In search of white smoke

 

Goochland's Board of Supervisors will meet on Monday, January 31, at 12:30 for "a special meeting to go into a closed meeting, as permitted pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(1) for interviewing, considering, and discussing prospective candidates for the position of County Administrator. The meeting is being held in Board Meeting Room 250 at the Goochland County Administration Building, 1800 Sandy Hook Rd., Goochland, VA. The Board will reconvene in open session to certify the closed meeting pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3712."

The position of county administrator has been vacant since July 2021 when the Board accepted the resignation of Kenny Young, who was appointed in September 2020.The previous county administrator, John Budesky, left Goochland in June, 2020 to take the top job in Hanover County.

In August 2021, the supervisors appointed the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. to serve as interim county administrator until a permanent county administrator was hired. An executive recruiting firm was retained by the county last year to help in the search.

Discussion of personnel matters is one of the few reasons that the supervisors may meet in closed session.

The selection of a new pope is announced to the world by white smoke from a chimney on the Sistine Chapel. Let's hope that Goochland may soon have metaphorical white smoke of its own.

 

Notables

 

Bonnie Creasy is retiring after serving as Executive Director of the Goochland Chamber of Commerce since 2010. At their January 19 meeting, the county board of supervisors adopted a resolution commending Bonnie for her contribution to the community.

Bonnie Creasy at the dedication of the Goochland Business Center

During her tenure at the Chamber, Bonnie grew the organization by initiating the Business Expo, Women in Business group, and a partnership with the school division's Career and Technical Education program. We wish Bonnie a happy and satisfying retirement. She will be feted at a chamber event on January 27.

High school Scholars -Three Goochland High School students, Alex Geyer, Cooper Dewitt, and Brookelyn Green received the College Board's National Rural and Small Town recognition award. This distinction recognizes students in areas identified by the Census Bureau as a rural area or small town.

Each of these students scored in the top 10 percent in Virginia on the PSAT/NMSQT exams. According to a press release from CGCPS "The College Board National Recognition Programs grant students academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications. Colleges use these honors to identify students from underrepresented groups who have excelled in the classroom and on the PSAT/NMSQT, the PSAT 10, or AP Exams. Students must also have at least a 3.5-grade point average to be eligible for recognition. Alex Geyer is a senior enrolled in Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School (BRVGS) and the Advance College Academy (ACA) program. Cooper Dewitt is a junior and is enrolled in BRVGS. Brookelyn Green is a junior and participates in both BRVGS and the ACA program.

School board leadership The Goochland School Board elected Mike Newman District 4 to serve as its chairperson for 2022 and Sandra Barefoot-Reid as vice chair.

Assessments Real estate valuations for calendar year 2022 were mailed out last week. Many people are reporting significant increases from last year. This should be no surprise in the "hot" real estate market as homes are selling for high prices. In some cases, 2022 valuations have finally exceeded their previous high-water mark of 2009, before the Great Recession deflated valuations. Go to the parcel viewer tab on the county website goochlandva.us, click on 911 address, type in your street address. Click on the red parcel number and the "view property details." Click on previous assessment to see how your value changed over the years.

If you have questions, contact the assessor's office at 1-804-556-5853. The deadline to appeal your 2022 assessment is February 15.

 

 

Bond, General Obligation Bond

 

The postponement of the January meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors had one positive result.

A resolution for the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund capital projects, including a new Goochland Elementary school, in an amount not to exceed $54 million was unanimously adopted by the supervisors at their January 19 meeting. Authorization to issue this debt was overwhelmingly supported in two separate bond referendums in last November's election. One was to issue up to $60 million in debt for school projects, the other for $36 million for county capital items including a new courthouse and fire-rescue station in West Creek.

Between January 4 and January 19, the supervisors learned, to no one's surprise, given supply chain and labor issues, that actual construction costs have increased. The $49 million bond issuance resolution, about half of that permitted, was bumped up to $54 million. The additional $5 million will be used for school related projects, the bond issuance for county projects will remain unchanged at $8.2 million.

