Costs should shrink with size of proposed JCC library. What to do with the savings?
Good Thursday morning. Also in today's edition, ICE is picking up immigrants at the regional jail but staying away from the courthouse; budget for sports center authority approved.
The proposed James City County library being planned as a wing of the new government center will be only half its original size, and construction costs will come down accordingly, the assistant county administrator said. But how much the cost will be reduced and what the county will do with the potential savings has not been determined.
The county’s 2026 capital budget allocated $49.5 million for the library project, so the change should free up millions of dollars that the county can either opt not to borrow or use for other projects that were deferred.
“We do not have the cost estimate yet for this reduced version, but I would expect it to be substantially less than the $49.5 million” originally projected, Assistant Administrator Bradley Rineheimer told us.
Board of Supervisors Chair Jim Icenhour said the budget includes more than the construction of the building, with items such as landscaping, furnishings and technology equipment.
“Should there be leftover funds, I would like to reduce the amount borrowed and evaluate other (capital) projects in future budget cycles,” Icenhour said.
Vice Chair John McGlennon said until he knows what the final figure will be, he would not want to decide on what to do with any savings.
Rineheimer presented the county board of supervisors with renderings of the proposed library Tuesday.
It is envisioned as “the creativity and technology-focused branch” of the Williamsburg Regional Library system, Executive Director Sandy Towers told us.
“In addition to traditional collections, programs, and services available at all library branches, it will offer a range of creative spaces, both high-tech and low-tech, where users of all ages can engage in activities such as 3D printing, robotics, podcasting, digitizing media, and textile arts,” she said.
Towers said the library in downtown Williamsburg houses the regional library’s administrative offices in addition to traditional library services and an auditorium. The library branch at Croaker Road is the technical services office, handling everything from technology services to cataloging.
She said the library stakeholders told the county they could reduce the size of the new building because it would be able to use board rooms and meeting spaces in the adjacent government center.
“We’ve been talking about a 25,000 square foot space since we started having the conversations about the government center library.” Towers said. “There was never the space or the parking to support a 40,000 to 50,000 square foot library on the government center site.”
Those changes do not affect the library system’s request for a new and expanded building in downtown Williamsburg, she said.
“They really are independently needed”.
ICE detaining immigrants in Chesterfield courthouse, but not ours
Immigration officials have detained 14 people at a Chesterfield County’s court since Friday, but that’s not happening in Williamsburg. Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement picks them up at the regional jail.
The Richmonder newsletter quoted Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard as saying all 14 immigrants arrested between Friday and Tuesday were supposed to appear in General District Court for a variety of misdemeanor and felony offenses.
But ICE has not shown up at the Williamsburg-James City County courthouse, we were told by WJCC Sheriff David Hardin.
Chesterfield’s courthouse may have been targeted because 12 percent of the county’s 400,000 residents are identified as Hispanic by the U.S. Census, and many illegal aliens are Hispanic.
The Census estimates Hispanics number about 8% of the population of Williamsburg and 7.4% in James City County.
“We’ve not had (ICE) come in watching anybody in court,” said Hardin, adding that his office cooperates with ICE.
ICE does pick up accused illegal immigrants from the Virginia Peninsula Regional jail, Hardin said. The jail serves York and James City counties and the cities of Williamsburg and Poquoson.
“I’ve turned over around 20 (to ICE) since the beginning of the year,” said the jail’s superintendent, Col. Roy C. Witham.
“I have individuals that are brought into custody here every day and on occasion they are individuals who ICE has an interest in, and they will lodge a detainer (to take them) at the conclusion of their state matters,” he said.
“That process could be the end of their sentence, someone who posted bond, (or) it could be going to court and having their case dismissed, “he added. “Whenever they’re no longer held in state confinement.”
Witham said eight of the 360 people currently being held in the jail are on ICE detainers to be turned over eventually to immigration officials.
Sports complex owner passes $36.3 million budget
The group building a new sports center for the area approved a $36.3 million budget Wednesday for its fiscal year starting July 1.
The Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority ‘s board is comprised of the three managers of Williamsburg, James City County and York County and their subordinates.
Most of the approved $36.3 million budget will go towards the $31.7 million cost of building the sports center, which is considered a capital expense.
York and James City counties will split operating subsidies of $1.6 million toward the center’s projected operating cost of $1.8 million, and kick in another $863,000 in operating revenue contributions.Williamsburg will provide $586,274.
Williamsburg is also providing another $7.8 million toward the capital expense budget.
Williamsburg resident Robert Wilson chastised the group during the comment period for what he said was loose governance and a lack of transparency on how they developed the budget.
Many of the accounting and financial functions are being performed by Williamsburg city employees, Wilson said in statements he prepared for the meeting. He also criticized the amounts being paid by the city.
“These are enormous sums considering the fiscal difficulties being experienced in our city,” Wilson’s prepared statement said.
State Headlines
Democrats pour $400K into Virginia House races as key battlegrounds emerge
Google buys Botetourt County land for data center plans
Ospreys are facing 'nearly complete collapse' on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, researchers say
Weekend Fun
Mosaics Workshop for Kids. June 26. 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. $12. Must register in advance.
Sounds of Summer Concert Series, The Gentlemen & Their Lady. June 26. 6-9 p.m. Riverwalk Landing, Yorktown. Free.
Williamsburg Whiskey & Wine Weekend. June 27-29. Register for pass.
Passings
Icenhour and McGlennon use terms that don't align with reality. They call reducing the cost of a proposed project "savings," but it's more accurately "cost avoidance." Savings is when the County spends, say, $1 million on an ongoing service and finds a way to spend $900,000 instead, freeing up funds to repurpose or return to taxpayers. Cost avoidance, on the other hand, means a future project costs less than initially planned, requiring fewer dollars taken from taxpayers.
By their logic, their fault is just thinking too small. Why not propose a $100 million library, then scale it back to $40 million? That creates $60M out of thin air that they can repurpose. We need Supervisors with business experience who understand budgeting and treat taxpayer money responsibly, not career politicians who view public funds as their own.
Can you follow up with WJCC schools and find out if any kids and families have disappeared? 👀