Virginia Review

The battle over property by opposing forces has a long history in James City County, which will soon commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of colonists at Jamestown in 1607.

In 1781, in one of the less famous skirmishes during the Revolutionary War, British General William Phillips decided to move his contingent of 2,600 men up the James River to capture Williamsburg. They were joined by General Charles Lord Cornwallis’ seasoned veterans under the command of Benedict Arnold who then set out in pursuit of the Marquis de Lafayette. The resulting battle between the British and Allied Forces ended in the death or wounding of 150 men and “probably gave rise to the name of War Hill,”* according to historian Martha McCartney.

*After the Revolutionary War, the area was known as War Hill. Eventually locals shortened it to Warhill.

Fast forward centuries later, and opposing forces are still battling over land in communities across Virginia. For the most part, differences over development vs. green space and preservation are fought in city halls and red brick courthouses, or perhaps over white picket fences.

The site of the War Hill battle fought in James City County offers a contemporary lesson in how citizens and local leaders–as well as government entities that can sometimes be at odds–can battle through differences to achieve a public project that will benefit generations to come.

James City County’s unique partnership is bringing together the county with Williamsburg–James City County Schools (WJCCS) and Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC).

A high school, TNCC’s new Historic Triangle campus and a community sports facility will be colocated on part of the 588 acre Warhill tract south of US Route 60. Central to the construction proposal was the decision by the James City County Board of Supervisors to utilize a public–private partnership for the procurement of construction services to fast–track the design, permitting, right of way acquisition, and construction of site improvements and off site infrastructure.

The educational facilities, located along Opportunity Way, the half mile access road leading from Centerville Road, will enable students to progress from high school to community college and beyond as lifelong learners.

From left to right, contractor Andy Curtis, James City County Board of Supervisor Chair Bruce Goodson and James City County Administrator Sandy Wanner stand at the entrance to the Warhill tract.

In November 2004, James City County voters overwhelmingly approved $39.82 million in general obligation bonds to finance the $44.2 million high school to serve 1,250 students. The following month, the board of supervisors approved using Virginia’s Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) of 2002 for the infrastructure improvements.

The new high school will help the system meet the needs of an estimated total of nearly 11,000 students by the year 2007, up from 7,400 students in 1996. The school will open in fall 2007. Fast on its heels, the board of supervisors have forged ahead with other planned construction to meet the educational needs of children in this Williamsburg area locality. In 2007, capital projects include an eighth elementary school; in 2008, a ninth elementary school and fourth middle school.

“What drove us to consider a PPEA for the Warhill project was the fact that the third high school was on a rather aggressive design and bid planning track,” County Administrator Sandy Wanner said. “The school architect felt they would not be able to access the site and that would throw off their planning… So we started to think of ways to get road access for the third high school. We looked at PPEA as a device to help us achieve our deadlines.”

“This project is time critical,” said Steven Hicks, the county’s general services manager. “Our challenge was to have access for the

The county also had at stake the $27 million community college campus, that will be built on 74 acres donated by the county, and a planned 3,000 seat, $6.4 million community sports facility.

The unique trio of projects evolved from the county’s $3.8 million purchase of 529 acres of undeveloped land in 1996. “We acquired the land for the county to bank it (for future public uses) and to take almost 1,000 houses out of production,” Sandy Wanner recalled. “The board of supervisors had no preconceived idea of how it would be used.”

The land owner, Mission Bank of Mission, Kan., had considered large scale residential development on the property before offering to sell it to the county. “The Warhill tract was zoned for high density housing,” explained Bruce C. Goodson, currently chair of the board of supervisors. “Given the high cost to provide services to this type of development and some of the sensitive environmental aspects of the tract, I believe the board [of supervisors] made a good decision.”

“I think (the deal) shows that the county board [of Supervisors] is willing to be creative in finding ways to diminish some of the residential growth,” Sandy Wanner told the Richmond Times–Dispatch in a May 17, 1996, article titled James City Buys Strategic Area.

The Warhill proposal was not without its detractors. Some citizens blasted the county for spending tax dollars on the land without specific ideas on how to use it. In addition, James City would be taking prime developable land off the tax rolls and foregoing other opportunities for direct tax revenues and indirect benefits.

When the board of supervisors solicited ideas during public comment at its Oct. 8, 1996, meeting, ideas ranged from the construction of a new industrial shell building to athletic fields to the development of a greenhouse area by local gardeners. A couple of citizens spoke in favor of a municipal golf course.

The concept of a sports facility arose from the need to balance the school system’s desire for “a field of dreams” with the community’s needs for a large public venue, Sandy Wanner said. The schools will get priority for varsity sports but band concerts, fairs or other events could also be held at the facility, which will be managed by the county, he explained.

In June 2003, a memo from Sandy Wanner to the board of supervisors outlined “a potential opportunity” to co-locate the community college campus with the proposed third high school. The community college system had been eyeing Eastern State Hospital’s Hancock Geriatric Treatment Center as a possible site for its future campus.

In light of these delays, state Senator Tommy Norment expressed a desire to seek a backup to the Eastern State Hospital plan. Others worried, however, that the state might lose its incentive to work out problems with the Eastern State site if the county moved too quickly.

With the board of supervisors’ conditional go ahead, the county informally approached the then School Superintendent Carol S. Beers about the possibility of modifying the high school construction plans in order to accommodate the community college campus. The school system was willing to modify its plans, but would the board of supervisors be willing to consider donating land for the community college campus? James City County’s estimated cost at the time was $5 million for the TNCC campus.

