Library of Virginia coming to Goochland

 

Library of Virginia on the Go and Community Partners

Friday, July 26, 2024

Library of Virginia on the Go is coming to the Goochland Branch Library on Friday, July 26th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

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Library of Virginia on the Go is heading to Goochland in its new custom-made van.  Bring the family for an engaging day of children's activities, and dive into Virginia's rich history with Virginia Untold, uncovering the stories of enslaved and free black Virginians before 1867, and Virginia Chronicle, a treasure trove for genealogists and local history enthusiasts.

Community partners sharing information at the event include:

• Goochland Historical Society
• Friends of the Goochland Library
• Goochland Powhatan Community Services
• Goochland Fire and Rescue
• Chickahominy Health Department
• Senior Navigator

Four walls with tomorrow inside

 

A river otter is the mascot for the new GES

A magical building on Bulldog Way has blossomed from Goochland’s red clay. Bright colors and imaginative spaces signal that marvelous and important learning will happen here.

This is the new Goochland Elementary School, introduced to the community at a July 18 ribbon cutting ceremony. School board members, past and present, county supervisors, past and present, and even Superintendents of our school division, past and present, lined up to cut a bright orange ribbon. Also present was Grace Creasey President of the Virginia Board of Education and Fifth District Congressman Bob Good.

Cutting the ribbon. The panel at the rear rises to allow entry.

Ground was broken for the new school on February 9, 2023, with the promise that it would be ready to welcome students at the start of the 2024 school year, August 19. It will open on time and under budget.

The road to making the dream of a new GES reality was long, winding, and the product of many difficult conversations. Our school division collaborated with all county agencies to make the dream of a new GES, first recommended in 1996 by the Goochland Commission on the Future, a reality. Community support for the project was evidenced by overwhelming approval of a bond referendum in 2021.

The building is huge, more than 140k square feet of innovative 21^st century learning space to accommodate up to 700 students. Its design is a far cry from schools of yore whose classrooms featured precise rows of desks. Flexibility is the key word here. In a third-grade class, for instance, triangular desks grouped in fours, place students face to face to encourage collaboration, but can easily be reconfigured.  The mascot of the new school is the river otter.

Third grade classroom offers flexibility.

Principal Tina McCay

Tina McCay, GES principal, welcomed the community to her new school, a hub of innovation. “This building is a symbol of our commitment to excellence in education where students can learn, grow, and thrive.” She thanked everyone for making this day a reality and said she is excited for what the future holds. “Let this school be a place where every student can reach their full potential. I am deeply honored to be entrusted with this building. I do not have words to describe this beautiful building.”

Goochland Superintendent of Schools Michael Cromartie Ed. D., who joined the Goochland school family about a year ago, shared his excitement as he watched the building grow. He recognized many special guests, including former superintendent Jeremy Raley, Ed. D. who is currently Chief of Staff at the Virginia Department of Education. Goochland School CFO Debbie White and construction superintendent Ryan Waldrop. “Debbie White managed this process, and I am eternally grateful to her,” said Cromartie.

Debbie White dressed to match the school color scheme

Goochland Board of Supervisors Chair Charlie Vaughters, District 4, thanked everyone who dedicated countless hours to bring the new school from idea to reality. “It doesn’t just take a village; it takes a county.” He also thanked all county educators who work tirelessly every day to ensure that each student reaches their full potential. “We cut this ribbon on a band new Goochland Elementary School, which provides so many great resources and tools for teachers who work their magic and makes our children geniuses.”

Echoes of the James River flow through the school

School Board Chair Angela Allen, District 3, welcomed all to the new GES. “Today we gather to celebrate a momentous occasion, the ribbon cutting for this school, a day 67 years in the making, a generational project for the county. (65 years ago, the “old GES opened) It is one of the highest capital investments in Goochland history.” Allen thanked citizens for entrusting the school board to be good stewards in investing tax dollars for this school.  Project partners, Stantec, MBP, and Shockey were thanked for designing and building a remarkable school to meet the learning needs of county students for decades to come.

Porthole on the future

Library

“A school is four walls with tomorrow inside,” said Allen. “Our new Goochland Elementary School holds tomorrow for 700 students, each filled with great promise and unlimited potential. Each classroom will be a space for curiosity, creativity, and growth.”

