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| "Cutting the ribbon" on Station 6 in 2017 |
Our world became a little emptier on June 21 when the
Honorable Susan Lascolette went home to her Lord.
Susan represented District 1 on the Goochland Board of Supervisors
for 12 years. She was a member of the “revolution board” that metaphorically
held hands and walked through fire to move the county from the brink of
bankruptcy to being the smallest county in the country to earn three AAA bond
ratings.
She understood that decisions should be made to benefit the
entire county. Susan knew that holding elected office was not a popularity
contest and that no matter how hard she worked, she could not make everyone
happy. Susan was ever faithful to her conservative principles.
Getting the county’s fiscal house in order while preserving
the rural nature of most of Goochland, especially her district, and providing excellent
core services of law enforcement and fire-rescue were her priorities.
During her tenure as a supervisor, Susan served as board
chair and vice chair reflecting the confidence others had in her leadership.
Her funeral service, held at Goochland High School on June
27, was well attended by friends, supporters, neighbors, many dignitaries including
the entire board of supervisors, and District 10 State Senator Luther Cifers.
“Susan was one of the first people I talked to when considering
a run for office. She freely gave me her time and wisdom, for which I am eternally
grateful,” said Cifers.
Goochland Steven N. Creasey recalled sharing many
conversations with Susan about how good decisions are made. “Whether we agreed
or disagreed, I always walked away having learned something. Susan challenged people
to think differently. She understood that public safety is the strong foundation
of our community. She respected the work and sacrifices made by our deputies,
dispatchers, and fire-rescue personnel and did not take them for granted. She
never forgot that public service is, and should be, all about the people.
Goochland County is a better place because of Susan’s leadership. Her legacy is
not in decisions but leaders she mentored and countless lives she touched.
Susan never stopped believing that tomorrow would be better if people were just
willing to work together with respect and purpose.
Creasey thanked Susan for her support, which enabled the
Sheriff’s Office to grow and better serve the community.
Sheriff Creasey presented a flag of his department that flew
over the Courthouse to Susan’s family.
Goochland Fire-Rescue
Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. recalled Susan’s steadfast support of
fire-rescue.
“She was a true leader in every respect on so many levels for
so many people,” he said. When she was first elected to the Board of Supervisors,
Susan toured all fire-rescue stations including what was then station 6, a
small garage that had been repurposed and barely adequate. She joined Hadensville
Company 6 fire-rescue auxiliary 2013 and became the driving force for building
the first county-owned fire-rescue station, Hadensville Company 6, which opened
in 2017, and became very protective of it.
The new Company 6 said Ferguson “changed the way that we
serve the entire county. In the aftermath of the 2022 winter storm that paralyzed
the region we received first priority to get National Guard resources deployed
there to help clear the trees in Goochland and Louisa”.
Support under Susan’s watch enabled increasing fire-rescue career
staff, improving volunteer incentives, upgrades of existing stations and the training
center and new stations in Sandy Hook and West Creek.
“I recall how proud she was in 2019 when we were able to staff
all six stations with two career providers 24/7, “said Ferguson. “Susan was a guiding
star and champion of all things fire-rescue. We are the fire-rescue department,
but the truth is that she rescued us so we can rescue others. Leaders are much like
eagles, they don’t flock, you find them one at a time.”
Rest in peace Susan.
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| Goochland Delegation to 2026 Special Olympics USA Games (Goochland County image) |
At their June 2 meeting, Goochland supervisors approved a resolution honoring the Goochland Delegation to the 2026 Special Olympics USA games to be held in Minneapolis from June 20-26. (Go to https://2026specialolympicsusagames.org/about/about-2026-usa-games for details.)
The Goochland delegation to this event includes four
athletes; four Goochland high school student partners; and two coaches.
The athletes, all GHS students, are Destiny Brent; Conner
Emmert; Dymontrie Hopkins; and Owen Powers. Each will compete in several
different events.
The student partners, Ailey Black, Sam Farkas, Ava Freeman,
and Jack Stern serve as leaders, role models, and ambassadors of inclusion and
teamwork.
