Chesterfield Government

Going to waste? Shoosmith Bros. applies for permit to use remainder of its land for landfill

By Caleb M Soptelean on July 10, 2018 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government

The longevity of a local landfill may depend on an application filed recently with Chesterfield County. Shoosmith Bros., Inc. recently filed a permit application with the county that would allow it to use some 180 acres of land which includes a rock quarry that it acquired in 1997. (The quarry itself is 83 acres.) Fletcher Kelly, Shoosmith Bros., Inc.’s vice president of operations and one of six co-owners, said the business that was opened in 1976 by the Shoosmith Brothers has about seven or eight years of life left. Although some neighbors have complained about odors and noise associated with…

County approves $5.1M more for Chester arts center

By Caleb M Soptelean on July 2, 2018 Chesterfield Government

By a 3-2 vote, the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved an additional $5.1 million for Chester performing arts center last week. The “Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts” would be located next to the Chester Library. Jim Holland made the motion, which was seconded by Dorothy Jaeckle. They were joined by Leslie Haley in voting yes. Steve Elswick and Chris Winslow voted no, county communications director Susan Pollard said. (A roll call vote was not taken and supervisors voted by voice.) “It’s so important that we always complete what we start,” Holland said. Jaeckle thanked the citizens who raised…

Residents can purchase county bonds for the first time; $50M to be sold

By Press release on July 2, 2018 Chesterfield Government

CHESTERFIELD — For the first time, the county will sell approximately $50 million in bonds, offering them first to the public, meaning Chesterfield residents and other Virginians can buy bonds and invest directly in their community. The sale of these bonds will fund projects from the 2013 bond referendum, including a new Old Hundred Elementary School, and replacing Matoaca, Harrowgate, Reams, Crestwood, and Ettrick elementary schools, and major maintenance on other schools. That news came when the nation’s top three ratings agencies – Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch – reaffirmed Chesterfield County’s AAA bond rating last week. The county’s…

Warehouse, gravel road planned by EDA

By Caleb M Soptelean on July 2, 2018 Chesterfield Government, Economic Development

A 250,000-square-foot office/warehouse is in the planning stages for the Ruffin Mill Industrial Park in South Chesterfield. A site plan says that Rosyln Farms Corp. of Colonial Heights plans to build on 17 acres at 801 Port Walthall Road in the Walthall Enterprise Zone. Some 91 employees would work in the building, according to the site plan. The Chesterfield Economic Development Authority is involved with the project, county planner Steve Prusik said. The site plan has not yet been approved. Other site plans *A site plan for a gravel road owned by the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority was approved by…

Committee to study body camera funding

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 26, 2018 Chesterfield Government, Politics, State News

A committee is scheduled to consider what to do about funding commonwealth’s attorneys for reviewing body camera footage from law enforcement officials. The recently-passed state budget contains that language, Chesterfield County officials say. A committee that is to be created from representatives from the state Supreme Court, state Department of Criminal Justice Services, commonwealth’s attorneys, local governments and others is charged with making a recommendation to the state House Appropriations and Senate Finance committee chairs by Dec. 1. Mary Ann Curtin, Chesterfield’s legislative liaison, said she and Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, worked on the language that was adopted in the…

Chesterfield launches speakers bureau

By Press release on June 26, 2018 Chesterfield Government, Community

CHESTERFIELD — Chesterfield County has launched a new Speakers Bureau to better reach residents, businesses and community groups. The process is quick and easy for requesting speakers for your next meeting or program. The Speakers Bureau features a variety of topics on current and timely subjects. The speakers, who are subject-matter experts, are a great resource to groups or organizations when it comes to information about county services and programs. Presentation topics will change quarterly, and presentations can be tailored toward a group’s needs, time constraints and interests. To top it off, there is no charge to have a speaker…

Retired judge Ernest P. Gates dead at 94

By Linda Fausz on June 26, 2018 Chesterfield Government, People

CHESTER – Ernest Pleasants Gates, a man of great respect and admiration with deep family roots in Chesterfield County, died Monday, June 18, at the age of 94. He will be remembered as a man who loved his community, and was a dedicated public servant who worked to make Chesterfield a better place. An advocate for preserving the county’s history, Gates was one of a small delegation of community members to walk a piece of land overlooking the James River over 30 years ago. The group went to work on the preservation, reconstruction, and interpretation of the Citie of Henricus,…

Public divided on Nash Road extension

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 12, 2018 Chesterfield Government, Community, Transportation

Following a May 21 public meeting about options the county is considering to extend Nash Road to Route 10, the comments indicate no consensus among residents. Comments that were submitted in person or by email from May 21 to June 4 reveal that 23 people support the project and 25 oppose it. County staffers presented three options to extend Nash Road from Beach Road to Route 10 during a public meeting May 21. Option No. 1, which is the farthest north, has nine supporters, while option 2 has 12 and option 3 has 10 (see map on Page 7). However,…

Child advocacy center opens in Chester

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 5, 2018 Chesterfield Government

It was a long time coming, but retired judge Bonnie Davis was able to see her dream come true. Davis – who was a juvenile and domestic relations court judge in Chesterfield for 20 years – got the idea to start a child advocacy center in 1985 while attending a conference as a prosecuting attorney. The dream was realized when Chesterfield opened such a facility Jan. 30 at 12204 Iron Bridge Road. The center serves as a one-stop shop of sorts for children and parents in abusive situations. Having such a center in Chesterfield is more efficient and means that…

High-speed rail slowly coming to area?

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 5, 2018 Chesterfield Government, State News, Transportation

A decision on where to build a new train station for high-speed rail is headed down the track but hasn’t reached the destination yet. “The final decision hasn’t been made yet,” said David Hyder, transportation director of the Crater Planning District Commission. He added that “it looks like” the proverbial train is headed to Colonial Heights. The Federal Railroad Administration has the final say on the matter, he said. “Whatever the FRA signs off on, we’ll sign,” he said. The selection would be made at some point following the release of a Finding of No Significant Impact, or FONSI. Officials…

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