Goochland supervisors reallocate East End funds to match $1.13 million federal sidewalk grant

Goochland County supervisors voted to shift existing local dollars to accept a federal Transportation Alternatives grant that will fund a portion of new Courthouse Village sidewalks.

County Administrator Vic Carpenter told the board the county had been awarded $1,130,220 and must provide roughly a $600,000 local match; staff recommended using $960,826 from the East End Fund (previously allocated for another pedestrian project) to cover the county share and authorized the administrator to finalize the agreement.

Supervisor Mitch Lyle, who moved approval, argued the transfer puts idle funds to work and said staff had advised the East End fund could be replenished quickly. “Money’s fungible,” he told colleagues while urging the board to accept the federal dollars rather than leave them unspent.

Other supervisors said the move preserves larger federal funding that would otherwise be forfeited and reiterated the county’s interest in completing pedestrian connections in the Courthouse Village. The motion carried on a voice vote after discussion and a brief roll call confirmation.

The project scope in staff materials identifies sidewalks as part of the Courthouse Village pedestrian network; the agreement and reimbursement documents will be executed after review by the county attorney and as authorized by the board.

Next steps: county staff will execute the grant agreement, initiate procurement and proceed with design/bid activities per VDOT and grant requirements. The board’s action did not change the grant amount; it only authorized the local match transfer and execution of the legal documents.