Nuckols resigns as Town of Louisa mayor; In brief meeting, supervisors get VDOT update, ok more school funding; News roundup
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Sept. 23 through Sept. 28
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Thursday, September 26
Lake Anna Advisory Committee, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. At publication time, a meeting agenda wasn't publicly available.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Nuckols resigns as Town of Louisa mayor
Garland Nuckols, who served as the Town of Louisa’s mayor for a decade, stepped down from the position on Tuesday night at the close of Louisa Town Council’s monthly meeting.
After council concluded its 10-item agenda, Nuckols handed a letter of resignation to each council member, town staff and Town Attorney Jeff Gore. At Nuckols’ request, Vice Mayor Jessi Lassiter read the letter before council adjourned the meeting.
Nuckols’ letter didn’t provide any specific reason for his resignation. He said he had enjoyed serving the town, first as a council member from May 2010 to May 2014 then as mayor for the last 10 years. He thanked town residents for entrusting him with a leadership role and the many public officials and community members who helped him along the way.
“I want to express my most sincere gratitude to this very special community for trusting me with the duties and responsibilities of these positions,” Nuckols, who has lived in the town for nearly 50 years, said. “I also want to thank the many former and present employees of the Town of Louisa; to the County, State and Federal officials/employees; and, to the many people far and wide who have helped me through these many years. Please know how very appreciative I will always be for your invaluable assistance which enabled us to accomplish the projects and goals set forth by Council.”
Nuckols said in the letter that, throughout his tenure, he worked to build relationships and consensus for the good of the town and hopes current leaders follow a similar path.
“The Town is at a point in its growth where its leadership will need to be deliberate in not only setting a vision, but also negotiating the difficult situations where one's vision does not fully line up with the direction we must go. As you are aware, this takes a significant amount of time in building and maintaining many collaborative relationships at the local, County, State and Federal levels. This method is very helpful, has served me well, and I hope each of you will find it a useful tool. It takes a supportive team, my friends,” Nuckols said.
In an interview Tuesday evening, Nuckols pointed to the job’s impact on his health as one reason for stepping down.
“I had gotten to a breaking point, and it was affecting my health. My health and family mean more to me [than serving as mayor]. I still care about the town greatly, but it’s for someone else to deal with at this point,” he said, noting that council had navigated a difficult budget process earlier this year and faces other challenges.
During his 10-year tenure as mayor, the town has seen notable changes including growing from less than 1,600 residents in 2010 to more than 2,200 today. And more growth is on the horizon as council has approved more than 450 multi-family dwellings in the last two years.
Nuckols believes residential growth is good for the town as it helps sustain existing businesses and attract new ones. He pointed out that many residents are hungry for more commercial options, particularly another grocery store.
“The growth is what will bring the grocery store,” he said.
But Nuckols also suggested that town leaders must be prepared to navigate the challenges that come with growth. In his view, that means better long-range planning, particularly regarding the town’s budget, and ensuring the town is doing what it takes to attract and retain employees, who perform vital public services, from repairing sidewalks to fighting crime.
“[Town leaders need to] build an effective budget, not to the point where they have to raise taxes for everything, but build a budget that you can operate on,” Nuckols said, emphasizing that he’d like to see the town develop a Capital Improvement Plan, a budget document that plans for spending on big-ticket items as well as maintenance projects.
“[Right now] when something breaks, you try to fix it, and you can’t operate like that,” he said.
Nuckols added that competitive pay for town employees should be a priority, noting that council has made progress on that front by hiking wages for the town’s lowest-paid employees at Tuesday’s meeting and increasing pay for its police force. But he said he’d like to see the town’s police officers make more money.
“I don’t think the citizens of this town want to go without a police department, and I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. I think we must have a police department [to deal with] more traffic, more crime,” Nuckols said. “We’ve got a good leader right now in the police department in [Chief] Craig Buckley…He’s having a hard time keeping people because of salaries.”
