October board highlights

 

Filling the board vacancy

At its October meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors elected District 3 Supervisor John Lumpkins, Jr. as its vice chair.

The supervisors are seeking applications from qualified voters in District 4 as defined after redistricting to be considered for an interim appointment to fill the remainder of the term of the late Hon. Don Sharpe. Go to the county website goochlandva.us and click on the tab about the appointment and a link to the application form.

Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on Monday, October 17. The supervisors will consider the applications in closed session on October 18 and are expected to announce the appointment at their November 1 meeting.

Town Hall Meetings

Fall town hall meetings have been scheduled. District 1 will be on Thursday, October 13 at Byrd Elementary School, 2704 Hadensville-Fife Road. Districts 2 and 3 on Monday, October 17 at the County Administration Building, 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Room 250. Districts 4 and 5 will be held on Wednesday, October 26 at the Residence Inn at the Notch 1800 Wilkes Ridge Parkway. This is on the south side of Borad Street Road roughly opposite the Wawa. All meetings begin at 6:30 and will be available via Zoom. See the public notice on the county website to access the Zoom link.

These sessions provide an update of county operations and opportunity to discuss issues of district importance with elected officials and staff. Please try to attend in person or virtually to be informed about local government.

 

Autumn Celebrations

County Administrator Vic Carpenter announced that the county’s Fall Festival will take place on Saturday, October 29 from noon to 5 p.m. at the sports complex. There will be family fun including a costume contest; live music; vendors; and more!

Trick or treat at the county administration building from 3:30 to 4:30 on Monday, October 31. Wear a costume to safely trick or treat door to door among county offices.

New employees

Human Resources Director Shaletha Dyson announced that 15 people joined Goochland County in September. She thanked all departments involved for their efforts to bring that number of new employees on board. Although new hires are introduced at board meetings, they are often working and unable to attend. Dyson displayed a photo of each newcomer while giving a brief bio. This is a great way to put names to faces. Kudos to Dyson for adding great folks to the county team.

 

Fire-rescue

D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. Chief of Goochland Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services presented his report. See board packet for details.

The Chief said that in 2022, Fire-Prevention Week is October 9 to 15. This always incudes the start of the great Chicago Fire of 1871 that is believed to have begun on October 8 causing widespread destruction.

The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.” Ferguson said that today’s homes burn faster and hotter than ever before and the smoke is very toxic. You’ve got three or four minutes to get out of a burning building safely. All homes should have working smoke alarms near every bedroom. If you do not have these, contact fire-rescue at 1-804-556-5304. Fire-rescue will install them free of charge.

The 2022 Fire-Rescue Show will be this Saturday, October 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the parking lot behind the high school. There will be demonstrations, food trucks, and fire works! Come meet the fine men and women who save lives and protect property 24/7 in Goochland County. This is a family friendly event. Admission is free.

 

Goochland Louisa border

The supervisors set a public hearing for their November 1 meeting to consider approval of a boundary line between the two counties.

Referrals to planning commission

A proposed amendment to county zoning ordinances to allow by right or conditional use permits for limited meat processing facilities in A-2 and M-2 zoning districts, and related additions and amendments concerning parking, use standards, and loading requirements was referred to the planning commission for recommendations.

Zoning ordinance amendments to address the location and regulation of solar collection facilities and industrial energy storage facilities in A-1, A-2, M-1 and M-2 zoning districts were referred to the planning commission for recommendations.

Consent agenda

The county administrator was authorized to execute a new10 year  service agreement with Central Virginia Waste Management for solid waste transporting and disposal services. See page 40 of the October 4 board packet available on the county website goochlandva.us for details. The agreement includes the possibility of Goochland establishing an eastern transfer station during the contract.

A resolution requesting VDOT accept the roads in Leakes Mill Park into the Secondary System of State Highways for maintenance was approved.

Budget amendments

The supervisors approved the following amendments to the FY 23 budget, which began on July 1. These amendments are essentially housekeeping measures that do not increase the budget:

·        Appropriation of $119,827 in the Department of Public Utilities Capital Improvements project fund and authorized the County Administrator to execute the fourth amendment of the agreement with the Department of Corrections, whose facilities are the source of public water and sewer services in Courthouse Village.

·        Amendment to transfer $214,100 within the General Fund for various department budget needs

·        Amendment of the FY23 budget by budgeting and appropriating $100,000 in the cafeteria fund.