November 11, 2024: Charlottesville City Council reallocates $55K in federal funds to move Pollocks Branch pedestrian bridge forward
Plus: Albemarle County honors veterans on Veterans Day
Today is Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. Today marks the 106th anniversary of the end of World War One, a conflict that killed millions and set the stage for another global event that killed millions more.
What is it about humanity that causes history to rhyme, and can lessons be learned to advance maximum benefits for all? Part of the idea of Charlottesville Community Engagement is to have that question in the back of the mind every single edition. I’m Sean Tubbs, and some of my relatives were among the dead soldiers we commemorate today.
In today’s installment:
For at least the third time in two months, Charlottesville City Council waives a second reading of a financial matter to expedite approval, this time to cover the cost overrun for a pedestrian bridge
A quick overview of the meeting of the Greene County Board of Supervisors scheduled for tomorrow night including a public hearing on water and sewer connection fee increases
The number of building permits issued in Fluvanna County has decreased steadily from 2020 to the present though there is a slight uptick this year
Albemarle County Supervisors mark Veterans Day with comments from the Commander of the National Ground Intelligence Center
Governor Youngkin announces the launch of an online one-stop resource for Virginia veterans
Albemarle Supervisors agree to let the Defense Intelligence Agency conduct training exercises on county-owned property
First-shout: Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards
This is an interesting time to look at the landscape as the cooler weather means most vegetation stops growing. In my yard, I know I continue to have a lot of invasive species and I’d like to know how to get rid of them.
One resource available to me comes through the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, an organization devoted to promoting and protecting native species which can also be choked and blocked by species that don’t originate in North America and thus may not have creatures that like to eat them.
This week, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards offers two online Zoom presentations on the topic both from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tim Maywalt and William Hamersky are both Tree Stewards and members of the Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, or Blue Ridge PRISM. They will present the two sessions.
Part 1: Introduction and Identification - register here
Part 2: Control Methods - register here
The sessions are free but donations are always welcome!
Charlottesville waives process to approve funds transfer for Pollocks Branch bridge
In many cases, Virginia Code requires a local elected body to hold two readings of a resolution before it can become an official decision. Charlottesville City Council has increasingly been waiving that rule in order to speed up various processes.
Such was the case on November 4 when the five Councilors voted unanimously to reallocate over $55,000 in federal funds from two unidentified projects toward a shortfall for a project to build a bridge across Pollocks Branch in southern Charlottesville.
“The idea came from the [Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s] redevelopment committee when we were first starting to work on the planning for Phase One at South First Street,” said Brenda Kelley, the city’s redevelopment manager.
Phase one of that project is now complete and there are 62 new units in three buildings on what used to be a recreational field.
Pollocks Branch flows south from Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall in an underground pipe until opening up to the air south of Elliot Avenue. The tributary of Moores Creek runs parallel to South First Street.
Kelley said there were various reasons why the bridge has been delayed until after completion of the new CRHA units. The design proceeded and the plans call for a prefabricated steel bridge to be placed across the waterway. However, cost estimates more than doubled after the pandemic putting the project above the $250,000 originally allocated by Council to the bridge.
“The City Manager's office was very concerned about the increase in price and coming back to you to ask for city money so we looked for grants to be able to help with this,” Kelley said.
That yielded another $314,000 for the project, still not enough to cover the cost. That led staff to see if there was unspent Community Development Block Grant funds and an additional $55,527.91 was found from two different accounts. The resolution lists them as P-00001-05-19 and 3914001000 but does not identify how they were to be used.
To make the adjustment, Council had to amend the annual plan that tells the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development how their money will be used. That requires a public hearing at which Peter Krebs with the Piedmont Environmental Council was the sole person to speak.
“This is a great project and let's get it built and funded and under construction really quickly because one of the reasons we keep coming back to Council is because it's been delayed over and over and over and those escalations are a real problem,” Krebs said.
Kelley said the city will seek to get a construction bid out as soon as possible and it will take at least eight months for the prefabricated bridge to arrive. The same process was used to build a bridge to tie the two sides of McIntire Park together.
“It took about 20 seconds to set the bridge over the skatepark at the railroad,” said trail planner Chris Gensic. “It took about three years to get it ready. But it's amazing to see this thing show up on a crane and go, boop, there’s your bridge.”
The project was due for a second reading on November 18 but Councilor Natalie Oschrin suggested waiving the requirement which takes a supermajority of four out of five Councilors.
Councilor Michael Payne expressed doubt about breaking the process.
“Process-wise I always favor two just in case the public has a little bit more time for anything,” Payne said. “I’m sure it won’t matter in this case.”
Payne joined the other four Councilors in waiving the second reading. There is a public notice in the November 9 telling people they have an opportunity to make comment at Council’s November 18 meeting.
Council also waived second reading on September 16 when they agreed to reallocate another $25,000 from CDBG funds to cover a cost overrun for a pedestrian bridge at Jordan Park. Later on in that meeting, they waived second reading of an ordinance authorizing an $8.7 million forgivable loan to Habitat for Humanity and the Piedmont Housing Alliance to purchase the Carlton Mobile Home Park.
