News & Views 4.19.2012

Carol Clarke, President of Montague, Miller & Co REALTORS® was a speaker during the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® 2012 Conference Week March 22-26 at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf-Astoria in Orlando, FL. With an increased attendance from the previous year, the event welcomed nearly 1,000 top real estate brokers, managers, relocation professionals, sponsors and guests attending from the U.S. and over a dozen countries around the world.  Participating brokerages represented a significant share of the U.S. real estate market, with annual sales production of over $225 billion.  Clarke, who presented information on Social Media Training for Real Estate Companies, was among a distinguished line-up of speakers.  

 

Carol Clarke brings nearly 30 years experience in residential, farm, estate, new homes, and relocation brokerage to her role as Montague, Miller’s President. Since joining Montague, Miller in late 1989, Clarke has helped grow the company. She has a long history of civic involvement; she is a past President of the Junior League of Charlottesville and the Virginia Association of Realtors. She has served or is serving on several boards including the Charlottesville Albemarle Chamber of Commerce, Crime Stoppers, The Emily Couric Leadership Forum and is past Chair of the United Way.  Carol frequently facilitates Real Estate Seminars and workshops on Strategic Planning, Management, Relocation and Marketing Strategies.

 

Clarke is currently serving a second term on the Virginia Real Estate Board, which she chaired in 2008 and 2009. Most recently, Carol has been honored with the 2008 Virginia Association of Realtors’ REALTOR of the Year award and in 2009, the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors’ Ethics in Action award.

 

 

Every Friday during the season, the Pavilion hosts a FREE concert showcasing local and regional talent. Over 65,000 people attend Fridays After Five per season, making it a signature event of downtown Charlottesville.  The 2012 season of Fridays After Five, presented by Bud Light, kicks off on April 20th and is sure to feature exciting artists and provide fun for music fans of all ages. The line-up consists of central Virginia’s favorite local artists performing in a wide variety of musical genres. The events are all free and a portion of the proceeds from the concessions sales go to benefit a variety of local non-profits.  For a list of programs, visit www.thenteloswirelesspavilion.com/fridays-after-five.

 

The spring brings with it many fun opportunities to get out and support Computers4Kids, a non-profit after-school technology mentoring program for low-income youth.  Two fund-raising events this month will bring in funding to help make a difference in the lives of C4K students! 

 

C4K is very fortunate to be the charity beneficiary for the Foxfield Races this year.  

 

On Friday, April 20, C4K will be hosting Boots & BBQ at the Foxfield Race Track from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  Tickets are $75 per person. 

 

Like to golf? On Monday, April 23, C4K will host a Scottish Golf Tournament at the Old Trail Golf Course in Crozet. 

 

To purchase tickets for the BBQ or download an entry form for the golf tournament, go to www.computers4kids.net  or call the office at 434.817.1121.

 

Dining Out for Life is an annual dining fundraising event raising money for AIDS service organizations. Dining Out for Life will happen in 60 cities across the country, including Charlottesville, on April 26.

 

ASG (Aids/HIV Services Group) is bringing Dining Out for Life to Charlottesville for the first time ever. Local restaurants agree to give a portion of their food and beverage sales to ASG, the local AIDS service organization.

 

All you have to do is go out to eat at the Nook, Sticks Kebob Shop on Preston, Blue Moon Diner, or Escafe, and you’ll be raising money for ASG. For more information, visit www.asgva.org/dining-out-for-life/

 

On April 14th the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) released the Cville Bike mApp, a free, bike mapping application for iPhone and Android. The App allows cyclists to record their trips and send the trip information to the MPO for transportation planning purposes. With an expected decrease in federal transportation funding, this data will help elected officials better determine where to invest in future cycling enhancements and improvements. More specifically, the App will allow transportation planners, to map cycling patterns, determine cycling corridors, identify cycling barriers and find appropriate locations for cycling facilities.

 

The App is available for download from iTunes and Google Marketplace. When activated, the App taps into a phone’s GPS. During the trip the App records GPS points every few seconds. Once the trip is complete, the user can anonymously upload the information to the Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO. The App also records some qualitative data such as, trip purpose, weather, cyclist capability (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and affiliation with the University of Virginia.

