Gary Wilson in his infinite wisdom said that hotels and other businesses will bring in money to the county…
What hotels and other businesses?
The only hotels that have been built that are going to be around the State Fair are in Hanover County!
The majority of people that go to the State Fair are going to take Interstate 95 to Route 30 and go to the State Fair that way.
If that’s the case, they will not pass a single business in Caroline County except for the fair itself.
If they opt to stay the night, it’s going to be at a hotel in Hanover County. The closest hotel or major business in Caroline County to the fair is at Carmel Church.
Further, if someone wanted to set up a hotel or business on the east side of the fair inside Caroline County, they would need water and sewer treatment.
The lucky bastards at the State Fair are going to get their water and sewer via Hanover County via Caroline County.
If the fair goes bankrupt, Caroline County will be responsible for the bill due to the way the deal was set up. Apparently, Hanover County has a brain and doesn’t trust the State Fair as far they can throw them.
Of course — according to the same terms of that agreement — the pipes that will provide services to fair can, in no way, be used to provide water or sewer treatment to anyone except for the fair.
That means anyone hoping to start a business on the east side of the fair in Caroline County is SOL (and I’m not talking about the Standards of Learning).
And hey, look, another de facto monopoly for Hanover County. Bravo.
And then there’s the problem of inadequate infrastructure in the area.
The majority of the people going to the fair will be coming from Interstate 95 to Route 30. Route 30 at the fair, and to the west of the fair, has been expanded to four lanes.
What about east of the fair?
It’s the small crappy road it’s been for years.
What happens when people from the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck go down Route 30 and there’s 10 mile backups?
I’m sure the home owners are going to love the fact that won’t be able to get out of their driveways in that area.
No new businesses in those areas either!
And what about Carmel Church?
If Carmel Church is where the all the money making for the County is going to occur, where’s the infrastructure to handle all those people?
Hell, the I-95 exchange at Carmel Church can’t handle the traffic it gets now — something the people at The Free Lance–Star should know since that fact gets readily pointed out during Board of Supervisors meetings.
How is the exchange going to handle 60,000 more people?
And why is it the county wanted a special tax on admissions at the fair — presumably to offset the costs associated with fair — which has yet to pass in the General Assembly even five years after the fact (link)?
bada bing bada boom
Ahh but Hanover should reap the benefits, they will be the only ones in the area with adequate enough public safety to serve any emergencies in the area or general law enforcement.
I say let Hanover and the State Annex “Meadow Events Park” and wash Caroline’s hands of it.
They allowed it to become reality by selling limited water and sewer for $5,000,000 plus monthly fees, why should Caroline’s citizens be burdened by this tax sucking leech and it’s president.