In reflecting on his tenure, Nuckols suggested that the job of mayor goes far beyond running council meetings and representing the town at public events. He found himself addressing issues that fell well outside his formal job description.
“I had people call here thinking I manage Food Lion…we had some problems in there. I called all the way to the corporate office, and I finally got somebody that [helped] turn things around,” he said.
When asked what accomplishments he’s most proud of, Nuckols pointed to his effort to build an accessible playground to accommodate children with special needs. In the coming weeks, the playground will be installed at Louisa Town Park, thanks to private donations.
Nuckols said the project was inspired by Luke Michael, who nearly drowned in 2017 when he was just two years old, sustaining a hypoxic brain injury. Nuckols presented Luke’s mother, Ashley, with a mock-up of the playground at Tuesday’s meeting.
“I met [Luke] when I was campaigning, and he had just had [his accident]. There was no handicapped playground available and, in the next week or two, there will be a playground at Louisa Town Park that has two bays that will be handicapped accessible, and it didn’t get done with the tax dollars...I got citizens of the town to donate to it,” Nuckols said.
Nuckols’ resignation creates a vacancy at the top of town government that Louisa’s five-member town council is tasked with filling on an interim basis by November.
According to state code, council has 45 days to appoint a qualified voter from the town to the position until a special election is held to fill the remainder of Nuckols’ term, which expires at the end of 2026.
A state law passed earlier this year requires council to announce the candidates under consideration at a public hearing at least seven days prior to making the appointment and “make available for inspection each person's resume and any other materials required by the body or board.”
If council doesn’t make an appointment within 45 days, “the judges of the circuit court of the county or city may make the appointment,” per state code.
The town has 15 days to petition Louisa County Circuit Court for a writ of special election. Because the vacancy occurred within 90 days of the general election, the special election won’t happen this November. It will likely take place in November 2025, though the town is free to ask the judge to schedule the election before then.
Gore, the town attorney, said at Tuesday’s meeting that he’d prepare a petition for the judge and provide a memo to council outlining the next steps.
Proposal for 42 townhomes again pulled from council’s agenda
In other business, the marquee item on council’s agenda was pulled from consideration for the second consecutive month as council again agreed to defer a public hearing on East Coast Excavation’s request for a special use permit (SUP) to build 42 townhomes on 5.5 commercially zoned acres directly behind Spring Oak at Louisa, an assisted living facility at 440 West Main Street.
Town Manager Liz Nelson said the Richmond-based developer contacted the town Tuesday afternoon to delay the public hearing. But she didn’t provide any reason for the deferral.
East Coast Excavation also asked council to defer action just prior to its August meeting. Town Project Manager Paul Snyder said the developer wanted more time to address questions raised during the planning commission’s public hearing in July.
The commission voted 3-0-1 to recommend that council deny the SUP. In motioning to reject the proposal, John Jerl Purcell IV, council’s liaison to the commission, said he thought the property was better suited for commercial development, per the meeting minutes.
During the commission’s public hearing, John Gibson, an attorney for the assisted living facility, raised questions about access to the site and the amount of traffic the townhomes would generate, per the minutes.
According to a concept plan, the complex would be accessed via a 50 foot right-of-way that runs adjacent to Spring Oak at Louisa.
In brief meeting, BOS gets VDOT update, oks funding for new teachers
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Monday night breezed through a brief meeting, getting an update on road improvement projects from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), okaying budget supplements for both Louisa County Public Schools and the Fire and EMS Department (FEMS) and green-lighting a FEMS Department application for grant funding.
Check out a meeting roundup below. (meeting materials, video)
VDOT update: Wares Crossroads roundabout nearing completion
A long-awaited roundabout at Wares Crossroads could be complete more than two months ahead of schedule.
VDOT Residency Administrator Scott Thornton told the board of supervisors on Monday night that the department has almost finished the single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Zachary Taylor Highway (Route 522) and New Bridge Road (Route 208), and VDOT officials plan to conduct a final walk-through on Wednesday, September 25, weather permitting. VDOT initially expected to complete the project by early December.
