Culpeper supervisors looking into hiring lobbying firm to seek federal funds for sports complex

By DONNIE JOHNSTON

Date published: 11/4/2004

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to look into the possibility of hiring a lobbyist to help acquire federal funds to build a community sports complex.

Charlie Barrell, a member of the Culpeper Recreation Foundation, told the board he had been approached by a representative of Alcalde and Fay, a Northern Virginia lobbying group, who expressed optimism that funds for the $3.5 million sports complex could be tied to one or more federal appropriation bills.

Barrell said the representative had talked with County Administrator Frank Bossio about the possibility of hiring his firm or another group to lobby Congress for federal dollars.

The cost of hiring Alcalde and Fay would be $5,000 per month, with an 18-month recommended contract, Barrell said.

Barrell said the foundation thought if the county is going to spend $3.5 million to build the youth-league complex, putting up $90,000 to try and get Washington to help subsidize the playing fields "deserved your consideration."

Board reaction was mixed.

"I think that if we're going to spend $90,000, let's put it in grass seed or something," said Supervisor Bill Chase, the only board member to vote against the measure.

"This sounds like pork-barrel [politics] to me," Supervisor Sue Hansohn said.

County Attorney Dave Maddox, however, presented a different perspective. He said he saw the power of lobbyists while practicing law in Washington.

"When you get the right guy, you get what you want," he said. "The right lobbyist is worth the money."

Chase still wasn't sold on the idea. He asked why a county employee hired to deal with acquiring federal and state grants couldn't get the same results.

Supervisor Steve Nixon, however, suggested the county look into the matter further. By a 6-1 vote, the board agreed to ask county staff do just that.

In other action, the board unanimously approved a resolution on construction of the county's much-beleaguered second high school.

The resolution, already passed by the School Oversight Committee and the School Board, says, in effect, that the planning and design of a 1,500-student high school will continue as scheduled, but that a more cost-effective plan might be adopted next September after SHW Architects completes those designs.

The design costs are expected to be $3.2 million.

School Oversight Committee Chairman Joe Daniel also presented a timetable that starts construction on a new school by next October.

Following that vote, the board voted unanimously to proceed with a contract amendment with SHW to study three alternatives to a new 1,500-student high school.

Nixon and Supervisor Steve Walker said the alternatives, which include creating one 2,400-student high school using existing Culpeper High and Culpeper Middle School buildings, could lower construction costs and benefit taxpayers.

Nixon said the $82 million plan to build a new 1,500-student high school and renovate the existing high school would push the real-estate tax rate from 89 cents per $100 of assessed value to $1.29. He said such an increase would hurt economic development in the county.

"That would give us one of the highest tax rates in Virginia," Nixon said.

To reach DONNIE JOHNSTON: DJohn40330@aol.com

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Date published: 11/4/2004