This post is opinion and commentary.
The Williamsburg City Council approved a new $31 million downtown library last week and construction is expected to begin next April. The city expects to borrow over $32 million, as well as kick in a $5 million “down payment” consisting of COVID-relief funds previously stashed away for a new live performance venue (LPV).
Losing $5 million in seed money to the library may not seem like a positive indicator for the future of the $83 million LPV, but not so fast. At the same meeting, the City Council approved on a split vote (pinch me) to grant $6,000 to the Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association in order to update a previous feasibility study conducted about the live performance venue. Voting in favor of the grant were Mayor Douglas Pons and Council Members Barbara Ramsey and Stacy Kern-Scheerer, while Vice Mayor…
