They've only just begun

On Tuesday, May 29, the Career and Technical Education(CTE)Department at Goochland High School held a signing event to celebrate its graduates who are going into the military or world of work. The  motto of Goochland Tech, name of the CTE program, is "Jobs that build America".

School Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley spoke to a gathering of representatives of local companies; parents; teachers;  Army recruiters; and students antsy with anticipation before they headlong into their futures.

Raley said that this was the first time that GHS has recognized graduating seniors going directly into the workforce or the solemn task of protecting our nation. They are well-trained  and well prepared academically to handle the challenges that await them. Goochland, he said, has the only high school heavy equipment program in the Commonwealth that prepares students to go directly into high paying jobs.

Chris Collier, GHS principal said these graduates are not only talented in their chosen fields, but have also mastered soft skills that separate them from their peers. They know to look someone in the eye, shake hands, and engage in conversation. The core values these students learn at home and in the community at large will serve them well. He congratulated the CTE graduates for knowing what they want to do and where they are going in life.

Congressman Dave Brat, who represents the 7^th Virginia Congressional District arrived a bit after the event began. Brat’s comments were short and to the point. Jobs, contended Brat, are the number one issue facing Congress. Small business has a need for many more skilled workers and far too many people are still un or underemployed because they lack marketable skills.  Correcting that mismatch is a challenge.

No student loan debt for these Goochland Tech graduates. Those seated are headed for military service

Raley explained that School Board Vice Chairperson Beth Hardy, District 4, met with Brat on Capitol  Hill and extoled the virtues of Goochland’s CTE program. She invited the Congressman to see its tangible outcomes. Raley also said that Brat helped the Marine Junior ROTC program secure more stable funding from the  Marine Corps, which freed up almost $100 thousand school budget dollars for other uses.

Brat said that Goochland is at “the top of the pack” in governance among the jurisdictions that he represents. Our county government, he said, is a model of well- run government that gets a lot out of its tax dollars.

Tim Greenway, chair of the CTE, explained that students earn two credits for internships in heavy equipment operations and spent every other day in school  getting over 500 hours on worksites. Class work targeted industry models and all aspects of small business operation. One goal of the CTE program is to prepare students for local well=paying jobs so they can stay in our community.

He hopes to expand internships to all CTE concentrations in the future.

Mike Verrastro, head of the heavy equipment operator program, said that he is very proud of his students who invested a lot of time and effort to master those skills.

The future employers of these students seemed almost as excited as the students as they presented them with caps, hard hats, and company shirts.

Some students shared a few words about their futures and did a great job of ad hoc public speaking, yet another soft skill that will be useful on life’s journey.

The mother of one student confessed that, at first, she was not pleased with her son’s decision to forego college. However, knowing that he has always liked to work with his hands and is excited about the opportunity-filled career path he has selected, she accepts applauds his choice.

Many of the students will receive additional on-the-job and technical training, including college credits in related skills, at the expense of their employers. This all translates to skilled jobs, with healthy salaries and no student loan debt!

Marine Lt. Col. Kevin Williams of the Junior ROTC program introduced three young people who “responded to their country’s clarion call to don the cloth of their nation”; two in the Marine Corps, one the United States Navy, who plans to be a corpsman attached to Marines. 

Army Recruiter Sgt. 1^st Class Woodford said that GHS is one of his favorite schools and he spends lots of time here. One graduate will join the Army with the goal of becoming am elite Ranger. Woodford congratulated all of the seniors on their choices and wished them good luck.

Bruce Watson, CTE director, said “Not a day goes by that I do not get a call from someone looking for skilled workers. I could get all students a job. We could not do this without the great partnerships with area businesses who make sure that what we teach is what they need. We want our students to get sweaty and dirty and see if this is really what they want to do with their lives.  We believe in real world learning.”

Brat, a former educator, exhorted the students to thank their teachers for preparing them for the real world.

The students honored were: Brandon Eubank; Brandon Fortune; Austin Harless; Taylor Guy; Sean McLeod; Brandon Thurston; Hunter Proffitt; and Matthew Lowry. Those entering the military were:  Dylan Scruggs; Alexandra Garcia-Herrera; Rachael Payne; Jaxson Smith; Kylie St. John; Luke Byerly; Troy  Swinson; Gavin Swiney; Hannah Kingery; Sean Spaulding; Zachary Gordon; Alexander Leseman; Anthony Whitlatch; and Alexander Golightly.

