Kates DAy is May 1

Kates Day is May 1

The Elizabeth Kates Foundation will hold its annual Kates Day event on the grounds of the Historic Virginia Correctional Center for Women—known locally as “the women’s farm”—on Wednesday, May 1.

Sales of crafts, baked goods, and raffle tickets will run from 1-4:30 p.m. Plant sales—offering beautiful, resilient flowers and vegetables grown on site by offenders—will be at the greenhouse from 2 to 4:30 pm.

Flower and vegetable plants ready for your garden for sale at Kates Day.

As Kates Day takes place at a secure location, the following rules must be followed:

·       A picture ID is required at the security sign-in station

·       Plastic zip top bags will be provided for car keys, checkbook, cash, ID

·       Multiple checks may be required for multiple purchases—bring several

·       NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED

·       Lock all personal items in car trunk

·       Include your phone number on raffle tickets

·       Annual dues check for $25 made out to Kates Foundation

Physical address for GPS is 2841 River Road West, Goochland, VA 23063.

The Elizabeth Kates Foundation was named in honor of the first warden of the VCCW, who served from 1934 to 1964. She believed that incarceration could be a time of positive personal growth for offenders to learn job skills to enable them to be productive citizens after having paid their debt to society.

In 1942, Kates and some of her sorority members of Pi Beta Phi broadened the services offered by the Commonwealth. Over the years, The Foundation has provided scholarships for on-site college classes, correspondence classes, educational materials, textbooks, televisions, computers, and graduation gifts for the completion of GED and academic programs.

The Elizabeth Kates Foundation continues today as an all-volunteer organization governed by a 16-member board of directors. The Foundation’s mission is supported by numerous donors and volunteers. Working closely with the Department of Corrections, The Foundation has responded to changing needs for rehabilitative services, the increased numbers of women incarcerated in Virginia and the building of additional correctional facilities for women.

On the ballot

In November, Goochland will elect all members of the board of supervisors and school board; Commonwealth’s Attorney; Treasurer; Commissioner of the Revenue; sheriff; and Directors for the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District.

Candidates have until June 11 to qualify for inclusion on the November ballot. This includes a petition signed by the appropriate number of qualified voters for the office sought. Visit http://goochlandva.us/561/Candidate-Information for details.

Some offices are already pursued by at least one candidate. (GOMM does not plan to address specific races until after Labor Day.)

An important elected office that tends to fly below the radar of voters is that of MSWCD Director; two will be elected from Goochland this November.

 In 2002, the Virginia General Assembly enabled Directors to be elected to four-year terms. Upon election, Directors must take an oath of office. They serve as volunteers (no pay).  Directors attend monthly Board meetings, serve on committees, attend regional trainings, and provide guidance to staff.  New Directors must participate in training provided by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) staff and Conflict of Interest training provided by the Attorney 
General’s office.

Jonathan Lyle is perhaps the most visible current MSWCD Director. In addition to the regular duties of the office, Lyle attends most Board of Supervisor’s meetings where he advocates for the MSWCD and shares information about its activities.

Earlier this year, the MSWCD, which serves Goochland and Powhatan, moved to offices at Central High School Educational and Cultural Center on Dogtown Road.

The rain barrel at the MSWCD office . Clean water and healthy soil benefit everyone.

Soil and water conservation districts—there are 47 in the Commonwealth—were created in the 1930s, according their website vaswcd.org/district-services to “develop plans and programs to conserve soil resources; control and prevent erosion; prevent floods; and conserve, develop, utilize and dispose water.”

Perhaps the most important function of the MSWCD is implementation of a cost share program and technical assistance to help farmers fence livestock out of streams and provide alternate water sources for the animals.

Districts also help farmers employ agricultural conservation practices that protect water and soil quality. These include support with implementation of erosion and sediment control ordinances; and agricultural provisions of the Chesapeake Bay Act.

Goochland County works with the MSWCD to aid farmers in implementing best practices in agriculture.

