Angels among us

 

Fighting fires is physically, intellectually, and sometimes emotionally demanding. Unlike firefighters on TV who extinguish a complicated blaze and are back in the firehouse by the end of the commercial break, in the real world, fires and other emergency response activities often take many hours and people to resolve.

Fires happen at any time, regardless of weather conditions. Often the elements pose as much of a hazard to responders as the incident.

Fighting Goochland fires in recent extreme condition

                                                    (Goochland fire-rescue images)

Ensuring that firefighters have support to recover and recharge from battling a blaze is vital. Agencies with limited personnel resources like Goochland are blessed to have backup in these situations from the Metro Richmond flying Squad.

D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. Chief of Goochland Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services introduced Chief Rick Talley of the Flying Squad at the February 3 supervisors’ meeting. Talley explained the mission of his organization. A display of some of the Flying Squad’s equipment was set up in the admin building parking lot before the meeting.

Chief Rick Talley

Talley, a retired Chesterfield Fire & EMS battalion chief is a longtime friend and colleague of Ferguson. Talley has also been very active as a volunteer firefighter and district chief in Hanover County, so he understands both sides of the equation and what it takes for rural counties to provide fire and emergency medical services.

The service provided to Goochland Fire-Rescue by the Flying Squad is invaluable, said Ferguson.

Talley said that the Metro Richmond Flying Squad is an all-volunteer responder rehab agency with 38 response volunteers.  It is 100 percent funded as a 501 c (3) non-profit organization. Its membership includes active and retired duty responders both law enforcement and fire, as well as business owners, housewives, retirees, and regular citizens with a servant’s heart who want to help the community.

The Metro Richmond Flying Squad serves eight municipalities covering 2013 square miles from six response stations. They are Goochland, Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, New Kent, Hopewell, Powhatan, and Chesterfield. In 2025, the Squad ran 437 calls for service, 11 of those in Goochland.

Talley explained that rehab and recovery is an intervention designed to mitigate “the things that are messing with firefighters’ physical, physiological, and emotional stress” to sustain a member’s energy, improve performance, and decrease the likelihood of on scene injury or death.  Rehab reduces workers comp claims by fixing things to prevent injury.

When responders get fatigued and become dehydrated, they do not function as well. “That’s when we step in and work on the recovery phase to return the member’s physiological and psychological states to levels that enable them to perform additional emergency tasks, be reassigned, or be released from the scene with no adverse effects.”

The Flying Squad operates under protocols established by the National Fire Protection Association standards of dealing with firefighter health and wellness. These include relief from extreme climate and incident conditions; carcinogen removal and reduction before eating or drinking anything; rest and recovery; rehydration; replacement of calories and electrolytes; active or passive cooling or heating depending on incident types and climatic conditions; and medical assessment and monitoring.

Instant relief from scene conditions can vary. In warm weather conditions, measures, including cooling vests, are needed to quickly reduce body temperature. In cold weather firefighters sweat inside their bunker gear and chill rapidly when they stop working the blaze. The Squad sets up warming tents and has heated vests to counteract hypothermia.  On multi casualty incidents like a plane crash, they need relief from visuals of the carnage provided by a tent. Something as simple as providing dry socks is important during extended operations.

The two big killers of firefighters said Tally are cancer and cardiac events. Flying Squad members address those when they arrive on scene with hydration supplies and carcinogen reduction materials. Dehydration causes a reduction in bodily fluids, which makes the heart blood vessels thicker and blood pressure increases to counteract the depletion. “We start rehydrating them withing three to five minutes, the heart rate and blood pressure comes down, and we reset the cardiac event clock.

“To prevent absorption of carcinogens through the skin, we make firefighters clean up before eating or drinking to avoid inadvertently ingesting them.”

Tally quote the NFPA standard, “rehab is needed and required any time that firefighters are working strenuously without SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) for more than 40 minutes or after the completion of one SCBA cylinder (air bottle), when operating in extreme weather conditions, and during physically or emotionally stressful incident.”

When the Flying Squad is working on an emergency scene where law enforcement is involved, it has an occupant services protocol for people displaced by a house fire that takes care of them as they await the arrival of the Red Cross or similar agencies. It also established an animal rehab protocol, the first in North America, for responder and civilian animals rescued from fires.  

“The bottom line,” said Talley, “is that we take care of our responders and their needs because they have to go to the next scene and the next one. It’s real good stuff. I’m very proud of what we do and where we ‘ve come from,” Talley said of the organization founded in 2017.” We’re here for the firefighters, the citizens, whoever needs us. We’re always looking to continue moving forward we don’t ever sit on our laurels. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve.”

The Flying Squad worked six fires on the Saturday before the storm hit and seven fires the next Saturday and a few in between. The volunteers showed up and never complained, said Talley.

He thanked the supervisors for their support, which included donation of surplus fire-rescue vehicles.

Please visit the Richmond Flying Squad to learn more about its wonderful work at https://rvaflyingsquad.com/.

 

 

 

 

Interesting Reports

 

 

Assessments

Goochland County Assessor Mary Ann Davis presented the results of the 2026 county land assessments to the supervisors at their February 3 meeting.

Assessments reflect the fair market value as of January 1, 2026, said Davis. Notices were mailed to all landowners on January 15. Property owners have until February 17 to appeal their assessments. A call to her office at 804-556-5853 will start the process. This begins with a review of characteristics with the property owner followed by an interior inspection. A review of sales and equalizations is conducted after which the property owner is notified of the results by letter. If the owner is not satisfied with this investigation they have 30 days from the date of the letter to appeal to the Board of Equalization. If the landowner is not satisfied with that ruling the next step is an appeal to Circuit Court.

Davis explained that Goochland uses a mass appraisal approach, valuing “the forest and not the trees”. She went into a detailed explanation of coefficient of dispersion to describe the accuracy of methods used to value property whose results must fall into a narrow variance between assessed values and actual property sales. She opined that this means that 97 out of 100 property sales sell for at least their assessed value. Davis contended that property values in Goochland are the result of a sellers’ market because there are few resales, and new construction costs continue to increase,

The total taxable value of land, excluding new construction and land use, in Goochland increased about five percent from 2025; 81.98 percent residential, 18.02 percent commercial. (The supervisors have a goal of a residential to commercial tax base ratio of 70/30. In 2025, according to a chart presented by Davis, the ratio was 82.2/17.8)

The total taxable value of land in Goochland is $10.3 billion, of which three percent, or $294 million is attributed to new construction—77 percent residential and 23 percent commercial. Fair market value of land in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District is $2.8 billion. Land use (engaged in active agriculture, sylviculture, or horticulture use is taxed on per acre rates established by the state land evaluation council for each county rather than the rate per $100 of valuation that applies to other parcels) $832 million, or $4.7 million in deferred revenue. When property in land use is rezoned a “clawback” consisting of the difference between the land use rate and fair market value rate for a number of years before the rezoning applies. Davis said that the acreage in land use fluctuates year over year but is significant.

To hear the complete assessor’s report, go to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ click on “watch county meetings” select BoS Feb 3. It begins around the 34-minute mark and is well worth a listen.)

VDOT

These are the times that try the souls of those charged with clearing roads. Philip Frazier, administrator of the Ashland VDOT residency, reported about his agency’s role in snow and ice removal from county roads. VDOT is responsible for snow removal on roads in Goochland that are part of the state system.

He said that on the weekend of January 25, the area received about three inches of snow followed by about eight continuous hours of sleet, which packed the snow down and turned it to ice, or as some are calling it, snowcrete. Blessings to all who battled the mess.

