http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/index/ en RFranklin@goochlandgazette.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-06T22:21:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/fraga_saves_lives_in_alaskan_waters/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/fraga_saves_lives_in_alaskan_waters/#When:22:21:00Z ‘03 GHS grad tells of rescue efforts aboard MunroRamon Fraga has trained for it. He has anticipated it. And he has welcomed it. But when the alarms began to sound recently, he was thankful that he was able to help. Fraga, 23, is a technician third-class aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro. There, he serves as an operation specialist who is part 9-1-1 operator, part air-traffic controller. Not only is he responsible for working radar and tracking aircraft and vessels but he is also responsible for all intelligence and cryptographic equipment on board. He also helps with the navigation of the Munro, its operations, and all message traffic. All of that training was put to the test just after 3 a.m. on Easter morning, when the Munro received a mayday from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger. The boat, roughly 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, ran into problems on its way to mackerel fishing in the Aleutian Islands. Dutch Harbor is about 800 miles southwest of Anchorage and about 1,700 mile northwest of Seattle, the boat’s home port. The Alaska Ranger began to sink after reporting that it had lost control of its rudder. The Munro, which made speed immediately, was able to recover 46 of the vessel’s 47 crewmembers. All but four of those rescued lived. Having been in the Coast Guard since September 2005, Fraga, a 2003 graduate of Goochland High School, was assigned to the Munro two years ago. Since then, he has seen a lot. But his experience aboard the Munro on Easter Sunday was one he’ll never forget. “We had just left Kodiak a week before the actual case started,” he recalled. About to get off of watch duty in an hour, Fraga said it was just a regular night like any other. “We were finishing up our paperwork before the watch relief came when we heard a mayday,” he said. “We immediately started jumping into place, doing everything that we have been training for for the past two years.” Even though he and his fellow officers couldn’t believe what was happening, the Coast Guard’s motto, ‘Semper Paratus” or “always ready,” stood out to him. “We started to get all of the information from the radios and from the Alaskan Ranger, what their position and nature of the distress was, how many people were on board, the description of their vessel,” Fraga said. “They said they were taking on water and couldn’t stop the flooding. And they said they were going to abandon ship as fast as they could.” At the same time, the crew of the Munro had already plotted the vessel’s positions and notified the proper chain of command. “We also started drafting an uncorrelated marine information broadcast to the public and mariners to see if anyone was in the area to help,” Fraga said. In a matter of minutes, the Munro had gathered the information, turned, and made its way toward the Alaska Ranger. “It was amazing how well and how fast we got down to business,” Fraga recalled. Once the Munro was close enough, it launched its helicopter and, with the help of the Alaska Ranger’s sister vessel, the Alaska Warrior, was able to save all but five of the ship’s crew members. Having then come aboard the Munro, Fraga said it took a while for the Alaska Ranger’s crew to feel comfortable. “The whole time, there was a person assigned to each crew man to keep them company and try to help them cope with all the trauma that they had been through,” he said. “It was kind of a buddy-buddy situation, where we had to give them special attention by talking and by physical contact as well, like pats on the back.” The survivors stayed on board for several days and by the end, Fraga said they were able to become friends. “It must have truly been a hard ordeal because of the sheer terror and despair that they must have felt,” he said. “But thank God for helping up us get there in time to save some lives and actually make a difference in this world.” Looking back, Fraga said he was just thankful to have the opportunity to help those who desperately needed it. “This is why a lot of people join the Coast Guard and the armed forces,” he said. “We just want to be able to do things like this.” 2008-05-06T22:21:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/supervisors_back_planning_funding/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/supervisors_back_planning_funding/#When:22:20:00Z Board approves allocating $618,773 for work at all three elementary schoolsThe Board of Supervisors unanimously approved more than $600,000 for school-construction planning Monday afternoon, the first step in the county’s bid to have its three elementary schools added on to and renovated. The School Board had approached the supervisors in a bid to seek an out-right appropriation last month. But due to the nature of the request, the board directed school officials to bring the request for funds back in a proper format. The requests this week were to issue general obligation bonds to cover a pair of projects—the six-classroom addition and