Making lemonade

 

Brianna Schwartz turned sore feet into a successful business. Her company Yenta+Posha, (yentaposha.com) named for her late dogs, sells insoles that transform cute, but painful shoes into comfy and supportive footwear. Schwartz currently runs the business from her home near Sandy Hook, where she has lived for 17 years, but hopes to move into a commercial space soon.

Brianna Schwartz wearing new lounge socks

Working as an event planner, Schwartz spent long days on her feet. The job required “professional attire,” which meant no sneakers and sore feet. Other women she met along the way had similar complaints. Fashionable women’s shoes are designed for looks, not comfort. Insoles allegedly designed to mitigate deficiencies in dress shoes rarely did the job or wore out quickly, explained Schwartz.

She decided that there had to be a better way and set out to create insoles to make any shoe comfortable and supportive of foot health. Her performance and embrace insoles recently earned the seal of acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association. These are the thinnest women’s insoles on the market that provide excellent shock absorption and alignment. These patented designs made of breathable materials fit into “fashion forward” shoe designs unable to accommodate thicker insoles.

The first step was to learn about feet, shoes, and the best way to make the two work properly together for comfort and foot health.

“I asked lots of questions and did lots of research,” she recalled. This included working with doctors and orthotists to find ways to support feet so that they move they way they are supposed to.  Effective insoles are more than extra cushioning, Schwartz explained. Proper  alignment of feet so they work the way nature intended is also crucial to comfort. “I learned so much that some people wondered if I was a doctor.”

When her research led to a prototype insole, she hoped to manufacture them in the United States. Alas, Schwartz  soon learned that the machinery needed to make her insoles were not available here. She investigated manufacturing opportunities in Mexico, but ultimately found the right fit in China. Some are now assembled in central Virginia, and she hopes to expand domestic manufacturing soon. In 2017 Schwartz secured patents for her Embrace and Performance Series insoles.

The insoles, made of breathable bamboo charcoal leather, do not break down over time, said Schwartz.

Initially, Yenta+Posha sold shoes, with the insoles as a sideline. The insoles soon outsold the shoes and became the focus of the company. A new product, no show cushion lounge socks thin enough to fit into any shoe has been added.

The website includes a short quiz to help customers figure out what kind of insole would work best for them and had lots of interesting information about foot health.

Schwartz is working on a line of insoles for men, with the goal of becoming a foot care company. 

Yenta+Posha gives back to animal welfare groups and soles4souls.org, which distributes unwanted clothing and shoes to those in need.  

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the drawing board

 

Results of studies undertaken by consultant Hill Studio of Roanoke intended to update the Goochland County Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Centerville and Courthouse Village underwhelmed and confused citizens. The county paid Hill Studio $184,000 for their work.

At a joint board of supervisors planning commission workshop on January 11, staff indicated that they are going back to the drawing board to find the sweet spot in permitted development density. This could be a positive indication that the small area plans will be—at least somewhat—in line with community expectations.

The “branding” piece of the consultants’ work has been discarded. This is a good thing. The proposed logos and slogans for both Centerville and Courthouse were contrived at best and a little silly. Centerville does have an identity issue. Too many people refer to Centerville as Manakin because the Broad Street Road corridor has a Manakin Sabot zip code. This cannot be remedied by the comp plan.

 

Following comments that changes to the village plans presented by the consultants were generic, staff will focus on making updates to the Comp Plan Goochland centric. Adoption deadlines for the proposed updates have been pushed back to late spring after more tweaking and community meetings to “get it right”.

Courthouse and Centerville are two very different animals land use wise, though both face growth pressures.  It may be too early for increasing interest rates to have significant impact on the local housing market, which could ease the pace of local residential growth.

Centerville Village

Courthouse Village

Courthouse Village has a “there there” with elements of a true village: government offices; churches; a library; recreational outlets including parks and the YMCA; restaurants; shopping; and some services.

Centerville directly in the path of steamroller development from Short Pump is another story. Indeed, the part of the Centerville Village—its  boundary is the Henrico county line—east of Rt. 288 is attitudinally Short Pump.

