Transportation tops discussion for Haymarket
By Dan Roem
Transportation turned out to be the hot topic for the Haymarket Town Council Monday night as the council voted to apply for a state grant for a trolley.
The council also reaffirmed its stance against the expansion of the Virginia Railway Express to Haymarket. That vote came in the shadow of an impending vote by the Prince William Board of County Supervisions regarding the county Comprehensive Plan, which may help ease the way for VRE expansion.
Mayor Pamela Stutz told the council that state Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-29th) was "somewhat disappointed" that the town had not applied for the grant already, given the Jan. 31 deadline.
At a budget meeting last month, council members concluded that the town is too cash-strapped to actually afford the trolley this year.
Over the long term, however, the town may be able to receive money at a later date if the state offers an extension on the grant application.
Though the council voted unanimously in favor of applying for the grant, there are divisions over whether the town should have a trolley, due to cost and practicality. Trolley opponents Bob Weir and Milt Kenworthy voted for the application because it did not cost anything to apply and it did not require the town to sign any contracts.
"It's just a resolution for an application. It's just a resolution to continue the grant process, so as long as you're not spending any money ..." Weir said prior to his vote, trailing off at the end of his statement.
Stutz emphasized that the town has not spent money on the trolley yet, although the staff has spent significant time dealing with the issue.
Discussing the VRE extension, town manager Gene Swearingen mentioned that he and Weir attended a Prince William board meeting last month as the supervisors considered competing Comprehensive Plans from the county Planning Commission and the county planning staff.
The Planning Commission members are appointed by supervisors. The planning staff are county employees who put together reports, deal with developers and state officials and make recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Board of County Supervisors.
The Planning Commission includes in its transportation plan the VRE extension only out to Gainesville, which is overwhelmingly popular at both the local and county level. It's received relatively little opposition to date.
However, the planning staff's proposal includes a map showing a Haymarket station west of town. One of the concerns about a station west of Gainesville is the potential for increased traffic along the U.S. 15 corridor north of U.S. 29.
No matter what the county decides, the VRE still has to make its own assessment in the end. VRE officials are currently bogged down studying the feasibility and environmental impact of a westward expansion from the current Broad Run station near the Manassas airport.
During Monday's meeting, Swearingen also updated the council about the Street Scape project, saying the town is in the "acquisition phase," meaning that town is attempting to purchase rights-of-way and easements from homeowners on the east side of town.
Some homeowners are simply donating portions of their land to help make Haymarket more pedestrian-friendly with the extension of a sidewalk. Others are negotiating prices.
Swearingen is set to meet with VDOT during the next week to discuss actual road improvements.
The council also authorized him to spend up to $20,000 on finding someone -- ideally a recently-laid off VDOT employee -- who can help the town navigate its way through the acquisition process.
Such a person would be considered a contractor to the town thus not entitled to any benefits.