Goochlanders claim that preservation of our county’s rural character is of prime importance. You can’t have “rural” without agriculture. The MSWCD supports and promotes agriculture, it needs dedicated Directors to carry on this good work.

Spring Fever

Spring fever

There is lots going on in Goochland this week.

Tonight, April 24, the Richmond Symphony will play at the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in West Creek. The concert, which begins at 6:30 p.m. is free, but donations are requested to support the Symphony’s music education programs in Goochland Public Schools. What’s not to love? See hardywood.com/event/special-rush-hour-1970-01-01/ Food trucks for details.

Friday, April 26 is opening night for the GHS production of the musical Hairspray. The top-notch drama department is a local treasure, don’t miss it. The schedule is: Friday 7-9:30 p.m.; Saturday 2-5 p.m. and 7 to 9:30; and Sunday 2:30 to 5 p.m. Shows are in the high school auditorium (in case you do not know, the high school is on Route 6, west of its intersection with Sandy Hook Road, Rt. 522 in Courthouse Village.) Tickets, adults $12, students $10, are available online at http://drama.goochlandschools.org/hairspray/ or at the door. Our kids work hard to stage these productions, fill the seats and enjoy.

The 15^th annual spring garden fest will bloom on the Goochland campus of Reynolds Community College on Saturday, April 27. This is a free family event, from 8 to 3, celebrating all things relating to gardening.

The Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners offer plants they’ve grown for sale and will have a booth with free gardening information and advice. There are also classes. Visit www.gpmga.org/spring-garden-fest/ for complete information.

Saturday is also prescription take back day sponsored by the Goochland Sheriff’s Office and the DEA. Between 10 and 2 deputies will be at Courthouse Company 5 fire-rescue station (near Food Lion in Courthouse Village) and the West Creek Emergency Center (off of Rt. 288) to collect potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal. This is a great time to remove this nasty stuff from your home.

American Legion Post 215 will host its annual spring bazaar on Saturday, April 27 from 9 to 2 at the post headquarters, 3386 River Road West, just past the high school. An exceptional group of vendors will be participating.

Goochland Green Day will happen on Sunday, April 28 from 2 to 5 at Tucker Park (1300 Maidens Road (RT. 522), South of River Road West on the north bank of the James River.) There will be live music; a photo contest; litter clean up; games and crafts; community organizations; and butterfly garden maintenance.

This is also the week that Goochland Gathers to restock the Goochland Cares food pantry. Please be as generous as you can to help those less fortunate. Go to http://www.goochlandcares.org/hunger-hurts-goochland-gathers/ for complete information.

Please fill these bags.

There could be other things going on, if so, please comment.

Tax rates set, budget adopted

To no one’s surprise, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors set tax rates as proposed a few months ago for calendar year 2019 and adopted the county budget for fiscal year 2020, which begins on July 1.

Goochland County Tax rates for 2019

The budget adopted was pretty much that proposed by County Administrator John Budesky in February after a bit of tweaking that did not alter the bottom line. A notable change was pay increases for both planning commissioners and supervisors.

Unless the new board of supervisors, to be elected in November, decides otherwise, starting January 2020, annual board salaries will be: chair $19,000; vice chair $17,000, other $15,000. Currently, the chair receives $15,000 annually, other, $12,000. When they first took office in 2012, the current board declined the pay increase voted in by their predecessors the previous year—this is mandated by state law. According to Ken Peterson, District 5, that move saved the county approximately $100,000.

Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District Director Jonathan Lyle observed that the supervisor “salary” is, in fact, a partial reimbursement for their hard work on behalf of Goochland. He also acknowledged that his tax bill increased by three percent due to an increase in assessed valuation, but understands the revenue is used to provide core services.

(Candidates for supervisor need to be aware that the office requires far more time that a few hours of public meetings per month. The current board has raised citizen expectations for their elected officials.)

