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Now is a great time to take advantage of the services the Chesterfield County Police Department offers businesses.

There are many services offered which are tailored to the business community. Business Watch is a direct link to the police department. As a member you will receive bi-weekly updates on crime trends in the business community. You will also receive crime alerts highlighting business crime in particular areas. These alerts are sent out immediately to notify businesses of their need to be vigilant against future criminal attempts. And, as a Business Watch Member, you will have direct contact with our Business Watch Coordinator who is a sworn police officer that can give you advice on issues you may have.

Another crime prevention service offered is acces to a certified Crime Prevention Specialist who can assess your business and make written recommendations on how to make your business less vulnerable to crime. The assessment will examine physical security, environmental security and policies and procedures and much more.

The police department also provides training in Burglary Prevention, Robbery Prevention, Check and Credit Card Fraud, Employee Theft, and Workplace Violence.

If you would like to find out more about these services, please call Crime Prevention Officer Mike Catron at 674-7006 xt. 112.

Governor Mark R. Warner announced that Redemtech, Inc., a leading provider of information technology (IT) asset management solutions, will invest $1.2 million to open a facility in Chesterifeld County at the River’s Bend Center.

Redemtech will initially create 30 new jobs and grow to 80 within 30 months. Virginia successfully competed against Connecticut, Pennsylvania and South Carolina for the project.

Headquarted in Columbus, Ohio, Redemtech has pioneered TCM (Technology Change Management), a new approach to IT asset management. TCM helps organizations extend the useful life of their IT systems while ensuring data security and including proper disposal and recycling of their IT assets. Redemtech is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Micro Electronics, one of the largest privately held technology companies in the United States.

“We’re very pleased that Redemtech has chosen Chesterfield County for its new electronics recycling facility. As a locality that is both open for business and committed to being responsible protectors of the environment, we welcome this environmentally-responsible facility, and the new employment opportunities it will bring for our residents,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Edward B. Barber.

America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth today announced that Chesterfield County is a winner of a first-ever national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young People. The winning communities – ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America – are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.

Chesterfield County was selected for its work in a wide range of programs and services for youths from birth to age 21, including those provided by Youth Planning and Development, Parks and Recreation, Health, Libraries, Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Sheriff, Schools, Social Services, Mental Health Support Services, Juvenile Detention Home, Human Resource Management and others.

A complete list of winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org. Members of America’s Promise Alliance — including United Way of America, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Junior Achievement and the YMCA and many others — took leading roles in the 100 Best competition. 100 Best Communities for Young People was launched in partnership with Capital One Financial Corporation.

America’s Promise Founding Chairman General Colin Powell launched the competition in May and Chesterfield County applied for a place on the prestigious list. Chesterfield County and the other winners were chosen by a distinguished selection panel of civic, business and nonprofit leaders, including United Way of America President Brian Gallagher, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. and former Denver mayor Wellington Webb.

The selection panel evaluated 100 Best entries that required detailed information about each community’s efforts to fulfill five essential promises critical to the well-being of young people: caring adults who are actively involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.

“We have had an amazing response from hundreds of communities, large and small, from Alaska to Florida,” said Marguerite W. Sallee, President and CEO of America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth. “Our purpose for launching this competition is to appeal to America’s competitive spirit to encourage communities to become great places to grow up. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we have seen some inspiring examples of what can happen when communities across the country pull together to help people in times of urgent need. In the 100 Best communities, we have witnessed that same spirit at work in making the well-being of their children an urgent priority. Their outstanding efforts – to measure how well their children and youth are doing, to put more resources in place, and to form cross-sector partnerships – provide shining examples of what it means to keep America’s Promise for our young people.”

“As a teacher and father of five,” said Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Chairman Edward B. Barber, “I have always known that Chesterfield is a great place to raise our children. This designation simply confirms and supports my belief in our community.”

“Caring for children is the cornerstone of any community. This designation confirms what we have all known for years. Chesterfield is a strong community in which to raise a family, and that is reflected in how we provide for our youth.”

“It is wonderful to learn first-hand how outstanding communities are making a difference in people’s lives – especially their young people,” said Brian Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America. “We are committed to helping communities across America follow the examples provided by winning communities and adopt similar programs that will help our nation’s young people succeed in life.”

“We are proud to be a part of this important effort to highlight the innovative efforts taking place in communities throughout the United States to create healthy and supportive environments for our children,” said Capital One’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel John Finneran. “Like America’s Promise, Capital One recognizes that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all.”

To honor the 100 Best communities selected, the America’s Promise Alliance will hold a special event November 2nd in Washington, D.C. This celebration will be dedicated to the children affected by Hurricane Katrina, highlighting outstanding community initiatives across the country that are providing displaced children with the services and support that they need to thrive no matter where they are. All proceeds from this event will go toward helping the children impacted by Katrina.

The Alliance will also sponsor a yearlong celebration including a special day in each of the winning communities and a series of regional forums across the country that will enable communities to share their success stories and learn effective strategies from one another that will further enrich the lives of their young people.