Coaches Wes Farkas and Melissa Black use commitment,
encouragement, and leadership to guide the athletes to excellence.
The supervisors also recognized the achievements of 11 young
men for earning the highest rank of Eagle Scout through years of dedicated
community service and adherence to the principles of scouting. They are Rafael
Smith, August Kowalski, Samuel Farkas, Adam Seltzer, Luca Gardner, Kyhl Pace,
Noah Wensel, Calvin Gibbons, Isaac Schelin, Aedan Curry, and Tucker Smithson.
Board Chair Jonathan Christy, District 1 thanked everyone
who attended meetings about the proposed Valley Link electric transmission line
(https://www.goochlandva.us/1454/Valley-Link-Transmission-Project).
“You voice does matter,” he said and encouraged
citizens to continue to provide feedback on the project and stay engaged.
County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley Ed.D. echoed Christy’s
appreciation for citizen engagement in the Valley Link issue.
He also said that recently Community roundtables, conversations
about topics of interest in Goochland, have been successful. “These truly are
kitchen table conversations where we share ideas, thoughts, and perspectives.” The
next roundtable will be on June 25. All are welcome to sign up, but attendance
is limited. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1474/Community-Engagement-Initiatives
for details.
Fourth of July
Goochland will be celebrating the 250th
anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, written by son
of Goochland Thomas Jefferson, on July 4th.
Independence on the Green will begin at 1 p.m. on the lawn
of our venerable courthouse and include a reading of the Declaration, mention
of some Goochlanders who fought in the Revolution, participation in the
National Bell Festival by ringing the courthouse bell 13 times, one for each
colony, at 2:50 p.m. eastern time. Bring a chair. In case of rain, this event
will be held in the sports complex gym at 1800 Sandy Hook Road.
Fireworks will be shot off behind the sports complex in Courthouse
Village beginning at 9:15 p.m. Come early to get a good parking spot. Rain date
July 5.
Good work
Raley lauded the animal protection department for processing
a record 94 adoptions in May, up from its previous record of 91. If you are
looking for a furry friend, please visit https://www.goochlandva.us/299/Animal-Protection
for more information.
Goochland is once again honoring our veterans—their service
and sacrifice made the Fourth possible—by displaying banners on light posts
lining River Road West in Courthouse Village. Raley commended Scott Foster,
Wendy Grady, and the whole general services team for making this possible. The
program, which began a few years ago with six banners, has blossomed to 136
this year.
Heart of Service awards recognize county employees who
exemplify honor, empathy, accountability, transparency, and respect in their
jobs. Those recognized were Fire-Rescue provider Will Shifflet; Larry Hicks,
assistant director of general services who is retiring after 30 years with the
county; Ashlea Koch, public utilities business manager. Honorees are nominated
by their peers.
The following employees were welcomed to team Goochland.
Tommy Parmenter recently joined the building inspection team
as a special projects plan reviewer. Among his many professional credentials,
Parmenter holds the coveted master code professional certification, of which
there are fewer than 1,000 worldwide.
Christy Gilliam is the county’s newest custodian.
Matt Parker was promoted to Assistant Director of Geneal
Service and Elizabeth McDonald, to Deputy County Administrator for operations.
Dashboards
To enhance transparency Goochland has created dashboards “intended
to serve as a centralized resource for residents seeking information about
county data, performance measures, and operational trends.” They will be
updated three times annually with potential for added data points. Values in
the dashboards are accurate for the date range shown. Go to https://goochlandva.us/1477/Dashboards
also accessible from the county website
transparency tab. Fire-Rescue, social services, and Office of Children’s Services
have their own dashboards.
Jessican Kronberg, Director of Strategic Communications,
collaborated with county departments, especially Dan Stowers and Elliott Waugh
of the Information Technology department and Tegan Ulis of the CSB, to translate
a wide range of data into this digestible and accessible format.
Kronberg wants feedback about the dashboards to ensure that
they have information that citizens want and are easy to use.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda is a list of housekeeping items that
require supervisor approval. The following actions were takin on June 2.