Details of the budget are available on the county website http://goochlandva.us/ and for the school budget go to http://goochlandschools.org/school-board/budget-and-finance/

Perhaps the stickiest wicket in this year’s budget dance was the capital improvement plan. The 25-year CIP included a new court building and Goochland Elementary School in FY ‘24. However, real world numbers will require a larger, and more expensive GES. The board looked at pushing the courthouse project back to FY’33 but changed that to FY’28.

Circuit Court Judge Timothy K. Sanner expressed serious concerns about the safety of the existing structure, built almost 200 years ago. Budesky said that all parties concerned: the judge, the sheriff, clerk of the court, and county, will examine the issue more closely and revisit it next year. Any borrowing for the court building and GES, perhaps after a public referendum, will not occur for a few years, so deferring this until next year, when a new board is in place, is a reasonable course of action.

The annual budget process is a lengthy affair whose success is the result of collaboration among all departments of the county; school division, and constitutional officers. The cordial relationship between the county and schools sets Goochland apart from most jurisdictions in the Commonwealth.

This excerpt from the April 16 blog of School Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley is an indication of the fruits of that alliance.

 “Today, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its 2019-2020 budget, a budget that provides our school division with the personnel, facilities, and resources that will move our school division forward on our journey to maximize the potential of every learner.  The initiatives outlined in this proposed budget align with our strategic plan and are aimed at maintaining our position as a leader in the Commonwealth.

Thank you to all of our school division staff and our School Board who have dedicated many hours to the development and finalization of this year’s budget process.  I also want to sincerely thank the Goochland County Board of Supervisors for their ongoing support, investment, and recognition of the importance of preparing our students for making a positive impact in our ever changing world.”

Water, water, everywhere?

  

Goochland, VA – Goochland County Fire-Rescue’s annual testing and preventative maintenance program for our dry hydrants will begin April 8th, 2019.

They have opted to use a new vendor this year, who will perform all the normal preventative maintenance, plus will send a diver into the water to inspect the piping and strainer. “Cannon’s Service LLC”, owned and operated by Mr. Bobby Cannon of King & Queen County, will be accompanied by one of Fire-Rescue’sEngines to back flush and check the flow rates of the dry hydrants.

The plan is to start in the west end of the county and progress to the east with project completion during the first week of May. Fire-Rescue’s Training, Health & Safety Officer Chan Rowland will be coordinating this year’s project and may be contacted via cell (804) 385-3168 or email crowland@goochlandva.us

You may have seen the above press release distributed by Goochland County this week. No, the term “dry hydrant” is not an oxymoron.

Life in a rural area is different from suburbs in so many ways. Your water comes from a well rather than a waterline maintained by some sort of public utility. If the power goes out in cities and towns, it rarely affects water supply. If you are on a well, however, no power, no water unless your well is wired for connection to a generator.

Blue signs like the one on this mailbox indicate that a dry hydrant is nearby.

Lack of water lines in rural areas poses a serious challenge to firefighters. Every drop of water used to extinguish a blaze must be transported to the scene. Goochland Fire-Rescue has six 2,100-gallon tanker trucks in its apparatus fleet. Those trucks are sometimes filled from fire hydrants in the east end or in Courthouse Village, other times, they attach pumper trucks to dry hydrants to pull water from deep creeks or ponds and fill the tankers. There are dozens of dry hydrants all over Goochland County used for fire suppression. According to county records, the last maintenance check was in October 2017.

The white pipe is the external portion of a dry hydrant that enables connection to a pumper truck.

A dry hydrant is something like a drinking straw. A dry hydrant is a non-pressurized system of piping. One end has a coupling to enable connection to the fire truck.  This is located on firm ground easily accessible by heavy apparatus. The other is located in deep water with a strainer to filter out debris that could clog or damage the pumping mechanism on the pumper truck. To ensure optimal operation, dry hydrants must be inspected and flushed periodically to remove accumulated silt and other possible obstructions.

 

A diagram of a basic dry hydrant

The people speak

Citizen comment period, when anyone is free to speak on any topic not on the agenda was put to good use on the afternoon of April 2 at the Goochland County Supervisors’ meeting.