“The applications revealed communities that care about their kids and are working together to make their futures better. We saw leaders and people genuinely engaged and full of pride in their towns. Together, they have strengthened my faith in our great country.”

For more details about the 100 Best competition and the winners, please visit www.americaspromise.org.

About America’s Promise

America’s Promise is a broad-based alliance whose members work together to ensure the well-being of children and youth. Alliance partners focus attention and resources to help every child receive the Five Promises essential to success: caring adults who are actively involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.

Founded by retired General Colin L. Powell, following the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997, the America’s Promise Alliance includes nonprofit, corporate and community groups as well as individuals across the nation. Alma J. Powell currently serves as chair.

America’s Promise grew out of the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997, where Presidents Bush, Carter, Clinton and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing President Reagan, challenged the country to make children and youth a national priority. President George W. Bush affirmed his commitment in 2001.

Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center opened its doors to receive patients on September 2, 2005. For the first time in more than 20 years, the area south of the James has a new hospital.

“We are pleased to welcome St. Francis Medical Center to the Bon Secours family,” said Peter Bernard, president and CEO of Bon Secours Richmond Health System. “The building is beautiful and the technology is advanced. To me, however, the greatest part about St. Francis is that you will have the high quality, compassionate care that you have experienced in other Bon Secours facilities. We look forward to offering our services south of the James.”

A 245,000-square-foot facility, St. Francis offers state-of-the-art medical and surgical services; 130 private patient rooms; six all digital surgical suites; a complete line of women’s health services, including a 12-bed birthing center and neonatology on site, 24/7, 365 days a year; 24-hour emergency care for all ages and all digital radiology and diagnostics.

The 75-acre campus includes the hospital and the St. Francis Medical Office Building. The St. Francis Cancer Center, a comprehensive treatment and education facility, will open in the spring of 2006. By next summer, a daycare center and a new medical office building dedicated to family medicine will be added to the campus.

The adjoining Medical Office Building, which opened last November, is home to the St. Francis Surgery Center, an outpatient surgery center. The building also houses 14 medical and specialty practices, Bon Secours HealthPartners Lab, Sheltering Arms Outpatient Services and a 28-bed in-patient rehabilitation hospital, also operated by Sheltering Arms and the Bon Secours Diabetes Treatment Center.

“We are excited that our doors are open and we can continue the Bon Secours tradition of providing quality and compassionate healthcare south of the James,” said Terrie Edwards, executive vice president and administrator for St. Francis. “Our services and surgical capabilities are extensive and our medical staff has access to the best and latest in medical technology.”

Located in western Chesterfield County, St. Francis will serve the counties of Chesterfield, Powhatan, Amelia, Buckingham, Cumberland, Nottoway, Goochland, the City of Colonial Heights and other surrounding communities. With the opening of Route 288, St. Francis is only minutes away from Goochland and Short Pump.

St. Francis is built to be a place of peace and healing for all who visit. Patients and visitors can walk along the hospital’s walking trail or take time for contemplation in the prayer garden located just outside of the St. Francis Chapel.

The Bon Secours Health Care Foundation is in the midst of the public phase of a capital campaign for St. Francis Medical Center. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $7.3 million, which has made facilities like the St. Francis Chapel, gardens, breast biopsy machine and cardiac care equipment possible.

A number of contractors made St. Francis Medical Center a reality, including, O’Dell & Associates, architects based in Charlotte, N.C.; Whiting-Turner, a construction contracting company based in Baltimore, Md.

Bon Secours Richmond Health System is a member of Bon Secours Health System, Inc., a national Catholic health care system with a healing ministry that serves 15 communities in nine states throughout the eastern United States.

Midlothian ranks 37th of the nation’s top 100 places to live in a recent comparison by Money magazine. The study looked at all places (zip codes) with population above 14,000 and above-median household income, population growth, and real estate appreciation over the past 5 years. Additional screening narrowed the field from 1,321 places to 850 “contenders.”

Further screening narrowed the contenders to 100 and ultimately to the top 10. Chester ranked among the 850 contenders Moorestown, NJ ranked first in the nation; Vienna, VA was fourth. For more see Money, August 2005 and http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/

Priority Auto Group will open a dealership in Southern Chesterfield County off I-95 at the Walthall exit.The company will build a new facility on nine acres and employ approximately 75 people.

Gibson Industrial, a structural steel and plate fabrication company, has purchased the Capital City Iron Works building at 2804 Walmsley Road. The company has moved its operation from Henrico County into the 74,666 square foot facility. For additional information, please contact, Ray Gibson at (804) 400-2955.

Residential Growth Trends

The Chesterfield Planning Department produces an annual report in conjunction with the Capital Improvement Program review process to help determine the need for future public facilities. The report contains population growth projections for specific communities located throughout the county.

These projections are based on a number of factors including recent trends, available building lots, approved land zoning and rezoning applications, and potential expansion of existing developments. These projections are a good indicator of future residential development trends in Chesterfield.