Jim Yatzeck of MBP, project manager for the school, recalled the vision laid out for the new GES. “They wanted a school that was high quality, adaptable, collaborative, engaging, student centered, age appropriated, and connected to the site and nature. This vision is now a reality.”

connected to nature

A representative of Shockey thanked the community for allowing the company to be part of the project, “your hospitality has been humbling. Architects and educators from around the country will want to see the great things you’re doing here. Kudos for challenging us to design a school that is of this place. This school is unique to Goochland because place matters. The inspiration for the design is your very own James River, which was a metaphor for learning and your students. The way the river flows so to do your children matriculate. The way the river carves a path, so do your children chart their own course. The way the river has banks so do your children have teachers as guides.”

Presentation space

As the ribbon was cut, a panel that separates classrooms from the flex space entrance hall rose to open the school for exploration. Soon, excited exclamations from children and parents filled the air.

One of the speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony said that when you build a school you never know who will walk thought its doors on their way to a remarkable life. May walking through the doors of the new GES be the first step of an exceptional journey in learning.

Some photos. 

the gym

Playground

A stairway to possibilities

Cafeteria

 

 

 

 

 

In pursuit of excellence

 

We give little thought to fire-rescue until we need to call 911. Then we expect instantaneous response from competent providers. This does not happen by accident. Our local first responders work long and hard to meet those expectations.

On July 16^th, Goochland Fire-Rescue and emergency Services earned an EMS Gold level project lifeline award from The American Heart Association Project Lifeline.

The award states “Congratulations! On behalf of the American Heart Association (AHA), we would like to extend our congratulations on achieving the following for 2024 Mission: Lifeline® EMS Recognition.  Your agency is part of an elite group of prehospital providers recognized by the American Heart Association for your commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care, by ensuring that every STEMI patient receives treatment according to nationally accepted evidence-based guideline recommendations and standards.”

A  communication about this award—it was not the first time that Goochland Fire-Rescue has been recognized for excellence in this area—from Chief Ferguson said “This is a special recognition which is a direct reflection of the department’s ability to deliver state of the art prehospital cardiac and stroke care, all-encompassing of Cardiac and STEMI patient care protocols, including Pre-Hospital 12 Lead EKGs performed in a timely manner, and transport to the appropriate hospital, a PCI Center (Cath Lab).   This award is truly a TEAM achievement.  Special thanks to our EMS Providers, Operational Medical Directors, Department Leadership, County Administration, and the Board of Supervisors for supporting our department in all the ways they do, making possible the medical direction, protocols, training, funding, and the lifesaving equipment to provide the level of care we do for our patients.  Special thanks to Assistant OMD Dr. Josh Loyd, Captain Chase Stigberg, and Deputy Chief Watkins for their time spent completing our AHA ML application.”

Lt. Martin

Earlier this month, Fire-Rescue Lieutenant Kristen Martin successfully completed the process that awards the professional designation of “Fire Officer” (FO). The Commission on Professional Credentialing® (CPC®) met on July 9, 2024, to confer the designation. Lieutenant Martin becomes one of only 41 FOs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of only 743 FOs worldwide. 

The Designation program is a voluntary program designed to recognize individuals who demonstrate their excellence in seven measured components including experience, education, professional development, professional contributions, association membership, community involvement, and technical competence. In addition, all applicants are required to identify a future professional development plan. 

The FO designation program uses a comprehensive peer review model to evaluate candidates seeking the credential. The Commission on Professional Credentialing awards the designation only after an individual successfully meets all the organization’s stringent criteria. 

Achieving this designation signifies Lieutenant Martin’s career commitment to the fire and emergency services.

 

This professional designation is valid for three years. Maintaining the designation requires recipients to show continued growth in the areas of professional development, professional contributions, active association membership, and community involvement as well as adhere to a strict code of professional conduct. 

The Commission on Professional Credentialing, an entity of the Center for Public Safety Excellence®, Inc., (CPSE®) administers the Designation Program. The CPC consists of individuals from academia, federal and local government, and the fire and emergency medical services profession. To learn more about CPC, visit www.cpse.org/credentialing.

Firefighter EMT Mason Mire recently completed the Virginia Fire Officer Academy sponsored by the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association at the University of Richmond.

 

 

 

 

 

July Board highlights

 

Puzzle pieces of broadband expansion

Goochland supervisors waded through a robust agenda at their July 2 meeting.

