The Smithfield Times will be taking a different approach to Smithfield Town Council candidate questionnaires this year. Rather than sending a list of questions and publishing all questions and responses in the same print edition and online, the Times will send the candidates a single question once per week.

There will be 12 questions in total, with up to 250 words to respond to each, through Oct. 23. For the 11th week, we asked, “Should the Town Council commit to partially funding a planned roundabout on Turner Drive? Why or why not?”

• Tenth week, Oct. 9: What do you like and dislike about the town’s current Comprehensive Plan?
• Ninth week, Oct. 2: Did the Town Council make the right decision in February by voting to set a real estate tax rate of 16 cents per $100 in assessed value, up from the 14-cent rate set eight months earlier? Why or why not?
• Eighth week, Sept. 25: Should the mayor be directly elected by the people? Why or why not?
• Seventh week, Sept. 18: Should the Town Council accept and match Joseph Luter III’s $6 million gift to the town and agree to meet its conditions? Why or why not?
• Sixth week, Sept. 11: How big of a priority should the town make completing its 1-mile share of the Park-to-Park bicycle and pedestrian trail proposed to extend from Nike Park to Windsor Castle Park?
• Fifth week, Sept. 4: What criteria will you use when deciding whether to approve future residential development?
• Fourth week, Aug. 28: What, if anything, can the Town Council do to be more transparent with citizens?
• Third week, Aug. 21: Should Smithfield move its farmers market to the Grange at 10Main? Why or why not?
• Second week, Aug. 14: What is one challenge or opportunity for the town that has not received enough attention? Why is it important?
• First week, Aug. 7: What will be your top priority if elected?

 

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Mary Ellen Bebermeyer

No, I’m not in favor of the town contributing money towards a roundabout on Turner Drive. Smithfield taxpayers are already paying for the roundabout like other county taxpayers, why should they have to pay again with their town taxes?

The town is being asked to contribute roughly $2.3 million to the Turner Drive improvements; $900,000+ from town taxpayers and then the rest (hopefully) to be generated from proffers.

The property in town limits along Turner Drive (potentially called The Promontory) has not gone through the zoning process with the Planning Commission or Town Council so Smithfield has no guarantee they can raise money from proffers. In addition, the town and the county are responsible for any cost overruns on the roundabout project. This scenario is too risky for Smithfield taxpayers.

Furthermore, VDOT’s reliance on roundabouts, especially in this area, is not appropriate. A single lane roundabout near the high school would most certainly have an increased number of accidents because of inexperienced student drivers driving next to school buses full of kids.

While studies have shown that roundabouts have fewer fatalities than traditional intersections, the combination of school buses and new student drivers is disastrous. What will happen when the roundabout must be closed when there is an accident? Cars, buses and even farm equipment that use Turner Drive will have to be re-routed to Scott’s Factory Road and/or Great Springs Road. This roundabout is literally an accident waiting to happen and completely unacceptable.

 

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Jim Collins

At this point, the question is premature since the Town Council does not have all the data to make an informed decision.  Once all the information is available and I have had time to better understand what is or what is not being asked of the Town will be the time that I can provide any thoughts.  On the surface, I do like the idea of thinking into the future and potentially preparing that area for future traffic challenges, but not sure this is the right time or solution until I better understand the details behind this plan.

 

 

 

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Darren Cutler

The town should commit to funding a solution at Turner Drive.  Is this the perfect solution for the town?  No.

There have been many issues with the town not being proactive dealing with growth and, instead, approving uncontrolled growth with no action. Here we are with a traffic management effort where council leadership behaved as if they were unaware. I followed the county manager out of the meeting and learned the town had known about this effort for some time.  

So, should the town contribute? Yes. Is this plan equally funded? No. 

The town needs better partnership with the county, especially when being asked to use financial resources we may not have. The town needs to address this with transparency and full judiciousness of taxpayer dollars. This specific project goes far in addressing issues with traffic, yet the county is asking the town to fund approximately 45% of the taxpayer-funded allocation, while town taxpayers also fund the county far more than they fund the town.  The division of funds is not equitable, yet the mayor and council made no effort to negotiate the disparate commitment of funds. 

It is past time for the town to demonstrate they represent their voters and will fight for the fair utilization of tax dollars.  This solution may be good for the highway, yet it is unreasonable for the town to foot a bill near equal that of the county, when we represent such a major portion of county revenue. 

 

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Raynard Gibbs

When asked whether the Town Council should partially fund the planned roundabout on Turner Drive, my response to the citizens of Smithfield is that we currently lack sufficient information to make a decision. We are still working through the process and reviewing the numbers to ensure they align with the county’s calculations. Rest assured, we will prioritize transparency and fiscal responsibility in our decision-making process.

 

 

 

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William Harris

There are good reasons Council shouldn’t commit taxpayer funds to the financing of the roundabout on Turner Drive in Isle of Wight County. First, taxpayers need further justification for constructing a roundabout instead of a traffic signal. Articles about the pros/cons of roundabouts versus traffic light signals don’t agree on all points, but most identify two things worthy of investigation. One, it is less expensive to build a traffic light signal than a roundabout. Two, only traffic light signals can be programmed to protect pedestrians crossing an intersection. The residential development served by the roundabout on the town side of Turner could bring a number of children walking across Turner Drive to go to school. Studies indicate there are more pedestrian/cyclist accidents at roundabouts than at traffic lights. If building a traffic light signal is cheaper/safer, why a roundabout?

A second concern regards the financing of this $7.6 million project. VDOT and SmartScale grant monies reduce the final cost to IOWC to $4.5 million. Developers with projects in the vicinity will contribute 56% of the funding. IOWC and Smithfield each will contribute 20%. (IOWC would see its portion increased by 4% if a new school is built on land near the high school.) Why should Smithfield, whose population is one-quarter of IOWC’s, contribute the same amount as IOWC when this project benefits the county far more than the town. Committing taxpayer funds under these conditions does not seem a fiscally responsible move for the town.

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Michael G. Smith

Town Council has not had enough time to thoroughly review the almost $1 million request from the county for funding of the roundabout on Turner Drive. The town does have property adjacent to the proposed roundabout, but the town’s needs don’t match the needs of the county.  While the town does pay into the education system, the school system and roads are the responsibility of the county. However, the town is impacted by decisions made by the county.

It is my understanding that the proposed developers for some of the adjacent land have offered funding, but the developments are far from approved and we can’t count on that as a source of funding.  

I’m also not convinced that a roundabout is the best solution for easing traffic in that area.  In summary, we need more time to review alternate funding options. Hasty decisions can lead to mistakes and the pressure of the uncontrolled growth we are experiencing is not a good reason for us to commit almost $1 million to this proposal.