Random thoughts on the year sliding into history

 

Happy New Year

2022 started on a balmy Saturday. Two days later, a horrific ice storm crippled Central Virginia as toppled trees closed roads and felled power lines, leaving many shivering in the dark. Clean up lasted for months.

Community meetings helped finalize local electoral redistricting with data from the 2020 federal census. Aside from the entire county moving into the 5^th US Congressional District, these changes had little impact on the November elections. Next year’s local elections will be a different story as some incumbent elected officials found themselves in new districts.

Small area plan studies for both Centerville and Courthouse Village kicked off with community meetings in March. The purpose of this initiative is to update the county’s comprehensive land use plan to reflect and plan for growth in the major villages. Subsequent updates and proposed changes left citizens scratching their heads over vague and generic proposals. Final versions of these plans are expected to be the subject of public hearings before both the planning commission and board of supervisors who will vote on them to amend the comp plan in the spring of 2023. The supervisors and planning commission will hold a workshop on the proposed small area plans on January 11 at 1 p.m. in the county administration building.

Rising real estate assessments and explosive increases in vehicle values left the county flush with cash for the FY2023 budget cycle. Among other things, the money was used for raises and salary scale adjustments to attract and keep the best people to serve our citizens. Many residents were not happy with their personal property tax bills, hopefully falling used car prices will make this less of an issue in 2023.

The black swan of inflation cast its shadow over plans to build a new Goochland Elementary School. Following a successful bond issuance in February, final bids for the new GES came in much higher than expected. The school division requested more funds from the county so it could sign a contract and start the construction process. The supervisors will hold a public hearing on this funding request at their January 3 meeting. Public hearings begin at 6 p.m.

Thanks to intrepid volunteers, Goochland Day returned in May with a parade and lots of activities. Even on a cold, rainy day the turnout was robust. Goochland Day 2023 will be held on Saturday May 20. Go to https://www.goochlandday.com/ for complete information.

Other intrepid volunteers carried on with the Goochland Community Theatre. Go to https://gvatheatre.org/ for more information. Auditions for its next production are scheduled for January 6 and 7.

A tornado swept through Courthouse Village in June destroying iconic trees and changing the landscape. Once again, our fire-rescue folk and deputies worked tirelessly to deal with the crisis.

Vic Carpenter became county administrator on June 20 taking over from former District 2 Supervisor Manny Alvarez who did a great job keeping the county on track while serving as interim county administrator.

Fireworks lit the sky over Courthouse Village on July Fourth. The Sheriff’s Office outdid itself with traffic control.

In August, the Sheriff’s Office brought the community together for National Night Out on the Courthouse Green. People gathered for food, music, demonstrations, and the general fellowship that was sorely missed during the privations of the pandemic.

Goochland Schools started a normal academic year for the first time in far too long. Students have a lot of catching up to do after covid disruptions, but our teachers and staff were ready for the challenge.

The supervisors approved applications for Project Rocky, a midstream ecommerce distribution facility, on Ashland Road in August. This represents a massive investment in Goochland that will bring a second bridge over Interstate 64 to ease traffic congestion there. Without Project Rocky, it is doubtful that a second bridge would ever be built. Supervisors are working with state and regional transportation entities to secure funding for this project.

District 4 Supervisor Don Sharpe passed away in September leaving a void in county leadership. His tenure on the Board of Supervisors was the last episode in his long history of dedicated community service.

October saw the revival of the Fire-Rescue Show that gave citizens a glimpse into the skills and equipment that our first responders use every day. We are blessed to have these fine folks looking out for us. Volunteers are still needed. Call 1-804-556-5304 for information.

Krystal Onaitis joined the Goochland team as Deputy County Administrator. The county’s fall festival was well attended. A water main break near Rt. 288 put a boil water alert on the east end of the county for several days.

Slowly but surely, broadband coverage is expanding in western Goochland. Firefly Fiber Broadband and the RISE project are working hard to connect people, some more quickly than others. Go to fireflyva.com for more information.

The county launched a community engagement survey to find out how residents want to get information about the county. Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GCEngagement22 to make your voice heard.

The supervisors appointed Charlie Vaughters District 4 Supervisor on November 1 to fill the remainder of Don Sharpe’s term, which expires December 31, 2023.

