Podcasts about charlottesville high school

Now or never time for the Tom Sox, and Ben Rekosh & Dylan Price have it all from the first two games against Purcellville and what to expect from a winner-take-all event tonight at Charlottesville High School! Stay tuned to all of our social media sites for in-game updates and great content from the team all year! Facebook: Tom Sox TV Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tom Sox TV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cvilletomsox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cvilletomsox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tomsox.org⁠

Host Ben Rekosh sits down with the Head Coach of the 2024 Charlottesville Tom Sox to discuss his prestigious playing career, the transition to coaching, and what fans can expect from the team this year! The Tom Sox open their home campaign June 1 at Charlottesville High School against the Culpeper Cavaliers, then host Waynesboro on Sunday. Stay tuned to all of our social media sites for in-game updates and great content from the team all year! Facebook: Tom Sox TV Youtube: ⁠Tom Sox TV⁠ Instagram: ⁠@cvilletomsox⁠ Twitter: ⁠@cvilletomsox⁠ ⁠tomsox.org

PLUS: Who patrols these Gas-Lit Streets? and Sen Mark Warner vs "The Elmo Post"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

However, knowing what the problem is for over 60 years is we keep choosing the wrong answer. Unless the issues we are seeing in the schools (like Charlottesville HS) fall into the category: "A Feature, not a Flaw"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlottesville High School reopens after they weeks of discontent and fear. Joe wonders how soon after implementing stronger disciplinary policy someone will accuse them of ramping up the "school-to-prison-pipeline"....See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of the violence that lead to the teacher work stoppage, Charlottesville City School leadership held a community meeting at the high school... but the participants were left feeling less confident than before.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After controversy over student behavior and some teachers' reluctance to teach, reports of a bomb threat shut down Charlottesville High School's campus… JMU and the attorney general reverse course and say they won't file a lawsuit against the NCAA, at least not yet… How will divided government in Richmond affect the budgeting process?

The teachers and staff STILL won't go back to school with the situation the way it is with woke ideology and appeasement the rules in the halls of Charlottesville High School.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The I Love CVille Show headlines: Charlottesville High School Cancels Classes Violence, Fear & Deteriorating Safety At CHS Are CHS Teachers Protesting? On Strike? How Long Will Charlottesville High Be Closed? CHS Teachers Are Talking To I Love CVille… Mary McIntyre (AlbCo Union VP) Offers Insight Could Same Protest/Strike Happen In ACPS? I Love CVille Will Not Air Videos Of Kids Fighting Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-air Jerry Miller was live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

Friday editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement have become rare, but here we are with an installment for November 17, 2023 in order to get some items out as quickly as possible. There are now almost 2,600 subscribers, a number that has me realizing that this is no longer a game of Yar's Revenge. I'm Sean Tubbs, hopelessly stuck in an 8-bit mindset.In today's edition:* Albemarle County institutes a ban on outdoor burning in advance of wind gusts expected tomorrow* Charlottesville High School classes are canceled today due to a lack of staff and substitutes, due to at least two fights that broke out yesterday* A trial date has been set next summer for a lawsuit against Arlington County's zoning code* The Charlottesville Planning Commission gives more time for a development on Lankford Avenue, a project that might end up being one of the first rezonings under the new zoning code  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

It's the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month of the Twenty-Third Year of the Twenty-First Century. That's 105 years since the Armistice that ended World War One. That's a good reason to put out a special edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement to honor Veterans Day and to mention a few other things. This is also the 600th edition of the newsletter and podcast, and it's good to day to reach a milestone. I'm Sean Tubbs. On today's program:* The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors honors Veterans Day * A delegation from Guatemala is coming to visit Charlottesville* There will soon be another round of maintenance of trees on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall First shout-out: Virginia Veterans Services FoundationIn today's holiday-focused public service announcement, there are 700,000 veterans living in Virginia after serving in the armed forces in conflicts ranging from World War Two to the present day. Many need assistance from time to time, and the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation exists to provide that help. They seek contributions to support:* Virginia Veteran and Family Support* Veterans Care Centers* Virginia Values Veterans Program* Virginia Veterans Cemeteries* Veterans Benefits ProgramVisit the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation website to learn more.Albemarle County Supervisors marks Veterans Day Today is the 85th anniversary of Veterans Day and earlier this month, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors marked the occasion. “Throughout our nation's history, the United States of America has called on its citizens in uniform to serve and to protect our national security,” said Donna Price, the chair of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and herself a veteran and is a retired U.S. Navy Captain in the Judge Advocate Generals. Price read from a proclamation recognizing the continued celebration of the national holiday.“On this day and every day, we remember the millions of patriots who have served and sacrificed for the betterment of our nation,” Price said. There are many veterans serving in Albemarle County government and in Albemarle County Public Schools and the proclamation is intended to salute their contributions now and in the past. “We, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, do hereby recognize November 11, 2023 as Veterans Day and celebrate all who have served our country around the world,” Price said. Deputy County Executive Trevor Henry is also a retired Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. “In local government and in schools we believe we have well over 200 employees that in a prior life raised their right hand to support and defend our Constitution,” Henry said. “And when there period of service ended via either retirement or an obligation, they also found their way to our organization.”Three of those employees appeared before the Board to tell a bit of their stories and what they do now. Sergeant Dale Shoop served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1986 with some of that time in the demilitarized zone in Korea. He now works in Community Development as an inspector.“Heartfelt acknowledgment to my great grandfather, my grandfather, and my uncle for serving in the Royal Air Force, the Royal Army, and Royal Navy in Great Brain and England,” Shoop said. “Thank you to my father who served in the United States Army and my son who served in the United States Army and continues to serve in the intelligence sector.” Sergeant Roger Snodgrass served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 2002 to 2007 before joining the U.S. Army where he served under active duty through 2014. “Sergeant Snodgrass joined Albemarle County as a police officer in 2014 and currently holds the rank of sergeant on evening shift patrol,” Henry said. Snodgrass thanked the county for being an organization that's friendly to veterans. “As an individual who has multiple friends and family members in other local government, I do have the opportunity to say that this is a high performance organization,” Snodgrass said. “With our Board of Supervisors, our county executive's office, and our command staff with Albemarle County police department, they allow us to be able to provide outstanding customer services, day in, day out.”Reynaldo Avali served in the U.S. Army Reserve as a bridge crew member with the 299th Engineering Division beginning in 1995 with multiple deployments to Iraq. “During the first deployment to Iraq, they placed two bridges over the Euphrates River for combat operations,” Henry said. “The second time his unit was responsible for maintaining the bridges, training Iraqi engineers, and responsible for removing six bridges for retrograde operations.” During that time, Avali has also worked in building services for Albemarle County Public Schools where he continues to serve. Supervisor Bea LaPisto Kirtley thanked all of the veterans assembled in Lane Auditorium for their service. “It is something that you all do for us to keep our democracy safe, to keep all of us safe,” LaPisto Kirley said. “It is a solemn oath that you take to protect all of us and please be aware that all of us appreciate it. I think all of America really appreciates your service.”Supervisor Ned Gallaway expressed his appreciation as well and said he recently went back to his hometown to clear out his parents' home.“And we found my dad's formal dress uniform which  I had never seen in my life,” Gallaway said. “My brother-in-law who also served was navigating me around the different patches and such telling me, informing me what those were. And then we also found in a trunk a bunch of letters that my grandfather sent my grandmother during the war, but we found the official communication that he was [missing in action]. He was a prisoner of war and he thankfully was able to return at the end of World War II and he became a police officer.” Supervisor Diantha McKeel took the opportunity to share some resources that are available through Region 10 to veterans. Take a look here if you would like more information. “Region 10 currently has a partnership with Virginia Lock and Talk with resources available for all individuals including veterans to receive medical lock boxes and bags as well as trigger locks for firearms to assist individuals and families in locking up lethal means,” McKeel said. “Virginia Veterans Service Foundation also has a homeless veterans' fund and has been able to provide one-time assistance to homeless veterans to support rent, utility, and rental deposits.”   McKeel said Region 10 has also recently hired a peer support specialist to specifically assist veterans. Supervisor Ann Mallek used her time to mention the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2044 in Earlysville and American Legion Post 74 in Shadwell.“These organizations take care of their own,” Mallek said. “They raised funds most recently to buy a new medical transport van to help their fellows get to remote medical services.”Those services are currently a one-way 90-mile drive to south of Richmond. Mallek called for a veterans clinic to be located closer to home, particularly with the potential for expansion at Rivanna Station. Mallek also put in a plug for an organization called Living Free Together which also provides support to veterans and military families.  Price thanked Mallek for bringing up the role that families play and said that she was grateful for support from hers during her career. “Military service is frequently a family affair,” Price said. “From the Civil War through World War One, World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, to today…My father, a 97-year-old World War II Navy Combat vet. My son, a major in the Marine Corps. Myself with my own service. You'll find that people who work with or serve the county often have other family members who similarly provide public service.” Albemarle County also held a ceremony at 11 a.m. to mark Veterans Day.   Guatemalan Sister City delegation visiting next week Technically, Huehuetenango is not one of Charlottesville's Sister Cities. Instead, the western Guatemalan community is a Friendship City which is one step away. Either way, a delegation from that community will be visiting next week. “The goal of the delegation's visit is to forge initial ties between the government and citizens of Charlottesville and Huehuetenango,” reads a press release announcing the trip that will take place Monday through Wednesday. This is the first time more than one person from Huehuetenango has visited the area since the relationship was formalized in 2021.  There are two public events happening:* Coffee Open House, Tuesday, November 14, 9:00 – 11:00, Omni Hotel (212 Ridge McIntire Rd, Charlottesville, VA): This is a chance to learn more about Charlottesville's Sister and Friendship Cities and an opportunity to meet the delegation and drink free Guatemalan coffee brought from Huehuetenango. * Public Reception and Program, Wednesday, November 15, 6:00 PM – 7:30 pm, City Space (100 Fifth St NE, Charlottesville, VA): Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook and Huehuetenango Mayor Gustavo Cano will signing of the Friendship declaration between the two communities. “The event will feature Marimba Music, a short program featuring words of friendship and welcome between the two cities and a choral arrangement from CHS ensemble.” The way toward this relationship dates back to the work of The Ixtatán Foundation, a group formed in 2001 to help build a high school in a small town in the greater Huehuetenango province. Charlottesville prepping for more work on Downtown Mall treesA dozen and a half people gathered on a recent Monday evening on the Downtown Mall outside the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department's offices to learn more about impending tree work to address safety. Urban Forester Steve Gaines held a laser pointer and directed it towards a dead branch he said presents a hazard. “If you think about like mid summer or in the weeks that we have the holidays coming up,” Gaines said. “How many people are going to be walking on the Mall? Thousands a day.” Gaines said his job as an arborist is to protect people and the trees themselves by trying to understand how they may react. “What is the probability of that branch failing? And if it does fail, does it land on another branch on its way down? Is it going to hit a building? Is it going to hit a person? What's the probability? When might it happen? Would it take a major wind event? A major snow event, something like that?” The bosques of Willow Oaks planted in the mid-70's are a very important component of the historic Lawrence Halprin design for the pedestrian mall. Many are also approaching their 60th year and their health has not always been closely watched. In December 2015, a report was published that called for a management plan. (read the report)“Despite the good initial outward appearances of the tree planting, the stand of oak trees is in a fragile, declining state,” reads the executive summary of that report. “The overly tight spacing of the trees and the insistence on paving right up to the base of the trunks of the trees has set in motion a series of biological factors that is beginning to push many of the trees to the point of failure.”  In the summer of 2017, there was momentum toward putting a management plan in place with another tree walk similar to the one from late October. (Could Downtown Mall trees be on the chopping block?, Kayli Wren, Charlottesville Tomorrow, July 26, 2017)Downtown Mall tree management faded as a priority as other events took place in the summer of 2017. Earlier this year, the city moved forward with a plan to remove several damaged or dead trees. Urban forester Steve Gaines held another walk on October 30 to prepare for another round of maintenance. “The purpose here was mostly to inform folks about tree work that is very likely coming this winter once the trees go completely dormant,” said Steve Gaines, the urban forester for the City of Charlottesville. “We will be going through to do some pruning. We call it crown cleaning as in we are removing some of the obvious hazards. Two inch deadwood and above.” Gaines said the event also had provided an opportunity to explain more about a forthcoming plan to manage the trees on the Downtown Mall going forward. The firm Wolf Josey Landscape Architects won the contract from the City of Charlottesville for the management plan.The work that Gaines talked about on October 30 was more pressing and continued work done in January of this year.“Every year I do an assessment and I take pictures and hit trees with the mallet and figure out what we're doing with decay,” Gaines said. Gaines held the event and will do more like it in the future because he understands how important the trees are to Charlottesville. “This is the Downtown Mall's tree, so it's a very sensitive, very historic topic and people feel very strongly about these trees and we just want to make sure that everybody is well-informed about what is going on with the trees and make people realize that they are going through an inflection point right now and to some degree there is some hazard,” Gaines said.“Most of those bigger limbs are very dead,” he said to the group while looking at one cluster of trees in front of the parking garage. During the tour, Gaines also explained more about how the trees interact with fungus, with bugs, other chemicals, and how they're affected by a changing climate. Stay tuned for more information about trees on the Downtown Mall and across the entire area. Reading material:* Charlottesville moves forward with apartment-quashing land buy, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall) November 8, 2023* Charlottesville High School principal resigns, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall) November 9, 2023* Bigger at last: Text for historic marker recognizing Charlottesville slave trade revealed, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall) November 10, 2023Concluding notes for #600Saturday editions feel good to produce, especially after taking a couple of days off in which I tried to not even think about this work. This week's time change took its toll on me, which I always hope won't happen but does all the same. Rest is not my ideal state of being, but it's good to be ready for the rest of the year. There's still so much to get through, and I'm grateful you're here to read or listen. As there is no regular schedule as of yet, you can find out if I'm publishing on a given day by looking at my page on Substack Notes. I also talk a little from time to time about the fact that is a business and there's plenty of room to grow. If you'd like to support this work and help it grow, do consider a Substack subscription or become a Patreon supporter. As with Election Day, today is not the day for the hard sell. I just want you to read or listen and to help me grow the audience! Ting supports a lot of great work and great spaces here, and if you're in the market for high-speed Internet, give them a try! Maybe you're in the market for a new high speed internet provider? If so, check out Ting! 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