multi-purporse room construction at both Byrd and Randolph Elementary schools as well as a bus garage. But School Board Chairman Andrew Meng (District 4) withdrew requests for resolutions in support from the board for that bond issue after discussion amongst the supervisors Monday. In essence, the school system has been seeking funding for elementary projects for more than a year. A recent joint sub-committee, formed at the urging of the supervisors, recommended a course of action that the county was unwilling to support without a bond referendum in November. That recommendation was to make the additions and renovations at Byrd and Randolph in addition to building a 700-student elementary school in the Courthouse area. Rather than seek the roughly $8.7 million for the BES and RES projects, as well as about $4 million for the bus garage, the school division received the planning funds that will allow work to begin at Goochland Elementary School, a site which the county has signaled to school officials will continue to be used as a school. Still, the possibility remains that work needed at GES, in order to provide the capacity sought by the school system, could push the project’s price tag even higher than a proposed new facility, which the school system has continued to support. Issues at the site are expected to be identified with the funds. Board of Supervisors Chairman William Quarles (District 2) said it was “most prudent” to approve the planning funding so that the school system could begin the work needed. Meng said he hoped the school division would return the study’s information prior to the board’s meeting in July.  2008-05-06T22:20:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/voices_speak_out_on_comp_plan_update/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/voices_speak_out_on_comp_plan_update/#When:22:16:00Z Speakers say the process needs more input from residentsIf the opinions expressed at Monday night’s Comprehensive Plan Citizen’s Advisory Council Input meeting was any indication, Goochland residents are determined to shape their own future when it comes to planning. Although the opinions voiced were as varied as the sections of the county, one theme rang true throughout the more than two-hour meeting—an overwhelming desire to be involved in shaping Goochland’s next Comprehensive Plan. Last month, several members of the Citizens Advisory Committee, formed to gather public input in the update process, requested a 60-day extension so that more comments could be gathered. Monday’s meeting was their idea, a sort of last-chance opportunity to hear from citizens before the comments are cataloged and presented for consideration. Passage of the revised plan is not expected until September. The public will have an opportunity to voice their opinion on the update at several public hearings that will accompany the final approval process. Many of those attending the meeting were more concerned with the process and its lack of meaningful citizen input. Paul Costello, a District 4 resident and member of Concerned Citizens with Goochland Growth (CCGG), said the public input process is fundamentally flawed. “We believe the citizen input process is broken,” he said. “Specifically, there has been no collaboration with the citizens in regard to how public meetings about the plan should be structured.” Costello cited a lack of information between the citizens and the Planning Commission following the release of a draft plan over two months ago. “We believe there is critical citizen input missing from the 2028 Comp Plan,” he added, referring to the lack of a vision statement and other elements. “The 2028 Comp Plan needs to appropriately reflect the shared values and informed input from a diverse group of property owners, neighbors, merchants, developers and community leaders across all five districts of Goochland,” Costello said. He said officials have sought and received citizen input, but have paid little attention to the suggestions. “This is not meaningful citizen participation,” he said. The lack of land-use plans, in Costello’s mind, is another major omission in the draft. John Lewis, also a member of CCGG, said the updated language in the draft lacks the fortitude necessary to enforce ordinances. In many instances, Lewis contended, the words shall and will are replaced with should. “There has been a deliberate effort to go through the document and take out words like shall and will and replace them with should,” Lewis said. “Of course, you’re familiar with what that means. You can’t hold people’s feet to the fire with the word should.” Many speakers echoed the public-input sentiments, and some went a step further, asking what will happen with these comments. Some asked if the Board of Supervisors or Planning Commission would even hear their concerns. Assistant planner Tom Coleman, who heads the county’s Comprehensive Plan effort, said many of the suggestions heard at the meeting will be considered for the revised draft, expected to be completed by August. Community activist Elizabeth Nelson-Lyda said she didn’t think the Comprehensive Plan should endorse any plans that are not funded. She also suggested an annual mission statement by the school system be included in the update. Several citizens, including Nelson-Lyda, expressed the need for a glossary at the beginning