March 13, 2025: Education foundation announces a dozen awards for innovations in teaching to Albemarle and Charlottesville instructors
Plus: The Finance Committee of the UVA Board of Visitors learns that the General Assembly will fully fund construction of Center for Arts, something Governor Youngkin did not introduce in his budget
We are now up to the 13th day of the third month of 2025 or the 72nd day of the year. That’s not quite 20 percent of the way through until the next one, but it is quite close. What sort of day will it be today? There certainly will be an edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement which will shortly be written. I’m Sean Tubbs, and information intrigues me.
On this day in 1945, the front page of the Charlottesville Daily Progress had an Associated Press report about on Town Meeting day in New Hampshire where participants in 225 communities were asked their thoughts on whether the United States should join an international peace organization. Take a look here courtesy of the archive on the University of Virginia library.
In today’s installment:
The public hearing for Charlottesville’s tax rate has been postponed to April 7, 2025 due to an advertising error
Some of the trails at Biscuit Run are temporarily closed to allow for stream restoration work as well as construction of an exclusively trail for mountain biking
The Public Education Foundation of Charlottesville-Albemarle hands out a dozen awards to area teachers
A committee votes to convert two remaining tennis courts at Darden Towe Park to pickleball after hearing results
The Finance Committee of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors learns about the need for a $72 million data center at the Fontaine Research Park
That group gets a status report on pending items in Virginia’s budget including the General Assembly’s willingness to full fund construction of the Center for Arts
First 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.
Advertising error pushes back public hearing for Charlottesville budget
Yesterday’s newsletter had a story derived from a public notice in the Charlottesville Daily Progress for a public hearing for the real property tax rates Charlottesville’s proposed budget. That had been scheduled for March 17.
However, budget director Krisy Hammill wrote me this morning to say that the newspaper made an error.
“The state code has very specific requirements for when and where the ad can be placed in the paper,” Hammill said.
That section of code is here if you want to look at the details. Here’s the relevant portion.
“The notice described in clause (i) shall not be placed in that portion, if any, of the newspaper reserved for legal notices and classified advertisements,” reads the code.
Hammill said the Daily Progress did not follow those instructions so the public hearing has to be delayed. The new advertisement will run in the March 15 paper.
Charlottesville City Council will have their second budget work session this evening. For more about the lowered tax rate to be advertised again, take a look at yesterday’s story.
Some trails temporarily closed at Biscuit Run for stream restoration, construction work
More than 30,000 people have used the trails at Biscuit Run Park since they were opened to the public in December 2024. That’s according to an information release sent out this afternoon notifying people that some of them will be closed for a while.
“Albemarle County has closed specific trails and areas in Biscuit Run Park for construction of the Biscuit Run Stream Restoration and the Downhill Bike and Skills Area projects,” reads the release sent out at 9:15 a.m.
The stream restoration work will involve a one-mile section of the stream with severely eroded banks. The budget for the work is $2,188,210 with some of the funding from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Stormwater Local Assistance Fund.
“The restoration design for this first phase primarily entails installing intermittent log jam structures along the stream reach, mimicking beaver dams,” the release continues. “This will allow storm flows to more easily escape into the floodplain and reduce erosion in the channel.”
This will also have the effect of recreating wetlands that would have been part of this landscape in the distant past. This will provide more space for water to go during flooding events.
To help document the changes over time, Albemarle has set up “Chronolog” stations where people are asked to take a photo and submit it for posterity.
Work is also underway for the first section of Biscuit Run that will be built for bicycles only.
“This amenity will be a collection of downhill trails, jump lines, and other features designed to allow mountain bikers opportunities to gain experience, build skills, and connect with other riders,” reads the release. “The trails and features are designed to enable progression from beginner to intermediate to advanced.”
This section is being planned in partnership with the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club.
Learn more about the restoration project in this video:
Education group makes a dozen awards to local teachers
Since 2004, the Public Education Foundation of Charlottesville-Albemarle has raised funding to help schools in both localities. Here is their aspirational statement.