There are 731 days, or two years, until the next inauguration of the president of the United States of America. This is not a fact that has any relevance except that this is January 20, 2023, and it's either this or National Cheese Lover's Day to signify this small blurb at the top of another edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I'm your host, Sean Tubbs, and it's also my mother's birthday. On today's program:* Former Charlottesville Dave Norris is the fourth person to enter the race for an open seat in the House of Delegates* A driver charged in connection with January 12 death of pedestrian on Ivy Road* Charlottesville to hire two legal firms while search for permanent City Attorney continues* The city is on track to have a $5 million surplus for the current fiscal year* Council appoints members to two affordable housing committees with familiar faces getting the seats First shout-out:  UVA Health offering free sports physicals on SaturdayToday's first subscriber supported shout-out goes to the UVA Health Office of Diversity and Community Engagement! They want you to know about an event this week where free sports physicals will be offered! Health professionals will be on hand Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Charlottesville High School for young people who need a quick check-up before beginning to play for an athletic team. This is a project being conducted in partnership with the UVA Latino Health Initiative, UVA Family Medicine, and the UVA Virginia Wellness Initiative. For more information, call 434-243-8352 or in Spanish at 434-272-5910. Norris enters race for House District 54 seatSo far, there are no candidates who have filed to run for Charlottesville City Council this year, but two former members are now in the race for House District 54. Dave Norris served on Council from July 2006 until the end of 2013 and has filed a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. “I am pleased to have served the Charlottesville-Albemarle community in a variety of ways over the past 30 years, and I look forward to building upon my track record of proven progressive leadership if elected to the Virginia General Assembly,” Norris wrote on his campaign website. Norris also served as Mayor from 2008 to 2011. He joins former Charlottesville Mayor David E. Brown, Albemarle School Board Member Katrina Callsen, and Fifeville resident Dashad Cooper. Norris currently works as a program manager for the Piedmont Housing Alliance in their Financial Opportunity Center. He has also worked as the general manager of the Charlottesville Parking Center, the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Blue Ridge, executive director of PACEM, and other positions. When on Council, he served for a time as chair of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The Democratic Primary is on June 20. Will we see more candidates for this seat? A small bit of history. The seat being vacated by Delegate Sally Hudson used to be occupied by David Toscano, who served on Council from 1990 to 2002. Toscano succeeded former Delegate Mitch Van Yahres who served two terms on Council from 1968 to 1976. He was first elected to the House of Delegates in a special election in 1980. Driver charged in connection with death of pedestrian on Ivy RoadA 54-year-old Charlottesville man has been charged with reckless driving in a crash last week that struck and killed a 52-year-old man from Albemarle County. Isidro Casandro Martinez was walking his bike across Ivy Road at Alderman Road last Thursday night when Charlottesville Police say he was hit by a car driven by Corey Abdella. Martinez was initially thought to have been riding a bicycle at 10:55 p.m., but Charlottesville Police now say that he was walking it across the street. An update was sent out this morning. A search of the city's data on recent arrests confirms Abdella arrest yesterday morning. City to hire one firm to legal counsel for general operation, another for land use issues The rest of today's newsletter is going to focus mostly on this week's City Council meeting. Perhaps some of you are interested in applying to be the appointed Councilor. Perhaps you may run for the office. Either way, I'm going to try to cover as much of this meeting as I can in this newsletter.First, the city is still seeking a replacement for former City Attorney Lisa Robertson with the position posted for applicants. Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers had previously announced that Senior Deputy City Attorney Allyson Davies would serve as the interim attorney, but that has turned out to not be the case.“We will fulfill the role of City Attorney with the law firm of Sands Anderson,” Rogers said. “We made that determination because we are down an attorney in the office and we think the nature of the support we need is with a law firm and not just one individual.” Rogers said there will be two project managers working to support the deputy attorneys on general business. However, the city is hiring a different firm to handle land use issues. “On land use matters we engaged Sharon Pandek's firm who will work with planning on issues of the zoning ordinance over the next couple of weeks,” Rogers said. That firm is Pandak & Taves, according to a flier from the Virginia Association of Counties. The Charlottesville Planning Commission will hold a work session on the zoning code rewrite next Tuesday at 5 p.m.  (meeting info)Council briefed on revenue projections; $5M surplus projected for current fiscal yearThe end of the fiscal year is 161 days away, and it'll be about ten months or so until accountants will know if the City of Charlottesville will have a shortfall or a surplus. Council gets a quarterly briefing on revenue collections and spending and got a projection for another surplus from city staff.“We're looking at a total of about $5 million,” said budget director Krisy Hammill. “Most of those are driven by the tax revenue sources that we continue to talk about. The real estate tax… reassessment notices for calendar year 2023 will be going out at the end of this month.” Hammill said the new figures will likely increase the surplus. Albemarle County's assessments were up an average of 13.46 percent for 2023. (read that story)Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers said he was cautious and pointed out there are still remaining unknowns about potential expenses the city may incur to raise salaries. “The compensation study that we've talked about, we don't know what the price tag on that is going to be and the choices we will have to make when that is presented, as well as a collective bargaining,” Rogers said. However, Rogers said he felt the picture was pretty solid but that money is not unlimited. Hammill said if there is a downturn, the surplus could go the other way. “If there were to be a recession, it's very possible that some of these gains that we're reporting to you for right now for meals, sales, lodging could be not there,” Hammill said. For those interested in the development of the budget, Rogers and the budget staff are having a forum on January 31. Second shout-out goes to Camp AlbemarleToday'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.Councilors pick up committee assignments from vacant seat The resignation of City Councilor Sena Magill earlier this month also means that the remaining Councilors had to fill the vacancies she also left on other committees. In addition to attending Council meetings, each elected official serves on several boards and commissions as the official representative from Council. “We're not filling every position that she had had but these are ones that have something going on right now for which its important to have the members right now,” said Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook. Councilor Brian Pinkston will now serve on the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail Board. In a future installment of this newsletter, I'll write about the financing agreement for the renovations that are being planned. Charlottesville partners with Albemarle County and Nelson County to maintain the facility. The next meeting of the ACRJ Board is on February 9. (meeting info)Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade will serve now on the Workforce Development Board for the Piedmont Region. Their information is all on their website but I did not see a listing for an upcoming meeting. New city housing committees get members but enough to form quorum Charlottesville City Council has appointed members to two new committees formed as part of a call to restructure the way funding for affordable housing projects is governed.“A major portion of the discussion during the Affordable Housing Plan that was developed a year plus ago was talking about the need to separate out the different functions, the different advisory functions into a funding committee and just the general Housing Advisory Committee [HAC],” said Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook. Council first took up the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) Committee. Unfortunately, they could not fully staff that group. “We have six people to appoint but we did not get six applicants,” Snook said.However, they did make two appointments to the new CAHF Committee. * Philip d'Oronzio, (also on Charlottesville Planning Commission)* S. Lisa Herndon, President of the Charlottesville Area Association of ResidentsNext they took up the Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) Committee. They appointed the following:* John Sales, Executive Director of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (three year term)* Sunshine Mathon, Executive Director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance (non-profit two-year term)* Corey Demchak, Director of Programs at Albemarle Home Improvement Program (non-profit one-year)* Philip d'Oronzio (real estate representative, three year term)* Dan Rosensweig (real estate representative, two year term)* Abigail Palko (at-large, three year term)* Josh Hughes (at-large, two year term)* Joy Johnson (affordable housing beneficiary, three year term) * Elise Noyes (affordable housing beneficiary, one year term) A one year term for the real estate term is still open.  Rosensweig is also the president of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. Johnson is the Section 3 coordinator for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. d'Oronzio is the Chief Executive Officer of Pilot Mortgage. Reading material: * Republicans again attempt to roll back Democratic carbon reduction laws, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, January 16, 2023* Future of an Albemarle County post office remains in limbo, Keagan Hughes, NBC29 January 17, 2023* Va. Senate Democrats kill effort to repeal electric car rule, Sarah Rankin, Associated Press, January 17, 2023* First United Methodist Church denied request to install solar panels, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress, January 19, 2023* Salvation Army on Ridge Street OK'd for demolition, Hawes Spencer, Charlottesville Daily Progress, January 19, 2023Keeping the end of #487 cluttered with information:It's the end of the week, but when will the next installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement emerge? This is a good question. Likely on Monday, for there is work to be done on the next Week Ahead as well as Fifth District Community Engagement. I have not gotten to a whole bunch of stories. One day, though, this will be a daily publication, seven days a week, committed to getting as much information to the public about what happens in local and regional governments. Sometimes that means links to articles like the ones above, but my hope is original coverage as you've come to expect in the two and a half years since this newsletter and podcast launched.And of course, all of this is funded by the quarter of the audience that's opted to pay for a paid subscription, either through Substack or through Patreon. Thank you! I will never beg or please of introduce scarcity as a way to get you to contribute. I trust that if you find there's a value to this work, you'll opt to help me cover the cost.Ting is helping me cover the cost. They sponsor this newsletter by providing a match for each initial payment through Substack. It's a tremendous help and I will say once more: Hooray for Ting!And, if you want to upgrade your Internet provider, check out Ting! If you sign up 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 MallThanks to Wraki for the music. There is going to be a new closing tune beginning with #500 and hopefully other audio cues here and there, too. Do give the podcast a chance if you've not heard it to this point.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

George Monroe knows Paul and Kevin from when they worked at the Bakery. George lives in Hanover, but grew up in Albemarle and Charlottesville. While in Albemarle, he grew up on a farm where he said he learned the value of hard work. He then moved to Charlottesville and later went to Charlottesville High School where he played football and ran Track. He also told a funny story about how he almost played Lacrosse. He went to Lynchburg College to run Track and he discussed that things were going well until an incident occurred and he ended up leaving Lynchburg. George then went into the United States Marine Corps and after that, he came home to Charlottesville. He later moved to Richmond where he attended Virginia Union and received some help from a legendary coach at VUU. Through the next couple of years, he got his degree, became a single dad and got the job at the Bakery. They finished by talking about some history that George has done research into as well as him coming back to discuss his genealogy which he has traced back to the late 1700's.

We find ourselves now at the August 19 mark, which seems like it is close to the end of 2022. Yet, inputting certain figures into the Year-O-Meter would indicate the passage of time has not passed the threshold of two-thirds. If numbers aren’t your metric, consider the sun will rise and fall 34 more times before the Fall Equinox. Either way, this is another Friday edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement intended to bring you information you may need between now and then. I’m Sean Tubbs. You can sign up for free, but Ting will match your initial payment if you opt to support this work financially. See below for details. In the next several hundred words:The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority has endorsed a $600,000 pay-out for Habitat for Humanity’s redevelopment at Southwood There’s a new principal at Charlottesville High School and two elementary schools The Charlottesville Alliance for Black Male Achievement is holding an event this Sunday to get students ready for the beginning of the school year next WednesdayThe Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources took steps this week to restore an endangered species to the James River First shout-out: Livable Cville event on zoning rewriteIn today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, Livable Cville wants you to mark your calendar for August 31 for an educational talk about the next steps in the Cville Plans Together initiative. They’ve invited James Freas, the city’s Director of Neighborhood Development Services, to talk about the rewrite of the city’s zoning ordinance in an online webinar.  The talk will include a presentation on the Draft Zoning Diagnostic & Approach Report and the soon to be released Market Analysis/Inclusionary Zoning Study. The talk begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include a question and answer period. Sign up to get your place at the virtual table for Livable Cville’s Update and Next Steps for the Cville Plans Together initiative. Redevelopment work continues at Southwood Work continues to redevelop the Southwood Mobile Home Park as a mixed-use community that will offer new homes to those who have lived there. The chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville gave an update to the Albemarle County Economic Development Authority on Tuesday. “So when Southwood is done it will be somewhere between 1,000 and 1,100 homes and up to 700 of them will be affordable depending on subsidies that we get and how things develop,” said Dan Rosensweig, Habitat’s chief executive officer. Habitat entered into a performance agreement with Albemarle and the EDA to provide a certain amount of affordable housing in exchange for financial payments and tax breaks.“Our work at Southwood is part and parcel of our larger scale work to create mixed income neighborhoods and affordable home ownership in the region,” said Dan Rosensweig, the chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. “We were a pioneer in this. We were the first Habitat nationally to do it and the first in the country to do mixed-income neighborhoods. We’ve now done ten mixed-income neighborhoods and built almost 300 homes in those neighborhoods.”Rosensweig said in 2004, Habitat stepped in to save the Sunrise trailer park in Charlottesville from development and the result is a mixed-income community. “Sunrise today is a neighborhood of front porches and back porches and open space for the community to use,” Rosensweig said. “To our knowledge it is the first mobile home transformation without displacement and that sort of set us up for Southwood.” Habitat purchased the land in 2007 and the agency has operated it ever since.“It was a mess,” Rosensweig said. “There were fires, trailers catching on fire, sewage bubbling into people’s trailer through their commodes. And it’s large. It’s on an enormous scale.” Rosensweig said Habitat invested in infrastructure and entered into an agreement with Albemarle County for how redevelopment as a collaborative relationship as well as the performance agreement worth $3.2 million in both cash and tax rebates. “Our deliverables in the first phase… are 75 affordable homes and our milestones are multiple,” Rosensweig said. “We’ve had to meet milestones in terms of submitting building permits, getting Low Income Housing Tax Credits apartments under contract.”The latest milestone was to raise at least 95 percent of the funds necessary to purchase the building materials for the Habitat units. That released an appropriation of $600,000. “We’re overperforming that performance agreement by quite a bit in that first phase,” Rosensweig said. “Per the performance agreement we’ve promised 75 affordable homes in the first phase alone. We’re building 207 affordable homes.”As part of the first phase, the Piedmont Housing Alliance is constructing an apartment building financed through Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Rosensweig said construction of two Habitat homes is almost complete and site work is underway for the rest. The second phase of the project still needs a rezoning and this will go before the Board of Supervisors on September 21. Full build-out of the project will take another dozen or so years. “As part of phase 2 we’re planning a business incubation center and a little bit of a neighborhood downtown,” Rosensweig said. “Some of the uses we’re trying to attract are shared commercial kitchen, a business incubation center, a cafe, early childhood education center and potentially some other non residential uses such as a credit union.”  Habitat has offered to reserve seven acres for a school that Rosensweig hoped would be more urban in scale with at least two and a half stories. However, they can’t give the land over for free. “In the $500 million cost of Southwood, by far the largest contribution to filling up the bucket is market-rate lot sales and so if we were to give that away we would lose tens of millions of dollars of lot sales which cross-subsidize the affordability,” Rosensweig said. “What we have done is proportionally offered a discount if the school would like to purchase it.”The final determination of what will happen remains to be seen especially with a rezoning vote pending. Deputy County Executive Doug Walker weighed in.“There is ongoing dialogue between the planning staff and the school staff about the viability of this site for their plans so that we can be in a position to share with the Board of Supervisors whether this is a viable site or not,” Walker said. “I do know that those conversations are ongoing.”Rosensweig said the way the proffer is worded gives the county until 2027 to make a decision. The EDA unanimously approved a resolution to acknowledge the latest milestone and release the $600,000. New faces at Charlottesville City SchoolsWe are now five days away from when school will go back into session in Albemarle County and Charlottesville. There will be some new faces at some schools. Rashaad Pitt took over as the principal of Charlottesville High School earlier this week after serving most recently as assistant principal of George Wythe High School in Richmond. Pitt began his educational career teaching history in Petersburg City Public Schools and has also worked in Chesterfield County, Hampton City Schools, and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. According to a release, his area of expertise includes community outreach, restorative justice, instructional leadership and professional development. Pitt succeeds Eric Irizarry, who stepped down after six years at CHS to become Director of Equity, Family, and Community Relations for Albemarle County Public Schools. “I am excited to begin this next chapter,” Pitt is quoted in the news release. “I want to build on the strong success and good work of Dr. Irizarry, and I look forward to working with the excellent leadership team and staff at CHS.”Two other principals in Charlottesville have been promoted from within the school division. Chantel Beverly is the new principal at Venable Elementary School. Beverly has been assistant principal at Greenbrier Elementary since 2019 after teaching in Petersburg and Richmond. Carmella Johnson took over as principal at Clark Elementary School in July. Since 2017, she has been an assistant principal and instructional coach at Johnson Elementary School and before that Johnson taught at Greenbrier for ten years. Free haircuts to be offered this SundayWith school fast approaching, it’s time for many to get their appearance ready. This Sunday, several groups will gather at the Boys and Girls Club at Buford Middle School for back-to-school bash from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be free hair cuts, among other things. The Charlottesville Alliance for Black Male Achievement is organizing the event with 100 Black Men of Central Virginia, House of Cuts Barber Shop, the Uhuru Foundation, Peace in the Streets, as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottesville. “Free haircuts, braids, and raffle prizes will be available and Prolyfyck Running Creww will be giving out free shoes to high school students,” reads a press release on the city’s website.”De-La-Roll will provide free skate lessons to those interested as well.” The event is open to all. Second shout-out goes to Camp AlbemarleToday’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. Spinymussel returns to James River A small invertebrate that scientifically goes by the name James River Spineymussel  has not been seen alive in the waterway its named for since the late 1960s. “We’re pretty confident that they’re extirpated from the main stem river and even if they’re still out there, they’re probably at such low levels that they’re not really biologically like they should,” said Brian Watson, a top biologist for freshwater mussels at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. On Wednesday morning, Watson and his crews were at five locations on the James River to reintroduce about 1,300 individuals back into the waterway. These were all raised at a mussel hatchery in Charles City. The goal is to repopulate a species that is one of dozens of freshwater mussels that used to be commonplace in what is now North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.For many years, biologists in Virginia have taken this seriously. “We have about 80 species which ranks us about sixth in the United States in terms of diversity,” Watson said. Watson said there are roughly 900 species of freshwater mussels across the globe and around 300 are in the United States. One of those species is the James River Spineymussel, which is on the federal endangered species list as critically endangered. Watson said the small creatures play an important role in the ecosystem as they feed from their position on the beds of rivers and lakes filtering water for food and nutrients. “We often talk about freshwater mussels as the livers of the river,” Watson said. “When you’re heard historically about how oysters could clear the Chesapeake Bay, the entire water volume, within about a month when oysters were at their heyday, freshwater mussels used to do a similar thing for our freshwater creeks and streams and rivers.” For decades, aquatic biologists have sought to restore creatures back to habitats that became uninhabitable due to all sorts of pollution. An interesting adjective to describe mussels is “benthic” which means anything that lives on the bed of a waterbody. “And since these are benthic organisms that live in the stream bottoms and they don’t move around like freshwater fishes do, they are relatively good indicators of water quality so if something is going wrong at a site or there’s a change for the negative for water quality, mussels are usually going to give you an indication that something’s going on.” To get mussels to be in a place takes a lot of factors, so Watson said putting them back in a former habitat from which they’ve disappeared means a lot of biological steps will need to be taken.“They kind of have a unique life cycle for an invertebrate,” Watson said. “They are an obligate parasite, most of them are. They have a larva that typically has to attach to a particular fish species to complete their life cycle. So it’s a really small larvae that females hold inside of their gills.” Watson said a small shell that looks like a Pac-Man will snap shut when in the presence of the fish to hitch a ride. They’ll use chub, minnow, or several other species. “And if they’re successful and stay on the fish, they will transform into a juvenile, drop off, and if they happen to drop off in a suitable location and conditions are right then they will grow to be a sub-adult and then an adult.” If the fish have moved on, then the life cycle is interrupted. Some species of mussels can live for decades, but they may die out if the waters are impaired. For decades, biologists have been restoring fish to rivers made more habitable by the Clean Water Act. Now research into doing the same thing for invertebrates, including this release of the James River Spineymussel. To make that work, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has approached the local governments in Albemarle, Buckingham, and Fluvanna counties to ask for permission even if might not strictly have been necessary. “The way the language reads in our current regulation is that if we’re going to introduce any new species to an area that is a game animal or a game bird or a fish that we need the authority and the cooperation of the local government of the locality it will be released into,” Watson said. “So when you look at that language it doesn’t necessarily say freshwater mussel or invertebrates.”Watson said notifications have been made because of the regulated nature of the James River Spineymussel. In Albemarle, its presence in the 1980’s was enough to put regulatory approval of the Buck Mountain Reservoir in doubt and the project was abandoned. In 2022, Albemarle’s consent for the release was on the consent agenda for their May 18 meeting. Watson had an audience with the Buckingham County Supervisors earlier this month but had not heard back from Fluvanna as of this past Tuesday when our interview was conducted. The project definitely has the support of Matt Lawless, the administrator of the Town of Scottsville. “Having a healthy and scenic river that’s accessible and safe for everybody to use is what Scottsville is all about,” Lawless said. “That’s been our history for hundreds of years and we feel really responsible for our little piece of the river and we take its quality and its health very seriously.”  The individual mussels released are all three years old and Watson said they should be ready to reproduce.  “Right now we would consider them adult mussels,” Watson said. “They should be reproductively mature so that when they are released into the river, assuming that every goes right, that they should start reproducing next year or within the first years that they’re out in the river so that they’re not young individuals that are just dropping off of the fish.” The work to propagate mussels dates back to the late 90’s and Watson said teams used to send them out at an earlier stage in the life cycle. The results were not successful. This batch has been kept in the hatchery longer than usual due to various approval processes. So, how will Watson and his team measure success? There are three metrics. First, they’ll check to see how many survive. “The second is are they reproducing after you put them out,” Watson said. “So at the certain time of the year when the females would have those larvae inside of them, we will try to monitor those locations and check some of those animals to see if they are what we call ‘gravid’ or not and that’s when the females have the larvae inside their gills.” The third step is to see if those larvae can get onto the fish as part of their role as obligate parasite. All of the individuals that went out this week are tagged so they can be monitored. “So the hope will be that as we monitor these in the future, if we start to see younger individuals that do not have tags on them, then that tells us that they are new individuals that are recruiting into the population.”Watson said it is inevitable that many of the introduced species will float downstream over time and that they won’t be detectable. Still, he predicts survival rates will be high. Monitoring efforts will continue and Watson said people should be patient for results. “And it could take a decade or two to actually see something going on,” Watson said. “There have been some restoration and recovery work with rare mussels out in the Mississippi River where they put lots and lots of individuals out there. You’re talking like thousands to tens of thousands of animals out in spots and they are just now starting to see recruitment in some of these areas where they’ve placed large  numbers and you’re like a decade later.” Housekeeping for Episode #419I had not expected to take two days to get to another installment, but somehow that’s what happens. I am the sole writer and producer of this newsletter, which also means I have to do all of the business activity. Yesterday there were things needed to be attended to, but I hope to get to all of the stories I want to write in the coming days and weeks. I’m glad to have written about something a little different in the last segment. It’s amazing to think how everything we see in front of us came to be. In the case of the Spineymussel, I’m inspired by all of the steps necessary to make it all work out. I hope to be here well into the future.To get there, I will need to navigate the waters of accounting and finance, which is a long way of saying I depend on reader and listeners support to keep this going. About a third of you paying, which is a pretty good showing. But, I need more to do so or I’ll have to consider a different path. Perhaps the best way to support me is through a Substack subscription. If you do so, Ting will match your initial payment! And, if you sign up for their services through this link you’ll get a free standard install, your 2nd month free, and a $75 downtown mall gift card! Enter the promo code COMMUNITY for full effect. Either way, I thank you for reading or listening. Today’s podcast outro is completely different from this, so go and listen to see what I said. I enjoy being mysterious. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

