Chesterfield Government

Third group of students back in school buildings Oct. 26

By Caleb M Soptelean on November 11, 2020 School Board

During a school board meeting Oct. 13, Chesterfield County Public Schools superintendent Merv Daugherty announced that Cohort 3 will begin returning to classrooms two days a week on Oct. 26. That group of students, which includes grades 4 and 5, along with career and technical education high school students, will continue to have virtual online instruction two days a week. Daugherty noted that the district’s health panel made the recommendation based on health data related to COVID-19. During public comment, Bermuda resident Carrie Watko encouraged the district to bring all students back to school with a distance of three feet…

Chesterfield Government Citizens Academy goes virtual

By Press release on October 15, 2020 Chesterfield Government

Registration now open for fall session, to begin next week After postponing the spring Government Citizens Academy due to COVID-19, the Department of Citizen Information and Resources is excited to announce that the fall Government Citizens Academy session will be offered online on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 22 to Dec. 19. The sessions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Government Citizens Academy offers for citizens the opportunity to learn about their local government, participate in interactive sessions, provide feedback about the county’s work, and opportunities to meet local government leaders. Learn more and apply for…

Second cohort of students to return to classrooms Oct. 12

By Caleb M Soptelean on October 15, 2020 School Board

Chesterfield students in pre-K through third grade will be allowed to return to in-person instruction beginning Monday, Oct. 12. The announcement was made at the school board’s Sept. 29 meeting. The board followed the recommendation of the district’s health panel based on data related to COVID-19. In addition, the school board voted unanimously to add third-grade students to Cohort 2 and to add career technical education students to Cohort 3, which includes fourth and fifth grades. Deputy superintendent Thomas Taylor said the changes were being made to bring the district’s “hybrid education” model — which features in-person classes two days…

Bob Smet

New parks director starts at his post

By Press release on October 15, 2020 Chesterfield Government

Following a nationwide recruitment, Chesterfield County announced Robert Smet as its new director of Parks and Recreation. Smet, who served as the county’s assistant director of Parks and Recreation, began new role effective Oct. 1. He will replace James Worsley, who in August was appointed deputy county administrator for Human Services by the Board of Supervisors. With more than 25 years of management experience across various industries, Smet joined the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2012. As manager of the Rockwood Nature Center, he increased the center’s revenues by nearly 300 percent while greatly expanding the range of programs offered…

County to borrow $102M to fund maintenance and road projects

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 30, 2020 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government

On Sept. 23, the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved borrowing up to $102.6 million for major maintenance projects for the county and schools. Some $65 million of the total will go toward school maintenance projects, a board document states. About $5 million will go for county maintenance projects, including renovations to the Beulah Recreation Center and the Enon Firing Range and demolition of the fuel farm at the county airport. Some $30 million will be for road and drainage improvements related to a weather event that dropped up to 10 inches of rain on parts of the county Aug.…

Virtually learning?

By Linda Fausz on September 17, 2020 School Board, Schools

There was no wearing of new outfits and carrying a backpack full of school supplies, no running to the bus stop, no tears from parents waving their sons and daughters off to their first day of school, and no face-to-face greetings to friends and teachers they hadn’t seen all summer. The 2020-21 school year is the year of the pandemic and like many school systems, Chesterfield County Public Schools opened with online classes. More than 58,000 students in 62 schools – 38 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, 11 high schools, and a technical center – signed on to their Chromebooks…

Rendering of proposed apartments to be built along Chester Road between Vogue Flowers and Chester Recreation Association.

Spending plan for $51.6M in CARES Act funding approved

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 2, 2020 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government, Development

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved a spending plan for $51.6 million in CARES Act funding during its Aug. 26 meeting. Deputy county administrator for finance Mark Harris said the supervisors had previously appropriated $10 million of federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, including $5 million for business grants and $500,000 for mortgage and rental assistance. Harris presented what he called “a very thoughtful plan” to the supervisors. “We didn’t ask for this,necessarily, but it’s here,” he said of the funds. “We need to find ways to serve our community … and have a…

School board approves metrics for reopening schools

By Caleb M Soptelean on August 27, 2020 Chesterfield Government, School Board

Metrics to gauge and allow a phased-in return to in-person learning for students were adopted by the Chesterfield County Public Schools Board during its Aug. 11 meeting. If health data related to COVID-19 keeps improving, all students — or those who want to — could return within a seven-week period, a Project Restart board document states. The metrics would use a seven-day average of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, the positivity test rate and the rate of hospitalizations. In the document, superintendent Merv Daugherty said, “This is a dynamic plan that will change as guidance does.” Noting Chesterfield is one…

James Worsley

Chesterfield names new deputy county administrator

By Press release on August 27, 2020 Chesterfield Government

Parks and recreation director to oversee county’s Division of Human Services Chesterfield County announced today James D. Worsley as its new deputy county administrator for Human Services. Worsley currently serves as the county’s Parks and Recreation director. The Board of Supervisors is expected to appoint him at its Aug. 26 meeting, and he will begin his new role effective Oct. 1. In his current role, Worsley leads the county’s Parks and Recreation Department serving as a key advisor to the county administrator and the Board of Supervisors. Responsible for maintaining more than 180 parks, playgrounds, and athletic facilities and leading…

Chesterfield navigating strict guidelines for spending CARES funds

By Press release on August 12, 2020 Chesterfield Government

County informing citizens in preparation for Aug. 26 public hearing In preparation for the Aug. 26 Board of Supervisors public hearing about the county’s use of federal CARES Act funding, Chesterfield is informing citizens about how the money may be spent in accordance with guidelines set by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The CARES Act established the Coronavirus Relief Fund to assist states and communities in overcoming challenges directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal dollars come with restrictions for how they may be spent. The public hearing will assist county leaders in further developing plans to allocate…

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