“Through community involvement and support, we strive to make sure that every child, in our two public school districts, will have access to educational experiences that prepare them for success; every teacher will have the resources to educate in the most effective manner; and every administrator will be able to provide exemplary support and leadership.”
To that end, the group hands out grants to teachers who are seeking to innovate in the classroom. Today a dozen awards were announced.
“Our goal for the Teacher Innovation Grants is to inspire teachers to create and try new ideas and engage students,” said PEFCA Executive Director Penny Harrison in a release.
Awards range between a few hundred dollars and a cap of $2,000.
They are:
Albemarle High School teacher Michelle Banaszak is working with technology called Pocketalk in the Peer Tutoring Center to replace the use of cell phones in translating between instructors and students who do not use English as a first language.
Burnley Moran Elementary School teacher Jessica Scott has a project called BME Earth Stewards that seeks to educate students about composting through data collection.
Jackson-Via Elementary School teacher Jessica Pedersen has a project called Equitable Access in Enrichment: Making Specials Inclusive for All. This will involve the use of adaptive equipment.
Jackson-Via Elementary School teacher Ida Cummings has a project called Writing Together: Strengthening Home-School Connections that is a writing workshop for second-grade students and their parents.
Monticello High School teacher Jeannette Stott received funding for a program called Making Printmaking Accessible to teach skills that have been used for hundreds of years. This will allow purchase of linocut tools, ink, and soft kut linoleum.
Monticello High School teacher Bernice Brythorne has a project for Advanced Placement Environmental Science students called Authentic Field Research. This will involve a two-day research trip to Mountain Lake Biological Station in southwest Virginia.
Stone Robinson Elementary School teacher Angie Foreman has a project called Calming Spaces and Happy Faces to teach the importance of remaining calm in stressful situations. This will create resources to teach people how to calm down at times when things are overwhelming.
Foreman also is part of an initiative called Libros en Espanol to purchase more books that are in both English and Spanish.
Foreman also is part of a project called The Need to be Seen: Neurodivergent Representation in the Library to purchase books.
Walker Upper Elementary School teacher Amy Wissekerke received funding for a project called Classroom Economics for 6th Grade. The idea is apply math skills to real-world decision-making.
Walker Upper Elementary School teacher Beth Bohannon builds off of the above item with Positive Pathways: Incentivizing Growth & Engagement. This adds a school store to use the Class Cash concept introduced in Wissekerke’s class.
Both Bohannon and Wissekerke also were awarded funding for a project called Together We Lead: Enhancing School Community & Engagement.
“The last year for Walker Upper Elementary School, established in 1966, will be 2025-2026, as a new school will serve the community,” reads the release.
The school once had a lot of club activities but they were all shut down five years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic and never rebounded.
“Teachers hope to restart and renew clubs across the school during the day as the students prepare for transition,” the release continues.
To learn more about the grant program and to consider applying for next year, visit the PEFCA website.
Second shout-out: JMRL Friends of the Library Book Sale coming up in April
It’s beginning to look a lot like the Spring Book Sale put on by the Friends of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library! In just over a month, the members pre-sale event will take place on Friday April 4 at Albemarle Square
That will be followed by eight days of what’s come to be known as the most exciting time for lovers of books and other items. Friends of the JMRL Library brought in over $166,000 in the Fall Sale, a new record!
You can help now by donating books, games, CDs and other items to Friend of JMRL. You can do so now through March 21.
You’ll help them raise funds for all sorts of ways to support the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
Children and adults at all branches may enjoy programs to enrich their learning
The various collections of the library system may be enhanced
Library branches may receive donations and funding assistance in emergencies
Book donations will be accepted at the Gordon Avenue branch, lower level lobby entrance during Gordon Avenue branch operating hours!
For more information, visit the Friends of JMRL website!