of the document to assist citizens in understanding some of the intricacies of terms associated with the plan. District 3 resident Bill Burnet said the plan does not reflect the vision of the citizens of Goochland County. “As far as it (the plan) sits today, it’s ripe for developers to continue plowing Goochland under, one acre at a time,” Burnet said. “It’s been written behind closed doors.” He added, “It’s not addressing the issues raised during citizens’ input back in 2007.” Burnet and other citizens expressed a belief the plan lacks accountability and a method to measure progress. He described the current draft as “gutted” and “lacking teeth.” While there was consensus among the audience regarding the lack of inclusion of previous citizen input in the current draft, other issues evoked varied responses. One citizen spoke in support of including language in the plan that supports and encourages affordable housing in Goochland County. District 5 resident Pat Turner said that’s a noble goal but virtually unobtainable in Goochland due to high land prices. “You’re never going to have affordable housing on two and three acre lots,” he said. District 4 committee member Hank Hartz explained the reasoning behind the special meeting held in the county administration boardroom. “What we’re trying to do here is just gather some public input concerning the Comprehensive Plan,” Hartz said. “Our intention is to get together as a group, as we were tasked by the Board of Supervisors, and put together your comments. I don’t know whether we will take a stand on any of the issues one way or another. I assume we’ll just pass the information on to the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission.” Following one speaker’s presentation, Hartz correctly gauged the mood of the citizens attending the meeting. “It seems to me that what you’re looking for is a collaborative process,” Hartz said. That comment drew affirmative applause. Coleman said his department hopes to submit an amended draft for consideration in August, and hopes to have all public input in his office by June 1. “But, we’ll continue to collect public input the entire way,” Coleman said. The committee will meet with county planning staff to review its collection of public input and suggestions. It will then submit copies of those comments to the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and planning department.  2008-05-06T22:16:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/johnson_a_student_loves_to_teach/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/johnson_a_student_loves_to_teach/#When:22:12:00Z Junior teacher cadet spends time doing a lot of bothCourtney Johnson is a bit of a hybrid. On the one hand, she spends a great deal of time being a student. But she also spends a lot of time and energy on being a teacher. And the on-the-job-training she has received this year has only strengthened her desire to make that teaching aspect a predominant part of her future. Johnson, 16, is one of Goochland High School’s inaugural teacher cadets. As part of the program headed by Shannon Orr, Johnson and the other cadets spent this year not only learning how to be a teacher but also doing in-classroom work throughout the school system. As part of her field experience, Johnson, who was tabbed this week as the Top Junior Teacher Cadet of the Year, has been working with Zoe Parrish’s fourth grade class at Goochland Elementary School. Since February, Johnson has been teaching French to seven of the students while others had remediation time. The fourth graders, who haveall been given French names, have learned a number of things about the country in addition to the basics of the language, such as numbers. In a project that merged both GES and the high school, Johnson paired seven of David Trumbo-Tual’s French 4/5 students with her fourth graders. “The basic idea was to have them work together to learn different vocabulary words and have them learn more about France,” Johnson said. Each group was given a specific aspect of France to study. One group, for example, had food while another had culture and another history. They were required to write a paragraph about their research topic and draw a picture. Johnson, who took three years of the language herself, said the time spent being the teacher to kids her own age as well as the fourth graders has been tremendous. “I really enjoy teaching the younger kids,” she said. “And I think this experience has made me even more sure that that’s the age group I want to teach.” Parrish said that seeing her students work with Johnson has been a real treat. “It has been amazing to see the kids and the way they respond to her,” Parrish said. “I have been astounded by what she’s been able to do with them.” The fourth graders’ enthusiasm for French goes beyond times when Johnson is there, she added. In fact, they even practice on days when Johnson isn’t teaching. In her third year herself, Parrish said Johnson is exactly what her profession needs. “If she doesn’t become a teacher, the world of education will be missing out.” To Johnson, teaching doesn’t really feel like work, though. “It’s my favorite thing to do,” she said with a smile. “And I know it’s something I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life.” Johnson said it was great to be able to have the experiences she has had as a teacher cadet and to know that she’s on the right path. “A lot of my friends have no idea what they want to do,” she said. “I know this is it for me and that’s a big deal. It makes things a lot easier.” Said Orr, “She inspires me to be a better teacher.” 