Goochlanders flocked to new polling places in their usual high numbers for the November 8 election, a 66 percent turnout rate.

Goochland’s own Hallmark Moment Christmas Tree lighting on December 3 was a big success.

Work continues the roundabout at the intersection of Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads in Courthouse Village. Completion is expected in the second half of 2023.

Though not a record, Christmas day was frigid with temperatures moderating toward the end of the year.

Construction finally began on the long-awaited Chick-fil-A on the north side of Broad Street Road next to the Audi store. While this may be attitudinally in “Short Pump” Goochland gets the revenue. The trade off for the peace and privacy of “country living” is a hike to amenities in places with lots of customers. There are more people, and potential customers, in the 9.1 square miles considered Short Pump than in all of Goochland’s 290 square miles. The county does not “put” any business anywhere.

May your 2023 be filled with good health, love, and laughter. Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Support your local farmer

 

Locally grown meat is good for everyone

Everyone in Goochland loves its rural character. Defining rural, however, brings to mind the comment made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart about obscenity. He is alleged to have said “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”

A vital component of rural is agriculture. Farming can be dirty, smelly, noisy, and untidy. Trees are a crop too with a decades-long growing season. Too often residents scream when they see land timbered—its wood harvested—not understanding that is part of the normal scheme of things. Rural is not a theme park with horses and cows artfully displayed on green fields for the viewing pleasure of passersby. Cows and soybeans do not go to school or call 911.

Economic pressures on small farmers are worse than ever. Rising costs of diesel fuel, fertilizer, and preparing products for market, chip away at already razor-thin profit margins. Fewer young people choose farming as a career.

Getting locally grown meat from hoof to table is expensive due to a dearth of nearby processing facilities. Farm to table dining is trendy, but difficult and expensive because meat raised in Goochland and surrounding counties must be transported to processing facilities, some of which are more than 100 miles away.

At their December 6 meeting, Goochland Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance amendment allowing limited meat processing facilities as a conditional use in areas zoned A-1 and M-2.

They also unanimously approved a CUP for a micro meat processing facility on 25.19 acres of a 67.9-acre parcel on the south side of Old Fredericksburg Road, north of Interstate 64 roughly opposite Midpoint Industrial Park near Hadensville.

Goochland resident Hayes Gottwald, principal of the applicant H.G. Meats, explained that the modular micro processing facility will be approximately 2,400 square feet in size. Approximately 1,200 square feet of office space and a 60 by 100-foot outdoor animal storage pen will also be onsite.

The proposed micro meat processing plant is less than half the square footage of the Chick-fil-A under construction in eastern Goochland. This is not a major enterprise. Gottwald said that similar micro processing plants are in other areas of the state and operate with no negative impact on their surroundings.

Although the ordinance allows facilities up to 10k square feet, any expansion of H.G. Meats requires amendment of the CUP, including public hearings and review by regulatory agencies. H. G. Meats will provide local certified humane meat processing and create approximately eight jobs. The maximum operating capacity will be 75 animals per week, although the board approved up to 100. Gottwald repeatedly said that he has no intention to expand the proposed facility and expects that it will take some time to work up to the 75 animal per week output.

Go to https://friesla.com/equipment/meat-processing-systems/ for an explanation of the modular system that H.G. Meats will install.

Gottwald explained that he initially considered opening a butcher shop in the county. As he researched that idea, he learned about impact the processing shortage on local meat supplies. This prevents expansion of existing herds because slaughter dates, some in neighboring states, need to be scheduled years in advance. This discourages current producers from increasing the size of their herds.

According to the presentation: “The processing facility consists of several connected specialized industrialized units as well as a pen for the animals. The use will require Health Department approval for the handling of water and septic waste for the facility. The waste byproducts for the processing use will be removed from the site weekly and taken to vendors that specialize in the processing of such byproducts.”

By-products of processing will be stored in barrels in climate-controlled areas until collected for transport elsewhere. Manure will be handled in a similar fashion.

The facility will be subject to all regulations and guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture; Virginia Department of Health; the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; and the Environmental Protection Agency. On site inspectors from these agencies will inspect operations to ensure compliance with regulations.

Wetlands and streams on the site will be protected from runoff, said Gottwald. The processing facility will have its own complicated septic system. Environmental studies for water usage will be complete before any construction begins to establish a baseline and after the facility has been in operation to detect any degradation of ground water. Usage is expected to be between 1,200 and 1,500 gallons of water per day. The facility will have multiple generators to ensure continuity of operations during power outages.  It will operate five days per week.

