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The Worsham Convenience Center will soon be under construction. During their Tuesday, July 8 meeting, a majority of Prince Edward supervisors agreed to move forward with the renovation project, with supporters arguing that it was needed. 

Prince Edward has seven convenience sites throughout the county. That includes Rice, Green Bay, Worsham, Prospect, Tuggle at the landfill, Darlington Heights and Virso. 

“Current convenience sites are unpaved, typically have potholes and inadequate screening and lighting,” Prince Edward Administrator Doug Stanley said. “They are uninviting to the public and reflect poorly on the community. These improvements would serve the entire community.” 

As part of this year’s capital improvement discussions, the county’s planning commission recommended moving forward with work on the Worsham site. That includes things like repaving, new fencing, signage, concrete pads for compactors and better site lighting, along with a few other items. Bids from the different contractors were due to be turned in by Thursday, July 3 and the county ended up with two options. The first was for $1,599,777 and the second was for $1,330,027. Supervisors ended up going with the $1.33 million bid from Webb Development, with a 5% contingency added. 

Additions for the Worsham Convenience Center

Part of the changes involve creating a leachate collection system and stormwater management. Currently, when the compactors run if there is any liquid it goes directly to the dirt and gravel floor. If something like paint or oil is mistakenly put in there, those liquids could seep into the ground or run off into the nearby creek during a rainstorm. The leachate collection system will collect these liquids and the stormwater management will help any runoff properly drain for a safer operation. 

Stanley said the site will also have a grade separated area for large items to be dumped. 

“So if you pull in with something in a pickup truck or larger truck and you can’t lift it up into a bin, you’ll be able to push it off here,” Stanley said. “We’ll have concrete retaining walls. This will be a centralized location for people to take those larger items.” 

Worsham is the primary dump site for residents in the Hampden district, along with southern parts of Farmville and northern parts of the Leigh district. The current site is unpaved, with no security cameras or adequate lighting. In an earlier meeting, Stanley was asked if the cameras were needed and he explained they were critical. Having the cameras, he said, is protection against lawsuits, as some people would slip, fall and blame the county. 

Looking ahead 

And Worsham isn’t the only convenience site set to be upgraded. Recommended for the 2027 budget, the planning commission earlier this year suggested moving forward with a $1 million upgrade and consolidation of the Prospect and Tuggle convenience sites. The Prospect site, located on U.S. 460 just west of Prospect, is too small, wedged between High Bridge Trail and the road. There’s zero opportunity to expand. The Tuggle site is at the entrance to the county landfill, with similar problems. Both sites are unpaved, with potholes and reports from residents that they’re hard to maneuver in. The county staff would look at a new site, somewhere along U.S. 460 in between the current ones, and then spend $1 million to develop it. 

Some supervisors say no 

Several supervisors opposed the project, with David Emert and Harrison Jones both saying no. Supervisor Llewellyn Gilliam was a bit stronger with his opposition. 

“I’m a big no,” Gilliam said. “That’s a pile of money.” 

The rest of the board approved the project, however, so that will begin soon. There will be a temporary site set up in front of the existing one, so that people can at least bring household bagged trash and drop it off. Stanley said the project should be done by late December, but that’s dependent on weather, as paving will be the final part finished.