The Mathews County Board of Supervisors, during its regular meeting last Thursday, got a look at the concept plan for Phase II of the Main Street Enhancement Project. This phase will involve making drainage, safety, streetscape and sidewalk improvements to Main Street from the Food Lion north to Hyco Corner.

Robbie Roach of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), a Massachusetts-based design and engineering firm with offices in Williamsburg, told supervisors that his company is familiar with the challenges that Mathews faces in terms of stormwater drainage, traffic, and other conditions because it did Phase I of the project, which involved improvements starting at Food Lion and continuing south to Kingston Parish House. He showed a number of photos that illustrated some of the obstacles that had to be overcome—one of a flooded work space in the Food Lion parking lot, another of rusted underground pipes, and a third of a round existing pipe that was going to have to connect to two new oval pipes. He drew a laugh when he said, “You start digging and you start discovering things.”

Roach explained that VHB understands the working environment in Mathews, can make adjustments for utility conflicts, understands the different types of vehicles that need to be accommodated on Main Street, and can successfully coordinate with business and property owners.

The concept plan he provided shows a continuation of the use of vegetated bump-outs for beautification and for narrowing the road to 26 feet wide at pedestrian crosswalks, as well as a retaining wall along the raised parking lot in front of Westville Baptist Church and shade trees placed at intervals along the western side of the street. Roach said that parking along the street will be clearly defined and will result in a net increase in spaces.

The driveway into the Food Lion parking lot will be regraded and he hopes it will be improved, said Roach, but in response to a statement by supervisor Mike Walls, he said the light pole that presents an issue for trucks exiting the parking lot will not be moved because of utility issues. Walls also questioned whether the garage doors at the Mathews Museum would be accommodated, and Roach said they would be, and that no parking space would be placed in front of them.

A mountable curb will be provided in front of Hyco Market for large vehicles with a wide turning radius that are turning onto Main Street, but supervisor Janice Phillips pointed out that the road was going to be narrowed at that spot (for one of the pedestrian crosswalks) and said the county receives a lot of complaints about trucks and emergency vehicles trying to make that turn. Roach said that trucks will still be able to make the turn, although they will continue to have to swing into the opposite lane on Main Street.

County Administrator Ramona Wilson said that outreach meetings VHB is planning will provide the public with opportunities to share their concerns about the plan.

Supervisor Tom Bowen told Roach that the county is exploring the possibility of providing public water downtown by seeking grant funding from the Virginia Department of Health. He asked if it would be possible to coordinate the projects with each other and install water pipes while the road is undergoing construction. Roach said that VDOT “is on its own timeline,” but that VHB is the lead on both projects, so collaboration is possible.

Supervisor Dave Jones suggested that, with the flooding problems at Hyco Corner, VHB should consider a second outlet for stormwater drainage, possibly using the ditch behind the former Chesapeake Bank.

It will be around a year and a half before construction can begin on the project. Roach said it will first take around 12-15 months for scoping and design work, while right-of-way acquisition will take another three months or so. Once construction is underway, he said, the project will take anywhere from nine to 12 months.

Public engagement meetings on the project will begin soon, he said.

Water for Everyone

Rotarian Ron Lambert provided an update on the Water for Everyone project and asked the board to help spread the word about the need for a count of households that lack water in order to help the Mathews Rotary Club obtain a grant to fund additional public water systems.

The Water for Everyone program has already installed upgraded water systems and ultraviolet lighting at five sites in the county so that people can access clean, fresh water free of charge 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, said Lambert. Funded through the Mathews Community Foundation’s Mathews County Against Poverty initiative, the outdoor water faucets are located at the West Mathews Community League in Bohannon, Mathews Chapel United Methodist Church in Cobbs Creek, Piankatank Ruritan Club Pavilion at Hudgins, Kingston Parish House on Main Street, and Salem Church in Diggs.

Now the Rotarians are taking over the project, said Lambert, and they’re seeking a grant from Rotary International to fund at least nine or 10 additional water treatment systems in various parts of the county under Rotary’s Global Grant Program. The only problem, he said, is that the deadline for approval is approaching, and Rotary needs specifics before it will approve a global grant. Lambert said it’s hard to document where the need for water is in Mathews because people are reluctant to let anyone know about their water issues.

“People are afraid they’ll be evicted if they say they don’t have water,” he said.

In a telephone conversation, Lambert explained further that he hopes to personally hear from the public about people who are in need of water. He said names and addresses aren’t necessary, but if someone knows of, say, a family of five in Onemo that needs water, they can contact him to let him know.

Lambert can be reached at 804-363-2010 or ronlamb324@gmail.com. For more information, visit mathewscountyagainstpoverty.org.

In other matters, the board:

—Held a public hearing on allowing golf carts on two neighborhood roads, Peach Point Road and Gales Neck Place, and unanimously approved the request, which had been made by the residents of the neighborhood;

—Unanimously approved a resolution setting the personal property tax relief rates at 100 percent for vehicles valued at $1,000 or less, 40 percent for vehicles valued at $1,001 to $20,000, and 40 percent on the first $20,000 in value for vehicles valued at $20,001 or more;

—Unanimously adopted the county’s 181-page 2025 Emergency Operations Plan; and,

—Unanimously approved a request by Three Rivers Health District that it be allowed to carry forward $10,267.56 in FY2025 funds to FY2026.