·
Setting a public hearing for July 7 to consider
aFY27 budget amendment that would transfer and appropriate up to $2.7 million for
architecture and engineering services for the high and middle school campus addition
for the career and technical education center and declare the county’s official
intent to reimburse itself for these expenditures from the proceeds of future
bond issues.
·
Setting a public hearing for the disposition of
real property to grant an access easement across the fire-rescue training
center.
·
Approving a resolution to adopt the VDOT
secondary six-year plan priorities from 2027-2032
·
Authorize the county administrator to execute a
contract with McDouough Bolyard and Peck for county courthouse owner
representation. This includes an amendment to the county FY26 budget
transferring and appropriating $799,952 from the future capital projects assigned
fund to the capital improvement fund to pay for these services and declaring
the county’s official intent to reimburse itself from future bond proceeds.
(The contact is included in the June 2 board packet.)
·
A resolution amending the FY 26 budget by accepting
and appropriating funds from state funding and sales tax revenue; school
improvement grant; and a categorial transfer of $55k from transportation to
maintenance facilities in the school operations fund. This does not include any
additional local funding.
Public hearings
The board approved a conditional use permit for a detached accessory
family housing unit at 1884 Broad Street Road.
Donation of land and related easements to VDOT for the
right-of-way extension of Fairground Road to Rt6. And authorization for the county
administrator to execute deeds of this donation was also approved.
Goochland announced last week that a pre application has
been filed for Tuckahoe Technology Park, a multi building data center campus on
871.89 acres between Hockett Road, West Creek, and Rt. 288. The land in
question, referred to as TOD West, not part of West Creek, consists of 13
separate parcels whose owners include Forth Estate, LLC., Stern Arenstein
Properties, Inc., Tuckahoe Group LLC., and Dr. Sheppard, LLC. These entities
have owned the land for decades if not generations.
Owners of TOD west have had a contentious relationship with
the various—there have been at least three—owners of West Creek since its
creation almost 40 years ago about access to internal roads in the business
park. The latest skirmish occurred about a year ago when the county granted
Mosaic permission to add three lots near the intersection of Mosaic Creek
Boulevard and Broad Branch Road preventing access to West Creek roads from the
landlocked parcels.
The county has created a website specifically for the
project at https://www.goochlandva.us/1480/Tuckahoe-Technology-Park
to help citizens understand the proposal. There are many details to unpack
here. Please take the time to review each part of the application, especially
the parts about water usage, which will come from the TCSD, not ground water.
TOD west was added to the TOD/TZ footprint in the late
stages of last year’s debate on the topic. It adjoins Mosaic, the 55+ community
in the West Creek business park. Unlike other parcels included in the TOD,
zoned M-1, land in TOD west is zoned either A-2 or R-3, which under TOD rules requires
obtaining a conditional use permit (CUP) to build a data center.
The CUP process, which is very similar to rezoning, mandates
at least one public community meeting where the applicant explains the proposed
project, answers questions, and obtains feedback, which ideally is used to
improve the proposal. The application then goes to the planning commission for
a public hearing and recommendation and to the board of supervisors for final
determination. This means that every
facet of the application will have a thorough and public review. It is likely
that the final version of the Tuckahoe Technology Park, if approved, will be
different from that in the pre-app.
Since the TOD concept was announced last summer, virulent anti-data
center rhetoric has flooded social media and other forums. The frenzied
opposition is reminiscent of the fear mongering that had the world sheltering
in place, wearing useless masks, and disinfecting everything during Covid. A
lawsuit seeking to void the TOD is working its way through the courts.
Goochland seems to have its own chapter of the national anti-data
center movement whose members spend every waking moment mining the internet—made
possible by data centers—for the latest "study” documenting their harmful effects.
They ignore anything that contradicts this narrative and use an “I’m right and
you’re evil” mindset to shut down conversations vaguely resembling civil dialog
on the topic.
