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Board asks VDOT for extension on $800,000 TAP award after local match shortfall for Crites community project
Summary
Envision Crites told the board it was awarded an $800,000 VDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant for pedestrian and safety improvements but cannot meet the 25% local match (~$181,000). The board unanimously voted to request an extension from VDOT to pursue funding and public feedback.
Representatives of Envision Crites presented the board with a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant award for roughly $800,000 to fund walkways, retention walls and related safety improvements near Crites and Hardin Reynolds School but said the local nonprofit cannot meet the 25% local match requirement.
Tom Steele, representing Envision Crites, said the group owns slightly more than 12 acres and has secured a $50,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant and design assistance from Virginia Tech’s Community Design Assistance Center. Steele said the TAP award would require a county match of approximately $181,000 over four years (payment schedule described in staff materials) and that Envision Crites lacks the capacity to cover that match while also paying off property purchase obligations.
Board members expressed concern about committing county funds without broader public awareness. One supervisor moved that the county request an extension from the Virginia Department of Transportation before committing matching funds; the board seconded the motion and voted unanimously to ask VDOT for an extension so the community and board can consider options and pursue fundraising if desired.
What’s next: County staff will request an extension from VDOT to delay the county match deadline; Envision Crites will continue local fundraising and the board asked for community feedback on whether the county should assume the match.