“They are working on final paving,” Thornton said. “They are quite a bit ahead of schedule, assuming we hit that September 25 walk-through date.”
The intersection transitioned to a roundabout configuration in late May. Since then, construction crews have installed the inner circle, concrete median islands and the outside shoulder.
Significant road improvements at Wares Crossroads—one of Louisa County’s most dangerous sections of roadway—have been nearly eight years in the making.
In 2017, the Commonwealth Transportation Board selected the intersection for state-funded improvements via SMART SCALE, the commonwealth’s main vehicle for prioritizing which local transportation projects are paid for by the state.
SMART SCALE relies on a data-driven scoring system that, for Louisa County, focuses heavily on the need for safety improvements. Between January 2022 and December 2023, 16 crashes occurred at or approaching the intersection resulting in 16 injuries, according to VDOT data.
Though some residents pressed VDOT to install a traffic light, pointing to the large volume of vehicles that pass through the area during the height of tourism season at Lake Anna, the department opted for a single-lane roundabout.
VDOT has said that the intersection was studied multiple times and doesn’t warrant a traffic signal. The department also said roundabouts are safer, more environmentally friendly and effective in easing congestion.
Since the intersection switched to a roundabout, many community members have praised the change, including board chair and Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who represents Wares Crossroads and the upper end of the lake.
Adams, initially a roundabout skeptic, criticized the project during his first run for the board in 2017. But, at the board’s June 18 meeting, he took a different view.
“My wife and I came through [the roundabout] on Memorial Day weekend, coming from Mineral, so we were going north on 522. When we got to Chopping Road…I asked her to start the stopwatch on her phone. We were the 11th car, and we were through the roundabout and continuing on 522 North in 17 seconds,” he said. “It really has increased the movement of traffic.”
The project, including design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, is expected to cost at least $7.6 million, up from an initial estimate of $5.4 million. VDOT awarded J.L. Kent & Sons a $2.8 million contract for the project’s construction phase in the fall of 2023.
VDOT to resume stakeholder meetings for Hamilton Road bridge project: After briefly pausing stakeholder meetings ahead of a planned rehabilitation of a historic bridge on Hamilton Road (Route 695) in western Louisa County, Thornton told supervisors that VDOT plans to resume the meetings next month.
The steel Pratt pony truss bridge, which has carried traffic over the South Anna River since the early 20th century, has fallen into disrepair in recent years. VDOT shuttered the structure for about three months last year due to deterioration on one of the steel beams supporting its timber deck.
The bridge reopened with a three-ton weight limit, down from its previous five-ton limit. Both limits prevent the structure from accommodating large emergency vehicles. The three-ton limit means it can only serve passenger vehicles.
Thornton told the board in March that VDOT plans to replace the bridge with a single-lane truss bridge, which is similar to the current structure. He said the new bridge, which is expected to cost $669,000 drawn from state funding, wouldn’t be posted with a weight limit and would be able to accommodate a full range of emergency vehicles.
The aging bridge is in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District, a federally protected historic district overseen by the National Park Service (NPS). It’s considered a “contributing structure” within the district and is abutted by property under conservation easements managed by the NPS.
Under an agreement with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, VDOT is convening the stakeholder meetings before starting the project to gather community feedback.
Stakeholders include neighboring property owners, Louisa County officials, the Louisa County Historical Society and Historic Green Springs, Inc., a land preservation group that has expressed concern about VDOT’s replacement plan.
In an August 28 email to stakeholders, VDOT Architectural Team Leader Marc Holma said the agency would pause the meetings as it awaited information from the National Park Service clarifying “some items related to the conservation easements in the area.” Holma said that NPS’s response “could have an impact on future stakeholder engagement.”
Thornton said the department recently received correspondence from the NPS and, based on that communication, the department is preparing to resume the meetings with the next one tentatively set for Oct. 17.