Local animal growers spoke in support of the facility. They contended that it would help small homesteading farmers and encourage consumption of locally sourced meat.

There will be a single entrance to the facility that aligns with the entrance to the Midpoint Industrial Park. The buildings and holding pens will be set back from the road approximately 217 feet, behind heavily wooded buffers. Concerns were raised about traffic on the road, and the possible negative impact of heavy trucks on the pavement. The applicant said that the plan had been reviewed and approved by VDOT.

Residents who live in the area were skeptical about contentions that the facility will have little impact on their property values, water, and quality of life.

One speaker said that she believed that the facility was a good idea, but she did not want it in her backyard.

This is a win for agriculture in Goochland helping to keep our county rural and keep farmers in business. Local investment in Goochland is also positive.

Go to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ to listen to the December 6 hearing in its entirety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December Board highlights

There are many moving parts to local government. The December agenda of the Board of Supervisors illustrates the wide range of detail. Following is a very brief overview of the afternoon session. A video and transcript of the entire meeting is available on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ under the “watch county meetings” tab.

Goochland Supervisors rotate the chair position every year. At their December 6 meeting, outgoing Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2 said it was the honor of his life to serve in that role. “I can honestly say that in the last twelve months I’ve done some of the most challenging and rewarding work of my career. It means the world to me that you would trust me with this.”

He touched on significant accomplishments of the year. Including working closely with the late Don Sharpe, District 4 to hire a new county administrator; crafting a successful budget with increased funding for public safety; purchasing land for a future District 2 Fire-Rescue Station; issuing general revenue bonds in February; and selecting a worthy successor to Sharpe.

“I put my name on $50 million in bonds, that wasn’t at all intimidating,” Spoonhower said. Chairing the July public hearing for Project Rocky was the most mentally challenging task of his tenure as chair, which had a successful outcome. Working with regional partners to secure funding for Goochland road projects was another success.

He commended staff for its professionalism, patience with him, and its commitment to excellence in service to county citizens.

Spoonhower also thanked his fellow supervisors for being the best partners anyone could want. “There were several occasions this year when we could have done the okay easy thing, or the hard right thing. We chose the hard right thing one hundred percent of the time. I’m proud to be part of that team.”

The Board passed and presented a resolution honoring the life of the late Supervisor Don Sharpe at the start of the evening session to his widow Carolyn. The resolution cites his contribution as a “thoughtful and responsive leader who served District Four with the upmost dedication and distinction.”

County Administrator Vic Carpenter reported that more than 800 people attended Goochland’s own “Hallmark moment” Christmas tree lighting on December 2. County employees presented Goochland Christmas Mother Grace Creasey with a check for $3,255 to brighten the holidays.

The next day three tons of documents were shredded and three trailers full of used tires were collected at a recycling event.

Fire-rescue

D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. Goochland Chief of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services shared cold weather safety tips. He encouraged everyone to ensure that their home heating systems are in good repair; to have chimneys inspected and cleaned and suggested installed of spark arresters to prevent sparks from igniting leaves in gutters that could spark fires.

Smoke alarms save lives, and every home should have at least one in good working order. If you need one, contact your local fire-rescues station, or call the fire-rescue office at 1-804-556-5304 to have one installed free of charge. Ferguson encouraged installation of carbon monoxide detectors. Fire-rescue also has a limited number of these available.

Ferguson urged that care be taken when deploying heat lamps to keep animals warm in cold weather and mentioned that care should be taken with Christmas decorations, especially live trees, which are very flammable.

A recent fire in the apartments at the Retreat was quickly controlled with minimal damage due to sprinkler systems.

Call volume, said Ferguson, up from last year, is expected to be higher than ever.

Human Resources Director Shaletha Dyson introduced Robin Hillman, recently hired as Goochland Emergency Management Coordinator. Hillman, a lifelong Goochlander, brings years of involvement as local fire-rescue volunteer and extensive private sector experience in resiliency to the role. She will oversee preparation, response, and recovery from; manmade and natural disasters; hostile actions; public health emergencies, and any other threats to our county.

