A reader informed me today that I am saying too much about my personal life in these opening segments of Charlottesville Community Engagement. That may or may not be the case and perhaps it’s time to turn all of this over to artificial intelligence and I’ll go back to waiting tables and cooking people food. However, that sounds like more work than simply proceeding with the January 29, 2024 edition of the newsletter and podcast. I’m Sean Tubbs, beep beep, boop boop.
On today’s show:
A boil water advisory in Albemarle County was lifted Sunday after tests showed no bacteria infiltrated the distribution network for treated drinking water
New population estimates are out from the Weldon Cooper Center of Public Service at the University of Virginia
City Council gets a briefing on the initial stages of a plan to create a management plan for Downtown Mall trees
And an area publication has a new owner and will remain locally owned
First shout out: Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center holding open houses for teachers
In today’s first subscriber-supported shout-out: Are you or someone you know a teacher who is looking for a new way to teach environmental science, history, modern methods of exploration, and history?
Located in Darden Towe Park along the Rivanna River, the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center has three open houses coming up where educators can find out what services the nonprofit offers to public, private, and home school teachers. During the Open House events, educators can participate in hands-on activities and talk with experienced guides about program choices, cost, and scholarships. The free tours are coming up on February 9, February 10, and March 15 and will include the river trails and outdoor classroom.
Visit the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center’s Eventbrite page to learn more! Teachers can also email lcecvirginia@gmail.com for help with registration.
Hollymead boil water advisory lifted Sunday afternoon
A boil water advisory for the Hollymead area in northern Albemarle County was lifted Sunday afternoon after two days tests revealed no bacteria infiltrated the line following a water main break on Friday.
The broken line was in a pipe owned by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority that feeds distribution lines owned by the Albemarle County Service Authority. Around 1,200 customers were affected. Repairs cost about $3,800 according to Betsy Nemeth, the RWSA’s director of administrations and communications.
The advisory was a mandated caution due to the possibility of raw water getting into the network of treated drinking water.
Gary O’Connell, the executive director of the ACSA, said all tests taken from Friday to Sunday morning were negative.
Louisa County leads population growth in region with 7.5 percent increase since 2020 Census
The entity sanctioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia for providing official population numbers is estimating that the Thomas Jefferson Planning District has increased by 3.2 percent since the 2020 United States Census.
The Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia estimates the total population of the six localities last July was 272,011. That’s up nearly 8,400 people from 263,617 as tracked by Weldon Cooper. The growth rate is the fourth highest among planning districts in Virginia, behind the George Washington Regional Commission, Crater, and Richmond Regional.
Louisa County has led the way locally with a 7.5 percent increase with a population estimate of 40,434 with 2,838 new residents since the Census. That’s the third highest growth rate in the Commonwealth.
Greene has grown four percent since July 2023, adding 818 people for a total of 21,370.
Fluvanna grew from 27,249 people to 28,214, a 3.5 percent increase.
Albemarle’s population grew 3.3 percent, adding 3,753 people for a total estimate of 116,148 people.
Charlottesville’s growth rate is 0.2 percent in three years with an estimated population of 51,132. The Weldon Cooper Center has questioned Census data for university towns from 2020 given that the count took place after students had been sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Weldon Cooper is instead using the 2020 estimates for localities where 20 percent or more of population are students.
Nelson is the only locality in the TJPDC with negative growth with 62 fewer people estimated to live there for a total of 14,713. That’s a decline of 0.4 percent.
“Similar to what we are seeing in most of the state, rural/exurban counties are growing fastest in the Charlottesville area,” said Hamilton Lombard, estimates program manager in the demographics research group. “At this point a decade ago, Charlottesville was the fastest growing locality in the region, but since 2020 its population has barely changed.”
Virginia’s overall population has grown by one percent since 2020 with an estimate of 8,729,032.
The locality with the highest growth rate is New Kent County to the east of Richmond with an 11.9 percent increase from 22,945 to 25,675. Next is Goochland with 7.7 percent growth with an increase from 24,727 people to 26,629.
The growth rate was lowest in Buchanan County in far southwest Virginia with a 5.7 percent decline representing 1,164 fewer people. Buchanan is in the Cumberland Plateau Planning District which had a collective growth rate of 3.8 percent, or 3,780 fewer people.
Second shout-out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”
Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more!
Council updated on Downtown Mall tree management plan
The city of Charlottesville has hired Wolf Josey Landscape Architects to create a guide to preserving and managing current and future trees on the Downtown Mall. The work will be done in three phases.