After today, 80 percent of May’s Tuesdays will have happened, leaving one more to go. While this one is with us, there are plenty of fake holidays to ponder including National Escargot Day, National Caterers Appreciation Day, Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, and National Scavenger Hunt Day. Can you find the clues in the May 24, 2022 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement? If so, please let me know so I can also try to figure it all out. I’ll reveal who I am at the end of the program. Send this newsletter and podcast on to someone else so we can grow the audience!On today’s program:Charlottesville City Council holds first of two readings on new mechanism to provide tax relief for city property ownersA public hearing is held for a segment of an east-west commuter trail The candidates are in place for the 5th District Congressional race this November The General Assembly will head back to Richmond on June 1 Details on a planned condominium complex in downtown Belmont Shout-out to Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards In today’s subscriber-supported Public Service Announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards continues to offer classes this spring and summer to increase your awareness of our wooden neighbors and to prepare for the future. Coming up on June 7 is a tree identification course taught on Zoom by tree steward Elizabeth Ferguson followed by a separate hike on June 11 at the Department of Forestry’s headquarters near the Fontaine Research Park. That’s followed by a tree identification walk at the University of Virginia on June 12 for the public. On June 14, Rachel Keen will give a lecture on Zoom on the Social Life of Trees. Do trees really communicate with one another? What is a 'mother tree'? Can a tree do anything to repel a pest? Learn more at charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org.Republicans nominate Good for re-election to Fifth District We are now three days into the general election stage for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District now that both major parties have selected their nominees for the November 8 ballot. On Saturday, Republicans who attended a convention at Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward Category overwhelmingly selected incumbent Bob Good of Campbell County to seek a second term. According to a raw vote count, incumbent Bob Good received 1,115 of the 1,303 votes cast. Of the 24 localities with Republican committees, challenger Dan Moy of Charlottesville performed best in Albemarle County where he got votes from 43 of 128 convention delegates and in Charlottesville where he received 15 out of 28 votes. However, the convention used a weighted system which gave Good 1,488 votes to Moy’s 271. (view the vote tally)Democrat Josh Throneburg got straight to work with a press release pointing out that the number of votes cast in the convention were less than 0.02 percent of the population of the Fifth District.  Throneburg became the nominee by default when all other candidates failed to qualify for the primary ballot. Other resources: 5th District Republicans nominate Good to represent party in November, Lynchburg News & AdvanceGood defeats challenger at convention, will be on November ballot, Chatham Star-Tribune NewsRep. Bob Good wins GOP nomination for 5th District, NBC29Virginia Public Access ProjectVirginia legislators to return to General Assembly on June 1A date has been set for the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates to return to Richmond to complete the special session that convened on April 4. The two Chambers will convene at 10 a.m. according to the Legislative Information System.One of the major pieces of business left to complete is the state budget and a slate of legislators from both Houses have been seeking to work out a compromise to reconcile both versions.  There are also several bills that passed both Houses but also have to be reconciled before it can be sent to Governor Glenn Youngkin for action. These include a sales tax exemption for food and personal hygiene products, changes to the make-up of the State Board of Elections, and the establishment of a Virginia Football Stadium Authority.  City Council holds public hearing on trail connectionA new partnership has formed between the City of Charlottesville and an entity that secures open space easements in Virginia, and that will slightly increase the cost of land transactions. “We have a property owner that we’ve been negotiating with and we have a granting agency in the Virginia Outdoors Foundation that’s providing the funding which has already been appropriated,” said Chris Gensic, a planner in the Parks and Recreation Department. When complete, the transaction will trigger a $3 fee for recordation of most deeds to go toward a pool of money to allow the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to purchase more land. Gensic said most localities of Virginia already have this arrangement but the city has yet to record an open space easement within its borders. The property in question would allow for the 250 Bypass Trail to continue on an already paved trail in the woods to the south of Charlottesville High School toward the Piedmont Family YMCA to the east“The parks department has been working diligently over the past few decades to acquire pieces of property to stitch together a trail network per the Comprehensive Plan,” “We’ve been discussing this particular acquisition that’s on the western end of McIntire Park.” The public hearing was held to move the transaction forward, but Council took no action. That will come when the deal is nearing completion. Rex Linville of the Piedmont Environmental Council said the parcel in question was significant. “It is a crucial link in the multiyear effort to create a shared-use path that will connect McIntire Park, the YMCA, and Charlottesville High School to Hydraulic Road,” Linville said. “This parcel is also a vital part of a larger four-mile loop that will connect these public resources to Michie Drive, the Greenbrier neighborhood, and the John Warner Parkway.” No city funds will be directly used in the transaction, according to Linville. Council approves action plan for federal HOME and CDBG fundsCity Council has approved an action plan for federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the next fiscal year. Staff had suggested making some changes to the process in order to meet HUD’s guidelines, but some groups pushed back on some of those proposals. (read the staff report)“Staff will no longer request that the task force be changed to staff advisory,” said Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders. “Instead we’re going to focus on identifying income eligible participants to ensure that the diverse voice is always available.” Sanders said the city cannot use federal funds to pay participants to sit on that task force, but local funding can be found for that purpose should Council want to ensure participation by low income individuals. Charlottesville will also stop the process of designating a neighborhood to receive funds for three-year periods at a time. In recent years, projects in Belmont received those funds despite an influx of wealth. “Instead we will continue to work to identify projects that prioritize investment in those areas for the targeted low-income population to benefit from,” Sanders said. A project that had been recommended by the task force was $186,376.16  in funds for sidewalk improvements in the Ridge Street neighborhood, the current priority neighborhood. That will no longer be part of the action plan due to a concern that the project would not be completed in time to meet HUD’s deadline. Instead funds for project will be returned to the pool to allow for other proposals from the community to be funded for the Ridge Street neighborhood.  A second reading and vote on this year’s spending will be on Council’s agenda on June 6. City changing mechanism for property tax relief City Council will hold a work session with the Planning Commission this afternoon but before the joint session on transportation matters gets underway, there will be a second reading of an appropriation of $1.5 million in city funds to be used as grants to low- and middle-income property owners. This would replace the long-running program Charlottesville Housing Affordability Program (CHAP) that the city had been using to provide tax relief. Todd Divers is Charlottesville’s Commissioner of Revenue. “We’ve kind of scrambled to put together a program that I think is going to get us close to what we were doing,” Divers said. Divers said the previous tax relief program had been justified by the City Charter, but now a second avenue to justify the program will be used instead. “The Director of Social Services as the local Social Services board will be the official administrator of this program though I will be working in a cooperative agreement with her and we’ll still be effectively managing the program the way we always have,” Divers said. The move also allows the city to increase the threshold for eligibility for participation to a home value of $420,000, which is the average assessed value of a residential parcel in the city. The income threshold will be increased to $60,000. “This a grant program,” Divers said. “This is a grant for needy folks and the way that we are defining that is folks who make less than $60,000 a year and who own a home in the city of Charlottesville.”Divers said he estimates an additional 100 people will be eligible. The second reading is being held today to speed up the process to allow the process moving forward for this year. Shout-out for an ACHS program on the Fields of Honor This year, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society has been working with a group called the Fields of Honor to identify soldiers who were killed in action in the Second World War. Since February, ACHS researchers have helped locate several photographs of the fallen, including that of Private Clarence Edward McCauley who was tracked down through high school records. There are 18 remaining photographs to be found, and on Thursday, May 26 at 7 p.m. the ACHS will host Debbie Holloman and Sebastian Vonk of the Fields of Honor Foundation to talk about how you can take part in their volunteer efforts honoring the service and sacrifice of US WWII service members buried or memorialized at US war cemeteries in Europe. That’s Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. via Zoom or Facebook Live.Site plan meeting held for Belmont Condominiums projectOfficials with Riverbend Development have offered details on a proposal to build dozens of condominiums on undeveloped land in Charlotteville’s Belmont neighborhood. “I know on this site in particular I have been working with the neighborhood off and on for at least five years regarding this site and we’ve owned it for well over a decade now I believe,” said Ashley Davies with Riverbend Development.A previous submission that looked more like neighboring City Walk Apartments had gone to a site plan review conference in 2018 but that version did not move forward. “A lot of the feedback that we got from the neighborhood from that time is just that it felt like these two buildings were too big compared to what you see in the rest of the neighborhood,” Davies said. This development would include 130 total units and it needs city approval on three applications. Both a major subdivision and a site plan can be approved by staff, but a third requires endorsement by elected officials.“A critical slope waiver due to impacts to critical slopes requires a City Council action,” said city planner Matt Alfele said. “This means that application will go to the Planning Commission for a recommendation and then City Council for a final decision.” No date has been set for that Planning Commission meeting and a public hearing is not required. The six acres of property span many parcels which would be combined in the major subdivision. Since 2003, the zoning has been for Neighborhood Commercial Corridor which allows for mixed-use. Most of the buildings would be constructed in a form known as a two-over-two. “It looks like a townhouse style unit on the outside but once you go into the unit it actually has two units each two floors tall and there’s garages on the backside that have parking internal to those units,” Davies said. Davies said Riverbend has built these types of units at Brookhill in Albemarle County and they have proven to be popular. Eight of the units would be designated as being sale to households and individuals at a certain income level. The property is currently being used for automotive repair. One neighbor asked if the site needed to be remediated due to potential contaminants in the soil. Scott Collins is an engineer working on the project “As far as contaminants, they’ll be testing the soil as well when the asphalt and concrete is removed and checking the consistency of the soils and making sure it’s not contaminated and if it is, there are remediative measures that have to be in place,” Collins said. The site plan must be approved by staff if it meets all of the technical requirements. Staff has not yet completed the comment letter that will go to Riverbend. People still have until June 15 to make a comment about the site plan or to ask a question. But Council will have to approve a critical slopes waiver and one Councilor who attended the May 18 site plan conference did not like what he saw in the current project, taking his cues from a speaker from the Piedmont Environmental Council. Michael Payne said he preferred the previous approach Riverbend had taken. “I just would say that I’m pretty disappointed at where this has ended up,” said Michael Payne. “I feel like where this ended up is the worst of all worlds in terms of as Peter Krebs [of PEC] said the most impervious surfaces, the least compact and clustered development. And also the least affordable development. It seems like its the most sprawled version which will have the most expensive units and I think this project just would have been much better off to be more clustered and have more apartments similar to the Belmont Lofts project or City Walk for that matter.”  One neighbor suggested the city make a swap with the developer.“Wouldn’t it be lovely if the city could do an exchange with the owners of Belmont Holdings and give them the existing Clark School which is a gorgeous building with high ceilings and let them turn that into condominiums and turn this site into either a school or a park?” commented Deb Jackson. This is not likely to occur. Help Ting help support Town Crier productions!For one year now, Town Crier Productions has had a promotional offering through Ting!Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out is for the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Campaign, an initiative that wants you to grow native plants in yards, farms, public spaces and gardens in the northern Piedmont. Native plants provide habitat, food sources for wildlife, ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change, and clean water.  Start at the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Facebook page and tell them Lonnie Murray sent you! On today’s show: Charlottesville Area Transit makes some route adjustments and some examples of the “partnership” in the Jefferson Area Regional Transit Partnership An epidemiologist at the University of Virginiaexplains key differences between the current pandemic surge and the winter surge The Free Enterprise Forum releases its annual report on local government spending trendsThe number of new COVID cases in Virginia has exceeded 3,000 for each of the past four days, with 3,518 reported by the Virginia Department of Health. The percent positivity is 10, which means one out of every ten tests is coming back as a confirmed case. There have been 254 reported COVID deaths since July 27. The VDH updated a dashboard today that tracks cases by vaccination status. Due to a variety of factors, this is a difficult one to update every day. Here are two conclusions listed on the site:“Between January 17, 2021 and August 21, 2021, unvaccinated people developed COVID-19 at a rate 13.3 times higher than fully vaccinated people and 2.6 times higher than fully vaccinated people,” reads the section below “rates by vaccination status.” “As of August 21, 2021, 4,767,990 Virginians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” reads one under “vaccine breakthrough cases.” “ Of these people, 0.2 percent have developed COVID-19, 0.009 percent have been hospitalized, and 0.0017 percent have died.” Dr. Costi Sifri is the director of hospital epidemiology at the University of Virginia. He told members of the press today that the term “breakthrough case” is a bit misleading in a time when the delta variant is so prevalent. “Some of us are concerned by the word breakthrough suggesting that it is a vaccine failure and most of these infections that have occured are not failures,” Dr. Sifri said. “Most of these infections that occurred after vaccinations really are not failures. People have received the vaccine and the vaccine has done its job. It’s kept people out of the hospital. It’s kept them from serious consequences of COVID.” The seven-day average for new cases now is where it was in early December as the winter surge hit. Let’s hear one interchange between UVA Health public information officer Eric Swensen and Dr. Sifri. Eric Swensen:“The number of new cases is now in the 3000’s which is roughly about where they were sort of shortly after Thanksgiving of last year. So the question is really, what’s different if anything between now and then and should we be concerned that case count has risen back to where it was?”Dr. Costi Sifri:“There is one huge difference and that is that we now have an effective vaccine and we did not have one in November that was being used and distributed. Our vaccination started December 15 and nationwide it started that week. So what we’re seeing right now is almost entirely preventable. That is the big difference and the frustration.” Eric Swensen:“Should people be avoiding crowds at this time until those third doses are more widely available for people. For some context, Liberty University is on a campus-wide quarantine through  September 10. What are your thoughts on people being out and being out in crowds?” (LU page on their temporary mitigation period)Dr. Costi Sifri:“This gets into sort of the gray areas and challenges I think with COVID that are often individually based. Part of the calculation is whether you are vaccinated or not vaccinated. What is the nature of the event? Is the crowd 40 people out on a mountaintop or 500 people in an indoor arena? And what is your level of risk tolerance? The risk tolerance may not only be you but it may be the people that you live with. The kids that are home, loved ones, family members. I think that is a very specific answer. I think again if we’re vaccinated, that’s very effective. If you’re in a situation with crowds, wearing a mask is easy to do. You should be doing it if you’re indoors in the state right now where we have substantial or high levels of COVID transmission in nearly every county of the state.”More on the pandemic as we move forward. A regional pro-business group that takes a close look at local governments in the region has released its annual report on spending habits. The Free Enterprise Forum’s Choices and Decisions report is a Local Government Spending Index that compares municipal expenditures in Charlottesville as well the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. “The analysis seeks to develop and track over time an objective metric to capture the spending trend in each locality and determine if this trend can be correlated to other trends occurring within the locality,” reads the report. One metric generated is per-capita operational spending, and Charlottesville ranks highest with a 2020 figure of $4,975.75 per resident. Albemarle is next at $3,398.44, followed by Nelson at $3,090.44, Louisa County at $3,026.44, Greene at $2,804.17, and Fluvanna at $2,559.43. The index is modeled after the Consumer Price Index, a metric used by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure the cost of goods and services over time. The Free Enterprise Forum uses data from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Auditor of Public Accounts. Review the whole report on their website. There’s also a spreadsheet with all of the data. *If you’re interested in becoming directly involved in Charlottesville government, the city is looking for applicants to many boards and commissions, ranging from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Authority to the Youth Council. If you’re interested in transportation, there are vacancies on bodies like the Jaunt Board of Directors and the Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Committee. For housing, there’s the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority or the Community Development Block Grant Task Force. Either way, if you’re interested in experience, even applying for these positions is a good way to get involved. Visit charlottesville.gov to learn more. (release)You’re reading Charlottesville Community Engagement. In today’s second Substack-fueled shout-out, Code for Charlottesville is seeking volunteers with tech, data, design, and research skills to work on community service projects. Founded in September 2019, Code for Charlottesville has worked on projects with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Charlottesville Fire Department, and the Charlottesville Office of Human Rights. Visit the Code for Charlottesville website to learn more, including details on projects that are under way. Before we get to a quick review of the Regional Transit Authority, two small pieces of Charlottesville Area Transit news. First, the free trolley-style bus that runs between downtown and the University of Virginia will return to traveling down McCormick Road through the heart of UVA Grounds. Second, additional service will be added to Route 9 during peak hours. That route currently travels between the University of Virginia Hospital, the Piedmont Family YMCA, Charlottesville High School, and downtown Charlottesville. CAT Director Garland Williams said the move is being made in the short-term to help with the start of the school year. “Because we know there was going to be potentially some high schoolers that were going to use our service, we added additional service during the peak periods of time on Route 9,” Williams told the Regional Transit Partnership on Thursday. According to the last seven years of ridership data, Route 9 is one of the least traveled of all of the current CAT routes whereas the trolley-style bus route has consistently had the highest ridership. The current Route 9 will change its configuration if Council agrees to the route alterations that have been under public review this year. Under its new alignment, Route 9 will travel between downtown and Fashion Square Mall via the Piedmont Family YMCA in McIntire Park. Other routes will serve the UVA Hospital. Review all of the changes here. One of the people who will take a final vote on the proposed transit changes is City Councilor Lloyd Snook. He became vice chair of the Jefferson Area Regional Transit Partnership on Thursday and explained why he was interested in serving on that advisory body.“My main interest in transit has been that I am convinced that Charlottesville is needing a transition from being a suburban-thinking town to being a city-thinking city and transit is an important part of that,” Snook said. “It’s also an important part of an affordable housing strategy and a city planning strategy.”Another member of the Regional Transit Authority is the interim executive director of Jaunt, Karen Davis.“I’m pleased to let you know that ridership is coming right back and this is trending up and our services are back to full service in all areas,” Davis said. “Despite the driver shortage that we’re seeing.”Davis said that includes the Crozet Connect service, which had been running on a limited schedule due to the pandemic. Another of the partners is the University of Virginia Transit Service, who joined as a voting member of the advisory body. Davis said the two transit providers recently got together for discussions. “They got picked up in a Jaunt bus, brought to our home base, and we had three hours of meeting where we were brainstorming, where we made connections, and from here we have committed to meeting regularly and setting some priorities,” Davis said. One example of a current conflict that might be resolved is that Jaunt vehicles cannot directly pick up or drop off passengers who are headed to the Emily Couric Cancer Center. One place Jaunt buses can go is the Center at Belvedere, where Davis recently met with Director Peter Thompson. The Center is a non-voting member of the Regional Transit Partnership will also be served by Charlottesville Area Transit’s Route 11 when the service changes are made. Now back to that driver shortage. There are several area transit agencies and each of them need more people to work behind the wheel.“I was just taking steps to put a recruitment bonus in place only to realize that both CAT and UTS have totally offered much bigger bonuses so I have to address that program line,” Davis said.Davis said she is retaining her existing drivers, and only one that she knows of has gone to work for CAT. CAT is paying a $2,400 bonus for new drivers who work for at least nine months as well as existing drivers. New and existing UTS drivers will get a $2,500 bonus.“It’s going to be a $1,000 payout right away for our standing staff and $1,000 for new staff, and then after two full semesters of driving, the rest of the bonus,” said Becca White is the director of UVA’s Parking and Transportation. White said she has been tracking closely the number of faculty and staff who have opted to pay for spaces as the pandemic continues. “As we know, transit and parking are tied together very closely so we’ve been watching that uptake of parking permits because that’s oftentimes an indication of how many people are back in the office and what potential riders we have for CAT or Jaunt or Afton Express,” White said. “On August 1, about 55 percent to 60 percent of the academic employees had purchased their permits as compared to pre-COVID. Just in the last three weeks that number has now increased to 85 percent.”White said ridership on health employee shuttle routes have increased as the semester approaches. The academic routes that serve Central Grounds have increased to 10,000 passengers a day. Before COVID, that number was around 15,000.“And all of that service is in the last mile,” White said. “Every bit of it.” U-Heights is an apartment complex on Ivy Road in Albemarle County that is no longer served by University Transit Service. However, there is a large immigrant and refugee population. White has worked with management at U-Heights to provide mobility for residents who are no longer served by fixed-route transit. The theme of collaboration continued. The Regional Transit Partnership is staffed by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Garland Williams is the director of CAT. “On the third of September, TDJPC staff will be over for a visit,” Williams said. “I want to kind of introduce them to my team and get them the lay of the land.”That will include a look at capital projects that CAT will pursue. A major purchase in recent years has been automatic passenger counters that will help provide more accurate ridership counts. Williams said these have been installed on all buses and the data is being validated. But what about those route changes?“We are in the final processes of getting the approvals,” Williams said. “The last piece that we have to do which we will hopefully be able to kick off next Friday is to get a consultant on board to finish up the required Title VI review from the changes based on the feedback we got from the community. Once that is done it has to go to Council and we’ll also share that information with Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.” Title VI refers to the Civil Rights Act, which requires a public process before making changes on routes paid for with federal funds. That means there is no set date for when the forthcoming changes will be made. That will require installation of new bus stops at places that currently do not have them, as well as removal of the stops that will be discontinued. A reason for the delay has been to address the driver shortage. CAT is down 22 drivers and pupil transportation for city school is down 20. More from the Regional Transit Partnership in an upcoming newsletter. Thank you for reading! Next up is the Week Ahead newsletter on Sunday, followed by another attempt to get one of these CCE newsletters done each weekday. Each week I get a little more efficient, which means I can bring you more information. And it’s all thanks to those of you who have contributed financially. I have taken my previous experience as a freelance journalist and created a one-person newsroom. Rather than give a set of links today, I just wish you a happy 239! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out: The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is looking for a few good volunteers to help out on Clean Stream Tuesdays, a mile and a half paddle and clean-up to remove trash and debris from popular stretches of the Rivanna River. Trash bags, trash pickers, gloves, and hand sanitizer/wipes will be provided, though volunteers will need to transport themselves to and from the end points. Kayaks for the purpose can be rented from the Rivanna River Company. Visit the Rivanna Conservation Alliance's volunteer page to learn more about upcoming dates.On today’s show: An update from the University of Virginia Health System on concerns about the Delta variantA quick preview of the General Assembly special session on MondayPiedmont Housing Alliance has submitted two rezoning proposals in CharlottesvilleFor the past three days, the Virginia Department of Health has reported over a thousand new cases of COVID-19 each day, with 1,178 new cases listed today. The seven-day percent positivity has increased to 5.1 percent and the seven day average for new cases has increased to 869. On June 30, those numbers were 1.6 percent and 172 respectively. Since June 1, there have been 18,462 cases reported. Of that amount, there have been 757 hospitalizations and 79 deaths. Of those cases, 97.1 percent are in people who are not fully vaccinated. Of those deaths, all but 5 were of people unvaccinated. The increase is likely due to the prevalence of the Delta variant. The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Centers for Disease Control had an internal analysis that the variant is perhaps as contagious as the virus that causes chickenpox. Dr. Patrick Johnson is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Virginia. “The Delta variant seems to create larger amounts of virus in the upper airways in patients that it infects and that makes it more possible for people who have the Delta variant to infect other people,” Dr. Jackson said. “And unfortunately, vaccination, while it is protective, is less protective against ongoing transmission than we were hoping.”  Dr. Jackson said vaccination still offers protection against COVID symptoms getting worse. “So one place that we see this quite clearly is from the United Kingdom,” Jackson said. “They had quite a significant number of surges from the Delta variant but really a very modest increase in the number of deaths from COVID-19 even with those increased cases.”Is it time to consider booster shots for COVID-19? Dr. Jackson said the global supply of vaccines needs to be factored in as those public health decisions are made.“I think one consideration about giving third doses to everyone in an age category is that even if you are purely U.S. centric, at some point we need to acknowledge that low rates of vaccination around the world are a problem for us,” Dr. Jackson said. “The more SARS-COV-2 replicates in other parts of the world, the more variants we are likely to see.” Eric Swensen is a public information officer for the UVA Health System who said tis morning that about 80 percent of their staff are vaccinated.“Beginning on Monday for people on our staff who are not vaccinated, they will be subject to mandatory weekly testing so that’s how we’re handling that moving forward,” Swensen said. The curve over the last 90 days has not been flattened. Source: Virginia Department of HealthOn Monday, the General Assembly will convene to fill judicial vacancies and to approve the spending of $4.3 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Governor Ralph Northam has spent this week outlining his proposals for the money and here’s that list courtesy of a legislative report from the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. $250 million for the Rebuild VA program$50 million for the tourism industry, which may or may not include funding for agencies such as the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau$53 million for the Industrial Revitalization Fund, including the Virginia Main Street program$250 million for upgrading ventilation systems in public schools$411.5 million for clean water initiatives$935.6 million for the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and to increase capacity at the Virginia Employment Commission$485 million in investments for the behavioral health system$114 million for public safety initiatives $111 million for financial aid for collegeDelegates and Senators will not be allowed to suggest amendments to the proposals. Both Houses convene at noon on Monday. (schedule)The Piedmont Housing Alliance has filed two applications to rezone two properties on Park Street in the city of Charlottesville for below-market housing projects. The nonprofit entity is working with Park Street Christian Church on a proposal to build 50 units for seniors behind existing church buildings. They’re also working with the Monticello Area Community Action Alliance (MACAA) to rezone that agency’s property at 1025 Park Street for 65 below market units, 20 market rate townhomes, and 4,700 square feet of commercial space to allow MACAA to continue to operate on the site. There are community meetings for both rezoning proposals on August 10 at 5:30 p.m. either virtually on Zoom or in-person at the Charlottesville High School library. In both, the request is for Planned Unit Development. The concept plans for both were created by BRW Architects. Charlottesville City Council denied a previous rezoning for the MACAA property in November 2017 that would have seen construction of a 141-unit assisted living facility on the site. (Read a Charlottesville Tomorrow story from then)Credit: BRW ArchitectsA Charlottesville dermatologist has been sentenced to 12 months probation and home confinement on three counts of using her Drug Enforcement Agency registration number to acquire Demerol. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s office for the Western District of Virginia, Dr. Amalie Shaffner Derdeyn pled guilty to the charges in March, which included using the registration numbers of other physicians. A German company that owns the manufacturer of the pesticide Roundup has agreed to stop selling the product to residential customers in the United States beginning in 2023 in order to limit its legal liabilities. Bayer purchased the company Monsanto in June 2018 and two months later a jury in San Francisco awarded $80 million in damages to a man who had claimed the active ingredient of glyphosate was the cause of his cancer and that the risks of using the product were not sufficiently labeled. That award was eventually reduced to $21 million on appeal but that was just one of thousands of lawsuits about Roundup. Bayer plans to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Even if Justices do not select the case or uphold the verdict, the replacement of glyphosate will happen in 2023 according to a July 29 post on Bayer’s website.“The company and its partners will replace its glyphosate-based products in the U.S. residential Lawn & Garden market with new formulations that rely on alternative active ingredients beginning in 2023, subject to a timely review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state counterparts,” reads the press release. “This move is being made exclusively to manage litigation risk and not because of any safety concerns.The company will continue to sell Roundup to professional companies and the agricultural sector.  Before you go! If you’d like to ensure continued production of the newsletter and continued research into the community, please consider making a monthly contribution through Patreon. There are a few tiers that you can take a look at, and for one more month you can get in on the shout-out action for $25 a month before that price increases for new patrons. If you have questions, please drop me a line. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out: As we head into summer and the weather heats up, your local energy nonprofit, LEAP, wants you and yours to keep cool. LEAP offers FREE home weatherization to income- and age-qualifying residents. If you’re age 60 or older, or have an annual household income of less than $75,100, you may qualify for a free energy assessment and home energy improvements such as insulation and air sealing. Sign up today to lower your energy bills, increase comfort, and reduce energy waste at home!On today’s show: Charlottesville City Council votes to remove Confederate statues in city parks, and this time it’s a vote that doesn’t have to be cleared by the Virginia Supreme CourtA joint PTO group releases a final report on a special fund created to help improve virtual learning One Albemarle County highway gets is shut down for a few hours, while another one remains closed indefinitely. In a minute, we’ll get to a wrap-up of last night’s City Council meeting. But first, a couple other items. Albemarle County Police shut down the U.S. 29 and Interstate 64 interchange yesterday for four hours as a response to “a call for a person in crisis at Teel Lane and Monacan Trail.” According to a news release, no additional information about the incident will be released. Teel Lane is several hundred feet southwest of the interchange. Not related, but U.S. 250 remains closed at Afton Mountain due to a rockslide. According to to Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Lou Hatter, work continues six days a week by two contractors. “One is removing the unstable material, the other is coming behind to stabilize the areas,” Hatter said. “We still anticipate it will be mid-July to complete the work.”Stay tuned. Last year, all of the Parent-Teacher Organizations in Charlottesville came together to raise money to help students in households that did not have the resources to fully participate in virtual learning. Now the final report of the Ready to Teach, Ready to Learn CCS Reopening Fund is out, and the effort raised $165,097 from 201 donors. In addition to providing funds for teaching materials, funds were also spent to help the return to in-person learning including covering the cost of van transportation at a time when school buses were limited. “Funding was divided and allocated quickly to PTOs at all seven elementary schools, Buford Middle, Charlottesville High, and Lugo McGinness Academy using distribution percentages based on each school’s population of students receiving free and reduced lunch,” reads the report. “The use of the funds was then determined by individual school level committees comprised of a PTO representative, teacher, administrator, and an equity committee representative.”The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation partnered to administer the fund. The report lists several conclusions, including a sense that there is an untapped potential for public schools to raise money from private sources.  (read the report) The report breaks down how the funding was distributedCharlottesville City Council held a public hearing last night on whether to remove two Confederate statues in two city parks. I’ll have details on that in a moment, but first, some other highlights from the meeting. It has now been about ten days since COVID restrictions in Virginia were fully lifted, but public health officials are still monitoring the situation. Dr. Denise Bonds of the Blue Ridge Health District gave a briefing. Daily case counts in the district have been dwindling since mid-April. “We are frequently in single digits, often only one or two cases reported,” Dr. Bonds said. Today that number is 3 new cases. There’s been a total of 15,937 cases and 224 fatalities since last March. Community engagement efforts are ongoing.“Our hotline is still going strong,” Dr. Bonds said. “Since January we’ve had over 25,000 calls to our hotline.”That’s 434-972-6261 if you need it for some reason. Dr. Bonds said the district is continuing to get people vaccinated in order to meet the goal of having 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4. As of today, 48.8 percent of the health district is fully vaccinated. Statewide, that number is at 46 percent. Children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated but Dr. Bonds said approval of at least one vaccine may be approved by this fall.The vaccination clinic at J.C. Penney will close this month, but will reopen in a smaller store inside Fashion Square Mall. The district is also working to vaccinate people who cannot travel at their homes. Vaccination events will also continue be held at other community events. Here’s City Manager Chip Boyles. “It was a very good weekend with Sunday at Tonsler Park, we had the splash pad open, a basketball tournament, and vaccinations occurring taking advantage of the crowds that were there,” Boyles said. A demographic breakdown of cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities in the Blue Ridge Health DistrictCity Hall remains closed to the public,  but planning is underway to transition back to reopening. Boyles also said Charlottesville has received its first payment from the American Recovery Plan. The amount is $9.8 million and another payment of the same amount is expected in the next calendar year. “The first funding will go towards revenue replacement for the city, and then additional COVID improvements and then we will very shortly be rolling out for our nonprofit stakeholders in the community a program where they can apply,” Boyles said.You're reading Charlottesville Community Engagement. Time now for another subscriber supported public service announcement. This June, the Jefferson Madison Regional Library is hosting two virtual programs to commemorate Juneteenth. On June 17th, JMRL is hosting a panel discussion on the lives of the enslaved populations on the Monticello, Montpelier, and Highland plantations. (info) On June 22, JMRL will hold a program about the recently discovered unmarked graves outside the enclosures of the cemetery at Pen Park. (info)Now, on to the statues. Council waived its usual procedure of having people wait until the designated public hearing to allow people to use the Community Matters to speak out on the matter. One of these was Zyahna Bryant, who began a petition in 2016 to remove the statues when she was a student at Charlottesville High School. She pointed out Council’s original vote to remove the statues in 2017 was 3-2. “The choice here is clear,” Bryant said. “What needs to happen is clear. It’s up to you make the right decision and there’s no opportunity left to straddle the fence. What side of history do you want to be on?” Scott Warner grew up in Charlottesville but now lives in Albemarle County. He said the report from the Council-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces offered up two alternatives for the Robert E. Lee statue.“Move the sculpture to McIntire Park and confront its history there and number two, confront the sculpture in place and redesign and transfer Lee Park,” Warner said. Bruce Williamson, an attorney who works downtown, said Council ultimately voted to reject the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations. “The preservation of history is not even an issue here,” Williamson said. “These statues preserve other things and many other people will speak eloquently about what those statues were meant for, what they preserve, and why they need to go.” After these comments, City Manager Boyles gave an overview of the last five years and explained what the steps are  ahead for the statues as laid out by the Virginia State Supreme Court and the General Assembly. “Council now has before you tonight for consideration a resolution to remove, contextualize, relocate, or cover these statues after a 30 day period has expired that allows consideration of relocation to a museum, a historical society, government, of military battlefield,”  Boyles said. Then the official public hearing began. In the second session, several speakers asked that the city remove the statues but not let anyone else take them on. “These statues must come down and not be put up anywhere else after this,” said Cali Gaston. “They are symbols of hate, of white supremacy, and as such must be removed and repurposed.” In all, 55 people addressed Council during the public hearing, with all but a handful requesting removal. City Councilor Heather Hill spoke first.“Really appreciate the engagement tonight and I think it was definitely a clear message to this Council,” Hill said. Vice Mayor Sena Magill thanked those who spoke. “And also to thank the people who started this work in all sorts of forms over a very long time,” Magill said. City Councilor Michael Payne said he didn’t have much to add to what the speakers had said. “Thoughts I have that come to mind as someone who was there on August 12 and turning on to 4th Street and as a survivor of August 12 like others is that I will be very  proud to take a vote to remove these statues and to reimagine our public spaces in these areas and I hope it can be a small part of collective transformation here locally,” Payne said. City Councilor Lloyd Snook also referenced August 2017 and the Unite the Right Rally that was held here because of Council’s original vote to remove the Robert E. Lee statue. “Whatever anybody might have thought before August 12, since August 12 I think the answer has become crystal clear,” Snook said. “It’s crystal clear to me that the statues need to come down in some fashion. I have not yet solidified in my own mind what ought to happen thereafter.” The statue requires the city to put out an offer for groups to take the statue and to give 30 days for a response.  Snook said if the city were to deviate from that process, there could be further legal complications. “So we’re going to do it carefully, we’re going to do it thoroughly, we’re going to do it absolutely by the law,” Snook said.Mayor Nikuyah Walker said she was thinking about how Black children in the future will no longer have to see the statues. “I immediately start thinking about how many 10-year-olds have had to live and be subjected to symbols throughout history that uphold whiteness over everything else,” Walker said. Walker also said that people who are opposed to the proposed changes to the Future Land Use Map should also consider their views, and that supporters of removing the statues should enter that conversation. “And I’m hoping that those individuals are having the same conversation with the same intensity with their neighbors who are forgetting redlining and racial covenants and wanting to maintain status quo but not able to associate that with the same power structure that put those statues up,” Walker said. Councilor Payne made a motion, seconded by Snook. Council Clerk Kyna Thomas called the vote. Within minutes, the city issued a Request for Statements of Interest (RFI) for entities who might want to take ownership of the statues. (read the RFI)“On or after July 8, 2021, if the statutes, or either of them, has not been transferred to such an entity for relocation and placement, City Council may make other disposition(s),” reads the RFI’s description. A section of the Request for Statement of Interest*Before we go today, I wanted to follow up on the brief blurb in the June 5 newsletter about pollution reduction targets for the Chesapeake Bay. Sarah Vogelsong has a great story in the Virginia Mercury about the challenges to getting reductions in the agricultural sector, with a focus on efforts to fence cattle out of streams. It’s worth a read if you want to pay more attention to what’s known as the TMDL. That stands for Total Maximum Daily Load, and this is a story to follow in the next four years with a 2025 deadline looming. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today's Patreon-fueled shout-out is for the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Campaign, an initiative that wants you to grow native plants in yards, farms, public spaces and gardens in the northern Piedmont. Native plants provide habitat, food sources for wildlife, ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change, and clean water.  Start at the Plant Northern Piedmont Natives Facebook page and tell them Lonnie Murray sent you! In this installment:A look at the link between housing and transportation costsCharlottesville City Council reviews possible changes to bus routes owned and operated by the Charlottesville municipal governmentNew campaign finance reports are in local races including Albemarle County and CharlottesvilleThe latest campaign finance reports have been filed with the Virginia Department of Elections, as reported by the Virginia Public Access Project.  Let’s start with Albemarle County.Incumbent Jack Jouett District Supervisor Diantha McKeel raised an additional $6,522 during the period and spent $9, leaving her campaign with a balance of $32,056 as of May 27. McKeel is a Democrat who currently faces no opposition on the November 2 ballot for a third term.Incumbent Rio District Supervisor Ned Gallaway raised $10,150 in the period, with $10,000 of that coming from a single corporate donor known as Seminole Trail Management LLC. Gallaway spent $5 in the period and has a cash balance of $15,809. Gallaway is a Democrat who currently has no opposition on the November 2 ballot for a second term.Newcomer Jim Andrews raised $10,139 during the period, including a $5,000 contribution from John Grisham. He spent $4,180 during the period with the majority of that going to pay for his campaign manager, Patty Haling.  Andrews has a balance of $30,507 as of May 27. Andrews is running as a Democrat and currently faces no opposition on the November 2 ballot. The winner of the race will succeed two-term incumbent Liz Palmer.Andrews announced his campaign on May 13. That’s covered in the May 14 edition of this program. In Charlottesville, Brian Pinkston reported $29,098 in contributions, including $7,325 in in-kind contributions. That means someone or some business offered services or a product for campaign purposes. In-kind donations include $3,500 from Lifeview Marketing LLC and $2,750 from Local Jurisdiction Consulting LLC. Pinkston also loaned himself $8,348 and raised $13,425 in cash. The candidate spent $29,763 during the period and had an ending balance of $24,074. Juandiego Wade raised $13,126 during the period, all in cash. The top donor is the Realtors Political Action Committee of Virginia. He spent $22,151 and had an ending balance of $32,626. Carl Brown raised significantly less money with $1,675. He spent $979 and had a balance of $720 as of May 27, 2021. Independent Yas Washington reported no money raised or spent with no cash balance. VPAP did not have any report for Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker, an independent who announced in late May that she would seek an additional term. For the first time, members of the public can register to receive emergency notifications via text from the University of Virginia. Text “UVA” to 226787 to enroll in the program. “The types of emergencies for which an alert would be issued include, but are not limited to, tornadoes, building fires, hazardous materials releases and violent incidents. Alerts are sent for emergencies in both the academic division and UVA Health,” reads a press release about the information. Previously, the service was only available for people directly associated with UVA. At some point this year, we’ll know exactly how many people are believed to live in our communities when the U.S. Census is released. But, projections from the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia as well as their yearly estimates depict a growing region. As the cost of housing in Charlottesville and Albemarle’s urban ring continues to increase, many will choose or have already chosen to live in communities half an hour away or more. Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows the vast majority of people commute to work in a single occupant vehicle? But does that have to be the case? Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for commuting data, five-year average (look at the tables yourself!) In May, the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership held a panel discussion on the topic. For background, housing is to be considered affordable if rent or a mortgage payment makes up thirty percent or less of household expenditures. Households that pay more than that are considered stressed. Todd Litman is a founder and the executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. He said transportation costs also have to be factored in.“It works out that a cheap house is not truly affordable if it has particularly high transportation costs [and] if it’s located in an area where people have to spend a lot of time and money traveling,” Litman said. “A lot of experts now recommend that instead of defining affordability as 30 percent of household budgets to housing, it’s defined as 45 percent of household budgets dedicated to housing and transportation combined.” Litman said transportation costs are more volatile for low-income households because of the unpredictability of fuel prices and maintenance costs. Stephen Johnson, a planning manager with Jaunt, said the cost of time must also be factored in.“If I can only afford to take public transit, but that means my commute to work is going to take five to ten times longer, then that’s time that I’m losing to spend on other things,” Johnson said.Johnson said people also can lose jobs if a transit connection doesn’t work out. He said this community has public transit options, but they are not compelling for many.“When we put ourselves in the shoes of somebody’s who is deciding to take transit or drive, there are four factors that one would consider,” Johnson said. “The first would be the financial cost. The second would be the time cost. The third would be reliability. Can I rely on getting there on time? The fourth I think would be flexibility. Will my transportation allow me to make a last-minute change to my schedule? To travel with a friend, or to bring home a bunch of shopping.”Johnson said public transit is cheaper to use than driving, but the other three factors are more difficult. He said transit in the area could be reformed by greater investments and better planning.“An Albemarle planner might come to me and say ‘we’ve got this community, it’s got a lot of cul-de-sacs, a lot of houses, and we’re really struggling with congestion. Can you put a public transit band-aid on this and fix it?’” Johnson said. “In that case, the game board is already set and there’s only so much we can do as a player but I think if we can expand our idea of what transit planning is, when we think about things like density, how can we take those A’s and B’s and cluster them together so that when we put a bus out there we can cover a lot of trips?”Litman said a goal is to not necessarily encourage people to go car-free, but to work to create areas where more trips can be taken in a walk, a bike-ride, or by getting on the bus. This was more common before the middle of the 20th century.“So if you go back to the older neighborhoods, they’re all very walkable,” Litman said. “They have sidewalks on all the streets. You have local schools, and park, and stores that were designed. The neighborhood was organized around the idea that at least some people will rely on walking. We lost that for a while and now there’s a number of planning movements and approaches that are trying to establish that.”Litman said developers and local governments should be working together to encourage more than just single-family housing. “If you’re building new neighborhoods, those that allow what we call ‘the missing middle’, compact housing types like townhouses and low-rise apartments are going to be far more affordable and therefore far more inclusive,” Litman said. Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy InstituteBut back to transit. Jaunt mostly provides on-demand service, but does have some fixed-route service. Johnson explained what works best in what situation. “Fixed route options are much more appropriate public transit option for dense urban cores and we see that in downtown Charlottesville and urban Albemarle County,” Johnson said. “Demand response is a much more appropriate technology for more rural areas and that’s the majority of Jaunt’s service area are the counties around Charlottesville and Albemarle.” However, Johnson said transit in urban areas could be transformed if systems adopt on-demand tech. Jaunt has been working on a pilot project to provide service to Loaves and Fishes on Lambs Road, a site not accessible via Charlottesville Area Transit. In this community, there are three transit systems. They are the Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT), the University of Virginia Transit Service (UTS)  and Jaunt. In September, BRITE will begin the Afton Express service between Staunton and Charlottesville. How do all of these many pieces come together? Here’s Stephen Johnson again.“Charlottesville and Albemarle are working together through the Regional Transit Partnership to try to help build a cohesive vision there of how Jaunt and Charlottesville Area Transit and UTS can all work together to provide a cohesive transit system for the residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle,” Johnson said.You can view the entire video on the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s YouTube page. Up next, Charlottesville Area Transit updates City Council on upcoming service changes and the future. Now it’s time for another Substack-fueled public service announcement. The Central Library in downtown Charlottesville will host a summer reading kick-off from 10 a.m. to 12 noon this Saturday, the 5th of June.  Readers of all ages can come by and learn about the Jefferson Madison Regional Library Summer Reading Program.  While here you can also enjoy music from the Charlottesville Municipal Band's Clarinet and Saxophone Ensembles and the JMRL Friends of the Library will be hosting a $5 per bag Pop-Up book sale under the tent at the Central Library. All events are outside, so if it rains, the event will be canceled. Finally today, the city of Charlottesville is the sole owner and operator of Charlottesville Area Transit, and Albemarle County pays the city for service each year. Ridership on CAT has declined significantly in recent years. In 2013, ridership was at 2.4 million. By 2018, that dropped to 2.05 million. (view presentation)Garland Williams has been director since August 2019 and previously served as director of Planning and Scheduling for the Greater Richmond Transit Company. Near the beginning of the pandemic, the city hired Kimley Horn to review the system to recommend changes to make it more efficient on the other side.“This is not designed to be a total revamp of our system,” Williams said. “This was kind of stop-gap measure because as you know, over the last six year CAT’s ridership has been declining precipitously so what we’re trying to do right now is stop that, build a nice foundation, and then build from there.”Williams said work on the CAT is happening at the same time that the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is working on a planning effort for the long term. As part of the more immediate work, the Connetics Transportation Group was directed to bring service to South First Street, bring service to the Center at Belvedere, and to restore Sunday service post pandemic. Jim Baker with Connetics Transportation explains a couple more directives.“And getting more 30 minute or better service along some of the key corridors in the city,” Baker said. “Also there were a few routes pre-COVID that were running at worse than 60 minute frequencies so we didn’t want to have anything less than 60 minute frequencies. And then to get the trolley, which is such a key part of the CAT system, back to a 15 minute frequency. That was a route where service frequencies were reduced because of COVID.”Routes will need to be changed in the short-term to avoid the Downtown Transit Center due to the eventual replacement of the Belmont Bridge. Under the proposal, Albemarle would for about 35 percent of service.Route 2 would be split into two services, restoring service to Piedmont Virginia Community College and extending service to Mill Creek Drive and Monticello High School. One of the routes will also travel down Avon Street Extended in both directions. “That change will make it easy to access the park and ride lot that’s sitting right beside CAT headquarters,” Williams said. “So it’s another opportunity potentially to use the route for our employees, city employees, to get to and from downtown.” Route 3 would also be split into two, with one half traveling from Southwood to downtown and the other serving downtown and Belmont. This second route would come within walking distance of the Broadway Street corridor in Albemarle County. “We really wanted to get 30 minute all-day service on 5th Street all the way down to Albemarle County’s office building,” Baker said. Route 5 would be modified to travel between the UVA Hospital to Fashion Square Mall. Currently the northern terminus is Wal-Mart. Route 7 would be extended to the Rio Hill Shopping Center and the Wal-Mart but will no longer serve Stonefield. Service on Prospect Avenue would be moved from Route 6 to a new Route 8, which would now travel between Stonefield and the Willoughby Shopping Center via the UVA Hospital. “We thought this would be an opportunity to create a new crosstown route from south Charlottesville for residents on the south part of town to get up to the U.S. 29 corridor without having to go through downtown and without having to make a transfer,” Baker said. Route 9 would be revamped to be another north-south service traveling between Fashion Square Mall and downtown via the YMCA in McIntire Park. Service to UVA Hospital would be dropped as would service near Charlottesville High School. Route 10 would no longer serve Stony Point Road to save time. Route 11 would serve the Center at Belvedere. “That extension to the Center is an obligation that the city has to the Center so this answers that part of the agreement to provide public transportation,” Williams said. The route changes will have to be reviewed to see if there are any violations of what’s known as Title VI, and there will need to be a public comment period. Williams said CAT is also working on securing spaces at 5th Street Station for park and ride, as well as using Route 9 to access empty spaces at Fashion Square Mall for that purpose. Earlier in the work session, Council was briefed on a potential parking garage downtown. “But we’re also working with Kimley Horn at a longer term study where we’re looking at the potential for some park and ride locations throughout the region, especially up on U.S. 29,” Williams said. No decisions were made at the meeting. And coming up in a future episode of the program, more on transit from the May 27 meeting of the Regional Transit Partnership. Stay tuned!Thanks for listening! Please share with someone you think would benefit from this program. The content is free, but subscriptions through Substack will keep it going. And Ting will match your payment! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out...your local energy nonprofit, LEAP, offers FREE home weatherization to income- and age-qualifying residents. If you’re age 60 or older, or have an annual household income of less than $75,100, you may qualify for a free energy assessment and home energy improvements such as insulation and air sealing. Sign up today to lower your energy bills, increase comfort, and reduce energy waste at home!On today’s show:Charlottesville Mayor Walker will seek a second term on Council following soul searching  Three Democrats seeking two party nominations answer questions from the Martha Jefferson NeighborhoodIn February 2020, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker declared she would seek a second term back, but has so far not participated in any of the candidate forums that have been open to all candidates. Earlier this week, Walker said she would decide on whether to run by the end of the week. On Friday, she once again took to Facebook Live to tell her followers that City Council has always been fractious. “But of course when you put a Black woman at the center of this, and a Black woman who is really unafraid to kind of be on the frontlines of a battle by herself, that has really changed the lengths of what people are willing to go to attempt to destroy me,” Walker said. Walker said she has felt under attack her entire time on Council, but has been ready to do the work. She ran as an independent in 2017 and was the top vote-getter in a race for two seats with 7,906 votes. The person who came in second that year, Heather Hill, opted not to run for re-election. That makes Walker the first incumbent to seek re-election since Kathy Galvin in 2015. Results from the 2017 election on the cvillepedia page for that eventWalker said will run again in order to carry on her fight against racism, despite the toll public service has taken on her.“I’m not choosing me, even though I’m exhausted, my hair is turning gray, someone asked me last night ‘what is your body is telling you?’, and my body is telling me that you all will destroy me,” Walker said. ”But then there’s a flip side to all of the people who I talk to when I see them randomly who say ‘I’m a little more comfortable in this world’ because I get to watch you in it.’”Walker will be on the ballot with fellow independent Yas Washington. Washington had campaigned as a Democrat but failed the qualify for the ballot in the June 8 primary. Three other Democrats did qualify, and they met on Thursday at a campaign forum held by the Martha Jefferson Neighborhood Association. UVA Project Manager Brian Pinkston and Locust Grove resident went first when it was time to give speeches. Pinkston ran for the Democratic nomination in 2019 and placed fourth.“The reason I’m running for Council is simply because I think I have something to offer,” Pinkston said. “I feel like my professional background and my personal temperament and just the desire to see good things happen for the city are such that I have something to contribute.”  Pinkston said he is a good listener who can work toward compromise. He said he would work to implement the affordable housing plan adopted by Council in March, which includes an annual $10 million in projects to bring the cost of housing below market. Pinkston also supports the reconfiguration of the city’s middle schools and reopening the search for a new city manager next year. “We’ve been really fortunate to have Chip Boyles in the position now but we’re going to have to recruit for that position so I want that process to be open [and] transparent,” Pinkston said.Carl Brown is a native Charlottesville resident whose grandfather C.H. Brown was a builder back in the 1960’s. “My grandfather was a stable in helping the first housing crisis that they had back in the 60’s when they were transferring from Vinegar Hill to Westhaven so my grandfather was able to be creative and create cinderblock homes in the 12th Street area for low-income housing so I have some ideas about community service and work and what needs to be done at the ground level,” Brown said. Brown said he is a team player and cited experience playing sports at Charlottesville High School. He said he has been working behind the scenes for nearly 30 years on legal and housing issues.“I run my own consultant business and so I do management development consulting and I still work with the reentry population, the schools, just getting kids to have a vision of their own success,” Brown said. Juandiego Wade came to Charlottesville to get a master’s in urban and environmental planning at the University of Virginia. He met his wife and opted to settle here. He’ll finish sixteen years on the Charlottesville School Board at the end of 2021. Wade said Charlottesville is a diverse community, based on who is being educated now.“Fifty-one languages are spoken at Charlottesville High School and so it represents our community,” Wade said. “I had the vision to serve Charlottesville last year when the shutdown happened. I recall it vividly last March, the second week of the shutdown. I was walking through the 10th and Page neighborhood and I I knew I wasn’t going to serve on the school board again but I wanted to continue to serve the city.” Topics covered at the forum include whether there’s been enough Comprehensive Plan, increasing the amount of subsidized housing units, and what recent decisions by Council they did not agree with. On the latter point, Carl Brown said the city should have been more strategic in pursuing removal of Confederate statues by changing the legislation at the General Assembly rather than being drawn into an expensive legal process.“Now the state has now said that [we] can do it and so we wasted a lot of money in litigation,” Brown said. Wade said he disagreed with Council’s decision in 2013 to study the possibility of replacing the Belmont Bridge with a tunnel under the railroad tracks. “And I think that we’ve finally come to a resolution but i think we need all our digits to count the number of studies they’ve done on that over the last years,” Wade said.Last week, Council voted to use an additional $4.28 million in bridge repair funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation to bridge a shortfall between the lowest bid and the project budget of $31 million. That $31 million includes $7.5 million in capital improvement funds to help pay for the years of design work. Pinkston did not single out one issue, but said there is a missing dynamic among the five people elected to make decisions for Charlottesville. “For whatever reason, this past Council and the Council before that, recent Councils have just struggled to work as a team.” Pinkston said. The final joint candidate event before the June 8 primary will be held virtually on May 27 and will be hosted by Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum and myself. Register here to attend!Other campaign forums so far this season:Audio and written summary of the March 11, 2021 Fry’s Spring Neighborhood forumCandidate forum on the I Love Cville show from April 6, 2021 (includes Yas Washington)May 12, 2021 candidate forum hosted by Public Housing Association of Residents, Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition, and the People’s Coalition (includes Yas Washington) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s Substack-fueled shout-out, Code for Charlottesville is seeking volunteers with tech, data, design, and research skills to work on community service projects. Founded in September 2019, Code for Charlottesville has worked on projects with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Charlottesville Fire Department, and the Charlottesville Office of Human Rights. Visit the Code for Charlottesville website to learn more, including details on three projects that are underway. On today’s show:A brief update on the pandemic Charlottesville is seeking feedback on how to prepare for economic recoveryUVa Board of Visitors committee endorses plans for new hotel, conference center, and athletic complexA challenger emerges in the 57th House of Delegates race This upcoming Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the state of emergency declared by Governor Ralph Northam to deal with the COVID pandemic. After a surge related to the winter holidays, Virginia now has a seven-day average of 1,460 new cases reported each day, or around what that metric was the week before Thanksgiving. The seven-day average on February 5 was 3,365. During a press briefing yesterday, Dr. Costi Sifri of the University of Virginia said community members should still be vigilant. “We have had a pretty steep and steady decline over the last four to six weeks, but that’s stopped now,” Dr. Sifri said. Dr. Sifri said one possibility may be the new COVID variants that are out there. He said declines in new case loads are likely not linked to vaccinations. Nearly 2.2 million doses have been administered in Virginia, and over 782,000 are fully vaccinated. The seven-day average for number of doses is at 53,183 a day as of this morning. This week, the Blue Ridge Health District received 2,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson version of the vaccine, which only requires one shot. “It’s just going to offer so much more flexibility,” Dr. Sifri said. “It’s the vaccine that hopefully once we have large amounts that we’ll be able to see is easily used in places like doctors’ offices, things that would not be as easily done with a deep-frozen messenger RNA, MRNA vaccine.” Still, Dr. Sifri said caution is still required to avoid a fourth surge of COVID. “We don’t have a substantial amount of immunity,” Dr. Sifri said. “We’re not near herd immunity yet but we are making progress and we really do have to continue to practice the things that we know prevent the transmission of COVID.” Social distancing. Masks. Washing hands. Continuing to watch the numbers. “The spring, and into the summer looks a little bit different,” Sifri said. “Probably a lot different than it looks right now.” This past Wednesday, UVA President Jim Ryan announced in an email that the university’s Final Exercises graduation ceremony would not occur as usual. However, the administration is exploring the possibility of smaller events for graduates without guests, or postponing until later this year. *On Monday, Charlottesville City Schools will open up the doors for at least some students to return to class for the first time in a year. Children in kindergarten through 6th grade whose parents have agreed to proceed with in-person instruction. Certain students in 7th grade through 12th grade who have been identified for being at risk have also been invited back. The Charlottesville School Board voted Thursday to offer in-person instruction to students at Buford and Charlottesville High School beginning on April 12. For more information, visit the city schools’ website. Source: City Schools Return to Learn websiteHow can the local economy begin to rebound? The Charlottesville Office of Economic Development will hold two facilitated stakeholder meetings later this month to plan for recovery.“The City Council has indicated that economic recovery of local businesses from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is a top near-term priority,” reads an email from the office. “OED is now seeking broad participation from City business owners that will help inform a series of immediate action items that the City can pursue to assist with recovery.”If you own a business in Charlottesville and want to participate on either March 17 or March 18, visit the office’s website.*Delegate Sally Hudson has a challenger in the 57th House race in this year’s General Assembly election. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Republican Philip Hamilton is running. According to his website, he’s a 33-year-old resident of Charlottesville who graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor of science and from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s in Administration of Justice and Security. The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors met yesterday and approved the schematic design for a new hotel and conference center, as well as an athletics complex. The $130.5 million hotel project will be located near the new School of Data Science within the emerging Ivy Corridor. (meeting packet)“A mixed-use hospitality, convening, and social destination in this central location will provide a catalyst to achieve these strategic goals set by the President’s Emmet Ivy Task Force,” reads the staff report. Those goals include supporting the Democracy Initiative, an initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences and other institutions. The University and its real estate foundation have been purchasing land along Ivy Road for many years to assemble enough space, including the Cavalier Inn. That structure was demolished in the summer of 2018 and the place where it stood will remain undeveloped according to a 2020 site plan. The hotel will have 215 rooms and 28,000 square feet of space for conferences. It will wrap around the existing parking garage. The $95 million athletic complex will include a new Football Operations Center and an Olympic Sports Center intended to support more than two dozen varsity sports. “Given the proximity to Central Grounds, North Grounds, the Ivy Corridor, and various athletic event venues, the Athletics Complex provides a unique opportunity to bring student athletes, other UVA students, coaches, staff, faculty, and the broader community together,” reads that staff report. The Buildings and Grounds Committee also discussed amendments to the UVA major capital plan including about a $1 billion reduction in projects from the 2020 plan due to various deferrals. Projects currently under construction include renovations at Alderman Library, a Student and Wellness Center, and the Inn at Darden. Other funded projects in the planning stages include a second upper-class residence hall on Brandon Avenue, the Contemplative Sciences Center, and the renovation of the Physics building. Construction projects currently on hold include a parking garage to serve an expanded Fontaine Research Center, an academic building for the Batten School, and renovations at Old Cabell Hall. Source: Presentation to UVA Board of Visitors Building and Grounds Committee The Buildings and Grounds Committee also got an update on sustainability highlights at UVA. This includes work toward a project called “Climate Justice Mapping” by the UVA Equity Center and UVA Sustainability. “The primary goal of the Climate Justice Mapping project is to build platforms for the collaborative identification, collection, and dissemination of information about the disproportionate harm of adverse environmental impacts on communities of color through a series of accessible  interactive climate justice maps and graphics,” reads that staff report. Other community programs include the UVA Sustainable Food Collaborative. Check the whole packet for details. *Thanks for reading! I neglected to say in the podcast today that music in the program is provided thanks to a grant from the Valley Research Center, an institution so secretive, it doesn’t even exist! