Harvest Moon

As summer fades fast in the rear view mirror, Goochland’s Board of Supervisors worked its way through the waning year at a routine October 3 meeting.

Expansion of the parking lot in front of the administration building continues. A reliable source contends that it will be complete in late November. Leave extra time to find parking when conducting business or attending meetings here.

Goochland General Registrar Frances C. Ragland, who has been recognized numerous times for excellence in performance of her electoral duties, announced her retirement at the end of 2017.

A proclamation recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and recognizing the contribution made by local organizations, including the Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services and Victim Witness Assistance Program, to combat this scourge of society, kicked off the agenda.

Board Chair Ned Creasey, District 3, announced the upcoming round of district town hall meetings. They are: District 1, October 16 at Hadensville Company 6Fire-Rescue Station; District 4 and 5, October 17 at Hermitage Country Club; and District 2 and 3 at Courthouse Company 5 Fire-Rescue Station. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. An overview of items of interest countywide will begin the sessions followed by question and discussion of matters in interest in each district. If you want to learn more about what is going on in the county and sound off on anything, this is the place to make your voice heard.

County Administrator John Budesky said that the Goochland Fall Festival is coming up on Saturday, October 28 with something for everyone. All events are free.

Budesky said that, due to Election Day, November 7, falling on the regular board meeting day, the November Board meeting will be held the next day, Wednesday, November 8.

Marshall Wynn of VDOT reported that improvements to the Rts. 288/250 intersection in Centerville, which have been approved and funded, have moved into the detailed design phase. He did not mention of this means that the upgrades to this dreadful interchange will be completed before 2020.

New signage for the Fairground Road/Rt/ 250 interchange have been ordered.

The board appropriated up to $60,000 for thirty percent of the cost to design a Three Chopt Road underpass at Rt. 288. Given the time that VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “Oops!”—requires to complete improvements to the Rts. 288/250 interchange, it will be fascinating to see how much this will cost and how long it will take to complete. Would it have been so difficult to preserve the connection for Three Chopt and Ashland Road when Rt.  288 was originally designed? Have these people never heard of the maxim “measure twice, cut once”?

Blair Road has been paved at last!

Fire-Rescue Chief Bill MacKay reported that approximately 60,000 people attended this year’s Field Day of the Past in September. He said that October is fire prevention month and urged everyone to make sure that their homes have an adequate number of working smoke alarms and every family take the time to make and practice an evacuation plan. America, said MacKay, leads the world in residential fire fatalities, but has experience none in public schools. If we can keep our kids safe in school, “why not do it at home?”

Goochland Fire-Rescue, said MacKay, observes Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also in October, with commemorative tee shirts. This year’s shirt honors the memory of our late County Administrator Rebecca Dickson.

 Lisa Beczkiewicz
Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk models the commemorative shirt honoring the late Rebecca Dickson

The Board tended to “housekeeping” matters. It voted  to formally change the name of the Goochland Powhatan Community Services Board to Goochland Powhatan Community Services. 

The supervisors endorsed wider use of the county logo, rather than the county seal, on government vehicles. The logo, which prominently features the words “Goochland County” is easier to read than the seal,  a complicated heraldic symbol. The seal will continue to be used on official documents.

Budesky presented the annual report for FY 2017, which ended on June 30.  He said that the county is working its way through a series of  studies,  and an updated thoroughfare plan reflecting actual growth patterns, to understand all future needs for space, staffing, and equipment countywide. This will provide the basis for a public facilities plan to include parameters that trigger creation of new fire-rescue stations and other capital needs.

The school division is engaged in a similar initiative; the supervisors and school board will hold a joint meeting on November 28 to discuss their needs.

All of this information will  be part of  capital impact model, expected to be completed in February, 2018, to help  gauge the burden new residential projects  place on the county. This will help determine if developers are doing their part to mitigate the strain that their projects place of public facilities and services.

These studies were prompted by revised cash proffer legislation passed in 2016 and the flood of residential rezoning applications lapping at the county’s borders. Goochland’s response to growth should be  a topic at this fall’s Town Hall meetings. 

Paul Drumwright, Administrative Services Manager, presented the first draft of the county’s legislative agenda. This outlines the county’s position on matters that could come before the Virginia General Assembly. Goochland’s envoys in the GA include two delegates, Lee Ware of the 65^th District, which includes the western art of the county; an open seat in the 56^th District, and 22^nd District  Senator Mark Peake, who took office in January.

Goochland has taken great care to keep lines of communication with our GA delegation open. This has resulted in passage of legislation beneficial to the county.

The draft includes evergreen items like requiring political parties to pay for primary elections; the state to reimburse the cost of local electoral boards and registrars; increased regulation of sludge transportation; broadband expansion;  and elimination of the state mandate that the school year being after Labor Day. (See page 89 of the October 3 Board Packet on the county website http://goochlandva.us/ for the complete list.)

One item of particular importance on the legislative agenda is  a clarification of the “capacity of public facilities” used to craft development impact statements that are now a required part of all residential rezoning applications. Another is the restructuring or repeal of the state’s Certificate of Public Need (COPN), which governs when and where new medical facilities can be built.

During even session public hearings, the supervisors approved a Conditional Use Permit for Victory  Christian Church to expand the footprint on its Maidens Road site by approximately 37,000 square feet in the next 30 years. The new space will accommodate a larger auditorium and expanded food pantry area.

A CUP for a199 foot monopole communications tower in the Ashland Road corridor north of Interstate 64 was also approved. The applicant, PI Tower Development, LLC, said that it has a commitment from T-Mobile to locate on the tower and interest from other providers. The tower will increase signal and data capacity for the area.

Revised ordinance amendments for matters including public utilities; fire hydrant painting; and procurement policies to conform with state statues were also approved.