County Director of Finance Barbara Horlacher reported that staff recently met with financial advisors to determine the structure of the debt. They also met with the bond rating agencies—Goochland has three AAA bond ratings, the only county of our size in the nation to do so—who indicated that they would give favorable ratings to the debt; most said there is no reason to change Goochland's ratings. Horlacher expected the county to receive final word "in a day or two" and said that they indicated there is every reason to give favorable ratings.

The debt is expected to be issued some time in February. Even though interest rates are going up, said Horlacher, they are still favorable. Preliminary work has been done on GES; it is needed soon. Increasing the amount of the initial issuance will give the county greater flexibility in financing, said Horlacher. It does not change the amount budgeted for the projects, but provides extra debt proceeds, extra cash that the county can hang onto and use at its discretion. It will still count against the $60 million approved in the school bond referendum but could be used on other school capital projects if not needed for the new GES. The bond proceeds must be allocated by the supervisors before any money is spent.

District 5 Supervisor Ken Peterson, Goochland's own bond guru, explained that general obligation bonds are secured by the full faith and credit of the entire county. That means, said Peterson, that if the county does not have sufficient funds to service the bond debt, the county would levy an additional tax, whose proceeds would be dedicated to those payments.

Bond proceeds cannot be comingled with county funds or used for any other purpose. Terms include the yield on the bonds is less than four percent; the principal has to be at least 98 percent of par; and the term has to be no greater than 28 years. Peterson said that, typically, bonds can be refinanced at about half of their life. For instance, a 20-year bond could be refinanced after ten years. 

Bonds can be issued using different processes, direct placement, negotiated sale, or an auction. Goochland is contemplating going out with a competitive bid, a Dutch auction approach to get the best pricing on the bonds, said Peterson. Semi-annual payments on the principal and interest on the debt are expected to begin in July.

Peterson explained that having the AAA bond ratings simplifies debt issuance. As a "show and tell" exercise, he displayed a weighty tome that is the documentation for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District bonds in 2002 versus a modest sheaf of documents for the current bond issue.

District 5 supervisor Ken Peterson and TCSD documentation (r) new bond issue (l)

"This is a historic moment for the county," Peterson said. "This is the first time that the county has ever been able to access the capital markets directly rather than going through the Virginia Resources Authority, which will save the county money."

Issuing debt in the current fluid financial markets is "like trying to nail jello to a wall," Peterson said of the timing. There was some discussion among the supervisors about increasing the amount of the initial offering to perhaps secure a lower interest rate, anticipating inflation on the other projects. Some concern was expressed about paying interest on money borrowed before it was needed versus waiting to borrow at perhaps higher interest rates.

Horlacher put the proposed debt into perspective. The county has a policy that debt service will not exceed 12 percent of its annual budget, with an informal maximum of 10 percent. Debt on the proposed bonds would bring the county debt ratio to 7 percent.

These bonds represent about half of the amounts approved by the voters. Peterson explained that demonstrating that it can handle part of the debt will stand Goochland in good stead to secure favorable terms to issue bonds for the remainder in the future.

Issuance of this debt is expected to have no impact on current tax rates.

 

 

 

The new year

 

 

Goochland's Board of Supervisors met for its annual organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 19 after the regular meeting, to have been held on the 4^th, was snowed out. Public hearings scheduled for January 4 are expected to take place at the February 1 evening session, which begins at 6 p.m. (Check the calendar on the county website goochlandva.us for updates)

The supervisors met in closed session beginning at noon, t discuss the performance of the Acting County Administrator, the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. and recruitment for a new county administrator. Aside from intoning "the magic words" of the state statute dealing with closed meetings, no information about the proceedings were shared.

Breaking with recent tradition, where the board vice chair for the previous year is elected to the top spot, Ken Peterson, District, the 2021 vice chair, nominated Neil Spoonhower, District 2 to be board chair for the current calendar year.

Peterson, who was first elected in the earth shaking (literally, that was the year of the earthquake) election of 2011, said that annual rotation of the chair position gave each supervisor the opportunity to develop leadership talents in the position. As Peterson served as chair twice, he said "I'm not sure I'd learn much and the county would not be served with an increase in somebody's skill set."

Sharpe, District 4, who has been engaged in the community for some time, was nominated for Vice Chair.