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s show:A COVID update from the Blue Ridge Health DistrictCouncil denies special use permit for 11 units in BelmontLocal real estate group releases report for 4th quarter of 2021The Virginia Festival of the Book goes virtual for 2021With the COVID pandemic still raging, today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out from an anonymous contributor is once again to state clearly: "We keep each other safe. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance."A second mass vaccination site at Seminole Square Shopping Center is now in place to be used by the University of Virginia and the Blue Ridge Health District to administer doses, though the supply is still limited. Ryan McKay is the policy director for the health district. “Right now we are receiving 2,850 doses each week,” McKay said. “That’s for the entire district. That’s for everyone.”  McKay said more than half of Virginia’s population is eligible for Phase1B and health districts are still working to ensure everyone in Phase 1A is vaccinated. “You can imagine  the number of people it’s going to take to get through 1B and the amount of time it’s going to take given our current allotment,” McKay said. “It’s going to be a matter of months before we can provide that widespread access to all of those individuals in that particular group.”Over 40,000 have filled out the survey that the Blue Ridge Health District has used to begin to tackle the logistics. That also means creating a third space for municipal employees.“We’ve partnered with the city and Albemarle County to have them open and operate a site at Charlottesville High School where they are providing access to Phase 1A city employees, so this would be people in health and human services, social services, and then Phase 1B educators,” McKay said.The Biden administration has stated they are working to increase supply, and more information will come out over the next few weeks. “There are other vaccines on the horizon but we don’t know how readily available they will be,” McKay said. “Some of those vaccines, such as the Johnson & Johnson, is actually a one-dose vaccine but the efficacy on that vaccine is less. I think it’s at about 65 percent. So as more vaccines become available we’ll obviously have to educate our communities about those vaccines and the benefits and comparisons to the ones that are currently out there.” There are now more people vaccinated in Virginia than the total number of cases since last March. McKay said there was a surge following the holidays, but that has begun to wane. “Over the last couple of weeks we have seen a downward trend both in the percent positive from test results, and we’ve also seen a downward trend in the total number of cases and case incidence per 100,000,” McKay said. “So we believe at this point after three weeks or so of a downward trend, that we’ve worked our way beyond the surge but also recognize that there is always that potential for increased cases and transmission in the community.” Charlottesville City Council has denied a special use permit for additional density at a site in Belmont that would have added 11 units at 1000 Monticello Road. Brian Haluska is a city planner. “1000 Monticello Road already has a development on it, so that project as its currently developed has more units than what the zoning would allow,” Haluska said. “The project was built in the 70’s and was rezoned in 2003.”That rezoning was part of a comprehensive rezoning across the city. This portion of Belmont was put in the Neighborhood Commercial Corridor category, which is why there are so many restaurants clustered nearby. Several members of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition asked Council to deny the permit. Laura Goldblatt is a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority and a Belmont resident. “It doesn’t meet the affordability that we need,” Goldblatt said. “One of the things that we need to demand of developers is affordable housing. The only way we’re going to start to see a lack of displacement and that we’re going to see Charlottesville be more inclusive and welcoming is if developers really have their feet held to the fire and have to do it.”  Many expressed anger that the owner, Piedmont Realty Holdings III LLC, raised rents in the current building after purchasing the property in February 2019 for $2.75 million. Haluska said staff could not take that into consideration.“Past actions of an applicant are not something we take into account and you can kind of get into trouble with that when you do that,” Haluska said.He also said the number of units proposed in the new structure do not trigger provisions in the city code that require a portion of them to be sold or rented to people whose incomes are less than 80 percent of the area median (AMI). (link to code) “Altogether this project does not have enough square footage within all of its buildings including the new building to make it over that line,” Haluska said. The applicant had volunteered to make five units comply with the city’s affordable dwelling unit policy anyway, at roughly 65 percent of the AMI. However, Council did not trust the guarantee. Here’s Councilor Lloyd Snook.“To me the issue is, are we as a city better off if we have 11 units, five of which are affordable at this roughly 65 percent of AMI,” Snook said. Councilor Michael Payne was among the three Councilors who voted to deny. “Just because an SUP is in front of us doesn’t mean we have to approve it,” Payne said. “It’s our policy decision and we can evaluate all SUPs on the merits and make a policy decision there. Given the adverse neighborhood impacts, the fact that it doesn’t conform with our Comprehensive Plan, the existing zoning there, and under our current ordinance for the criteria for standards for issuance I think there is a strong case to be made that there are adverse neighborhood impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.”Payne made a motion to recommend denial and it carried 3-2. Mayor Nikuyah Walker and Vice Mayor Sena Magill voted to deny and Snook and Councilor Heather Hill voted to approve. A rewrite of the city’s affordable housing policy is underway. The public comment period for the draft has closed, but the document is available for review. The Planning Commission will discuss the draft at their meeting on February 9. (draft affordable housing plan)The Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors has released its home sales report for the final quarter of calendar year 2020. In summary, mortgage rates are at a historic low which may be fueling recent activity in the market. (download the report)“Sales are surging in the CAAR area housing market,” reads the executive summary of the report. “There were 1,278 sales in the 4th quarter, a 23 percent jump from last year.”There has also been an increase in the median sales price, which was $348,050 in the region during the period, or a 13 percent rise over the previous year. There are also fewer homes on the market, which is likely contributing to the increase in sales prices. The report covers the same jurisdictions in the Thomas Jefferson Area Planning District. They are Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. Download the reportFor the second year in a row, the Virginia Festival of the Book will not be held in person this March. However, the festival will proceed virtually from March 13 through March 26 on both Zoom and Facebook Live. More than forty events will be held with authors and all of it is free to the viewing audience. But if you can’t wait until then, there are many recorded events available on-demand at vabook.org. There are also several events coming up this month as part of their Shelf Life program. The festival has been running since 1995 and is a service of Virginia Humanities. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Do you have triskaidekaphobia? Then today is not the day for you, for it is November 13th, 2020, the second time this year that the 13th day of the month has fallen on a Friday. The last time was back in March, and we all know what happened next. So let’s be extra careful today after hearing this installment of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newscast and newsletter. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs. Today's Patreon-fueled shout-out is from a supporter who wants you to consider a donation for Monica Johnson, a Pro Strongwoman who will be competing in a charity powerlifting event on November 21 called Make Every Rep Count. Gregory Carey-Medlock is donating 30 cents for every pound Monica squats to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. You can choose between three other charities.  Learn more at Shenandoah Power. Sponsors accepted through November 14. There are another 1,235 cases of COVID-19 in Virginia today, and the seven-day average for positive tests remains at 6.5 percent for a second straight day. The seven day-average for new daily cases is 1,499. In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are four new cases today. This is a good time to remind you that these numbers are always subject to change as new information comes in. For instance, Albemarle’s total number of cases dropped by one to 1,688 since the pandemic began. This could mean that the person’s locality was originally reported incorrectly. Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson all added one case each. The seven-day average for new daily cases in the district is 22 and the percent positivity has increased to 2.1 percent. The University of Virginia COVID-19 tracker shows 66 active cases with 47 of them students. These numbers have been increasing this week and watch for an update later on this afternoon.*Flood waters have receded all across Virginia, and the Town of Scottsville has contended with the highest level the James River has reached since 2010. According to the National Weather Service, the river crested at 19.5 feet and will slowly lower throughout the next 24 hours. The town’s fire department reached the second stage of flood control alert and closed off the flood control walls at Perry Street. Scottsville has experienced many floods throughout its history, according to the Scottsville Museum. A levee has been in place since 1990.*Charlottesville’s appointed officials sought fiscal clarity from Charlottesville’s elected officials during a budget work session last night that sought to gauge Council’s willingness to seek additional revenues to pay for major projects. John Blair is the interim city manager. “As you all know there are a number of large scale capital projects that have been talked about in various iterations through the past few years but what I’ve asked our budget team is to provide you with some numbers that are going to demonstrate using your debt capacity for various projects,” Blair said.  Blair said that the city is close to its debt capacity and more projects will likely require tax increases, but he said that topic was not directly before them. Blair’s budget for FY2022 will not be unveiled until March. It will also be the first to be prepared under this Council. “Obviously I think a number of you have interest in various capital needs whether it be affordable housing, education, infrastructure,” Blair said. He also said this would send a message to would-be city managers about the kind of city this Council wants it to be. For now, the budget is in the very early stages of formation because exact revenues aren’t yet known.  Budget staff needed to know Council’s thoughts on whether to change a key policy to increase the amount of bonds that could be sold to pay for capital projects. Doing so will increase the amount the city needs to spend on debt service to pay back those who buy those bonds for a steady return. We have been in fiscal year 2021 since July 1, and a decision was made by Council earlier this year to continue with $25.8 million of projects in the capital budget, and they signaled support for a total five-year plan of $124.1 million. “We were going to fund $84 million of this five year plan with bonds, and if you recall, due to COVID, just about all of the cash that was originally intended to go to the CIP was held in a reserve with the general fund to offset any of the unknowns,” said Krissy Hammill, Senior Budget and Management Analyst for the city of Charlottesville. Practice has been to use a mixture of cash and bonds to pay for capital projects and since 2010, the average has been 37 percent. For this year’s capital budget, 93 percent will be paid for through bonds. Currently the city has about $90 million in government debt, $80 million of which is for bonds that have been approved for projects but not yet issued.“That means that we typically issue bonds on a cash-needed basis so we don’t issue the bonds until the project is either imminent or underway because we do have spending requirements that once we issue the bonds we typically need to spend that money within 24 months,” Hammill said.Hammill said the city has been building up a fund balance to help reduce the amount of cash that needs to go to debt service each year. But at some point, the city will need additional cash from property taxes to make up the difference. Hammill showed a hypothetical situation where $32 million in new bonds are floated each year through FY2027. That would increase the debt service steadily over time, from $11 million in F2022 to $19.2 million by FY2026. “You’ve basically built in the need for a penny of additional revenue, that’s equivalent to basically a penny a year,” Hammill said, adding that in further years, the need for additional revenues would continue to grow. To put it colloquially, Hammill effectively stated that the city can float an additional $52 million in bonds without maxing out the credit card. Potential projects include additional spending at the future parking garage, reconfiguration of city schools and continued investments in affordable housing. What did Council have to say? I’ll have a report out on that by tomorrow morning, potentially in a Saturday edition of this program. (take a look at the slides)*The city of Charlottesville is looking for a new human resources director. City spokesman Brian Wheeler confirmed Thursday that Michele Vineyard will leave the position after just over a year. The job is advertised for between $100,000 and $156,178 and the position closes on November 30. Vineyard began work on October 21, 2019 at a salary of $145,000 according to an article that month in the Daily Progress.  Wheeler said she will continue to work with the city on a part-time basis to help with the transition to a new director. *How can communities across the mid-Atlantic prepare for predicted bouts of irregular weather and erratic storms? The nonprofit group Resilient Virginia is seeking to draw awareness to the importance of creating plans to be ready for sudden shocks and stresses related to climate change. Annette Osso is the group's managing director. "As we know and we've seen the Commonwealth is facing increasing challenges from extreme weather events whether they be storms, flooding, sea level rise, tornadoes, and unpredictable weather patterns that impact economic and social life," Osso said November 9 during the latest presentation that is part of her group's 2020 Resiliency Academy. Speakers were from the Resilient Rural America Project, which creates educational modules for residents and decision-makers in rural areas on how to increase resilience. Dr. Gwen Griffith is the program director of the Model Forest Policy Program. "The rural lands and waters are vital to all of us, urban and rural alike, in terms of serving our needs," Griffith said. "Rural economics of course is a vital part. It's the underpinning of all of our other economic systems."Griffith said those services include rivers that provide water to urban areas, and trees and lands that offset greenhouse gas emissions. "And those natural services are definitely being impacted as changes conditions are happening around the globe and right here in Virginia," Griffith said. "And the most common form of those changes is being seen as extreme weather impacts." Griffith said in the last five years, there has been $535 billion worth of disaster losses due to extreme weather. However, she said those dollars can sometimes be considered an investment if they can restore conditions in a way that mitigates future weather effects. "We know now that for example when you do flood mitigation for river flooding, you could have a return of as much of $7 in savings from every $1 you invest in that mitigation activity," Griffith said.   Next up for Resilient Virginia is planning for the conference coming up next July.  A slide from Griffith’s presentation. Download the whole thing from the Resilient Virginia page for their 2020 Resiliency Academy*The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is further extending hours for curbside service at the Central Library and the Gordon Avenue Library. “We're pleased to offer more options for patrons picking up curbside items; adding an additional evening for those working during the day, and Monday morning for those who want to pick up earlier in the week,” said Camille Thompson, Gordon Avenue Library Branch Manager.Central Library (curbside service only): Mondays 10am to 7pm; Tuesdays through Saturdays 10am to 5pm; Sundays 1pm to 5pmGordon Avenue Library (curbside service only): Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 7pm; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 10am to 4pmThere are also expanded hours at the Greene County Library and the Louisa County Library. For more information about hours and services, visit jmrl.org.In addition, the Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library will begin collecting donations for its annual book sale at the Gordon Avenue location only, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I’ll repeat - at the Gordon Avenue location only. *Looking for a movie to go and see tomorrow night? The City of Charlottesville will show the 2013 film Free Birds about two turkeys who travel back in time to prevent the advent of Thanksgiving. Tickets for the event at Charlottesville High School are $20 a car load. (buy tickets)*In meetings today, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority will hold an emergency meeting on safety issues today at 2 p.m. to discuss recent violence, the police response, and the hiring of Millennium Security. (meeting link)If you're looking for something to listen to, consider a radio play from Live Arts! They will debut ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA IN SPACE! The work on YouTube is written and directed by Alexander Bulova, a videographer, writer, and director living in Fairfax, Virginia. (learn more)*One correction today. Yesterday I reported on State Farm deciding to vacate its operations center on Pantops. I incorrectly stated they owned the property when in fact it is held by an investment group called JDM II SF NATIONAL LLC which purchased many State Farms operations centers across the country in 2014, from another group that purchased them from State Farm in 2013. The property records in Albemarle’s GIS lists the same Bloomington, Indiana, address for the owner as the corporate office of the insurance company.Before you go, if you’ve enjoyed this program and would like it to continue, please consider a financial contribution.  Support my research by making a donation through PatreonSign for a subscription to Charlottesville Community Engagement, free or paidPay me through Venmo This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today's Patreon-fueled shout-out is from a supporter who wants you to consider a donation for Monica Johnson, a Pro Strongwoman who will be competing in a charity powerlifting event on November 21 called Make Every Rep Count. Gregory Carey-Medlock is donating 30 cents for every pound Monica squats to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. You can choose between three other charities.  Learn more at Shenandoah Power. Sponsors accepted through November 14. Today marks eight months since Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus, and localities soon followed suit. The seven-day average for positive COVID-19 tests has jumped to 6.5 percent today, up from 6.2 percent yesterday. That number was 4.5 percent on October 12. The Virginia Department of Health reports another 1,521 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth today, bringing the seven-day daily average to 1,546. There have been another 17 deaths reported in the last day, bringing the total to 3,758. There has been another death in the Blue Ridge Health District bringing the total to 79. The deceased is a resident of Albemarle County. Since the pandemic began, all of the fatalities have been of people over the age of 50. There are another 28 cases in the district and the 7-day daily average is now 27. That consists of 16 from Charlottesville, seven from Albemarle, four from Greene, and one from Fluvanna.  Since the pandemic began, there have been a total of 4,761 cases in the district. Of those, nearly 45 percent have been in people between the ages of 10 and 30. People over the age of 80 have made up 5.1 percent of cases, but 59.5 percent of all fatalities. Looking at Southwest Virginia, cases have been increasing in VDH’s Far Southwest region for 52 days and the percent positivity is 13.7 percent. Outbreaks in congregate centers are also increasing. The percent positivity rate in the Near Southwest region is 5.9 percent and the number of cases has been increasing for 20 days. Percent positivity in the Eastern region is 5.6 percent, 5.9 percent in the Central region and 6.7 percent in the Northern region. Albemarle and Charlottesville are within the Northwest region, where cases have been increasing for 21 days and the percent positivity is 5.3 percent.  (VDH’s region metrics page)Source: Virginia Department of HealthSeveral inches of rain fell on the area within the past day, and the National Weather Service depicts the North Fork of the Rivanna River near Earlysville above flood stage this morning with a projected crest of 17.48 feet. Flood stage is 14 feet. The James River is expected to crest at 20.7 feet sometime early tomorrow morning with flood stage considered at 20 feet. The Town of Scottsville announced on their Twitter feed that flood control pumping is underway and that people should use caution if going to view the river. Source: National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Projection Services*State Farm Insurance will no longer use the building it owns on Pantops as an operations center. The Albemarle office is one of 12 such facilities that will be closed but employees will continue to work from home. “Most employees assigned to these locations have been working from home since March and will continue to do so,” said Gina Morss-Fischer, a public affairs specialist with State Farm. “As a company, maintaining flexibility in how and where we work is just one of the many ways we can better serve customers.” Morss-Fischer said a timeline will be developed for the withdrawal from the facilities. The 35 acre property is owned by the company. The future land use map in the Pantops Master Plan considers the area an employment district. (page 32, here!) Source: Albemarle GIS*Parents and guardians of students in Charlottesville City Schools have until tomorrow to tell school officials whether they plan to return to in-person instruction or remain online-only. The city School Board has not yet made a final decision for how to proceed in January and February but there is a plan. “For students in pre-K through 6th grade we would offer four days a week in-person and with Fridays like they are now,” said school spokeswoman Krissy Vick in a video about the Return to Learn plan. “For students at Buford, [Charlottesville High School] and Lugo-McGinness Academy, the in-person option would be two days a week at school and three days virtual.”All students will be required to comply with a safety plan and would be asked to quarantine if there was a case in their classroom.  The “learning intent form” also requests whether the pupils will need bus services and states that such service will be extremely limited. More information is available on the school’s Return to Learn website.*Albemarle County moved to a hybrid in-person model this week, but all school buildings will be closed today due to concerns over flooding. The School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. and will get a COVID-19 update from Superintendent Matt Haas. The presentation included in the packet cites low positive percentivity and a 14-day trend of decreasing caseloads. (presentation)Other items on the agenda include approval of the design for the Boys and Girls Club facility planned for the Lambs Lane Campus and an update on implementation of the division’s anti-racism policy. On the consent agenda, they will also approve schematic design for High School Center II, for which funds have not yet been appropriated. (agenda)Schools in Greene County are also closed today.Credit: Bushman Dreyfus Architects*Today at noon, the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership will unveil a new online portal intended to connect people who are looking for housing units whose costs are partially covered with a subsidy or otherwise made affordable. Chip Boyles is the executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, which runs the housing partnership.“The goal started out to be to help both families and property owners search for and market affordable housing,” Boyles said. “And then the pandemic hit and we determined that there was a much more immediate need to pursue assistance for rental housing knowing that a lot of people might be relocating due to negative effects of the pandemic.” Boyles said the project will concentrate on rental housing at first but will add for sale units. “Even at the regional level there are very few for-sale products in the inventory and so having a search tool with only a very limited number of products is not going to be very useful to people,” Boyles said. Boyles said the regional housing locator will likely soon include Augusta County because of the large number of people who work in the Charlottesville area but reside in that community.  Register for the event in order to attend.  *Today in meetings, there’s an awful lot going on today. Charlottesville City Council meets at 6 p.m. for a work session on the capital improvement program. That’s the separate budget that lays out what big projects the city is going to work on in the next five years. The agenda for meeting states they will discuss the idea of adding additional floors to a future municipal parking garage, whether to spend money to improve access to the Dogwood Memorial in McIntire Park, and funding improvements that would address traffic safety on 5th Street. A petition calling for the latter now has 1,374 signatures. The main thrust of the meeting is a discussion of current debt and whether taxes may have to be increased to pay for future capital projects. A chart in the presentation projects increased spending on debt service in the next few years. Around $10.6 million is expected to be spent on debt service in the current fiscal year, but that is expected to be over $15 million by FY2027. Of concern is whether the city can continue to keep its AAA bond rating, which keeps interest payments lower. The current draft of an affordable housing plan being created as part of the Cville Plans Together initiative calls for $10 million a year in funding to increase the number of below-market units in the city. Other questions include if the city wants to proceed with a long-planned project to reconfigure city schools and how it should proceed with future phases of the West Main Streetscape.  (presentation)Other meetings:The Crozet Community Advisory Committee meets virtually at 7 p.m. and review community input to date on the Crozet Master Plan update. They will also look at a draft Future Land Use Map that seeks to guide the direction of growth in the unincorporated designated growth area. (meeting info)The Albemarle Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Committee will meet at 4 p.m. On the agenda is a presentation from Patrick McDonald of Sonoco Recycling. (meeting info)Interested in the idea of a pedestrian bridge to connect eastern Charlottesville with the Pantops area of Albemarle County? The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will hold a meeting to demonstrate a feasibility study for two options. One would cost $11.3 million while the other would cost $15.3 million. Neither the Board of Supervisors or Charlottesville City Council have discussed such a project, though the two communities did participate in a 2014 study the TJPDC conducted that looked at alternatives to relieve congestion on Free Bridge. (feasibility study)The Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board meets at 6:30 p.m. and will get a review from Delegate Sally Hudson on legislation on civilian oversight that passed the special session. (agenda)The Charlottesville Community Development Block Grant Task Force at 3:30 p.m. (meeting info)The Louisa County Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. in person at the the Louisa County office building. (agenda) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Support today comes from Soul House Love, Charlottesville's Guide to Alternative Wellness. This Friday, Soul House Love is taking reservations for a New Moon Ceremony in a gorgeous outdoor location, with powerful guided meditations to cleanse your energy. Visit soulhouselove.com for more information and to reserve your spot.*There are more positive cases reported from the Fluvanna Women’s Correctional Facility today and the first cluster of cases has been reported at the University of Virginia. Of the 84 new cases reported in the Thomas Jefferson Health District today, 48 of those in Fluvanna County. Yesterday there were 41 new cases in Fluvanna. Testing has been conducted at the women’s prison this week, including all inmates and staff.  “The facility will conduct internal contact tracing for the women in the facility,” said Kathryn Goodman, spokeswoman for the TJHD. “Once the contact tracing on the inmates are completed, they share the information with TJHD. It would be a challenge for us to speak with the inmates so this is the best practice for these types of facilities. TJHD will conduct the contact tracing on staff as we do with any other cases.”There has been another COVID-19 death in Albemarle, for a total of 20 in the county and 63 in the district. There were 26 cases reported in Charlottesville.The Cavalier Daily reports there is an outbreak at a University of Virginia residence hall with testing revealing that five students tested positive. The 188 students in the Balz-Dobie dormitory have been told to quarantine while waiting for the results of tests that were conducted last night. It is unclear whether these cases are captured in the COVID-19 tracker, which was updated yesterday to add another five cases for a total of 378 total positive cases since August 17. The outbreak was also detected through monitoring of wastewater.  The Virginia Department of Health is reporting another 1,101 cases of COVID-19 today, and another 36 deaths. The higher-than-usual death rate stems from a data backlog according to officials. The statewide seven-day average for positive tests is at 6.7 percent today, down from 6.9 percent yesterday.   Before the news was announced, the Albemarle Supervisors were briefed by officials from the TJHD, including Ryan McKay. (download the presentation) “We’re certainly seeing increased number of cases among students,” McKay said. “We’re beginning to see some cases that are occurring on Grounds. Working with UVA, we meet with them on a daily basis to make sure we are communicating regularly, with transparency between what we’re seeing in terms of numbers, what they’re seeing, and then how we’re trying to support students.” McKay told Albemarle Supervisors that the area is moving towards more community transmission in urban areas. “And I think this is largely attributable to case counts that have been seen and positivity rates certainly in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County,” McKay said. “We are seeing increased numbers here in Charlottesville.”*The Virginia Senate has passed legislation requiring most utilities to develop debt repayment plans for those who have not been able to pay for electric, gas, or water service. The legislation sponsored by Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9) was approved 24 to 12 with one abstention. (bill)*The Virginia Department of Historic Resources today will meet to consider nominations for two area properties to be listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. One is Jackson P. Burley High School on Rose Hill Drive.“Opened in 1951 as a joint high school for African-American students in both Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Burley graduated its last high school class in 1967,” reads the Burley nomination. “Burley is great, and that it continues to function as a school is I think fantastic and I can say as a coach in the city schools and at Charlottesville High School, I wish the student athletes would go over there and walk the halls at Burley and see the accomplishments of back in the fifties and early sixties,” said Jeff Werner, the city’s historic preservation planner. “It’s just an extraordinary place.”The other is River View Farm, which is now known as the Carr-Greer House at the Ivy Creek Natural Area. “River View Farm was established by Hugh Carr, born enslaved, with an initial down payment on land in 1870 near the confluence of Ivy Creek and the Rivanna River,” reads that nomination. “By the time of his death in 1914, Carr had amassed a farm totaling 108 acres, and was among the largest African American landowners in Albemarle County.” The State Review Board meets at 1 p.m. (agenda)*The Jefferson Madison Regional Library has announced it will reopen some library branches for limited hours by appointment, and that curbside service hours will be extended at the others. The in-person hours wil bel offered at rural branches in outlying counties. “JMRL has worked hard to be able to re-open some doors, and is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the people of Greene, Louisa, and Nelson inside library buildings again,” said JMRL director David Plunkett in a statement. “The Library knows that the people in these communities need access to the resources in their local libraries, and are glad to be able to offer these again on a limited and safe basis.” Beginning Monday, the limited in-person appointment services can be used for up to 45 minutes by five individuals at a time. This is a move to tier 3 service, down from tier 4. Additional curbside service will come to Northside and Crozet libraries beginning on September 28. Call for more information. Louisa County Library: 540.894.5853Greene County Library: 434.985.5227Nelson Memorial Library: 434.263.5904In local meetings today, The Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee meets at 5 p.m. Among the items on the agenda is a discussion of using volunteers to clear out invasive species in county parks. (meeting info) (agenda)The Places 29 North Community Advisory Committee meeting that had been scheduled for tonight has been canceled. The 5th and Avon Community Advisory Committee meets at 7 p.m. The group will get an update on the High School Center II that is planned for county-owned property off of Mill Creek Drive near Monticello High School.  (meeting info)The Charlottesville Human Rights Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. (meeting info)At 2 p.m., the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia will take a look at Sabato’s Crystal Ball in a virtual event. (watch) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Former Vice Mayor Dede Smith and Christopher Eagle, Realtor for Real Estate III, joined me live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show headlines (Wednesday, Sept 9) 1. BreadWorks is closing. BreadWorks has provided workforce training and jobs to people with disabilities since 1967. Show the attached picture. 2. Charlottesville Settlement Company hires virtual teaching assistant to help employees with children with online school https://www.nbc29.com/2020/09/08/charlottesville-company-hires-virtual-teaching-assistant-help-employees-children-with-online-school/ 3. Boys & Girls Club forms a partnership with Fry's Spring Beach Club. https://www.nbc29.com/2020/09/09/frys-spring-beach-club-partners-with-boys-girls-clubs-central-virginia/ 4. The Charlottesville City Market is moving to a paved parking lot at Charlottesville High School. Why is this happening? Why is the City Market not at Ix Art Park or the Kim's Market on Cherry Avenue? https://www.cbs19news.com/story/42608953/city-market-moving-to-charlottesville-high-schools-parking-lots 5. Charlottesville City Schools experienced an internet outage yesterday https://www.cbs19news.com/story/42604231/charlottesville-city-schools-experience-internet-outage 6. Charlottesville City Council approves mixed use development on West Market Street https://www.nbc29.com/2020/09/08/charlottesville-city-council-approves-mixed-use-development-west-market-street/ 7. Should college football teams be paying thousands of dollars to rent hotel rooms for players, coaches and support staff before gamedays when their athletic departments are bleeding money and begging the community for money and help? https://richmond.com/sports/college/exclusive-college-football-teams-spend-millions-staying-in-hotels-before-home-games/article_f58134a8-5c5c-51ad-a783-4540bcb96a16.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Richmond_Times-Dispatch&fbclid=IwAR00wiF0E2Dy4muIjN7t-VLLtAapHkZ8t07EOG9PA-j5dYJibvfsZJfqZ4A 8. https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-seeks-to-hire-independent-counsel-for-crb/article_ce1e7ada-27ee-552f-bb22-f0a865d3db19.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest 9. Are New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and New Governor Andrew Cuomo the grim reapers of restaurants in the Big Apple? https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/bill-de-blasio-and-andrew-cuomo-wish-death-on-nyc-restaurants/ 10. The Monday Night Football intro song by Hank Williams just got pink slipped by ESPN https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/08/hank-williams-jr-replaced-mnf/ 11. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29844765/sources-acc-coaches-propose-tournament-all-division-teams 12. https://roanoke.com/news/local/education/virginia-tech-to-move-70-students-to-free-up-quarantine-space/article_ad1673a0-a702-5f84-9962-b7cd89be1987.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 The I Love CVille Show airs live before a worldwide audience Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. The I Love CVille Show is powered by four generation strong Intrastate Inc., trusted limo company Camryn Limousine, the talented Dr. Scott Wagner of Scott Wagner Chiropractic and Sports Medicine, custom home builder John Kerber of Dominion Custom Homes and entrepreneur Patricia Boden Zeller's Animal Connection – All Natural Store for Healthy Pets.

