Expanded Haymarket trolley under council review

Haymarket could get a trolley, depending on the Town Council's decision on a proposed agreement between the town and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

The rubber-tired, trackless trolley would look similar the one that operates during Haymarket's special events but would be paid for in full and have expanded operations.

State Sen. Charles J. Colgan and Rep. Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly obtained $145,000 in stimulus money to purchase the trolley outright.

"That doesn't happen very often," Darrell Feasel of the DRPT said at last week's council meeting.

The annual operating cost for the trolley would be $125,199, offset by federal assistance of $62,100. The state would provide an additional $22,544 in aid, leaving the town to match $40,555.

Much of the discussion included how to meet the matching funds. According to Feasel, the town share can include fare revenue, advertising and donations. Town Manager Gene Swearingen recommended unappropriated meal tax be applied to the remaining town cost.

Swearingen said he wanted to make an "intense proposal" to some business around town to "see if [the town] can't get some help with the town share of the cost." Swearingen and the council also discussed the feasibility of some Gainesville subdivisions contributing, which would assist more residents, particu-larly those in 55-and-older communities, to access shopping and activities.

"There is a lot of need in western Prince William County," said Feasel.

When the council expressed concern about what would happen at the end of the grant year, Feasel said that other towns with trolleys typically have received increased, not decreased, funding.

Feasel said the DRPT would help every step along the way.

"We don't just give grants and then walk off," he said. They would advise about stops, imple-mentation and future funding at no cost.

To receive the grant money, the town must sign a master agreement with the DRPT. Feasel said that while he was not trying to rush the council, he wanted to remind them that there was a time constraint. The council said they would have more information within the next 30 days.

A second topic at the meeting was the continued development of a new sign ordinance, which has been under dis-cussion since August when the Planning Commission recommended language for a revised ordinance.

Corporate representatives from the CVS pharmacy chain discussed their plans for a sign for their new building and hung a paper version of the sign on the wall for the council to visualize letter size. While CVS was mainly con-cerned with the delay, the council was concerned with the sign's size, which does not conform to the present or future ordinance.

Town Attorney John Bennett addressed whether or not there should be any exceptions. He said if there was one exception, it would defeat the purpose of having an ordinance.

Vice Mayor John Cole said nothing more could be done until the new ordinance is approved. Cole asked CVS to be patient, reminding the representatives that long after the builders leave, the town will be living with the signs.

The council held another work session on the sign ordinance this week.

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt is a community writer for the News & Messenger.