The co-location would allow shared infrastructure, including water, sewer, stormwater management and transportation improvements, so the board positioned itself for the eventual usage of PPEA by adopting its rules in 2003. It was barely a year after the General Assembly’s adoption of the PPEA Act in 2002. Shortly after voters approved the 2004 bond referendum to finance the third high school, the county solicited proposals for site improvements and roadways. The county had been instrumental in the successful completion of another public–private partnership. The Virginia Department of Transportation was the first in the Hampton Roads area to take advantage of the PPTA (Public Private Transportation Act of 1995) to widen and enhance James City’s Route 199 corridor in anticipation of greatly increased traffic for the Jamestown 2007 commemoration.

“Part of the attraction for me to support both a high school and a community college on the same site was the possibility to leverage some economies of scale with the site development,” Board Chair Goodson explained.

The successful proposer for the $14.7 million Warhill contract, was one of three primary contractors involved in completing the Route 199 project ahead of deadline.

“One of the key advantages of a PPEA is the ability to select a builder based on their team’s qualifications and their strategy of completing a project on time and within the owner’s planned budget,” James City County General Services Manager Hicks said.

“The builders are a group of dedicated and competent constructors who are very vested in this community,” Sandy Wanner said. “They are people who take pride in their work and know they are a part of the community.”

The team members included a general engineering consultant that is providing a complete survey, preliminary and final engineering, environmental permitting and compliance, and construction engineering and inspection.

The scope of work also included design for preliminary clearing and grading of the community sports facility. A real estate service would provide right of way appraisal, negotiation and acquisition services for the right of way and easements needed along Centerville Road.

Another business was selected to install utility improvements. Transportation improvements include building a new four lane divided site access road and a new two lane access road to the sports facility site. For access to the site, Centerville Road will be widened from two to four lanes divided, turning lane improvements made to US Route 60 and new traffic signalization. There also will be a new signalized entrance to nearby Williamsburg Outlet Mall as part of the improvements at the intersection of Opportunity Way and Centerville Road.

The project, which is located within the sensitive Chesapeake Bay watershed, required stormwater improvements and environmental permitting. The contractors are incorporating regional storm management, a 72 inch trunk storm sewer tunneled under a utility company’s transmission line easement and improvements to two state regulated dams. This tunneling operation also allowed the 72 inch storm drain to pass under three Newport News Waterworks raw water transmission mains, as well as a natural gas high pressure transmission line, without interruption to any of the existing utilities.

Aerial shot of the Warhill tract.

“I don’t see any disadvantages,” said Thomas Nelson Community College President Charles Taylor. “We just see it as a plus for Thomas Nelson to be a part of that facility and at that site.”

Dr. Taylor pointed to the site’s proximity to Route 199 and US Route 60 and nearness to businesses and the new Williamsburg Hospital due to open soon about two miles away. “We see that location as a key component for us to be able to serve a large population and at the same time being in a close proximity to one high school but also realizing there will be other students from other high schools taking advantage of Thomas Nelson’s location.”

Dr. Taylor also said he sees major economic benefits to the area by building the 120,000 square foot “flagship” facility for 3,000 to 3,500 students at Warhill. The permanent building will augment classroom space currently rented in an office park for the Historic Triangle campus.

“If you look at reasons why businesses are choosing locations, one of the top five is “Is there a skilled workforce available?’ That skilled workforce comes about through higher education and the community college being able to have a rapid turnaround of a skilled workforce,” Dr. Taylor said.

The TNCC partners with James City County and surrounding localities to offer workforce development to train and retrain employees, technical training and continuing education. It also has just started a concurrent student enrollment program with nearby College of William & Mary.

Dr. Taylor said projected student enrollment foreshadows the need for even more construction at the Warhill site. By 2009, he hopes the college will be in the process of building a second 120,000–square foot building. Later plans include two additional 60,000 square foot buildings that will form a courtyard.

“There are major pluses for James City County, Williamsburg and the upper York County area in terms of improvements to the quality of life for citizens,” Dr. Taylor said. “As (TNCC) President I am very pleased that the board of supervisors had the vision and wherewithal to provide the opportunity for citizens where we’re bringing an educational institution to that area of high growth.” Dr. Taylor also praised local legislators for supporting the new campus and working closely with county officials, the community college system’s chancellor and TNCC’s college board. “Having everyone come together and saying this is something we need to do for our community is a very, very positive thing.”

The deadline for completion is August of 2007. Another critical deadline was to complete the clearing and grading of the sports facility. The August 2006 deadline for water to be in place for the high school was eight months ahead of schedule. Sewer is currently in place for the high school, well ahead of the December 2006 deadline.

The high school is due to open next year, and the TNCC campus will open in fall 2008 in this community that is credited with establishing the roots of democracy and representative government so many years ago.

Board Chair Goodson said he believes the county may look to public–private partnerships to meet future public facilities needs. “Our needs will be great over the next few years and the PPEA provides more choices for the board in its capital improvements planning process as it examines all possibilities to identify the best method for delivering public facility improvements to the citizens.

“After the completion of the new elementary and high schools, we will need a middle school and another elementary school. There is also more demand for library space and public safety facilities,” Chair Goodson said. “I have always supported public–private partnerships, whether for roads or schools. We have seen successes with both in James City County, so I am sure we will continue to use this option.”

The county’s Warhill PPEA project will give residents “wonderful educational opportunities for their children and grandchildren and themselves,” Sandy Wanner added. “There will be that synergy between the community college and the high school. The community will have a terrific sports facility that can be used for multipurpose community needs. It shows the county has maximized the use of public land for education and recreation and added to the quality of life. We as a county have taken an extraordinary piece of property and converted it to absolutely phenomenal public uses. We have seized the moment.”