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CHAMBER ASKS MEMBERS IF SPOTSY SHOULD JOIN VRE
Do regional businesses want Spotsylvania County to join the Virginia Railway Express? The Chamber of Commerce wants to find out
Date published: 12/4/2008
By DAN TELVOCK The Fredericksburg Area Chamber of Commerce is asking its 1,100 members if they support Spotsylvania County joining the Virginia Railway Express. If the online poll results are pro-VRE, they could put additional pressure on the four supervisors who have not supported joining the commuter rail service. About 400 of the 1,100 Chamber members are in Spotsylvania County. The Chamber also includes members from the city of Fredericksburg and Stafford, King George and Caroline counties. Chamber Executive Director Bob Hagan said the results will be released to the Board of Supervisors at a future meeting. "One of the things we are going to try to be working on at the chamber is identifying issues that are near and dear to the hearts of our members," Hagan said. "What we are going to do is put together some hard numbers of what percentage of our members support or oppose VRE." Spotsylvania supervisors last debated joining VRE in 2006 but tabled a vote indefinitely. Two pro-VRE supervisors--Benjamin Pitts and Gary Skinner--recently ignited the debate again. Supervisors are expected to vote on whether to join VRE in January or February. A majority of Spotsylvania voters supported a 2005 bond referendum that included $12 million for a VRE station, but there are no plans to build one. VRE executives have said they would be willing to help pay for a new station. The sticking points for some supervisors are the 2 percent gasoline tax the county would be required to enact to pay for VRE operations, the overall quality of service VRE provides and language in the contract that makes it difficult for a locality to cancel membership. Pro-VRE supervisors say there will be several million dollars left over annually from the 2 percent gasoline tax that can be used for other transportation projects in the county. Skinner has said that money could be used to pave rural roads, but that hasn't swayed the two rural supervisors, T.C. Waddy and Emmitt Marshall. Supervisors Jerry Logan and Gary Jackson are the swing votes. Four votes in favor of joining VRE are needed for a majority. Hagan, who supports VRE and is a former Spotsylvania supervisor, said he hopes the survey results can persuade at least one more supervisor that joining VRE would be good for the county. Pitts said the information will be useful for the Board of Supervisors before they vote. "I support it if their goal is to try to relate to the supervisors how much support the business community has in Spotsylvania joining VRE," he said. Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 12/4/2008
Chamber of Commerce???
(posted by
vcu70
, Dec. 8, 2008 5:16 pm)
What do they have to do with a Spotsy decision Hagen? you gonna show strong oppisition at the BOS meeting if the vote goes that way-heck no but you already know the obvious outcome-businesses in Stafford and Fredbg will surely vote in favor. You had your chance to get it passed when you were there so forget it-VRE is another money wasting scheme-BTW how many mass transit systems actually pay their own way? FRED? hahaha
VRE-Can't get there anyway
(posted by
eswauger
, Dec. 8, 2008 8:00 am)
Even if the BOS were to decice to join the VRE, they ensured there would not be any way to get there. The site of the proposed VRE station is in the Crossroads Business Park. All access roads are within the Lee Hill District. After the public comment period on the comprehensive plan and Highway Corridor Overlay Districts (HCODS) ended, Mr. Skinner had every Lee Hill road deleted. It is nearly impossible to make a left turn out of Benchmark Road, John Morris Road, and Thornton Rolling Road in the morning
I have a simple question.
(posted by
lifeisbeautiful
, Dec. 7, 2008 8:47 am)
How many folks from Spotsy ride the VRE? I am not being a
smart ass I am just curious. If the percentage is high than
Spotsy should pay their fare share. Anything wrong with that?
So this vote will be taking place
(posted by
Ron_C
, Dec. 6, 2008 7:25 pm)
about if Spotsy should join VRE, but less than half of the votes are actually coming from Spotsy. I have a thought, Why not let Spotsy decide their on own. Why should anyone care what the Fburg chamber of comerce thinks? Fburg and Stafford just want more help throwing money down the VRE Toilet.
Carolyn, Maybe you will never "get it"
(posted by
Ron_C
, Dec. 6, 2008 7:12 pm)
Comparing funding schools with funding VRE is like comparing apples to onions (oranges are too similar). Ensuring that our nations children have at least a certain level of education is an essential function of goverment and a reasonable thing to tax the populace to accomplish. Ensuring that somone who makes the CHOICE to live 50 miles from where they work only has to pay a portion of the cost of their commute, while others pay the balance through their taxes is not.
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