Miscellany

Spring is here. The world is open and trying to get back to normal.

• ·     After a least a two-year hiatus, the Master Gardeners' Spring Fest will return on April 30. Go to https://www.gpmga.org/ for details. The plants offered for sale at this event, grown with love and skill by the master gardeners, thrive in our local soil.
• ·       Goochland Day, complete with a parade, will be held on May 7 in Courthouse Village. Go to https://www.goochlandday.com/ for details.

·       Its been a dry and windy spring. The annual burn ban is in effect until April 30. This means no outside burning before 4 p.m. with a penalty of a fine up to $500, plus court and fire suppression costs if the fire escapes. If in any doubt DO NOT START A FIRE. For questions or more information about the 4:00 p.m. Burning Law contact the local Virginia Department of Forestry office at (540.967.3702) or Goochland County Fire-Rescue (804.556.5304).

 

Schools

Due to soaring construction costs, Goochland Schools have gone back to the drawing board on the design of the new Goochland Elementary School. Go to https://goochlandschools.new.swagit.com/videos/157617 at about the 43-minute mark to listen to the March 29 presentation to the school board about a possible redesign. The School Board and Supervisors will hold a joint work session on April 12 to discuss the matter. Time is of the essence to ensure that the new GES is ready to open at the start of school in 2024.

Matthew Mason, 

Matthew Mason appointed as principal of Goochland Middle School, effective July 1, 2022. Mason, who was assistant principal at GHS, returns to county school after a stint as a middle school principal in Lynchburg. He is a superb addition to the leadership of our school division. Welcome back!

County government

The supervisors are actively interviewing candidates for the position of County Administrator, which has been vacant since last July. They are holding interviews "in an undisclosed location" for this post. The Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. was appointed interim county administrator in August.

Citizens attending the District 1 Town Hall meeting on March 31 said that they were unaware of the pending rezoning application for a Dollar General Store in Georges Tavern. They wanted to know why there was so little notification for the action. The county requires applicants for land use changes to conduct community meetings before the application can proceed to the planning commission. Adjoining property owners are notified of these meetings by letter from the county. Yellow Zoning Action signs are posted on the property in question but are easily overlooked by motorists zipping along the highway. These meetings are also posted on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/. Citizens need to check the meeting calendar, on the front page of the website, often.

Ignore this sign at your peril

Taxes and fees

 

 The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed county budget for FY 2023, including the real estate tax rate, and an ordinance amending the county fee schedule for water and sewer; and base building inspections residential permit fees, on April 5 at 6 p.m.

The proposed ordinance will: increase water volume and service fees by 3%; increase sewer volume and service fees by 4%; increase base residential, plumbing, mechanical permit fee to $100; add a $50 fee for requesting a 30-day extension of a temporary occupancy permit; and amend the fireworks permit fee to add an hourly charge for the fire marshal’s time over 3 hours.

A vote on the budget and to set tax rates for calendar year 2022 will be taken on April 19 at 4 p.m.