05/07/2026
Connecting the DOTs: Is a $900,000 grant behind all of this?
Like many others, I plan to attend the community meeting this evening concerning the proposed closing of Dogwood Road in front of Hardin Reynolds Memorial School.
To me, Dogwood Road is the “Main Street” of Critz.
Along this half mile stretch sits Clay & Twig and Critz Baptist Church to one side of the closure, Hardin Reynolds Memorial School at the center of it , then the gas station, and the Envision Critz community center to the other side.
It’s a road deeply tied to the daily life of this community. It serves commerce, local traffic, and provides important access for emergency crews reaching deeper parts of Critz.
From the beginning, I personally have not believed this issue is simply about safety. I believe there needs to be far more transparency surrounding what is actually taking place and what plans may already be in motion behind the scenes.
Specifically, we need clarity on a $900,000 VDOT grant that was secured, what it's being used for, how the money is being spent and why the county was asked to take on a $181,000 financial burden to hold up the other end of the deal. I struggle to see where this benefits the general public; instead, it seems to prioritize creating a "campus-style" layout for select organizations at the expense of our public access.
I have been told the road closure is technically 'on hold' because of "an error in the newspaper's printed meeting announcement and the public hearing requirements were not met". So the question is: why has Crossover Drive recently been widened (which was one of the components of the closure)? This looks like site preparation for what hasn't even been legally settled yet.
What also raises questions for me is the discussion surrounding a proposed crosswalk from the future community center across Abram Penn Highway to the school which is included in the grant tied to Envision Critz. If student safety is truly the primary concern, I struggle to understand how asking students to cross over a blind hill, would somehow be safer than crossing Dogwood Road, where the terrain is flat and sightlines are clear.
At the very least, I believe the community deserves honest communication, transparency, and the opportunity to fully understand what is being proposed and why. If we are spending this much taxpayer money, it should be for a clear public benefit, not a private one.
Is the road closure connected to a much bigger plan?
It certainly begs the question when the person involved in securing the grant for Envision Critz is a member of the Envision Critz Board of Directors and Steering Committee, the Chairman of the School Board (where the road closure request originates), and is also part of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors.
I encourage you all to attend the meeting, ask questions, stay informed and take a stand.
— Jonathan
I have pinned some important documents. In the comments.
