The human experience is seemingly infinite with billions of people currently alive on a planet that will spin whether our species is here or not. On this 79th anniversary of Allied forces landing on beaches in Normandy, I reflect about how hopeful I am that others out there share a sense that peace should always be the goal. However, Charlottesville Community Engagement acknowledges that conflict is inevitable but may yet be mitigated with shared information.
On today’s program:
A member of the Charlottesville Planning Commission has resigned opening up another vacancy
Charlottesville will sell bonds this week for capital projects
A brief update on an internal Charlottesville task force on gun violence
UVA’s Buildings and Grounds Committee agrees to new names and reviews additions and subtractions to the Major Capital Plan, including a build-out of a health clinic at Zion Crossroads
First shout-out: Paddles with a Purpose
In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance keeps an eye on the health of the Rivanna River which from time to time involves getting in the water to clean up litter and trash. If you have your own boat, you can get involved, too! On June 15, the RCA will hold another Paddles with a Purpose event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The paddle will begin at 6pm from the Rivanna River Company and end at Riverview Park. The 1.5-mile paddle can vary in time but is intended to conclude at 8pm or before sunset, whichever is first.
This paddle will be self-supported, meaning that you are responsible for shuttling your boat and yourself. The section is rated as beginner-friendly with one Class I rapid. Sign up on the Rivanna Conservation Alliance website!
New vacancy opens up on Charlottesville Planning Commission
Two terms on the seven-member Charlottesville Planning Commission expire on August 31, but now a third position is also up for grabs.
“Changes and opportunities in my personal and professional life have me leaving Charlottesville in early July and give up my seat,” said Commissioner Liz Russell, who was appointed in 2020.
Last summer, the City Council reconstituted the Planning Commission and Russell’s term now expires at the end of August 2024.
Russell’s last meeting will be next Tuesday, June 13.
The terms of Hosea Mitchell and Rory Stolzenberg are the terms expiring this August and both are eligible for reappointment. Applications for those two seats will be taken through the end of this week. To apply for those two slots, visit the city’s website.
The vacancy resulting from Russell’s resignation will need to be advertised before people can apply according to the Clerk of Council Kyna Thomas.
Other vacancies exist including the Historic Resources Committee, the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund Committee, and the Piedmont Family YMCA Board of Directors. Take a full look at the list. Will you apply?
City bond sales to proceed; Gun Violence task force also addressing youth opportunities
During his report to City Council on Monday, interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers said the city will sell $16 million worth of bonds this week and the reaffirmation of AAA ratings will keep the interest payments the lowest they can be.
“Both Moody’s and S&P Global,” Rogers said. “We gave them a tour of our fine community and explained to them our plans for further development and opportunities here.”
Rogers said the resolution in Washington on the debt ceiling means the sales will proceed, and that the city was willing to wait if it had not been.
The interim city manager also had details on an in-house task force on gun violence to be lead by Police Chief Michael Kochis and Human Services Director Misty Graves.
“This is not to substitute for the task force that President [Jim] Ryan appointed at the University of Virginia but it’s really a supplement,” Rogers said. “We want to galvanize all of our resources in the city and see how we can have a full course effort to address the issues of gun violence in our community to make it a safer community and to provide outlets for young people to have productive activities.”
One such resource is the Charlottesville / Albemarle Youth Opportunity Center.
“It aims to provide an accessible and centralized resource to match young people to programs in the community,” said Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall. “So hopefully it will continue to be a one-stop shop for parents, guardians, and other loved ones to find great activities for their littles.”
Rogers’ full report can be read online at this link
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Albemarle School Board to review Bellwether audit on Thursday
The seven-member Albemarle County School Board will meet on Thursday. The agenda sets aside 45 minutes to hear a report from a consultant on an audit they requested on the system’s ability to educate students on reading and math.
“ACPS outperforms the state of Virginia on a number of key achievement measures,” reads the staff report. “Historically within the district, however, performance on these same measures varies greatly, with students of color and economically disadvantaged students demonstrating far less achievement than their white peers.”
There are three separate reports from the firm Bellwether including a root cause analysis and a student experience report. It’s all to answer a basic question:
“Why are pass rates for ACPS students of color on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) for K-5 reading, K-5 math, and high school Algebra 1 lower than the averages for other students of color in the state and lower than their peers in other demographic groups in ACPS?”
This spring, a team from Bellwether visited 11 county schools and spoke with over 350 people. There’s a lot of material to review and I hope to be able to produce a longer report sometime in the near future.
Resources:
UVA panel endorses “Virginia Guesthouse” as name for new hotel and conference center
For those of us with no connection to the University of Virginia, one of the ways to find out what’s happening is to watch the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Visitors. The group met last Friday.
The committee approved the new name of the hotel and conference center under construction on Ivy Road. Colette Sheehy, senior vice president for operations and state government relations, said the name was selected after extensive engagement.
