Washington County, Va., Wants 50-50 Split With Abingdon On Rec Complex

ABINGDON, Va. – Washington County leaders wants a 50-50 split – in both financial commitment and ownership – with the Town of Abingdon in the joint sports complex.
The Board of Supervisors voted 6-0, with member Phil McCall absent, during a Thursday meeting to offer the equal-split proposal to the town. Supervisors also would like to see an authority created to operate and manage the park.
“I think we’ve got a consensus on ownership and participation,” Supervisor Tom Taylor said. “Ownership equates with financial participation.”
The town had proposed a 70-30 financial split, with the county footing more than two-thirds of the bill, but with equal ownership and equal control of the complex.
“Why all of a sudden do they not want to be partners?” asked Supervisor Jack McCrady. “That’s the question I’ve got.”
Taylor thinks the partnership with Abingdon is in jeopardy.
“The ownership – that’s a deal-breaker as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “If this thing falls through ... then we really need to look for another partner, a joint effort with Smyth County, and move it closer to the Smyth County line.”
As a joint steering committee moves forward with an archeological study and selection of a design firm for the $7 million project, the supervisors expressed concerns about the project’s financing and lack of planning.
“I would just hope that this board never gets into a situation like this again because we certainly have the cart before the horse,” said Supervisor Dulcie Mumpower.
“We should’ve sat down to discuss these details. ... It was just a mistake, and I think everyone was just anxious to have a sports complex, and we failed to see out far enough in the future to know we need to work details out,” she continued. “I think we have some situations here that we definitely cannot move forward until we have them resolved.”
Supervisor Paul Price said the county should take another look, in difficult economic times, at whether it can really afford the project.
“I think we need to settle the millions before we keep spending thousands,” Price said.
The county and town agreed last year to pay $2.37 million for about 60 acres of land between Exits 19 and 22 of Interstate 81 for the complex.
County Administrator Mark Reeter estimates the total cost of the project between $6 million and $8 million.
Reeter said the project cost would equal a combined debt service of about $600,000 a year between the town and county for at least a decade, plus “an operational subsidy ... that will be some tens of thousands of dollars, minimum.”
“There’s no doubt this type of facility will have to be heavily subsidized by the county and the town over the years,” Reeter said.
“We kind of got hit with this a little bit blindsided – all of a sudden somebody’s offering $2,000 more an acre, and if we don’t get it now, we won’t get it,” said Supervisor Paul Price, referring to the land deal. “It moved a little too fast ... and I never did see it in writing.”
Pointing out that the project began with an idea to purchase 40 acres for less than $25,000 an acre and now involves 60 acres that cost $40,000 per acre, Price said it’s far different than originally conceived – and the price tag keeps growing.
“We’re a long ways from where I thought this was going when it got started,” he said.
Supervisor Odell Owens said the ownership issue needs to be worked out between the town and the county before anything else moves forward on the project.
“We need to resolve that before things get even more confusing,” Owens said. “If we don’t resolve the ownership to both entities’ satisfaction, then it’s not going to happen.”

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