March begins

 

A new and familiar face graced the dais at the March 4 meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors as the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. began serving as interim county administrator.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, was present virtually. He said that, while away, he has had perfect attendance at all meetings, county wide and regional and a 100 percent reply rate to all phone calls, emails, and texts.

Alvarez commended Goochland Fire-Rescue for being recognized by Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin for excellence in fire services for the new live fire training structure put into service last summer. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1243 or GOMM post  “Put the wet stuff on the red stuff” for details.

Town Hall meetings

Board chair Tom Winfree, District 3, reminded all of the upcoming town hall meetings. They are scheduled as follows: District 1, Monday, March 24 at Byrd Elementary School 2704 Hadensville Fife Road; Districts 4 and 5 Thursday, March 27 at the Residence Inn at the Notch, opposite the Wawa in Centerville; and Districts 2 and 3 on Monday, March 31 at the county administration buildings 1800 Sandy  Hook Road in Courthouse Village. All sessions begin at 6 p.m. Supervisors, school board members and staff will be present.

Please try to attend one of these meetings to get details about the county budget for FY26, which begins on July 1. A proposed budget presented on February 18 seemed to indicate that despite increases in property values, there will be no funds to fill vacant and needed positions unless the tax rate is increased. At their March 4 meeting, the supervisors approved a change to finance policy to reduce the percentage of funds that must be held in reserve. Except for a workshop with the supervisors and school board on March 11, no further budget work sessions have been scheduled. Hopefully, information presented at the town hall meetings will clarify the county’s fiscal position.

A second community meeting about the update of Parks and Rec Master Plan is scheduled for March 18 at Salem Baptist Church starting at 6 p.m. Given the alleged budget constraints, it seems curious that the county is spending money on a consultant to update the plan with initiatives for which there is no funding.

 

Pamunkey Regional Library

Trustees of the Pamunkey Regional Library representing Goochland, current chair Barbara Young and Barbara Slone, presented a library update. They asked the supervisors to approve the request from King William County to exit the library system effective June 30, 2025, which they did at part of the consent agenda. Hanover, the other PRL member recently approved of the withdrawal.

Recruitment for a new PRL director continues. Audits of PRL, which had been in arrears, are current and the next is in process.

Young reported that hotspots, devices that enable locations not served by broadband to access the internet, are still in great demand and generate a waiting list. Hotspots from the King William libraries will be added to the PRL supply in the summer. Charlie Vaughters, District 4, asked about the cost of hotspots and if more could be added to help Goochlanders without broadband access.

Digital access to the Richmond Times Dispatch is also available. “Just for kids” a streaming service that allows parents to select from thousands of videos and storybooks for children from 2 to 10, is another new PRL service. Go to https://www.pamunkeylibrary.org/ for details. Library cards are free for all residents of Goochland.

PRL trustees, said Young, are reviewing all library operations and policies to ensure that services and staffing meet the needs of patrons. Young thanked the supervisors for funding additional hours at the Goochland branch, which is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

A used book sale will be held at the Master Gardeners’ April 26 Garden fest at Reynolds Community College.

Library lockers have been deployed in Goochland that allow patrons to pick up materials at their convenience outside of regular library hours. Vaughters asked if these lockers could be placed in the east and western portions of the county to expand library access. He contended that while building brick and mortar libraries is challenging, installing library lockers might be simpler.

Jonathan Lyle, District 5, asked if proffers earmarked for library capital projects, which he estimated at $75k, have been used. Proffer funds, which can only be used for capital projects, have an expiration date, so use it or lose it pertains. New carpet in the Goochland branch will be installed later this year.

 

Broadband

A virtual town hall meeting will be conducted by Firefly for residents in the Tabscott and Caledonia areas on Thursday, March 13 at 4 p.m. Holding a virtual town hall to discuss broadband deployment to people without internet access seems contradictory. Go to https://www.fireflyva.com/town-halls/ to register.

Gary Wood, Persident and CEO of Firefly Fiber Broadband, said that work connecting Goochlanders was slowed by winter weather. Damage to a cable in the Carterville area required repair. Wood was optimistic that the pace of connections would pick up going forward. Go to https://www.fireflyva.com/partners-goochland/ for details about work progress in Goochland.

Wood reported that the initial “take rate” the percentage of people able to connect to Firefly has been about 60 percent, higher than the expected 35 to 45 percent. People who have other internet services may wait until their current contract expires to connect. Some people may not be interested in internet connection, or homes that are not occupied year-round may not want the service.

Homes up 2,500 feet from the road will be connected at no charge when Firefly is working in the area. Wood said that low income homes at a greater distance would not be charged for hook ups. Otherwise, the fee is $1.10 per foot. So far, only a handful of customers in the 14 county Firefly territory have been charged.

There are no connection charges for Firefly. The initial $49.99 bill includes the router. “We work hard to keep our prices as affordable as possible,” said Wood.

May their work proceed smoothly to connect all of Goochland to the internet.