Ice, snow and frigid temperatures be damned, 275 well-heeled patrons and artists pile into the stately University of Virginia Art Museum on Rugby Road on Saturday, December 7. Anticipation, tuxes and formal gowns surround the 55 donated pieces to be silently auctioned at “Seeing Double,” the fete sponsored by the Young Friends of the Museum.
In its seventh year, this is the museum’s one and only annual fundraiser, and one of its most important social events, too, which tout le monde Charlottesville wants to attend. “It’s so much fun to float around here and see old friends,” says Ruth Hart, editor of Albemarle Magazine, who herself is floating around in a black (naturally) close-fitting dress. “Seeing Double” has its more mercenary aspects too: “I actually meet a lot of new clients at this event,” says caterer John Eddowes.
Other than funds from grants and annual gifts, the museum’s special programs depend on this fundraiser. That’s especially true in these lean times. “It is getting more and more difficult to fund something like a summer camp,” says Mike Alexander, director of annual giving at the museum. “Due to the state of the economy, we can no longer rely on big corporations to make large donations.”
Last year’s auction, “Favorite Things,” collected $14,000 for the museum, $8,000 of which went toward the museum’s 2002 summer art camp. It’s priced at $300 per child for a two-week session. More than half of the children who attend are designated for scholarships due to learning disabilities or social disadvantages. “We try to bring at-risk kids from around the City into the program,” says Alexander. “Kids who excel in art or just plain love it who might not get this chance anywhere else.”
With members of the sparkly crowd mingling like lights on a small-town marquee, it’s not easy to discern the hob-nobbers from the art lovers from the foodies from the people who just want to feel those tuxes on their backs one more time. By night’s end, the tickets of $40 and upwards amount to a $10,000 kitty.
As for the art, a lot of local stuff is available at a relative steal. Lubricated by the rich reds and whites of Barboursville Vineyards, many patrons eye the mixed media, metal sculpture, watercolors and photographs and want to buy them for prices ranging between $25 and $500. Your correspondent, in fact, bids $30 on a Beate Casati mixed media entitled “Double Merry Bird Bag,” but loses it to a higher bidder. Other well-known artists such as John Ruseau, Sharon Shapiro, Sarah Sargent, John McCarthy and Edward Thomas are accumulating substantial bids themselves, including a Sam Abell black and white photograph, which, by the close of the bidding, is going for nearly $1,000. Six pieces of art were donated by last summer’s campers themselves, raising more than $400 for next year’s camp.
As the tolling bell, which had been delayed 15 minutes by the hope of late-entry bids by John Grisham, strikes mild anxiety into the bejeweled, those who are placing last bids edge to the front with aggressive civility. Others crane, in a well-mannered way, of course, to see the best-selling author before he departs. Still others head upstairs to collect their new acquisitions. In all, it’s a bit of a crowd scene.
“Popularity for this event is definitely growing,” says Young Friends President Erica Goldfarb. “We had artists calling us to donate this year. And every single piece we had sold.”—Kathryn E. Goodson
Jailhouse rock
Jail board entertains, but can’t pay for inmate services
As the scant crowd assembled for a meeting of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Authority on Thursday, December 12, probably none expected a musical performance would accompany the noontime proceedings. Superintendent John Isom had a surprise for them.
At first, all anybody knew was that Isom was wondering whether the jail had any money. Then something started beeping a festive tune. Everyone looked around, trying to figure out who forgot to turn off his cell phone. Sensing the source was near, Isom lifted a stack of fairly expensive reports on inmate overcrowding at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Joint Security Complex to see if the noise might be coming from under the piled binders, but no.
Then he noticed his tie. The flame of red polyester decorated with triangular green trees and happy snowmen that Isom wore around his neck also, he seemed to realize just at that moment, played Christmas carols.
Isom laughed and flipped the fabric over his shoulder, where it continued to chirp behind him as he returned to what he was saying: “The question is, do we have the money?”
Isom spoke in a way that told Pam Smith, executive director of Offender Aid and Restoration: No, we won’t pay you for the work you do. Thanks for asking!
For 30 years the non-profit organization OAR has provided pre-release counseling, life skills instruction, guidance in parenting and anger management for prisoners. “Pretty much whatever a person needs,” says Smith. She had hoped the Jail Authority would pay an OAR employee $16.48 per hour to spend 10 hours a week at the Joint Security Complex, with a total of $11,721 to cover work for the remaining fiscal year and 2003.
OAR is one of many human service agencies thrown into financial uncertainty during the State budget crisis. In fact, OAR’s major money source, Pre- and Post-Incarceration Services (PAPIS), will be completely eliminated as of December 31. Smith, like many directors, is scrambling to find resources wherever she can.