2008-05-06T22:12:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/ferguson_sentenced_miller_facing_arraignment/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/ferguson_sentenced_miller_facing_arraignment/#When:22:10:00Z A Goochland man who plead guilty in February to the aggravated sexual battery of a 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. Craig Allen Ferguson, 35, was indicted in December by a Goochland grand jury on a single count of rape accomplished by using the victim’s mental incapacity or helplessness. Ferguson, employed with the City of Richmond’s child protective services, entered an Alford plea of guilty to the lesser offense through a plea agreement on Feb. 8, which Circuit Court Judge Timothy K. Sanner accepted. An Alford means one does not admit guilt but acknowledges that sufficient evidence exists for a conviction. According to Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Claiborne H. Stokes, Sanner sentenced Ferguson on the prosecutor’s recommendation. Ferguson met the girl through outreach efforts in his capacity as a volunteer with the Goochland County Fire-Rescue Department. His initial contact with the victim came during Goochland Fire Camp, held July 16-20 last summer. No alleged offenses took place during the camp but the two exchanged e-mail addresses and began communicating shortly thereafter. When he was arrested, authorities found directions to the victim’s home in Ferguson’s vehicle. Ferguson made several attempts to meet the girl, including going to the movie theatre at Short Pump Town Center while she was there with a friend on one occasion and also trying to get her to meet him at a street corner on another. Upon the completion of his sentence, Stokes said he will be under supervised probation for the rest of his life. Ferguson will also have to register with the sex offender registry.  Meanwhile, a Columbia woman accused of killing her boyfriend in February is set to appear in court on June 10 for arraignment. Laura T. Miller, 48, faces first-degree murder charges stemming from the death of her boyfriend, identified as 49-year-old Ralph Carpenter, Jr. Law enforcement officials say Miller shot and killed Carpenter on Feb. 19 in the home they shared in the 4000 block of Shannon Station Lane. In addition to her arraignment, she will also be undergoing a sanity evaluation.  2008-05-06T22:10:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/students_at_ghs_learn_self_defense/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/students_at_ghs_learn_self_defense/#When:19:02:00Z Local kids learn about ways to protect themselvesHopefully the information he provides you with will never have to be used. But Bobby Withrow wants to make sure you know exactly what to do if you ever find yourself being attacked. Withrow, 44, provides self-defense classes to many high schools in and around the area. “I enjoy teaching this information and love giving the confidence to the people who have learned it,” Withrow said. Taking a break from restoring cars and building hotrods at Page Customs during the day, Withrow makes himself available to organizations because of his belief in the cause. He said he’s thankful that his employer has allowed him to work at night in order to teach the seminars during school hours. Earlier this month, Withrow conducted a seminar for more than 200 students at Goochland High School, which was set by through health and physical education teacher Amy Henneberger. The classes are offered to all the students presently enrolled in a physical education class. Withrow’s course is completed in a one-week time span, allowing students to actually practice what they have learned at the end of the three-to four-day training period, in a “Attack and React” demonstration. During the demonstrations, Withrow gives the students 10 seconds to break free of his grip using the methods they have learned. “With women, if they are unable to break loose within 4-8 seconds, the situation generally turns ugly,” he explained. Withrow is no amateur when it comes to defending himself. He has practiced martial arts for 19 years and has earned a black belt. In 2005 he was named the Champion of the East Coast Kickboxing championship. “I feel it is important for me to teach self-defense classes because I have two children of my own,” Withrow said. “It gives me a peace of mind to know that they are protected when I am not around.” The self-defense seminars are a product of his experience with martial arts. He began teaching them earlier this year after talking with other parents of students at Godwin High School in Henrico, where his daughter attends. He set the seminars in motion by doing a two-week course through the athletic department. During his classes, Withrow teaches balance and the awareness of one’s surroundings. He also teaches students how to punch, block punches, and escape from the situation before being harmed. “I have a little saying—‘Be Smart. Be Aware. Be Prepared’,” Withrow said. He also teaches that in a situation where you are being choked