City Council does not have a permanent City Attorney who can give advice on matters of process.
Greene Supervisors to hold six public hearings tomorrow night
What happens if a local government holds a public meeting and no one knows about it because they’re now using new software?
In yesterday’s Week Ahead, I stated “there does not appear” to be a meeting in Greene County but the Board of Supervisors do meet at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow in the administration building at 40 Celt Road in Stanardsville.
Greene County now uses the CivicPlus platform to manage meetings, but not everything was plugged in yesterday. Now it is and we can get back to work. There is a marked improvement in the quality of how the information is presented. Now if only they can install a better recording system to capture what is said more effectively. (meeting overview)
There are six public hearings.
The first is for a special use permit for a church and private educational institution at 3004 Greene Edge Lane. That’s land slated in the Future Land Use Map as being mixed-use residential. The church would have no more than 400 congregants at a time and there would be no more than 150 students enrolled in the proposed school. This will be the new home of Riverstone Church of Charlottesville.
The second is on a proposal to increase the fee to revalidate properties in Land Use taxation from $15 to $60. (staff report)
The third is on a proposal to raise the eligibility threshold for tax exemptions for disabled and elderly persons from $27,000 a year to $35,000 a year. (staff report)
The fourth is to carry over a $6.9 million surplus from previous budgets to the current fiscal year. (staff report)
The fifth will be to appropriate $1.54 million in additional funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia for at risk students. (staff report)
The sixth is for a public hearing on increasing connection fees for water and sewer as well as making them mandatory if a property is along a service line. Much of this information has been presented. Greene County took over this service from the Rapidan Service Authority in June 2023 and inherited a bit of a mess. Rates don’t cover the cost to support the system. (presentation)
Under other business, Supervisors will approve the legislative program from the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
Building permits slow in Fluvanna County
Population projections from the Weldon Cooper Center of Public Service at the University of Virginia are based on all manner of statistics including trends on building permits.
Fluvanna County had a U.S. Census count of 27,249 in 2020 and the Weldon Cooper Center projects the population increasing to 28,394 in 2030, 31,523 in 2040, and 35,124 in 2050.
On September 18, 2024 the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors voted to re-adopt a Comprehensive Plan with a handful of changes to three chapters. Now the county is working on a new update intended to increase rural area protections.
On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on removing a land use tool that allows for new units to be clustered in a way that concentrates them in one area while preserving open space.
The packet for the meeting contains the latest report on what actual trends have been. (learn more)
In 2020, there were 194 permits issued for single-family detached homes, a number that decreased each year until 2023 when 93 were issued. There’s been a slight rebound this year with 103 through the end of October.
There were 13 permits for single family attached homes, or townhomes, in 2020. There were six in 2021, none in 2022, 15 in 2023, and a dozen so far this year.
There was only one building permit for a multifamily unit in 2020, 5 in 2022, one in 2023, and none in either 2021 or this year to date.
Second-shout: Friends of Charlottesville shed a Downtown Spotlight
In today’s second subscriber-supported shout-out: Friends of Cville have launched a new web show called the Downtown Spotlight that brings conversations from local business owners, community leaders, and more who make up the Downtown Mall. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at beloved local establishments, and stories that highlight the spirit of our community. The most recent show featured:
The Executive Director and Artistic Director of the Virginia Film Festival
The Executive Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau
The owner of PawPrints Boutique about all things Doggie Howl-o-ween!
The Downtown Spotlight will air the second Thursday of each month, at 2:30pm. View all of the episodes through the organization’s Facebook page.
Albemarle Supervisors mark Veterans Day
There are no local government meetings today due to Veterans Day but the Albemarle Board of Supervisors marked the occasion at their meeting on November 6. Scottsville District Supervisor Michael Pruitt is a veteran and he read from a proclamation.
“Throughout our nation's history, the United States of America has called on its citizens in uniform to serve and protect our national security,” Pruitt said. “And whereas at home and abroad, generations of American patriots have defended the freedoms and American values of equality, democracy and justice for all.”
President Woodrow Wilson established Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, one year after fighting stopped European conflict known as World War One. The day became a federal holiday in 1938, marking today’s celebration the 86th annual event.
In recent years, Albemarle County has made much about the role veterans play in local government and the proclamation reflects this spirit.
“Many veterans continue to serve their country in public schools and government as public officials, teachers, police officers, fire rescue and other professions, providing services to all community members,” Pruitt continued. “And whereas with profound debt of gratitude, we especially recognise the local veterans in Albemarle county for their continued service.”
A ceremony was held today at 11 a.m. at the Albemarle County Office.
Albemarle County is also putting a lot of resources toward cultivating the defense sector in the community, spending $58 million in 2023 to purchase 462 acres around the Rivanna Station military base. Colonel Eric Haas has been the commander of the National Ground Intelligence Center since July 2023.
