Outdoors

County opens second dog park

By Caleb M Soptelean on April 23, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Outdoors

Michele Deane brought greyhounds Beau and Haddie to Goyne Park last week for the opening of a dog park. Dog lovers now have another place to take their pets since a small dog area opened last week at Goyne Park behind Ecoff Elementary School, 5200 Ecoff Ave. Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation officials held a grand opening at the park Thursday afternoon, April 18. An agility course and large dog area are scheduled to open at the park in mid-July, Parks and Recreation planning and construction services chief Stuart Connock Jr. said. Until then, he said all dogs can use…

2019 Appomattox RiverFest is Saturday

By Press release on April 23, 2019 Events, Outdoors

On Saturday, Friends of the Lower Appomattox River presents the Appomattox RiverFest with activities featuring 30-plus regional exhibit partners, tasty food, live music and a whole lot of fun outdoor activities! New this year is the 25-foot-tall climbing wall, provided by the National Guard, where festival-goers can test their climbing skills while building self-confidence. This much anticipated family event is for river and nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, history buffs, and everyone who wants to spend a day taking in the scenic and historic treasures of the Appomattox River! The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at…

VN goes to Costa Rica

By Press release on April 2, 2019 Community, Outdoors, Travel

The Strickland Family – Glenn, Dawn, Curtis, and Timothy – and Judy Alexis Yarbrough took the Village News to the Mirador San Gerardo overlook in Monteverde, Costa Rica, with an amazing view of Lake Arenal and the iconic active stratovolcano Arenal at about 5,800 feet in altitude. Just a few minutes before, Curtis had proposed to Judy!

Longtime Pocahontas employee says goodbye

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 26, 2019 Outdoors

Louise Woolard (Photo by Andrew Sporrer/PSP) Louise Woolard’s last day at Pocahontas State Park is Friday, March 29. The longtime state employee has been office manager at the park for 31 1/2 years. Woolard’s time at Virginia’s largest state park before that began when she started helping her parents, Charles and Lois Moore, run the park pool in 1981. She continued doing so after she became office manager in September 1987. “It’s been a family thing,” she said last week. “My three kids grew up in the park.” Woolard has noticed a lot of technology changes over the years. “I…

County offers information about backyard chickens

By Becky Wright on March 26, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Community, Outdoors

Have you ever imagined of having your own little flock of chickens or gathering fresh eggs from your backyard? Good news: Chesterfield County allows backyard chickens. The Central Library presented a program March 16 about backyard chickens. Mike Persia, Virginia Tech Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, talked about chicken nutrition, housing, breeds and much more. State poultry specialist Kymberly Coffman emphasized the importance of getting birds from reputable and healthy flocks. Those who live in a residential-zoned areas may have up to six chickens and no roosters. Areas zoned for agriculture with 3 or less acres may have up to…

Volunteers needed for Appomattox River cleanup

By Press release on March 19, 2019 Announcements, Community, Events, Outdoors

Volunteers help clean up the banks of the Appomattox River each spring. Friends of the Lower Appomattox River is hosting its annual Spring River Clean-up Day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 30. Pick a site and come on out! Help restore healthy shorelines by removing litter, debris and trash from local lands along the Appomattox River at sites in Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Hopewell and Petersburg. FOLAR site captains will be at each site to provide guidance and trash bags. Wear sturdy shoes and bring work gloves if you have them. Clean-up sites include: Campbell’s Bridge – Petersburg Patton…

Tannerite explosions rattle community: Women, children, dogs and horses react to shootings

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 12, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Outdoors, Police

A horse runs on property next to Hickory Road. A group of five neighbors came to a Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meeting last month after having heard some rather loud explosions in their neighborhood near Hickory and Matoaca roads. Two of the five spoke during public comment at the Feb. 27 meeting. Kathleen Jones, a Chesterfield school teacher, said that a home she shares with Mary McKinley has suffered from loud and frightening explosions that have gone on as late as midnight. Jones, who lives on 14.6 acres at 6230 Hickory Road, is adjacent to a home at 6217 Matoaca…

Dog park to open in mid-April

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 12, 2019 Outdoors, Planning & Zoning

http://data.richmond.com/salaries/ County employee, Joe Stovall, on right, talks with local contractor Simon Green last week at Goyne Park. The first phase of a dog park at Goyne Park is almost finished. The first phase will feature a small dog run, said Joe Stovall, construction services manager at county parks and recreation. The first phase will also have an 8-foot-wide, 220-foot long walking path and an 80-foot-long release foyer area, he said. The second and third phases will include an agility course and large dog run. Work on the dog park began in February and has involved clearing diseased and dying…

Coal ash bill sent to governor: Wording about access to Henricus Park, Dutch Gap not included in bill

By Caleb M Soptelean on February 26, 2019 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government, Health, Outdoors, Politics, State News

Del. Riley Ingram speaks and Sen. Amanda Chase listens during a meeting between Chesterfield County Public Schools and local legislators late last year. The recently concluded general session was Ingram’s last. A coal ash bill that went through a number of changes in the final weeks of the recently-concluded General Assembly’s general session is waiting action from Gov. Ralph Northam. He has until midnight March 25 to sign, veto or amend the bill. SB1355 was approved 37-2 in the state Senate and 96-2 in the Assembly. It requires Dominion Energy to excavate some 28 million cubic yards of coal ash…

County to link with East Coast Greenway

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Outdoors

CHESTERFIELD — A path near Pocahontas State Park has become a designated part of the East Coast Greenway, which aims to develop a biking and walking route from Canada to Key West, Fla. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance selected the Woodpecker Road Multi-Use Path because it could provide an essential connection along the 3,000-mile route. This is the first designation for Chesterfield. Additional portions of the East Coast Greenway are being considered throughout the county. “Chesterfield Parks and Recreation is excited to have the Lake Margaret Trail formally recognized as part of the East Coast Greenway,” said Stuart Connock,…

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