Neil Spoonhower, (l) and Don Sharpe will lead the Board in 2022

Spoonhower, who took office two years ago, said he was humbled by and appreciative of the opportunity. "These last two years have bene some of the best of my life. It's probably the best role I've ever had and I'm very excited."

Peterson and Spoonhower thanked outgoing board chair John Lumpkins, Jr., District 3 for his service. "We've had a rough year and some long evenings, and he kept us going," Spoonhower said of his predecessor. "He gave us things to laugh at sometimes and a fantastic year. We have a busy year ahead of us. But I have confidence that this board is going to continue to do the right thing by our citizens."

The supervisors then adopted their code of ethics, standards of conduct, and rules of procedure, which include electronic meeting participation.

Resolution on discrimination

The following resolution was adopted 4-1 with Lumpkins in dissent:

 WHEREAS, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors has received feedback from the community that residents would like the Board of Supervisors to express publicly its stand against discrimination; and WHEREAS, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors and Goochland County wish to make clear that it will not stand for nor tolerate discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, creed, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Goochland County Board of Supervisors that this Resolution on discrimination is hereby adopted. Adopted this 19th day of January 2022.  

"We wanted to make sure that folks understood where we stand on discrimination and that it's not something that is tolerated," said Spoonhower.

Lumpkins observed that the resolution expresses the same sentiments that are included n the code of ethics and standards of conduct. He said that the language was adopted because of feedback from some community members and, while he agrees with the sentiment, he does not believe the resolution is responsive to the requests, which have been made for more than a year and a half.

Spoonhower said that when the requests began, they were based on actions that took place outside of Goochland County and had doubts that it was appropriate to comment on events that occurred elsewhere. After eighteen months, however, he acknowledged that there are Goochland citizens who do not believe that the supervisors are engaging with them. "That is not how I ever thought to govern," said Spoonhower.

He said that eh now sees that it has been impactful to Goochland and that the resolution will be a way to move forward and address and work on related issues.

Wendy Hobbs agreed with Lumpkins that the resolution is a step in the forward direction, but it not "one and done."  She cautioned that the issues raised almost two years ago have not been fully addressed. Hobbs expressed optimism that the resolution will lead to discussions on issues germane to the African American community and other people of color. "We have to keep the discussions going so that we have better understanding of different views and perspectives," Hobbs said.

The storm

Goochland Fire-Rescue Chief D. E. "Eddie" Ferguson, Jr. said January 3 was a difficult day. Fire-Rescue the Sheriff's Office soon realized this was not a typical snowstorm.

"We had to cut our way into neighborhoods with trees falling behind fire engines and sheriff cars, making it impossible to respond to calls in a timely manner. In one case, it took responders most of the day negotiating roads clogged with downed trees ad power lines to reach to someone who called for help."

After consulting with Goochland Sheriff Steven Creasey, Alvarez, and Deputy Emergency Coordinator Robin Hillman it became obvious that winter storm Frida was no ordinary storm.

Conditions, said Ferguson, had not been as bad since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Damage was similar. The county's emergency operation center located in the Sheriff's Office, was open from January 4 until January 10 to address storm response. The EOC urgent needs for food and assistance. Code Red messages with notifications of storm resources. (To sign up for Code Red, go to https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/1380BACA5A57 GCSO)

Deputies and first responders made many welfare checks and found people cold or sick.

Thanks to the 13,000 square foot Company 6 fire-rescue station, Goochland was able to host a National Guard unit to assist VDOT, the Department of Forestry, and citizens clearing trees. Power companies worked tirelessly to turn the lights back on. Goochland dispatch handled 4,530 inbound phones call up from a usual of 1,700. During the storm emergency deputies responded to 615 calls for service, fire-rescue 160. One citizen lost his life in a Newtown Road house fire, the first in the county since 2004. There were several. Serious vehicle accidents including one at 250/288 whose victims were transported to a trauma center.

Ferguson reported that the county's new 4-wheel drive ambulances were able to navigate snow and ice well and proved a godsend during the weather emergency.