Charlotte Rene Woods updates us on an idea to create a mobile crisis unit to respond to 911 calls when there’s a mental health concern. And we talk to  Kaymin Hester, a Charlottesville High School student, whose essay about the twelve African-American students who integrated Charlottesville City Schools was awarded in the Jefferson School’s Liberation and Freedom Days essay contest.

Tina Vasquez is a first generation American, and so are the students she teaches at Charlottesville High School. But their experiences as immigrants are very different. Tina came to America with her parents from Germany; one of her students arrived from Central America via a truck concealing layers of humans stacked on each other and a subsequent walk across a desert. Other students have never been to school before, never sat at a desk – spending their lives working in agricultural fields to help support their families. Her students most often arrive alone, hoping to connect with family members resettled there by the International Rescue Committee. And they look to Tina hoping to develop survival language skills, social emotional skills and friends.Today we visit with Tina Vasquez, teacher of Newcomer Students at Charlottesville High School in Charlottesville, VA. Tina is a new 2020 Fellow who designed a fellowship to attend the International Colloquium on Languages, Cultures, and Identity in Schools and Society, in Soria, Spain. When she executes her plans next summer, she will begin on the shores of southern Spain where most refugees arrive by boat, attend and present at the Colloquium, research across Spain innovative programming addressing the refugee issue, and complete a home stay. All of this to explore the impact of ethnic and cultural identity-related issues on academic success in Newcomer high school refugee and immigrant English Learners and develop new approaches that support them.

