Looking back and forward

 

Happy New Year!!!

It’s that time of year when we look back at the year slipping into history and peek over the horizon to the new year full of promise and unknowns.

December 2023 marks 15 years of GOMM. Thanks to all of you for reading.

In 2023 we finally crawled out from under Covid and tried to get back to something resembling normal.

Intrepid volunteers continued the revival of Goochland Day in May and are planning an even better event in 2024. Go to Goochland Day for more information.

Founded just before Covid closed the world, the Goochland Community Theatre (https://gvatheatre.org/) put on a full schedule of productions in 2023. This grass roots group is working to become a multifaceted cultural resource for the county.

In January, Goochland’s Board of Supervisors appropriated money over and above that generated by the bond issue to build the new Goochland Elementary School. Ground was broken on February 9. Thanks to careful stewardship by the School Division’s Chief Financial Office Debbie White, the new GES, which has been badly needed since the turn of the century, is expected to welcome students at the start of the next school year.

Land use and growth issues generated much citizen engagement during the year. Small area plan studies for both Centerville and Courthouse Village, begun in 2022, bogged down as detailed recommendations by outside consultants met with robust citizen pushback. A scaled down plan for Courthouse Village was approved in the summer, while the recommended plan for Centerville was voted down by the supervisors.

Citizens raised a ruckus when a conservation easement on Cardwell Road was ignored in attempts to create an event venue there. This raised concerns about how the county enforces “stop work” orders and other zoning mandates to protect neighboring landowners.

New residents complained about the location of the new West Creek Fire-Rescue Station on Hockett Road, for a site chosen before most of their homes were built.

Expansion of broadband coverage in Goochland continued. Though the pace of construction was far too slow for those with little or no high-speed internet access, most should be connected by 2025. Not that long ago, this seemed to be an unattainable dream.

Renewable energy, specifically deployment options for solar panels and storage of the power they generate, was discussed. Removing prime farmland from food production to cover it with solar panels is a concern.

The dreaded roundabout at Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads was in operation months ahead of the original October schedule. This project generated a lot of controversy, complaints, and derision. Now it’s a fact of life that keeps traffic moving through the intersection and eliminates the opportunity to “play chicken” while turning left from Fairground to Sandy Hook at busy times of the day.

Economic development had its ups and downs during the year. Project Rocky, the massive e commerce facility on Ashland Road will not be built after all. A speculative office/warehouse project north of the Lanier Industrial Park on Ashland Road is moving ahead. A Honda dealership on the south side of Broad Street Road at the Henrico County line is moving through the development process.

The long-awaited Chick Fil A opened in June.

There were District specific town hall meetings in the spring, but not in the fall.

Jeremy Raley, Ed. D. left the position of superintendent of Goochland Schools, which he held since 2016, in April to take a job at the state board of education. On July 13, Michael Cromartie, Ed. D. was sworn in as his successor.

We had local elections that brought many new faces to local government, three supervisors, four members of the school board, and a Commonwealth’s Attorney. Goochland also has new representation in state government. Former delegate John McGuire was elected to District 10 seat in the Virginia Senate. Tom Garrett and David Owen were elected to represent the 56^th District and 57^th Districts respectively in the House of Delegates.

What will 2024 bring? Who knows? Those elected to office in 2019 inherited a well-run county and school division. Then the black swan of Covid flew into the world and changed everything.

Thanks to careful management and resourcefulness at every level of government, Goochland crawled out from under the pandemic relatively unscathed.

There are many known challenges ahead.

We’re in very good shape financially. Housing prices in the county have held up well in the face of rising interest rates. This means a likely increase in property assessments, which translates into higher tax revenues. Will the supervisors keep the 53-cent tax rate, or lower it? Last year, in the face of ballooning used car values, they lowered the personal property tax rate.

Budget season is in full swing. This is the time for citizens to pay attention to how county tax dollars are spent, not when they get their tax bills in May. Inflation, whose grubby hand is in everyone’s pocket, will impact the county’s costs next year. Salaries must remain competitive to retain the wonderful people that make our schools and local government excellent. The price tag for everything has gone up. Reconciling departmental needs with available funds will be vital to continued success.

Land use and economic development will remain contentious issues needing hard choices. Constructive citizen engagement is vital to good government when considered by elected officials when making decisions.

May our new officials govern wisely and well. May your 2024 be filled with good health, love, laughter, and few surprises!