Broadband update

Paul Drumwright, the county’s point person on broadband, acknowledged that people without this vital service are anxiously awaiting connection. As there are many moving parts to this project, the answer to “when” is complicated and depends on the electric utility partners.

Work at Central Virginia Electric Coop (CVEC) substations in Shannon Hill, Cartersville, Columbia, and Ferncliff has been completed and people who live in those areas can g=sign up to get connected. Go to fireflyva.com for more information.

Rappahannock Electric has moved into the fiber building phase of its part of the project and will start building fiber “backbones”. A few more intermediate steps must be completed before individual connections are made. This is anticipated in early 2023.

Dominion energy continues to be in the design phase of its portion of the project, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

Drumwright expressed optimism that the entire project can be completed sooner than the end of 2025.

Port80, which provides service in the Crozier area, reported Drumwright, is complete and currently signing up customers. Call 1 (804) 800-7678 for information about Port80.

Consent agenda

The consent agenda is a list of items, usually routine, requiring board approval.

Items scheduled for public hearings on January 3 include ordinance amendments increasing thresholds of purchasing and bidding policies; changing the color of fire hydrants from red to reflective silver; to adding open burning restrictions to RPUD and MPUD zoning districts; and to consider appropriating an additional $15,726 for the new Goochland Elementary School project.

Resolutions were adopted approving:

·       The FY2023 budget transferring $150 k from the non-departmental reserve for contingency expense to the planning department for upcoming consultant projects.

·        The Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy charter agreement and by laws

·       Authorization for the County Attorney to petition the Circuit Court to request that no special election be ordered to fill the office of Circuit Court Clerk following the resignation of incumbent Clerk Dale Agnew effective December 31, 2022.

·       Amend the FY23 budget to transfer $1 million to the Department of Public Utilities Rehabilitation and Repair fund and authorize the county administrator to execute an agreement with Spinello Companies Inc. for the eastern pump station force main repair project. (This was necessitated by last summer’s rupture that dumped raw sewage into Tuckahoe Creek.)

·       See December 6 board packet for details about each of these items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Money matters

Goochland leaders’ commitment to prudent stewardship of public funds has earned the county three AAA bond ratings. This is the product of hard work by all members of county and school staffs.

At the December 6 meeting of the county’s audit committee, Chair Ken Peterson, District 5, said that the good news is that Goochland County’s Financial condition is the best it’s ever been. The bad news is that “there are forces conspiring against us to undo all of our good work, not the least of which is a possible pending recession.”

The focus of the meeting was presentation of the final certified annual financial report (ACFER) for FY 2022, which ended on June 30. Mike Garber, Partner, State and Local Government Team Co-leader of PBMARES (https://www.pbmares.com/), the county’s outside auditors, reported that Goochland’s ACFR for FY2022 was clean. For several years following the embezzlement conviction of a former county treasurer, Goochland was considered a “high risk” auditee, which required greater scrutiny by the auditors. Being considered a low-risk auditee, said Garber, means that there’s some element of trust that the right things are being done.

Garber discussed reporting changes mandated by the government accounting standards board (GASB) including the capitalization of operating leases. The audit document has been posted on the county website goochlandva.us under the finance department tab for those who like details.

Garber said that PBMARES, like most employers, has had issues with attracting and retaining skilled employees. The situation is exacerbated by colleges granting fewer accounting degrees.  Jobs in the field are plentiful and salaries generous. “If you’ve got kids in school, push them toward accounting,” Garber said.

The audit committee then discussed the letter from the School Board requesting appropriation of up to an additional $15,726,130 for the new Goochland Elementary School project. The supervisors scheduled a public hearing on the item for its January 3 meeting. (Virginia Code requires that localities cannot amend their budgets to adjust the aggregate amount to be appropriating during the current fiscal year more than 1% of total budgeted expenditures without first advertising and holding a public hearing on the budget amendment.)

Of the $60 million in bonds approved by Goochland voters in a November 2021 referendum for education projects, approximately $41million in bonds were issued in February 2022 at an interest rate of a just over two percent.  The balance of that $50 million bond issue will be used for public safety capital projects. Final GES bids, opened on November 17, came in far higher than estimated.  The bids are good for 60 days.

The initial bond issue was for less than the total amount approved by votes because the county could not handle building all the projects, including the new GES, a new circuit courthouse, a fire-Rescue station in West Creek simultaneously. Funds generated by the bonds must be used in a timely manner.

