The afternoon agenda of the November 1 Goochland Board of
Supervisors’ meeting was short but addressed some important matters.
Israel
County Administrator Vic Carpenter read portions of a letter
from the Knesset, the governing body of Israel, expressing deepest gratitude to
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and the Goochland Sheriff’s Office for donations
of protective gear to help safeguard the well being of the citizens of Israel
during the current challenging circumstances.
The letter said in part “…your extraordinary commitment
serves as a beacon of hope and resilience for the people of Israel, reinforcing
our unwavering determination and advancing our collective pursuit of peace and
stability in the region.”
Reynolds Community College
Paula Pando, Ed. D. President of Reynolds Community college,
gave her annual report to the supervisors. She commended Stephen Geyer, Ed. D. GCPS Assistant
Superintendent for Instruction, who has ably represented Goochland on the RCC
board for seven years.
Reynolds, said Pando, has robustly rebounded from the Covid
related downturn in enrollment with “off the charts” participation numbers
exceeding all goals the college set for itself. The entire summer cohort—100
percent— of nursing students passed their NCLEX national board examinations.
Pando said that RCC has invested heavily in 21st
century learning environments in healthcare, technology, and the trades to
ensure that its students have the facilities and instructors to secure the post
secondary educational credentials needed to career success in today’s economy.
These “classrooms” are more expensive than those used by general education
students. Welding equipment costs more than a whiteboard needed to teach Shakespeare,
Pando explained. She also said that helping students complete foundational
English and math courses in their first year tends to be a gateway to
completing their program.
RCC has worked hard to reengage students that fell away
during the pandemic to help them complete their program. Scholarship and other
financial aid. Funding is always a concern, said Pando. Covid dollars are gone.
Community colleges receive $4,300 per student from the state versus $17k per
students at the UVa Wise campus.
She commended RCC’s grant writers and faculty members who
have secured funds from state and federal sources. Last year, RCC awarded $1 million in
scholarships to fill the financial gaps that prevent college attendance.
This semester, said Pando, 311 Goochland residents are
enrolled at RCC. The Advanced College Academy (ACA) program enables students to
earn an associate degree before they graduate from high school. Goochland
currently has 285 ACA students, the largest group of any division in the area.
This, said Pando, is because Goochland, unlike our neighbors, does not restrict
ACA to its top students but makes it accessible to a larger pool of students
who, with the right support, are able to succeed.
RCC, said Pando, will continue to find new and creative ways
to ensure that the skills of workers match the needs of our expanding
workforce.
All of these comments seemed to apply to the RCC campuses on
Parham Road and in Richmond. The Goochland RCC campus has exquisite gardens and
hosted the annual garden fest for a weekend in April. The rest of the time, the
90-acre campus, with an assessed valuation of just over $13 million, is a dead
zone in the middle of Courthouse Village. Its classroom buildings have been
mostly empty and unused since before Covid.
At one time, Pando suggested that “community conversations”
would be held to determine future use for the property, but those conversations
seem to have been held behind closed doors.
She said that RCC has been approached about some “economic development”
opportunities that would be discussed with Goochland County if they come to
fruition. Maybe our new delegation to the Virginia General Assembly will take
an interest in this and make something happen.
CASA
Renae Townsend, Director of Goochland Court Appointed
Special Advocates (CASA) https://goochlandcasa.org/
thanked the supervisors for the county’s support of her organization. CASA acts
as the “eyes and ears” of the court in cases of abuse and neglect. Local
citizens volunteer their time to be trained to provide this vital service.
Herbicides
During his monthly presentation Marshall Winn Administrator
for the VDOT Ashland Residency, spoke about the herbicide Garlon 3A, which has
been used to control the growth of trees and brush along some county roadsides.
Winn explained that the VDOT roadside manager is a certified
arborist. Garlon 3A, (https://www.corteva.us/products-and-solutions/land-management/garlon-3a.html)
said Winn is EPA approved and recommended by Virginia Tech for use in
controlling roadside brush, pastures, and some aquatic sites. It is applied in
a ten-year cycle. Spraying usually follows tree pruning to prevent the trees
from resprouting top open up ditches and improve site lines for safety reasons.
He said that the substance will not foul aquifers or waterways.
Cost is a factor in the application of Garlon 3A. Spraying costs
between one and two hundred dollars per shoulder mile versus prunin, which costs
between four and six thousand dollars per shoulder mile. In areas where brush
killed by the herbicide remains a safety issue. VDOT will remove it.
Winn said that the herbicide is sprayed upward and should
not have affected vegetation on private property, but asked to be put in
contact with property owners who believe their plants may have been inadvertently
sprayed.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda is a list of items that need Board
approval.
A request to appropriate $552,715 to the county capital
projects fund to purchase a stock Freightliner tanker for the Fire-Rescue
department was approved. As emergency apparatus orders can take up to three
years for delivery, this will save the county money and time. The money will
come from FY2023 fund balance and remove the item from the 2025 capital
improvement plan budget.
A public hearing was scheduled for December 5 to consider
adding parcels on the west side of Hockett Road to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District
to support a 51-lot residential subdivision that is working its way through the
rezoning process.
Authorization for the Board Chair to execute an amendment to
the employment contract of County Attorney Tara McGee. This means that McGee,
who has been with the county since early 2017, will be getting a well-deserved
raise. As the county attorney is involved in most, if not all, facets of local
government, her institutional knowledge is vital to the organization.
Broadband update
Construction will be complete on all Firefly Fiber Broadband
RISE Project areas by August 2025, service will be available by no later than
2025. It’s important that citizens in the project areas register for service at
https://register.fireflyva.com/. Firefly Fiber Broadband and their partners
will be sending out communications throughout the project, citizens can find
the latest information for Goochland projects at https://www.fireflyva.com/partners-goochland/.
To review the complete broadband report go to page 52 of the
November board packet at https://goochlandcountyva.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1413&Inline=True
Public Hearings
A conditional use application filed by Fred Gregory to
operate a home-based pottery business at 652 Seay Road was unanimously
approved. Gregory’s Goochland Pottery makes, and plans to sell, hand
crafted ceramics from the property. Gregory said this enterprise will generate
little traffic. He and his wife moved to Goochland from Wisconsin to be near
their grandchildren. Welcome Goochland
Pottery!
 |
| Fred Gregory proprietor of Goochland Pottery |
An application to amend a CUP filed by KPB Realty LLC to allow
automobile repair (with major repair under cover) at 480 Hylton Road, which
is south of Rt. 6 and west of Hope Church, was unanimously approved. The
applicant proposes to operate an automobile repair/auto paint facility in the
existing structure and to construct an additional building to accommodate
future expansion of the business.
This is yet another instance of a long existing commercial
use operating close to new homes. The applicant worked hard to assure adjoining
property owners that the facility will operate in a safe and quiet manner.
Beaverdam Voting precinct 301 was formally moved to
the Parks and Recreation Building in the County Sports Complex, behind the
county administration building. Last year, this precinct voted at the animal shelter,
which proved to be inadequate for the purpose. This change was approved in July.
The lease agreement with the Central Virginia Blacksmith
Guild for space at the Central High School Educational and Cultural Center
was unanimously approved. This organization has been operating in the space since
2019 and is current on rent. State statue required a public hearing before the
lease could be renewed.
