Chesterfield Government

School board moves 2021-22 start to August, delays elementary school boundary adjustment

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 25, 2020 Chesterfield Government, School Board

The June 9 meeting of the Chesterfield County Public Schools board resulted in a 2021-22 calendar with a pre-Labor Day start being unanimously approved. That school year will start Aug. 23-24, 2021. Board chairwoman Debbie Bailey said they were approving the calendar now so that parents can make vacation plans for next year. Midlothian District board member Kathryn Haines said a vote among parents in her district favored a pre-Labor Day start 65-57. The teachers she asked all favored a pre-Labor Day start because they believe it’s better for students, she said. In addition, the board halted the year-round calendar…

James Worsley

Parks & Recreation Director named as National Distinguished Professional

By Press release on June 25, 2020 Chesterfield Government

Dr. James Worsley, Director of Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation, was recently selected to receive the National Distinguished Professional Award by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The award will be presented during the 2020 NRPA Virtual Annual Conference in October. Each year, NRPA National Awards are presented to individuals and agencies across the U.S. to honor their efforts, both professional and personal, in the field of parks and recreation. This year, there are 11 award categories in the NRPA National Awards program. Recipients are selected from a pool of applicants based on excellence in a variety of topics,…

Carvana pulls the plug on Woods Edge Road project

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 10, 2020 Chesterfield Government, Economic Development

It looks as if Carvana may be a victim of the economic impact from COVID-19. The used auto reseller recently announced that it was backing away from its plans for a 184-acre site on Woods Edge Road in southeast Chesterfield County. In a June 3 email, company spokeswoman Amy O’Hara said: “After further examination of current business priorities, Carvana is no longer pursuing an auto inspection center and storage facility in Chesterfield. The company appreciates the support and partnership it has received throughout the site selection process and extends its gratitude to the Chesterfield community.” The Tempe, Ariz.-based company fought…

BoS: County has 32 COVID-19-related deaths

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 4, 2020 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government

Chesterfield County had 32 deaths related to the coronavirus as of May 27. County supervisors heard that and more information from Chesterfield’s health district director, Dr. Alexander Samuel, during their May 27 meeting. Samuel noted that the county’s positivity testing rate for COVID-19 was at 17.5 percent, which was down from the peak of about 28 percent in mid-April. However, it was an increase from 11.8 percent three weeks previous. Samuel added that more than 11,000 coronavirus tests had been administered to county residents, the fourth-highest total in the state. Clover Hill supervisor Chris Winslow asked Samuel if he thought…

Courthouse Landing traffic improvements

Courthouse Landing gets approval recommendation

By Caleb M Soptelean on May 28, 2020 Chesterfield Government, Development, Economic Development, Planning & Zoning

Five months after giving the project a denial recommendation, the Chesterfield County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of Courthouse Landing on May 19. Courthouse Landing traffic improvements The commission gave the project a denial recommendation Dec. 17. The Board of Supervisors remanded the case back to the Planning Commission on Jan. 22. The supervisors will now consider the case again. The developer of the project — which would be located on 124 acres on the northeast corner of Route 10 and Courthouse Road — made several revisions in order to gain approval of county staff. These include adding four turn…

Sheriff’s Office has more safety measures for courthouses

By Press release on May 28, 2020 Chesterfield Government, Courts

To comply with COVID-19 social distancing rules, visitors will be screened before entering court buildings The Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office is implementing additional measures at the Chesterfield County General District Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and Circuit Court. The idea is to maintain social distancing to protect visitors and staff as the courts prepare to add more cases to its dockets over the coming weeks. Effective 8 a.m. Monday, May 18, all patrons entering the courthouse from the main entrance will be asked a series of COVID-19 screening questions and have their temperatures taken. This will happen at all three of…

Pre-Labor Day start for CCPS in 2021?

By Caleb M Soptelean on May 21, 2020 Chesterfield Government, School Board

Chesterfield County Public Schools is proposing a pre-Labor Day start to the 2021-22 school year. Sharon Pope, CCPS’s chief academic officer, spoke to the school board about the proposal during the board’s May 12 work session. “It seems an odd time to talk now” about the proposal, she said, but noted that school staff is presenting it early to allow more time for preparation. The 2021 pre-Labor Day start includes a first instructional day of Aug. 23. Pope noted that state law requires school districts to give four days off for Labor Day if they start before the holiday, so…

Chesterfield School Board will review budget reduction proposals

By Press release on May 19, 2020 School Board, Schools

The Chesterfield County School Board will review staff proposals to close a $23.3 million funding gap that now exists in the Board’s approved Fiscal Year 2021 operating budget based on reductions in funding recently announced by state and local governments. The school board was scheduled to host a virtual work session on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss potential reductions to the budget that will support school division operations during the 2021-22 school year. The work session takes place electronically in accordance with the Continuity of County Government Ordinance adopted by the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on March 25,…

“Relaunch Chesterfield” aims to reopen Chesterfield businesses

By Press release on May 6, 2020 Business, Chesterfield Government, Community

Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, ChamberRVA Chesterfield Cabinet, and Chesterfield County have united to support a coordinated relaunching of the Chesterfield economy. “Relaunch Chesterfield” focuses on issues for businesses and elected officials around the county to consider as reopening plans are made. “Relaunch Chesterfield” is meant to work in conjunction with the Governor’s Covid-19 Business Task Force recommendations as they too begin the work of relaunch Virginia’s economy. “Relaunch Chesterfield” will be developed in partnership with business leaders across a broad array of industry sectors and organizations around the county, including but not limited to the following sections: Health and…

Utility rate increase nixed, revised budget approved

By Caleb M Soptelean on May 1, 2020 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government

By Caleb M. Soptelean A planned increase in utility rates went down the drain last week as a result of the impact of the coronavirus. The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to keep utility fees the same in Fiscal Year 2021, which starts July 1. They also unanimously approved a revised budget of $723.6 million, which is almost $50 million less than the original proposal. “Kudos to [deputy county administrator Matt Harris] and the entire budget team,” board chairwoman Leslie Haley said during the April 21 virtual meeting. “They started over from almost square one.” She also noted…

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