“My team has been on a 13-day venture to brine, pretreat, do snow removal in the midst of the storm and do storm cleanup for about a week,” said Frazier. Minor conditions were established on the interstate and primary road system by noon on January 26. Primary routes, 6,250, 522, were clear by Tuesday, the 27^th.  Secondary roads remained in a moderate condition for an extended amount of time.

Historically prolonged cold temperatures complicated VDOT efforts to make all roads passable. Daytime melting led to overnight freezing that made the ice tighter and harder to treat, explained Frazier. Efforts were shifted to applying abrasives—10 parts sand one part salt—to secondary roads to help provide traction for those trying to get out of subdivisions. Though most VDOT resources were shifted to daytime operations, smaller crews worked overnight treating slick spots to prepare for the morning rush hour.

He said that subdivision roads can still expect to see snowpack, but that VDOT crews will “fight it and push at it as long as its slush” through the weekend.

VDOT forces and hired resources worked wide by side throughout the event and continued to work to clean up the ice pack, said Frazier. Resources include heavy construction equipment including motor graders, tractors, and loaders to deal with the ice.

They are restocking salt and sand in anticipation of more winter forecast later this week. Frazier urged caution when traveling as snow piled on road shoulders that melts during the day will refreeze in the cold and dark to create patches of treacherous black ice. He commended his Goochland maintenance leadership team Mark Harlow, Joe Terry, and Bobby Knight and the “unsung heroes the operators, contractors and all of the folks who have partnered with us and supported the residency in the snow removal operation.”

Frazier thanked Goochland for helping to field calls about road conditions and explain VDOT procedures and pass on folks with concerns and complaints.

The supervisors commended VDOT for its efforts.

Public Engagement

Jessica Kronberg, Director of Strategic Communications, shared highlights of communication activities between July 1 and December 31, 2025, the first half of the current fiscal year.

Mechanisms used to share information about county operations include social media, press releases, media relations, and emergency communications. There were more than 1,000 posts on the county’s main platforms, not including parks and rec and animal protection. Goochland County has pages on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

These pages direct viewers to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ for detailed up to date information about things going on in Goochland. Between July and December, the county website had 1.8 million hits. Kronberg said that it was recently redesigned to improve navigation and continues to be tweaked to increase user satisfaction.

The most searched topics were energov (land use and permitting software), pet adoptions, TOD, GIS, board of supervisors, and dogs.

A weekly newsletter, Goochland at a glance is currently distributed to 194 subscribers with a 76 percent open rate. The county also has mobile apps available at both the Apple and Google Play stores for download to receive push notifications and other alerts. Go to https://goochlandva.us/list.aspx to sign up for delivery to your inbox.

Last year Kronberg collaborated with Director of Emergency Management Robin Hillman, and Paul Drumwright, Community Affairs Manager, to implement a new crisis communication system that as 20 different preapproved, predesigned emergency scenario templates to enable rapid dissemination of information to citizens. “Goochland Alerts Powered by Everbridge”, the system went live on January 16. It was used during the water main break in Lower Tuckahoe to communicate with affected homeowners and to message county employees during weather closings.

Kronberg’s department provides high quality photographs available to media outlets (thank you Jessica!) Strategic Communications maintains displays on the monitors in the administration building, print materials and mailers, and an internal employee newsletter.

An engaged citizenry is vital to good government.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frigid February

 

More winter ahead?

The afternoon session of the Goochland Board of Supervisors’ February 3 meeting found three supervisors physically present. Neil Spoonhower District 2 was absent for a work commitment, but attended the evening session, and Charlie Vaughters, District 4, took time from “professional responsibilities” to attend virtually.

County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed.D. began his remarks by sharing a “debt of gratitude and appreciation for the amazing work of my teammates” for dealing with the dreadful weather conditions that have Goochland under siege. He commended the entire staff, regardless of role, for exceptional teamwork. He cited fire-rescue, the Sheriff’s Office, and animal protection for serving bravely and admirably under challenging conditions.

He cited Emergency Management Coordinator Robin Hillman and Maj. Mike East of the Sheriff’s Office for opening the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and staffing it around the clock. Dispatch, the county nerve center for emergency response, handled many calls and deployed fire-rescue units and personnel to two structure fires.

Jessica Kronberg, Director of Strategic Communications, and Paul Drumwright, Community Affairs Manager, kept citizens informed.

The Department of Social Servies opened a warming shelter and was ready to staff it. Animal protection officers provided water for livestock owners with frozen water sources. Deputies responded to motorists and others in need of assistance.

Raley commended the public utilities staff for responding to a water main break in Lower Tuckahoe in 14-degree weather. They waded into mud to restore service to affected homes before nightfall. During the water main break, Kronberg and Hillman worked with Raley using the new Everbridge emergency communications system to communicate with impacted citizens and even “geofence” specific homes to keep them informed of progress in restoration of their water service.

Consent agenda

Board meetings typically include a consent agenda of “housekeeping” matters that need formal board approval. The February 3 consent agenda included confirmation and termination of the state of emergency declared before the storm and after the last board meeting; change of the date of a joint capital improvement workshop with the school board; and several amendments to the county budget.

Typically, there is brief explanation of items on the consent agenda, after which a bulk vote is taken. A board member will sometimes request an item be removed from the consent agenda for a detailed discussion and separate vote.

One item, a $250,000 supplemental budget appropriation to the “outside counsel” line in the County Attorney’s budget, was pulled out for discussion and a separate vote. The amendment would provide funding for the defense of the county, board of supervisors, and the planning commission in litigation regarding the Technology Overlay District, which was filed and served in December. It is believed that TOD opponents who filed the lawsuit are raising at least $200k for legal fees to bring their suit.

During citizen comment, two residents contended that inclusion of the outside counsel funding in the consent agenda was intended to hide the appropriation from public scrutiny. The expenditure, they said, was a waste of taxpayer dollars because the county has its own attorney to handle litigation and seemed to imply that county attorney and her staff sit around twiddling their thumbs waiting for lawsuits to come in the door.

One speaker also raised suspicions that, because he saw surveyors on land in the TOD, some sort of development is underway there. He needs to keep an eye on the county geographic information system (GIS)  ( “parcel viewer” tab on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/) that lists all permits issued on parcels, including things like land disturbance and plan of development, which must be completed  before any building can take place.

Jonathan Lyle, District 5, asked that the outside counsel appropriation item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion and action by the board.

County Attorney Tara McGee explained that the role of her office is to provide legal advice to the supervisors, county administration, employees, and departments. Many people, she said, do not understand that operations of a locality like Goochland are governed by many state and federal laws.

For instance, she said, everything that purchasing does “has to be pursuant to very detailed state laws.” Human resources must comply with many federal laws, which adds another layer of process.

“The Freedom of Information Act, a creature of state law, which governs not only how we get together here and notice and invite the public but also requires response to a growing number of requests for documents that your government does business through,” McGee said.

The county attorney provides legal advice with respect to land use, the topic of many public hearings, which is also entirely a state law process.

All proffers and conditions imposed in a rezoning case are subject to legal review to ensure that they are legal and enforceable. After rezoning is approved, said McGee, when a case is going through development, agreements for roads, environmental, storm water, bonds and other sureties are all reviewed by her office.

 “By state law, every contract, every MOU entered by this county has to be reviewed and approved as to form by the county attorney’s office. That takes up a lot of time,” she said.

The county attorney also writes ordinances, which are laws, and reviews every board agenda item for legality and proper procedure. McGee said that the agenda for that day’s meeting involved a great deal of work by her office.