Employers participating were: Wilton Construction; New Day Construction; Ridgeline Roofing; Luck Stone/Carter Machinery; Sargent Corporation; Newport News Shipbuilding; and  Chenault Contracting.

Godspeed to all these fine young people as they build America and keep her safe.

How do you solve a problem like Hockett Road?

How do you solve a problem like Hockett Road?

On Monday, May 14, the first community meeting about yet another proposed 400 plus home subdivision on the east side of Hockett Road was held. People filled the Company 3 meeting room, but many bugged out early to avoid an oncoming storm. Supervisors Bob Minnick, District 4; Board Chair Ken Peterson, District 5; and Manuel Alvarez, Jr., District 2 attended as did John Shelhorse and Tom Rockecharlie, Planning Commissioners for Districts 4 and 5 respectively.

A storm of another, familiar, sort was brewing, however.

Residents of, presumably, Broad Run and Kinloch, toney enclaves  west of Hockett Road expressed outrage at the addition of  more homes on small lots in the area. A woman asked “At what point did  Goochland decide it was going to change from a horsey farming community and become Short Pump?” Wonder if she has ever been west of Manakin Road? They worried that their taxes would be raised to pay for overwhelmed schools.

Another person opined “we’re okay with this if they fix the rush hour traffic.”

The subject property, Hermitage Gardens—sorry that sounds like a cemetery—is approximately 176 acres comprised of parcels of land, most part of West Creek. It is south of the Reader’s Branch subdivision, between Hockett Road and Route 288.

Jim Theobald, Chairman of the Hirschler Fleisher law firm, and a preeminent land use attorney, speaking on behalf of developer Riverstone Group, tried to explain that Goochland has a capital impact model to address the fiscal impact of growth using cash proffers to offset those costs.

Theobald was familiar with the 25 year capital improvement plan, which includes costs and a timeline to build new public facilities. It was used to craft a sophisticated  capital impact model that employs a case-specific mechanism to calculate a dollar development cost for new homes. Hermitage Gardens, he estimated, will ultimately pay Goochland $2 million for road improvements “to mitigate traffic so that everyone can live in peace.”

One woman snarled that she was not notified of the meeting and did not have time to check her computer every day for updates. The notice for this meeting was on the county website http://goochlandva.us/ for several weeks. Did she expect a personal invitation? If so, she should sign up to receive email notifications of public meetings, it is easy and free.

Theobald said that Goochland has one of the most open transparent zoning policies in the region. In addition to “as many community meetings as it takes”, the rezoning process includes, at a minimum, public hearings before both the planning commission and board of supervisors, which has the final say on the matter. There is no guarantee that  any rezoning application will be approved.

The most critical and substantive objection to this proposal, however, is traffic on Hockett Road, whose intersections at Broad Street Road, Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, and Route 6 are already dysfunctional at rush hour.

As illustrated by the conceptual plan presented at the meeting, Hermitage Gardens will have connecting internal streets that access to Hockett Road in two places. Frontage was estimated at one thousand feet, which several speakers contended is too short a distance to dump that many cars on a main road. Theobald made vague reference to a third access point to Broad Street Road through a wetland. He opined that, if constructed, it would be at a much later date.

The build out timeline was vague; at one point, completion in 2025 was mentioned, another in ten years. It seems unlikely that Hermitage Gardens will have “spec”  houses, so ultimate completion of this community will be determined by market forces. Cash proffers are paid when certificates of occupancy are issued, so build out effects when the county collects the money for improvements.

In response to a query, Theobald said that Hermitage Gardens will not have its own exit from Rt 288. The Capital One flyover, he said, was funded with state money.

Traffic engineer Erich Strohhacker of Green Light Solutions, a familiar face at Goochland rezoning hearings, repeated his shtick— Hockett Road has enough capacity to handle lot of additional traffic without being widened; the problem is the aforementioned choke points.