The afternoon session, which addressed a number of housekeeping items, referenced reports on agriculture, broadband, and VDOT. Go to https://goochlandcountyva.iqm2.com/Citizens/calendar.aspx and select the 3:30 p.m. July 2 meeting to read the in their entirety.

Deputy County Administrator Josh Gillespie announced that the next Night at Tucker will be held on Friday, July 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Tucker Parker on Rt. 522 south of Rt.6. Live music and food trucks will be available.

National Night Out will take place on Tuesday, August 6 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the Goochland Courthouse Green. The evening session of the Board of Supervisors will start at 7 p.m. that evening so the board can attend night out.

The Board approved a resolution designating July as Parks and Recreation Month. The resolution states in part that the people and facilities of the Goochland Parks and Rec department promote health and wellness improving the physical and mental health of the community. Department facilities accommodate a variety of sports, walking trails, mountain biking trails, dog parks, skateboarding, disc golf, pickleball, playgrounds, cultural and arts programs, blacksmithing, and many other activities designed to encourage active and engaged lifestyles for our citizens.

The presentation of these reports has been removed from the agenda to streamline meetings. Comments and questions from supervisors about these subjects often helped clarify board members’ understanding of these reports, especially when they impact their district, such as the progress of broadband extension District 1.

 

Agriculture

Unlicensed farm use vehicle legislation went into effect on July 1. Pickup trucks, panel trucks and SUVs with a gross weight rating of under 7,500 pounds are required to obtain the permanent farm use placard from the DMV.

The second annual Agriculture Fair will be held on Saturday August 3 at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Center in Sandy Hook from 8-3. Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District will join the Goochland 4H Club, equipment suppliers, and state agriculture and conservation organizations at this event.

Goochland Farm Bureau is working with the county to organize a farm tire recycling/amnesty event in November. The size and weight of these large tires makes recycling them difficult.

Goochland Farm Bureau is also collaborating with the county to provide feedback to VDOT on improvements to substandard bridges in the county. Large farm equipment has both width and weight requirements that, like fire apparatus, make them too heavy to use structurally deficient bridges safely. It would be nice if the General Assembly would stop screaming about guns and abortion long enough to address road safety issues throughout the Commonwealth.

The Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District has an opening for a conservation education position. Go to https://www.monacanswcd.org/ for details.

Broadband

The broadband report begins on page 49 of the board packet.

Citizens in Goochland County can complete a survey at the link below to report areas of limited broadband and their need for broadband service. This is a voluntary survey that may be used by Goochland County for research, grant funding opportunities, and to confirm remaining unserved and underserved areas in the county. Citizens can contact Goochland County at broadband@goochlandva.us if they have any questions. Goochland County Survey Link - https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e588f0648532474f9cd56b2fec6e5753

There are many moving parts to broadband expansion in Goochland and several funding partners for different underserved areas of the county. Those waiting to be connected are understandably anxious and frustrated at what seems like the glacial pace of the project.

According to the July 2 report, “Firefly Fiber Broadband has about 300 contractors in the field supporting the overall regional project including 20 aerial construction teams and 25 underground construction teams.  They are building up to 40 miles of fiber construction and service extensions per week across the overall regional project area.  In addition, the pace of final connections has increased to over 250 per week.”

All projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Consent agenda.

·         Set a public hearing for August 6 to amend the parcel removal criteria of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District Ordinance.

·         Set a public hearing for August 6 to amend the TCSD ordinance to include a parcel at12693 Pamela Lane

·         Amended FY25 by budgeting and appropriating $66,572 in the School Operating Fund.

·         Requested VDOT to accept roads in Mosaic Section 5 into the state secondary roadway system.

·         Authorized the County Administrator to execute an agreement with VDOT for Pedestrian Facilities Outside the Right of Way for Mosaic at West Creek Section 5

·         Approved a resolution supporting Smart Scale funding applications.

 

Public Hearings

In addition to the public hearings addressed in previous posts, the supervisors took the following actions:

·         Deferred a rezoning application by Sydney and Sydney Developments, LLC to August 6.

·         Approved a conditional use application (CUP) for Atlantic Tower to construct a cell tower on Cartersville Road. District 1 Supervisor Jonathan Christie said the tower is badly needed to improve cell service in the area.

