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| Goochland Sheriff Steven Creasey (l) and County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley chat in the great hall of St. Gertrude's School |
On March 25, District 5 Supervisor Jonathan Lyle held a district 5 town hall meeting in the great hall of St. Gertrude’s School on the campus of Benedictine Schools of Richmond on River Road just east of Rt. 288. The setting was an exquisite building whose tower stands sentry over the entrance to Goochland County by the James River bridge.
About 15 years ago, the relocation of Benedictine College
Preparatory School from Richmond’s museum district to River Road generated a firestorm
of opposition from neighbors who contended among other things, that locating
the school in their midst would degrade the value of their homes and that a
school had no place in a residential area.
When St. Gertrude’s school for girls moved to the campus a
few years ago, there was little comment.
During a recent conditional use permit hearing concerning
expansion of campus athletic fields for girls’ sports, Jesse Grapes, President
of Benedictine Schools of Richmond, (https://www.benedictineschools.org/)
presented data showing that assessed valuation
of homes closest to his campus, increased more than those in other parts of the
River Road corridor. In his remarks of welcome Grapes said that Benedictine
works to be a good neighbor and “make it look good as you’re coming across the
(288) bridge.”
District 5 School Board member Ellen Robinson introduced
dignitaries in attendance. “The strength of our community lies in our ability
to communicate openly and work collaboratively,” she said.
The session covered a wide range of topics. This post
touches on a few highlights. (Go to https://goochlandva.new.swagit.com/videos/379370
to https: It’s well worth your time. Kudos to Director of Information
Technology Dan Stowers and System Support Analyst Elliot Waugh for making this
possible.)
Schools
Superintendent of Goochland Schools Dr. Andy Armstrong gave
a brief overview (Lyle limited him to 10 minutes) of the exceptional work being
done every day in Goochland Schools. These include robotics, most students in
the region earning an associate degree from Reynolds Community College before
high school graduation saving their families on the cost of a four year degree
or giving them a clear pathway to a sustainable career; fine and performing
arts—be sure to see the production of Oklahoma in April—lots of sports;
and a robust career and technical department whose curriculum is expanding with
offerings to prepare students for emerging technology jobs at new businesses
opening in the county. Please listen to Armstrong’s presentation. Our schools
are funded mainly by local tax dollars and deliver an excellent return on investment
for the community.
Taxes
Lyle said that while tax rates have remained unchanged for
almost two decades, tax bills have increased due to rising property assessments.
Lowering the real estate tax rate by a penny, which generates about $1 million
in revenue, would reduce the tax bill on a $750k house by about $75, said Lyle.
He urged everyone to look at the proposed budget for FY 27, which begins on
July 1, and let him know how they want their tax dollars spent. Tax rates for
calendar year 2026 will be set on April 14, and the budget approved on May 5.
Go to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/
under government click on the financial services tab and select the proposed
FY27 budget for details.
Roads
Roads in Goochland are built and maintained by VDOT, explained
Lyle. He discussed the snowplow dashboard, which was of great interest during
the recent snowcrete adventure. The county is aware of trouble spots, including
the Hockett Rd/ Rt.6 interchange; the “Spaghetti junction” at Rt. 6 and River
Road and the right turn only from Tuckahoe Pines onto Rt. 6. VDOT thresholds
for changing speed limits and installing traffic control measures determine
changes.
Deed fraud
The Hon. Amanda Adams, Clerk of Goochland Circuit Court,
said that in response to concerns about deed fraud, which she cannot prevent, to
be proactive she is participating in the Virginia Deed Fraud system to alert
property owners to suspicious activity. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/979/Land-Recordings
for details about how to sign up.
On April 24 Adams will present a free seminar entitled
“Probate, the good, the bad, and the ugly” at 1 p.m. in the board room of the
county administration building at 1800 Sandy Hook Road. Adams said that
everyone needs a will.
A celebration of the 200th anniversary of the
Goochland County House will be held on September 19 that will include a time
capsule, tours of the building (to see why we need a new one), games for kids
and more.
Public safety
District 5 Planning Commissioner Martin Dean, who is also a
volunteer fire captain at Manakin Fire-Rescue Company 1, spoke briefly about
public safety, which includes the Sheriff’s Office, fire-rescue, and animal protection.
In 1951, a group of courageous concerned citizens created
the county’s first volunteer fire department after Dover Church on Manakin Road
burned to the ground. Over the ensuing three quarters of a century, the
organization has evolved into an all-hazards department where well-trained and
equipped volunteers work side by side with paid providers. Last year, said
Dean, Goochland fire-rescue volunteer recruitment attracted more new members than
it has in several years.
During the past five years, all public safety calls for service
have increased significantly. Higher density development, like apartments, can generate
more complicated law enforcement and fire-rescue response. Technology, including
body cameras, and related training adds to the cost of these departments.