We’ve got class. We spoke with Andrea Press, internationally known for her scholarship on the cultural impact of the U.S. media. Charlottesville High School principal Eric Irizarry talked with us about gun violence, school safety, and the creative ways his school is making students feel welcome.… Read More

Independent Nikuyah Walker is a candidate for Charlottesville City Council. Two of the five seats on council will be determined in the November 7 general election. Other candidates in this race include John Hall (I), Heather Hill (D), Kenneth Jackson (I), Amy Laufer (D), Paul Long (I).  Each candidate was interviewed by Charlottesville Tomorrow and asked 10 questions about their qualifications, priorities and important quality of life issues.  Included in the box at the right are links to the full transcript and audio recording of those interviews. Bio: My name is Nikuyah Walker. I’m a native of Charlottesville. I graduated from Charlottesville High School in 1998 and then went on to Virginia Commonwealth University where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2004. Education: Virginia Commonwealth University BA- Political Science Occupation: City of Charlottesville - Parks and Recreation - Rec Aide Previous political experience: None Age on Election Day: 37 Neighborhood or area of residence: Belmont Family: I have three children. Other interests and experiences: Music, Theatre and Reading.  Telephone: (434) 882-1805 Email: nwcvillecouncilrun17@gmail.com Website: www.votenikuyahforcouncil.com Download

