HISTORY National Park Service hosts Harvest Days at Shelton House
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HANOVER Hanover Humane’s Tenth Annual Loving Critter Camp concludes
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Vol. 3 No. 13 | Richmond Suburban News | October 11, 2017
State of the County -- good Low crime rate, quality schools, strong business community cited By Jim Ridolphi for The Hanover Local
Jim Ridolphi for The Local
County Administrator Rhu Harris, left, and Linwood Thomas, economic development director, presented the State of the County to the chamber and business council last week.
ASHLAND -- County Administrator Cecil R. “Rhu” Harris Jr. says the state of Hanover County is good, pointing to its low crime rate, quality schools, a strong business community, and overall environment that makes it a great place to raise a family or retire. He addressed a group of Hanover County business leaders last week at the State of the County, which was presented
by the Hanover Chamber of Commerce and the Hanover Business Council of the Richmond Chamber. Harris was joined by Linwood Thomas, director of Hanover County Economic Development, in speaking at the Hanover County Club. The county administrator pointed to a collection of road projects, including the Atlee Road Extension that will enhance transportation for county residents. Coupled with continuing excellence in Hanover County Public Schools and a
Town Hall conceptual design advances
see STATE, pg. 4 }
Craig move won’t deter efforts at Lewistown site By Jim Ridolphi for The Hanover Local
By Logan Barry for The Hanover Local ASHLAND -- Ashland Mayor James Foley opened last week’s Ashland Town Council meeting with a moment silence in remembrance of the victims of the mass shooting during the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas,. During the Tuesday, Oct. 3, regular session, Foley acknowledged “the amazingly quick response of the first responders to prevent the tragedy from being even worse, as hard as that might be to imagine.” The town’s Department of Public Works proposed a conceptual design for a new Ashland Town Hall. Matt
AAA bond rating, Harris said the county is poised to enjoy continued success. He also cited the construction of a new Atlee Library and ongoing improvements at the Hanover Airport as positive indicators for the county. And the work continues as the county prepares to update its Comprehensive Plan to address density and other issues. Harris also pointed to a major renovation of the county’s old court building and
Photo courtesy of the Town of Ashland
Ashland Town Council recognized the Ashland Police Department for capturing first place honors in its municipal division in the Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge awards. Chief Douglas Goodman said this was the fifth consecutive year his department has received the award. Shown are, from left, Town Manager Joshua Farrar, Councilman John Hodges,Councilwoman Kathy Abbott, Mayor James Foley, Councilman George Spagna, Vice Mayor Steve Trivett and Goodman.
Reynal, the department’s operations manager, outlined the recommendation.
He last provided updates in July during two public input sessions. Since then, he
explained that the Town Hall Ad Hoc Committee, formed see DESIGN, pg. 9 }
ASHLAND -- According to some Hanover County officials, communications with a developer who planned to open an outlet mall in the Ashland area broke down long before an announcement last week nixing the project. Craig Realty’s decisions last week abandoning plans to construct the major commercial project near the Lewistown Road interchange came as a surprise to some, but others saw the writing on the wall months earlier. After an initial release more than a year ago listing some well-known retailers that planned to locate in the
mall, news of potential clients dwindled. “In the short time I have been here I have heard multiple rumors regarding the outlet mall and have reached out numerous times to Craig Realty Group with no response, said Hanover County Economic Development Director E. Linwood Thomas. He said the announcement is more likely the result of a changing economic climate rather than a reflection on Hanover County as a potential site for the project. “The retail market has changed significantly with Amazon and other online see CRAIG, pg. 4 }