What’s in a number? Other numbers, usually. Seven hundred is seven times a hundred, or a hundred and forty fives, thirty-five twenties, twenty-eight twenty-fives, and many other rational combinations. This particular 700 is the one for Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter that seeks to be rational in its approach to presenting information that may sometimes be irrational.
In this edition:
A trauma expert at the UVA Health System offers fireworks safety tips on this dry Fourth
Fluvanna Supervisors agree to support a marker in Columbia commemorating the farewell journey of General Lafayette in 1824
Nelson County will receive $2.5 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation for sidewalk improvements on Front Street in Lovingston
Three Virginia transportation projects are among recipients of federal RAISE grants but a local bridge project did not make the cut
First shout-out: Community Bikes on track for a successful 2024
In today’s first subscriber-supported shout-out: Charlottesville Community Bikes does a lot to help everyone who wants a pedal-fueled vehicle to get one. They also keep track of their impact on the community. This week on Instagram, Charlottesville Community Bikes posted their report for the first half of the year and so far this year they’ve handed out 639 free bikes to kids and 162 to teens and adults!
Charlottesville Community Bikes will be closed for the holiday and through the weekend to allow staff to recharge. Visit communitybikes.org to learn more about the organization and to find out how you can add to the 1,193 volunteer hours so far this year!
UVA health expert provides fireworks safety tips
Today is Independence Day which many people like to celebrate by igniting explosives and it is also the day in which emergency rooms are prepared for fireworks-related injuries.
Valerie Quick, the program manager for the Trauma Center at the University of Virginia Health System, said burn injuries become more common.
“Hands, face, eyes, those are the areas that tend to get more injured,” Quick said. “And then you have to worry about tissue trauma in case anything explodes.”
The potential danger led the Charlottesville Fire Department to put out a notice on Monday warning of the hazards not only to health.
“The Charlottesville Fire Department wants to remind the community that ALL fireworks are illegal in the City of Charlottesville,” reads a press release.
In Albemarle County, only fireworks that stay on the ground are legal and they cannot explode.
“Anything that's a firecracker or stronger is not allowed,” reads one of their press releases sent out on Monday.
Quick said locally there are only a few injuries each year, but firework injuries are tracked at a national level. She had statistics from 2023.
“The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission found that there were eight deaths and almost 10,000 injuries that involved fireworks that went to emergency departments,” Quick said.
Quick said people in their late teens and school age children to make up the most injuries. She said the best way to avoid injuries is to go and watch a display put on by a community group or a local government.
“Grab a blanket, kick back and enjoy the professionals putting on a show, that’s the best way to do it,” Quick said.
But if you are going to set off fireworks, Quick advises using what can be legally sold, and around here that means items that don’t fly into the air. She said, though, that it can be easy to find items that technically aren’t supposed to be sold in Virginia or purchased out of state.
“If you do have them, make sure that you keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case there’s a fire or a mishap,” Quick said. “Make sure you’re wearing some protective gear when you’re lighting those off, just to make sure that your eyes are taken care of.”
Quick also said people consuming alcohol should not be lighting off fireworks and children should not be allowed to light fuses. Keep an eye on young people with sparklers, too.
“Sparklers actually burn at around 2,000 degrees so they get super hot super fast and they can ignite children’s clothing,” Quick said.
Quick also noted that conditions are still very dry and the risk of fires spreading is higher this year.
Fluvanna Supervisors agree to support Lafayette marker in Columbia
Two years from today will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and all across Virginia localities are preparing to celebrate and commemorate the occasion. In 2020, the General Assembly established the VA250 Commission to coordinate efforts with an emphasis on tourism.
Last year, the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors assigned the Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Council to represent the county. One way they’ve come up to bring attention to the American Revolution is to honor the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman who joined the Continental Army.
“2024 marks the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s so-called farewell visit to America,” said Kathleen Kilpatrick, the chair of the committee.
Kilpatrick said Lafayette traveled around giving speeches and receiving accolades for the role he played in both the American and the French revolutions.
“He visited Fluvanna which was an enormous honor,” Kilpatrick said. “He was on his way to see his old friend and colleague Jefferson and General Cocke invited him, persuaded him to come through Fluvanna.”
That’s General John Hartwell Cocke, who you can learn more about on Monticello’s website. Lafayette traveled from Richmond through Goochland along the James River.
“And he stopped first per Cocke’s hope and recommendation in Columbia where he was met by a large contingent led by General Cocke,” Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick said there was an enormous meal at a tavern which is no longer standing. After that, the party moved on to the Wilmington community. She said the hope of the committee is to hold events in both areas this November.
“We realize this being out of sequence with the revolution but it gives us an opportunity to kind of really focus on those speeches and bring excitement to the 250th by means of celebrating the great honor that was paid by General Lafayette,” Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick said the committee wants to work with a national group called The Lafayette Trail which is documenting the journey across 24 states. They want to put an official marker in Columbia outside the spot where that tavern stood. As the property is owned by Fluvanna County, Supervisors need to approve a letter seeking to be part of the trail.