Juandiego Wade is a candidate for the Charlottesville School Board. Three of seven at-large seats on the board will be determined in the November 7 election. Wade is an incumbent and there are no contested races. Each candidate was interviewed by Charlottesville Tomorrow and asked 11 questions about their qualifications, priorities and important education issues. Included in the box at the right are links to the full transcript and audio recording of those interviews.    Education: Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning from Norfolk State University Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia  Current Occupation: Career Counselor with Albemarle County Department of Social Services Previous political experience: None Age on Election Day: 51 Neighborhood: Locust Grove Hometown: Richmond, Virginia Family: Married to Claudette Grant for nearly 25 years. We have a 15 years daughter, Gabriella a 10th grader at Charlottesville High School. My mother-in-law has lived with us for the past four years. I grew up in a family with five brothers and sisters (think Brady Brunch). My father was a teacher in Richmond Public Schools for nearly 40 years. Interests: I am a Christian and love my church- Olivet Presbyterian Church. I love to mentor and volunteer. I have mentees through several organizations including Computer 4 kids, 100 Black Men of Central Virginia, Olivet Presbyterian Church, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. I cherish the City of Charlottesville and all that it stands for. Phone number: 434-293-7432 Email: juanschoolboard@yahoo.com Download

Independent Kenneth Jackson is a candidate for Charlottesville City Council. Two of the five seats on council will be determined in the November 7 general election. Other candidates in this race include John Hall (I), Heather Hill (D), Amy Laufer (D), Paul Long (I), and Nikyuah Walker (I).  Each candidate was interviewed by Charlottesville Tomorrow and asked 10 questions about their qualifications, priorities and important quality of life issues.  Included in the box at the right are links to the full transcript and audio recording of those interviews. Bio: Kenny Jackson is a 50-year- old native of Charlottesville, Virginia who would be honored to serve on Charlottesville City Council. Kenny firmly believes that local government needs to govern for the people, be accessible and answerable to them. The role of government is to promote and foster an environment in which people can flourish and contribute to the well-being of their communities. Education: Kenny attended Burnley Moran and Clark Elementary Schools; Buford Middle School; and graduated from Charlottesville High School in 1986. Kenny studied Business Management at Piedmont Virginia Community College and Criminal Justice at Southside Virginia Community College. He received a Certificate in Political Studies from the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. Occupation: Kenny has 30 years’ experience in business management and has held supervisory roles. Previous political experience: Ran as a Republican for City Council in 2004 Age on Election Day: 50 Neighborhood: Johnson Village Hometown: Charlottesville Family: He is the proud father of a 28-year- old daughter who attended and graduated from the Charlottesville Public School System. Other interests and experiences: Since the age of 18, Kenny has been involved in Community Service Boards and organizations in and around Charlottesville. Telephone: (434) 390-7598 Email: kwj34@embarqmail.com Website: www.kennyjacksoncville.com Download