June 17, 2024: DEQ continues to investigate fuel spill at new Wawa; Albemarle Supervisors endorse eight Smart Scale submissions
Plus: Fire / rescue calls are down slightly in Charlottesville so far in FY24
We’re up to June 17, 2024 and we embark now on the last work week of spring with the solstice scheduled to occur on Thursday. This is the first Monday that an edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement has gone out in the morning, perhaps signaling a sign of new energy harnessed by the power of the sun. At least, I’m Sean Tubbs and I’m someone’s son, and I’ll never forget that.
In today’s installment:
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality continues to investigate a June 9 diesel spill at the new Wawa on Greenbriar Drive
The Jack Jouett Trail in Louisa County gets $9,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation as part of their VA250 program
The Charlottesville Fire Department has reported a slight decrease in fire and rescue incidents so far in FY24
Albemarle Supervisors endorse eight transportation projects to submit for funding, including a diverging diamond at I-64’s interchange with Fifth Street Extended
A very brief look at recent real estate transactions in Albemarle
First shout-out: Charlottesville Community Bikes’ Tour de Gluten on June 23
On Sunday, June 23, Charlottesville Community Bikes invites you to come along at noon with dozens of riders for the Tour de Gluten, a no-drop, social bike ride featuring stops at our talented bakery neighbors in Rose Hill/Preston/Downtown!
They have two ticket options:
Ticket with Baked Goods: Covers highlighted items (baker's choice!) from each participating bakery. Registration closes one week before the ride so we can place pre-orders for the whole group, which we will pick up when we bike to each bakery.
Ride-Only Registration: For those who want to join the bike ride but don't plan to purchase baked goods.
Bakery stops include:
Baker No Bakery (at Grit Coffee downtown)
Marie Bette Cafe & Bakery (on Rose Hill Dr.)
DEQ investigating fuel spill near new Wawa on Greenbrier Drive
Anyone who notices liquid or gaseous chemicals in places they are not supposed to be can file a report with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Several people in the Greenbrier neighborhood did just that on June 9 when they experienced odd smells while walking on a trail that follows Meadow Creek. According to a report filed with the DEQ, forty gallons of diesel fuel spilled at 1215 Seminole Trail, which recently opened as Wawa.
“The fuel impacted a storm drain and HEPACO is on scene cleaning the spill,” reads the pollution report. “No VDEM assistance requested.”
Consulting the Album of Acronyms, HEPACO is the Hazardous Environmental Products Abatement Company which services sites all across the eastern United States. VDEM is the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The report also notes that the spill was reported to the DEQ by ERTS. Let’s consult the album again.
“ERTS is an industry-leader in spill response management with 24/7/365 coverage across North America,” reads their website.
The Kenan Advantage Group hired ERTS to report the incident. The spill was also reported by Albemarle County Fire Rescue because this property is in Albemarle County and not Charlottesville.
The incident is still under investigation, but the DEQ report appears to indicate a minimum spill of 100 gallons and a maximum of 150 gallons. The preliminary report indicates that Meadow Creek was impacted.
For contrast, let’s look at one other current investigation.
An estimated 30 gallons of diesel fuel was released and contained on site on June 12 at exit 118-A in Albemarle County (a look at the report)
For more on DEQ reports, take a look at their pollution reporting portal.
Area groups get tourism money for America 250
All across Virginia, localities and tourism destinations are planning for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
One avenue for funding for the commemorations is through the Virginia Tourism Corporation which recently made a series of awards through their marketing leverage program. (see release)
Of the localities that make up the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, only Louisa County received funding in the current cycle. That’s $9,000 for the Jack Jouett Trail, a project to mark the 40 mile ride in June 1781 by a rider from Cuckoo in Louisa to Charlottesville to warn of advancing British troops. (learn more on Encyclopedia Virginia)
To the north, Culpeper VA 250 got $10,000 for a branding campaign. George Washington served as a surveyor in the county in 1749. (learn more)
The Staunton VA250 Committee will get $3,000 for their “Road to Revolution - Augusta County” program. (learn more)
The committee for Albemarle and Charlottesville is being run by the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visit their section of the VA250 website to learn more about what’s coming up.
Charlottesville City Manager report: Fire incidents down in 2024 so far
There are expectations in a democracy that people who live in a community can have a reasonable opportunity to know what’s happening. To give a glimpse into what Charlottesville officials do, City Manager Sam Sanders releases a report that gives updates. (read the report)
In the edition that comes out for today’s City Council meeting, Fire Chief Michael Thomas reports that the number of EMS/rescue calls were down slightly in the first two thirds of fiscal year 2024.
“Looking at the period of July-April compared to the same months in FY23, CFD incidents are down about ten percent across all categories,” reads the report.
The report states that fire incidents are down about 17 percent over the same period in FY23, and EMS calls are down about 7.88, and all other calls are down about 13 percent.
Another metric is also down.