Last November, a Goochland fire engine serving as blocking
safety equipment to protect responders dealing with a crash on the 288 bridge
was struck by a drunk illegal alien and totaled. Replacing the engine will cost
north of $1 million, not fully covered by insurance, and take several years for
delivery. A similar crash on Rt. 6 near the Henrico border resulted in expensive
but reparable to another fire truck.
Dean said that, thanks to our excellent Sheriff’s Office and
Fire-Rescue Department, Goochland is a very safe place to live. (Go to https://goochlandfire-rescue.org/
and https://www.goochlandsheriff.com/
to learn more about the exceptional people who make our community a wonderful
place to live.) Also, download the Sheriff’s app that provides real time
notification about road closures due to wrecks and weather-related issues.
Each county school is served by a resource officer deputy
from the Sheriff’s Office works to instill a culture of safety in our young
people. Dean also congratulated Goochland Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services
Chief D. E. “Eddie” Feguson, Jr. for being named Virginia Fire Chief of the
Year 2025.
About fire-rescue station 7
Among the items discussed was the groundbreaking for
Fire-Rescue station 8 in Sandy Hook next month, and questions about why it was
built before station 7.
In late 2019, the location for the long-needed fire-rescue
station 7, on the east side of Hockett Road, just north of its intersection
with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, was identified. At that time Ferguson explained
that the site was ideal because it provided multidirectional access for
emergency response.
The 2021 referendum to allow the county to issue general
obligation bonds to build schools, a new courthouse, and station 7, whose
location was clearly stated, passed overwhelmingly. A portion of the approved
bonds were issued in early 2022.
When the site for station 7, donated by West Creek, was
rezoned to remove it from West Creek, owners of nearby homes, mostly built
after the site was identified, who failed to perform adequate due diligence
before buying, were furious to learn that there would be a fire-recue station
in their backyards. They contended that building another fire-rescue station to
serve a county population of about 28,000 was a waste of taxpayer money and took
legal action to prevent Sation 7 from moving forward. In the interim the county
searched for another site including the now defunct site of West Creek Emergency
center, for which the county was outbid. As it is a dead end, that location was
less than optimal.
Several years ago, when the county purchased property at the
corner of Whitehall and Dogtown Roads in Sandy Hook for a future station 8.
When construction on the Courthouse Village roundabout caused delays in Company
5 response, an ambulance was deployed to the station 8 site on weekdays. This
significantly reduced response times, which led to moving up station 8 while
station 7 was paused. Ferguson said that the temporary Station 8 responds to the
third most calls in the county.
Ferguson also contended that Hockett Road, which has been
traveled by emergency vehicles for decades, is a main road and one of the best
in the county. He also reiterated that the Hockett Road site will provide multidirectional
access for emergency response and have appropriate signalization and road improvements
or safety. The county is fully committed to building station 7. As funds generated
by general obligation bonds have a sunset date, using money for station 8
before station 7, while frustrating, is appropriate.
Fire-Rescue Station 7 will be built on the original
location. Ferguson said that the supervisors are expected to approve execution
of a contract for architecture and design services at their April 7 meeting
with the same firm that designed Station 8. The floor plan of station 7 will be
very similar to station 8, but because Station 7 will be on public utilities
rather than well and septic for station 8, there will be site specific variations.
The exterior will also be different.
Other stuff
·
A conceptual plan to build a park on the 87-acre
county owner parcel on the west side of Hockett Road opposite the Greenswell Growers
facility has been created, but not funded, yet.
·
The Pamunkey Regional Library is investigating deployment
of an intelligent library locker system in the Broadview Shopping Center in
Centerville to allow patrons to check out materials online and pick them up
there. Library cards are free, please get one! https://www.pamunkeylibrary.org/client/en_US/default
·
An exploratory conversation about using the Reynolds
Community College campus in Courthouse Village for the Virginia Center for Advanced
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing is ongoing. This would align with the Lilly plant
in West Creek and similar regional entities.
·
A utility line is planned to run along Rt. 288 to
the Lilly site in West Creek.
·
Visit the county’s new GIS system under the “parcel
viewer” tab on the county website. It has a wealth of easily accessible
information.
·
Economic development, to move the tax base ratio
to 70 percent residential/ 30 percent commercial from its current 82/18, is
well underway. In addition to the Lilly and Amazon projects, the new Honda Dealer—yes,
it is in Goochland—for tax purposes, projects in the I64 industrial park on
Oilville and the Ashland Road corridor are coming online soon.
·
Lyle supported a no vote on the redistricting
referendum to preserve non-partisan redistricting in Virginia.
A pdf file of the slides for the meeting was included for those
on the blog notification list.
Lyle will be happy to field all inquiries at Jonathan Lyle, 804-584-7524,
jlyle@goochlandva.us
Stay engaged!
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