·         Deferred a decision to October 1, on an application filed by Donna and Bradley Reynolds to amend their CUP for Bandit’s Ridge, in western Goochland to add unhosted short term rental and winery to the current event venue use.  This will allow the applicant to clarify how food service at the winery would be classified.

·         Approved a CUP application filed by Ian Hemstock to operate a gunsmith shop with no shooting range at 5764 Community House Road.

·         Approved a CUP application filed by Cornelious Dandridge for small contractor storage for is landscaping business on 1.87 acres on Sandy Hook Road near its intersection with Whitehall Road. The application asked for exceptions to lot size, setback, and screening requirements in this commercial area. The supervisors have the authority to grant exceptions. Neil Spoonhower, District 2, observed that "there is so much goodness wrapped up in this, solving real problems for real people. We’re helping a person that has a successful business, employing great young men and giving them opportunities. We crafted an ordinance to meet this need.”

·         Approved a rezoning application filed by RHVA Goochland, LLC for 3.452 acres on the south side of Broad Street Road, just west of Rt. 288 from R-3 to Interchange commercial B-3 with proffered conditions for a two-story medical office building. This is located in the prime economic development area.

 

 

Ready to protect, proud to serve

(ltr) Mike East, Troy May, Todd Clingenpeel, Steven Creasey, Jason Behr, Board Chair Charlie Vaughters, and John Lancaster. (Goochland County photo)

Modern law enforcement is a lot more complicated than slapping a badge and rounding up the usual suspects.

The Goochland County Sheriff’s Office is our primary law enforcement agency, proving a wide array of public safety services for the county. These include patrol, investigations, community outreach and education, the 911 call center, security of three courtrooms, movement of prisoners, and enforcement of court orders.

Deputies enforce all criminal and traffic laws, patrol all 284 square miles of Goochland 24/7/365, and investigate more than 95 percent of criminal complaints in the county.

The reputation for excellence that the GCSO has in the law enforcement community does not happen by accident.

Since 1999, under the direction of former Sheriff James L. Agnew, the GCSO, became one of the first agencies to earn accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Division (https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/law-enforcement/virginia-law-enforcement-professional-standards-commission)

On July 2, Todd Clingenpeel, Program Manager for the DCJS Virgina Center for Accreditation, on behalf of Secretary of the Commonwealth Terrance Cole and DCJS Director Jackson Miller, joined by accreditation manager Taylor Fisher and DCJS Division Director Harvey Powers to present GCSO with its seventh accreditation.

Clingenpeel said that the process began on March 25 when DCJS sent three highly trained assessors to Goochland to evaluate every aspect of the GCSO. The team went into files, interviewed citizens, employees, looking at 192 specific standards and 570 items to meet DCJS criteria. They passed with flying colors. Since 1999, the GCSO has undergone this rigorous examination seven times and come out with a glowing response.

The team, said Clingenpeel, reported that the GCSO was professional, highly knowledgeable, and excellent representatives of the county and community. They also said that there is a strong commitment throughout the agency to excellence, that it is a well led, exemplary organization.

According to Clingenpeel, the lead assessor, who has been with the program since its start, said that this year’s GCSO assessment was the finest she had ever seen.

Goochland Sheriff Steven Ned Creasey thanked Clingenpeel and DCJS for the award and kind words.

“This is not my award, this is not the Goochland County Sheriff’s award, this is the Goochland County award because we could not do this if we did not have the support of the citizens of Goochland and the Commonwealth. Without the support of this Board (of supervisors) and the prior board, we could not be where we are today. Even though I’m sometimes the face of the organization, the heavy lifters are the accreditation team, the deputies, and dispatchers. They’re the ones who deserve the credit for doing what they do each and every day.”

Creasey thanked the accreditation team comprised of Mike East, Troy May, Jason Baehr, and John Lancaster for their hard work on the project.

The GCSO is an integral part of what makes Goochland special, and safe. To learn more about GCSO go to https://www.goochlandsheriff.com/ Be sure to watch the video under the “about” tab.

Plan to attend National Night Out on the Goochland Courthouse green on Tuesday, August 6 beginning at 6 p.m. to meet the GCSO and other community organizations.

 

 

Roads part next

 

Road safety is a concern throughout Goochland. At their July 2 transportation workshop, the supervisors discussed major road projects and potential funding sources.