Unlike Courthouse Village, Centerville is more of a blank canvas, its open land privately owned. To make the Centerville small area plan work  well, there must be “buy in” from land owners. So far in the process, input from these entities has been opaque. We don’t need to know that landowner x wants to build Y on parcel Q, but it would be helpful to get a generic overview of what might be built. Other than interest expressed by a landowner just west of 288 to locate a car dealership there, and perhaps more low slung medical offices like the new urology center, this has not happened.

Maybe that’s because landowners want to carpet the Broad Street Road corridor with various forms of high-density housing like the ghastly mess behind Aldi,  over the Henrico line.

The big issue in both villages is residential density, how many “dwelling units” per acre should be allowed. Before Courthouse Village had public utilities—water and sewer—its density was no more than one unit per acre, and that might have been stretching it given local soil hydraulics. Availability of utilities changes everything. It may be time to lower the minimum lot size but restrict the kind dwelling units permitted. Small lots with modest homes could increase the density and keep the village feel.

In Centerville, high land costs probably make this unlikely.

Developers develop to make a profit. That’s okay. The trick is to craft a comp plan vision where development is both profitable and enhances the community.

A big concern about growth is adding traffic to already overburdened roads. The county’s major thoroughfare plan has lots of lines indicating future roads to ease congestion. Trouble is, these roads never seem to get built when land around them is developed. Case in point is “Road A” south of Broad Street Road near Sammary Forest. When an expansion of Readers Branch needed another access point, traffic was dumped on to Whippoorwill Road, a neighborhood street, instead of building Road A.

Stay tuned for the next iteration of these plans. In the meantime, go tohttps://www.goochlandva.us/1201/Goochland-County-Village-Plans-2022.

 

 

Notes on our school division

 

Bulldogs rule

Goochland County Public Schools (GCPS) have come a long way in a short time. Once a school division with a lackluster reputation, we have been rated as the best in the region by Niche.com for five consecutive years. Go to the GCPS website https://www.goochlandschools.org/ and wander around to see what how you tax dollars are being used to prepare the next generation to grab its piece of the American dream by maximizing the potential of every learner.

Educating children is a difficult task in normal times, dealing with challenges created by the pandemic shut down makes it worse. We are blessed by the dedication of  “Team Goochland,” which includes every school employee, who show up every day and do their best to help each student identify and develop their individual talents. This sounds easy in theory but could not happen with out the dedication of a creative and dedicated educators supported by a school board that values innovation.

While the quality of an education is the result of hard working people, infrastructure, buildings, vehicles, equipment, are important too. After a great many difficult, yet productive conversations between the supervisors and school board, a contract was signed last week to build the new 700 student capacity Goochland Elementary School on Bulldog Way. The special relationship between these two boards is unique among jurisdictions in the Commonwealth. GCPS Superintendent Jeremy Raley, Ed. D. said that this facility will serve the citizens of Goochland well for the next sixty years. It is expected to open in August 2024 for the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Our division and students work hard to excel at all endeavors.

GHS Senior Josh Usry, the Cadet Executive Officer of the Marine Corps JR OTC Program, was nominated for the United Staes Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.  He plans to major in political science and government. After completion of the four-year program Usry will be commissioned as an ensign in the Coast Guard and hopes to serve in the Coast Guard’s drug interdiction mission. The service academies are among the most elite institutions of higher learning in the country. Admission is highly competitive and based on merit alone. About 300 cadets are admitted each year from a field of thousands of applicants. This is the first in hopefully a long line, of GHS graduates that go on to attend one of these fine institutions.

Seniors Tyler Black and Haden Raley signed letters of intent to attend respectively, Division I colleges Wake Forest and William and Mary to continue their football careers as they pursue higher education.

Black, a kicker and punter for GHS, is ranked 19^th in the nation by Kohl’s Professional Football camps and earned state and regional honors for his football prowess. He is also a two-time state pole vault champion.

Raley is a four year letter winner and two time team captain. He lettered in basketball and has been on the academic honor roll for his entire high school career.

A further indication of the high standards of education in GCPS is its recent selection to the Virginia High School League fall sportsmanship honor roll. Integrity is a valuable component of good citizenship on and off the field.  

