Nuts and bolts of local government

 

Monthly meeting agendas of the Goochland Board of Supervisors typically include many topics, and housekeeping matters that require their formal approval. October 6 was no different. Go to https://goochlandcova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3418/media for a video of the meeting.

Following are some highlights.

Board Chair Jonathan Christy, District 1, commended the Goochland Sheriff’s Office for partnering with schools and the county to create The School Safety Task Force to ensure that our students have a safe environment in which to learn.

He invited all to attend the countywide town hall meeting on Wednesday, October 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The meeting, which will be livestreamed, will share updates on schools, county finances, and other topics.

County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley, Ed. D. announced that the Fall Festival will be held on October 24 from 11 to 2 on the “old GES field” on  River Road West past the administration building. Trick or Treat will be held at the admin building on October 30 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

County offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 4 for election day.

The supervisors approved a resolution recognizing October 2026 as domestic violence awareness month. Representatives of GoochlandCares https://goochlandcares.org/ which offers sexual and domestic violences services, reported that in the past year, the organization handled 62 cases. Neil Spoonhower, District 2 said that he was on the GoochlandCares board when the service began and noted that, while Goochland seems to be safe place, the 62 cases are more than one per week.

New employees were introduced and welcomed to team Goochland. Among them were seven new career fire-rescue providers. Employee quarterly award winners were announced.  It is nice to see the county celebrating the hard and excellent work of the people who make local government efficient, effective, and responsive.

Information technology was named team of the quarter, a well-deserved accolade. IT is responsible for the live stream and archiving of public meetings, Also, they maintain, troubleshoot and optimize all County computers, desk phones and audio-visual equipment, handle  public transparency and AV operations, fulfill FOIA requests, manage our live recordings, and providing technical support for all County meetings and public town halls. Our graphic information systems or GIS team is also a part of the IT department. They manage and update GIS mapping services to support spatial data analysis, workflows and public mapping applications.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Andy Armstrong gave an update on the excellent work our schools are doing to help prepare our children for successful and satisfying lives. He reported, in response to a question posed at the October 4 town hall meeting, that of the 97 2026 Goochland High School graduates who earned an associate’s degree from Reynolds Community College, at least 90 are currently enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs as third year students, having completed their general education requirements, and saving two years’ worth of tuition.

During his comments, Armstrong issued an invitation to the “The Play that Goes Wrong” the latest production by the excellent high school drama department from Thursday October 15 through Sunday, October 18 at the high school. Go to https://sites.google.com/glnd.k12.va.us/goochland-drama-dept/home for details and to buy tickets.

As the budget process for FY28, which begins next July 1, is gearing up, reports by department heads will be included in board agendas.

General Services

Scott Foster, Director of General Services, began his presentation with a list of functions his department oversees. These include facilities management; convenience centers; project management; security card and key access; fuel management; vehicle replacements; renovations; street signs; pole banners; and voting machine delivery and pickup. The facilities team, consisting of 2/12 employees—one works half time on administrative tasks, responds to more than 220 work tickets a month.

Key projects facilities management is working on include renovation of the community development space; the implementation of energy management software; construction of Sandy Hook Fire-Rescue Station 8 and design of West Creek Fire-Rescue Station 7; cleaning up right of way signage; the new courthouse; and development of a safety and risk program.

Facilities management hosts several annual events, including shredding and tire amnesty—the next is scheduled for November 14—this includes agricultural tires. Foster said that the tire amnesty program would not be possible without the help of the high school’s Marine Corps Jr. ROTC cadets. Last year, the program processed  more than 520 tires and 10k pounds of shredded material.

Foster said that he regularly fields citizen queries about when a convenience center in the east end will be built. This is still on the ‘wish” list.

Challenges to his department include providing workspaces for an evolving workforce and hiring staff to handle increased facilities.

Transportation

County Engineer Austin Goyne, who oversees transportation, and environmental matters in community development, gave the board un update on transportation projects in the county.

He explained that his department’s mission is to provide safe and efficient road networks, which serve all of Goochland County, to serve the businesses and the residents through road improvements funded by state, local, and federal sources. “The key thing I want to point out  is that we have over $302 million in funding committed to road projects throughout the County. That is an absolutely remarkable accomplishment, and one of our recent accomplishments is in smart scale dating back to 2024.”

Spoonhower, who works with Goyne on the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA), said that until the county created a position to concentrate on roads, filled mostly by Goyne, Goochland had little success competing for these funds.

Goyne  pointed out that Goochland County has been very successful in securing funding for transportation projects from various sources, which include regional gas tax, state and federal sources such as smart scale; funds that the board appropriates out of the general fund; and transportation proffers. Through June of 2026 funds totaled almost $16 million from Central Virginia Transportation Authority local: CVTA regional, a little over $67 million, and then state and federal sources just shy of $223 million.

The CVTA was created in 2020 when nine localities in the Richmond region entered into an agreement to distribute the gas funds, gas tax funds collected in the region; 50% gas taxes collected here come back to Goochland County. This translates into approximately $300,000 in revenue reported in the last fiscal year, almost $16 million since 2020. Goyne urged people to buy gas at one of the county’s 16 gas stations. About seven cents per gallon of gas purchased here comes back to Goochland.

He then explained how transportation dollars are being spent. The number one project is the Ashland Road diverging diamond over I64. This has a fixed completion date of 2029. Goyne expects “dirt to be moving” in August of 2027. He will be asking the supervisors to fund making Ashland Road four lanes from the interstate to the Amazon facility to ease congestion.

The Fairground Road extension from Sandy Hook Roud to Route 6 is expected to go to bid next spring with completion in early 2029.

Bids for the  Oilville Road roundabout on the westbound I64 off ramp came in about $240k over allocated funds. VDOT is willing to split the overage 50/50 with the county. Discussions about fund allocations are underway with completion expected in 2028. The Fairground/Maidens Roads roundabout recommended by a safety study, is in very preliminary engineering studies, with completion perhaps in 2030.

The Hockett Road extension has been renamed Ashland Road and is in the process of yet another reconfiguration to address topographical issues at the entrance to the emergency vet. Completion might be in 2029.

Pedestrian connectivity—read sidewalks—in Courthouse Village to connect Swann’s Inn with the commercial hub is in process. Goyne gave no estimate of a completion date. This will be completed in phases with the goal of having sidewalks on both sides of River Road West. Securing rights of way across private property and utility easements are complicating factors.

Other transportation improvements on the radar screen include a realignment of Rockville Road, and signalization of the Broad Branch Drive/West Creek Parkway intersection as the Lilly project moves forward. Discussions with VDOT to replace three failing bridges in the county that are unable to support the weight of fire-rescue apparatus, which increases emergency response time.

Go to about the 1:50 minute mark on the video to listen to Goyne’s full presentation.

Weekend early voting begins October 18.

 Early voting hours will be offered  at voting at the Goochland Sports Complex, located at 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Goochland, VA 23063 on the following dates:

• Sunday, October 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 25 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.