 

The MPO is offering prizes for participation in the data collection period. If a cyclist chooses to enter the raffle and records 10 rides, he or she is eligible to win a gift card or service from a local bicycle shop. Several local bike shops; Blue Ridge Cyclery, Blue Wheel Bicycles, Cville Bike Lab, and Cville Bike and Tri, have donated for this project.

 

The MPO will be collecting cycling data over an approximately one-month period, from April 14th to May 18th. Help local planners and elected officials improve cycling in Charlottesville and Albemarle. Remember, mApp it for Better Biking!

Go to www.cvillebikemapp.com for more information about the project.

Citizens’ Group Formed To Find Downtown Home for City Market

To build upon the hard work of the City-appointed City Market task force and its conclusions of July 2011, several members of that task force, in cooperation with Market Central, created the Charlottesville Market District Alliance (CMDA) in October 2011. 

 

The CMDA is dedicated to advancing the task force recommendation that the City Market be sited downtown, overlapping with its current location. The CMDA recently submitted a letter to City Council laying out a vision for how to do so. It stated the following:

The City Market should be a key part of a mixed-use urban development of the two full city blocks between Water St. and South St., between Second Street SW and Second Street SE, including the First Street right-of-way.  This mixed-use two-block development would constitute a Market District, which would incorporate a multi-use public plaza that would serve both as a home for the market, as well as a variety of other public uses, like outdoor dining and event space. The plaza would, in effect, be an extension of the Downtown Mall, and would connect with its pedestrian character, but with a crucial difference: it would be designed from the start to house a public market as one of its purposes. The plaza’s multiple uses, anchored by its market function, will make it a vibrant part of the urban core of the city. 

 

The Market District development would also include building space for a mix of office, retail, restaurant, and residential space, designed in ways that leverage the value of the public plaza, such as restaurants, store fronts and balconies that open onto the plaza. The CMDA vision will build on the design insights envisioned in several of the design proposals, including the winning proposal, in the 2007 Market Value design competition.

 

Working out implementable details of this vision will require skilled architects and designers, guided by a public-private partnership that includes CMDA and developers, balancing public space and viable private economic development.

 

The 12-member CMDA board explained its vision in more detail in a letter indicating that the City Council’s support for its vision is the first prerequisite for moving things forward. Dave Norris has publicly stated that finding a permanent downtown home for the City Market is his top priority for his next two years on council. A preliminary response to the Board’s letter from Norris asked that the letter be discussed at an upcoming Council meeting.

 

Runners and walkers alike are invited to participate in the annual Keswick Club Run/Walk in memory of Sally Carle.  The event begins at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 12 on the beautiful grounds of Keswick Hall. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. Pre-registration cost is $20; race day registration cost is $25.  

 

All proceeds benefit Hospice of the Piedmont, which provides care to patients and families throughout all stages of serious illness, dying, and grief, regardless of their ability to pay.

 

This year, for the first time, participants are encouraged to recruit individual sponsors to support their efforts.  

 

Visit www.hopva.org to download a registration form and additional details.  Or call the Keswick Fitness Center at (434) 923-4319 or Hospice of the Piedmont at (434) 972-3568.

 

A unique opportunity to visit ten acres of exquisite gardens overlooking 60-mile views of Piedmont Virginia will be offered 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13 at Mount Sharon, home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Seilheimer, Jr. in Orange, Virginia.

 

The gardens, regarded as one of the most beautiful private landscapes on the East Coast, was a five-year collaboration between the owners and noted Charlottesville, Virginia landscape architect, Charles J. Stick.  Ten integrated “garden rooms,” each with its own botanical theme, are tastefully accented by pavilions, fountains, pergolas, and statuary, creating a private work of art of national significance.

 

“Mount Sharon has never been open to the public in May, the time when it is looking its best,” said owner Mary Lou Seilheimer. “This is a one-time opportunity to see the gardens as only Charlie and I get to enjoy them.” Event chair Cynthia Whitman adds, “Thanks to the generosity of the Seilheimers, proceeds from the tour will benefit two non-profit organizations, Boys & Girls Club of Orange and Preservation Virginia.”

 

Advance tickets are available and are $20 each, $30 on the day of the event. Accompanied children under 16 are free.  Advance tickets can be purchased by phone, mail, or over the Internet by contacting Cheryl Greenday, Preservation Virginia, 204 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220, 804 648-1819, ext. 319 or going to www.preservationvirginia.org.