Darden-Towe Committee votes to convert remaining tennis courts for pickleball
A joint committee of elected officials from Albemarle and Charlottesville have voted to convert two remaining tennis courts at Darden-Towe Park for pickleball, a sport that takes up less room and has become more popular.
They did do so on March 11 after reviewing the results of a survey filled out by 730 respondents. Of these, 471 said they played pickleball and 397 indicated tennis.
The survey also includes written comments ordered by date. There were 684 responses in all. Initially almost all of the responses were in favor of this conversion.
“I play at Darden a lot and the additional 2 tennis courts are almost always used for pickleball I think they should all be converted,” read one from December 22, 2024.
Another from that date boiled it down to providing a service for taxpayers.
“On a square foot basis, pickleball courts serve at least twice as many taxpayers as tennis courts, assuming both sports were played equally,” reads that anonymous comment. “It's pretty evident that a large number of your taxpayers are simply feeling ignored.”
The two courts are often temporarily used for pickleball anyway, as one respondent noted on December 28, 2024.
“When I am there the portable nets are often in use anyway, and the advanced groups I play in sometimes sometimes have to go to PVCC to avoid the crowds,” reads the survey.
Others called for more lights, which was not a question asked in the survey. Another asked for a canopy as well as windsocks to indicate weather conditions.
The first opposing view came on January 11, 2025.
“There definitely needs at least one tennis court at Darden!” said that person.
Around this time, more voices continue including the head of one advocacy group who pointed out that tennis cannot be played on a pickleball court, though the reverse is true.
“I am the president of [the] Piedmont Area Tennis Association,” reads one note from January 13. “I play both tennis and pickle. I have lived in Cville for 23 years. I have played tennis in Cville for 23 years. I am a firm believer that public courts need to be multi-use and include pickle and tennis.”
Around this time, more tennis supporters began to make their comments.
“While the growing popularity of the sport is undeniable, it’s a shame to take away a valued resource for tennis players,” reads one from January 13.
Others seem bothered by the potential for division raised by the question.
“I am saddened that Tennis people are upset by pickleball lines being put on tennis courts, and I am saddened by Pickleball people wanting to convert tennis courts into Pickleball courts,” reads another from January 13.
Take a look at the survey here.
The cost to convert the pickleball courts will be paid for by the Albemarle Parks Foundation. Abbey Stumpf, Albemarle’s director of communications and public engagement, said the work won’t take place until after fundraising takes place.
You can learn about this project and other projects the Albemarle Parks Foundation is promoting at their website.
UVA Finance Committee briefed on need for data center
My quest to go through the entire March 2025 meeting of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors meeting continues now.
The University of Virginia is planning on building its own data center to support research across a wide range of fields. The Finance Committee got a deep dive on the needs at their meeting on the morning of March 7.
“The bottom line up front here is that we have our current data center at near maximum capacity,” said Kerry Doney, the chief information officer at UVA. “The unfortunate news is that we really are limited in our ability to expand both in terms of the physical location as well as the cooling and the power limitations that are with that current facility.”
Doney said this means delays for researchers who requires computational resources. She said UVA might have difficulty attracting new talent if the issue is not addressed. The need for more data is evident as the UVA keeps expanding and adding new departments and obtaining new research grants.
“We certainly have people from the School of Data Science, the National Security Data and Policy Institute, the BioComplexity Institute in Medical Engineering,” Doney said.
A new data center is planned for the Fontaine Research Park next to the Fontaine Energy Plant that is under construction. Doney said the cost estimate for construction is $72 million.
“We're going to start with a 4 megawatt facility, but expandable out to 16 megawatts as our research needs grow,” Doney said. “We really need to start this construction by 2026. We need to be online by early 2029 in order to support the needed upgrades to keep pace with the research needs.”
Staff recommends building a facility solely for UVA’s needs rather than colocating in a commercial facility or relying on the cloud. They argue that will be cheaper in the long run and more secure.
