Warren County Board of Supervisors answers candidate’s queries on new fire and rescue station

The Warren County Board of Supervisors attempted to clear up any confusion about the Rivermont Community Replacement Fire and Rescue Station that’s being constructed near the Front Royal-Warren County Airport.

Groundbreaking on the project, held earlier this month, set the wheels in motion for H&W Construction Company Inc. to start building the new 15,250-square-feet facility at a cost of more than $5.6 million.

Against the backdrop of several federal charges that have resulted from the alleged illegal use of local funds by former staff of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority, one candidate running for a board of supervisors seat recently sought details about the money involved in constructing the new fire and rescue station, as well as the location of a new fire and rescue training facility.

Leslie Mathews of Bentonville, Va., who is vying for the South River District seat in the November election, specifically asked members on the board of supervisors during their June 18 meeting to provide her with those details.

Although answers weren’t provided that night, Warren County Deputy Administrator Robert Childress sent a June 20 letter to Mathews on behalf of the board to answer her questions.

Mathews offered a copy of the document to the Royal Examiner, which has included Mathews’ questions, as well as answers from Childress, which have been edited only for clarity.

1.) Did Warren County receive permission from the FAA to remove this property from the airport’s layout plan?

County response: We are currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV) through their various processes to secure the property’s release. This process officially began when I met with our FAA and DOAV officials in mid-February 2018 to discuss the county’s preliminary plans to construct the new Rivermont Fire Station on the property and to request the release of it from the Airport Layout Plan (ALP).

The DOAV and FAA officials at the time, and since, have indicated they do not foresee any issues with the release of the property since it is located across the roadway from the airport, no aviation related operational plans for the property were included on the ALP, and no aviation use for the property is foreseen.

During the summer of 2018, we started the first step in the process to release the property by submitting project-specific details on the new fire station to the FAA to ensure its construction would have no adverse effects on the airport or its operations. This process can be lengthy due to the type of construction occurring and the number of FAA offices involved in the review process.

We received the FAA’s determination letter that we could proceed with construction on April 26. In early May, we began the next step in the process by submitting the required updated ALP to the FAA and DOAV showing the property being removed.

While we have not yet obtained final permission from the FAA to release the property, we would anticipate receiving any final comments, requirements and/or approval from the FAA and DOAV within the next 60-90 days.

2.) Did Warren Count reimburse the state 80 percent for the fair market value of this property?

County response: No. Prior to the DOAV giving final consent to the property release, all FAA requirements involving its removal from the ALP must be met. Any reimbursement to the DOAV will likely be one of the last steps in the process.

3.) What is the reimbursement costing the county taxpayers?

County response: The fire station property was a part of a larger parcel purchased by the county through a DOAV grant ratio of 80/20 to accommodate the relocation of Rte. 615. The DOAV’s current program guidelines require reimbursement when an airport sponsor (county) requests the release of property.

Furthermore, the reimbursement amount is calculated by using the current fair market value at the time of sale and the participation rate (grant ratio) in the original purchase. The actual reimbursement amount, if any, can be determined once the property submitted with the requested ALP release has been approved.

One of the primary purposes of this DOAV reimbursement requirement is to address the sale of property purchased with state grant funding. Since we are not selling the property and it will be retained for county fire and rescue use to serve the community, as well as the airport, we will be requesting the DOAV waive the reimbursement requirement once we get to that point in the process.

4.) Is or was this reimbursement an additional amount to the $5.6M?

County response: Yes. I believe the $5.6 million you refer to may be the contract amount awarded to the H&W Construction Company Inc. to construct the new facility. Funding is set aside in the overall project budget to cover the reimbursement cost — again, if any.

5.) Was Warren County given the $40K from the Rivermont Fire Department when it recently sold its old location to a local builder?

County response: I am not aware of any recent sale of the existing Rivermont Fire Department and/or property. I would anticipate if such a sale has or would occur, the volunteer organization would likely utilize any proceeds to complete/up fit the community space within the new station.

6.) Why were Warren County tax dollars used in the summer of 2018 to drill a well on this property when the county did not own it?

County response: The county has owned this property since October 1999 when it was purchased as part of a larger tract to accommodate the relocation of Rte. 615.

7.) Does Warren County now own this property “lock, stock & barrel” where the construction of the new Rivermont Fire Department is currently happening?

County Response: Again, the county has owned this property since October 1999.

“I hope our responses adequately address your questions,” Childress wrote. “However, if not I would be happy to sit down with you to discuss the project and the release of the property in further detail.”

Copies of his letter also were sent to each member of the board of supervisors, as well as Doug Stanley, county administrator, and Richard Mabie, chief of the Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

After reading the responses from Childress, Mathews decided she needed more information.

“I’d like to say I’m glad to hear that the county owns the property,” Mathews wrote in a June 25 letter that she sent back to Childress. “But it is obvious that we do so with restrictions.”

Mathews included several more questions in her follow-up letter and requested related documents.

Among her questions, Mathews wants to know why the county purchased this land through an FAA grant if there aren’t any aviation-related operational plans nor future aviation uses for the property.

She also wants to know why Warren County didn’t choose to use the land that the Rivermont Fire Department already owns, demolish the existing station, and rebuild its new station on that site.

Additionally, Mathews asked why the county hasn’t listened to the concerns of local residents living in the Commonwealth Drive and Colonial Drive subdivision regarding plans to locate a new fire and rescue training facility nearby on ESA Road.

Mathews also called out Childress for saying he wasn’t aware of any recent sale of the existing Rivermont Fire Department and/or property.

“I find that ironic that you, Assistant County Administrator, are not aware that they sold a portion — 1.02 acres of their 5.82-acre lot — to Bobcat Builders in April 2019 for $44K,” she wrote, suggesting that the remaining land owned by the fire department “could be a great location” for the new training facility.

The documents Mathews requested are copies of the determination letter that Childress said the county received from the FAA to proceed with the station’s construction; a copy of all bids received for the project; and the signed contract the county has with H&W Construction.

Mathews told Childress that she would appreciate “prompt responses” to her additional questions.