Goochland County, explained McGee, is also involved in litigation in different ways. Violations of land use conditions, proffers, building and fire codes are all enforced by her office.

The county attorney’s office is involved in all defensive litigation against the county or its employees. McGee compared this to someone involved in an auto accident who has insurance. “When they’re defending you, since they’re going to pay the claim, they provide your counsel.”

Goochland, she said, has insurance coverage, whose standard terms for localities in Virginia includes coverage for attorneys who defend against land use litigation claims made against the county. McGee said that Goochland is taking advantage of that coverage because, given its routine workload, her office does not have staffing to support the operations needed for defensive litigation, which involves many hours in a tight time frame not established by clients.

Her office has, however, pulled together the substantial legislative record of the TOD with the assistance of all the departments engaged in it, indexed, and found the records. “It’s been a huge undertaking and that’s how we are supporting the litigation.”

 Her office has meetings on the facts, with which they are intimately familiar to develop strategy with outside counsel “not just because litigation is best done in a strategic manner, but to make sure that the vison of Goochland as a client is heard.”

McGee’s office also provides oversight and liaison between county employees who have the facts and outside counsel.

Files of previous county attorneys, said McGee, indicate that use of outside counsel is a long-standing policy, consistent with localities of Goochland’s size.

She said the request is to deal with an unforeseen expense.

Tom Winfree, District 3, said that the role of county attorney is analogous to that of a general practitioner physician, to keep track of routine matters.  Retention of outside counsel in extraordinary situations is like referral to a specialist.

Lyle thanked McGee for her explanation and hoped that the entire sum after insurance would not be used. “We have a board action that’s being challenged, and this is how the system works. As a litigant, we need to mount a robust detailing of our side of the story.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Witness Tree Challenge

 

Venerable tree on Maidens Road (Goochland County Historical Society image.)

Goochland is blessed with a gracious plenty of trees. In summer, we enjoy their shade, during ice storms we fear their ability to snap power lines and close roads. In autumn, we rake leaves. They form a backdrop to our lives.

Some trees are crops with relatively short lives. Others have been around for generations and bear silent witness to history.

As we approach the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, the Goochland Historical Society is partnering with the Goochland 250 Commission, the Goochland Rotary Club, Goochland Schools, and the Goochland Education Foundation in the “Witness tree challenge” to locate and identify trees that have been in the county since, or even before, our nation was founded.

Go to https://www.exploregoochland.com/187/VA-250-American-Revolution or https://goochlandedu.org/2026/01/15/the-witness-tree-challenge/.

Over the nearly three centuries since its founding and before, trees in Goochland were cut down to clear land for crops, used as firewood, milled to provide lumber to build, and as continues today, grown for industrial use.

There are some trees in Goochland, however, that have stood observing events unfolding around them. The goal of the Witness Tree Challenge is to find and celebrate those venerable trees. As trees add a ring of bark during each growing season, their age can be determined by counting those rings. A forester will drill a small hole in the tree to extract a horizontal core to confirm its age.

All school children, including those in public, private, or home school venues, in the county are encouraged to participate in the following manner:

·         Find a candidate tree. Do not trespass. Obtain permission from landowners. To find out who owns a particular parcel of land go to the wonderfully updated Goochland County GIS site at https://gis.co.goochland.va.us/CivQuest/. (This can be a good way to teach children how to read maps.)

·         Measure the circumference of the tree using a tape measure or piece of twine.

·         Identify the type of tree e.g. oak, sycamore. There are many apps to help with this.

·         Record the location of the tree with street address and with the compass app on a smartphone for precise longitude and latitude.

·         Take a photo of the tree.

·         Submit this information to nominate a tree at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDPPJ-8317zc0f9zO5fuiv2EqvO06-5PamyopQjFuXtHDeWQ/viewform

Submissions must be made by March 1, 2026.

The Witness Tree Committee will evaluate nominations and select the most likely candidates. Metal tags will be placed on trees recording their age and discovered.

Students who successfully identify a Witness Tree at least 250 years old will be honored at a Board of Supervisors’ meeting and at a special recognition event on Arbor Day April 24. On that day they will plant a tree in hopes that it will bear witness to the next two hundred and fifty years of our Republic.

Contact Witnesstree@goochlandhistory.org with questions.

 

 

 

 

Firefly virtual town hall

 Firefly Fiber Broadband is holding a Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, February 3rd at 4 PM for the RISE Project George’s Tavern service zone to learn more about Firefly, ask questions, and find out how you can sign up for service. Firefly’s RISE Project George’s Tavern service zone include Goochland residents served by Dominion Energy who live in the Southwestern area of Goochland as shown on the maps at https://www.fireflyva.com/dominion-energy-rise-goochland-georges-tavern/.  

Residents in this area should register online at https://www.fireflyva.com/town-halls/, there is an option to attend online or by phone.  A recording of the Virtual Town Hall will be made available to those who register. 

Goochland County understands that not all residents can attend the town hall virtually, and as such the County will offer the opportunity to watch it at the County Administration Building.  It will be live streamed in Conference Room 234 in the County Administration Building located at 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Goochland, VA 23063.   Residents are encouraged to still register online at https://www.fireflyva.com/town-halls/.  

It's important for interested residents in the Firefly Fiber Broadband project areas register for service at https://register.fireflyva.com/.  Residents can find the latest information for Firefly Fiber Broadband’s projects in Goochland at https://www.fireflyva.com/partners-goochland/.  

About public safety

On this frigid day when travel is still treacherous, let us offer prayers for those tasked with providing law enforcement and fire-rescue service to our community no matter what Mother Nature throws their way.

During last Tuesday’s budget workshop, Sheriff Steven Creasey and Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr., discussed the functions, needs, and challenges faced by their respective agencies.

Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management is an all-hazard agency that responds to a wide range of situations including EMS calls, weather related incidents, fires, smoke alarm activation, and motor vehicle incidents on all county roads and I64 and Rt. 288 where wrecks have become more frequent and complex.

Ferguson thanked the supervisors for their support of his department and commended County Administrator Jeremy Raley for implementing a five-year strategic plan to spread anticipated costs over several budget seasons.

Goochland Fire-Rescue responded to 5,181calls in in calendar 2025, a year over year increase of 6.1 percent, up from 3,843 in 2021. Of those, the vast majority, 3,356 were EMS related.

Resources—people and equipment—needed to respond to those calls are not equal. A “routine” EMS call from Avery Point might require a single ambulance. A multi-vehicle wreck on I-64 could require people and apparatus from several stations and take many hours to resolve, preventing those resources from responding to other calls. Increased “wall time,” waiting for a patient bed, at area emergency departments also keeps ambulances out of the county for extended periods further reducing assets available to respond to other calls.

Goochland, like most Virginia jurisdictions, has a cost recovery policy for ambulance transports, which generates about $1.2 million annually that goes into the general fund.  The county uses a compassionate “soft billing” policy that does not pursue payment and writes off the unpaid amount, which Ferguson estimated in 2025 was $700k. He explained that Medicare and Medicaid have set transport reimbursement rates. This does not cover the cost of providing EMS.

When asked about the large number of EMS calls generated by Avery Point, the continuing care retirement community in West Creek, Ferguson said “Avery Point is a community within a community of senior citizens and we’re going to do our best to serve them. The citizens there could not be more supportive of fire-rescue.”

Ferguson explained how resources from the county’s seven fire-rescue stations move around to provide coverage when units are busy elsewhere to illustrate the need for more career positions. ((go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/372758 at about the 1.07 minute mark)   “Company 3 in Centerville is just about maxed out,” said Ferguson alluding to its 2,004 responses in 2025. All other companies support Centerville. The need for the West Creek fire-rescue station on Hockett Road “just hits you in the face,” said Tom Winfree, District 3 when shown the statistics.  The Eli Lilly facility will be in the Manakin Company 1 “first due” area, which already handles the southeast part of Goochland. The West Creek Station will better distribute the already heavy workload shared by Centerville and Manakin.