“This has become core research infrastructure for many researchers,” said Douglas Baller, UVA’s Associate Vice President for Research Computing. “More and more fields of inquiry are becoming data intensive.”
The Finance Committee took no action but will do so at their next meeting in June when the item is expected to be added to the Major Capital Plan.
Finance Committee gets other updates including a review of pending legislation
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has not yet signed any legislation or performed any line item vetoes but the Finance Committee of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors got an update on various items at their meeting on March 7.
J.J. Davis, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said the next milestone for the General Assembly is April 2 when legislators will return to respond to whatever actions Youngkin has taken.
“Important to note because all of this information will ultimately flow into the building of the 2026 operating and capital budget,” Davis said.
Davis did have items on what budget items were approved by the House and Senate conference committee. They are:
Governor Youngkin had included $12.5 million for the Commonwealth Bioaccelerator program of which UVA is partnering with CvilleBioHub for a facility at North Fork. The final conference report reduced that to $7.5 million.
Youngkin had no funding for a “tech talent investment program” but the conference report has $897,000 in FY26.
Youngkin had no funding for undergraduate financial aid, but the conference report has $312,000 in FY26.
Youngkin had no funding for a request for “maintain access / affordability” but the conference report has $6 million in FY25.
The conference report agrees with Youngkin that $40 million in state funding for the Paul and Diane Manning Institute for Biotechnology be moved from FY26 to FY25.
The conference report included the cost of full construction for funding of the Center for the Arts, whereas Youngkin included no funding. Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair John Nau has expressed concern about the size and scope of the project, as I reported earlier this month.
These all depend on Youngkin’s signature.
The Finance Commission concluded with an update on the endowment. That takes us up to the full meeting Board of Visitors where the vote was made to end the Office of Diversity, Equity and Conclusion. That will be in the next regular edition of the newsletter which will likely not come out until Saturday or perhaps Monday.
Reading material for #831
Family of man killed in Harris Teeter shooting seeks support for his two daughters, Kate Nuechterlein, WVIR 29News, March 11, 2025
Draft city budget prioritizes education, affordable housing, and transportation, Catie Ratliff, C-Ville Weekly, March 12, 2025
Residents share hopes for the future at Comp Plan community meetings, Heather Michon, Fluvanna Review, March 12, 2025
Supervisors scrutinize school funding package, Heather Michon, Fluvanna Review, March 12, 2025
Virginia Judge Pauses State’s Return To RGGI During Youngkin’s Appeal, Charlie Paullin, Inside Climate News, March 12, 2025
#831, say goodbye!
There will not be a newsletter tomorrow. I have enough material to record two podcasts. There may be one Saturday as I like doing Saturday newsletters. I like doing this work each day. I like that about one in five of you are paying. That’s sort of been a constant since the beginning that has held up as the audience has grown.
There are now over 3,700 people on the email list. That compares to about 520 on the Fifth District Community Engagement list, which I’ve recently taken off of pause. I did so because I believe the overall mission is worth pursuing, and because I believe I am going to use it for more experimentation!
I also booked a 10 a.m. coffee meeting with someone tomorrow which means I will be incapable of working properly. I tend to stick close to my work. I don’t take phone calls. I like to sit here long enough to get out an edition. Throughout the day I listen to music in between meetings and for some reason I’m listening to the first album by a band called Half Man, Half Biscuit and I will not make that the video of the day!
I’m also thinking more and more about how amazingly resilient can be and will continue to be. The world is better when you realize that the differences between different types of people are what provide for progress. I’m blessed to be able to do a little of that with the publication of this newsletter and the other one.
This slightly cheer endnote is perhaps fueled by spring and the fact I finally remembered to buy allergy medication. I’m not ready for spring and look forward to six months from now as I am not a warm weather person anymore. If anyone in Norway would like to hire me, I will make myself available. One day I want to check out the handiwork of Slartibartfast.
And with that non sequitur, something more important than music. It’s not complete, but if not for Douglas Adams, I simply wouldn’t be me.