Concerns about treacherous conditions on Rockville Road, at the northern edge of the Centerville Village, were discussed after several citizens raised the alarm about the poorly designed entrance to the Tuckahoe Bridge North subdivision, which has already been the scene of a serious wreck even before construction was completed.

Citizens listed other dangerous road conditions—everyone reading this can undoubtedly add their own to the list—throughout Goochland during citizen comments later in the day. This does not take into account deficient bridges, whose weight limits make them unable to support fire trucks, forcing first responders to use circuitous routes adding precious time to emergency response.

Ben Slone of Maidens contended that transportation decisions should use real time traffic data in addition to the “snapshot” data in transportation impact analyses (TIA) provided by VDOT or reports generated by traffic engineers hired by developers.

“Citizens are aware of actual traffic conditions,” he said. Slone, who lives near Fairground Road, and has closely follows traffic there, reported that the accident rate on Fairground Road is statistically higher than projected by VDOT, but declined last year because the increased traffic has slowed traffic.

Slone also urged the supervisors to retain control over rules governing safety mitigation features like turn lanes and be more restrictive than VDOT guidelines. “We have some very good developers in Goochland who understand what they need to do and work with staff (to support safety).”

Marjorie Mayo of District 1 used a brief slide presentation to illustrate her concerns about road safety issues in western Goochland. She has discussed these danger spots with VDOT before but brought them up again because increased traffic has made them even more perilous. These included the RT. 250 corridors in Hadensville Village, and Rt.6 through Georges Tavern, both busy commercial areas with awkward intersections.

Mayo contended that the 55mph speed limit in those areas is too high. Crozier, which has far less commercial activity, has a 45-mph speed limit. She also pointed out that there are no centerlines on the 55 mph narrow, windy, hilly Community House Road. Its intersection with Lowery Road is at a huge blind spot requiring navigation of narrow bridges. She also asked when the bridge over White Hall Creek, where rough pavement requires hard breaking to avoid alignment damage, will be fixed.

Marshall Winn, Administrator for the VDOT Ashland Residency, said that previous VDOT speed studies in both Hadensville and Georges Tavern did not warrant reduction speed limits. (This would be an effective use of real time data suggested by Slone. Still wondering if the VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “Oops!”— warrant process involves chicken bones and a full moon.) Winn informed the supervisors that they have no authority to change speed limits. Winn did ask for Mayo’s slides and wanted to discuss her concerns further.

During their evening July 2 session, the supervisors approved 4-1, with Jonathan Lyle, District 5, in dissent, amendments to the access management section of the county subdivision ordinance.

According to the amended ordinance “…Access management regulations are applied to roads for the purpose of reducing traffic accidents, personal injury, and property damage attributed to poorly designed access systems; thereby improving the safety and operation of the road network. This protects the substantial public investment in the existing transportation system and reduces the need for expensive remedial measures. These regulations also further the orderly layout and use of land, protect community character, and conserve natural resources by promoting well-designed roads and access systems. Finally, these regulations support the goals of the major thoroughfare plan.” (See the July 2 board packet for the entire ordinance.)

The amended ordinance goes into detail about items including road classifications, right of way, and road design and construction.

Ray Cash, Assistant Director of Community Development explained that the amendments are intended to ensure consistency with the county’s major thoroughfare plan (go to the “Transportation” tab on the county website Goochland va.us to read this.)

Among the changes/additions are provisions for  “no frontage spine roads” in  subdivisions of 200 or more homes; to create ultimate right of way to ensure that new construction is set back far enough from existing roads to accommodate future widening or improvement of those roads; use of alleys in townhome developments; and wider roads to enable parking without restricting access by fire-rescue apparatus. The most contentious change, increasing the number of homes in a major subdivision (five or more lots) that trigger the requirement for a left turn lane from five to ten if the subdivision is on an arterial or collector road and removing the supervisors’ ability to grant waivers on turn lanes.

Comments made during the public hearing addressed road safety and housing cost. A resident of Wickham Glen, a more than 10 lot neighborhood on River Road, roughly opposite St. Mary’s Church, with only a right turn lane at its entrance, urged the supervisors to retain the five-lot requirement to enhance safety as the county grows to handle increasing traffic on River Road.