Fire-Rescue Station call response (Goochland County image)

The addition of a single ambulance at Sandy Hook Station 8, hopefully soon to be under construction, has had a positive impact on response time in the center of the county.

Ferguson went on to discuss the need for an additional 55 career fire-rescue positions in the next five years, which translates into 15 per station. That would supply two people on an ambulance and three on an engine.

This staffing level would increase efficiency and provide a “relief factor” to ensure adequate staffing so employees can take vacation, sick time, train, and handle light duty when recovering from illness or injury. That would be one for every six firefighters. Board Chair Jonathan Christy, District 1, said that the relief factor is critical for retainment and mitigates employee burnout.

Ferguson said that higher staffing levels would also deal with walk-ins who go to a station for help to find no one there to help them.

Board Vice Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that the discussion highlighted the need for commercial rather than residential development to fund these operational requests, anticipate growth, and keep the county rural.

Ferguson contended that his job is to explain the needs of his department to the supervisors and it’s up to them to decide what can be funded. The entire leadership team of fire-rescue was present, including Sheriff Creasey and Chief Deputy Major Mike East, both fire-rescue volunteer life members.

Charlie Vaughters, District 4 raised concerns about the county’s repeated deferral of capital expenditures and maintenance. He said that that county needs to be proactive to make sure resources to support economic development are in place sooner than later.

Sheriff’s Office

Creasey began his remarks by acknowledging the challenges facing fire-rescue. “As many of you know, my childhood home burned down when my mother was in the hospital with Covid and passed a year later. I can tell you how it feels personally when you watch the fire department run out of water and watch your house burn to the ground. I’m not saying the fire department did anything wrong that night. I’ve been a volunteer for over 30 years and know the problem was manpower and not being able to get trucks there with water. Just put yourself in someone else’s shoes when you do make that decision on the number of people fire-rescue needs. I support them 100 percent but know firsthand about losing something that meant so much to my family.”

Calls to the Sheriff’s Office, which is Goochland’s primary law enforcement agency, increased 7.7 percent from the previous year.  Dispatch, which is a part of his agency, answered 40,618 Sheriff’s Office calls service in 2025. It also handles many other calls for fire-rescue, animal protection, and other matters, all of which require the time and attention of the communications officers.

 

Goochland Communications where all emergency response begins (Goochland County Image)

For the coming fiscal year, the Sheriff is requesting two additional communications officer positions, two in FY28 and one each for the next three fiscal years to keep up with expected growth in calls for service.

Creasey and East discussed the need for an information technology director position to oversee the law enforcement specific technology that must function 24/7 without interruption. This includes more than 30 applications/ systems that require frequent updates and monitoring.

Given the complicated skill set needed to be a communications officer, it could take at least a year for new hires to be ready to function on their own. All Goochland communications officers are trained in emergency medical dispatch, which enables them provide aid until EMS arrives.

East, who is the de facto Sheriff IT director, explained that public safety hardware and software is specialized and unique. It must work 24/7 because LEOs on the street depend on it. “There’ve been many times when I’ve gotten a call at two in the morning to get the computer aided dispatch back online.” The time he devotes to technology, said East, takes him away from other duties including investigation.

In later fiscal years, the Sheriff is requesting additional court security and bailiffs to staff the new courthouse. He repeated the need to fund a communications tower for the northeast quadrant of the county that was discussed at the December 19 capital improvement plan workshop.

Staffing in relation to growth is an ongoing challenge. Creasey said that he has never been asked if rezoning applications require additional law enforcement resources. Perhaps “fiscal impact” statements in rezoning application should have input from the Sheriff and Fire-Rescue Chief about needed resources.

Unfunded mandates for things like training from the General Assembly are a perennial budget issue. Of particular concern to the Sheriff this is year is legislation that would curtail qualified immunity for law enforcement. “We would lose a lot of people if that went away,” Creasey said.

Excellence in public safety requires an adequate number of highly trained people equipped with the best tools who are well compensated and appreciated. It is up to the supervisors to pay the bills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the money comes from

People came to Goochland from all over Virginia for DMV Select Services in the Covid summer of 2020

In Virginia, localities like Goochland County must operate with balanced budgets—expenses must equal revenue. Crafting a balanced budget, even for a relatively small county, is a complicated task.

During a budget work session held on the evening of January 20, County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed. D., and the board of supervisors delved into complexities of the budget process. (Thanks to the excellent work of Dan Stowers and the information technology department, the meeting was recorded and is archived at https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/372758.)

For the first time in recent memory, county administration discussed funding mechanisms and revenue streams in a public setting. This is another example of Raley’s pledge to improve transparency.

Goochland, Raley explained, assesses property and sets tax rates on a calendar year basis, but budgets on a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30. Real estate and personal property taxes are collected in June and December, in two different fiscal years. He characterized the budget as a “spending plan”. The budget process has been ongoing for many months, he said, when all departments and agencies share their needs. He thanked Treasurer Pam Duncan, Assessor Mary Anne Davis, and interim finance director Dave Wilson for their collaboration in the process.

He gave a special shout out to Commissioner of the Revenue Jennnifer Brown and her staff. Not only does this office provide excellent service to Goochland citizens, but to anyone who needs DMV services. Indeed, during the Covid shut down, Goochland DMV Select, which is part of Brown’s office, was one of the few in the Commonwealth that remained open serving all comers. DMV select processes “a significant number of transactions” which generates reimbursement from the Department of Motor Vehicles, more than $400k in FY25.

As 2026 dawned the focus shifted to identifying revenue streams to use taxpayer dollars and make good decisions to carry out strategic goals and initiatives.

The budget for FY27, which begins next July 1, looks 18 months ahead to forecast available revenue to pay county bills.

The Goochland Assessor’s Office values residential and commercial property. Its “heavy lift” is done from July through December including in person visits to properties, looking at sales and a variety of factors to determine, as closely as possible, fair market value. Calendar year 2026 assessments were mailed on January 15. These will be used to calculate property taxes after tax rates are set by the supervisors in April. First half tax bills are mailed in May and due on June 5.

Those taxes will be collected in the current fiscal year, whose budget was approved in April 2025. Taxes generated by personal property, machines, and tools are a significant revenue stream. The Commissioner of the Revenue determines the value of those assets in the county as of January 1. That is the number used in crafting the budget for the next fiscal year. However, said Raley, this amount fluctuates throughout the year as vehicles move in and out of the county. Those values are updated on the 15^th of every month. The constant churn complicates forecasting the amount of that revenue stream.

Raley said that a three percent increase in real estate values on January 2026 was used in the FY26 budget, which translated into an estimated tax revenue of $52.4 million.  Revenue collected as of December 31, 2025, the first half of FY26 was $23,870,490. Projected collections by June 30, 2026, using those same numbers are $26,942,913 for a total of $50,813, 403, a shortfall of $1,586, 597. However, the actual increase in January 2026 property values was $10.3 billion, eight percent more than projected. Using the 53-cent tax rate this translates into $54.4 million for the FY27 budget. For the first half of 2026, this is estimated at $27,734,705, for an FY 26 total of $54,402,690.

