Highlights of the August Goochland Board meeting

Goochland supervisors held a more or less normal monthly meeting on August 4 observing social distancing with seating arrangements and requiring masks for those in the audience. Lots of hand sanitizer was available.

Board Chair Susan Lascolette, District 1, declared that the supervisors, county, and staff do not tolerate discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation or any other unlawful factor and will not allow it in the future. “Our focus is on our community. Our practice has been to identify problems and find ways to address them. To that end, we are moving from talk to action,” said Lascolette. “We are asking community leaders to a work group of diverse individuals to meet in person and have a generally constructive conversation about race relations and discrimination in Goochland. We are focused on building a healthier and safer community. We look forward to engaging with the community on this critical matter.”  Law enforcement, public safety, the faith community, county schools, and social services are among the groups that will participate.

Wendy Hobbs, President of the Goochland NAACP thanked the board for this initiative.

Lascolette and Ken Peterson, District 5, discussed the refinancing of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District debt. (See GOMM Money in the time of Covid for details.) Peterson praised the county staff for providing all county services through the emergency on budget and time. He thanked and congratulated staff for their extraordinary efforts in these difficult times.

Interim county administrator Derek Stamey said that county operations are currently in phase three and will remain so until further direction is received from state authorities.

Goochland dodged a bullet from damage resulting from Hurricane Isaias, observed Stamey. Although fire-rescue and deputies were busy in the early morning hours, there was little damage. County offices opened on time.

Stamey reported that renovations to the 522 wing of the building are underway. Changes in location of the Treasurer’s Office will be communicated in advance of any move. In the 15 years since local government moved into a newly renovated “old” high school, space needs of many departments have evolved. The registrar’s office moved into the building behind the admin building after the extension office moved to the Central High School Educational and Cultural Center.

He urged those who have not yet responded to the 2020 census to do so. No details of the census will be released for 72 years. Data from the current count will be used to determine population trends that guide funding allocation for infrastructure including roads and schools.

Goochland Fire-Rescue Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. reported that his department had been on the road all morning dealing with storm related incidents. The county’s emergency operations center (EOC) opened virtually on high alert to ensure a quick response to calls for assistance from county residents.

Most of the emergency responses on August 4 involved downed trees, especially those entwined with fallen power lines.  

Ferguson reported that emergency call volume increased as the world returns to more normal conditions. Fire-rescue response times continue their downward trend that began last October when each of the county’s six fire-rescue stations were staffed 24/7 thanks to an increase in career responders. Employment offers have been made to fill three new positions authorized as of July 1. Each station now has a career officer. Upgrades to existing dry hydrants, which enable firefighters to draw water for fire suppression activities from static sources including, ponds, streams, and underground storage tanks, are underway. To date, 42 repairs have been completed, including some that required the use of divers to unclog submerged strainers. Work on ten more dry hydrants is in process.

In person training has resumed for fire-rescue responders.

Ferguson thanked volunteer and career fire-rescue personnel; dispatchers; and deputies for their dedication, skill, and commitment to public service. “It’s an honor to serve with this team,” he said.

Lascolette said it is comforting to know that Goochland has such competent and caring people there when we need them.

Consent agenda:

·        Approval of an amended contract between Goochland Powhatan Community Services Board and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. (The complete contract begins on page 61 of the August 4 board packet, available on the county website gooclandva.us) The governing body must approve the performance agreement in order for the CSB to receive state funding.

·        Set a public hearing for September 1 on an ordinance amendment to remove two parcels s from the Tuckahoe Creek Service District. This is permitted if parcels of equal or greater value entered the district during the previous two years.

·        Set a September 1 public hearing to establish a satellite absentee voting location in the parks and rec gym behind the administration building to handle an expected increase in absentee voting.

·        Authorized the interim county administrator to execute an amended agreement with Department of Corrections for expanded utility capacity in Courthouse Village.

·        Authorized interim county administrator to execute an amendment to the incentive agreement with Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, LLC extending the deadline to November 30, 2021. The extension was requested because the economic downturn created by Covid restrictions made it impossible for the brewery to meet conditions of the original agreement. Progress reports are required during the extension. The Economic Development Authority is also expected to approve this amendment at its August 19 meeting.

·        Approve a resolution requesting VDOT to accept the roads in Reader’s Branch Section 1 into the secondary system of state highways for maintenance. 

       Director of Public Utilities Matt Longshore presented an updated master utilities plan, which the       supervisors adopted. See packet for details.

At the conclusion of the afternoon session, the supervisors met in closed session to continue their deliberations regarding selection of a new county administrator. The board met offsite in closed session on July 28 and will meet again in closed session at the admin building on August 14 to continue recruitment activities. Selecting a county administrator, the county chief executive officer, is second only to stewardship of public funds in the duties of the board.

Public hearings:

               During its evening session, items approved by the board following public hearings included:

·        An application filed by Richard Dane requesting a conditional use permit (CUP) for automobile sales at 2799 Sandy Hook Road. This property was formerly the site of Woodson Auto Sales, Dane intends to operate a similar enterprise.

·        A CUP application filed by Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. for parcels adjoining its existing site on the west side of Ashland Road north of Interstate 64 for accessory quarry uses including overburden storage, a processing plant, offices, and processing equipment. This will include extensive natural buffering and a berm between Rockville Road and overburden storage. There will be no access to the site from Rockville Road. The presentation explained that the overburden will not be an “80-foot-tall dirt mountain” as some opponents claimed.

·        A budget amendment that exceeds one percent of the approved budget.

·        An ordinance amendment to change the time frame for action on a surety on a performance bond from one to five years from the completion of a contract and to clarify when a contract has been completed.  This will bring local statutes into agreement with state law.

See the board packet and review the livestream of past meetings available on the county website goochlandva.us for details.