from behind, the quickest and easiest thing you can do is drop your chin, making it more difficult for your attacker. Also, when your wrists are being grabbed, you want to locate the place where the fingertips meet because this is where it will be easiest to break loose. Withrow will be presenting his seminars to other high schools in the future, such as Powhatan, James River, and Douglas Freeman. A friend is currently in the process of opening his own location on Huguenot Road where demonstrations and self-defense seminars will be performed for the public to attend. It should open in June. “Even though this has just come about this year, it really has snowballed,” Withrow said. “I’ve bought some equipment and things are really taking off. And fortunately, I haven’t heard any stories of anyone who has had to use what I taught them.” 2008-04-30T19:02:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/peace_palace_heading_for_round_3/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/peace_palace_heading_for_round_3/#When:18:57:00Z Committee defers decision again to allow further revisions to planWhen representatives from the Global Country of World Peace arrived at the Design Review Committee’s regular monthly meeting earlier this week, the group was confident a revised building plan would address all of the panel’s previous concerns. In what could be described as a failure to communicate, the members of the committee clearly had other ideas. “I was under the impression we had addressed all of the concerns, so I was hoping we could move forward tonight,” said World Peace vice president Robert LoPinto. Committee member James Atkinson said he was under the impression the revised plans would more resemble the type of buildings proposed for Manakin Town development. DRC committee head Bill Neal agreed. At a meeting last month, the committee expressed concerns regarding the appearance of the proposed building located within the Va. Route 250 Overlay District in Centerville. Several members objected to the tiered cupola and mideastern scalloping atop the arches that gave, in some committee members’ words, a “foreign” appearance. They also suggested World Peace architect Jon Lipman include more brick accent to make the building more compatible with neighboring structures. LoPinto opened his remarks by stating that the group had met all of the previous concerns and presented amended drawings for consideration. Scalloping on the three most visible sides of the building had been eliminated, the cupola redesigned and brick accents added, but some members still found the plans lacking in architectural consistency with the area. Hank Hartz acknowledged the changes in design, but questioned if the modifications changed the overall appearance of the structure. “The overall style of the architecture has an Eastern flair,” Hartz said, explaining that the overlay district has strict guidelines and goals. “If this were in any location, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. If what you really want is to build the building you originally came to us with, maybe the answer is to find a better place to put it.” LoPinto said the group has too much invested in this site to seek another one and didn’t understand the group’s objection. “How does this building not fit in with other Central Virginia architecture?” LoPinto questioned. “I thought we took out the things that were really troublesome that separated it and put in a different category,” he added. Vice-chairman John Lewis questioned the rationale behind the two kalashes on the top of the building. The design accents, explained LoPinto, are a symbol that encourages “good fortune to the building.” He said the group would be willing to remove the kalashes to meet the guidelines. “It’s just a little decorative thing,” LoPinto said. Dialogue between the group’s representatives and the committee, by this point, clearly indicated a hesitation to approve by all committee members. “It’s not intended to be Islamic or Moorish,” Lo Pinto said, addressing terms used by committee members to describe the building. “It’s intended to be a classical-looking building. I don’t see the Islamic influence when I look at this building.” Committee members suggested another deferral rather than a vote that would have clearly rejected the plan. Hartz again said the overlay district was his main concern. “I think we’re getting there. I just think we need to tweak a little more,” Hartz said. “If what you want is the original design, there’s a place in Goochland County you can do that. It may not be in the spot you have chosen.” The committee approved a motion to defer the matter until the applicant is ready to resubmit. Lipman indicated a 60-day deferral would probably be sufficient to prepare round three of the discussion. LoPinto expressed his frustration at what he considered a moving target set by the committee. “It’s still not clear to me, in my simple mind, what it is about the building that you feel doesn’t meet your needs,” he said. “When we talked about it last time, I came away with the clear sense that the arches were the sticking point.” Assuring the board that the group will meet with architects and take another stab at an acceptable design, LoPinto said he was unclear on the objections. “I don’t understand what it is about the look we have