Who benefits if America stops building data centers? Opponents
answer in loud lockstep that the world will be a better place without them. Their
comments are consistent and carefully curated to support the thesis that data centers
destroy land, water, poison the air, ruin wildlife habitat, and cause all sorts
of mayhem.
Data centers are an integral part of our daily lives
enabling everything from sensitive financial transactions to cat videos, they’re
not going away. Are foreign bad actors planting these seeds of negativity with
a flood of “facts” to convince naive Americans to oppose data centers them so
they can control our lives and corner the AI market to stifle innovation? Ceding
data center construction to foreign powers puts our national security at risk.
Goochland needs more revenue to provide high quality
government services without raising tax rates. Homes do not pay their way tax
wise. We must be able to pay our deputies, fire-rescue providers and teachers well,
so they are not tempted to go elsewhere for more money. Our county has enormous
capital needs, including a new courthouse, schools, and parks that cannot be
funded with fairy dust.
Anti data center conspiracy theorists ignore Goochland’s long-held
land use strategy to confine economic development in the designated growth area,
east of Hockett Road, and leave the rest of the county rural.
Their rumor mill now contends that because M-1 zoning allows
data centers by right (the Tuckahoe Tech Park is zoned A-2 and R-3) every morsel
of land zoned M-1 anywhere in the county will soon sprout a data center. The
new county utility master plan, for instance, found that bringing public water
to the Oilville I64 exit, which is ripe for economic development, was cost
prohibitive. No water, no data center.
What else could be built on the heavily wooded almost 900
acres, which will be developed at some point. Maybe thousands of apartments or
hundreds of houses, which would clear cut all the trees and displace wildlife.
That many dwelling units would dramatically increase the need for capital
projects like schools, fire-rescue, law enforcement, parks, roads, and public utilities
without any way to pay for them except raising tax rates. A solar collection facility, they’re not
farms, would deforest the land and increase the temperature nearby. The Tech
Park as proposed clears a relatively small part of the acreage, leaving the rest
undisturbed.
Data centers are not potato chips. Perhaps Goochland can eat
just one to nourish our bottom line.
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| Station 7 floorplan |
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| Station 7 exterior to be determined |
Seventy-five years ago, a group of intrepid Goochlanders formed the first volunteer fire company in the east end of the county after a local church burned to the ground. Over the years, this fire company became the Goochland Volunteer Fire Association, Inc., later becoming the Goochland Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association when rescue squads were added in 1966, eventually expanding to six companies. These: Manakin, Crozier, Centerville, Fife, Courthouse, and Hadensville were built by volunteers with the financial support and physical help—residents often spent their free time helping the construction however they could—of the community. They knew that without these volunteers, stations, and equipment, no one would come to their aid in emergencies.
In 2017, Goochland dedicated Hadensville Fire-Rescue Company
6, the first county-owned fire-rescue station, to replace an aging and
inadequate—its brush truck “lived” in its kitchen—station that saved lives and
protected property for decades.
The second county owned fire-rescue station—the others are still
owned by the Association—Sandy Hook Station 8, long needed, is rising from the
ground.
Scott Foster, Goochland Director of General Services, gave the
supervisors a brief progress report on Station 8 construction at their June 2
meeting. Following ceremonial groundbreaking on April, 7 dirt has been flying. Foster
said that the expected substantial completion for Station 8 in May 2027 is on
target.
He said that “a lot of thought went into making sure that
this station will last for decades, is low maintenance, energy efficient,
visually appealing, and match the community.”
The interior is all cinder block, and the exterior is brick
and cement board, which is more durable than other types of siding. Floors will
be polished concrete, again for ease of maintenance and durability. Station 8
will have three drive-through apparatus bays with horizontal folding doors,
which, said Foster, are faster less prone to malfunction than overhead doors.
In response to a question from Jonathn Lyle, District 5,
Foster said that two wells have been drilled on the Station 8 site, one will be
“capped” for backup use as needed.
Charlie Vaughters, District 4 said that Station 8 benefits
the entire county, not just District 2, by enhancing service to our citizens
with better response time for emergencies in all parts of the county. (See GOMM
Station 8 groundbreaking.)
