April 22, 2024: Albemarle County to open waitlist for select housing vouchers for one week in early May
Plus: A manufacturer of rocket propulsion systems in Orange County is expected to add 80 jobs over the next three years
Earth Day turns 54 today and except for this opening paragraph, there’s no recognition of this event in this April 22, 2024 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. Sustainability is one of several topics covered in this newsletter and occasional podcast, and previous stories can be seen under the Climate Action or Environmental Issues tabs on Information Charlottesville. Ideas for a story? I’m Sean Tubbs, and let me know what you think should be covered.
In today’s edition:
A hit and run incident on U.S. 250 this morning prompted a lockdown at St. Anne Belfield’s Lower School.
Albemarle County will open the waiting list for housing choice vouchers on May 6 for a brief period
Governor Youngkin has announced an expansion of an Orange County rocket propulsion factory that will add 80 jobs over three years
Charlottesville City Schools want input on what the mascot should be the soon-to-be-former Buford Middle School
A plethora of glass leads to a week-long closure of Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center in Charlottesville
First-shout: Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society
In today’s first subscriber-supported shout-out: There are so many stories all around this community and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society is seeking as many ways as possible to get the word out. This spring they’re offering a series of walking tours with the Friends of Downtown Charlottesville called “Door to Door” that focus on past downtown businesses, the people who ran them, and how they shaped the heart of our city and the wider community.
The Black Barbers of Cville Tour will be held on April 25 and will explore the influence of Black barbers during the Jim Crow-era and their involvement in events surrounding the Civil Rights movement.
Innovation Comes to Cville will be held on May 8 and will explore Downtown Charlottesville locations where new technology and innovations were first introduced.
These are paid events and are expected to sell out. Register in the links above or check out the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society’s page on Eventbrite.
Hit and run incident leads to brief lockdown today at St. Anne’s-Belfield
A hit and run incident that happened this morning at U.S. 250 exit near one of St. Anne- Belfield’s campuses led to that portion being on lock-down for a brief time.
“While we were not under any active threat, in an abundance of caution, we placed Pre-School through Grade 8 in a shelter-in-place action,” reads an update on the school’s safety and security web page.
The lockdown took place from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. There was no lockdown at the Greenway Rise Campus which houses the Upper School and grades nine through 12.
Any additional developments will be posted on Information Charlottesville.
Albemarle to open up waiting list for housing vouchers
Like many large municipalities, Albemarle County seeks to assist some households with the cost of rent through a voucher program. With limited funds available, there is a waiting list that only opens periodically and the next window is opening soon for some specific places to live.
“Waiting lists for Albemarle County's Tenant-Based, Treesdale 2-Bedroom, Treesdale 3-Bedroom, Crozet Meadows, The Crossings at Fourth & Preston, and Scottsville Schools voucher programs will open at 10 a,m. on Monday, May 6, 2024, until Monday, May 13, 2024, at 4 p.m.,” reads a press release that was sent out this morning.
For more information on how to apply and for eligibility requirements, visit Albemarle’s website.
Under the program, participating households pay 30 percent of their adjusted income to rent and Albemarle County’s Office of Housing pays the rest using funds that come through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Households are selected based on a series of criteria, but there’s an element of chance to get added to the list.
“Due to the high demand for vouchers, the Albemarle County Department of Human Service's Office of Housing uses a lottery-based waiting list system,” the release continues. “Once the application period closes, complete applications are sorted at random, and a fixed number of applicants will be placed into the spots that are available.”
The Office of Housing used to be within the Department of Social Services but has since been moved elsewhere under Human Services in the county’s organizational chart. Still, a DSS report to the Board of Supervisors last week claimed that 443 families a month receive financial support through housing vouchers totaling $3.7 million.
Not all of the vouchers available to the county are used. Supervisor Mike Pruitt said at that meeting that one reason the county has low utilization rates for housing vouchers is a lack of inventory.
“There are richer communities than us that have utilization rates in excess of 95 percent and that is something we should be striving to,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt said Charlottesville has a supplemental voucher program that he would like the county to emulate.
“And half of them live in our county,” Pruitt said. “Those are Albemarle residents, Albemarle voting citizens, who are being paid to live here by Charlottesville and I might suggest it might be prudent to have a little matching on that and in some way mirror that program or figure out how to regionalize it.”
The city allocates $900,000 a year to the supplemental voucher program which is administered by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. In the most recent period, the program served 61 households and disbursed $55,586 between March 16, 2024 and April 15, 2024.
Rocket systems manufacturer to expand in Orange County
A defense contractor with a presence in Orange County is set to expand adding 80 additional jobs over three years. That’s according to an economic development announcement sent out last Thursday by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
L3Harris Technologies will expand a factory that makes motors for solid rockets as part of a cooperative agreement between the company’s Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary and the Defense Department.