Peterson said that the head winds of inflation and higher interest rates, which tend to depress the housing, auto, and construction markets, cloud the county’s revenue picture in the near future.

Next year’s budget process, which has already started, is going to require more thought, deliberation, and debate than previous years. Peterson was optimistic that the issue will be resolved.  “This county does the impossible before lunch, so we’ll figure it out.”

Debbie White, Director of Finance for Goochland Schools, explained that four highly qualified companies bid on the GES project. She contended that, due to the cost of making the bid, it was unlikely that a second round would attract the same quality of bidders, or that later bids would be significantly lower.

Should construction of the new GES be delayed, fairly significant costs would need to be incurred for the old school to remain operational.

Peterson contended that given the current environment in the financial markets, selling a smaller quantity of bonds was a non starter. Aside from the fact that interest rates are much higher than the 2.2 percent on the February bonds, it is unlikely that there would be much interest in a smaller amount of bonds.

White said that, due to the duration of the project, which currently has the new GES opening in the summer of 2024, the final payments would not be due until “punch list” completion, sometime in 2025. By then, market conditions could be different and interest rates lower.

District 4 Supervisor Charlie Vaughters suggested “tail” funding for GES, through borrowing at a higher interest rate than bonds, perhaps a blended rate in the neighborhood of 3.5 percent would still be fiscally prudent. Tail funding,” Vaughters contended, would provide time to investigate other funding options that might not “bear interest before a dime is drawn”.

White pointed out that schools spent more that $3 million on design and related costs for the plan that went out to bid. Starting over, should the project be deferred, would require that some of that cost be duplicated.

Peterson contended that a recession is on the horizon. Should property values fall as they did in the great recession, the county’s revenue stream would contract. He opined that the impact of the coming recession on the real estate market will worse than the last time.  That would result in the county making hard choices. “If we’re going to do this school, we have to decide what people are willing to sacrifice,” he said.

The audit committee will next meet on January 3 after having had some time to consider possible ways to fund the GES shortfall. The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the additional appropriation at the 6 p.m. meeting.

This is a thorny matter. We need the school, but also need to safeguard the county’s fiscal integrity.

 

 

 

 

Election integrity

 

Honest fair elections do not happen by accident. They are the product of a great deal of planning and hard work by people committed to their task.

At their Tuesday, December 6 meeting, Goochland Supervisors honored Robin R. Lind as he retires on December 31 after 20 years of service on the Goochland Electoral Board. Lind served in the roles of Chair, Vice Chair, and secretary of that body during his tenure. He also served as president of the Virginia Electoral Board where he is still an active voice.

Robin Lind 2019 investiture of elected Goochland Officials

Addressing the supervisors, Lind said “I appreciate very much this recognition from members of this board, all but one of whom holds his or her office on the basis of my signature certifying your election over the past 20 years on 34 separate election days, conduction 186 individual elections with separate certification of each election.

“My signature has been my promise to go to prison if those results were not accurate and the election was not free, fair, and transparent. I have been true to my oath. I know not what others may do, but I can tell you that in Goochland County you can rest assured that you are the legitimate representatives of your districts duly elected by the voters of the county.”

Lind said he was humbled and grateful for the recognition. He said that others have given longer service to the electoral board that he. Quoting Isaac Newton, Lind said ‘” If I have seen further than others it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

He recognized some of those by name including former registrar Frances Ragland and Tony Holcomb who were in office when Lind began his service on the Electoral Board. He accepted the recognition on behalf of the entire Electoral Board, the General Registrar Ryan Mulligan, Deputy Registrars Shannon Grayson and Leanne White and all of the officers of election.

Lind went on to recognize precinct chiefs, Shirley Christian and Robin Bryce in District 1; Keith Flannagan and Shauna Sprouse in District 2; Yvette McDermott Thomas and Larry Finnegan in District 3; Caleb Fisher and Pat Dowling in District 4; Ursel Huber and Daniel Thompson in District 5, and former District 4 Supervisor the late Don Sharpe wo was an officer of election and assistant chief of the Shallow Well precinct before running for office.

“These citizen patriots come from all walks of life, united by their love of country, love of our Constitution, and love of civic service. It has been my immense pleasure to be associated with these citizens of Goochland.”

