of no man’s land” between the city and the county, she said.
Busy beaver problem in Greensprings
There are busy beavers in the Greensprings wetlands area, and they worry neighbors and a James City County official who say their dams may cause flooding of nearby neighborhoods or even Route 5.
As with everything else in nature, the beavers have their champions and their detractors.
James City Vice Chair Ruth Larson took Williamsburg Watch on a tour of the area, where beavers have put up a dam spanning the wetland’s frontage with Route 5 and appear to have overwhelmed devices installed to keep water flowing into Powhatan Creek.
As she was pointing out potential problems, a woman walking on the path beamed and said she loved the critters.
County park officials say beavers have always lived in the wetlands bordering the Greensprings Interpretive Trail and the Virginia Capital Trail. In recent years, however, beavers have added to their dams, contributing to rising water levels across portions of the wetlands system.
The wetlands sit within the Powhatan Creek watershed and floodplain, an area already sensitive to fluctuations in water levels. Officials say both storms and dam construction by beavers can exacerbate flooding conditions.
Larson told us she learned about the beavers when a resident of Fernbrook subdivision , bordering the Greensprings Interpretive Trail, told her he would regularly bust up the dams to prevent flooding.. Beavers are not classified as threatened or endangered so they are not protected.
Much of the affected area lies on state-owned land managed by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, while other sections to the south are owned by James City County. That requires more coordination to find a unified approach to the issue, Larson told us.
County staff said the state agency has been actively working to manage water levels using mitigation tools such as pond levelers and specialized control devices.
One device, nicknamed a “Beaver Deceiver” was installed near Route 5. The structure, which includes a protective barrier and drainage pipe system, is designed to prevent beavers from clogging culverts while still allowing water to flow. The water flowing through the area ultimately feeds into Powhatan Creek.
But Larson showed us where the beavers had built more dams to stymie the work of those tools, and water levels continue to rise.
Besides flooding the roads, prolonged high water levels can stress or kill certain tree species. Beavers also contribute to tree loss by cutting them down for dam construction. Larson said she worried a tree will eventually topple a power line.
Staff at the county parks and recreation service say they are working with the state to determine what water levels best balance ecological benefits with potential impacts on nearby infrastructure and property.
Public Hearings on budgets and tax rates
April is the month for public hearings on your local government’s proposed budget, and how much it will cost you.
Here is a summary of upcoming meetings where taxpayers can learn more about their locality’s budget and provide feedback. Unless otherwise noted, these meetings are televised on the locality’s social media channel and government cable channels:
James City County:
April 9. Community Meeting to learn about the budget and the James City Service Authority’s water and sewer rates. 5:30 p.m. James City County Government Center, Building F.
April 14. 5 p.m. Public hearing on budget and tax rates. James City County Government Center, Building F.
April 28. 1 p.m. Board of Supervisors business meeting. James City County Government Center, Building F.
May 12. 5 p.m. Board of Supervisors meeting to adopt the budget. James City County Government Center, Building F.
Williamsburg
April 6. City Council work session to review budget and provide an open forum for citizens. 4 p.m. Stryker Center
April 9. City Council public hearing on budget, tax and utility rates. 2 p.m. Stryker Center
May 7. City Council adopts budget and tax rates. 2 p.m. Stryker Center.
York County
March 31. Town Hall/Listening Session. Griffin-Yeates Center. 7-9 p.m. (not televised)
April 2. Town Hall/Listening Session. York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office Community Room. 7-9 p.m.(not televised)
April 7: Board of Supervisors Work session. 6 p.m. York Hall. Additional work sessions may be set up for April 9 and 16 if deemed necessary by the board from 4-6 p.m.
April 21. Public hearing on budget and tax rates at Board of Supervisors regular meeting. 6 p.m. York Hall
May 5. Board of Supervisors adopts budget and sets tax rates at regular meeting. 6 p.m. York Hall.
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