There are 55 days left until 2024, the time when people who are elected to office this week will take their positions. Election Day is one of the strangest days in the United States, a country where different political parties have sharply different approaches for how the government should work. Charlottesville Community Engagement is the result of a career that has included many days like today that are literally pivotal. Today’s November 7, 2023 and I’m Sean Tubbs.
On today’s program:
Albemarle County Fire and Rescue wants you to delay burning outdoors to avoid the spread of wildfire
The region’s wine industry gets a major honor from a global trade publication
Charlottesville City Council marks the 160th anniversary of First Baptist Church West Main Street
A forthcoming report on recommendations for transit fuel sources will be delayed until after members of City Council can visit Montgomery County, Maryland
City Manager Sam Sanders indicated he’ll be back soon with a request for Council to invest in 80 supportive housing units at Premier Circle
First shout-out: Live music on WTJU
In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out: WTJU provides great music for the community every hour of the week, including live performance broadcasts by area artists. Get your calendar ready to mark down some of those times!
Every third Saturday, WTJU hosts "Third Rail," a live music series that pushes genre boundaries. On November 18, the station will host Free Pony, a post-punk quartet from Charlottesville. This concert and all other Third Rail programs are broadcast live on WTJU, live video streaming at WTJU's YouTube channel, and are free for anyone to attend in person at 2244 Ivy Road.
And every Friday night, WTJU hosts a live music series called "Offbeat Roadhouse," featuring mostly acoustic artists -- folk, blues, jazz, americana, and beyond. This Friday features reggae artist Mighty Joshua, recorded at the Black Business Expo in September. But almost all Fridays feature a live concert that is free and open to the public. Check out the schedule at WTJU for more information.
Albemarle County advises against outdoor burning due to dry conditions
Wildfires in Madison County and other parts of Virginia continue to burn and conditions are dry enough that their possible spread is a concern. As such, Albemarle County has issued a county wide warning to discourage outdoor fires.
“During this burn advisory, residents are advised to exercise caution when doing any outdoor burning and to comply with County burn regulations,” reads an alert sent out this morning.
The notice points out that most of Albemarle County is in the “moderate drought” stage and that no significant rainfall is expected until later in the week.
“If you can, please wait until conditions change for any open air burning on your property,” the notice continues.
The National Integrated Drought Information System reports that this is the 31st driest year from the last 129 years of measurement. Through the end of September, rainfall in Albemarle was 4.26 inches below normal level.
The Virginia Department of Forestry this morning reports a total of 39 fires covering 6,526.3 acres across the Commonwealth. The Quaker Run fire to the west of Criglersville is the largest active blaze in the state with a total of 2,480 acres and considered to be 40 percent contained. (view the website)
Wine industry publication honors region’s terroir
The
Monticello American Viticultural Area has surpassed four other regions across the world to be named Wine Region of the Year by a major publication.
“For its place in American wine history and ability to move toward a future of wine-style diversity and consumer inclusivity, Wine Enthusiast is proud to honor Charlottesville as the 2023 Wine Region of the Year Wine Star Award,” reads a portion of the article announcing the award.
The Charlottesville and Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau announced the award locally, which goes collectively to the dozens of wineries that make up the Monticello Wine Trail. That organization’s website argues that this area is one of the first places in colonized North America where winemaking began.
“Jefferson had a vision that the Charlottesville area could be a region teeming with grapevines, and he even tried his hand at growing grapes to make his dream a reality,” said Brantley Ussery, CACVB’s director of marketing and public relations.
The other nominees for Wine Region of the Year are: Lambrusco, Italy; Provence, France; Swartland, South Africa; and Victoria, Australia. In all, Wine Enthusiast has 13 categories in its 24th annual award program.
The Wine Enthusiast announcement also notes that this area’s weather patterns are changing and members of the Monticello Wine Trail are seeking to become resilient.
“Collectively, the wineries have not only been adapting to climate change but have also implemented numerous initiatives to mitigate it as well—from implementing solar panel and composting programs to championing biodiversity in the vineyards and cultivation of hybrid varieties,” reads more from the article.
Barboursville Vineyards in Orange County was one of five finalists for American Winery of the Year, but the award went to Black Stallion Estate Winery in Napa, California.
Council marks 160th anniversary of First Baptist Church on West Main Street
Two months after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, around 800 Black members of Charlottesville Baptist Church completed a petition asking to form a separate congregation. Over 160 years later, Charlottesville City Council has marked the occasion with a proclamation.
“The story of First Baptist Church West Main Street of Charlottesville began before the Civil War when congregants worshiped together under segregated conditions,” said Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade.
Wade said the request was granted and five years later the new congregation was able to purchase what was known as either the Mudwall Building or the Delevan Hotel. That structure was demolished in 1876 and a new building was completed in 1883.
“After the Civil War, First Baptist Church was instrumental in holding instruction within its walls, whereby hundreds of formerly enslaved people were educated,” Wade continued. “Members have been in the forefront of race relations for nearly a century, instrumental in establishing the local NAACP chapter, integrating patients at the University of Virginia, serving on local boards and commissions, and remaining actively involved in the community.”
The proclamation was received by Dom Gathers, a member of the church.
“The church has only been there for 160 years through God’s grace and influence,” Gathers said. “We are truly thankful and we would like to actually officially invite each and every one of y you all to come out and join the 160th anniversary next week, Sunday the 12th.”