that is so troubling,” he said. Hartz again said there was nothing wrong with architectural design, just the placement of the building. “What this overlay district is trying to achieve is to have some conformity so there isn’t one building that stands out,” he said. “With what I anticipate being built in this overlay district, this building will be very much out on its own.” 2008-04-30T18:57:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/school_system_adopts_08_09_calendar/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/school_system_adopts_08_09_calendar/#When:18:41:00Z First day for students is Aug. 25, one week before Labor DayA year after receiving a considerable amount of negative response related to its calendar, the Goochland School Board adopted a 2008-09 school calendar last week that sets the first day of school a week before Labor Day. Last year, during a similar process, the committee charged with putting together the calendar looked into possibility of opening school two weeks prior to the holiday, an idea that set off a bit of frenzy across Goochland. But no such issues were raised with this year’s calendar, which the board approved unanimously last Tuesday night. The calendar includes 180 days for students and 191 for teachers. Though teachers report on Aug. 18, the first day of school in 2008-09 will be on Monday, Aug. 25. As is always the case when building the calendar, the issue over inclement weather and how to prepare was one of the committee’s main focuses. And because of past issues, according to Laura Sussman Kassner, who presented the calendar during the board meeting last month, the committee did its best to reach out to the community, such as including different perspectives on the committee and gathering feedback. “We thought that communicating proactively would be the best way to approach the situation,” said Kassner, the division’s teacher induction specialist. In presenting the calendar along with Kassner, teacher representative Elizabeth Kuhns and parent representative Lisa Thesier said both teachers and parents were looking for a calendar that started a week before Labor Day. While teachers sought a calendar that avoided “choppy months,” parents asked if it would be possible for students to have President’s Day (Feb. 16) off, a “very popular” opinion, Thesier said, that the calendar was able to provide. The calendar shaped up nicely in terms of winter break, which will be two full weeks between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2.  Spring Break is scheduled for the week of April 6-10. The committee also used Election Day (Nov. 4) as a student holiday that will serve as a parent-teacher conference day, too. The system will observe student/teacher holidays on Jan. 19 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Because of its propensity to lose days because of inclement weather, the system had looked into the idea of starting earlier to have more instruction. But the community wanted more family time over the summer. So instead of starting too early, Kassner said the committee focused on other ways to ensure Goochland’s calendar was prepared for the bad weather. This year, instead of having the end of school be a moving target, the calendar already identifies the week of June 8-12 as potential extension days should the system go past the number of snow days in the calendar. And if not, June 5 will continue to be the last day. “It simplifies it for the parents and teachers so that there’s no guessing game when the end of school is,” Theiser said. Added Kassner, “We wanted to plan as such so there’s not this confusion of giving back days.” 2008-04-30T18:41:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/group_builds_home_in_goochland/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/group_builds_home_in_goochland/#When:18:33:00Z Family’s donation leads to a Heart Havens homeEveryone, regardless of age or condition, likes to have things that are their own. And for several Goochland residents, one family’s drive to see that happen will change their lives forever. A donation of a piece of property in Crozier by the Perkins family has directly led to a five-bedroom home built by Heart Havens, an organization that provides housing for adults with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. The family, according to the oldest daughter, Nancy Sopher, always wanted to do something for those with the types of conditions like those of one of her sisters, Annette. “It was always our family’s desire to have [the house and land] go to some group that could help,” Sopher said. “There really is a need for this in Goochland.” The oldest of the four daughters, the 59-year-old Sopher and her family all grew up in the home. According to Jae Benz, who serves as the executive director of Heart Havens, the home is a real blessing. “It was always Mr. Perkins’ dream to see something like this,” Benz said of the home. “And we’re making that a reality for those people.” To John Perkins, a former band teacher in Goochland and Powhatan who passed away in Aug. 2005, his property needed to go to the right cause. Now, his daughter will be one of five with cognitive and intellectual disabilities who will call it home. The family and the organization worked through the long process of making the home a reality, Sopher said. “We