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…
Browsing: Chesterfield Government
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 disagreement over the funding needed to review video footage from body cameras worn by police escalated to the state Legislature, with two officials disagreeing over the likelihood of success for legislation that would mandate that Chesterfield and other counties specifically provide funding for such. The conflict came to light with local Commonwealth’s Attorney William Davenport’s Feb. 20 letter to Chief General District Court Judge Pamela O’Berry in which he notified her and other county officials that his office would no longer prosecute misdemeanor crimes as of May 1. In a March 1 letter to county supervisor Dorothy Jaeckle,…
By Caleb M. Soptelean Plans are in the works to bring two warehouses to Chesterfield County in the near future. They would be located on Bellwood and Willis roads, county officials say. Devon USA is planning a state-of-the-art facility for the James River Logistics Center on Bellwood Road, said Tina Shreve, a senior project manager with the county planning department. The planned 321,000-square-foot building could be increased to 500,000 square feet depending on the user’s needs, she said. The planned building is identical in size and scope to a building developed by Devon in 2017 in Ashland and leased by…
CHESTERFIELD – The Economic Development Authority of Chesterfield County announced Monday the filing of a detailed update of their rezoning application for a large, advanced manufacturing facility expected to bring significant new tax revenue and thousands of well-paying jobs to the county. An economic analysis performed by Mangum and Associates found the project would be a major economic driver for the county for years to come, including: 6,777 to 13,555 total full-time equivalent jobs benefitting from the project (2,000 to 4,000 direct jobs); $5.5 million to $10.9 million a year in new tax revenue to Chesterfield County; $4.1-8.2 billion in…
Craig Follo, Julie Ranson, Phil Lohr, Bill Lloyd, Mike Uzel and Amy Cannon
“It’s like trying to plan a wedding and there’s a lot to be done with planning a wedding, and obviously the county is not planning this wedding very well.” That’s how BARD member and Glebe Point resident, Amy Cannon, described the county’s handling of the Mataoca Megasite, which was announced last August after Governor Terry McAuliffe revealed the plan to acquire the property off Branders Bridge and develop it as an industrial megasite. Since then it has been an uphill battle for BARD (Bermuda Advocates for Responsible Development) members in their fight to dismantle it. The group, which was formed…
Brings demonstrated record of budgetary leadership to new role CHESTERFIELD – Chesterfield County recently announced Christopher “Matt” Harris as its new deputy county administrator for finance and administration. Harris has been serving as the county’s budget and management director. The Board of Supervisors was expected to appoint him at its Feb. 28 meeting. Harris is scheduled to begin his new role effective March 1. In his previous role, Harris, 37, serves as a key advisor to the county administrator and the Board of Supervisors. He was responsible for the development and implementation of the county’s annual operating budget and capital…
There is a long history on a piece of land known to some as the Continental Can property. The land has sat quietly since Continental Can Co. sold the property in the early 1990s. Now the acreage being called the Matoaca Mega Site may be rezoned to industrial tentatively at the March 20 Planning Commission meeting. A massive residential development was proposed on about 1,650 acres along Branders Bridge in 2006, and the rezoning was approved in 2008. The development, to be called Branner Station, was a heady design with a projected 5,000 homes, town center and two school sites…
Carey Adams and Jenefer Hughes were sworn in as constitutional officers of Chesterfield County Friday afternoon. In a ceremony in the county’s public meeting room, Adams was sworn in as county treasurer, and Hughes was sworn in as the county’s commissioner of the revenue. Adams has worked for Chesterfield County for more than 29 years. He worked for about four years as an accounting manager in the Accounting Department, and he has served 25 years as chief deputy treasurer. He was appointed treasurer after the former treasurer retired Jan. 1. “I am honored and humbled to be elected treasurer and…
A sidewalk is being added to Ecoff Avenue along with upgrades that will make it more pedestrian friendly and safer for drivers. There will be an informal meeting but no formal presentation draft plans will be available for review and staff will be on hand to field questions. The Citizen Information Meeting will take place Wednesday, December 6, 2017 from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. at Ecoff Elementary School. The Chesterfield transportation department has developed 60 percent of the plans and scheduled the meeting. They evaluated various typical sections and determined the least disrupted was to construct sidewalk with curb…