“There’s a start-up phase as well as a site analysis and research phase which we’re in the middle of now followed by recommendations for what to do in the future and after we’ve had consensus from many people, we’ll have a final plan, a management plan for the trees on the Downtown Mall,” said the firm’s Paul Josey. (view the presentation)
Recommendations are expected in the summer. The work so far has involved taking an inventory of what’s on site.
“The trees were planted in 1976 by Lawrence Halprin and Associates,” Josey said. “That was the first phase and a second phase was done in 1980 which is the Central Place trees as well as the end by the movie theater. Then the Omni was 1985 and then a few phases before that led to the rebricking effort in 2009 and the most current is the area around the CODE Building which was done in 2022.”
Fifteen trees have been removed in recent years due to poor health. Josey said sixty percent of the trees are Willow Oaks with Gingko trees on side streets and Shumard Oaks near the Pavilion. The data is being collected in a spreadsheet that captures many attributes of each tree and gives an overall condition.
“Roughly 40 percent of the trees are in fair to poor or already-removed shape, so that’s a sizeable amount of the original Willow Oaks are are in poor shape and declining shape,” Josey said.
The work is also reviewing the potential for trees to fail, a risk that could cause damage to people and property. This risk increases due to damage caused by restaurants that use heaters to warm up customers in cold weather. Josey said this dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nine of the original 55 Willow Oak trees were impacted by heater use where the heaters were placed next to the bark of the trees and that actually burned away the cambium and the tree. Two of those trees have already been removed.”
The city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services now has rules in place to keep heaters ten feet away from trees and their locations must be approved in advance.
The next phase will begin to create a plan to replace the trees over the next 20 years, which Josey said will involve diversifying species and planning for a warmer and possibly drier climate. There’s also the practicality of maintaining a key area of the city.
“How does it impact business if you have to remove trees and replace them?” Josey said. “How do we really realize the life cycle of these trees and our Downtown Mall?”
City Manager Sam Sanders said a report from city’s Downtown Mall Committee will come out around the same time as the tree management recommendations.
New owner for Albemarle magazine
A publication that for 37 years has been dedicated to “Living in Jefferson’s Virginia” has a new owner.
Carden Jennings Publishing Company Limited has sold albemarle magazine to Summit Publishing, the publisher of Blue Ridge Outdoors and Virginia Sportsman.
“For more than 37 years, albemarle has been a cornerstone in the community, providing insightful and engaging content to its readership,” reads a press release sent out this morning.
The publication covers lifestyles and the former owner said the purchase will allow that to continue.
“This acquisition represents not just a change in ownership but a reaffirmation of the commitment to providing the community with a magazine that resonates with their lifestyle, values, and interests,” said Bill Carden of Carden Jennings.
Blue Ridge Outdoors turns 30 in 2025 and is available from Georgia to Maryland. The president of Summit Publishing is Blake DeMaso.
“With a talented and experienced team by my side, we are eager to build on the foundation that has been established during the magazine’s remarkable history,’ DeMaso said.
Terms of the deal were not shared in the release.
Reading material:
Charlottesville City Council express concerns over CAT’s new plan for a zero emission fleet by 2040, Maggie Glass, January 22, 2024
Blacksburg mayor: Virginia Tech student imbalance 'simply unsustainable', Payton Williams, Roanoke Times (paywall), January 24, 2024
Fuel for thought: Charlottesville City Council considers new, greener fuel options for CAT, Catie Ratliff, C-Ville Weekly, January 24, 2024
Charlottesville staff and councilors meet to go over city-related matters, Amaya Mitchell, NBC29, January 26, 2024
Constructions wraps on 31-unit condo building at Old Trail in Crozet, Emily Hemphill, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), January 29, 2024
#629 is fading away
Another edition is finished, and planning immediately begins for the next one. January has been a very full week, and I’m hoping this will be the week I finally become prolific! There are over 2,700 people on the subscriber list now, with between a fourth and a fifth of the audience contributing via Substack. Such paid subscriptions ensure that this work can keep going and have me dreaming of the capacity to hire people to assist.
To what end? Hopefully, it’s a living and the work I’ve always wanted to do. I enjoy spending my time doing research and grateful to have this opportunity to share it with an ever-growing audience.
Ting has a unique sponsorship arrangement where they match the initial payment, whether it be $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year. Thanks Ting!
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A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
January 29, 2024: Louisa's population has grown 7.5 percent since 2020 while Charlottesville's rate is relatively flat