Go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/389821
to watch Foster’s presentation.
In the past few months, the supervisors authorized approval of
a contract with HBA Architecture & Interior Design (https://www.hbaonline.com/) for architectural and engineering work on West
Creek Station 7 to be built on the east side of Hockett Road north of its
intersection with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway.
At their June 2 meeting, the supervisors discussed funding
mechanisms for the estimated $13.2 million project (see GOMM Money Matters)
whose completion could be as early as mid-2028.
On June 8, a community open house to gather feedback on
design and appearance of Station 7 was held at Manakin Company 1. Supervisors
Tom Winfree, District 3; Charlie Vaughters, District 4; Jonathan Lyle, District
5; Martin Dean Manakin Volunteer Fire Captain and District 5 Planning Commissioner
attended.
County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley welcomed the group and
said that the meeting was a part of an ongoing process and welcomed all public engagement.
“This is an important community asset.” He said that when he first took office,
he met with some residents of Kinloch Villas, located near the site, which was
designated in 2019, and pledged that the county will be very good neighbors.
Goochland Chief of Fire-Rescue & Emergency Services, D.
E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr., echoed Raley’s welcome. “It is fitting that we hold
this meeting here, where it all started,” said Ferguson giving a brief recap of
his department’s history.
Ferguson said that expansion of fire-rescue to meet the
emerging demands of the county is important. Growth of county population—nearly 30k— is
only partly responsible for the increase in call volume. At least 6,000 people
from outside Goochland work here daily. Fire-Rescue also responds to emergencies
and wrecks on I64 and Rt. 288, whose number and complexity are increasing. The department
has water rescue units that respond to emergencies on the county’s 40 or so
miles of its James River frontage.
When West Creek business park was created in the late 1980’s,
said Ferguson, it was understood that there would be a station in West Creek.
Ferguson thanked all involved in the design of the station
that will serve the county well for decades. A great deal of the thought and
analysis used to design Station 8 will be used on the Station 7, which will have
a similar floor plan. Unlike Station 8, it will have space dedicated to the
Sheriff’s Office where deputies can perform administrative functions without going
to the Sheriff’s Office in Courthouse Village. THIS SPACE WILL NOT BE USED TO
DETAIN PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED.
Each of the county fire-rescue stations has its own
character. Go to https://goochlandfire-rescue.org/
and click on stations to see.
Attendees were asked to indicate their preferences from displays
of fire house elevations and building materials to help HBA design a unique
exterior for Station 7 that harmonizes with its surroundings.
David Smith of HBA explained that the firehouse illustrations
ranged from traditional to contemporary and included photos of existing buildings
in the area. “This is a process and your
feedback will be used in the design phase,” he said. Sticky dots were used to
indicate preferences for building forms and materials.
Construction of Station 7 is long overdue.
The Goochland County audit and finance committee held its quarterly
meeting on June 2. These sessions provide the committee with current fiscal
positions and the opportunity to discuss related matters.
First on the agenda was the kickoff for the county’s Annual
Certified Financial Report (ACFR) for FY26, which ends on June 30. State law
requires that the ACFR be completed and approved by the supervisors in
December. In previous years, this process began in the summer. This is one of many
procedural changes made by Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed.D., since becoming county administrator
about a year ago.
The FY2025 ACFR is available at https://www.goochlandva.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=43
This document has a wealth of general information about the county and its fiscal
condition. Last year, there were some issues with procedures in the finance
department resulting from “compression,” catching up at the last minute rather
than performing necessary tasks throughout the year. Raley hired an interim
director of finance to reconcile the errors before Denise Sandlin was named
Director of Finance earlier this year.
Sandlin assured the supervisors that new and more robust financial
procedures and controls have been put in place and will be continually improved.
She and her team will be ready to greet the PBMares team when it arrives to
begin work on the FY26 ACFR on June 8. Her report included a preliminary check
list of tasks, many of which have been completed, to start the audit process.