Theobald contended that the road cash proffers from Hermitage Gardens will swell county coffers to fund necessary road improvements. The problem may be more  VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “OOPS!”—than money. VDOT has the final say when traffic lights are installed. Its formula for intersection signalization seems to include chicken bones and a full moon rather than numbers of drivers growing old waiting to negotiate an intersection. Turn lanes at Broad Street Road and Route 6 require obtaining rights of way from private property owners, which developers cannot control.

Then, there is the issue of the incredible shrinking West Creek. We keep hearing, as more parcels are removed from the office park, that there will still be plenty left for economic development. A bite here, a bite there, pretty soon, only crumbs are left.

According to Theobald, single family homes in Hermitage Gardens will be on approximately quarter acre lots, start in the $300k range, with around two thousand square feet and go up from there. Lot widths will be about 80 feet, which he contended are wider than those in The Parke at Centerville. It will have walking trails, a pool, and a clubhouse.

Future neighbors were not amused. They moved here for a rural lifestyle with a large lot horse culture. It would be interesting to know if any of them realized that when their communities were rezoned, that the people who lived there before them were not happy with interlopers building homes on small lots either. Parcel size is relative.

Someone mentioned a negative impact on property values. Broad Run residents were put out when Kinloch came along, snarking something along the lines of “there goes the neighborhood”  and so forth. Each new residential enclave in the area improves rather than degrades property values. The land in question is pricey. Because it is in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, residents pay an extra ad valorem tax in addition to connection fees and regular water and sewer bills. The more property values in the TCSD rise, the greater the chance that the ad valorem tax will decline.

Hermitage Gardens is in the county’s designated growth area, generally east of Manakin Road, which is intended to serve at a protective moat to keep 85 percent of Goochland rural. How much development there is too much has yet to be determined.

Feedback

Last week, GOMM asked what you would like to see built on the old Fairgrounds property. A companion post was put on Facebook. The results were interesting.

On May 1, following an advertised  public hearing, with no comments from citizens, the Goochland Board of Supervisors authorized the county administrator to execute a contract with the developer of the Courthouse Commons Shopping Center, to purchase most of the vacant lot between Hardee’s and Fairground Road for $850,000. The contract includes a due diligence period of 270 days with two 90 day extensions before closing.

This parcel, at 3.162 acres is relatively small. After setbacks, parking, and access lanes are subtracted,  not all that much is left for structures. When the roundabout at that corner is built in the next three years—is has been approved and funded—the area will be even more noisy and busy. The contract excludes shooting ranges and fuel distribution, ruling out convenience stores.

Complaints abound when citizens learn of a new commercial venture, even though they claim to understand that there will be business in a certain location. When asked what they would like to see instead of the proposal, the result is all too often “I don’t know, but not that.” Such replies are not helpful to landowners searching for  “the highest and best use” of their property. People do not build things for fun, they expect a reasonable return on their  investment. There is nothing wrong with that.

Quite a few constructive suggestions emerged including: a dry cleaner; laundromat; urgent care medical facility; credit union or other banking options; day care center; and car wash.

Food was mentioned a lot. Some wanted more fast food, some no more; others only local restaurants with live music in a screened in porch or patio or a locally sourced farm-to-table eatery.

Several people lamented the passing of the old Fairgrounds Building, recalling dances and other events held there. Torn down in 2010, the Fairgrounds Building was a victim of austerity measures taken by county government in response to a drastic fall off in real estate valuations, the primary source of local revenue. The old structure cost far more to maintain than it generated in fees.

The Fairgrounds Building had a central location and was one of the few places where renters could hold events with alcohol after obtaining a liquor license.  American Legion Post 215 has a very nice hall just west of the high school offering all of those possibilities.

Other suggestions included a skating rink, arcade, or paintball, places where kids could hang out.

A causal coffee/sandwich shop along the order of the late Java Jodi’s, Goochland’s answer to an internet café, generated lots of votes. Others wanted a pool hall and bar for adults to hang out;  a community center with car shows.

One commenter declared that the property is a local treasure that the county should not sell, but rather convert to an open air gathering space with a gazebo, WIFI, and coffee supplied by Dunkin Donuts.  When you subtract out hot, cold, rainy, snowy, and pollen days, there might not be enough use to justify the expense. Photos posted with the suggestion were in cities.  As there are few homes within walking distance of the site, users would need to drive there instead meandering down the street.

