Hail and farewell

 

The regular monthly meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors on July 6 was short and sweet. It was postponed allowing for a fireworks rain date, guaranteeing perfect weather on the Fourth! More than 5,500 people are believed to have attended the superb pyrotechnic display. Kudos to everyone involved in the spectacular show. Sheriff Steven N. Creasey and our wonderful deputies are to be especially commended for excellently choreographing traffic after the event. Thanks to everyone who worked on the holiday.

Once again, Goochland County recognized the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. who came out of retirement to serve as interim county administrator for the past 10 months. He was honored with a lengthy board resolution outlining his many contributions to the county. Alvarez served as District 2 supervisor for eight years. Since last August, Alvarez worked on a successful bond referendum; securing the county’s third AAA bond rating; the electoral redistricting committee; and collaborated with staff to craft the FY23 county budget.

In ten short months, Alvarez made some key hires including directors of finance; human resources; and animal control. He also worked on true broadband expansion and executed the purchase agreement for the site of a future fire-rescue station in District 2.

Creasey also presented Alvarez with a plaque in appreciation for his support of local law enforcement.

Goochland is blessed to have citizens like Alvarez. He came to our country as a teenager from Cuba and has become an embodiment of the American spirit. Retiring after a successful career with Phillip Morris, now Altria, Alvarez took his commitment to the county seriously, making his supervisor duties a full-time job. This contributed to the transition of Goochland County government from an embarrassment to an exemplar. His management skills, coupled with his enthusiasm and optimism, improved morale among county staff. Words from the Board resolution: “He led with positivity, grace, and humor and provided confidence to staff and the community that Goochland was continuing to move in a positive direction” says it all.

Alvarez said that the opportunity to serve as interim county administrator was a godsend because he got to see county operations from the employees’ side. “It was most rewarding,” he said thanking everyone in the room, especially staff, for their support. “It was a pleasure to work with these folks and for our county. I understand totally why they come out here. This is a great place to live.” Alvarez came here 54 years ago, after never thinking that he would wind up in America. Goochland was also an unknown until he came here and now it’s his home. 

The meeting was also the first for new county administrator Vic Carpenter who was lured away from a similar job in Kershaw County, South Carolina “I wasn’t looking for a job, but Goochland came looking for me,” Carpenter said at a welcome reception before the meeting.

Goochland County Administrator Vic Carpenter

He said he is grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to serve the citizens of Goochland. Carpenter thanked the supervisors for allowing him to succeed Alvarez. “He has done such a good job of preparing the way for me and making this a seamless transition, that this is like a dream,” said Carpenter.

Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2, also commended all who made the fireworks possible, then turned to a more sensitive topic. He refenced a public complaint made against him earlier this year by Wendy Hobbs and Sekou Shabaka about the way he engaged with Hobbs following a town meeting.

Spoonhower, Alvarez, and District 3 Supervisor John Lumpkins, Jr. met with Hobbs and Shabaka to share perspectives and listen to each other. He said those meetings are a true testament to what can happen when people come together.

The Board approved a resolution recognizing July as Parks and Recreation Month and applauding the great work done by the county’s parks and rec department. Director Jessica Kronberg said that her department provided services for more than 4,500 registrants and park visits nearly half a million visits in fiscal year 2022.

(ltr) Carl Lacy, Angela Miller, Jessica Kronberg, Neil Spoonhower

Kronberg thanked the Board for its support and said that even more programs are in the works to help Goochlanders stay active. She commended Karl Lacey and the grounds crew for quickly clearing the tornado wreckage from Tucker Park so people could resume using it.

VDOT

The VDOT representative reported that construction on the roundabout at the intersection of Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads is expected to begin on July 25.

Tourism

Presentation of the county’s tourism strategic plan was deferred to the Board’s September 4 meeting.

Grants

The supervisors adopted a resolution accepting a grant from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs in the amount of $480,000 and appropriating the funds to construction of a new training structure at the Henley Fire-Rescue Training Center on Old Courthouse Road. The cost of a new “burn prop” structure is $833,450 with an additional $400k for site improvements. Grant money will be added to $623K set aside in the FY22 and ’23 capital improvement budget and $130,450 in previously collected fire cash proffers. They also authorized the county administrator to execute any related documents.

Training is the key to safe and effective response to fires. The existing “burn building” was taken out of service for live fire training a few years ago, greatly limiting local training opportunities for our firefighters.

A resolution accepting a $30k tourism grant part of the $50 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allotted to the Commonwealth of Virginia was approved. The funds are specifically for tourism marketing to spur economic activity and travel throughout Virginia.

These funds were allocated based on the relative share of total state tax revenue attributable to tourism in 2019. The $30k is Goochland’s share.

Smart Scale Applications

Last month the board was asked to whittle its wish list for VDOT Smart Scale funding applications. These are the highest priority transportation projects in the county. Those selected are reconnecting Three Chopt Road under Rt. 288 north of Rt.250; improvements to the I-64 Oilville Road interchange with a roundabout; Hockett Road realignment with Ashland Road; and improvement to the 250/288 interchange.

Curiously, even though the “diverging diamond” on the I-64 Ashland Road interchange was on the list at last month’s transportation meeting for gap funding to cover costs above the $17 million considered full funding for the project, it did not make the “Final four.”

 

Public hearings

·        Approved the emergency ordinance passed in May delaying the penalty levied on real estate and personal property tax payments to August 1.

·        Approved an ordinance adding a $5 fee to costs assessed on convictions in criminal and traffic cases in the county’s General District and Circuit Courts. The additional revenue will fund the purchase and use of an electronic summons system by local law enforcement.

·        Approved an application for a conditional use permit to add a detached accessory family housing unit at 650 Meadow Ridge Lane.

·        Approved a CUP for Alsop Properties, LLC to operate a school at 1037 Broad Street Road in the Oilville Village. This is what used to be known at Plum Tree Corner at the intersection of Shallow Well and Broad Street Roads.

·        Approved a rezoning application for 15 acres on Hermitage Road, approximately ¼ mile north of its intersection with Manakin Road from A-2 to R-1 for a seven-lot subdivision. The applicant, Spruce Homes, indicated this will be an upscale residential enclave with gracious homes with a $1 million starting price point.

To view the video of this meeting, go to the county website goochlandva.us and click on the transparency tab.