“Opioid overdoses in the city have declined in 2024,” the report continues. “[Charlottesville Fire Department] and [Charlottesville Area Rescue Squad] are running an average of six overdoses each month compared to 8.4 each month in 2023.”
Other highlights:
The city will receive $20,000 after being selected by the International City/County Management Association to be a 2024 Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort. The funding will be used to “advance a local assessment, planning process, or program aimed at boosting upward mobility of residents.”
Charlottesville Area Transit has a new Senior Project Manager. Bruce White began on June 3, 2024. He will be responsible for overseeing key projects and driving the development and success of major transit initiatives” and most recently worked for a construction company. White is a retired Colonel and former Judge Advocate General for U.S. Marine Corps.
The Parks and Recreation will hold a silent disco at the Carver Recreation Center on June 22 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information here.
The City Amateur Golf Championships will be held on June 29 and June 30. Registration can be found on the Meadowcreek Golf Course website.
The Utilities Department continues work on the decarbonization study with three listening sessions this summer. The study began in the spring of 2023 as I wrote about at the time. These sessions will be held on July 9, July 16, and August 22. (respond here)
Several members of the Charlottesville Public Works department took part in the May 1 “Roadeo” held for the Mid-Atlantic section of the American Public Works Association. Two employees got within the top five for their selected events that “measure skill and speed of operation” in a variety of different vehicles.
If you cross the Drewary Brown Bridge on West Main you may notice the nameplates identifying the various “bridge builders” are not there. They’ve been temporarily removed for cleaning and repairs. Other beautification efforts are underway this summer.
Second shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society
In today’s second subscriber supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Jazz Society wants you to know that once a month they hold the Local Jazz Spotlight Series at Miller’s on the Downtown Mall.
Coming up on Sunday, June 30, the spotlight will shine on the Jamal Milner Trio featuring Daniel Richardson. This takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the event is free. Maybe I’ll see you there as I’ve been wanting to go see one of these for months!
If you can’t wait until then but need to go see some live music, the Charles Owens Quarter will play their 2022 album Golden Moments at the Vault on Thursday, June 20. The event is co-sponsored by the Charlottesville Jazz Society. Tickets
But that’s just one of many great events coming up that you can learn about on the event calendar at cvillejazz.com.
Albemarle Supervisors endorse Smart Scale applications
Albemarle County is submitting eight projects through the latest round of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process.
“A resolution of support from the Board of Supervisors is required for all project applications within the county,” said Jessica Hersh-Ballering, a principal planner in Albemarle’s Department of Community Development.
Albemarle is able to send in so many projects within its territory because both the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission are making submissions on the county’s behalf.
“The Smart Scale grant program is the primary method for funding large scale transportation projects in Virginia,” Hersh-Ballering said. “Smart Scale is a competitive program with funding going to the projects with the highest score. Smart Scale scores are ratios of a project’s benefit versus the project’s cost. To calculate the project benefit, reviewers will consider how the project will impact six factors which include safety, congestion, accessibility, land use, economic development, and the environment.”
For the second cycle in a row, the city of Charlottesville will not make a submission due to a large backlog of funded projects that have not yet been built.
Supervisors saw a version of the list back in January and since then nothing has been added but a decision was made not to proceed with projects that will come out a “pipeline study” of the Ivy Road corridor.
‘That project is still in the study phase with VDOT and we will have the option of applying for that funding in future founds of Smart Scale,” Hersh-Ballering said.
Old Trail Drive and US 250 West Intersection Improvements - “This project would construct a 2 and 1 hybrid roundabout at the Old Trail Drive/250 intersection with pedestrian crosswalks and appropriate safety features on the northern and eastern legs of the roundabout.”
US 29 and Plank Road Intersection Improvements - “Construct Restricted Crossing U-Turns (R-cut) at US 29 and Plank Road, Sutherland Road/Rabbit Valley Road; and near Woodson Store Lane. Extend the left-turn lane for northbound US 29 at the crossover near Woodson Store Lane.”
Rio Road and Hillsdale/Northfield/Old Brook Improvements - “Reconstruct the existing two signalized intersections as a hybrid, multilane double roundabout. Construct shared use path encompassing the double roundabout and extending both north and south from the double roundabout on the east side of Rio Rd. SUP extends west onto both sides of Hillsdale to connect to existing sidewalk on the south side of Hillsdale via an added bike ramp. Integrate pedestrian crossings on all legs of the intersection. SUP connects to existing sidewalk along the south/west side of Rio Rd; SUP connects to existing SUP on the north/east side.”