A place to “bring the county together” was mentioned a few times, with no elaboration.  Would residents from all corners of Goochland travel here to interact with each other? What would that look like?

The thought of a local bookstore, where people sip coffee and read is delightful, but a vision for a time before eBooks and Amazon.

A visitors’ center was another notion. Goochland could use one. Tourism is a clean industry, one that we do not do enough to exploit. The question is, what do we have to offer tourists, how best to showcase our best, and where is the ideal location?

Some responders missed the point that the land will be sold for development by private enterprise. The cost of transforming the site, in addition to the purchase price, from a vacant lot to business space will result in stiff rents.

Before anyone commits to opening a business in a particular place, they do their homework. One criteria is rooftops, or population, within a certain distance of  the site in question to ensure an adequate customer base to generate profit. All of Goochland County has about 22,000 people spread out over 290 square miles. By  comparison Short Pump, according to Wikipedia, has 24,729 people in nine square miles.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with suggestions.  Keep an eye out to see what develops.

What kind of businesses does the Fairgrounds property need?

At its May 1 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors authorized County Administrator John Budesky to execute a contract for the sale of a portion of the “Fairgrounds property”  at the corner of Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads to Chase Development, the owner of the Courthouse Commons Shopping Center.

What kind of business would you patronize on the Fairground property?

The County declared this parcel “surplus property” a while back. Chase made an unsolicited offer to purchase the land for  $850,000. The contract includes a due diligence period of 270 days with two 90 day extensions. Easements to accommodate the planned roundabout for the intersection and utilities are also part of the contract. No shooting ranges or fuel distribution will be allowed on the site. The contract  includes a provision to pay for the  most cost effective option for relocation of power lines that serve the Courthouse Company 5 Fire-Rescue station.

(The entire contract is in the May 1 Board packet beginning on page 258.)

Chase intends to develop the property for retail and business uses, consistent with its current zoning. No tenants have yet been secured.

Here’s your chance Goochland, what would you like to see built there, and would you support it?  What is missing in Courthouse Village? Keep in my that the parcel is small. Enterprises locate in places where they believe they can turn a profit. People risk their own money to start a business.

Successful small businesses pay taxes, improve the quality of life, and are a vital part of the community. They create jobs and keep your money close to home.

Sound off with your suggestions in the comment section. Please be constructive and civil. Go.

The graying of Goochland

Goochland County already has one of the oldest populations in central Virginia. Looks like we’re going to get a lot grayer. At its May 1 meeting, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution recognizing May as “Older Americans Month.” While they’re at it, maybe they could add a new slogan “Goochland is for geezers” as well.

Last month, the supervisors approved a rezoning application for more than 500 homes in an age restricted community, named Mosaic, just east of Hockett Road. 

This week, Erickson Properties II, LLC received approval from the county planning commission on its plan of development for a continuing care senior community in West Creek, roughly south of the apartment complex  opposite the Wawa on Broad Street Road.

The project, still in  a conceptual stage, will have approximately 1,450 homes comprised of independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing units. There will be 14 four to five story buildings in the complex. The 87 acre site will also have approximately 120,000 square feet of community space and a 5,000 square foot sales and marketing center. Contemplated on site amenities include  restaurants, stores, a fitness center, and medical facility. Access will be via Wilkes Ridge Parkway. (See the planning commission packet for May 3 on the county website  goochlandva.us for details)

The Erickson project is still nameless. Please, no more Tuckahoe or Manakin somethings. It’s too confusing, especially when lots of people believe that Centerville is Manakin. The property is in the Dover magisterial district,  maybe they could build on that.

The POD review before the planning commission was the only public  appearance of the project as “homes for the aged”  area by right use in West Creek. All other approvals will be handled by staff.

Meanwhile, the folks who received POD approval last July for an upscale assisted living facility in part of the Erickson location—with the unfortunate moniker of Tuckahoe Pines—are petitioning for a rezoning to build on the north side of Patterson Avenue, just west of the Henrico County line instead.