The assessor’s team, said Raley, is predicting an increase next year of at least four percent. However, unknown factors, including an economic slowdown, could reduce that. He said that projects under construction are added to the tax rolls when certificates of occupancy are issued. For calendar 2026, this could include the Honda dealership on Broad Street Road and other commercial projects, which could significantly increase actual collections. Without a crystal ball, forecasting can be complicated and frustrating.

As much of the rise in assessed valuations is driven by new construction in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, it was pointed out that, in addition to paying a 32 cent per $100 ad valorem tax, 55 percent of tax increase on properties there also goes to service the debt that created the district in 2002. All real estate tax collected from land outside the TCSD goes to the county general fund.

Tom Winfree District 3 said “basically the county is forking over 55 percent of the normal real estate taxes collected on the properties in the TCSD. TCSD keeps all the ad valorem tax and 55 percent of the 53 cents per 100 that we collect so we can keep 45 percent for general services. We’re not keeping the full 53 cents. The rest of the taxpayers are not benefitting as much. If you look at it another way, the citizens in the TCSD are only taking up 45 percent of their weight in the general running of the county because the rest of it is going to pay off the bonds.”

Wilson said that the 55 percent TCSD revenue sharing is treated as a negative and subtracted from projected totals.

County Attorney Tara McGee said that the arrangement is not a policy decision made by this board but was pledged by the bond documents in 2002 in order to get the bonds approved. It is a pledge of revenue to support the issuance of the bonds and cannot be rescinded.

 “We get asked the question why can’t we make adjustments to the ad valorem tax and change it on specific case situations, but when it goes into an indenture, the life of that indenture, because bonds are sold to institutions, to other places outside of Goochland County, we can’t go changing any of those rules. They are in a contract as any other bond. I know it is a point of frustration for a lot of people; this goes back 20 years. This is a bond issuance that we can’t unlock or amend, which is why we want to pay it down sooner than later,” said Charlie Vaughters, District 4.

Pencils will be sharpened in coming months to build a FY27 budget. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second annual Hockett Road realignment meeting

 

Latest version of Hockett/Ashland Road connector

On January 13, 2026, VDOT held a “design public hearing” for the Hockett and Ashland Roads “improvement project” in eastern Goochland. This session was 365 days after a similar meeting on the same subject, allegedly to select the best location for the project. The notion of connecting Ashland and Hocket Roads through the parcel of vacant land on the south side of Broad Street Road at the end of Ashland Road, which is planted with crops during the growing season, has been on the local road planning radar since at least 2013.

Residents examine realignment proposal

The latest iteration, which VDOT officials assured GOMM, is the version that will be built, was unveiled on the 13th. This shows a roundabout by the entrance to the emergency veterinary clinic that will move traffic either north south on Hockett, or east west on the connector road.

VDOT literature distributed at the 2026 meeting states “the project proposes to construct a new two-lane road with a left turn lane at Broad Street and curb/gutter with sidewalk on one side of the roadway. The proposed connector roadway will link Hockett Road to Ashland Road at its intersection with Broad Street. A roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Hockett Road and Holly Lane. Concrete sidewalk will be installed on one side of the proposed roadway. Additional northbound turn lanes will be constructed at the new intersection of Ashland Road and Broad Street. An additional southbound turn lane will be constructed at the intersections with Broad Street and Ashland Road.” This is the version that VDOT presented last year as a possible location for the roundabout.

Officials said that the more northerly location for the roundabout removes wetland complications from the project. It will be farther from the Hickory Hill neighborhood also.

Unlike early versions of this project, the traffic signal at Hockett and Broad that allows left turns and through traffic, will not change.

Asked by a Goochland resident why the project shows sidewalks, but only on one side of the proposed road, a VDOT official—there were several at the session—explained that the agency is “all in” on multi-modal transportation, which requires sidewalks. The resident was skeptical that anyone would use the proposed sidewalk and mentioned the exorbitant cost of the half mile or so sidewalk in Courthouse Village—$7 million for about a half mile—as an example. It would be interesting to know how much sidewalks add to the project cost. Curiously, the elevation displayed on January 13 shows the sidewalk on the northern side of the new road, away from neighborhoods to the south.

Efforts will be made to minimize disruption to existing Hockett Road traffic during construction, VDOT  reps contended without details.

According to the flyer distributed at the meeting, the estimated cost of the project is $19,403, 631. Of that, $2,013,694 is allocated for engineering; $5,653,238 for right of way acquisition, and utility relocation; and $11,736,699 for construction. As project completion is now anticipated for Spring 2031, the final cost will likely increase. According to the VDOT flyer” This project is in the early design phase. Therefore, costs are subject to change. The project will be financed using a combination of federal and state funds.”

Right of way acquisition, purchasing easements for portions of land through which the road passes, includes an appraisal to determine the fair market value of the property in question so that landowners receive “just compensation—VDOT’s term. According to documents shared on January 13, this would affect about six parcels.

Rights of way needed for project

It seems like the proposed project will make the land it subdivides more developable and therefore valuable. In a perfect world, landowners would donate their easements to reduce the cost, and perhaps speed completion of the project or even build the road through their property if VDOT handles the roundabout and related road improvements. We do not live in a perfect world, so these road improvements move through the VDOT process with glacial speed.

Go go https://www.goochlandva.us/1254/Ashland-Rd-Extension for moreinformation.

Let’s hope that the uses the “measure twice cut once” theory to ensure that when this is finally built, it does not create more problems than it solves.

If you would like to comment on the project, email Thomas.Kendrick@VDOT.virginia. Gov with “UPC 105733 Route 623 (Hockett Road) Improve Intersection Public Hearing” in the subject line by January 23, 2026

 

 

Public hearings

 

The Goochland Board of Supervisors holds public hearings in the evening of their regular first Tuesday of the month meeting days. At this time, matters that require public input, mostly zoning and land use issues, are explained to the board in detail by both staff and applicants requesting the change. After that, citizens can comment. This is usually followed by a board vote.

Agendas for both the afternoon and evening supervisor meetings include a citizen comment period at which time people may comment on any subject not on the agenda. These remarks run the gamut from bringing topics to the board’s attention; opposition to various matters; and less frequently, commendations.

On January 6, during evening citizen comment, a resident of eastern Goochland “paid respect and gave a shout out” to providers from Goochland Fire-Rescue for its response to a fire at his home. He reported that six units responded to his farm. “They were beyond professional and their response time was amazing. Not only did they stick around and take care of this issue, but they also made sure that everything was checked before they left and laid down mats so they wouldn’t ruin my rugs. They came back the next day to make sure that everything was okay.” He thanked the amazing men and women of Goochland Fire-Rescue who are a clear example of the leadership of Chief Ferguson.

Next up several people who live in or near Walton Road in western Goochland expressed opposition to a conditional use permit (CUP) application filed by Virginia Sports Park and Training Center for a skeet shooting range and similar courses on 85 acres on Walton Road. The case will be heard by the Goochland Planning Commission at its January 15 meeting beginning at 6 p.m.

They contended that the proposed location of shooting stands is far too close to established homes that would be subjected to hazardous sound levels generated by shooting from morning until dusk 365 days a year. The speakers said that they are not opposed to shooting in general, but not in such close proximity to their homes. Objections included gunfire sound that would interfere with daytime sleep of neighbors who work nights, disturbing peaceful atmosphere, stressing livestock, safety, traffic, lead contamination of their ground water, and reduction of property values.

One person contended that a proponent of the CUP reported roadside signs against the CUP to the county for removal. (Hint, signs farther back from the pavement out of the right of way are still visible and not subject to removal.)

Opponents to this CUP also voiced their objections during citizen comment at the November 19 meeting of the Goochland Economic Development Authority. (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/1154/County-Meetings to view recordings of these meetings.)

