Local couple Debra Guy and Meridith Wolnick celebrated their daughter Ruby’s third birthday the day before the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. Photo: Elli Williams
It’s 10am on Wednesday, June 26. Debra Guy and Meridith Wolnick have put their morning on hold to hover around a computer, anxiously following the SCOTUSblog as it ticks live updates from the nation’s capital.
“I was surprised by my physical reaction,” said Guy, who was overcome by chills and tears when news hit that the Supreme Court had ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. The impacts of last week’s ruling on states like Virginia with bans on same-sex marriage are still up for debate, but gay rights activists and legal experts agree that it’s a critical step in the fight for legalizing gay and lesbian marriage.
“We are hopeful that these two decisions signify a great change among the country that will, one day, lead to marriage equality here in Virginia,” Guy said.
In its historic 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court overturned Section 3 of DOMA, which barred same-sex marriages from being recognized under federal law, preventing couples from receiving benefits like Social Security, joint taxes, and shared insurance. The majority opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, says that treating any married couple as “less respected than others” violates the Fifth Amendment.
So what does that mean for Virginia couples like Guy and Wolnick? Despite the restrictions that prevent Guy and Wolnick from sharing health insurance, equal custody rights to their 3-year-old daughter, and hundreds of other marriage benefits, the couple have found a home in the progressive island that is Charlottesville.
According to University of Virginia constitutional law professor Kim Forde-Mazrui, the ruling will have little, if any, immediate impact in the Commonwealth, where a ban on same-sex marriage has been in effect for seven years.
“But in the long term, I think it clearly does, because the reasoning of the case is primarily about the equality and liberty rights of same-sex couples,” Forde-Mazrui said. “I think this is a signal to the lower courts to invalidate most laws against same-sex marriage, especially those enacted in recent decades with the specific purpose of preventing same-sex marriage.”
The court’s ruling was still fairly narrow. Section 2 of DOMA, which was not addressed by the Supreme Court, says that one state does not have to recognize the same-sex marriage of another. Couples and legal experts nationwide are wondering whether the federal benefits would still apply across state lines, especially in the 37 states that still outlaw same-sex marriage. Forde-Mazrui said Section 2 is motivated by the same congressional disapproval of same-sex marriage as Section 3, and thus should be fairly easy to challenge in court.
“It seems to me that the reasoning of the DOMA case strongly puts pressure on the validity of Section 2,” he said.
Virginia’s laws are some of the most extreme in the country, barring same-sex marriage, civil unions, and any contracts that approximate marriage. Guy and Wolnick exchanged rings and vows eight years ago, and said they have no plans to pursue legal status until it holds in Virginia. They’ve found a home here and are anxiously awaiting the day they can go to a Virginia courthouse for a marriage certificate.
“We’ve built our own little community, and we find comfort in those sorts of protections that we can make ourselves as opposed to the ones the state can provide for us,” Guy said.
UVA Health System Physician Dr. Ayotunde Dokun stresses the importance of mathematics to students during M-Cubed, a summer math-readiness program at J.P. Burley Middle School. Photo: Andrew Quarles.
Our regular Education Beat reporting is the result of a partnership with the nonprofit community news platform Charlottesville Tomorrow, which covers growth, development, public education, and local politics.
Walton Middle School fills assistant principal vacancy
The county school division has hired Rick Vrhovac as the new assistant principal at Walton Middle School. Vrhovac’s arrival, announced last week, comes on the heels of numerous leadership and student conduct complaints at the school.
Vrhovac comes to Walton from Albemarle High School, where he served as assistant principal since 2009.
Prior to working in Albemarle, Vrhovac taught, coached, and directed athletics in Louisa County for eight years. He has taught science at Burley Middle School and in 1996 joined the staff at Albemarle High School, where he’s led the anti-bullying program “Stop One, Save One” since 2011. Walton principal Alison Dwier-Selden plans for Vrhovac to develop a similar program at the middle school and said Vrhovac’s experience working with eighth graders transitioning to high school will be a benefit.
Walton’s new administrator is a graduate of David Lipscomb University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education, and James Madison University, where he completed a Master’s degree in physical education
Foreign tongues for elementary kids
The Albemarle County School Board continues to update its Strategic Plan—the division’s main policy guidance document—and last week elementary foreign language instruction was named one of the board’s main priorities going forward.
New funding from the Board of Supervisors would be required to launch the new language program, which board member Diantha McKeel said county parents have been requesting for years.