“My job has become full-time fundraiser,” Smith told the board. “I really don’t like doing this.”
OAR’s work to prevent recidivism is, in Isom’s words, “very valuable” to the jail, but there’s simply not enough money in next year’s $3.18 million budget to spend a few thousand dollars on something that might actually stop inmates from coming back.
Jail officials say as much as 90 percent of inmates are prisoners of the Drug War, yet there are few local treatment options. Smith says recidivism rates are hard to quantify, but in general inmates are 65 to 70 percent less likely to re-offend after they’ve particpated in OAR programs.
Charles Martin, who sits on both the Jail Authority and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, stepped in with some good news for OAR. “I think Blake [Caravati, City Councilor] and I can take care of it,” he told Smith. Caravati also sits on the jail board; he said he would bring the request to his fellow City Councilors.
Isom and the jail board have their own money problems. They just spent $17 million to solve overcrowding, yet the new 389-bed facility is currently home to more than 500 people [For more on the jail’s inmate surplus, see EXTRA!, page 9]. At Thursday’s meeting, Isom suggested the board begin the process of expanding capacity yet again by requesting funding for another study, which some board members estimated could cost between $5,000 and $10,000.
Jail Authority Chairman Richard Jennings said the Board should consider “at least a draft plan” on what to do about overcrowding. “I’m just trying to get a conversation going,” said Jennings.
The nine-member group of City and County officials and appointed citizens that guides jail policy “isn’t like other boards,” says Caravati. “There are not a lot of closed meetings,” he says, which means the board only meets once a month to talk about running the jail.––John Borgmeyer
Albemarle Place skates through
Bad weather equals good timing for big development
As reported in last week’s Fishbowl [“Place your bets”], the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors prepped themselves for the public hearing on Albemarle Place, a proposed 1.7 million square foot amalgamation of shops, theaters, restaurants and residences comparable to Georgetown or Reston Town Center. But on Wednesday, December 11 at the Supervisors’ regularly scheduled meeting, being “prepared” for the hearing didn’t seem to be an issue.
With ice and rain blanketing the City of Charlottesville and schools and businesses closed around the County, there wasn’t one member of the public present to object during the hearing. The only people represented in the audience were Bruce MacLeod and Frank Cox, the big kahunas behind the up-and-coming mega-development.
Looking out at the empty room, Chairwoman Sally Thomas said, “Well, this will be one of the longest plans passed in the least amount of time in history.” After quick nods and chuckles from the Board, Supervisors passed the Comprehensive Plan Amendment 5-0 for the future rezoning of one of the busiest corners of the County—Hydraulic Road and Route 29N.
Although the Supes congratulated themselves on a job well done, there are still important decisions to make about traffic. In less than 15 years, the Virginia Department of Transportation predicts the intersection of Hydraulic and Route 29N will be in total gridlock unless major improvements are made. City Council criticizes the Supes for approving large projects like Albemarle Place, but then not doing enough to plan for traffic problems. Council is interested in building an overpass at the intersection and refuses to cut the controversial Western Bypass from its road plans until the County embraces the City’s traffic vision.
Supervisors are looking to developers MacLeod and Cox to build some road improvements along with their stores.
“Now that our application is activated,” Cox said after the meeting, “we’ll be using the next six months to pursue some positive advancements with the Planning Commission and the Virginia Department of Transportation.”
Aside from transportation issues, included in the amendment was the increase of the basic “footprint” (amount of space any one store can cover) from 65,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet. As the Cox company admits, although pleased, they accept it with some reluctance.
“Of course we wish we didn’t have any size restriction on our incoming retailers,” said Cox, “but we know that what the County is really saying is ‘No more big box development.’”
But in the fight for more square footage, Albemarle Place’s developers (who have currently spent $25 million dollars on planners, lawyer’s fees and land) hope their project doesn’t get mired in City-County political squabbling.
“We’re simply hoping our project doesn’t get caught up in a planning dispute that delays progress,” said Cox.
If all goes smoothly in the next stages of approval, which are expected to last through the spring, Albemarle Place, which in the end will cost owners Landonomics, Inc. and Ezon, Inc. more than $200 million dollars, could be breaking ground as early as the end of 2003. And though no retailers will allow the release of their names or details until the project is fully underway, in as little as 18 months the first phase of Albemarle Place could be completed.
“Over the next 50 years,” said Cox, “ I believe you are going to see more and more projects following this model of new urbanism.”—Kathryn E. Goodson