By the time you read this article, it will almost be Holy Week. It’s hard to believe how fast this year is going by and how much has already transpired! Many have been participating in the Lenten Suppers, classes, and worship reminding us how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful and active parish family. Of course, with Easter just around the bend, we are also reminded of the tremendous sacrifice Christ made for us and the importance of proclaiming His Gospel through our mutual work at Pohick and in the surrounding communities. The many ministries at Pohick offer everyone, as they feel called, an opportunity to contribute to this mission. No effort is too small. This is particularly evident in the numerous donations of time and talent towards keeping our Church buildings and grounds in excellent condition.

As everyone has surely noticed, the Route 1 project is proceeding apace. We met with VDOT representatives in late February to discuss construction impacts and schedule. We were informed that construction on our side of Route 1 will commence in December of this year and will continue until November of next year. When completed, Route 1 will be much wider and will have a new median. Additionally, a larger four-way intersection will be constructed where Pohick Road and Route 1 meet. Unfortunately, however, the contract does not contain provisions to replace the current Rectory entrance and driveway, which is a safety concern. We, therefore, want to rectify this situation while a contractor with heavy equipment is available to do so. Our long-range plan is to create a main entrance into the church grounds from the new intersection; however the VDOT contract only provides a short, dead-end stub into our property. Eventually, we will extend a road through our property from our parking area near the classroom trailers connecting to the stub (refer to the master plan currently displayed in the common room). This, of course, would be sometime in the future. Now, however, the Property Committee and others working on this project propose to construct a small connector (about 200 feet) from the intersection stub provided in the VDOT contract that would tie into the Rectory driveway in the vicinity of the Turkey Shoot booth traditionally set up on fair days. The new connector would eventually be part of the future road into our property, described above. In other words, it would be the beginning of our road but in the near term would provide safe access and egress for the Rectory. The Vestry voted to develop plans for this connector and to work closely with the VDOT construction contractor to build it as soon as possible. Planning for this is proceeding rapidly and we hope to make this a reality in the near future.

Old Colchester Road will also be widened to provide additional turning lanes and to align it with Telegraph Road. This is why the area along Old Colchester has been cleared. In the interim, I have asked VDOT to examine the timing of the existing traffic light at Old Colchester and Route 1 on Sunday mornings to allow traffic to enter and leave the Church parking lots in a more efficient manner. This, I believe, will become more important as parishioners increase the usage of the signal at the intersection during the construction period.

At the same time, we are concerned about the impact of the vibrations from construction equipment on the brick wall fronting Route 1, as well as the foundation of the church. The construction contract requires the contractor to monitor these structures and take necessary actions to prevent excessive vibrations during the construction period. The Historic Pohick Church Foundation is working with a firm skilled in the preservation of historic structures to insure that the construction contractor is properly fulfilling their responsibilities in this regard. For those concerned about the construction, rest assured that many people are working behind the scenes to mitigate the effects of the construction on our property.

In other news, we met in early March with the firm who will be installing the water lines on the church grounds. A month or so ago, the Fairfax County Water Authority reviewed our proposed plans and suggested some modifications, which we reviewed with the construction contractor during the meeting. We walked the project and requested an updated proposal. It appears now that the work will begin in earnest after Easter and will take about two weeks to complete. It has been a long time, but we are almost there!

I want to thank the many parishioners who have offered suggestions and help. As I said at the beginning of this article, no effort is too small in the stewardship of our church.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Jim Hayes

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