The planning department has identified twenty-five county communities using data related to school boundaries, location of shopping centers, the location of local institutions (such as churches) and travel patterns. Some communities were easily defined. Older communities such as Ettrick and Bon Air have definable boundaries, about which there is widespread agreement. Other areas, where there are larger proportions of vacant land, or that developed without a commercial center, were harder to define. Over time, these boundaries may need to change to reflect citizen comments, changes in growth or travel patterns.

Year 2011 Population & Housing Projections

The planning staff projects that the County’s population will grow by over 34,000 between 2005 and 2011. This is almost 6,000 people per year compared to 5,100 per year from 1990 to 2000. This is more in line with the growth that occurred in the 1980’s, and is consistent with about 2,500 building permits per year. More people will be living in new apartments, as more than 1,600 units have been built in the last two years and almost 2,700 are either approved or under construction.

Projected High Growth Areas

• Midlothian Area: The extension of Rt. 288, the construction of John Tyler Community College, and the development of The Grove, Charter Colony, Centerpointe, the area north of the Swift Creek Reservoir and many multi-family developments now make this area the growth leader. Midlothian will make up 20% of all county growth.
• Spring Run Area: The Spring Run area is likely to be second in growth over the next six years, with the new development of Harpers Mill and Collington and subdivisions such as Summerford, Bayhill Point, and Hampton Park continuing the recent impressive growth trend.
• Courthouse Area: The developments of Woodland Pond and The Highlands west of the Courthouse area, and numerous smaller ones to the northeast near Centralia Road will account for the growth in the Courthouse Community.
• Woodlake Area: Recent and new subdivisions along Woolridge and Otterdale Roads as well as the conclusion of Ashbrook will produce significant growth in this area.
• Chester: With the development of the Village Green area and Westchester Townhouses in the north and the continued expansion of Longmeadow in the south Chester will continue to be among the leaders in growth.
• Matoaca: Growth in the western part of the Matoaca community, especially the Chesdin Landing area and south of the Highlands will account for most of the growth in this area.

Links to the 2011 projections for the 25 community areas and a map of the county designating the 25 areas can be found on www.chesterfieldbusiness.com in the Properties section under Development Trends.

Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that Pearson Government Solutions will invest $5.6 million to open a government services call center in Chesterfield County, creating up to 800 new jobs by the end of the year. The facility will provide support for the 1-800 Medicare Helpline. Virginia successfully competed against Maryland and Pennsylvania for the project.

“The addition of this major employer is exciting news for Chesterfield County,” said Governor Warner. “Pearson Government Solutions was sold on our quality workforce, access to an existing high-tech facility, and the strong cooperative relationship between state and local governments.”

Pearson will hire between 220 and 250 people in the short-term, adding others during the course of the year during peak times. The company anticipates at its busiest time it will employ 800 people at its facility.

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Pearson Government Solutions serves the federal government market, delivering solutions that support public sector entities in their delivery of information, benefits, and services to their constituents. The company provides fully integrated, end-to-end service solutions in the areas of benefits processing, customer interaction management, document and content management, e-learning and training, grant management, and human capital management. Pearson Government Solutions is a business of Pearson, a $7 billion international media company. Pearson Government Solutions has more than 5,500 employees worldwide.

“We are thrilled to have our newest facility in Chesterfield County,” said Mac Curtis, President and CEO, Pearson Government Solutions. “It’s a great location for us, and we’re delighted with the workforce we will be able to draw from to staff our operations.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with officials from Chesterfield County to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through its Workforce Services Program.

Pearson Government Solutions will host a job fair Saturday, May 7th at the facility located at 701 Liberty Way in Chester, Va. The job fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details on job opportunities at Pearson or to apply online visit: www.pearsongovernmentsolutions.com.

“The River’s Bend Center continues to attract new businesses, and we welcome Pearson Government Solutions to that location,” said Ed Barber, Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. “Hundreds of employment opportunities are anticipated, and the company will perform important work in support of the Medicare Helpline.”

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is sponsoring a promotional contest in order to accelerate the use of green roofs within the central portion of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed as a type of innovative low impact development technique.

A total of $28,000 will be awarded to winning applicant(s) towards the green roof construction and consultant costs. Upon the completion of the green roof construction, a public ribbon-cutting event, coordinated by the Alliance in consultation with the winning applicant, will take place to increase public outreach and education concerning green roofs.

Applications for existing and newly constructed buildings located within the following localities will be accepted: Cities of Richmond and Petersburg and Counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, James City, Henrico, New Kent, and Powhatan. Application Deadline is February 14, 2005.

For more information, visit the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay web site.

Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center has opened a 150,000-square-foot medical office building off Route 288 in Midlothian. The center includes outpatient surgery, physician practices, laboratories and other medical services.

Construction continues on the St. Francis hospital, which is scheduled to open in September 2005.

Universal Health Services Inc., a back office patient account services center, has leased 16,500 square feet in the Commonwealth Center. They company has hired 70 employees to date and plans to add 20 more before the end of the year. Universal Health Services Inc. is a hospital management company with more than 100 facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, and France.