OUR VIEW: State money crucial for county road construction

» Culpeper is rightfully concerned that VDOT’s revenue-sharing funds might be slashed in the near future.

In a letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation published Dec. 2 in the Star-Exponent, Culpeper County Planning Director John Egertson deftly pointed out why state revenue-sharing funds — which are on the chopping block for the coming budget cycle — are so important for area road construction projects.

We know money is tight on all levels of government, and so does Egertson. But his plea is especially important for rural counties that take the initiative to contribute significant amounts of local money for road construction, instead of relying 100 percent on state funds.

“It is our contention,” Egertson wrote, “that to end the revenue-sharing program ... would not only be unwise, but also unfair to localities willing to spend local revenue on road construction projects benefitting the traveling public.”

Indeed. Transportation is a major economic driver, and funding road construction will be a big part of pulling out of this recession. We hope that our state officials see fit not to drastically reduce the revenue-sharing program.

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Happy birthday to Culpeper Regional Airport, which marked its 40th year of operation last month. The airport has come a long way since its original 3,200-foot runway was built in Brandy Station. And despite being in a holding pattern due to the tough economy, plans call for even brighter days ahead, as county officials hope to expand the terminal and attract the “very light jet” market. In the meantime, the airport continues to carve out a niche with local pilots and has done a fine job over the past decade by holding the annual AirFest. Here’s to another 40 years!

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We’re happy to see that construction of the Boxwood Recovery Center, the area’s only publicly funded residential substance abuse rehabilitation facility, is under way and expected to be complete by next fall. It’s been a long time coming, and nobody deserves a new building more than Boxwood.