Public hearings

One parcel west of Hockett Road with a failing septic system was added to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District. It will pay ad valorem tax and a 20 percent connection fee surcharge.

An ordinance amendment to change staff titles to reflect organizational realignment was approved.

A CUP application for a short-term unhosted rental on a 30-acre parcel on Fleming Road in the western end of the county was approved.  The supervisors declined to include  recommendations made by the planning commission to prohibit outdoor amplified sound or music; no outdoor music after 10 p.m.; a one-year expiration date; prohibition of renters’ operating ATVs on the property; and limiting rentals for fewer than 30 days to 12 per year.

Neighbors of the subject parcel raise objections including maintenance of the private road that accesses the property, traffic on Fleming Road, and behavior of guests.

Although the county requires property owners to obtain a CUP to operate these facilities and pay lodging tax, the applicant had been renting out the property through an online short term rental company without the CUP.

Overnight occupancy is limited to six guests based on septic system capacity. County regulations prohibit hunting and discharging firearms on the property. No trespassing signs must be posted at property boundaries.

The supervisors unanimously approved the CUP for a five-year period. They contended that any bad behavior by guests would be a law enforcement issue. The applicant said he has no way to control what renters do. There was no discussion of zoning violations, which are not law enforcement issues, or how they are enforced. There seemed to be no effort to collect lodging tax for the rental income generated by the property before the CUP was granted. Surely the applicant has this information available on tax returns from previous years.

These short-term rentals fill a need for guest lodging in a county with only one hotel and a handful of bed and breakfasts, generate income for property owners, and taxes for Goochland, which are all positive. However, there seems to be little vetting of the guests, beyond a valid credit card. The vast majority of those who avail themselves of these places are considerate responsible people, but what about those who do as they wish and cause problems? What recourse do neighbors, who get no benefit from the arrangements, have against the property owners?  (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/966/Short-term-rental for county rules.)

The supervisors will hold a capital improvement work session on Tuesday, July 20 beginning at 6 p.m. in room 270 of the administration building. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed.

 

 

 

On to 2026

 

Jonathan Christy (l) and Neil Spoonhower

The Goochland Board of Supervisors rang in 2026 with its annual organizational meeting on January 6. Jonathan Christy, District 1 and Neil Spoonhower, District 2, were unanimously selected to be chair and vice chair respectively.

The supervisors then unanimously approved resolutions adopting updated codes of ethics and standards of conduct for both board members and county appointees. They also unanimously approved Supervisors’ rule of procedure and the 2026 board meeting schedule. (See January 6 board packet for details)

Tom Winfree, District 3, board chair for 2025, reflected on the past year. He said there is a lot to be thankful for. One of the most significant developments was hiring Dr. Jeremy Raley as county administrator. “The board of supervisors deliberated this at length, took our time, thankfully so, and I think you will all agree that we made a good choice.”

Winfree said that Raley’s strengthening staff and bringing onboard professional personnel resources proved beneficial to county operations and overall staff morale. He cited the announcement that Eli Lilly will build a $5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in West Creek to be transformational for the county. He regretted that there was “some unpleasantness, which he contended is part of the job but that everyone is entitled to their own feelings. “We’ve made some tough decisions that laid a pathway for more economic development, which will be beneficial for Goochland County as we mature and become more of a regional presence. Stay tuned.”

Raley summed up the first six months as Goochland’s CEO with a closeout of his entry plan (go to https://www.goochlandva.us/m/newsflash/home/detail/1349 for the document.) He hit the ground running by holding 190 listening sessions with people and groups around the county to learn about strengths, challenges, and concerns to better serve our citizens.

Residents, said Raley, cited the strength and focus of public safety, the Sheriff’s Office, Fire-Rescue, and Animal Protection, the quality of our schools and the importance of preserving our county’s identity. Employees celebrate each other for their teamwork, accountability, and commitment to serving our residents well.

To that end, employees of the quarter were recognized. Since taking office, Raley regularly celebrates the excellent work of county staff at all levels acknowledging their vital role in the success of local government.

They are: Leader of the Quarter Don Leftwich, Solid Waste and Recycling Manager; Employee of the Quarter Shannon Grayson, Chief Deputy Registrar; Team of the Quarter Treasurer’s Office; Rookie of the Quarter Tiffany Hitaffer, Assistant County Attorney; Customer Service Star of the Quarter Abigail Cordova, Animal Shelter Attendant.

Goochland  Treasurer's Department

Raley also shares factoids about county agencies. He lauded the recent adoption of making whole blood available to county EMS providers in the field, which is a game changer for survival of trauma victims. Goochland Fire-Rescue said Raley is one of 20 EMS agencies in Virginia to have this protocol and one of 280 nationwide.

He also complimented Deputy County Administrator Sara Worley for working hard to review and streamline the permit approval process in the Community Development Department to reduce the backlog from 109 to 15.

Raley said he hopes to establish a community engagement committee, which will act as a two-way channel with residents and create a “public facing dashboard” to share critical information.

Agency presentations:

Goochland 250 Commission

The Hon.Manuel Alverez, Jr., former District 2 supervisor and interim county administrator, and current chair of the Goochland 250 Commission said that the Commission is working on plans to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. This will include reading the Declaration of Independence and the names of Goochlanders who fought in the Revolution. The second annual Run to Revolution 5k was held last October at Elk Hill. The 2026 run will be held in a different location, closer to Courthouse Village to increase participation.

Commission member Robin Lind, who is also the Board Chair of the Goochland Historical Society, announced the “Witness Tree Challenge” to be launched in concert with the Goochland Historical Society, the 250 Commission, county schools, and the Goochland Education Foundation. Open to all students, including home schoolers and those in private schools located in Goochland, the goal is to find living trees that have been alive since 1776, which have stood silent witness to history.

The submission deadline is March 1. A celebration event will be held on Arbor Day, April 24 at which time a tree will be planted in the hopes that it will witness the next 250 years of history in Goochland. Details will be released soon.

Animal Protection Report

Job Greene, Animal Protection Director, (notice in Goochland we call it animal protection, not animal control) gave a brief overview of his department. The animal shelter is a public safety, law enforcement, and community service partner. Its work protects people, animals, and county resources, often simultaneously. Its main components are field service, shelter operations, and veterinary care.

Field service responded to 2,537 calls for service and increase of 6 percent over the previous year. This included 951 calls for stray and nuisance animals, 112 cases of potential rabies exposure, and 316 calls for wildlife service.

Animal protection is available 24/7/365 for emergency calls. It is a mandatory report for child welfare and elderly neglect.

Last year, the department processed 788 adoptions, up 39 percent from the previous year. There were 1060 impounded animals, an increase of 21 percent. The euthanasia rate dropped by 25 percent.

Greene said that his department wants to set the standard for animal care in Virginia. “Our reputations gotten out that we’re doing the best we can for every animal that comes through the door. We’ve been awarded the No Kill Excellence award for the last three years from the Best Friends Animal Society.”

An important part of the Shelter, said Greene, are the volunteers who do thousands of hours of work a year. “We couldn’t do it without them. We have 94 and they’re amazing.”

He also commended Goochland Pet Lovers, the private non-profit that partners with his department to enable them to say yes to animal care situations that other shelters turn away.

The shelter has a full veterinary clinic that enables offering “turnkey” adoptable pets.

Greene also praised support of the community where people donate items and money to support the shelter almost every day. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/299/Animal-Protection to learn more.

The shelter, Goochland Pet Lovers, and adoption center grew out of the vison of the late Rebecca T. Dickson. Her formal portrait hangs in the lobby of the shelter.