The Randolph Elementary School Lego Robotics team received state level recognition at a December competition.

These are a few of the many accolades GCPS collects on a regular basis. These include being recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as a “division of innovation”; all GCPS schools are Apple Schools of Distinction; and recognition of GHS as a Special Olympics unified champion.

Our school division is hiring. Job fairs will be held in person at GHS, 3250-A River Road West, Goochland 23063 on February 25 from 9-12 and virtually the week of March 6 at goochlandschools.org/jobs. Anyone interested can find out why “Goochland is the small division with the big reputation.”

Public education in Goochland is not a one size fits all proposition. Thanks to every member of Team Goochland who perseveres every day to teach our kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solar policy meeting rescheduled

 A community meeting about the county's proposed solar ordinance and related policies, originally scheduled for January 19 has been rescheduled to Thursday, February 16 from  6 to 9 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Complex at 2748 Dogtown Road.

Please pass this along to those who might be interested.

People make the difference

 

Dale Agnew (holding plaque) with Goochland supervisors

The Hon. Dale W. Agnew retired as Clerk of the Goochland Circuit Court effective December 31, 2022. Her forty years of service to the citizens of Goochland was recognized by the Board of Supervisors at its January 3 meeting. Amanda Adams was sworn in as Clerk to serve the remainder of Agnew’s term.

Jonathan Lyle, who rarely misses an opportunity to speak during citizen comment, remarked that while Goochland County has a land area of about 280 square miles, but what makes it remarkable are its people. He commended Agnew for her four decades of service.

Before being elected as Clerk of the Court, Agnew served a 32-year apprenticeship in the clerk’s office, becoming familiar with the more than 800 sections of the Code of Virginia that govern the functions of the clerk’s office.

She was responsible for decades of spotless departmental audits and meticulous attention to detail to ensure accurate recordation of public documents ranging from deeds to marriage licenses and court proceedings. The Clerk is the probate judge for the county; issues marriage licenses; certifies people to perform marriages; issues concealed carry permits; and records deeds among many other functions.

The Clerk is responsible for administration of court records, preparation of orders on the instruction of the judge, and swearing in jurors. These records include historic documents. Goochland is not a “burned county” because, unlike some other jurisdictions in the Commonwealth, our court records were not sent to Richmond for safekeeping during the civil war and destroyed by the 1865 fire.

Agnew secured grant funding for the preservation of these archival documents and digitization of other vital records. She advocated for higher salary for her staff to attract and retain high quality employees.

Agnew said that leaving her post was bittersweet, but she leaves the clerk’s office in the good hands of a well-trained intelligent staff who use true servants’ hearts in service to the community.

Goochland is blessed to have had the service of Dale Agnew overseeing this important governmental function. May her next chapter be filled with all good things.

 

 

Into the new year

 

          Like it or not, 2023 is here. The first order of business at the first annual meeting of Goochland Board of Supervisors is election of officers. Breaking with its tradition of rotating the chair, the board voted unanimously to return Neil Spoonhower, District 2 to the top post, with newbie Charlie Vaughters, District 4 as vice chair. John Lumpkins, District 3 who was appointed to the vice chair spot after the passing of Don Sharpe and would have been expected to take the chair spot in 2023, is seeking the Republican nomination for Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney in next November’s election.

Neil Spoonhower, (l) and Charlie Vaughters will lead the supervisors  in 2023

          Spoonhower thanked his fellow board members for their confidence in him. He said that he looked forward to working closely with Vaughters for the benefit of all citizens and thanked those who worked hard over the holidays to serve the citizens, especially those in law enforcement, fire-rescue, and the convenience center staff.

          Adoption of the Board’s code of ethics, rules of procedure, and standards of conduct is also part of the first meeting of the year protocol. Each supervisor signed a copy of the code of ethics and standards of conduct, which will be framed and mounted on the wall at the back of the meeting room. This is done to honor Don Sharpe, District 4, who was serving as board vice chair before his passing last fall. Sharpe, explained Spoonhower, believed that the supervisors should have a visual reminder of their commitment to the highest integrity as they make decisions on behalf of citizens.

