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FARMVILLE – What should the new Prince Edward County Elementary look like? Residents will have a chance to give their own recommendations during a school construction community meeting, set for Thursday, March 16. Everyone admits there are issues at the elementary school. The Herald has previously documented everything from roof leaks to mold problems, along with the traffic situation.

Due to the current size and design of the parking lot, people double park, park on the yellow curbs and spill over into the school board lot. There’s also no direction for traffic, other than entering and exiting the elementary school lot. People are often reversing their vehicles or attempting to park while children are walking in every direction.

The goal of the March 16 meeting will be to better understand what people want to see done with school construction. The school board has selected Moseley Architects to develop plans for the renovations. Moseley officials will be there Thursday to take questions and ask some of their own. The event starts at 6 p.m. in the elementary school cafeteria. 

Road set to close 

Some areas of Farmville will be closed to all traffic next week, thanks to some construction work. The portion of S. Virginia Street running from the Longwood Avenue/Fourth Street intersection to the Putney Street intersection will be completely shut down as of 7:30 a.m. Monday, March 13. The goal is to have all work complete and reopen the road by Friday, March 17. 

This closure is necessary to make the water and sewer connections for the new Longwood University Facilities Annex, located at 213 Fourth Street. Some long-time residents may remember this spot as the old Lumber Yard site. Officials ask that you please avoid the area while construction is going on.

Courthouse Connector gets funding 

Now, let’s talk about some trails. Cumberland County will be able to start paving the Courthouse Connector Trail soon. That’s because the Virginia Tobacco Commission gave the county $218,000 from its Southern Virginia program. The paving will be from Bear Creek Lake State Park to Cumberland Courthouse.

Expect delays due to bridge replacement 

Parts of Brook Hill Road will be closed next month, due to a bridge replacement. Officials with the Virginia Department of Transportation announced the plan this week, aiming to replace a bridge in the area. 

VDOT officials said the portion of Brook Hill will be closed beginning at the intersection with Old Buckingham Road and running to the intersection with Stoney Point Road. That road closure will begin on April 3 and run through May 12. Signs will start going up in the next two weeks.