November Board highlights

Our supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution declaring Goochland a Purple Heart County at their November 7 meeting. Goochland joins approximately 1,500 other localities nationwide in this designation to recognize the sacrifice made by those in uniform in defense of our freedoms. 

Two  signs reserving parking for Purple Heart recipients were presented to the county, with an offer of more if needed. Visit /www.purpleheart.org to learn how this, the oldest American award for meritorious service, was established and how its recipients continue to serve our nation.

County Administrator John Budesky reported that the fall town hall meeting series was successful.  The Fall Festival, which was attended by more than 3,500 people on its rain date, was well  received. The county Christmas tree lighting will be held on Friday, December 7, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the field near the intersection of Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads. All are welcome.

Budesky also thanked Vernon Fleming for his service as  an interim appointment on the school board and welcomed Karen Horn, who was elected to the District 3 school board seat at the November 6 election.

The consent agenda included authorization for Budesky to execute a contract for engineering work on sanitary sewer lines for Hickory Haven and Samary Forest. Appropriations for construction funds will be addressed at a later date. After paying Tuckahoe Creek Service District ad valorem taxes since 2002, this area will finally have access to sewer lines, thanks in part to the construction of the Reader’s Branch subdivision.

Goochland 2018 Christmas Mother Kavis Winston  said that she and her elves are working hard to make the holidays merrier for those less fortunate. Visit /goochlandchristmasmother.org to learn how you can help.

 

2018 Christmas Mother Kavis Winston

VDOT representative Marshall Winn reported that the traffic signal at West Creek Parkway and Rt. 6 is operational. Improvements to the Rt. 288/Broad Street Road interchange are on track for advertisement in early 2020, but could be accelerated.

In response to concerns about repeated over wash near a creek on Riddles Bridge Road, Winn said that the pipe is in good condition, but was overwhelmed by recent heavy rain. Should the pipe need replacement, a larger diameter could be considered, but he does not anticipate that any time soon.

Winn said that there have been road issues all over the state due to heavy rains and Goochland fared better than some other places.

 Monthly Board meetings often include department reports. In November, Fire-Rescue and Animal Protection presented theirs.

         Bill MacKay, who has been Chief of Fire-Rescue for eight and one half years, reported once again that calls for service are increasing, about 500 calls year over year. He cautioned that when the new homes that have been approved are built an occupied, “call volume will explode.” Staffing, MacKay said, is always an issue. Even though the number of paid responders has increased each year, vacancies remain. Of 70 employment applications recently received by the department, one third did not meet the basic requirements.

         MacKay said that four of the county’s six fire-rescue stations are regularly staffed. Response times are challenged because ambulances often respond into areas out of their “first due” assigned territory.  The number of times that the county is under the no units available (NUA)—when there are no county fire-rescue resources available to respond to a 911 call—are decreasing. Volunteer participation continues to decline; 70 percent of fire-rescue volunteers in the east end of  Goochland do not live in the county. Three funded positions remain vacant. MacKay said that he is very grateful for their service. However, this decreases  the “coming out of the woodwork” response that used to occur during large incident when volunteers, not on duty, would show up at fires or make up rescue crews to help out when resources were stressed.

           Saving lives and protecting property is an expensive and dangerous business. Due to the nature of building materials cancer has become a risk for firefighters in addition to the other perils of the job. Physicals are now a required  for all fire-rescue members. Personal protective equipment costs  approximately $2,000 per set. Ambulances  cost about $270,000 and ladder trucks in the neighborhood of $1 million.  Equipment maintenance runs about $100 per hour and had increased about ten percent over 2017 as the fleet ages.

         Goochland Fire-Rescue continues its proud heritage of excellence. Deputy Chief EMS D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. and paramedic Valetta Daniels were recently named to the governor’s EMS advisory board. Goochland is the smallest jurisdiction to have two representatives on this board. Captain Earl Taylor completed the Virginia Fire Chief’s Academy. Three members completed the Virginia Fire Officer’s Academy. Three members were recently certified as paramedics. Captain Dunn and fire-rescue providers Ferguson and Hatcher were awarded the bronze medal of valor by the Richmond Retail Merchants Association for actions during a flooding event earlier this year.

      A memorandum of understanding between the county and the Fire-Rescue Association was recently completed.

         Although it is not quite budget season yet, the supervisors need to start thinking about how to pay for the burgeoning demand for fire-rescue and law enforcement as the population grows. The can cannot be kicked down the road much longer without affecting the health, safety, and welfare of citizens. Peterson asked that MacKay make systems needs known during budget season.

          Tim Clough(pronounced Cluff) Director of Animal Protection explained that his department is charged with enforcing all county and state animal protection ordinances and preventing the spread of rabies. It also operates the county animal shelter. He expects the new facility to be open and operational in early 2019.

        Calls for service are increasing, as are “notices” to comply, which allow those in violation of animal protection ordinances to correct their violations. Dog adoptions are down slightly form last year while cat adoptions rose. Clough expects those number to increase with the advent of the new facility.

           Clough said that, over the past year, there has been an increase in wildlife calls. Animal protection will assist with injured wildlife and attempt to trap and move these animals to a wildlife rehabilitation facility. Goochland animal protection DOES NOT trap or capture nuisance wildlife, but will evaluate the situation and offer suggestions for mitigating these issues. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries regulations do not allow county animal protection officers to relocate and release wildlife. Animal protection officers do respond to any animal, wild or domestic, exhibiting signs of active rabies.