Goochland Cares

Andrea Ahonen, CEO of Goochland Cares, the private non-profit (https://goochlandcares.org/), which provides a wide variety of crucial services to the economically disadvantaged in the county discussed how the county’s financial support for the past 20 years has helped offset its costs.

Among them is the critical home repair program, which helps keep people in their homes. In the last year, the county provided $130k, which represents 27 percent of the program’s cost. Ahonen reported that 98 homes with 159 projects including plumbing, HVAC, ramps, roofs, and electrical were repaired. Of those 38 percent were urgent repairs, and there are 31 carry over projects from 2025. She attributed the need for this service to the fact that 62 percent of the critical home repair clients are over age 65. The situation is exacerbated by inflation. Ahonen contended that one of every five homes in Goochland has one or more substandard housing conditions like lack of plumbing or kitchen facilities, a high number of residents per room, and housing costs that exceed 50 percent of income.

She said that that residents most vulnerable to being forced to leave substandard homes are single female African American seniors. The cost of emergency housing averages $2,500 per person per month, while the average total cost of a home repair is $2,600.

Ahonen asked for a 20 percent increase in funding for Goochland Cares to support this and its other programs.

In FY2026, which began July 1, 2025, the county contribution to Goochland Cares was $292,250 in support of all of its programs.

Alvarez, who serves on the Goochland Cares board advocated for the funding increase, citing the way that Goochland Cares supports less fortunate citizens in a cost-effective manner. He said the home repair program, which helps older people stay in homes where they’ve lived for most of their lives, is very important. Alvarez pointed out that money spent by Goochland Cares stays in the county.

These presentations illustrate the complexity of the county budget. To view these presentations in their entirety go to the  county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ click on watch county meetings and select BoS for January 6.

 

 

 

Heartbreak

 

The lives of three families were torn asunder on the night of May 18, 2024 when Haden Kyle, then 18 years old, lost control of the 2011 BMW he was driving while racing with another vehicle on Hockett Road at a speed of at least 112 mph, crashing into a tree with enough force to shatter the car into several pieces and leave a 235 foot long debris field. Passengers in Kyle’s vehicle, Joseph Castro and Aiden Schmidt, died at the scene. Kyle was severely injured.

Last October, Kyle pleaded guilty to two class 6 felony counts of causing the death of another by racing. (See GOMM Speed Kills). At that time, Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney John L. Limpkins, Jr., presented the accident report from the Virginia State Police crash team, which oversaw the investigation. He read excepts from the 911 call and presented video recorded on the phone of one of the decedents. Goochland Circuit Court Judge Timothy K. Sanner was given a package of all reports including the medical examiner’s finding on the cause of death of the two passengers.

Kyle had been free on bond since the spring of 2025, when charges were filed against him. In October, the Judge declined Lumpkins’ request to revoke bond to allow him to complete a medical procedure related to the injuries he sustained in the crash.

On January 9, Judge Sanner sentenced Kyle to ten years of active prison time for each of the two felony counts of causing the death of another by racing with 7.5 years suspended, for a total of five years. Kyle was ordered not to drive; his license was suspended for three years. As a convicted felon, he must submit DNA samples to the criminal database.

Before sentencing, victim impact statements were made by Ashley Castro, sister of Joseph Castro, and Aiden’s Schmidt’s mother Alison. They emotionally described the profound devastation of the deaths of their loved ones on their families. Ashley, who was in high school at the time of her brother’s death, said that she had to care for her distraught mother and sister, which made it hard to her to go to school.

Alison Schmidt said that the pain of losing her son is constant and never goes away. She mourned the fact that she would never see Aiden graduate from high school, his smile, or watch his life events unfold. She also questioned why Kyle’s mother never reached out to offer sympathy on the loss of her child.

Jonel Kyle, Haden’s mother, spoke on behalf of her son. She said he was a good kid who liked to play hockey and spend time with his friends listed injuries he sustained, including a severed hand, two collapsed lungs, leg fracture, head trauma that caused a brain bleed, and broken back. Haden was put into a medically induced coma for three weeks with no guarantee he would survive.

She said that while she knew Joseph and Aiden, who Haden considered brothers, she had not met their parents.  She did not contact them because threats had allegedly been made against Kyle that required security being posted for him while he was in the ICU. His sister was harassed, which made it hard for her to go to school. He has no recollection of the crash.

 Haden needed so much constant care after returning home in a wheelchair, including a feeding tube, that she was forced to reduce her work hours, which created financial stress and seeking help from food banks. His long term traumatic brain injury symptoms may not improve. She said that he is in constant pain and unable to sit, stand, or lie down for extended periods.

Both the Judge and Lumpkins took issue with Kyle’s attorney Cody Villalon using the term “accident” to describe the event. Lumpkins said that Kyle’s reckless actions, driving a powerful vehicle with nearly bald tires on a wet and windy road more than twice the posted speed limit, unless he was able to suspend the laws of physics, made the result inevitable, and killed two young men.

Lumpkins said that the families of the two young men waited a long time for sentencing. He asked Judge Sanner to consider their deep, incredible loss, and lasting pain, and that it was time for Kyle to face the consequences of his actions. Loss of life requires clear punishment as a message to deter others. A light sentence, he said, would be an insult to the families.

Kyle read a statement to the Court in a slow, halting manner. He said that he is very sorry for his actions and that he is in constant pain both in body and mind. Going forward he is not sure what his body and mind will let him do, but he would like to go to trade school to learn how to work on cars and share his story to teach young drivers how important rules of the road are. He also said he misses Joseph and Aiden and hopes to do something to better their memories.

Judge Sanner, who was visibly moved, said that this was a difficult case. At 18 years old, his judgement not fully developed, Kyle was barely an adult, a good kid from a good family.  He woke up in horrific pain and realized the worst possible outcome of his actions that killed two friends. No matter what the outcome, said the Judge, Kyle will have to live with this for the rest of his life.

He commended Kyle for taking responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges. This wasn’t an accident, the Judge said, it was caused by dangerous and reckless behavior. He said Kyle is unlikely to repeat these actions.

Judge Sanner also ordered that Kyle, after his release, seek mental health evaluations so he can move forward in a prudent fashion.

 

 

 

 

 

Moving to Goochland

 

 

Goochland County is a land of contrasts. The parable of the blind men and the elephant—each described the entire animal according to the part they touched insisting that their view was correct. Newcomers often believe that the entire county is the same. It’s not.

Thinking about moving to Goochland? To help you make an informed decision before signing on the dotted line, here are some tools and suggestions to help you research Goochland.

State law limits what localites can require realtors and developers, who tend to omit or gloss over details that might deter sales, to disclose when marketing and selling property.

A lot of heartache and buyer remorse can be avoided by doing some homework. Take glowing sales pitches with a grain of salt. One realtor touts the quaint shops on the tree lined streets of the charming village of Manakin Sabot. Another contends that it looks like something lifted from a fairy tale. There is no village of Manakin Sabot, it’s a zip code that includes horse farms in “Deep Run Hunt Country”, and both the Centerville and Manakin Villages. Neither have tree lined streets. Resemblance to fairy tales is in the eye of the beholder.

Speaking of zip codes, some parts of Goochland have Richmond, Louisa, or Rockville (Hanover) zip codes but are geographically in Goochland. The US Postal Service is responsible for this.

Be wary of realtors and developers who try to convince you that living on a sliver of an acre in a house with all suburban conveniences, or a townhouse in a business park is rural living. It’s not.

