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Currently, school buses don’t pick up students from apartment complexes. And when it comes to the 138-unit Poplar Forest apartments, the children end up walking from the east end of Route 628 to their respective schools. Prince Edward supervisors want to make that walk easier, by connecting the schools and the complex through a sidewalk project. 

“Can’t have the children walking the roadway and someone get hit,” Supervisor Jerry Townsend said, while making the motion to move forward with the idea. “Life is more important than a couple dollars.” 

Prince Edward supervisors weigh options

Supervisor Harrison Jones asked how much it would cost to run a bus over there. A bus would have to be purchased, a driver hired and then they would have to pay for gas during morning and afternoon travel. Other Prince Edward supervisors estimated that it would cost much more over time for the bus. 

This has been in the works for a while now. Last year, Prince Edward received a grant through the Ready-Set-Go program to study and see if the project was feasible. That study’s since been completed and that’s where a cost estimate, along with a proposed route, was identified. 

The good part is that most of the property in question is owned by either the school board or the Town of Farmville, so costs are reduced in that regard. Prince Edward is also working with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on a grant application to cover most of the funding. As it stands, 80% would be covered by the Commonwealth Transportation Board through this grant and the county would have to provide a 20% match. 

Breaking down the costs and phases

One phase of the project would connect Prince Edward High with the Poplar Forest apartment complex through a sidewalk along Route 628 (Zion Hill Road). This would come at a cost of $2.018 million, with the county’s portion being $403,639 due to the 20% grant match. The second phase would tie-in the other schools, including Prince Edward Elementary, Prince Edward Middle and the Prince Edward County Career and Technical Education campus. That would mean an additional cost of $1.965 million, with the county being responsible for $393,048, if a second grant comes in. Pricing for each of the phases includes design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction costs. 

The board majority agreed to move forward with the portion connecting Prince Edward High to the apartment complex and then wait to see if they get grant funding to help with the second portion. It’s worth noting that construction on any of this wouldn’t start for several years, with an estimated beginning in the 2029 or 2030 fiscal year. 

“I think it’s at least important to get to the high school from the apartment complex,” Townsend said. 

The majority agreed, with all but Jones voting to authorize that phase. 

Stanley told the board he is confident the county can come up with their 20% when the time comes “from a combination of leftover dollars from the Manor Turn Lane project, leftover dollars from the Elementary School project, leftover school operational budget funding or from the fund balance.”