“These systems propel DoD missiles and missile defense interceptors, along with space launch vehicles and national security satellites used in civil and commercial applications,” reads an April 14, 2023 press release from the Department of Defense.
Aerojet Rocketdyne also has facilities in Camden, Arkansas and Huntsville, Alabama. The company is the number three employer in Orange County according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
Economic development officials in the area have been promoting the area to defense contractors. Orange County is within the jurisdiction of the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development.
“A very important company in our aerospace and defense sector, L3Harris is exactly the type of company we want to have remain and grow in Central Virginia,” said CVPED President Helen Cauthen in a press release. “We are delighted to celebrate their successes in Orange County.”
Orange County is outside the scope of a study of the defense sector commissioned by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Weldon Cooper Center of Public Service at the University of Virginia calculated the industry has a $1.2 billion impact on the local economy each year. (read the report)
Orange County had a 2020 U.S. Census Count of 34,442, an increase of about 8,500 people since 2020. The Weldon Cooper Center sees that increasing to 44,080 by 2040.
Second-shout out: Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards walk at UVA
In today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards has a mission to support rural and urban forests and to promote knowledge and understanding of the value of trees for present and future generations. Toward that goal, they offer the occasional free class.
On April 27, 2024, a pair of tree stewards will lead a guided tour of trees at the University of Virginia while spring blooms are still present. They will share information about the value of biodiversity, tree identification, and specific qualities related to each tree discussed. This is an easy to moderate walk over a gentle sloping area of paved walkways and grassy areas under a high canopy of trees.
This walk is free, but donations are always appreciated. Thanks! Please register in advance at charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org
Charlottesville schools seeking input on mascot for new middle school
Construction of an expansion of Buford Middle School is well underway with the first walls now emerging from the ground on what had been either a field or a gymnasium. The larger school will provide enough capacity to allow sixth graders to attend for the first time when construction is fully complete in the fall of 2026.
Now Charlottesville City Schools want input on a pressing matter—what should the mascot be called for a school that will no longer be named after Florence Buford? There’s a shortlist that came from public engagement last fall.
“District leaders have identified a shortlist of possible mascots to represent the future Charlottesville Middle School: Black Knights; another kind of “Knights”; Chargers; or Monarchs,” reads a press release sent out on Friday afternoon.
“Charger” was selected as a finalist due to the conveyance of energy and because it shares the first four letters of Charlottesville. “Monarch” was chosen because it’s similar to Charlottesville High School’s mascot of the Black Knight and because of the butterfly.
To further refine feedback, another survey is now live through April 30 to get feedback.
A decision has also been made to use the same orange and black colors used at Charlottesville High School.
For more information on the construction project, visit the Charlottesville City Schools’ web page on the topic.
Smith Aquatic Center and Fitness Center closed through Friday
Since opening in 2010, Charlottesville’s Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center has been plagued with maintenance issues related to indoor air quality.
Now the facility is closed through Friday due to the presence of broken glass in both the recreational and the lap pools.
“Per aquatic safety protocols, both pools are being drained and cleaned to ensure customer safety,” reads a press release sent out Friday.
Until this Friday, those with passes can attend Crow Pool for aquatics and Carver Recreation Center for fitness.
Last year, Smith closed for two weeks in the late summer for maintenance. Before the pandemic began in March 2020, the city announced it would close for $1.8 million in repairs to address air quality concerns. The pool and gym were both closed for 26 months, long after social distancing protocols were lifted.
Reading material:
State transportation head doubts passenger rail service is a real possibility for South Dakota, John Hult, April 17, 2024
Podcast revolutionizes storytelling for Charlottesville and its sister city, Brandon Kile, Cavalier Daily, April 20, 2024
What happened to Charlottesville's Dogwood Festival?, Jane Sathe, Charlottesville Daily Progress, April 21, 2024
Students for Justice in Palestine criticizes University at “die-in” on Lawn, Thomas Baxter, Cavalier Daily, April 21, 2024
Commuter train system eyes expansion, part of Virginia’s evolving rail trends, Nathaniel Cline, April 22, 2024
This #667 has gone to heaven
I am literally about to go on the radio in a minute so I’m out of time to write up something to summarize this edition. Make sure you check out the podcast version of the program which went out on Saturday. Perhaps one day I’ll get back to a podcast version for each installment, but for now, here we are.
I am grateful to those who are paying to keep me going to avoid that outcome. I’m grateful to have been able to devote my life to a skill I believe communities need people to practice.
I’m running out of time so I’m repeating the haiku pitch:
Writing this ain’t cheap
Substack is good way to pay
Ting will match first time
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A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