Mike Garber, https://www.pbmares.com/people/michael-garber/
a principal of PBMares, https://www.pbmares.com/ which has been retained
by the county for many years to conduct its annual audit, talked about his firm,
the audit team assigned to Goochland, and items that are “tested” during the
process. (Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkh34L-vWnc
for the video of the meeting.)
Representatives of PFM (https://pfm.com/),
which advises the county on capital funding matters including bond issuance, discussed
the county’s financial position regarding assumption of additional debt.
Capital projects that have been on the county radar screen
for a while include a new courthouse—our current circuit courthouse will celebrate
two centuries of continuous operation in September—fire-rescue station 7 on the
east side of Hockett Road; upgrades to the secondary complex, including an addition
to house the career and technical education department; and renovation of the
old Goochland elementary school. Estimated cost for these projects, most planned
for completion in the near term, is $114.5 million.
A chart included in the PFM presentation estimated the cost
of Station 7 at $13.2 million, with an expected
start date of April, 2027, completion in June 2028; $56 million for the courthouse
with an expected start date of April, 2027, completion in July,2030; $30 million for the secondary
complex upgrades with an expected start date of June, 2027 to be completed by
August, 2028. A $15 million amount for old GES renovations, essentially a place
holder with no projected timing as options for this site are under discussion. Not
included in the chart is approximately $30 million for parks and rec projects “in
the planning horizon over the next ten years ($18 million over the next 3 years.
$12 million thereafter through year 10.)”
Issuing the $46 remainder of the approved general obligation
bonds is the lowest cost option, said PFM. Discussion with bond counsel will be
necessary to determine if any of these funds may be used for Station 7. These
could be issued in FY27.
PFM presented an analysis of conservative “tried and true” funding
mechanisms and how they relate to county. They discussed the budgetary impacts
of debt funding these projects.
If the county chooses
to finance the entire $114.5 million for projects planned in FY27, the peak
debt service ratio would hit the policy limit as a percentage of general fund expenditures
in FY28 but would be well below its target percentage of debt to assessed valuation.
This would be allowable under policies but could limit future borrowing.
PFM also illustrated the impact of revenue generated by new
projects nearing completion. When the Ashland Road Amazon facility, Axial, and
West Creek commerce center, hit the tax rolls, the ratio of debt service to general
fund expenditures could drop from 11.4 percent to 11.2 percent.
PFM suggested funding the other $68.5 million with an appropriation
bond issuance, which would be AA+ rated, a notch below Goochland’s triple triple
rating, in mid FY2028. The rate is slightly higher than the triple triple but
still very attractive and does not require a referendum. When all the debt is
layered on, the total annual debt service was estimated at $13.3 million. New
bonds will have the option to refinance at lower interest rates.
Committee chair Charlie Vaughters, District 4 said one
rating notch lower, which equates to an approximately 15-20 basis points higher
interest rate, is not significant. (A basis point is one hundredth of one percentage
point.)
Raley pointed out that the PFM analysis is based on
assumptions and that the county has many levers to pull. It can decide not to
do all projects, use cash capital funds, or proffer dollars to reduce the debt
amount. Next steps are to decide which projects will go forward and how they
will be financed.
Proffers
In response to citizen queries about cash proffers—amounts paid
by developers to mitigate the impact of residential rezoning on county infrastructure—a
proffer data base has been added to the county website. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1463/Proffers
Raley said moving all the proffer data to one place from
various sources was a heavy lift but now it has been reconciled in the name of
transparency. He said it was a very worthwhile undertaking and will help with funding
decisions going forward providing flexibility and nimbleness.
Raley said that a dashboard for cash proffer collected by
the county resulting from residential rezoning had been updated as is on the
county website as to amount and how the funds were uses. Cash proffers help to
mitigate the impact on county facilities including schools, law enforcement,
and fire-rescue. The website improves transparency and disclosure. The next
meeting will be on September 1.
