Group think

 

GOMM has been excoriated for daring to enable comment in support of data centers instead of adhering to anti-data center group think. GOMM supports robust economic development in the designated growth area, including data centers of an appropriate scale and never west of Hockett Road. Doesn’t anyone wonder where the sensational anti-data center “facts” that flood the internet comes from?

Remarks made during citizen comment period for both the afternoon and evening sessions of the Goochland Board of Supervisors’ July 7 meeting were fascinating.

Comments made during the meeting about the rise of artificial intelligence ranged from it will provide transformational improvement to every facet of our lives to that AI is devil’s work. Data center opponents presented comments supporting their viewpoint quoting information gleaned from the internet. The bullying mob even screamed “liar” at a comment that contradicted their narrative. Threats, subtle and overt, were made to the supervisors that if they dare to go against the “will of the people”, which has apparently been decided by about 2/30^th of the county population, they will be thrown out of office.

Some speakers said the quiet part out loud.

One Mosaic resident complained about water issues and contended that purchasing his home “bailed out” a failing business park. He went on to whine that there is nothing here, including schools, and said that Goochland does not even have “real” police. Sheriff Creasey and our fine deputies would be surprised to learn that. This gentleman might want to sign up for the next session of the Sheriff's Academy https://www.goochlandsheriff.com/citizens-academy-information to learn about law enforcement in Goochland.

Homes cost local governments more in services than they generate in real estate taxes. Filling West Creek with homes would make the problem worse. That’s why we need more commercial development.

Another speaker contended that Goochland is doing just fine with minimal resources so there is really no hurry to build any capital projects until revenue from the Amazon and Eli Lilly facilities kicks in. The county will finance $114 million capital projects in the next three years. This year’s operations budget could not fund many items, including 11 additional fire-rescue providers needed to keep up with increasing demand for service. When station 8, under construction, and station 7 soon to follow, go online more people will be needed to staff them 24/7. Real estate taxes, at the current rate, will not fund those.

As this was the first meeting since the announcement that a pre-application for conditional use permit had been filed to build a data center campus

( https://www.goochlandva.us/1480/Tuckahoe-Technology-Park) on more than 870 acres between Hockett Road and West Creek, it was no surprise that anti data center sentiments were plentiful and angry. Keep an eye out for updates to  https://www.tuckahoetechparkinfo.com/ a site put up by the applicant. The first community meeting on this proposal will be held on July 23 beginning at 6 p.m. at Goochland High School. Ideally, it will provide specifics to help citizens understand what is really being proposed and counter hysteria with fact.

GOMM was not in favor of adding the 871 acres to the TOD/TZ. However, the stipulation that any data center there must obtain a conditional use permit is an opportunity for Goochland to prove its intention of “doing data centers right” with minimal impact on residents. The CUP process can impose site specific standards.

Bus trips to real data centers should be provided by the applicant so people, especially Mosaic residents, can see and hear what they look like instead of relying on sensational, probably AI generated, photos and articles pulled from the internet.

The application has a lot of information which could be clearer.

For instance, we need tangible local examples of existing 60- and 80-foot-high buildings to gauge their impact on the view shed. How big is a 500-foot buffer? Even using the setback of the high school from Rt. 6 would help.  Will the land in question be clear cut, or will just enough trees be cleared for the structures? A graphic that clearly illustrates the topography of the parcels without the trees to illustrate if the proposed structures will be level with, higher than, or lower than Mosaic is needed. Surely, software exists to provide this.

Will the data center buildings blend into the trees like the CarMax headquarters?

Sound is a huge concern. Baffles and significant mitigation measures to contain continuous hums and noise from internal equipment and external generators must be mandated to minimize if not eliminate sound.

Does the project need eight buildings? Could it function with as few as three, no higher than 60 feet well away from Mosaic hidden in the trees?

The main access from Rt. 6 seems to be in the dip east of Hockett Road. Will log trucks use this to access the site during construction and how will traffic disruption be mitigated? The Rt. 6/Hockett Road intersection is a mess at afternoon rush hour; will the project improve this area?

Water will be provided by the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, not ground water. The applicant needs to provide a clear estimate of how much will be used.  

If the project releases emissions, mitigation to prevent adverse health impacts must be mandated.

 

 

 

 

 

July board highlights

 

Gary, Darcy, and Oliver Kiesinger, guardians of  a witness tree that dates from 1776 with Robin Lind and Manny Alvarez (r)

Basking in the cool down—90 instead of triple digits—Goochland’s board of supervisors began its July 7 meeting with reflections about the late Susan Lascolette, who served as District 1 supervisors for 2012 to 2023.

