Corona virus
County administrator John Budesky said that the county
is working with the schools, health department to be proactive in dealing with
the situation.
Goochland Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mike Watkins
reported that the Department of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management is closely
monitoring the situation, which he characterized as dynamic, that posted data is
changing by the hour. The 911 dispatch center is screening all calls that meet
certain criteria to identify any people who may be under investigation for the
novel corona 19 virus. No one will be refused care, but additional precautions will
be taken to treat and transport patients who
Personal protective gear for responders has been
stockpiled and additional supplies have been ordered, Watkins said.
He
cautioned that as demand rises, these supplies may be harder to obtain. His department met with The Virginia Department
of Emergency Management, regional health district incident management team
health districts in the area to come up with a unified regional approach to the
problem. The corona 19 virus is very
similar to the seasonal flu, which is still very active Watkins said. Key
preventive measures include hand washing, good personal hygiene, and staying
home if you’re sick.
Before the start of the evening session. Fire-Rescue
and Emergency Management Chief Ferguson echoed Chief Watkins’ remarks and
reported that extra care is being taken to clean ambulances after every call, including
disinfecting steering wheels to prevent spread of the virus. For additional information
go to county website http://www.goochlandva.us/
and scroll down to the corona virus update. Keep your distance, cover your coughs,
and wash your hands.
Town Hall Meetings
The spring round of Town Hall meetings are: District
1 March 11 at Fife Company 4 fire-rescue station; Districts 2 and 3 March 16 at
Central High School Cultural and Educational Center; Districts 4 and 5 March 26
at Salem Baptist Church. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. Following an overview of proposed
county budget for FY 2021 and a presentation about our excellent school division,
there will be discussion of items of local interest. County and school staff
will be present to listen to citizen concerns. Please try to attend one of
these sessions.
Rabies clinic
A rabies clinic will be held on Sunday, April 19,
2020 at the Central High School Educational and Cultural Center on Dogtown Road
from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be a $10 charge for each dog or cat vaccinated.
VDOT
Routine work on county roads including removal of
storm downed trees and trash pick-up. Marshall Winn, Administrator of the VDOT
Ashland Residency, which includes Goochland, reported that long overdue work on
improvements to the Rt. 288/ Broad Street Road interchange are scheduled to
begin by the end of March and expected to be complete by Thanksgiving.
Advertisement of the roundabout at Sandy Hook and Fairground Roads and
extension of Fairground Road to Rt. 6 is scheduled for February 2022. A
northbound turn lane at the River Road/Rt. 6 intersection will be advertised sometime
this year.
A recently completed safety study for the
intersection of Rts. 6 and 615 recommend deployment of additional stop signs
and other signage indicating that an intersection is ahead. A “school bus stops ahead” sign will be
installed at the intersection of Rt. 6 and Lindley Lane.
Authorizations
The supervisors authorized County Administrator
John Budesky to execute an agreement with G. L. Howard, Inc. to begin construction
of a 16 inch water line along Rt 6 to serve the Huguenot Hills subdivision,
which is roughly north of the intersection with Blair Road and appropriate
$310,00 in addition to the $550,000 already earmarked for this purpose. (See
the March 4 board packet on the county website http://www.goochlandva.us/ for the
complete contract.)
The board also authorized Budesky to execute an
amended performance agreement for the incentive offered Notch Hotel LLC to
extend the dates in the original agreement by three months. The 131 room
Residence Inn hotel is under construction on the south side of Broad Street
Road, opposite Wawa. Completion of the hotel was delayed by bad weather. The
original agreement was executed last June. The amendment and original agreement
are also included in the March 4 board packet. Local incentives, in the form of
taxes rebated by the Goochland Economic
Authority, are not to exceed an aggregate of $200,000, are conditional on the
hotel’s investment of more than $16
million in the facility and creation and retention of up to 13 new jobs through
2025.
Agency presentations
Public safety, education, and support for the less
fortunate have been prioritized by the supervisors as core functions of county
government.
As part of the budget process, county agencies are
making presentations to the supervisors. The school budget was presented and
will be covered in a separate GOMM post.
Sally Graham, executive director of Goochland Cares,
the local non-profit that helps those who fall between the cracks, reported that
the offer of free medical care to people in surround jurisdiction is made possible
by expansion of Medicaid, which removed
some Goochland Cares patients, leaving capacity to offer medical care only to
out of county resident in needs. Other services offered by Goochland Cares, including
the food pantry, remain restricted to Goochland residents only.
The need for emergency in county emergency housing
repairs, said Graham is rising, prompting the request for an additional $12,000
from the county for the upcoming fiscal year. Goochland Cares is also partnering
with Habitat for Humanity to tackle the growing need for home repair.
Volunteers for this worthy endeavor are being sought. If you are interested,
please contact Goochland Habitat
board member Joe Morgan at jpmorgan0308@comcast.net or attend the Kickoff
Meeting for Volunteers on Thursday, March 19 at 6pm at GoochlandCares, 2999
River Road West, Goochland 23063.
Social Services Director
Kimberly Jefferson reported that foster parents are needed in Goochland.
Medicaid expansion, she said, is going well and those newly enrolled can access
health care through the program. One of the
big challenges to Social Services said Jefferson, is recruitment and retention
of qualified employees. Going forward, several members of her staff are eligible
to retire. Goochland has trouble competing salary wise with other jurisdictions.
Facilities
management, parks and rec, and convenience centers
Derek Stamey, deputy
county administrator for operations, gave an overview of facilities management,
parks and rec, grounds management and convenience centers. He said that his
department is challenged by “things that go bump in the night” and break
outside normal replacement schedules. As the square footage of county buildings
increases, more people are needed to maintain them.
Grounds maintenance,
including fields, grass cutting, irrigation and related tasks are performed
over the entire county. They supplement staff with outside on call contractors
to complete necessary work. These tasks are prioritized on a weekly basis.
Goochland’s
excellent recreational facilities are in great demand, which increases the need
for upkeep. The county shares routine tasks with user groups for soccer and football
fields to maintain the fields in proper order, which can be a challenge when
user groups lack enough volunteers.
The convenience
center budget rose due to extended hours and increased usage by citizens.
Stamey said that an eastern convenience and recycling center is planned a few
years in the future.
Don Sharpe, District
4, asked how we ensure that only county residents have access to the
convenience centers. Stamey said that random checks of driver’s licenses are made,
and other methods are under discussion.
Neil Spoonhower District
2 asked if fees for use of facilities by outside the county groups could be
offset costs of a new employee—Stamey requested toe new employees, the
recommended budget includes one— so potential users would not be turned away. Stamey
said that, so far, this is not an issue.
Appointments
The supervisors made
appointments as follows:
Planning
commission until 2024. They
are: John Myers, District 1; Matt Brewer, District 2; Carter Duke, District 3;
Curt Pituck, District 4; and Tom Rockecharlie, District 5. These commissioners do
an excellent job of wading through complicated land use matters and we are blessed
for their commitment to community service.
Board of Equalization
–Members: Recommendation of Daniel Keeton: June 1, 2020 – June 30, 2023
Recommendation of Reappointment of Tom Ferris: June 1, 2020, June 30, 2023
Goochland
Powhatan Community Services Board: Appointment of Crystal Neilsen-Hall,
March 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022
Board of
Building Code Appeals : Reappointment of Jerome Jackson, D1, June 1 – May
31, 2021; Reappointment of Charles Reid Gilley, D5, June 1 – May 31, 2021;
Reappointment of Carter Duke, D3, June 1- May 31, 2022;Reappointment of Daniel
Doody, D4, June 1 – May 31, 2022.to Story
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