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| The blue line at the top is the May 27 version (Valley Link image.) |
On May 28, the Goochland Board of Supervisors held a special called meeting in the high school auditorium to share information and gather citizen feedback on the proposed Valley Link 750kw electric transmission line for an as yet unfinalized 115-mile route between Campbell and Culpeper counties. Go to https://vltransmission.com/joshua-falls-to-yeat/ for more information.
County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley recapped the
supervisors’ actions opposing Valley Link, including appropriating funds and working
with the other nine counties impacted by the project, and urged continued
citizen engagement. He encouraged all to continue to make their concerns known
on the Valley Link website and with representatives in Richmond.
The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) https://www.scc.virginia.gov/
has the final say on if and where the proposed line may be built. The formal
application on the Joshua Falls to Yeat portion of the Valley Link project will
be filed with the SCC this fall, with a ruling expected sometime in late 2027. Other
parts of the Valley Link project will have separate SCC filings.
Citizens, some from the other nine counties in the transmission
line’s path, raised many thoughtful, well researched questions and voiced their
concerns to both Goochland Supervisors and Valley Link representatives. Among
them was skepticism that the recently proposed merger between Dominion Energy
(D) and Next Era Energy, a Florida company, would be beneficial to Virginia.
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| May 27 route proposal (Valley Link image) |
In a press release dated May 18, Next Era said of the merger
that “customers will benefit over time from its enhanced scale in operations,
procurement, construction and financing, enabling it to more cost-effectively
meet increased electric demand for approximately 10 million customer
accounts.”
Rob Richardson of Valley Link made a brief presentation
about the project. (Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wdVzFrJwnw
) Valley Link, he explained, is a joint
venture comprised of Transource (https://www.transourceenergyprojects.com/),
Dominion Energy (https://www.dominionenergy.com/), and First Energy
Transmission (https://www.firstenergycorp.com/fehome.html).
The goal of Valley Link is to support long term grid
reliability. It has been supported by PJM (https://www.pjm.com/)
as the solution that best meets long term reliability needs. The 765 kv
transmission lines will be supported by lattice towers between 135 and 160 feet
high along cleared rights of way typically 200 feet wide. (For a rough comparison,
the lattice towers supporting the transmission lines south of Rt. 6 in Crozier are
110 feet high, and the high school football stadium is about 600 feet long.)
Landowners in the Valley Link study area contended that
early “spaghetti” maps with several possible routes made it impossible to
determine how the project would impact specific properties. They expressed
skepticism about the latest map, published on May 27, whose route nicks the
northwest corner of Goochland for about 1.25 miles down from 28 miles on
earlier versions.
One of these routes, very close to Byrd Elementary School,
prompted the Goochland School Board to adopt an opposition resolution, which
was read by District 1 School Board member Meredith Moses.
Lane Carr, who oversees transmission line siting, explained
that routes are determined after detailed investigation of parcels that might
be impacted to exclude land with conservation easements, cemeteries, wetlands,
and historically significant sites to plot the least disruptive path. More than
15,000 miles of route alternatives were explored in the routing process.
This should encourage legacy landholders like century farms—those
in continuous operation by the same family for more than 100 years—to
investigate placing their property in an easement to prevent development in
perpetuity.
According to the presentation, “fewer than 75 homes along
the proposed 115-mile route are within 500 feet of refined route alternatives”.
“We cast a wide net to evaluate any alternative.” Carr said
that early interactions with landowners resulted in most people asking that the
line “stay as far as possible away from my home.” The confusing March routes,
which caused a lot of concern, have expired, she said.
Richardson said that Valley Link is a part of an electric
transmission “backbone” designed to take pressure off existing lines, including
those near Hadensville and Crozier and solve the problem of unprecedented
demand for energy. All electricity used in Virginia, even that supplied by
co-ops, is generated by Dominion and all users will benefit from an updated and
more robust and reliable electric transmission system, he said.
At the conclusion of the presentation, supervisors asked
questions.
Board Chair Jonthan Christy, District 1, asked if
substations will be built along the Valley Link and other transmission lines.