County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley gave a wrap up on Goochland’s observances of the nation’s 250^th birthday. “Mother Nature was on our side as we waited and waited to shoot off the fireworks when it cooled off, to make it a very special day,” he said of the county’s exquisite pyrotechnic display. Raley recognized and thanked the Parks &Rec staff for its many hours of hard work setting up, painting the field, putting up banners, and the tear down. He commended the purchasing staff for its role in the special fireworks show and expressed profound gratitude to our public safety team, fire-rescue and the sheriff’s office for keeping people safe and handling traffic. “It was a testament to the excellence of Goochland County and how we all can come together and do something special.”

Some stats about the day. In the afternoon 120 people attended the Goochland 250 event at the sports complex gym, which included a reading of the Declaration of Independence. An estimated 6,546 people watched the fireworks in person. There were more than 22,000 combined views of the two fireworks’ livestream. More than 1,100 fireworks lit our night sky.

As is his custom, Raley recognized achievements of staff members including Scott Foster, Director of General Services who recently earned his Facility Management credential; Jon-Mikel Whalen and Ramzi Farhat for earning the certified zoning administrator credential; and Adam Barber. Raley said that these staff members have earned these credentials outside of normal working hours to further the county commitment to excellence.

The Goochland Day Foundation reported that feedback from vendors and participants was positive, indicating that the event was successful. Goochland Day cost about $40k and generated a profit of approximately $14k. That will enable the Goochland Day Foundation to fund scholarships and contribute to the Goochland Cares domestic violence response program. Most county departments participated in the success of the day, which was attended by 6,000 people. Parks & Rec and building inspection got special notice for their contributions.

Goochland Day 2027 will be on more level surfaces to deal with ADA issues, and the “old GES field”, which needs a new name, to increase enjoyment for all. It will be a lead up to the county’s 300^th anniversary and have a theme of “hometown heroes” to honor people, businesses, and entities who have made a positive impact on Goochland.

The Hon. Manuel Alvarez, chair of the Goochland 250 Commission echoes Raley’s thanks to Park& Rec, as well as Jessica Kronberg, Paul Drumwright, and Raley who read part of the Declaration. He also recognized donors including Short Pump Honda (it’s in Goochland!), PFG, Wegmans, and the Chamber of Commerce

Robin Lind, President of the Goochland Historical Society https://goochlandhistory.org/ reported on the results of the Witness Tree Challenge, started earlier in the year, to identify trees at least 250 years old. Tree nominations were evaluated by drilling a core into the center of the tree and counting rings, one for each year of growth. The “Thomas Knarr poplar” was determined to have started to grow in 1752. The “Boyle white oak” dated to 1740. The “Luke Knarr Oak” dates to 1677. The Kiesinger White oak started its life in 1776, the same year as our nation. This tree is epical, said Lind, because the family that owns this tree has loved it and created a montage of the tree in all seasons. Gary, Darcy, and Oliver Kiesinger, owners of the tree were presented with a certificate of recognition.

The supervisors approved a proclamation declaring July Parks and Recreation month. In addition to its support for special events, the department provides facilities and program to improve the health and well being of our citizens years round. In FY26, the department provided services for over 5,000 program registrants, and over 400,000 visitors. The parks & rec team under the leadership of Tom Cocke received well deserved recognition as county team of the quarter.

Rookie of the quarter was Marcello Forehand, who, on Tuesday, was assistant director of public utilities but has since been promoted to director of the department. Since joining the county in March, he has hit the ground running and pitched in to solve a tricky connection issue.

Barbra Ransome from Social Services was named employee of the quarter. Transportation Manager Patrick Longerbeam was named customer service leader of the quarter for, among other actions, his work with a local HOA to solve a traffic issue to make roads safer.

Fire-rescue battalion chief Brandon Proffitt was named leader of the quarter. Among his many accomplishments, Proffitt spearheaded installation of a new ‘burn building” at the Henley Fire-Rescue Training center.

Director of Strategic Communications Jessice Kronberg presented the newly implemented civic clerk system to provide greater access to county information including agendas. Lisa Beczkiewicz and Ashley Parker worked really hard behind the scenes collaborating with Kronberg, Dan Stowers and Treanor Oliver to bring this to fruition. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evY2miOCdVA for a short video showing how to use the new system.

The consent agenda included authorization to set public hearings for August 4. These include an ordinance amendment about livestock “running at large”, an ordinance amendment for sewer connections; various budget transfers and appropriations; endorsement of applications for VDOT Smart Scale funding; and land acquisition in Crozier for a replacement for the Company 2 fire-rescue station.

