COURTLAND
Twenty-two lights will be installed on the Darden Memorial Bridge just outside of Courtland, and the Virginia Department of Transportation will shoulder all costs associated with installation, operational and maintenance.

This comes one day after spokesperson Laurie Simmons said that the department would only grant $100,000 to the project, and that Southampton County would be responsible for any charges thereafter.

“VDOT wants to help the county and the Town of Courtland as much as possible, and the leadership felt this was the right thing to do,” Simmons said.

VDOT had estimated that power consumption would have cost the county $1.20 to $1.50 per fixture/per month, or roughly $400 annually. Now, the county can use those funds for other expenditures.