Barracks Road and Georgetown Road Improvements - “Reconstruct the existing signalized intersection of Georgetown and Barracks Roads as a hybrid roundabout with at-grade pedestrian crossings on all legs of the intersection. Access management along Barracks Road between Georgetown Road and westbound on- and off-ramps to US29/250. Construct a SUP along the west side of Barracks Road between Georgetown Road and Bennington Road. Construct sidewalk along the west side of Barracks Road between Bennington Road and the existing sidewalk at the first crossover on Barracks south of the US29/250 interchange. (view the materials for more info)
US250/Peter Jefferson Parkway and Rolkin Road Project Pipeline Bundle - “The project includes access management treatments to US250 at Peter Jeff. Pkwy and pedestrian improvements at US250 and Rolkin Rd. US250/Peter Jeff. Pkwy improvements.” There are multiple aspects here. (view the materials for more details) (MPO submission)
I64/Fifth Street Interchange Improvement (Exit 120) - “Convert existing signalized diamond interchange to a diverging diamond interchange at the connection of I-64 and 5th Street (Exit 120). Includes a shared use path between the NB and SB lanes with crosswalks to the NE and SW. On the northern end of the DDI, the shared use path will be extended on the east side of 5th St to the entrance to Holiday Inn (including crossing 5th Street Landing) and on the SW side from the interchange to Pinehurst Court.” (MPO submission)
Barracks Road Pipeline US 29/250 Interchange and SUP - “The Barracks Road Pipeline US 29/250 Interchange Project will include 1) hybrid roundabouts at both 29/US250 interchanges, allowing for a reduction in the lanes in the SB direction to accommodate a shared use path on the west side through the interchange, and 2) a continuous shared use path along the west side of Barracks Rd from Bennington Road to Emmet St.”
Barracks Road Pipeline Corridor Improvements - This is a separate submission of the entire package for #4 and #7. Read the presentation for more details.
The applications are due on August 1 and preliminary scores will be released in the winter.
Albemarle transactions: A brief very look
One hope for Charlottesville Community Engagement is to further increase public awareness of how the real estate market functions or at least to periodically report on individual transactions. The purpose of this research is to just take a brief check on what’s selling. I’m able to do this for Charlottesville on a monthly basis, but so far research into Albemarle County has evaded me.
Today I’m going to share what I have in what will hopefully become a regular segment. This one’s short, but so am I.
A three bedroom house built in 1984 on Shadow Oaks Place in the Raintree neighborhood sold for $525,000. That’s 20.39 percent above the 2024 assessment of $436,100 and 45.91 percent above the 2021 assessment of $359,800. (Rio District, 0.22 acres)
A three bedroom house built in 1967 on Watt’s Passage sold for $355,000. This transaction from May 31 is 6.53 percent below the 2024 assessment of $379,800. This is in the rural area with no access to public water and sewer. (Rivanna District, 3.23 acres)
A three bedroom townhouse on Timberwood Boulevard built in 2010 sold on May 31 for $437,500. That’s 7.92 percent above the 2024 assessment of $405,400 and 51.8 percent above the 2021 assessment of $288,200. (Rio District, 0.06 acres)
On May 31, An undeveloped 2.11 acre tract in the Fray’s Grant subdivision sold for $165,000. That’s nearly 103 percent above the 2024 assessment of $81,300. This is in the rural area and has no access to public water and sewer. (White Hall District, 2.11 acres)
A 900 square foot condo in Parkside / Eagle’s Landing sold for $197,500. That’s 3.29 percent above the 2024 assessment of $191,200. The 2020 assessment was $148,100. (Scottsville District, N/A)
A four bedroom house built in 2003 on Blackwood Road in the Flordon neighborhood sold for $2.045 million. That’s 72.01 percent above the 2024 assessment of $1,188,900 and 145.2 percent above the 2021 assessment of $834,000. This closed on June 3. (Jack Jouett District, 1.51 acres)
A five bedroom house built in 1964 on Cumberland Road in the West Leigh neighborhood in Ivy sold on June 4 for $1.3 million. That’s 21.18 percent above the 2024 assessment of $1,072,800 and 66.86 percent over the 2021 assessment of $779,100. (Samuel Miller District, 4.16 acres)
Reading material:
Another Step Closer: New Arts Center, Shannon Court at the Rotunda, Matt Kelly, UVA Today, June 7, 2024
Louisa County trail getting funding to help commemorate VA250, CBS19 News, June 14, 2024
Record number of UVA Law students getting grants for work in public service roles, CBS19 News, June 14, 2024
#690 is about to go away and what do we know?
I really like getting these out in the morning as it feels great to publish something before the sun gets too high in the summer sky. As I approach Year 5 of this newsletter, I feel ready to step up and improve things as best I can.
This is the work I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve spent my career getting ready for this moment. I’m able to do this because of paid subscribers, people who understand that this information takes time to put together and I’ve devoted all of mine to setting up the systems I need to report on as much as I can, as often as I can.
One task I hope to get to this week will be thanking those of you who have signed up in June. Since the beginning, I write to everyone to say hello and to let you know I’m a real person. Perhaps I write to remind myself, too! Either way, thank you for supporting this brand of journalism. Every single new paid subscription is its own award, an affirmation I’m putting together something people want.
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