Ferguson commended Hillman, who gave countless hours as EOC manager. "We could not have done what we did without her," he said. Ferguson thanked citizens for cutting trees and rescuing ambulances trapped by fallen trees or stuck in snow. "We didn't get their names, but I hope they know we appreciate their help. It took a whole community approach to handle this emergency."

Goochland EOC nerve center for storm response. Robin Hillman in doorway

There were 9,064 power outages. Shelters were open at BES, Sports complex, fire-rescue stations, and the Goochland YMCA. People took advantage of "power/shower" locations. Fire-rescue responded to several calls for high priority power restoration for people with medical needs.  Animal protection provided water for livestock and large animals. Three people took advantage of the pet shelter. The Chief commended all county agencies for working together to meet the needs of citizens, especially schools and social services.

Ferguson urged everyone to make sure that their homes are equipped with smoke alarms. If you need a smoke alarm call 1-804-556-5304, they are free. Fire-Rescue will come to your home to install them.

Marshall Winn, Administrator for the VDOT Ashland Residency said that VDOT workers cut trees for more than three hours on the first day of the storm to get to a citizen in need of aid. He said he has worked more than 200 snow events in his 40-year career with VDOT and this was "on the top." It was a perfect storm, Winn said. "First it rained, and the snow stuck to the trees. Then the wind started to blow, and everything toppled over. I do appreciate all the help from fire-rescue and citizens." From Fairground Road west the storm hammered Goochland. "My crews were on primary roads, and they had to stop to cut trees that fell behind them; they were inching along. This was not a normal snow."

VDOT worked with two different power companies and Verizon and Century Link. Winn brought extra crews to Goochland to get the roads open so people could move.

Early on it was evident to Winn that the magnitude of cleaning up after the storm was beyond his agency's capacity. Ash Britt has been retained to clean up storm debris on primary roads then work on others. "It was a massive endeavor to begin with."

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the storm

 

Mother Nature has a way of reminding us of what's important. Reports are that everyone in Goochland should have power restored soon, which is not fast enough for those shivering in the dark. Utility repair crews are a very special breed, and we hold them in high esteem.

This is what an MVP lineman looks like.

National Guard units have been deployed to western Goochland to help clear roads. Why did it take Governor Northam so long to declare a state of emergency to deal with the aftermath of the epic storm?

National Guard lends a helping hand. (Goochland County photo)

Thanks to all of our deputies and fire-rescue providers who have been working tirelessly to deal with the aftermath of the storm. Two house fires at the end of last week, one with a fatality, added to their burden as they continue to serve and protect regardless of conditions.

More heartbreak last Saturday.

According to a press release issued by Goochland Sheriff Steven N. Creasey, Berdie Lee Tyler Jr., 54 of Columbia, Virginia, was taken into custody as the result of an investigation into a reported gunshot wound at a residence in the 3900 block of Shannon Hill Road at approximately 10:15 p.m. on January 8, 2022. Deputies discovered an unconscious female suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck who was pronounced deceased at the scene. Tyler has been charged with first degree murder, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and reckless handling of a firearm. Tyler is being held without bond at Henrico County Jail. Investigators determined the homicide was likely the result of a domestic disturbance. This is an on-going investigation, and more information will be released when it becomes available.

Mundane matters

The regular monthly meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors was postponed to Wednesday, January 19 at 2 p.m. Public hearings scheduled for January 4 are expected to be held on February 1. These could include rezoning applications for a Dollar General Store in Georges Tavern in District 1 and a residential subdivision on Whippoorwill Road in District 4.

Agenda items for January 19, which will be an afternoon session only, include election of chair and vice chair for calendar year 2022 and annual organizational matters.

At 9 a.m. on January 19, the supervisors will hold a joint work session with the school board to discuss the capital improvement plan and federal funding. (Go to https://sites.google.com/a/glnd.k12.va.us/sb-agendas/january-11-2022 for the full agenda of the January 11 meeting of the school board.)

Redistricting

Sessions to explain proposed changes to election district boundaries in Goochland County using data from the April 1, 2020, federal census have been held as scheduled. (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1191/Redistricting for the schedule of these meetings, detailed information about proposed changes to county election districts, and citizen comments.) Meetings may be attended in person or via Zoom. Videos are archived in the "watch county meetings" tab under community meetings on the county website goochlandva.us.