Mitchell Bode of Boone Homes, headquartered in Centerville, said that he and other members of the Home Builders Association of Richmond have been discussing access management with staff for about eight months. He contended that “the cost of a turn lane can work on a development of smaller than 20 lots. Goochland County has a single home median sales price of $643k and an average sales price of $813K.” These far exceed similar costs in neighboring counties, Bode said, contending that the requirements in the ordinance would only compound the issue. All costs associated with building wider roads and turn lanes are passed on to the purchaser, increasing the cost of homes, reducing the number of homes available, which will drive up assessments and tax bills. “All of this is being done in the name of safety. While the building community will always support providing safe communities, the overall cost of the requirements has to be considered.” Bode voiced support for the 20-lot minimum and urged the supervisors to find another solution to keep construction costs down “during this time of housing affordability crisis.”

Louise Thompson a local realtor who is also involved in development, pointed out that the five lot turn lane requirement can be an impediment for developing land that, while it meets all other requirements, cannot acquire the road frontage needed to build the turn lanes. This could also be an obstacle to building homes with more modest price tags. She urged the supervisors to retain the ability to grant waivers. “Having massive houses on large lots does not create affordability," Thompson said.

Two turn lane waivers have been granted by the supervisors since 2020, in areas where it made sense.

Lyle advocated to retain the five-lot requirement and grant waivers when appropriate, which was the main reason that he voted against the amendment.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that the supervisors can decline any project they do not deem safe. “We’ve been signaling loud and clear to our citizens that we want to keep it rural. They’re fine with the high prices because they’re already here. ...In the next 5, 10, 20 years down the road when developers don’t want to do anything in Goochland County because we’re too restrictive. We already had the tools at hand to decline a case we do not see as safe. I also signal to our partners in the development community that we’re willing to work with you and say that this is a good place to do business.”

Lyle commended his fellow board members for their thoughtful consideration of the matter.

Vice Chair Tom Winfree, District 3, contended that the amended ordinance is a compromise. It neither sends a signal that Goochland is against development nor opens the floodgate

 

 

 

 

Road work

 

On Tuesday July 2, the Goochland Board of Supervisors held a transportation workshop led by County Engineer Austin Goyne.

Setting priorities for transportation projects—Goochland relies on VDOT to build and maintain its roads—is vital to secure funding from a bewildering array of governmental sources. Goochland competes with other locations throughout Virginia for state road dollars. As a small county, it is vital for Goochland to justify funding requests in terms of their local and regional importance.

The county has had success in securing funding for projects including the realignment of Hockett and Ashland Roads, which has been on the radar screen for at least 11 years. A four-lane diverging diamond with a second Ashland Road bridge over I64, and a roundabout to mitigate the dangerous malfunction of the westbound off ramp at Oilville Road also are fully funded. While we’d all like to wave a magic wand to complete these projects instantly, road building is a lengthy and complicated process, that moves at glacial speed.

Goyne said that the next step in the Ashland Road/I64 interchange project, the county’s “number one transportation priority”, is public engagement. An online survey, which runs from July 2 to 15 (https://publicinput.com/i64-ashlandrd_alternatives) seeks input from citizens. Please take the time to share your thoughts. Construction of this project is expected to begin June 2028 for completion in 2031.

The Hockett Road realignment project, whose public hearing was held on June 11, with construction expected to start in May 2028. The signalized intersection of Hockett and Broad Street Roads will remain unchanged.

Funds to build the Oilville Road/I64 westbound ramp roundabout were awarded by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) on June 18. Project design is underway. Construction must begin by October 2026 and is currently on track to meet this deadline.

The design of the Fairground Road extension, to connect to Rt 6, is in progress. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

Goyne explained that the county is always looking for funding sources for other projects in the transportation queue. To secure these dollars, specific projects must be identified and prioritized, and the supervisors must approve resolutions of support before they can be submitted for consideration by various state agencies.

Virginia uses a mechanism called “Smart Scale” to allocate scarce road dollars. (Go to https://smartscale.virginia.gov/ for details.) This process includes competitive rounds and criteria for selecting those projects worthy of funding.

Goochland submits projects for each funding cycle. The July 2 Board meeting agenda included a resolution of support for the current Smart Scale submission including a roundabout at the intersection of Fairground and Maidens Road; further improvements to the 288/250 interchange; a southbound auxiliary lane on Rt. 288; and a hard shoulder running lane on Rt. 288 south.