“Virginia Guesthouse,” Sheehy said. “Which represents obviously the University and the Commonwealth. It’s meant to be obviously a welcoming place not only for our own University community but for the external community as well.”
Several names suggested by alumni and others were vetted including Virginia Hotel, Virginia Inn, The Cavalier, The Virginian, and Cavalier Hotel. However, all were registered by other entities and not available.
The hotel is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2025.
The committee also approved the naming of a new pedestrian bridge across Emmet Street for a 1977 alumnus and former member of the Board of Visitors—David Walker. The Walker Bridge will span between Newcomb Hall and the new Contemplative Commons expected to open this fall.
Second shout-out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for 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. Camp Albemarle seeks support for a plan to winterize the Hamner Lodge, a structure built in 1941 by the CCC and used by every 4th and 5th grade student in Charlottesville and Albemarle for the study of ecology for over 20 years. If this campaign is successful, Camp Albemarle could operate year-round. Consider your support by visiting campalbemarleva.org/donate.
Second-year initiative moving forward; UVA Health Clinic at Zion Crossroads to expand
Infrastructure projects in Virginia localities get funded and built through capital improvement programs. The University of Virginia has something similar in the Major Capital Plan.
“This is a plan that started out in 2022 at about $2.9 billion,” Sheehy said. “We’ve completed a number of projects over the course of the last 12 months totalling almost $400 million.”
There’s currently about a billion worth of projects under construction including the Virginia Guesthouse, the School of Data Science, the Karsh Institute of Democracy, and the renovation of Alderman Library.
But what’s next?
“Several projects are just in the planning and design phase so that we can get a better sense of what the building will entail, the scope, the estimate cost,” Sheehy said.
One of those projects is $1.5 million for planning and design of a public safety building, which Sheehy suggested may end up in a repurposed building. There’s also another $7 million for planning and design for an initiative to build more dormitories.
“The second year housing initiative, which we hope to finish up the planning for probably for your December meeting,” Sheehy said. “We just want to be poised for the first project when that’s ready.”
(image) A snapshot of the total UVA Major Capital Plan (view the presentation)
Sheehy said there have been changes to the plan since the Buildings and Grounds Committee last saw it in March.
“The new ones being added since you saw this in March include a new video scoreboard at Scott Stadium,” Sheehy said. “We aren’t sure of the cost of it yet because the athletic department is considering the actual size of the video board.”
The current scoreboard is 14 years old.
Another $7.4 million project would see the build-out of a UVA Health clinic at Zion Crossroads.
“This has turned out to be a very busy clinic for UVA Health,” said Dr. Craig Kent, chief executive officer at UVA Health. “It’s our venture into the geography that’s between Charlottesville and Richmond and that’s a really significantly growing area so the demand for our current services there is quite substantial.”
There’s another project for UVA Health with a cost range between $108 million and $132 million. There’s no detail for this in the packet for the meeting and Sheehy did not bring it up.
One project that has been removed from the plan is $17 million for a Student Activities Building. Sheehy said this is due to reflect a relatively recent change in administration. Robyn S. Hadley became Vice President and Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer in June 2021.
“What Robyn wants to do is look at all of the student activity spaces around Grounds and really assess [if] we are using in the way we still need to use them,” Sheehy said. “Do we need different kinds of spaces? New spaces?”
More from the Buildings and Grounds Committee in future editions of the program.
Reading material:
McDermid in the Running for White Hall School Board Seat, Lisa Martin, Crozet Gazette, June 2, 2023
Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to hold ribbon cutting for public housing redevelopments, Erin O’Hare, Charlottesville Tomorrow, June 2, 2023
Experts, politicians weigh in on Laufer-Squire race, Sydney Shuler, Charlottesville Daily Progress, June 4, 2023
City Council approves Jacob Stroman as new City Attorney, WINA, June 5, 2023
Norfolk eyes $18M purchase of MacArthur Center mall, Robyn Sidersky, Virginia Business, June 6, 2023
The final sentences and words of #542:
Two in a row! The uncertain medical care situation of one of my parents makes it hard to determine if there will be one tomorrow, but there’s certainly enough material. To stay on top of my irregular production schedule, please check out my Notes page on Substack.
In any case, thank you to all of the various subscribers, paid and otherwise, who make me want to produce as much as I can as often as possible. There’s enough to write about, and my goal at Town Crier Productions is to provide as much information as I can.
This summer I do plan to expand as best I can. This is a business venture and I’ve got a lot of ideas to make it work out. If you’re curious to know more, consider becoming a Patreon member to help support me hiring other people.
If you do subscribe on Substack, Ting will match your initial payment!
And if you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you’ll get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
Thanks to Wraki for incidental music in the podcast, which you can’t hear unless you listen to it. Check out the work on BandCamp!
June 6, 2023: New vacancy opens up on Charlottesville PC; UVA Health to expand Zion Crossroads clinic