“[The NPS has] determined that, at this time, the proposed project is not a federal undertaking, and they are just simply requesting, at this time, to be kept in the loop, the same as any property owner with an abutting parcel. We don’t have any improvements that would impact the Hard Bargain easement, and the bridge is not located in the easement, so, at this time, they are just wanting to be involved,” Thornton said, referencing an adjoining property under easement.
VDOT attempted to address concerns about the bridge about a decade ago, but walked away from the project because stakeholders, including Green Springs residents and the NPS, couldn’t agree on how to move forward.
Neighbors and county officials began raising concerns about the bridge again in the last several years, pointing out that it can’t accommodate large emergency vehicles and poses a significant public safety concern. Supervisors passed a resolution in March 2023 formally requesting that VDOT develop a plan to repair or replace the bridge.
Portion of E. Jack Jouett Road closed for bridge rehabilitation: As VDOT prepares to move forward with a plan to rehabilitate the Hamilton Road bridge, another bridge rehab project in Green Springs is already underway.
VDOT is in the process of rehabilitating a bridge over Camp Creek on East Jack Jouett Road (Route 640). Work on the bridge began on September 9 and is expected to be complete by December 6, according to a notice on Louisa County’s website.
While Thornton didn’t mention the project during his update on Monday night, VDOT says the current bridge, a steel beam, concrete deck structure that’s 12 feet wide, can’t accommodate vehicles over 22 tons. The department plans to replace the bridge’s superstructure with a steel beam, timber deck structure that’s 18 feet wide and capable of handling all legal loads.
E. Jack Jouett Road is closed between its intersection with Poindexter Road (Route 613) and E. Green Springs Road (Route 617) for the duration of the project. While signs have been posted notifying motorists of the closure, there’s no detour in place due to low traffic counts. VDOT asks drivers to use alternative routes around the closure.
Board okays budget supplement for more teachers at LCMS as enrollment grows
As part of the board’s consent agenda, a group of resolutions typically passed in a block vote with no discussion, supervisors okayed a $109,528 budget supplement for Louisa County Public Schools (LCPS). The funding will enable the division to hire two new teachers for Louisa County Middle School (LCMS).
Superintendent Doug Straley told the school board at its September 3 meeting that the teachers are needed to meet the demands of growing enrollment. The middle school enrolled 1,152 students in the 2022-23 academic year and 1,168 last year, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Official enrollment for the current school year will be reported September 30.
It's unclear when the teachers will be hired or what subjects they’ll teach. The approved resolution says the funding will be allocated “upon written request” from Straley or the division’s finance director.
The county will draw the money from the school division’s long-term capital reserves.
According to public school enrollment projections released earlier this year by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, LCPS is one of 15 school divisions in the state that’s expected to see its enrollment climb more than three percent in the next five years. Per the center’s data, the division currently enrolls 5,059 students with that figure projected to rise to 5,307 by the 2028-29 academic year.
Much of that growth is expected to be driven by new elementary school students, according to Weldon Cooper.
As enrollment climbs, the middle school and high school are already grappling with crowded conditions. To provide additional space at both facilities, supervisors appropriated about $62 million during the FY25 budget process for two major school construction projects: a 500-seat addition at LCMS and an accompanying alternative education center and a 54,500-square foot career and technical education center (CTE) slated for construction next to Louisa County High School.
The latter facility will allow the division to expand its workforce development programs while also freeing up space at the high school, school officials say.
The board has also included $36 million in its long-range Capital Improvement Plan for “elementary schools,” suggesting that county officials are preparing to either build a new school or add to an existing facility within the next decade. Neither the school board nor the board of supervisors have held detailed public discussions about their plans.
Supes green-light implementation of PulsePoint
With the help of the Louisa County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Louisa County is poised to launch an innovative program aimed at decreasing deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.
Supervisors appropriated $5,535 to enable the Fire and EMS Department to implement PulsePoint, a mobile application that “empowers citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest,” according to the approved resolution. The board authorized the department to use the application for a two-year trial period.
In practice, the app will notify trained individuals when there’s a call for assistance with a cardiac emergency at a public place in their area, enabling them to administer CPR or other aid before EMS personnel arrive. The app will also provide real-time information about emergency situations.
