The way we were

 

 

During the April 1 meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors, Robin Lind, president of the Goochland Historical Society https://www.goochlandhistory.org/ and Goochland Geographical Information Systems Director Jon Worley introduced a new addition to the county website, a historic map viewer that provides a glimpse into Goochland’s past. 

Lind said that, for the past five years, he and Worley have been collaborating to add a historical map viewer to the GIS system. “The impetus for making this public is the exhibit now at the Library of Virginia, https://www.lva.virginia.gov/,  called “mapping the Commonwealth 1816 to 1826”, said Lind.

This new tool overlays current conditions with a choice of historic maps, from 1820, 1863, 1880, 1916, and 1932, when county roads were taken over by VDOT, and the most recent from 1961. Many roads in the county have changed, disappeared, or moved over the years.

In 1816, Lind explained, Virginia Governor William Cary Nicholas retained surveyor John Wood to survey the entire state, which then had 146 counties, as West Virginia had not yet separated. The final product, completed by Herman Boyer in 1824—Wood died in 1822—was almost 44 square feet in size.  The room in which the final map was displayed required a 14-foot ceiling to accommodate its size.

Faint handwriting on the eastern edge of Goochland on this map indicates the presence of granite, which Luck Stone, headquartered in Goochland, has quarried more than 500 tons of granite in the past century, said Lind.

The 1863 Gilmer map, created by John Gilmer, a member of the Confederate States Corps of Engineers, is highly detailed showing roads, mills, taverns, and churches. The map viewer lets you zoom into the image for a closer look.

The 1880 map, created by topographical engineer John George, a member of the family who gave their name to Georges Tavern, shows geological formations of coal in the east, gold in the west, and iron and plumbago—also known as graphite—in the middle. It also indicates landowners, some of those names are still familiar. Faint red lines, said Lind, show roads that were abandoned over time or moved. The George map estimated the county’s size as 320 square miles, a little larger than today’s 290, and indicated that it marked 160 square miles of cleared land, 80 square miles of original forest and a similar amount of secondary growth. The map also reports a school population of 3,581 students in 35 schools, 24 churches, and 19 mills.

On VDOT’s 1932, the road we now know at Rt. 250, was labeled 41. Since then, VDOT adopted a numbering protocol that used even numbers for east-west routes and odd numbers for north-south roads.

Lind expects that the historical map viewer will be an important tool for residents, planners, and historians studying Goochland County’s development as it grows.

The tool is available on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

Rural is as rural does

 

At the April 1 meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors, Keith Burgess  District Manager, Conservation Specialist, and Freedom of information act officer for the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District (https://www.monacanswcd.org/) astutely observed the value and role of institutional knowledge. This can be defined as the collective memory of an organization that forms an operational blueprint formed by the collective experience, skillsets and knowledge of employees gained over time.

Transmitting this knowledge to people as an organization evolves prepares people to adapt to situations as they arise, avoid repeating past mistakes, and wasting time bringing new employees up to speed.  This, said Burgess, takes years of conversation and teamwork to transfer the collective operational memory of an organization between leadership and staff. Too often, when experienced employees leave an organization, their institutional knowledge goes with them, creating an operational void.

Burgess welcomed The Hon. Manuel Alvarez as interim county administrator, whose deep knowledge of county operations will get things back on track.

The MSWCD does more than any other organization to keep Goochland rural by supporting agriculture and protecting the environment.

Among its functions are working with local farmers to help them implement best management practices that both increase their productivity and protect the environment. The MSWCD administers the Virginia Cost Share program that helps farmers fence livestock out of streams and build alternate water sources for their animals. See the website for details.

Burgess reported that the MSWCD, like many agencies, is working on its budget as governmental funding sources remain in flux.

According to GIS, Burgess said there are 16,000 parcels of land in Goochland County, 11,000, or 89 percent, of which, are zoned agricultural. Of those “ag” parcels, only 3,300 are larger than five acres, 1,700 of which are enrolled in the land use valuation program. Currently, there are approximately 155 conservation easements—which preclude development in perpetuity—some of which have an assessed valuation of zero.

A 30 plus year employee of MSWCD, Burgess contended that he has probably forgotten some of MSWCD services and projects completed over the years for the benefit of Goochland County. These include serving as environmental inspector; reviewing plans of development and providing unbiased environmental comments; conducting land use seminars; and being recognized at the state level for multiple projects. Innovative ideas crafted by the MSWCD have also gotten national and international attention.

More recently, MSWCD staff, which is headquartered at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Center in Sandy Hook, found a water leak that had eluded county staff which lead to a fast and economical repair without hiring outside contractors.