          The Board’s January agenda included routine reports. Paul Drumwright, Community Affairs Manager and the county’s point person on internet matters, updated the supervisors on the broadband expansion project. The regional internet service expansion (RISE) initiative to bring high speed internet access to western Goochland is a patchwork of partners and funding. Firefly Fiber Broadband is partnering with the electric utilities, Central Virginia Electric Coop (CVEC) Rappahannock Electric Coop (REC), and Dominion Energy to install fiber optic cable to unserved areas.

          Work on the Dominion portion is still in the design, permitting, and engineering phase for installation of the “middle mile” infrastructure off of which Firefly will run lateral lines to connect individual users. This portion of the initiative is not going as fast as underserved Goochlanders would like, but all areas in the RISE project are expected to have access to broadband in the next two years, hopefully far sooner.      

          In the Crozier area, another provider, Port80 (https://port80.us/) is wrapping up its grant to connect users there. Drumwright said that about 100 potential customers in the Port80 area remain unconnected. If you live there, call today before the connection price goes up after the grant funding expires.

          Bringing broadband to all Goochlanders has never been a one size fits all proposition. While many people use wireless options via cell towers, the county has never viewed this as the ultimate solution, said Drumwright. He reiterated that the county welcomes all providers to serve our citizens in addition to those that the county partners with in the RISE initiative.  “We don’t stop anyone from bringing broadband into Goochland County. If someone wants to come in, we’re happy to talk with them and help them expand,” said Drumwright.

          Director of Economic Development Sara Worley presented the tourism strategic plan, designed to expand tourism in Goochland County, which was unanimously adopted by the board. Tourism has the potential to spotlight the county, grow exiting businesses, and attract new ones to grow the county’s economy.

          The “vision” of the plan is to promote Goochland as a family friendly poplar destination for history, crafts, food and beverage, and recreational outdoor enthusiasts and a source of pride for residents. Agritourism, highlighting our rural heritage, is also a part of the plan.

          First steps in implementing the plan include creating day trip itineraries and using social media to promote what Goochland has to offer. Our location, said Worley, is easily accessible to visitors from the Richmond and Charlottesville areas.

          Getting Goochland “on the radar screen” is an immediate goal. Far too many people seem to have little idea where we are.      Worley is recruiting volunteer “tourism ambassadors” to help spread the word about visiting Goochland.

          The full plan is available beginning on page 174 of the January 3 Board packet available at  https://www.goochlandforbusiness.com/DocumentCenter/View/643/Tourism-Strategic-Plan.

          Rezoning for a parcel for land for the new fire-rescue station in the Hockett Road corridor is under way. A community meeting is expected to be scheduled to provide more information on the proposal in coming months.

         

         

         

         

         

Excellence

 

Goochland Sheriff's Office Command Staff
Sheriff Ira Edwards, Jr. holding certificate

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) swear to protect and serve. It takes a special kind of person to pin a target over their heart before they go to a job that can be dangerous, tedious, and frustrating.

Excellence in law enforcement does not happen by accident. It is the product of exemplary leadership that sets a high bar for performance in every facet of conserving the peace.

The Goochland Sheriff’s Office, the county’s law enforcement agency, under the superb leadership of Sheriff Steven Ned Creasey, works hard to ensure that each member of the agency, sworn and civilian is well trained and adheres to the highest standards of community service.

On January 3 the GCSO was presented with the FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association Agency Trilogy Award joining 63 other law enforcement agencies in the United States—yes, one of 64 nationwide—by FBI-LEEDA President Ira Edwards, Jr., the retired Sheriff of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.

The award signifies that the entire GCSO command staff has completed the training. The program was created to provide high level leadership training for small to medium sized law enforcement agencies to help them provide the high quality law enforcement.

Edwards said that the GCSO, has 56 sworn full-time deputies and 21 civilians “work 24 hours a day seven days a week to keep your citizens safe.”  He noted that the work of the GCSO embraces the countywide core values to treat others as they would want their families to be treated, which drives interactions with all residents, businesses, and visitors to Goochland County.