For more information on the anniversary service, visit First Baptist Church West Main’s Facebook page.
Second-shout out: Rivanna Conservation Alliance has successful round-up
In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out: This year, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance had a large number of community volunteers take part in the Rivanna River Round-Up. On September 16, 270 people joined in to help clean up over 28 miles of river and trail. They collected over 202 bags of trash. Take a look at the photo gallery on their website and while you’re there:
All of that is accessible at https://www.rivannariver.org/
Charlottesville Area Transit fuel study recommendations delayed until January
The public transportation system operated by Charlottesville has commissioned a consultant-led study to determine what fuel should be used in the future to help the city meet its goals to be fossil-free by 2050.
The firm Kimley Horn last gave an update to City Council in July and a final report with recommendations had been expected sometime this fall. However, City Manager Sam Sanders said that is now being delayed until January 16. (view the July presentation to Council)
“So the goal would be for there to be sufficient time for that information to be made public so others could take a look at it and of course for Council to have some time with it because it will lead to some big decisions,” Sanders said. “As we’ve been discussing, any transformation of the fleet of the size that we have is going to be very expensive and we need to ensure we take the appropriate steps as we think through that in the best way that we can.”
Sanders said the city is also trying to schedule a site visit to Montgomery County, Maryland for Council and others to tour a transit system that is making the transition to electric buses through a public-private partnership.
“[Montgomery] County has an aggressive goal to transition its fleet, including buses and maintenance vehicles, to zero carbon emissions by 2035,” reads an October 31, 2022 press release announcing the completion of charging infrastructure.
For comparison, Montgomery County has a population of over million people and is embedded within the combined statistical area of Baltimore-Washington-Arlington which has a 2021 population estimate of nearly ten million.
Charlottesville’s metropolitan population is estimated at 223,534 according to the 2021 American Community Survey.
Sanders said more details will be revealed about that upcoming trip.
Several people spoke to encourage Council to make their decision now to proceed immediately to deploy vehicles with electric batteries before the report is finished.
“The pollution that diesel buses emit has been linked to heart and lung problems as well as premature death,” said Maria Düster, the climate justice policy manager for the Climate Community Collaborative.
First-year engineering student at the University of Virginia Lucas Schatz had a specific proposal in mind.
“I propose that the City of Charlottesville maintain 36 diesel buses while simultaneously revamping its fleet with 22 new battery electric expansion buses complete with fast en-route charging over the next five years,”
More details about the upcoming trip in future editions of the newsletter.
Previous stories on this topic:
Charlottesville Area Transit to study alternative fuels, March 18, 2022
City Council gets update on study on future fuels for CAT, August 2, 2023
Sanders addresses community feedback on fuel for public transportation, September 11, 2023
Sanders hints at upcoming city investment at Premier Circle
It’s been nearly three years since the Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning of the former Red Carpet Inn site to allow for the eventual construction of 140 units of low-income housing to be built by several nonprofit groups.
The site of the former motel had been used as an emergency shelter for the unhoused during COVID. The shelter closed this spring after funds ran out and to prepare for the redevelopment.
Virginia Supportive Housing seeks to build 80 units in a similar fashion at Premier Circle to the 60 units at the Crossings at Fourth Street. Ongoing funds for the project depend on federal housing vouchers being assigned to the site. (learn more at the VSH website)
City Manager Sam Sanders had an update on the new 80-unit project on Monday.
“That project has a budget gap and that budget gap right now is $1.4 million and they are short 40 vouchers to be able to move forward on the project as planned,” Sanders said.
Sanders said the city has so far not contributed a great deal amount and that he’s in conversations with Albemarle County about providing funds to fill the gap so the project can break ground in May.
“Eighty units of permanent supportive housing is a big deal,” Sanders said. “It is an important piece of our puzzle as to how we continue to support what is happening in our community as it relates to those individuals who struggle to maintain a household of their own.”
Sanders said this is separate from his desire to help fund a project for a full-time emergency shelter.
Piedmont Housing Alliance seeks to build an additional 60 units at what is known as Premier Circle. A third building is slated to be constructed for the future for commercial use to help fund the overall project.
Reading material:
Albemarle GOP posts, then removes endorsements of Bryce, McDermid, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), November 6, 2023
Q&A | Ann Mallek vs. Brad Rykal is old hand vs. new blood, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), November 6, 2023
Here’s what’s on the ballot for Charlottesville and Albemarle County this Election Day, Eleanor Jenkins, Cavalier Daily, November 7, 2023
#598 comes to an end
Here we are again at the end of another edition, and could this be the week in which there will be five consecutive days of this newsletter? Maybe. Stay tuned.
I’m fueled by the notion that there’s no longer a daily newspaper that serves the city of Charlottesville, and all of the 598 editions of this newsletter as well as the 235 editions of the Week Ahead newsletter are prologue for whatever comes next. Consider becoming a paid subscriber through Substack to help this happen. Ting will match your initial payment!
Thanks today to Doug Eddy and Jenn Finazzo for their contribution to the podcast version. Jenn wants you to know about Fiori Floral Studio and Doug said he just likes to help out. Unfortunately I neglected to tell the copy editor in time to review today’s program, so hopefully I didn’t do too terrible a job.
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November 7, 2023: Albemarle encourages people to avoid outdoor burning; Sanders hints at city investment in Premier Circle