“We think this is going to be a great product…that will involve people in saving more lives in Louisa County. It’s really a good opportunity,” Louisa County Administrator Christian Goodwin said.
The Louisa County Volunteer Rescue Squad received a $10,000 grant from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative to purchase the PulsePoint software, and the rescue squad has agreed to pay $8,000 in maintenance costs to operate the program for a year.
The county will use the $5,535 appropriation to interface the app with its Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and provide additional maintenance. Goodwin said the county will also pay the $8,315 needed to run the program in the second year.
Louisa County Fire and EMS leaders said the program would provide a range of benefits to the community including potentially saving lives.
“Sudden cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and survival rates are largely determined by the speed of intervention. Every minute that passes without CPR reduces the chance of survival by 7-10%. PulsePoint directly addresses this by increasing the number of people who can respond and provide assistance within the first few minutes of a cardiac emergency,” Dr. Michael Vitto, the department’s operational medical director, said in a letter to the board.
The leadership of the county’s Management Oversight Group (MOG), which advises local government on Fire and EMS operations, also advocated for the program.
In a letter to supervisors, MOG leaders Joe Gordon, Gary Morris and Martin Hart said, among other benefits, the app would provide additional community support to first responders, raise awareness about the importance of CPR training and increase the likelihood of early intervention from bystanders, which could lead to positive outcomes for patients.
“Given these compelling benefits, we strongly believe that the PulsePoint project represents an invaluable opportunity to enhance public safety in Louisa County,” the MOG leaders said.
Before motioning to approve the appropriation, Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward applauded the rescue squad for its efforts to bring PulsePoint to the community.
“I would just like to give thanks to Louisa County Rescue Squad and their vision for seeing this PulsePoint program out there and seeing how it could come into Louisa County and help potentially any citizen,” Woodward said.
Supes ok FEMS grant application
Supervisors unanimously approved the Fire and EMS Department’s plan to apply for a $21,000 Rescue Squad Assistance Fund grant for the purchase of two drug box systems. The grant requires a 50/50 local match.
In the past, hospitals have managed pharmaceuticals administered by emergency service providers. But the State Board of Pharmacy last May adopted a new policy tasking local FEMS departments with handling their own drug boxes.
“Currently, hospitals swap out our drug boxes, which are the drugs they use on the ambulance. {But that’s changing, meaning] we have to manage our own system, starting in November. We have to account for all of the drugs, keep them safe and locked up,” Finance Director Wanda Colvin said.
The board at its September 3 meeting allocated $56,385 to equip the FEMS Department with specialized software and the necessary supplies for one central drug box.
The grant funding combined with the local match would allow the department to purchase two more boxes as well as medication kits. The money would also cover the anticipated cost of medication usage for a year. One of the boxes would be located at the eastern end of the county and the other at the western end.
Fire and EMS Chief Kristin Hawk said, if the county receives the grant, the funding wouldn’t arrive until January. The board’s allocation in early September allows the department to meet state requirements for having a drug box in place by November. The department could then add two more boxes upon receipt of the grant.
News roundup: Better Future Farms greenhouse opens in Louisa
Engage Louisa focuses on Louisa County government. But we recognize that we can’t cover everything and there’s plenty of other news in our neck of the woods. With that in mind, we occasionally include a roundup of links to the work of other journalists covering noteworthy events and issues that impact our community.
“Massive crop greenhouse officially opens in Louisa” -WVIR
“Owner of farm raided by Louisa deputies connected to 450-acre wildfire” -WRIC
“LPACEM looks to partner with local churches: Group seeks shelter options for homeless in winter” -The Central Virginian (metered paywall)
“The Republican Party of Virginia asked local VA-05 GOP committee members to affirm their support for McGuire” -Virginia Scope
“Amid internal GOP feud in the Fifth District, Democrat Gloria Witt sees her chance” -Virginia Mercury
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Keep up the good work.