Public hearings

·         A conditional use application for a short-term rental at 443 Woods Acres Road in District 4 was approved

·         A real estate easement across the fire-rescue training center to provide road access to a land locked parcel was granted.

·         An amendment to the FY 27 budget to transfer and appropriate up to $2.7 million for architecture and engineering services and owner’s representative services for improvements to the high school middle school complex, including for career and technical education, declaring the county’s official intent to reimburse these expenditures from the proceeds of future bond issues was approved.

Closed session

The board met in closed session in the afternoon to discuss specific plans to protect public safety with legal counsel and law enforcement officials as permitted by Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(19), for the purpose of discussing specific plans to protect public safety by legal counsel and law enforcement officials

The board met in closed session in the evening in accordance with the provisions of Virginia Code §§ 2.2-3711(A)(7) and 2.2-3711(A)(1), for the purpose of discussing pending litigation, and the performance and duties of the County Administrator and County Attorney.

 

 

 

A Goochland Fourth

What July 4th is all about

Joint Sheriff's Office and Fire-Rescue honor guard

Kendall Hutchinson sang National Anthem

Taps played after volley by American Legion Post 215

 

Manny Alvarez (at podium) Master of Ceremonies

Hunter Wilson, Mike Wilson, Manny Alvarez, Robin Lind, Amanda Adams, Jeff Mabry, Rhonda Shannon, Bob Warwick some speakers

Blistering heat did not stop Goochland on July 4. Our celebration was wonderful, made possible by many people who worked long and hard on a holiday. Some random observations on the day.

Special gratitude, above and beyond that which they deserve every day, goes to our public safety team. Instead of marking our nation’s 250^th birthday with friends and family, our dispatchers; deputies; fire-rescue providers, both career and volunteer; and parks and rec staff worked tirelessly, many on just a few hours’ sleep, to make Goochland’s celebration our nation memorable.

The Goochland 250 Commission, lead by Manuel Alvarez, moved Independence on the Green, a celebration of the Declaration of Independence, to air-conditioned comfort in the sports complex gym with the extensive help of Parks & Rec. For Alvarez, who emigrated to our country as a teenager fleeingcommunist oppression in Cuba, the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are not an abstraction.

Thanks to the many intrepid citizens who braved the heat to attend.

A joint Sheriff’s Office Fire-Rescue honor guard presented the colors, resplendent in exquisite dress uniforms.

The Declaration of Independence, written by Goochland’s own Thomas Jefferson, was read in its entirety by members of the community: Dr. Jeremy Raley, Andrew Meiller, Ellie Creasey, and Rhonda Shannon. The deleted passage dealing with the selling of slaves, was read by Jeff Mabry, a descendant of a revolutionary war soldier. Ms. Shannon’s passionate delivery channeled the anger and frustration of the colonists with King George III.

Bob Warwick gave a simple inclusive invocation and benediction.

Reenactor Mike Wilson, in Revolutionary war uniform, spoke about Goochlanders who participated in the struggle for independence. Their names are listed in the latest issue of the Goochland County Historical Society Magazine.

Robin Lind, President of the Goochland Historical Society announced the winners of the Witness Tree Challenge, which identified three trees that have been growing in the county for at least 250 years and been witness to the history of our nation.

Clerk of the Court Amanda Adams assisted by Kendall Hutchinson, who also sang the National Anthem, read the names and rang a bell for each of the 13 original colonies at 2:50 p.m. as part of the National Bell Festival.

There was ice cream, introduced to America by Mr. Jefferson, for all at the conclusion of the program. Kudos to the GVA 250 Commission members for staging the program including many behind the scene contributions of James Richmond, Executive Director of the Goochland Historical Society.

The VA250 “America Made in Virginia” program in Williamsburg was livestreamed in the gym beginning at 8 p.m.

Saving the best for last, Goochland fireworks were shot off beginning at 9:15 p.m. The display was better than ever! Go to https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JcTny6Wdx/  to watch.

The superb cat herding skills of our amazing deputies deftly guided fireworks watchers on their way.

It was truly a day to savor and remember.

 

 

 

Celebrate America!

 

Please join the Goochland 250 Commission to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

Citizens will read the Declaration of Independence, results of the Witness Tree Challenge will be shared, Goochland Patriots who participated in the Revolution will be recognized, and a bell will be rung 13 times in concert with bells across the nation.

Due to the forecast of extreme heat, the program will be held inside the Sports Complex gym.