Anytime Fitness celebrated a grand re-opening last month under new ownership and management. From left: owner Manish Gupta, general manager Catherine Callaham, Vitamin Shoppe representative Monte Lloyd and personal trainer Dylan Harvey. The business is located in the Bermuda Crossroads Shopping Center on Jefferson Davis Highway.
A neighbor provided some of the impetus for Chesterfield’s new police chief to choose law enforcement as a career field. Jeffery Katz, who started Jan. 2, recalled how one of his childhood mentors who lived next door influenced his life. The man, who was an undercover agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, taught Katz how to cut grass and build things out of wood. That neighbor, who has since retired to Chesterfield County, was part of a group of law enforcement officers who mentored Katz. “Sometimes I kid that I was raised by a pack of cops,” Katz said…
Chesterfield – The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia and the Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation present a free lecture by H. V. “Bo” Traywick, “Diary of a Southern Soldier Boy” at noon, April 7, at Magnolia Grange House Museum, 10020 Iron Bridge Road. The event is part of a lecture series program to assist in further providing both historical and educational programming to increase awareness of the historical site. H. V. “Bo” Traywick will present this lecture based on journal entries an ancestor of his wrote when he was a member of the 3 rd Regiment, of the…
A 10,000-square-foot in-door recreation facility for the disabled is being planned for Camp Baker near Pocahontas State Park. Doug Payne, a spokesman of the Greater Richmond ARC, said a site plan has already been approved by Chesterfield County with a ground-breaking scheduled for August and an opening in May 2019. Most of the funds necessary for the $2.5-million project have already been raised, Payne said. The ARC is hopeful that it will receive block grants totaling $473,000 from Chesterfield and Henrico counties and the cities of Richmond and Petersburg to cover remaining costs. The ARC has clients in each of…
A proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget for Chesterfield County contains numerous advances, according to county official Matt Harris. Harris, the deputy county administrator for finance and administration, presented a report on the proposed $711 million budget to the Board of Supervisors on March 14. The budget “is responsive to the information we received” at community meetings last fall, he said. The budget proposes a 1-cent cut to the real estate property tax rate, a 3.5-percent increase in bimonthly sewer and water rates and an increase in the one-time storm water maintenance fee for new residential and commercial development in the…
By Caleb M. Soptelean After much discussion, the Chesterfield County Public Schools board last week decided to postpone a decision about year-round school at Bellwood Elementary. Eleven people spoke during public comment, including several teachers who spoke in favor of the plan and several parents spoke against it. Year-round school would begin in July and include nine weeks of instruction followed by three-week intercessions. Included in the plan are activities for some 150 economically-disadvantaged students to participate in during the intercessions. Principal Jennifer Rudd said 74.6 percent of parents returned a survey in January with 88.7 percent in favor of…
The number of fatal deaths in Chesterfield County from heroin or opioids jumped from 10 in 2003 to 39 last year, and there are already four this year. In response, the county has created a multi-department steering committee to combat the ongoing heroin/opioid crisis. “The purpose of our steering committee in Chesterfield County is to come together to coordinate with each other, to collaborate with each other, to look at what our gaps are, what are we missing, what do we need to do in addition,” said Sarah Snead, deputy county administrator for Human Services. “Under that steering committee, we…
CHESTERFIELD – Chesterfield County announced Meghan Coates as its new director of budget and management, effective March 14. Coates has worked for the county for 10 years, spending the last five years in budget and management, most recently serving as budget manager. Prior to working in budget and management, she worked for the Parks and Recreation Department. In her most recent role, Coates, 32, was instrumental in redesigning the budget process to make it more customer-friendly, and she was a key contributor to the county’s ongoing community outreach efforts through Blueprint Chesterfield. She led the development of the annual operating…
A local congregation will be offering something unique for its Good Friday service this year. Second Baptist Church, 5100 W. Hundred Road in Chester, invites the public to its 7 p.m. service on March 30, which will feature four jazz selections led by the church’s music minister, Cory Brown. The Rev. Johnnie Fleming said this is the first time the church will offer jazz at its Good Friday service during his 24 years as pastor. Shillita Moore, an associate minister at the church, will preach a “sermonette” during the one-hour service. Fleming also invites the public to a community sunrise…
Chesterfield – Magnolia Grange, the Chesterfield County Museum and the 1892 Historic Jail will be among the Richmond Region’s most renowned historic sites that will be offering a “passport” to “time travel” during a special admission-free weekend on March 24 and 25. Tourists and locals alike are invited to discover the history of Chesterfield County. Each site will offer complimentary admission to visitors who show a Time Travelers Passport, available at www.chesterfieldhistory.com. All participating sites are offering a prize opportunity for Passport holders during the Time Travelers Weekend. The prizes will feature items from each of the participating sites’ gift…