Valley Link right now is proposed as an end-to-end project. A proposed
gas transmission plant in Cumberland is about three miles from the line. The Joshua
to Yeat SCC application will show “all the homework” used to determine the preferred
route for the SCC to evaluate, said Carr.
Jonathan Lyle, District 5, asked if the demand is in
Northern Virginia why is the generating capacity not being built there. Richardson
said that infrastructure to support power generation cannot always be placed
near users. He cited a transmission line built in the1960’s to bring power from
the Mount Storm generation plant in West Virginia was more cost effective than
building train tracks to transport coal to a power station. The utility is
upgrading existing generation options in NOVA, including a large solar facility
near Dulles airport, but it is part of Dominion’s “all of the above” strategy
to deal with burgeoning power demand.
Neil Spoonhower, District 2, contended that as Goochland has
no plans for any kind of economic or residential development west of Goochland
Courthouse our citizens will get no benefit from the proposed transmission line.
Alluding to the seeming “Lucy and the football” strategy of morphing maps, he
asked if the latest preferred route was changed in response to the amount of
“heat” generated by citizens, and will be that presented to the State Corporation
Commission (SCC) for approval or will it be moved again.
Carr explained that the routes begin with anchor points in
industrial areas, like the data center in Louisa just over the county line near
Shannon Hill. The route will be “refined” until the SCC application is filed to
narrow what Valley Link believes is the best route. There will be more meetings
and more open houses in June when Valley Link reveals which route it will take
to the SCC for approval. She does not anticipate changes that would more significantly
impact Goochland.
Spoonhower asked if options secured by Dominion to purchase
more than 1k acres of land off Whitehall Road are part of Valley Link. Richardson
said that the utility is always looking for opportunities to site, perhaps
solar facilities, but that land is not part of the current project.
Lyle, wearing his Farm Bureau hat, asked how negative impacts
on agricultural uses will be minimized. Agriculture is very compatible with
transmission lines, said Richardson. “There’s nothing we like better than
pasture. We’re not coming to spray. We’re most concerned about woody trees
growing up into the transmission lines.”
He did not know if land under transmission lines could qualify
as certified organic. Bonding and grounding protocols for metal fences under
transmission lines are common, and safety mitigation should be a onetime fix
that could be remedied by line engineers. Fixes for “stray voltage” would be addressed
during easement purchase negotiations, but further down the road, these issues are
landowner responsibility.
If a vehicle is safe to drive on the road it is safe to
drive under a transmission line, unless it is unusually tall, said Richardson.
Spoonhower asked about negative health impact living near
high transmission lines. Richardson said that the SCC application includes modeling
fields and takes it into consideration. He also noted that there are many studies
on both sides of the topic.
Christy asked about impact of construction activity, including
location of lay down contractor yards. Following
SCC approval, not expected before late 2027, other permits must be secured and easements
purchased, before these locations are established, so Richardson was unable to
provide specific information.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Richardson thanked the supervisors
for the opportunity to discuss Valley Link. He said that he and his team all
live in Central Virginia, including Goochland. “We all care about what happens
here because we are your neighbors. Comments from neighbors who care deeply did
not surprise me. We hope that many of you will come see us on June 26 and bring
your questions. Following those meetings, we will reconvene and take those
comments to see what additional refinements can be made and have plans for a
virtual meeting to address the community with the preferred route before submitting
it to the SCC. Going forward there will be opportunity for citizens to share
their comments with the SCC. After a 12-month process, the SCC will make the determination
of the route that Vally Link can take.”
A second set of meetings, including a virtual town hall on June
10 and one in Goochland on June 16 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Goochland
Sports Complex, will be held in June Go to www.vltransmission.com for details.
Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1454/Valley-Link-Transmission-Project
for the Goochland County page.
Christy thanked schools, the Sheriff’s Office, Fire-Rescue
and Valley Link for participation on short notice to make the meeting possible.
He asked for detailed follow up on unanswered technical questions.
Spoonhower commended citizen participation. He said that “seeing
the community engaged and come out not to yell at us but to partner alongside us
and work hard to research these topics made all the difference. Thank you.”
