INSIDE Santa arrives at Field Day of the Past > page 3
Volume 58, Number 47 • November 21, 2012
Planning Commission votes for denial of Orapax sporting clays Commission votes 6-1 against, CUP request now goes to the Board of Supervisors Jim Ridolphi Special Correspondent Photo by Ben Orcutt
Goochland Middle School principal Johnette Burdette tells the School Board at the panel’s Nov. 13 meeting that students, faculty and administrators are on the path to success.
School Board hears ‘state of the school’ reports By Ben Orcutt Special Correspondent
Goochland Middle School and Goochland High School are on the path to success according to school administrators. Middle school principal Johnette Burdette and high school principal Mike Newman briefed the Goochland County School Board at the panel’s Nov. 13, meeting during “state of the school” presentations. “We’re changing the world,” Burdette told school board members. The middle school is proud of the fact that after a two-year absence, the Student Council Association has been re-established this year, Burdette said. She said school pride also is being reinforced by students wearing blue and white wristbands that bear the inscription, “I will change the world.” A primary focus this year for the 584 students in grades 6 through 8 is after school activities, Burdette said. She added that the middle school is working with the YMCA on creating after school programs and noted that the school has started a step team. “We are revamping our instructional model,” Burdette said. “This is a work in progress.” The middle school continues to promote professional development and is encouraging faculty to think of themselves as facilitators of learnsee Schools > page 9
Following a three-hour plus public hearing, the Goochland Planning Commission recommended denial of a conditional use permit application filed by Andrew and Nancy Dykers. The couple sought approval to operate a sporting clay shooting range at Orapax, their 670-acre hunting preserve located just west of Goochland Courthouse off Route 6, but neighbors voiced strong objection to the proposed operation. James Scott of Jackson’s Shop Road said he supports the Second Amendment but opposes the Orapax application. “I’m not opposed to guns. I’m a gun owner,” Scott said. “This is not an issue of guns. Who would buy a piece of property this close to a gun range? I wouldn’t and you wouldn’t,” he added. Scott was one of more than two dozen citizens who spoke in opposition to the plan citing reasons that included mental health, environmental, quality of life and property value concerns. Some said the range could affect noise levels at the county’s new park, Leake’s Mill. Other neighbors in the Orapax area said they had lived in the neighborhood for years without disturbance from the hunting preserve. County assessor Glenn Branham
Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Applicant Andrew Dykers’ son-in-law Neal Kauder, left, and Tom Dykers, his son, present the case for Orapax’s CUP request for a sporting clays range at a packed public hearing before the Planning Commission last week.
told commission members that some property values surrounding the State Police gun range on Route 6 have been devalued due to noise. He said any future assessment could only be made once the Orapax range was in operation for a real world evaluation. Branham did note that the firing he heard during the test would not influence his assessment parameters. The application was deferred last month to allow the Dykers time to conduct a sound study on the property to determine the impact on neighboring lots. The sound study prepared by Backstage, LLC, indicated that there was no disturbance from the test shots that exceeded ambient noise
levels. Neal Kauder, a son in law of the Dykers, presented the family’s proposal and said the sporting clays range was envisioned as a way to help the family preserve the plantation. “Orapax is a recreational and environmental asset to Goochland, and I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Kauder said. “It’s important to realize that we are being as creative as possible trying to maintain Orapax through some difficult times.” Kauder said the family is willing to move forward even with the conditions suggested by the Planning Department that included six-day a see Orapax > page 4