PRINCE EDWARD – The County's plan for an alternate Route 628 keeps rolling along.

Supervisors, following a public hearing Tuesday night on the initiation of condemnation proceedings to acquire certain property interests necessary for County purposes, approved a resolution authorizing the acquisition of interests in real estate for road construction purposes on land owned by Glad Hill Properties, LLC.

County Administrator Wade Bartlett, prior to the hearing, reported the acquisition of some of the properties.

He also detailed efforts regarding Glad Hill property.

The resolution outlines that the County has “determined that there is a need for a 6.878 acre right of way along with a .616 acre utility easement across and through a portion of a certain property…located on the east side of U. S. Highway 15 at Dominion Drive…” The resolution also cites that the value of the right of way and the easement is $343,850.

They would do a quick-take (essentially allowing the county to control the land and the road project to move forward) but they can still negotiate on the price.

Supervisors, in their November 17 meeting, laid the groundwork by approving a series of motions to construct the new access road just south of the current Route 628 intersection on Route 15 South of Farmville. The new access road would provide a separate access point across from the intersection at Lowe's and the County's business park east and reconnect to the existing Route 628 beyond the school system's bus garage.

Supervisors also agreed to accept a base bid and one alternate of Haymes Brothers of Chatham, but there are time constraints.

“Their bid is contingent upon them being able to do that job in one construction year. So we have to award the contract no later than January 16…so that they can complete that in one year. If it goes past that, then their price goes up because they'd have to winter the project and then come back and redo some work,” Bartlett told the school board last week.

The County Administrator also explained that they would have to prove to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) that the County has control of all of the land before they issue the certificate to move forward with the revenue sharing project.

The school board, at their meeting, agreed to convey 3.378 acres of property to the County for the project.

At their November meeting, supervisors also authorized the County Administrator and County Attorney to proceed with the acquisition of the property and the easements by consent or condemnation proceedings to obtain legal rights to enter the respective properties needed to relocate the existing utilities and to construct the Route 628 roadway project.

There were no speakers during Tuesday's public hearing, required prior to initiating condemnation, and the board unanimously approved the resolution.