February 10, 2025: Governor Youngkin declares state of emergency ahead of snow and ice; City trash pick-up to begin much earlier tomorrow
Plus: Charlottesville’s Human Rights Commission seeks input for 2025 activities
According to the official calendar of the Virginia General Assembly, this is National Courtesy Week and there are rules. On the Monday, participants are to “encourage polite requests” and that would be today, February 10.
Tuesday is to “lead in showing gratitude” and Wednesday wants “sincere compliments.” Thursday is to “greet others politely” and on Friday we are all to “show thoughtfulness to others.”
This is Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter intended to give you the courtesy of access to information about local and regional government. I’m Sean Tubbs, and the above is not mandatory, but I know the kind of person I want to be.
In today’s installment:
Governor Youngkin declares a state of emergency in Virginia head of another winter storm expected Tuesday
A family of seven is temporarily out of their home after a residential fire in eastern Albemarle on Saturday
There is a design public hearing tonight in Greene County for a bridge replacement across Swift Run
The Virginia Democratic Party will be getting a new chair this year
The Charlottesville Human Rights Commission is seeking public input into what they should work on this year
First-shout: Piedmont Master Gardeners seek items for Green Elephant Sale
If you are cleaning out your garage or basement this winter and have garden implements or yard ornaments you no longer need, the Piedmont Master Gardeners will take them off your hands
The Piedmont Master Gardeners are seeking donations of new and used garden tools, hoses, decorative items, outdoor furniture, and virtually anything else that can be used to maintain or enjoy a home landscape. From February 1 through April 30, these "Green Elephant" donations may be dropped off at 402 Albemarle Square between 10 a.m. and noon on Wednesdays or Saturdays. The Master Gardeners are not able to accept plastic pots or opened chemicals.
The Green Elephants will be offered for sale to the public during PMG’s Spring Plant Sale, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Albemarle Square Shopping Center. Proceeds will support the many free and low-cost horticulture education programs the Piedmont Master Gardeners offer to the community.
To arrange a pickup of large items or for more information, contact the Piedmont Master Gardeners at greenelephant@piedmontmastergardeners.org.
Governor Youngkin declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm
There are still some remaining patches of snow across the Charlottesville region one month after the first significant weather storm in some years.
Now another storm is approaching and the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Charlottesville area from 10 a.m. Tuesday morning to 7 a.m. on February 12.
“Heavy mixed precipitation expected,” reads the warning as retrieved on February 10 at 12:21 p.m. “Total snow accumulations between 4 and 6 inches and ice accumulations up to two-tenths of an inch.”
The forecast is foreboding enough for Governor Glenn Youngkin to have declared a state of emergency in order to access certain resources to prepare.
“I urge all Virginians to monitor your local forecast and to prepare for possible impacts to roadways and infrastructure beginning overnight Monday throughout Tuesday,” Youngkin said in a statement that went out this morning.
The declaration activates the state’s Emergency Support Team.
Across Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation is asking people to stay off roads tonight to allow crews to pretreat roads.
“Most areas in central and southern Virginia could experience icing on roads during the storm along with snow,” reads a release sent out at 12:51 p.m. “Precipitation will start in the overnight hours in the western part of the state and progress eastward through Tuesday morning.”
The City of Charlottesville will continue with municipal trash collection as scheduled tomorrow, but crews will start earlier.
“To help ensure full collection for Tuesday’s route, the contractor will begin collection routes earlier than usual,” reads an announcement sent out by the Public Works Department at 12:27 p.m. this afternoon. “Residents can expect collection trucks to be on route by 5:00 AM.”
The threat of the storm has already postponed one event. The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce had intended to have a ribbon cutting for their new headquarters but that will now be held on March 7 at 11 a.m.
Family displaced after residential fire in eastern Albemarle County
Albemarle County Fire Rescue crews were called out to Gellety Road south of Shadwell on Saturday afternoon to reports of a chimney fire in the 2700 block.
“First arriving fire department units arrived 10 minutes after dispatch with smoke coming visible from the eaves of the single-story residential structure,” reads an information release sent out on February 8. “It was discovered that the fire was not contained to the chimney and had communicated to the attic space.”
Firefighters put the fire out but there was too damage to the house for the four adults and three children who live there. They’re being assisted by the American Red Cross as well as family and friends.
The Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s Office heads up investigations and the preliminary belief is that “combustible material” built up in the single-walled chimney, caught fire, and then spread to the attic.
“Albemarle County Fire Rescue would like to remind everyone to make sure your chimney is cleaned and kept in operational order,” the release continues.
Damage is estimated at $50,000.
Design public hearing tonight for bridge replacement in Greene County
In Virginia, there are many steps before a transportation project goes from idea to something people can use. One of the milestones along the way is something called a “design public hearing” where members of the public can provide comment before the project moves forward.
That’s the case tonight in Greene County when the Virginia Department of Transportation will hold such a meeting for a bridge replacement on Goose Pond Road (Route 636) over Swift Run in Greene County.
“The bridge, originally constructed in 1980, is located approximately 450 feet south of Route 33 (Spotswood Trail) in Stanardsville,” reads a VDOT website for the idea. “This project involves replacing the existing bridge with wider and longer prestressed concrete slabs.”
Only about 200 vehicles use this section of road each day according to a traffic count VDOT conducted in 2020. The current plan is to phase construction because there are no available detours.