Lind contended that the consistently high voter turnout in Goochland is the result of the hard work and integrity of all involved in the electoral process.

Later in the meeting, Mulligan reported that of 20,809 active voters in the county, 13,763 cast ballots in the November election, which is a 66 percent turnout rate. Of those 4,330 were early in person votes and 931 voted by mail.

 

 

 

 

Into focus?

 

The latest round of meetings on the small area plans being crafted by Hill Studios of Roanoke, consultants retained by the county for this project, were pretty much a rehash of previous sessions. Allegedly, they incorporated citizen feedback, but the changes from the summer drafts were hard to spot. However, final plans are somewhat less fuzzy.

Deputy County Administrator Krystal Onaitis did make it clear that the November drafts, are not the end product for an update the county comprehensive land use plan, even though invitations to the meetings state that it is the final version. If approved, four story residential buildings featured in the gauzy illustrations used in the presentation will not sprout in both villages next summer, but they will come.

The purpose of the comp plan is to guide orderly development that creates an environment attractive to private investment. How to do that is the tricky part. The old nostrum “rooftops bring retail” may no longer be true. Even before the pandemic changed the way we shop, bricks and mortar retail struggled. Malls are dying. Short Pump, where rooftops have been spreading like kudzu, has a lot of vacant retail space.

The focus of growth is residential density—how many “dwelling units” per acre should be allowed where. Ideally, the center of each village would have the highest density, decreasing to the edges. The village boundaries should, at least for the next few decades, be a clear and inviolable demarcation of higher density with no subtle hints, like road stubs leading out of the village, to encourage expansion.

We do not live in an ideal world. As it stands right now, the highest residential density in the Centerville Village is on its edges. The Parke at Saddle Creek, The Parke at Centerville, Reader’s Branch and the Retreat Apartments at the Notch, which is in both West Creek and the Centerville Village are densely developed, with cornfields in the village core. Manakin Towne, at the heart of Centerville’s core, was zoned for mixed use nearly three years ago, but remains undeveloped. The consultants suggest that area should be more densely developed.

Centerville Village

Little thought was given to overall density or its location in the village (see rooftops etc.) when these enclaves were zoned. Earlier “conceptual” plans for Centerville encouraged creation of a street grid to provide alternative routes through the village but were ignored. If the connector between Manakin and Hockett Roads, which has been on the land use map for most of this century, is built expect the residents of Saddle Creek to scream.

Both presentations included many head scratching comments.  For instance, population figures for Courthouse Village seem to have used only data from the Goochland zip code, whose territory extends to the Fluvanna line. A significant portion of Courthouse Village is in the Maidens zip code. Centerville has several zip codes, and is often called Manakin, which is on Rt. 6.

The Weldon Cooper center of the University of Virginia projects that Goochland’s population in 2050 will be 34,742, not quite ten thousand more than recorded by the 2020 census. The four-story residential concept for Centerville looks like all the new people will live there.

Rhetoric describing the courthouse as “the heart and soul of Goochland, the place for all county residents to come together, gather, and be active” seemed unaware that many people living east of Cardwell Road rarely, if ever, go to Courthouse Village for recreational reasons. Many residents of the River Road corridor do not realize that they live in Goochland County and have no interest in going to Courthouse Village for any reason.

Courthouse Village

Preservation of fields and forest inside the villages to preserve their rural character also seems counter to the reason for the village concept. Indeed, the Centerville presentation seemed to advocate keeping the cornfields on both side of the Ashland/Broad Street Road, which is an ideal spot for development.

Reversing the “leakage” of retail dollars to Short Pump was also discussed. A map showing the number of people within a 15-minute drive of Centerville illustrated the potential market for new businesses. With each new subdivision, Goochland becomes more of a bedroom community. How to encourage the residents who sleep here, but live their lives to the east, to shop in Goochland and engage with the greater community is a challenge.

It is hard to understand why branding, the use of catchy slogans and logos to “create a sense of place,” is part of this project. There was enough pushback when the county created a logo to complement the venerable Goochland seal. Do we need more?

The thousand-pound gorilla in the room was transportation. How are you going to put more cars generated by more homes on already crowded roads? That’s easy, the consultants suggested that the county put the main drags through both villages on a diet!

River Road West through Courthouse Village is wider than necessary for through traffic, the consultants contend. Broad Street Road should be a bit narrower through Centerville to enhance that elusive sense of place.