A study of West Creek Area Transportation Access, which began earlier this year, will test the major thoroughfare plan and determine if it needs to be amended. Its public survey drew 1,337 comments from 997 respondents, which Goyne contended was robust response. A working group that met on June 26 identified top issues—no surprise—as safety, speeding, congestion, and proper future planning. Completion of this study is expected in 2025.

Building a sidewalk along the west side of River Road West in Courthouse Village between Reed Marsh behind the library and Goochland Cares scored very low in the funding sweepstakes. Projected cost to install the approximately half mile of sidewalk is $1,696,329, approximately $642.54 per linear foot.

Goyne said that federal funds are available for this project but require a 50 percent match from the locality. He suggested that $960k currently earmarked in the capital improvement plan (CIP) for the first phase of the East End trail system be transferred to the sidewalk project, to be replaced by east end cash proffers.

The first phase of the East End Trail system, about 1.5 miles between the now defunct West Creek Medical Center and Hardywood Brewery roughly along the TCSD sewer right of way, which was allegedly fully funded and ready to begin construction before Covid, may never be built. VDOT grant funds for the project were returned after traversing wetlands required redesign, or something. Jonathan Lyle, District 5, suggested that it’s time to either make the East End Trail happen, or abandon it rather than waste staff time and other resources.

The county has retained the engineering firm of RK&K https://www.rkk.com/ to help craft a mechanism to identify and prioritize transportation projects. A proposed scoring scheme gives the following weights: safety 30 percent; congestion 20 percent; economic development access 20 percent; bike/pedestrian transit accessibility 10 percent; cost effectiveness 15 percent; and project readiness 5 percent. The goal is to figure out the benefit a particular project brings to the citizens and county following in-depth analysis with a Goochland specific grading system.

Goyne explained that the county chases many “pots of money” to fund transportation projects. Priorities for these projects are fluid and can be reordered depending on circumstances. During summer and fall of 2024 staff and RK&K will fine tune the criteria to rank projects. In December, a draft priority list will be presented to the supervisors and the final list in March 2025 to enable fall 2025 funding applications.

Rockville Road was next on the agenda. Highfield, a proposed 100 plus home subdivision on Rockville Road, just south of I64, rekindled concerns about the danger of this narrow winding road where seven crosses mark the location of traffic fatalities.

 As the 49 lot Tuckahoe Bridge North subdivision on Rockville Road nears completion area residents contend that its entrance has significant safety deficiencies including line of sight at the top of a blind hill. A recent serious accident there brought the issue into focus. Designed to accommodate traffic for 49 homes, Highfield’s proposed design could funnel far more vehicles through an already treacherous intersection.

Goyne said that line of sight and topography issues at the Tuckahoe Bridge North entrance as well as chronic speeding prompted a request to VDOT for a safety study, whose completion is expected around October.

If that study recommends simple mitigation with striping and signage, said Goyne, it’s a quick fix. Recommendations requiring additional construction are more complicated because funding sources will need to be identified.

Board Chair Charlie Vaughters, District 4, contended that road improvements cannot compensate for motorists, local and from outside Goochland, who far exceed speed limits and may be distracted or impaired. All the safety studies in the world cannot make people drive responsibly. He said that the Sheriff’s Office may need to be involved to address the speeding issue.

The Central Virginia Transportation Authority is considering issuing $300 million in bonds to fund regional transportation projects. The only project that Goochland might be eligible for funding from this initiative is the tunnel under 288 to reconnect Three Chopt Road by Drive Shack.

There are many unanswered questions about this, including any possible negative impact on Goochland’s “triple triple” bond rating. Other members of the CVTA, including the City of Richmond, have fiscal philosophies different from ours.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, represents Goochland on the CVTA. He explained that it was launched to better compete with other regions in the state.  New taxes were put in place, a one percent sales tax and seven cents on every gallon of gas sold in the county. “I’m not thrilled about new taxes, but we have benefitted from about a hundred million dollars (in road funding) for the two million we contributed. I’ll take that pay off any day, but we probably won’t see much more because most of our regional projects have been funded.”

He contended that smaller localities in the CVTA including Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent, and Charles City will not see the same benefit from the bonding as Richmond and Chesterfield. “We’re pretty tight with the purse string around here and better for it.” Spoonhower speculated that the $300 million has already been spent.

There seemed to be consensus that the supervisors want more information about the bonding matter and potential adverse impacts on Goochland.  

To listen to the entire session, visit the “watch county meetings” tab on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/.