“Access to all properties will be maintained during the work,” reads the release. “The project is expected to be advertised for construction bids in late 2027, with work beginning in spring 2028.”
The public comment period runs through February 21. For more information, visit the VDOT website for this project.
Second shout-out: Supporting the Keswick Heritage Fund’s Love Better Project
The Keswick Heritage Fund is a partnership of several churches in Albemarle County that provides education support and opportunities for professional development. One of their outreach programs is the Love Better Project, which provides scholarships to Black students in the Keswick area. The fund was created soon after the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 2020.
Grace Episcopal Church, Union Grove Baptist, Union Run Baptist, Zion Hill Baptist and St. John Church are united for growth through community partnership and education. To learn more about the fund, the scholarships, and the churches themselves, visit their website at keswickheritagefund.com.
Leadership elections pending for new head of Virginia Democrats
As Virginia heads into a statewide election this fall, the head of one of the two major parties has announced she is stepping down.
“After our strong victories in Virginia this past November, I believe the time is right to pass the torch to a new leader who can continue to build on our successes and further strengthen our party,” said Susan Swecker in a statement that went out this morning.
In November, Democrat Kamala Harris won Virginia over Republican Donald Trump with 51.83 percent of the vote for president.
For the U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine defeated Republican Hung Cao with 54.37 percent of the vote. Democrats also now have a slight edge in the Virginia delegation to the House of Representatives with six out of 11 seats.
The Democratic Party of Virginia’s Steering Committee will meet on February 20 to adopt the rules for an election that will be held on March 22, 2025.
“As I step down, I do so with pride and confidence, knowing that our party is in capable hands,” Swecker. “The solid foundation we've laid will ensure Virginia remains a beacon of Democratic strength for generations to come.”
All three statewide executive positions are up for election this year as well as all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
A hat tip to the Virginia Political newsletter for this story, which is behind their paywall.
Charlottesville Human Rights Commission seeking input for 2025 activities
Charlottesville City Council voted in May 2013 to create a Human Right Commission to help investigate claims of discrimination in the community. In late January, another Council agreed to amend the ordinance to allow some of those investigations to be done on behalf of the federal government.
This afternoon, the Commission announced the opening of a public survey to determine what the body should focus on this year.
“For the past few years, the Human Rights Commission has selected housing affordability and homelessness as primary focus areas,” reads the announcement sent out at 12:20 p.m. this afternoon. “Commissioners conducted several initiatives centered around preserving and increasing affordability and accessibility of housing.”
Surveys are available in English and Spanish.
In both, participants are asked to choose between four options for the most important area for them to focus on. Respondents also have 400 characters to suggest another idea, and another 400 characters to provide a general comment.
The Human Rights Commission is a prolific body and the website lists several previous actions including recommendations in 2019 on the naming of public spaces and recommendations in 2023 for the city’s Development Code. This page also contains annual reports including 2014 to 2023.
The budget for the department increased from an actual of $197,436 in 2022 to a budgeted $465,171 for the current fiscal year. That includes the hiring of two additional staff members during that time.
Reading material for #810
Higher Education owner sentenced to 15 months for running 'open drug market', Charlottesville Daily Progress, February 7, 2025
NoVa could feel pain if Trump cuts federal office space, Beth JoJack, February 7, 2025, Virginia Business
Memorial Gym: ‘Great War’ Gave Shape to a Great Need, Matt Kelly, UVA Today, February 7, 2025
Trump administration tells states billions in EV charger money is on hold, Jack Goldstein-Street, Route 50, February 7, 2025Countryside: Backyard Flocks Threatened by Avian Influenza, Theresa Curry, Crozet Gazette, February 8, 2025
State lawmakers look ahead to home stretch of legislative session, Avery Davis, WVIR 29News, February 9, 2025
Health clinics left reeling after federal grant freeze, Emily Schabaker, Cardinal News, February 10, 2025
#810 is like none other to date
A transition of sorts is underway. This edition marks the first time that all of the stories have been posted first to Information Charlottesville and not this newsletter. This is another experiment that follows on from a shift I undertook around this time last year. At that time, I began to think of “the story” as the main unit of measurement. This newsletter is incredibly useful to reach thousands of people, but sometimes information needs to get out much more quickly.
For instance, the story about the residential fire was posted yesterday around 6:30 a.m. as soon as I woke up. There are all sorts of public safety stories that can’t wait for a newsletter to go out.
The story about the design public hearing was supposed to go out in yesterday’s Week Ahead, so I decided this morning to post it as a stand-alone AND to include it in the newsletter.
The story about the chair of Virginia Democrats stepping down made sense to post first because I wanted it out in whatever ecosystems are paying attention to what goes out through Information Charlottesville.
The same goes for the winter storm story, thought I can say there’s more in the newsletter version that the one posted to IC. But again, I want to get stories out there because the public needs more stories, not fewer ones. At least, that’s what this company chooses to do.
Finally, there’s the Human Rights Commission survey. That was easy copy to write.
I can’t do this work this way each day and the newsletter isn’t going anywhere. I just need ways to make sure people can see what I am writing. I want people who buy advertisements to get their messages in front of an audience.
Now I have to get back to work on writing a long story for C-Ville Weekly. I turned in the regular column this morning, and then got to work. More is more.
I leave you now today with my first attempt at a house banner ad. I did this last night instead of going to a Super Bowl party. Time is precious, and this is the time to work for those who have opted to pay me to do this work. So, thank you.
I’m just getting started.
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