“As many of you know, Albemarle county has a distinct place in American history and deep ties to the veteran community,” Colonel Haas said. “Many residents of Albemarle county responded to the calls by the Continental Congress for support and joined the nascent Continental army when it was founded In June of 1775, a full year before the Declaration of Independence signing.”
Haas comes from a military background and is also married to someone in the U.S. Air Force. He said that each of the services seek to protect the foundational principles and values of the country.
“These values are built upon a bedrock of service to our Constitution and the inherent ideals that are found written in that document and ratified by each of the individual states,” Haas continued.
Pruitt served in the U.S. Navy and was motivated by September 11, 2001 when he was in fifth grade.
“For almost my entire life, we have been embroiled in warfare abroad,” Pruitt said. “We were still embroiled in that same conflict when I was graduating high school and getting ready to figure out what I was going to do with my life and decided that I was going to pursue a career in the Navy, which I did for eight years, and I'm very proud of it.”
Pruitt noted that the force is entirely voluntary and that as a result many people do not understand the high toll engaging in warfare can bring to a person’s mind. He said the country must continue to invest in Veterans’ Affairs and remember those who served the other 364 days of the year.
“I am very proud of the work we do in our county with our Human Services Department to kind of help bridge some of these gaps,” Pruitt said. “And there is still so much more to be done because we are a community that it is easy for us to forget the weight that people are carrying.”
Pruitt said there are too many suicides and too many people struggling to reintegrate into society.
Governor Youngkin launches on-line resource for veterans
This morning, Governor Glenn Youngkin attended a Veterans Day luncheon in Hampton Roads and noted that there are nearly 700,000 former service personnel in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He also announced a new tool to help people leaving military service make the transition to civilian life.
“[The Virginia Veterans Network] is truly the gold standard of service for Virginia veterans and delivers on our promise to give Virginia veterans the best available resources,” Youngkin said at the event.
The free service can be accessed here. Users can use the service to find links to hundreds of organizations and services including disability benefits, job opportunities, medical services, legal services, education and training assistance, peer support, and more.
“Veterans asked for a simple solution for finding a variety of resources in the Commonwealth and beyond, and we made it happen,” said Chuck Zingler, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Albemarle Supervisors agree to allow Defense Intelligence Agency to use county-owned land for field training
Speaking of Rivanna Station, last week the Board of Supervisors agreed to allow the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to conduct non-combat training on land Albemarle purchased around the military base.
“The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has requested use of nine of the County’s Rivanna Futures parcels to conduct similar non-combat training, including in Medical, Land Navigation, Basic Outdoor / Survival Evasion skills, Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART), Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (CBRN) threat protective gear, and Counterintelligence threat identification and mitigation,” reads a staff report that was on the consent agenda at the November 6 meeting. “These courses are considered unclassified and low risk.”
The land use agreement has more descriptions on each of the above. No firearms are to be used as part of any of the trainings, nor are large military vehicles. One of the parcels includes an occupied dwelling that can be unlocked for the military upon request.
The Albemarle County Police Department and Albemarle County Fire Rescue already use the land for training.
Reading material for #759
Hurricane Helene flooded the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, releasing chemicals into the New River, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, November 8, 2024
UVA students stage walkout for climate action in response to Trump's victory, Mark Gad, CBS19 News, November 8, 2024
Regents School of Charlottesville opens new campus, Maggie Glass, WVIR 29NBC, November 8, 2024
Tears and silence: Charlottesville Democrats regroup after Trump victory, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), November 9, 2024
Sen. Marsden to host summit on Virginia Clean Economy Act next week, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, November 11, 2024
Scientists suggest amping up efforts to mitigate effects of climate change, Felicia Spencer, Virginia Tech News, November 11, 2024
Just How Authoritarian Are Americans?, Will Saletan, The Bulwark (Substack), November 11, 2024
#759 thanks Veterans for their service
This is the ninth day in a row that there has been something posted to Charlottesville Community Engagement. That may be a record, but it may not be. From the beginning, this was intended to be a very prolific resource. There is a great need for stories about how the government works, because the government is us.
This is not intended to brag. It is intended to signal to paid subscribers that I am holding up my end of the bargain by directing most of my life at this work. The model is pretty simple. If enough people pay me, I will devote my time to research and to continuing to get better at getting information out.
The streak may well break this week as I am going on a trip to visit family, but I do not intend to take any time off. But when I’m where I’m going, often things come up. When I’m back in a week’s time, I do not intend to take a break again for quite some time.
I know that’s not for everyone. I’m an odd person who felt a calling to get back to journalism four and a half years ago after an unwanted break. I still feel like I am making up for some lost time.
It is always a good day to become a paid subscriber. If you would like to pay through an alternative to Substack, drop me a line. That can be arranged!
I am also grateful that the internet company Ting has sponsored this newsletter since April 2021 by matching the initial paid Substack subscription for new subscribers. This has really made a difference and it continues.
If you sign up for service and you are within Ting’s service area, enter the promo code COMMUNITY you’re going to get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
