September 25, 2024: CvilleBioHub wants skilled workers to be in place before Manning Institute for Biotechnology opens in late 2026
Plus: A look at early voting where surrounding counties so far outpace Albemarle and Charlottesville
September 25 is three months away from Christmas, and a few days after the equinox. The season has changed and my summer will be over after one last mowing of the lawn. People are excited about Halloween being close and there are many anticipating a meal at Thanksgiving.
But this is the 269th day of 2024 and this is the equivalent edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs and I wanna live where it’s always Saturday.
In today’s installment:
A look at early voting in the region just a few days since the polls open
Albemarle’s Economic Development Authority has endorsed CvilleBioHub’s grant application for a study on the workforce needs for the biotech sector
Albemarle’s new economic development director gives an update on Rivanna Futures and a new strategic plan
Charlottesville’s Parks and Recreation Department wins an award for a program to remove invasives from city property
The Regional Housing Partnership meets shortly after I publish this newsletter
First shout-out: WTJU Jazz Marathon September 30 through October 6
From September 30 to October 6, WTJU’s Jazz Marathon will fill the airwaves with a full week of round-the-clock jazz and blues specials. But time around is a little different.
Legendary Charlottesville trumpeter John D’earth is retiring from his UVA teaching gig at the end of 2024. During this year’s WTJU Jazz Marathon, the community radio station is honoring John’s legacy of performing and teaching at UVA with special programs and live performances.
This music is a living, breathing thing. WTJU’s Jazz Marathon celebrates our local music scene every weeknight at 8 p.m. with FIVE live jazz and blues performances. Don’t miss Stephanie Nakasian, Dhara Goradia & Quiet Fire, Mike Rosensky Trio feat. Jeff Decker, Robert Jospe Trio, and of course the John D’earth Band.
For more information on WTJU’s Jazz Marathon for 2024 and how to get your own shirt with John D’earth, visit the WTJU website.
Early voting numbers are higher so far in 2024 versus 2020 across Virginia, but not Albemarle and Charlottesville
Voters in Virginia have been able to cast ballots now since Friday, and the Virginia Public Access Project has recorded the numbers of turnout as of Monday evening. (see the data on VPAP)
As of Monday, 2,337 people in Albemarle had voted, down slightly from the 2,548 who had participated in the first three days of early voting. In all, 43,316 early ballots were cast in Albemarle in 2020.
The trend is the same in Charlottesville where 926 people voted from Friday through Monday, down from 1,087 in the same period in 2020. A total 18,017 ballots were cast early in the city in 2020.
However, more people took part in the first days of early voting in Fluvanna County, where 1,231 cast ballots through Monday compared to 761 in 2020. There were a total of 10,525 early votes in Fluvanna in 2020.
Greene County follows the same trend as Fluvanna, where 673 voters have cast ballots so far in 2024 compared to 384 in 2020.
Early voting in Louisa County is only slightly ahead of where it was in 2020 with 1,118 votes cast through Monday compared to 1,093 four years ago.
Meanwhile in Nelson, there were 454 votes cast through Monday compared to 344 in the same period in 2020.
Statewide, 144,218 votes were cast between Friday and Monday compared to 118,439 in 2020.
Have you voted yet? Do you have a plan? If you’re inclined, say something in the comments.
Albemarle EDA endorses CvilleBioHub’s grant application for workforce study
The Albemarle Economic Development Authority has endorsed another grant application for CvilleBioHub, an organization seeking to grow the biotechnology sector in the Charlottesville area.
“The forthcoming Manning Biotechnology Institute, BioLaunch Charlottesville Biotechnology Lap Accelerator, and the growth projections of several local biotechnology companies ensures the future vibrancy of this sector,” reads a draft letter of support for CvilleBioHub’s application for a $250,000 grant from a state agency that shepherds workforce development in the Commonwealth. (view letter on cvillepedia)
The biotechnology sector is a key target industry for Albemarle and one of the major focuses of the county’s Office of Economic Development. A key ingredient to grow the sector is to make sure there are skilled workers for what the letter describes as “successful candidates for the hundreds of advanced manufacturing, laboratory, and research jobs projected.”
GO Virginia is a quasi-government organization that advances business interests across the Commonwealth through workforce development and other programs. Earlier this year, the EDA backed another grant from GO Virginia and provided a $300,000 match but This latest grant application is for the GO Virginia Talent Pathways Initiative program.