Refugees from Long Island, northern Virginia, or even Short Pump bizarrely believe that eastern Goochland’s designated growth area is rural. Those who settle in the truly rural parts of the county can also have rude awakenings. These folks arrive with unrealistic expectations and throw tantrums when they learn about things they do not like.

Be prepared to drive more. Stores, schools, restaurants, and other amenities are not on every corner. “Easy access to I64” can depend on your definition of easy.

There are lots of resources on the internet.

 

·         Check out the county’s comprehensive land use plan https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan  to see what kind of development is  expected around your potential new home. A wooded area might be a timber stand, which is periodically harvested, essentially clear cut. Trees are a crop, an agricultural land use.

·         Do not assume that undeveloped land will stay that way. Chances are good that a high-density new subdivision was recently farmland, and those shiny new homes have degraded rural character and displaced wildlife.

·         Is the home you’re considering located inside the Tuckahoe Creek Service District (go to https://www.goochlandva.us/Faq.aspx?QID=288 for details)? If so, you’ll pay 32 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in ad valorem tax, which generates revenue to service the debt that built that public utility system. This is on top of the 53 cent per $100 real estate tax, making your total tax rate 85 cents. This supplemental tax bill can be an unpleasant surprise after you move in. Sellers are not required to mention this tax, which buried in closing documents under the heading of “town tax”. This is expected to go away by 2030.

·         Rates for water and sewer are higher in Goochland than in neighboring counties because our system has fewer customers. These rates are expected to increase annually to cover operating and other ongoing expenses. Take this into account when estimating recurring expenses for your new home.

·         If you are considering a house whose water is supplied by a private well, be aware that during power failures, you will have no water without a generator. This requires a connection to the home’s electric panel. There is no way to “plug” a well into a portable generator.

·         If used properly, septic systems will operate for years with little maintenance. Be very careful what is “flushed” or put down the drain, and plan to have it pumped out every few years.

·         When buying raw land on which to build a house, be wary of smaller lots and demand a “perc” test before you buy to ensure that the soil hydraulics will support a septic system. If you’re looking at a resale, make sure that existing septic systems are in working order and always get a whole house inspection. Deep, drilled wells tend to be less prone to going dry during droughts, but there are no guarantees.

·         Radon testing is also a good idea.

·         Don’t expect new schools to pop out of the ground. There are no immediate plans to build an elementary school in the eastern part of the county. The need for the new elementary school that opened in Courthouse Village in 2024 was identified as far back as 1996. Goochland is far smaller (population 28k versus Henrico at more than 300k) and poorer than our neighbors who can afford to build new schools every few years. East end demographics indicate that newcomers tend to be empty nesters or send their kids to private schools. This could change, but probably not in the next few years.

·         Our public schools have an excellent reputation, especially the career and technical education (CTE) program, which exposes students to a wide range of career options to help them prepare for successful and satisfying futures. Go to https://www.goochlandschools.org/ for more information. If you have questions about a particular school, please contact its principal.

·         There are several private schools in the county including Adams International School https://adamsinternationalschool.org/ in Maidens; Salem Christian School https://www.salemchristianschool.com/ in Gum Spring; Benedictine College Preparatory https://www.benedictinecollegeprep.org/ and St. Gertrude High School https://www.saintgertrude.org/ have a Richmond address but are located on River Road in Goochland.

·         The county has several active rock quarries where periodic blasting occurs. Check out Google earth to see how far your home is from one of these before you sign on the dotted line.

·         The availability of high-speed internet and even good cell phone service can be spotty, especially in the western portion of Goochland. Broadband access is expanding, but slowly. Assume at your peril that high speed internet is available in the entire county. Check before you sign any papers if this is important to you. Go to (https://www.goochlandva.us/1025/Broadband-Internet) to double check.

·         Farms have a way of morphing into other uses including housing and commercial uses. People have a right to sell and develop their land and farmers, who do not have 401ks, sell land to finance their retirement. It’s easy to check the zoning of adjacent land, go to the county website goochlandva.us, and click on “parcel viewer” then select either E911 address or map. Locate the area you’re interested in and click on specific parcels. A summary of property information that includes the size of the parcel, its current assessed valuation, and how it is zoned will appear, as will surrounding parcels.  Go the community development tab under “government” then to planning and zoning and click on zoning ordinances and scroll down to select the zoning that applies to the parcels you want to learn about and their permitted uses. If you’re interested in farming, there are three agricultural zoning districts. Each describes what uses are allowed “by right” and which require conditional use permits. By right uses in each zoning district were approved after public hearings and stay that way unless changed, which would require public hearings and a vote by the board of supervisors in open session.

·         Farming, a vital component of “rural,” can be noisy, smelly, and messy. Some farmers spread manure or biosolids, processed residue from wastewater treatment plants ( go to https://www.goochlandva.us/162/Biosolids-Program for details), on their land to increase fertility. This is legal but can be fragrant. If this bothers you, look elsewhere.

·         Do not assume that two lane roads will be widened any time soon. There are no plans, for instance, to four lane Hockett Road, or Fairground Road, or Rt. 6 in the foreseeable future.

·         Make a real time. dry run of your daily commute, both morning and evening. Rush hour traffic is far different than that on weekends. Several spots, including the westbound Oilville exit on I64, and Fairground Road can be dangerously congested, especially in the afternoon/evening rush. Crashes on I-64, which are becoming more frequent, divert traffic onto Broad Street Road. See how many alternate routes you can find. It only takes a single wreck or tree across a road to cause long delays.

·         Improvements to the Ashland Road corridor north of I-64 are currently under construction. A portion of Rockville Road just south of I-64 will be closed for several months to facilitate significant road improvements, but not to the intersection with Ashland Road. Before purchasing property in this area, ask lots of questions about this project and prepare for inconvenience.

·         If you have children, ask where the school bus stops for your new home are. Do not assume that provisions have been made for this in newly built subdivisions.  Developers often downplay the number of school aged children a residential project will bring leading to heartburn when families move in.

·         In the less densely populated areas of the county, Goochlanders own and fire weapons and hunt on their land. The fall festival of firearms starts after Labor Day as hunters hone their shooting skills to prepare for opening day.

·         Goochland’s long narrow shape has relatively few roads, which adds to its rural charm, but also adds precious minutes to emergency response. We have outstanding fire-rescue service, but the distance between stations, homes, and hospitals is greater than in more densely populated areas. If health issues are a concern, do not move to an isolated area.

·         Be very careful about trespassing, just because land seems unoccupied, doesn’t mean it’s a park for your enjoyment.

·         Look carefully at “maps” of new subdivisions to see if they include “stub roads” that connect to adjoining parcels of undeveloped land. These could bring additional traffic to what may be marketed as a “cul-de-sac” neighborhood. Ask lots of questions about this and do not be afraid to walk away if the answers are vague.

·         Realtors and developers put the best face on property they are trying to sell, and there is nothing wrong with this. Buyer beware, especially if a realtor based outside of Goochland is involved. Too often “foreign” realtors are unfamiliar with Goochland and make unfounded assumptions that buyers sometimes take as gospel.

·         Visit Goochland social media sites to ask about the area you are considering. This is a good way to gain insights, perhaps about things you never considered.

·         Talk to people who already live here.

·         If you move to western Goochland, especially, do not expect suburban amenities to pop up near you. Be prepared to drive a lot and get used to planning your trips. The county does not “put” things like grocery stores in lightly populated areas. Businesses locate where their customers are. If you want a certain kind of business near you, please start one.

·         Goochland has many excellent local realtors who work hard to educate buyers not only about the property they buy, but the community.

Goochland is a special place filled with wonderful people with a variety of world views that enrich our community.