These suggestions ignore the practical reality that both River Road West (Rt 6) and Broad Street Road (Rt 250) are major thoroughfares, not local roads.

Someone needs to set up a camera in room 270 of the administration building to record the size of the vehicles that regularly move through Courthouse Village. The Sheriff’s Office already has data on the number of vehicles. Lowboys transporting enormous loads use that road as do very large tractor trailers. There is so little road access for Courthouse Village, that it takes little to cut the area off. Rember the ice storm and tornadoes earlier this year?

Broad Street Road runs roughly parallel to the interstate. When the I64 is closed by wrecks, which seem to occur more often these days, traffic is diverted onto Rt.250. Does making the stretch of 250 through Centerville narrower make sense?

The term “multimodal” transportation was tossed around a lot at both meetings. This means sidewalks, bike lanes, and ways of getting around that do not involve vehicles. Park once and walk everywhere in the village.  In Centerville, it suggests preparation for GRTC bus service.

Then there is the east west issue. A speaker at the Centerville meeting pointed out that a substantial portion of the county’s the residential real estate tax revenue is generated in the east end, but funds amenities elsewhere in the county. An eastern convenience center, or even a recycling center is long overdue. The first leg of the east end trail system is allegedly funded, but still not built. The draft plans seem to suggest incentives for developers creating public spaces or providing land for them, but will tax dollars maintain them?

A speaker at the Centerville meeting wanted to know when questions about the draft plans would be answered? These include does everyone who lives or owns land in the village realize it. If so, do they understand the advantages/ disadvantages of that. Why haven’t the size of the villages been reduced? Is there justification for keeping equestrian properties inside the Centerville Village when their inclusion in Deep Run Hunt Country seems more appropriate?

There were questions about how “greenways” using flood plains and low-lying areas for passive hiking trails close to existing home. Again, few details.  

Responses to many of the questions and comments contended that the plan was a guide. Complicated issues would be handled in the plan of development stage.  The devil is in the details and these plans seem to offer far too many opportunities for unintended consequences.

There was little comfort among the attendees that Centerville will not echo Short Pump. Concepts included in the latest draft of these plans seem fuzzy, which is appropriate for a “concept plan” and ripe for exploitation by developers anxious to build “dwelling units,” the more per acre the better.

If the deliverable for these plans is an updated land use map, there are too few details for clarity. Will enough people use the sidewalks, bike trails, and greenways to justify the expense of creating and maintaining them?

The current timeline for adoption of the small area plans is early next year. Stay tuned. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1201/Goochland-County-Village-Plans-2022 to see latest versions of the plans and videos of the presentation and draw your own conclusions.

 

Holly Jolly Goochland

 

It's that time of the year

It’s December! Time to start celebrating.

Ways to enjoy the season close to home.

·        Friday, December 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the county tree lighting. On Sandy Hook Road, roughly behind the county administration building. Santa and others will be there for the delight of children of all ages.

·        Tuesday, December 6, the Jingle Bell Bizaar benefitting GoochlandCares at the Richmond Country Club, 12950 Patterson Avenue from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Go to https://goochlandcares.org/events-new for details. Local authors will sell and sign books, which make great locally themed gifts, at this event.

·        Saturday, December 10 Hadensville Fire-Rescue Company 6 will host breakfast with Santa from 8-10:30 a.m. at its station at 4810 Three Chopt Road. (It has a Louisa mailing address but it just south of Rt. 250 in Hadensville.) Get photos with Santa. Breakfast is free. Donations are welcome.

·        December 16-18. Do not miss the production of A Christmas Carol More or Less by the Goochland Community Theatre. This holiday comedy will add joy to your holidays. All shows are at the Eagle Theater at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Center at 2748 Dogtown Road in Sandy Hook. Go to https://gvatheatre.org/productions/ for details and to order tickets. The Goochland Community Theatre is another of the county’s hidden gems, which gets far too little attention.

·        Saturday, December 17 Goochland Fire-Rescue Company 5 will host a free pancake breakfast to go with Santa at its station at 2710 Fairground Road from 8-10. Santa and elves will deliver pancakes to your cake and collect wish lists. Engine 651 will also be touring area neighborhoods with Santa on board during December.

 F    Please add other events in comments.

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