The Board was asked to create a committee to explore creation of a nuisance noise ordinance. A citizen contended that this would give deputies a tool to deal with complaint against inconsiderate neighbors. Surrounding jurisdictions, she contended, have laws like this on the books that carry serious fines. A few months ago, a sound engineer made a similar plea, contending that technology to document excess noise levels is readily available and should be used.

Goochland County Administrator John Budesky said that listening sessions on this topic will be scheduled to gather citizen input on the subject.

A woman took the supervisors to task for the zero-tolerance leash law policy in county parks. She contended that she rarely sees other people when walking her dog on county trails and that well-trained dogs under the control of their owners pose no threat to other people. She asked that the leash ordinance be revisited, and animal protection offices empowered to use their discretion when enforcing the ordinance. Well-behaved dogs and responsible owners should not be punished, she believes.

Linda Moore thanked the supervisors for funding emergency medical dispatch, and Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr.  for helping to change EMS protocols.

Bob Minnick, District 4, grilled VDOT representatives about safety mitigation at the Rts. 250/288 interchange following yet another fatality there last week. Advertisement for the project is scheduled about a year from now and could takes as long as two years to complete.

Encourage VDOT to speed up 250/288 safety improvements

On the evening of April 2, the Board held public hearings on the proposed: FY 2020 budget; tax rates including personal property and real estate; fees; and appropriations for the year’s capital improvement plan (CIP).

Fewer than a handful of citizens attended the session, which ended well before 7:30; none spoke during the hearings.

Changes to the initial budget presentation included a proposal to increase the pay of both supervisors and planning commissioners. Supervisors currently receive $12,000 annually and the chair $15,000. Proposed is an annual increase to $15,000 per member; $17,000 for vice chair; and $19,000 for the chair. Planning commissioners stipend would increase to $300 per meeting from the current $150.

Changes in planning commission compensation, if approved, would be effective July 1, 2019, the start of the next fiscal year. The change in supervisor pay, if approved on April 16, would be effective January 1, 2020, when a new board is in place. The increase for supervisors will be voted on separately from the rest of the budget. In 2011, the former Board of Supervisors approved a similar pay increase, which was rescinded by the supervisors elected that year after they took office in January 2012.

The afternoon Board session included lengthy discussions about the CIP. As the result of a workshop between the supervisors and school board in March, the cost of the new Goochland Elementary School, planned for fiscal year 2024, rose from approximately $24 million to just under $32 million. School officials explained that a capacity increase from 500 to 650 students is needed due to more robust than anticipated population growth in the county. Also shown on the 25-year CIP was a new $24 million court facility also planned for FY 24.

Budesky said that pushing back the new court building to FY2033—more than 200 years after the current Circuit Courthouse was built—may not be an option. He reported that Chief and Presiding Judge Timothy K. Sanner of the Goochland Circuit Court is very concerned about the delay and could order construction of a new courthouse. Sanner was unable to meet with Budesky before April 12—the supervisors vote to adopt the budget and CIP on April 16—to discuss the matter. Does this mean that the judge was not consulted about the change before now?

There was discussion about moving the courthouse construction back to 2028 and postponing a West Creek “public safety building” while bolstering equipment and personnel at Manakin and Centerville instead. The supervisors acknowledged the importance of a safe and adequate work environment for county courts

Budesky pointed out that while much pre-planning is involved in both the school and courthouse, no borrowing will occur for two years.  John Lumpkins, District 3 observed that the amounts in the CIP are essentially placeholders and actual costs may differ, probably on the high side. Many of these projects are urgent, Budesky observed.

Ken Peterson, District 5 cautioned about maintaining the credit worthiness of the county. Raising taxes to service increased debt to pay for the school and courthouse simultaneously could imperil Goochland’s tax advantage over Henrico and hurt economic development. He worried that the county could bite off more than it can chew.

It will be interesting to see how this is handled on April 16 when the supervisors adopt the budget and set the tax rates for calendar year 2019. As Lumpkins pointed out, with borrowing two years off, the board will have the same discussion next year.