Tuckahoe Pines was described as an all-inclusive resort-style community exclusively for persons 55 or older. The building would consist of 130 living suites and extensive common areas. The suites will be one, two, or three bedroom units with full kitchens, washer/dryer, designed to serve senior residents with special consideration given to lighting, wider doorways, grab bars in showers. On site amenities include live-in managers, meals, housekeepers, and entertainment. The common areas include a dining room, fitness center, full-size theater, bank, pharmacy, beauty salon, and a game room.

A memory care facility on the south side of Broad Street Road just inside the Goochland line was approved a few years ago.

All of these enclaves are in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District and have no impact on county aquifers. They will place no children in the school system and the traffic impact will be far less than other residential uses.

Property values will increase dramatically, which will help both the TCSD debt service and county bottom line. Though not mentioned, all of these projects will bring a variety of  new jobs to Goochland.

Investment the Erickson project is estimated at $200 million, far above the current assessed valuation of the land.

All of these new senior communities are in the “designated growth area” of the county—the 15 percent of Goochland that will not remain rural. Once they are up and running, which will not happen overnight, people who live west of Manakin Road will  probably notice little change in their daily lives.

Older people tend to travel in the middle of the day, so traffic should be less than many folks predict. Given their proximity to the delights of Short Pump, buses might transport residents to shopping and medical appointments. Twenty seniors in a bus rather than 20 cars on the road is a good trade-off.

All of the planned senior enclaves are of the upscale variety and may bring higher end cars to the county. In recent years, personal property tax levied on vehicles has come in above estimates, enhancing county revenue without raising real property tax rates. Retirement communities grow the tax base, bring jobs, and do not overwhelm our schools.

Goochland must ensure that there will be adequate fire-rescue providers and deputies to serve these new residents, who may bring higher expectations of response than may currently exist here.

Though not the kind of industry envisioned for West Creek at its inception, senior living is a far more graceful and sustainable industry than a computer chip plant, and its jobs cannot be exported. 

A good time for a good cause

On Friday, May 18, The Taters, an eclectic pop roots music group, will entertain at Camp Brady Saunders on Maidens Road. The event is a fund raiser for  Goochland’s Court Appointed Special advocates.

Visit The Taters website at http://thetaters.com/ for additional information about this unique ensemble.

The Taters will be performing  in the enclosed dining room at Cub Adventure (right side of the campgrounds).  Tickets are $25.00 per person and includes one drink ticket.

Food trucks, wine, beer and Courthouse Creek Cider will be available for purchase.  All are welcome.

Questions?  Please email Ann Casey at acasey@goochlandva.us.

Goochland is blessed with a gracious plenty of volunteers who donate their time, talents, and treasure to make our community a special place to live. 

Among these volunteers, our CASAs go above and beyond the call of duty to act as the “eyes and ears of the court” when children, through no fault of their own, get caught up in the justice system. They advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children who are entitled to a safe permanent home. 

Founded in 2005, Goochland CASA’s three initial volunteers have grown to  corps of 24 who serve  as many as 70 children per year.  Volunteers must compete special training and take an oath of office administered by a judge. 

CASAs ensure that a child’s rights are protected while in foster care and follow them until they are placed in a safe, loving permanent home.  For many abused children, a CASA volunteer is the only consistent presence in their lives during this transition. 

Goochland CASAs have served  330 children, logged over 13,000 miles, and 6,000 volunteer hours to help their charges find light during a dark time in their lives.

CASA receives partial funding from federal, state, and local government, in kind support and contributions from the community.  This concert is a fun way to help these great people help kids.

May flowers

After a busy winter filled with challenge and change, the Goochland supervisors tended to routine matters on May 1.

The first order of business was a special meeting to swear in John Lumpkins, Jr., appointed last month the fill the District 3 supervisor seat left vacant by the passing of Ned Creasey until a special election is held on November 6.  The Hon. Dale W. Agnew, Clerk of the Goochland Circuit Court administered the oath of office.

The Hon. Dale W. Agnew administers oath of office to John Lumpkins, Jr,

Board Chair Ken Peterson, District 3 said that Lumpkins, who vacated his seat as District 3 representative and chair of the Goochland School Board to become a supervisor, is “no stranger to the team.” Peterson referred to the slate of candidates who first ran for office in 2011 replacing the entire school board and four supervisors. Running together, these people got to know each other well and continued that positive collaboration once office.