Our Sheriff, said Edwards, leads by example as does his command staff.

Creasey thanked Edwards for flying from Georgia to make the presentation. “This is a team effort,” said the Sheriff. He said that all members of the GCSO will receive the FBI-LEEDA training in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

No crystal balls

 

Following a public hearing at its January 3 meeting, the Goochland Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to appropriate up to $15 million for the new Goochland Elementary School construction project.

The School Board is expected to execute a contract with Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. at its January 10 meeting. The supervisors and school board will hold a joint work session on January 11 beginning at 9 a.m. in the county administration building.

On November 29, the school board formally requested additional funds for the new school after bids came in higher than anticipated via letter. The county audit and finance committee discussed the matter at its December 6 meeting and again on January 3 before the regular board meeting.

A public hearing on the request was required by state law because the amount exceeds 1 percent of the county’s total budgeted expenditures for the current fiscal year.

Comments made during the January 3 audit and finance committee meeting showed that the supervisors gave a great deal of thought, research and prayer to the situation since their December 6 meeting.

The process illustrates the great working relationship between the supervisors and school board, a rarity in the Commonwealth.

Supervisor Ken Peterson District 5 framed quandary during the audit and finance meeting. Go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/196142 to listen. The issues were simple, does the GES project go forward now; how much should be spent on it; and where will the money come from?

The county issued $50 million in general revenue bonds in February 2022, $40 million of which has been appropriated for the new GES.

There was some sentiment to postpone the project and rebid it in a year or so after the expected imminent recession cools inflation in hopes of lower costs. It was pointed out that institutional construction is different from residential construction. There are no guarantees that future bids would be enough lower to compensate for the loss of funds already spent on the project.

“People come up to me and say that we need a new school, but gosh, this costs a lot. Are you going to raise my taxes?” said Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2 summing up the conundrum. The county, he contended, could be in a very dire revenue situation going forward. He does not envision an increase in taxes and is concerned about securing and honoring the trust that the public has in elected officials.

Peterson wondered how much the county can afford to spend without compromising public safety operations.

The supervisors are committed to careful stewardship of tax dollars. They remember all too well the concerns about the impact of the pandemic on county revenues in 2020. The budget proposed in February of that year was slashed before its April adoption to ensure that core services were adequately funded. As actual revenues became clearer, most cuts were restored.

County revenues going forward, could once again contract significantly if real estate assessments fall as they did after 2009. Fiscal uncertainty looms with a possible recession over the horizon and the specter of falling home values once again on the radar screen.

The board meeting room was about half filled for the public hearing during which few people spoke on the topic. Applause broke out after the vote was taken.

A replacement for GES has been needed at least since the turn of the 21^st century. The new school will have a 700 student—650 k-5 and 50 pre-k—capacity. According to Superintendent of Goochland Schools Jeremy Raley Ed. D. the school is expected to be at about 75 percent of capacity when it opens in August ’24.

As a result of attendance boundary adjustments approved last year, the new GES will draw enough students currently in the Byrd and Randolph zones to remove all trailers, giving those schools some “breathing room” before they too are replaced. This, said Raley, will give the county schools growing room for about 60 years.

Raley pledged that every resource appropriated to the project will be wisely spent and that it would come in on time and under budget. He said that value engineering and other cost reduction measures are ongoing.

The supervisors discussed where the county would get the $15 million to fill the gap.

County administrator Vic Carpenter pointed out that the money under discussion is for capital expenditures would not impact operations. The county and schools, said Carpenter, will work closely together to ensure that the funds are spent carefully. He also said that nothing stops the county and schools from seeking sources of funding other than county revenues.

A motion was made to appropriate up to $15 million, from bond premiums, future interest on the bonds; school proffers; additional bond premiums; CVTA transportation funds; and General Fund assigned balance for capital improvement plan inflation costs. Those funds are to be spent only after the $40 million generated by the bond issue, which has been appropriated for the GES building project, has been exhausted.

Spoonhower pointed out that the school board still needs to execute the contract for the project, which is expected to occur at the January 10 school board meeting.