looked at a lot of different options but we knew this was the best one,” she said. Heart Havens provides group homes throughout the state. Currently, the organization has two homes in Virginia Beach and one in Newport News, Stuarts Draft, Kilmarnock, Colonial Beach, Lynchburg, and Winchester. The Goochland home will be one of three, along with Varina and Powhatan, in the Richmond area. “This home will give us a chance to offer our services to those in Goochland County,” Benz said. “It’s been a long process but everyone is very excited.” Having received its certificate of occupancy late last month, the five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath structure will soon be home to Annette and four others, positions that have already been filled. “All of the individuals are from the Richmond area,” Benz said, adding that the group serves roughly 50 individuals across the state. While staff is there for 24-hour supervision, Heart Havens focuses on allowing the individuals to have both the care they need and the freedom they deserve. The home is set up with five individual bedrooms specifically, which is a very big deal to those involved. “Having that space to call your own is something that most people kind of take for granted,” Benz said. “The individuals in this home will surely love having their own space.” Presently, the former home site on the land still stands. With the new home having been built by Heart Havens, it will soon be razed. The organization anticipates an opening in the next few weeks. “Most of our homes are built because of significant donations from members of the communities and significant fundraising by the United Methodist Church,” Benz said. “And this one certainly was no different than any of those.” The home is state-of-the-art, she said, in its accessibility for those with many different types of disabilities. “It has a very person-centered feel,” Benz said, adding that Heart Havens always sets out to build homes that fit with their neighboring homes. “We want homes that when people see them, they feel like they want to live there,” she said. To Sopher, the opening of the home will be the culmination of a lot of hard work. It will also make her family’s dream come true. “My parents wanted a place like this and always hoped it would be converted,” she said. “We’re all very excited.” 2008-04-30T18:33:00-05:00 http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/funding_is_good_sign_for_courthouse/ http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/site/funding_is_good_sign_for_courthouse/#When:18:27:00Z Safe Routes to Schools gets program grant from VDOTAn effort to get sidewalks in the Courthouse recently received a big shot in the arm, thanks to an approved program grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The state organization approved giving $10,170 to Goochland’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. According to Heather Earley, who is spearheading the efforts of the local SRTS group, the long-term goal is to put sidewalks in front the county administration building and connect the schools in the Courthouse. The funds will go towards advertising and promotional activities as a way to raise community awareness. In conjunction with the county’s Community Development Department, Earley said she hopes to bring all of the different sides together. “I’d like to try to get everyone on the same page and get everyone in the community to work together,” she said. As those who drive in the Courthouse in the afternoons can attest, there are many students who walk from the high school/middle school complex. With limited shoulders and no place to walk, it is at times a dangerous proposition. That is one of the main reasons the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in support of the efforts of SRTS in February. So far, in addition to support from the School Board and school system, SRTS has support from the Chamber of Commerce, the Pamunkey Regional Library, and the Goochland Family YMCA, among others. SRTS, while it could certainly be one component in the county’s future plans, really focuses on how children can safely get to school and from schools, Earley said. But the idea of sidewalks in the Courthouse plays right into plans in the draft Comprehensive Plan, said Leigh Dunn, an environmental planner with the county. “The draft really does speak to it,” Dunn said of the sidewalks. “And the Courthouse is a village where we’d like to try to encourage and promote more multi-modal transportation.” With escalating gas prices, localities are looking more into the non-automobile ways to allow people to travel. And having sidewalks and bike lanes, for example, could go a ways towards not only promoting a healthy, safe lifestyle for kids but also in a change in the way people think of getting to and from places. “Goochland County really has changed tremendously,” said Superintendent Linda Underwood. “Being able to walk safely in and around our schools, as well as the other places in the Courthouse, really makes the village concept more viable.” In addition, SRTS will have a booth at Countryfest on May 3, Earley said, where they plan to raffle off a pair of bicycles. “There are lots of things we can do to raise the community’s awareness and that’s what we plan to do,’ she added.  2008-04-30T18:27:00-05:00