“This is $250,000 available to create a planning grant around priority talent needs in our region,” said Shannon Holland, the director of GO Virginia Region 9 which covers a wide geographic stretch from Charlottesville to Fauquier County.
Nikki Hastings, CEO of CvilleBioHub, said work continues to bring an accelerator program online but there are concerns from some players that the workforce is not ready for what will happen in the future.
“We just continue to hear the need for understanding the talent needs and the growth potential, especially with the Manning Institute of Biotechnology coming online,” Hastings said. “What do we need to be preparing our workforce for now so that we can serve the growth that's anticipated as a result of the things that are happening? The accelerator being a part, just a small part in that, in that work.”
The study will help to inform job training efforts so that people who live here can be hired to assist in the sector in all sort of roles. For instance, principal investigators need support staff to run laboratories. Hastings said the training will also help private companies like Bonumose, Rivanna Medical, and Agrospheres find skilled employees.
“What we're planning to do is work with a consulting firm,” Hastings said. “TEConomy Partners is very well versed in the biotech space.”
Hastings said there could be as many a thousand jobs available as activity in the sector ramps up. She said economic development officials in Charlottesville and Greene County are interested in the results of the study. Piedmont Virginia Community College is providing space for a discussion to take place as part of the study.
Emily Kilroy, Albemarle’s new economic development director, said the county has a chance to prepare the workforce before the Manning Institute of Biotechnology comes online in late 2026 or early 2027. Ground was broken earlier this year at UVA’s Fontaine Research park.
“A Manning Institute doesn't come all the time,” Kilroy said. “You don't always know that you're going to have a major employer emerge and we have the opportunity of time to develop the workforce.”
At the conclusion of Kilroy’s report, the Economic Development Authority went into closed session to discuss Project Olympian, a public-private partnership
Second-shout: September has been a busy month for the Rivanna Conservation Alliance
In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out, The Rivanna Conservation Alliance has a busy month in September and here are a few items:
This month the RCA’s new River Steward begins work with middle schools in Albemarle and Charlottesville to help students learn about the Rivanna.
A new watershed coordinator has joined the team to lead the Rivanna River Forest Health and Resilience project and to run the monitoring program.
The Rivanna Round-Up took place on September 21 and there are many watershed clean-up activities happening all over the area.
RCA’s executive director will attend the 2024 Rivanna River Basin Commission Annual Conference on September 27 at the Carver Recreation Center Gymnasium in Charlottesville. Tickets are only $10 for the half-day event. Register for the event here.
Update on Albemarle’s next economic strategic plan, Rivanna Futures
In July, Albemarle County put out a request for qualifications for firms interested in helping develop a new economic development strategy. The new economic development director had an update on Tuesday.
“We were delighted and a little overwhelmed to receive 15 submissions to that,” said Emily Kilroy. “Normally that's more like four to six.”
Kilroy said the county is reviewing the proposals and going through them which is why there has not yet been an award.
A new memorandum of understanding is also being drafted to govern the relationship between the Board of Supervisors and the Economic Development Authority. A work session will be held in December to continue those negotiations.
Kilroy and other top-level Albemarle staff recently traveled to St. Louis to visit a similar facility to what Albemarle wants to build as part of the Rivanna Futures project. That city successfully kept a National Geospatial Intelligence Agency regional headquarters. (learn more about NGA West)
“And it was really incredible to just see how everyone is really working together to speak into being that St. Louis is the geospatial hub of the world,” Kilroy said.
Albemarle wants to keep the National Ground Intelligence Center and other defense agencies in the county at Rivanna Station and purchased 462 acres last year to build the Intelligence and National Security Innovation Acceleration Campus. Kilroy said the county is hopeful to lead a delegation of stakeholders to St. Louis to get a first hand look.
Kilroy said an organization called the Intelligence and National Security Alliance is holding a one day conference on December 3 at the Boar’s Head. She said this would help raise the profile on Albemarle County’s efforts. (learn more about the conference)
Charlottesville Parks and Recreation win environmental award for invasives removal
One of the most insidious problems facing anyone responsible for large amounts of land is the tendency for some kinds of plants to run wild, particularly if their species is an invasive one.