Lumpkins said it was an honor to serve on the school board and work closely with Ned Creasey, who encouraged him.

Lumpkins, a graduate of the University of Dayton and the University of Richmond’s  T. C. Williams College of Law, is an attorney in private practice. All of his children are GHS graduates and a daughter is an EMS volunteer with Courthouse Company 5.

During the afternoon session, the supervisors adopted amended financial management policies as recommended by the audit committee, which met earlier in the day.

 As the Commonwealth of Virginia imposes no statutory limitation on the amount of debt a county can issue, these policies will be crucial  when Goochland issues debt for major capital projects including a circuit court house, schools, and fire-rescue stations in the next few years. Adopting guidelines that include simple formulas to keep Goochland from “getting in over its head” is a wise and prudent course of action.

Revised provisions include:

The ratio of debt service expenditures as a percent of total general fund expenditures, including transfers to other funds, shall have a target of 10 percent with a ceiling of 12 percent.

 Net debt as a percentage of the taxable assessed value of real estate is not to exceed two and one half percent. Projects such as the Virginia Resources Authority  obligation for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, which is supported by a dedicated revenue stream—ad valorem tax and revenue sharing—or other self-supporting obligations, will not be  included. To the extent that the County provides general fund support, the proportionate share of the debt that the County is supporting will be included in this ratio.

A revenue stabilization reserve, essentially a rainy day fund, equal to three percent of the total annual adopted general fund budget of the subsequent fiscal year plus the non-local school operating budget will be maintained.  This can be used if general fund revenues, excluding use of prior year fund balance, decline by more than 1.5 percent or during the annual budget cycle real estate assessments are forecast to decrease more than three percent from the previous year.

Withdrawals may not exceed half of the balance in reserve in any one fiscal year and shall be used in combination with spending cuts. In the event of a draw down, the reserve must be replenished to the three percent level in three fiscal years.

Peterson pronounced the revised policies an elegant solution to even out county finances through economic rough spots and adhere to best fiscal management practices.  Having this policy in place also helps to maintain the county’s AAA bond rating by demonstrating that Goochland is able to negotiate an economic downturn.

Third quarter General Fund projections—the fiscal year ends on June 30—shows  revenues exceed expenditures by $4.9 million.

County Administrator John Budesky reported that he attended a Goochland Pet Lovers event the at the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in West Creek on April 29 where GPL presented the county with a check for $250,000 toward the new animal shelter.

VDOT representative Marshall Wynn  said that the parts of Manakin Road torn up by gas line installation will be repaved. He also expressed optimism that the improvements at the intersection of Broad Street Road and Rt. 288 may be accelerated. He expects work on the West Creek Parkway/ Rt. 6 interchange to begin in the fall.

Paul Drumwright, Administrative Services Manager presented an overview of the 2018 Virginia General Assembly session.

No bills dealing with transportation of sludge (biosolids) were filed.

A bill allowing a change to the number of members on the county Economic Development Authority was patroned by Lee Ware, 65^th District, and passed. It will go into effect on July 1.

There may be more money in the state budget—if one ever gets passed—for Broadband expansion.

No legislation dealing with reimbursement of cost of electoral boards registrars, or partisan primaries got traction.

Thanks to 56^th District Del. John McGuire, the Goochland Drive-In will be included on Interstate signage.

Bills introduced  dealing with proffer policies were addressed at a “proffer party” on April 17. Drumwright said that legislators strongly encourage localities and developers to work together on this issue or the GA will solve the issue once and for all. Goochland’s new proffer policy, which includes a matrix to determine the specific development impact of each residential rezoning, was mentioned as a locality that works with existing laws to address the issue.

While there as no action on reforming the Certificate of Public Need (COPN) policy that controls construction of health care facilities, the issue is under study for the 2019 session.

Budesky said that the county is prepared to deal with fallout, in the short term, should the state be without a budget at the start of the next fiscal year, July 1.  Because Goochland’s composite index is 80 percent, meaning the county receives 20 percent of education cost from the state, loss of state funding is easier to bear than counties with lower indexes. He was cautiously optimistic that a budget will soon in place.

The board ended its afternoon session with a closed meeting to discuss the performance of the county administrator and county attorney.