It wouldn’t be a proper Board of Supervisors meeting without some talk about roads, would it? Monday night featured VDOT’s Appomattox Residency Administrator, Robert Brown, presenting the draft Secondary Road Six-Year Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2031 and updating the priority list for paving our remaining unpaved roads.

The big takeaway on the Six-Year Plan? It’s getting shorter. Brown noted the county currently has just over 24 miles of unpaved roads left – a far cry from decades past. While that’s progress, the funding formula means fewer unpaved miles equals fewer state dollars allocated for paving them. The draft plan only includes three projects: completing Hancock Road (Route 644, already partially underway), tackling Cedar Bend Road (Route 675, a long-standing project), and funding the final section of Hancock Road, which won’t see full funding until FY31 under current projections. Brown highlighted a “pretty drastic” cut in state allocations from FY25 to FY26 as a major factor.

Following Brown’s presentation, the Board unanimously voted (motion by Wolfskill, second by Carter) to schedule the required Public Hearing on the Six-Year Plan for their next meeting on Monday, May 19th, at 6:00 p.m. Mark your calendars if you want to weigh in.

The Supervisors then turned their attention to the future paving list – roads constituents want paved but aren’t yet in the official plan. Brown presented the current list and noted that while priorities weren’t strictly needed this year (since no new projects are being added to the plan immediately), the Board could set them if desired.

Supervisor Hipps promptly spoke up, mentioning passionate calls from constituents regarding Snaps Mill Road (Route 703) and Mari Place (Route 730). Supervisor Hinkle confirmed Mari Place was a priority for him as well. After a bit of discussion, initiated by Brown’s suggestion that the shorter, less expensive Mari Place go first to potentially allow concurrent work later, the Board settled on priorities. A motion by Hipps, amended and seconded by Reverend Jones, officially set Mari Place as Priority #1 and Snaps Mill Road as Priority #2 for future inclusion in the six-year plan. Supervisor Wolfskill then successfully amended the motion further to add Bell View Road (Route 611) as Priority #3.

So, the wheels of road planning keep turning, albeit perhaps a bit slower these days with tighter funds. Residents on Mari, Snaps Mill, and Bell View now have a clearer spot in the queue, while everyone gets a chance to comment on the overall plan next month.