At the first redistricting meeting, held on Wednesday, January 5 at 4 p.m., County Attorney Tara McGee explained that redistricting occurs after the decennial federal census in order to reflect changes in population for the previous ten years. The purpose is to equalize the number of people in each district.

"This is not a political process," McGee said. The committee that prepared the proposed redistricting maps, following state and federal law, are county employees, not elected officials.

As of April 1, 2020, the date of the last census, the county's population was determined to be 24,727. However, said McGee, a change in law requiring inmates at correctional facilities to be counted at their last address before incarceration, reduced the county population to 24,149. Divided by the county's five election districts results in an ideal population for each district of approximately 4,830.

A table included in the presentation illustrates that Districts 4 and 5 grew significantly, while the other three districts lost population. Due to the change in counting inmates and closure of the men's prison a few years ago, District 3 lost the most voters, 1,231, since 2010.

To equalize the population among districts, boundaries were moved, mostly east. In Districts 4 and 5, precinct boundaries were changed to agree with new state election districts. All precinct boundaries must follow state election district boundaries so that everyone in a precinct votes for the same candidates. This means that precincts at St. Matthew's, Dover Baptist, and St. Mary's Churches are now in the 57^th House of Delegate district while the rest of the county remains in the 56^th District.

The supervisors declined the opportunity to "protect" incumbents during the process. This resulted in two supervisors, Neil Spoonhower and John Lumpkins, in District 2, and moved Don Sharpe to District 3. This leaves District 4, where most of the development is occurring, without representation on the Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Susan Lascolette, District 1, and Ken Peterson, District 5, within the district from which they were elected.

McGee and interim county administrator the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. do an excellent job explaining the redistricting process.

Please either attend a meeting or watch one of more of the videos of previous meeting archived on the county website.

Goochland County is providing ample opportunity for everyone to understand changes resulting from redistricting. Please pay attention and participate.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year?

 

Are we having fun yet? After record high temperatures, Goochland was walloped with a blizzard on Monday. Didn't someone predict that children born after 2000 would never see snow?

Winter in Goochland (photo D. Stamey)

Our deputies and fire-rescue providers have been working incredibly hard since the first flakes flew helping those hammered by the storm. Citizens with chain saws and winches are pitching in to help neighbors. Power crews are working through the herculean task of getting the lights back on, hacking their way through forests of fallen trees tangled in power lines.

Goochland Fire-Rescue responded to two structure fires, one in the Rock Castle Road area on Friday, January 7, resulted in the death of an elderly man. The second, early on the morning of January 8, completely destroyed a home, but no injuries associated with the incident were reported.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WORKING SMOKE ALARM IN YOUR HOME. CONTACT THE FIRE-RESCUE OFFICE AT 1-804-556-5304 OR YOUR LOCAL FIRE-RESCUE STATION TO HAVE ONE INSTALLED. NEVER REMOVE THE BATTERIES FROM A SMOKE ALARM FOR USE IN ANOTHER DEVICE. IF YOUR SMOKE ALARM SOUNDS, LEAVE YOUR HOUSE IMMEDIATELY AND CALL 911.

Initial reports indicate that this storm caused the worst power outages since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. At least it was warm then. The good news is that the storm that threatened us on Friday was a bust. It's still cold and there are still people shivering in the dark.

Social media is keeping us connected. While it provides an outlet for those in the dark far too long to vent, it illustrates the goodness of Goochlanders helping their neighbors make it through tough times. It spreads the word about which roads are passable and where to find gas and other necessities, and the good news when power is restored.

Goochland County has provided warming and charging stations. The Y in Courthouse Village has opened its doors for showers and charging to anyone who needs them. Courthouse Company 5 provides water for animals from 2 to 3 p.m. Go to the county website  https://www.goochlandva.us/ for details and updates.

We'll be cleaning up from this storm for a while. Brush disposal fees are being waived at both of the county's convenience centers through January 31. Be careful when clearing downed trees and keep safe. If you are still in the dark, may your power soon be restored. Thanks and prayers to utility crews. May the blizzard of '22 soon be a memory.