Hampton’s capital plan would pump money into the coliseum, spring for a new police firing range and start the groundwork for an emergency center outside the flood zone.
The city presented the $69.4 million capital improvements plan Wednesday, the first year of a roughly $295 million five-year plan of projects identified by the Hampton City Council, that would go in effect July 1. The first-year capital plan is about $14 million less than the current year.
“I want to stress that there are many things that I know that the community would like to see,” City Manager Mary Bunting said during the Wednesday council meeting. “This being a rather austere year with the pandemic influences on our budget and just adding the fifth year, there are not a lot of changes to the CIP.”
The capital budget uses general obligation bonds, revenue from the city’s general fund, state and federal money, and grants, city officials said. Other revenues from taxes and fees or enterprise funds are dedicated to certain projects.
Except for education, allocations mostly are lower for this year in many categories: $19.6 million for infrastructure and road projects; $11.8 million for public safety projects and tackling blighted property; $6.5 million for economic growth; $4.1 million toward visual aesthetics, landscaping and some pedestrian projects; $3.8 million for resiliency projects.
Hampton sets aside $4.5 million for maintenance at the 50-year-old coliseum. Last spring, the pandemic forced the venue to be closed, but it opened Thursday as a state- and-FEMA-run vaccination clinic and it has plans to offer outdoor concerts by summer. The funds will cover water damage on exterior ramps and drainage systems. The money also covers repairs to the dressing rooms and additional repairs to waterproof it.
The plan also commits $1.2 million this year to ultimately construct a $12.6 million emergency operations center that would be near Hampton fire station 11 on Big Bethel Road. The current center is in City Hall on Lincoln Street, a flood-prone area.
“Our goal is to ensure that this critical function is never compromised due to weather events, and to improve the quality of the workspace,” Bunting said.
The Hampton Council OK’d the spending plan but jostled over some details, including whether to hold on raising stormwater fees.
The current proposal is to raise stormwater fees — currently $9.83 a month — by $1 every year until 2027. Alternate plans suggest raising fees by 50 cents, or every other year, or other combinations to help maintain reserves. Stormwater is a self-funding enterprise, which dips into its $6.9 million reserves to cover pending projects.
Holding on any fee increases would deplete reserves faster, and could delay some projects, public works director Jason Mitchell said. At least $3.8 million in drainage and water storage are under consideration.
“I’m not in favor of delaying the projects, but I understand about the additional increase in a year where we’re all in recovery mode, or waiting for recovery from the pandemic,” Vice Mayor Jimmy Gray said. “I really would like to see … look at how we can somehow offset costs this year.”
“This is $1 a month. That’s $12 ( a year). Citizens want us to address the flooding issues in your neighborhood. We are fully built out city with the old infrastructure and we have a lot of water, “said Councilwoman Eleanor Brown. “I think this is a reasonable plan instead of pushing it off down the road.”
Other items in the current capital plan are:
* $10 million in road and traffic improvements (much of that funded by VDOT)
* $6.5 million for a new firing range
* $3.9 million for sewer infrastructure updates (funded by the proposed increase in fees)
* $3 million in parks maintenance
* $1.2 million for jail maintenance
* $1.2 million in investments in housing programs
A second public hearing on Hampton’s proposed budget is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday.
Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com