Thanks to Burgess and the staff and directors of MSWCD for their part in keeping Goochland rural.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking it on the road

 

 Spring District town hall meetings were held at the end of March. Attendance at the District 1 meeting on March 24 was sparse. Districts 4 and 5 had a more robust turnout on the 27^th., however, attendance at the final one for Districts 2 and 3 on the 31 was lackluster, but perhaps attributable to the county being under a tornado watch at the time. All sessions were livestreamed and archived on the “watch county meetings” tab on the Goochland website https://www.goochlandva.us/. Please take a look at one or all of the presentations.

The Hon. Manuel Alverez, Jr., former District 2 supervisor, currently serving as interim county administrator while the supervisors recruit for that position, presented an update on county matters. This included an overview of the proposed county budget for FY26, which starts on July 1. The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget 6 p.m. on April 1 and approve the FY26 budget and set county tax rates for calendar year 2025 on April 15.

Alvarez outlined where the county plans to spend tax dollars, highlighting revisions to the proposed budget the former county administrator presented in February on his way out the door. These include funding for six new fire-rescue employees, up from none in the February proposal, but fewer than the 12 initially requested.

Using graphs and charts, Alverez illustrated changes to local government expenditures in the past few years. The most dramatic increase has been in public safety, especially fire-rescue, as the department adds employees to operate new stations and replace volunteers who, for decades, gave freely of their time and talents to save lives and protect property in the county. The increased costs give a true picture of the value of volunteer contributions.

Goochland’s real estate tax, rate 53 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, has remained unchanged since 2007. Increased valuations, however, have also increased tax bills. The “revolution board” that was elected in 2011 and included Alvarez, used a conservative approach to county funding to avoid repletion of bad fiscal policies that put Goochland far too close to bankruptcy. He reviewed revenue sources, including state funding. Goochland receives only 20 percent of school funding from the Commonwealth.  Alvarez contended that this is a good thing when the state cannot pass a budget because it’s relatively easy to make up for the shortfall.

The county budget is crafted being mindful of the impact of external factors, including recession and inflation, over which the county has no influence. Then there are unfunded state mandates. Alverez used the state mandated five percent salary increase for teachers, of which Goochland gets just 20 percent and has to scramble to make up the difference as an example.

He referenced some of the capital—big ticket items with a long useful life—that will be funded this year, including a $1.77 million “chiller” for the high/middle school complex. If this part of the HVAC system goes kaput, the school cannot operate, school windows don’t open anymore, and the lead time for a replacement could be years.

The school division’s presentation outlined its many accomplishments but contended that there is more to do. Goochland students’ “pass rates” on English and math were 82 and 83 percent, the numbers need to be higher, a goal being actively pursued.

Sara Worley, Director of Economic Development, gave an update on business activity. She announced the creation of the Rockville Opportunity corridor https://goochlandva.us/1396/Rockville-Opportunity-Corridor . This includes the Project Rocky Amazon Distribution Center and the Axial warehouse/office complex, both under construction.

Temporary road improvements to the Ashland Road/I-64 area that include a traffic signal at the eastbound on ramp and additional turn lanes at the westbound turn ramp will soon be in  place. Completion of the diverging diamond interchange, which includes a second bridge over I64, is expected in 2029.

Other projects in the county include HG Meats, a small local USDA regulated meat processing facility near Hadensville. This will enable local meat producers to have their animals prepared for marketing closer to home, reducing costs, and supporting local agriculture. HG Meats will not be open for retail sales and hopes to be in operation later this year.

Goochland is a land of contrasts. Residents have very different outlooks and concerns depending on their location.

Broadband expansion has many people in the upper end justifiably frustrated at the glacial pace of connectivity there, which was slowed by winter weather. People in the east end which has greater connectivity, not so much. They are concerned about growth and traffic. Those in the middle raised concerns about rumors of a battery storage facility proposed for Old Mill Road near Crozier.

While Goochland’s real estate tax rate has remained unchanged for decades, burgeoning assessments have resulted in larger tax bills. Contrary to social media posts, the supervisors have no role in property valuations, which are performed by the county assessor.

Todd Kaufman, who lives in Manakin Sabot and is a financial professional, spoke at all three town hall meetings advocating for a change in the methods used to assess property. He contended that the county could reduce the tax rate and still pay the bills.

He will explain his approach at the public hearings on the FY26 county budget tonight, April 1, beginning at 6 p.m.

Citizen engagement, beyond social media ranting, is vital for the success of local government. These meetings are a good first step, but more residents need to pay attention.