One of these markers currently stands in Albemarle County at Boyd’s Tavern where Lafayette was on November 4, 1824.
Fluvanna Supervisors unanimously approved the letter. If approved by the nonprofit group that maintains the trail, the marker will be shipped at no charge to the county, but the county will have to maintain it.
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Nelson County awarded $2.5 million for Lovingston improvements
In June, the Commonwealth Transportation Board adopted a new six-year improvement program which has budgets for over 4,800 individual projects expected to take place over that time.
One of the new projects adopted this year is a $2.5 million grant Nelson County requested through one of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s funding mechanisms. Supervisors agreed to spend up to $625,000 as a local match for a project to improve the sidewalks on Front Street in the unincorporated community of Lovingston.
“This project includes widening of sidewalks on the west side of Front street between Main Street and Theater Drive in order to meet accessibility standards,” reads the minutes of the March 12 meeting where Supervisors took a vote. “Curb ramps with detectable warning surfaces will be installed and curb extensions and bump-outs will be constructed at future crosswalk locations.”
Utility poles will also be moved out of the sidewalk area to allow for unobstructed passage.
According to a July 1 letter sent to Nelson County Administrator Candy McGarry, a project agreement between the county and VDOT needs to be signed and returned by January 1. The project must go bids for construction within four years.
The news was announced Monday by Nelson County Supervisor Jesse Rutherford.
“This has been in the making for years and could not be more excited for the county seat and our village to get the major upgrade it deserves,” Rutherford posted on the Facebook page for the Village of Lovingston.
Three projects in Virginia receive RAISE grants from federal government
In late June, U.S Transportation Secretary Pete Buttiegig announced $1.8 billion in funding for 148 large transportation projects across the nation. That includes three in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but none in the Charlottesville area in this cycle of the “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity” program.
For the second time in a row, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission failed to receive funding for a pedestrian and bike bridge across the Rivanna River at Woolen Mills. The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board endorsed a second attempt in January, but it was not successful.
The projects that did receive funding are:
The West Piedmont Planning District Commission was awarded $1,657,148 for a regional corridor plan for a 24.2 mile stretch of Virginia Route 122 in Franklin County and Bedford County around Smith Mountain Lake. (learn more)
The Town of Rocky Mount received a $100,000 planning grant for 1.5 miles of Virginia Route 40 (learn more)
The City of Suffolk received $5.32 million to fund the engineering, design, and construction of a 2.2 mile Suffolk Seaboard Coastline Trail segment (learn more)
In 2022, Albemarle County received $2 million from the RAISE program for a planning study for the Three Notch’d Trail, a proposed shared-use path to connect from Afton Mountain to Charlottesville via Crozet. A request for proposals for a consultant to work on the project was published on April 2. (view the bid documents)
Reading material for July 4, 2024:
Virginia foam ban begins in one year, Environment Virginia, July 1, 2024
New laws expand solar access for Virginians, Patrick Larsen, VPM, July 1, 2024
Emergency loans may become available to Virginia farmers as drought conditions continue, Katelyn Harlow, WRIC, July 1, 2024
Competitiveness Defined: Virginia’s Local Markets, Sejal Naik, Virginia Realtors, July 1, 2024
Albemarle County Police Want Your Help to Name New K-9 Unit Member, Dori Zook and Jaclyn Pieramarini, Cville Right Now, July 1, 2024
Governor Appoints Five New Members to UVA Board of Visitors, Bethanie Glover, July 1, 2024
Will NJ be ready to show off its Revolutionary history for the nation's 250th anniversary?, David Zimmer, northjersey.com. July 3, 2024
The end of #(167+173+179+181)
Seven-hundred editions may be the number. I’m not entirely sure. I do know that there have been many eras of this work so far, and I hope the work is improving.
I do want to quickly say where the shout-outs come from. They are part of the experimental nature of this newsletter. Sunday’s edition is sponsored by the Piedmont Environmental Council and has been since the beginning. Ting matches the initial payment made by a Substack subscriber.
The shout-outs? There are several ways that readers, listeners, and other entities qualify as of July 3, 2024.
A $25 a month Patreon contribution is supposed to get four a month
Being both a Substack and a Patreon supporter gets you two a month
A $200 a year Substack contribution will get you two a month!
Government agencies currently pay $25 per spot (and is labeled as sponsored)
But most of the revenue for Town Crier Productions comes directly from paid subscribers. I’m absolutely in awe of how generous people have been and I hope to keep doing this for many years to come. And grow, too!
As I mentioned, Ting will match everyone’s initial subscription.
Ting can help you with your high speed Internet needs. If service is available in your area and you sign up for service, enter the promo code COMMUNITY and you will get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
July 4, 2024: Fluvanna Supervisors agree to Lafayette Trail marker in Columbia; Fireworks safety tips from UVA