Last year, Charlottesville’s Parks and Recreation Department opted to tackle the problem using a variety of methods and their efforts have been recognized by the the Virginia Parks and Recreation Society with an award for Best New Environmental Sustainability Initiative
“The rapid decline and removal of urban tree canopy continues to be a high priority for city staff and residents,” reads a nomination form submitted by the city for the award. “Parks and Recreation has launched an aggressive program to remove invasive plants from select city properties and replant site appropriate native trees and ground covers.
In a portion of the Fry’s Spring neighborhood, the department used goats to clear out vines on steep terrain rather than use heavy machinery which might have degraded the integrity of hillsides. That allowed 75 new trees to be planted. (learn more)
Jordan Park is more flat and a forest mulcher was used to help clear land for the Rivanna Trail and to make space for 500 new trees. (learn more)
The city’s nomination said staff and contractors will continue to monitor the sites as part of a bid to increase the city’s tree canopy.
“This city is eager to be a leader and prime example for quality natural resource management in the urban landscape,” the nomination continued.
The awards for projects all across the Commonwealth were handed out at an award dinner Norfolk earlier this month at a conference with the theme Charting the Course.
The Virginia Parks and Recreation Society classifies awards by the size of a locality.
For communities under 25,000, the Town of Herndon won an environmental award for their Sugarland Run Stream restoration project.
For communities between 50,000 and 100,000, New Kent County won an environmental award for their parks sustainability plan.
For communities over 200,000, Virginia Beach won for a project to take an inventory of all of their trees
An addendum to the Week Ahead: Regional Housing Partnership meets today!
On most Sunday afternoons, I am so ready to publish the Week Ahead to make sure people can read it with enough time to plot out what meetings they will attend. In the imaginary world I live in, local government gets the same amount of attention as high school sports.
However, no one notices usually if I don’t include certain meetings. I’m terrible at making sure the agendas for the Jefferson Madison Regional Library’s Board of Trustees are posted for the fourth Monday of every month. Here’s the agenda for Monday’s meeting posted three days too late.
However, I do have time to report that the Regional Housing Partnership meets today at 2 p.m.
“The Regional Housing Partnership (RHP) serves as an official advisory board, created by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, in partnership with the public, private, nonprofit, and citizen stakeholders related to housing,” reads the description of the group on the page for the meeting.
At publication time I’m having a hard time getting the agenda, but this is the link to the Zoom meeting. See you there?
The Regional Transit Partnership meets tomorrow. I’ll have more information on that in tomorrow’s newsletter because I’m getting an error message on their meeting page, too. Maybe it’s me, not them! No time! Less than half an hour until the 2 p.m. meeting!
Reading material for #735
Bridge over Stillhouse Creek closed, CBS19, September 24, 2024
Damaged bridge near Batesville closed, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), September 24, 2024
How a coalition is trying to return Black grocery store ownership to Charlottesville, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, September 25, 2024
A seat on the Albemarle County School Board is up for grabs in upcoming special election, Catie Ratliff, September 25, 2024
Virginia commission reverses decision to reopen winter crab dredging, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, September 25, 2024
Major real estate transactions taking place this month in Fifeville, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, September 25, 2024
So long and thanks for all the fish, #735!
What’s the point of this newsletter? If I ask that question too often, I’ll get bogged down in the paralysis of an over-thinker. In general, I want to inform people about their community and I’ve spent a long time now doing this. Every single edition is part of an experiment in production, sustainability, and seeing how many inside references I can make.
The final line of the introduction today relates to a band called Guadalcanal Diary that I forgot about until I wrote that line. I remembered a song called Always Saturday and so much of today’s writing was composed while revisiting a band I had totally forgotten about.
I put these notes in here about myself because I’m not a newspaper. I’m not a radio station. I’m a journalist who writes a newsletter and produces a podcast. This is how I express the creativity I was encouraged to seek by bands like R.E.M. and Guadalcanal Diary, and I’m grateful for the chance.
Both of today’s shout-outs are from the $25 a month Patreon tier. Many people tell me I’m undervaluing these spots and they are likely right, but these loose threads are why I call this experiment. A professional experiment funded by people who want to learn along with me as I do this work.
This experiment is also funded by Ting who pay a sponsorship match for every single new Substack subscriber. This has been in place since April 2021 and I’m grateful for every person who has paid that way, and grateful to Ting.
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
Please can you provide the name of the facility in St. Louis that is being used by staff county as a model for Rivanna Futures? Thank you.
The links to the Regional Housing Partnership meeting seem to not work, so all I can say at the time the meeting starts is "oh well" but now I'll make sure to get a recording and report from it.