September in the board room

The afternoon session of the September 3 meeting of the Goochland County Board of Supervisors honored five-year service anniversaries of county employees. Kelly Parrish director of human resource introduced employees with a total of more than 315 years of service. Anita Barnes, zoning administrator celebrates 30 years with the county. Congratulations to all.

Public comment period, which provides an opportunity for citizens to speak on matters not on the agenda, covered a range of topics as usual.

Jonathan Lyle, Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District Director, reminded the board about an upcoming water testing program on September 23 ( Go to https://goochland.ext.vt.edu/ and scroll down for more information.) Lyle suggested that people with wells should test their water periodically to make sure it contains no harmful substances. There is a $60 fee.

Michael McDermott, a property owner in Sammary Forest, in eastern Goochland, expressed frustration and outrage about sewer line plans proposed for Sammary Forest and the adjoining Hickory Haven subdivisions.

Indeed, several property owners believe that they are being treated like mushrooms—kept in the dark and fed manure—about the issue.

County Administrator John Budesky said that the county is making a multi-million-dollar investment in the sewer lines for Sammary Forest and Hickory Haven and wants to do it right. He committed to sharing all pertinent information and work to address concerns about the project. It is believed that Todd Kilduff met with other concerned residents from the area during the evening session. This is a good start, but, as Goochland grapples with large construction projects in the TCSD, it needs to make sure that all property owners, especially these who were bamboozled into joining the TCSD  at its inception, are kept in the loop.

Fall town hall meetings will be held as follows: District 4 and 5 October 10 at the Virginia Farm Bureau Headquarters in West Creek; District 1, Octier15 at the Hadensville Company 6 fire-rescue station; and District 2 and 3 October 30 at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Center. All beginning at 7 p.m.

Remembrances of the 911 attacks will be held at Courthouse Company 5 fire-rescue station at 9:45 a.m. and Manakin Company 1 fire-rescue station at 7 p.m. Both events are open to the public.

Marshall Winn, VDOT administrator for the Ashland Residency reported that advertising for safety improvements at the Broad Street Road/Rt.288 interchange are on track for advertisement in October, with an anticipated start date in January or February. For those grappling with gas line installation traffic congestion in this area, the “improvements” will mean more of the same. Hopefully, this will ease some of the problems.

The expected completion date for resurfacing the Maidens Road bridge is October 31, with a monetary incentive for the contractor to finish one month early.

Public hearings on the extension of Fairground Road to Rt. 6 will be held in the Board meeting room on September 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.

New fire-rescue employees were introduced. When they fully deployed all six Goochland fire-rescue stations will be staffed 24/7.

Keith Burgess, Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District Manager, presented his organization’s annual report. There are three candidates for MSWCD director this year, Burgess reported, but only two will be elected.

The main function of the MSWCD is to conserve and protect soil and water. Helping farmers with stream exclusion—putting fences along waterways to prevent livestock from pooping there and providing alternate water sources for livestock— is a big part of its activities.

The Commonwealth has appropriated more money than ever for a cost share program to help farmers fund stream exclusion, which, Burgess estimated can cost a farmer up to $700 per acre of pasture. The MSWCD administers this program. Educating land owners about a wide range of best management practices including cover crops; no-till farming; and nutrient management is part of its mission. Visit its Facebook page for additional information.

The county’s new agriculture and natural resources extension agent Nichole Shuman was introduced. She will be based at the Extension Office’s new offices at Central High School across the hall from the MSWCD.

Nichole Shuman and Betty McCracken MSWCD Conservation Specialist

Then it was time to talk trash. Kim Hynes, Executive Director of the Central Waste Management Authority presented her annual overview. This is a public authority funded by a 48-cent per capita contribution by each of its members. Al services are provided on a contract basis. The state mandates that all localities have a 20-year solid waste plan, which must be updated very five year. The latest was just submitted.

The plan estimates that each waste is generated at a rate of 4.48 pounds per person per day. Recycling accounts for approximately 50 percent of the estimate 22,000,000 annual waste generated, the state mandated goal is 25 percent. Overall trash disposed of at county convenience centers is down two percent compared to 2013. The east is down 9 percent, the west if up 29 percent, said Hynes, which resulted in  $140,000 in annual savings for Goochland. This year, the cost is $48 per ton. Curbside and drop off recycling are up about 16 percent. Curbside recycling is available through arrangements between HOAs and the county.

The price of recycled cardboard and paper has fallen to zero, Hynes said. From receiving a $30 per ton rebate to a $20 per ton cost to recycle has impacted costs. Contamination of recyclables is a major issue. The new mantra is “when in doubt throw it out” to improve the quality of the material. Plastic bags are a major culprit, especially if recyclables are placed in bags. CVWMA has begun an “oops!” campaign to crack down on inappropriate items placed in recycle bins.

Hynes was somewhat optimistic abut the future of recycling, even without the China market. Things are changing, but it will come back around.” New technologies are coming online including an Israeli company that can transform raw, unsorted municipal waste into something that looks like plastic.

Goochland spends about $10,900 to CVWMA and receives $370,000 back from revenue generated by its activities.

Hynes said the new drop off recycling containers at the convenience center are now “single stream” that eliminate the need to separate paper, cans, and bottles, which, Hynes explained, a less expensive to empty.

Visit CVWMA at http://cvwma.com/ for  lots of useful and interesting information about, well, garbage and  protecting the environment,

Noise ordinance committee forming

County Attorney Tara McGee said that six citizens have volunteered to be on the noise ordinance committee. She asked for additional volunteers in the next few weeks. McGee stressed the importance of having all sides of the issue represented for a balanced and useful process. No decision has been made to impose a noise ordinance.