Assistant Superintendent Billy Haun said cost, the grades included, and languages taught will depend on the program’s purpose, which can range from cultural awareness to fluency. Haun said as elementary students master world languages, the division will also have to adjust middle school language instruction, and the initiative would require hiring new teachers and central office staff. Staff will include the program in the upcoming budget approval process, which begins this winter. If approved, Haun said instruction could begin as soon as the 2015-16 school year.
The board adopted the current Strategic Plan in 2005, and reassess the plan’s priorities every two years.
M-Cubed: a partnership for math and life skills
Last week, members of the national African-American education advocacy group 100 Black Men offered local middle school students a lesson in why math matters.
The presentation at J.P. Burley Middle School was part of M-Cubed (Math, Men, and Mission), a year-long mentoring program with a two-week summer component designed to increase male African-American enrollment and performance in middle school mathematics. Twenty-one local professionals impressed upon the fifth- through eighth-graders in attendance the importance of education and self-confidence, as well as fostering an interest in completing advanced mathematics courses, such as Algebra I and Geometry, in middle school, saying doing so will help them start preparing for college early.
Other M-Cubed activities consist of reading about prominent African-Americans, mentoring sessions focused on homework, personal issues, and life goals, as well as mandatory workshops for the participants parents to reinforce these principles within the home.
UVA Health System Physician Dr. Ayotunde Dokun stresses the importance of mathematics to students during M-Cubed, a summer math-readiness program at J.P. Burley Middle School.—Tim Shea and Andrew Quarles
Richmond native Andrew Leahey rocks The Garage with his summer-soaked Americana tunes. Photo by James Joiner.
Abandoning rigid classical training at Juilliard for the free-spirited dominion of rock, alternative country, and Americana, Andrew Leahey and his backing band, the Homestead, create feel-good music with impressively refocused talent. Now comfortably at home in the music mecca of Nashville, the Richmond native found himself dreaming up his new EP, Summer Sleeves, while cruising through Appalachia on solo road trips back to Tennessee. The result is an irresistible call to roll the windows down, shake off worldly cares, and let your bare feet soak up the sun on the dashboard.
Wednesday 7/3 Free, 8pm. The Garage, 100 W. Jefferson St. thegarage-cville.com.
Coran Capshaw is expanding his live-music footprint on the Downtown Mall, today announcing a new partnership with The Southern Café & Music Hall.
Starr Hill, the concert promotion arm of Capshaw’s Red Light Management, released a statement today that confirmed the new relationship pairing the small venue on South First Street with the local industry giant, which controls the nTelos Wireless Pavilion and the Jefferson Theater.
“The Southern will undergo a short hiatus over the summer and upon re-opening, will continue on as one of Central Virginia’s premier destinations for live music, hosting events year round and providing a daily traditional Southern dining and drinking experience,” reads a press release from Starr Hill.
The Southern’s owner, Andy Gems, took over what was then The Gravity Lounge in 2009, investing in sound upgrades and shifting the venue’s focus from folk to indie rock and Americana acts.
“You don’t pour your heart and soul into operating a music venue unless you’re incredibly passionate about live music and as someone that truly loves the experience of a show, I’ve often felt compelled to send the folks at Starr Hill Presents a thank you card for all of the great shows they’ve brought to town,” Gems said in a brief statement included in Starr Hill’s release. “To that end, I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership and for the future of live music in Charlottesville and the Central Virginia region.”
The exact nature of the partnership, including whether it gives an ownership share to Capshaw’s promotion company, is not yet clear.
According to The Southern’s website, the venue’s next show, Gregory Alan Isakov on July 11, has been moved to the Jefferson.
Former member of Titus Andronicus (and one-time C-VILLE Weekly arts editor), Andrew Cedermark reaches confidently into new musical territory on Home Life. Publicity photo.
For the past five years, Andrew Cedermark has consistently made some of the best and most vital rock music around: unpretentious and exuberant, quiet yet confident, messy and triumphant. But his career path has been a strange one, with several unexpected twists and turns, a story that is still being told as he cautiously finds his way.
He played his first proper concert in Charlottesville in May of 2008, the same night he graduated from UVA, backed by a band that (with characteristic indecisiveness) was called either Iron Ore or Witch Elms, depending on which band member you asked. It was shockingly good, and caught the attention of everyone in attendance. It was that band’s only show.
Cedermark immediately relocated to his home state of New Jersey and rejoined his high school buddies as the guitarist for Titus Andronicus, a group that has gained attention and success in recent years for their blend of Springsteen-esque anthemic sprawl and punk energy. But Cedermark’s sensibilities seemed an odd fit for that band, and he grew frustrated with the stresses of touring life. He eventually returned to Charlottesville to focus on his own material, which has little in common with the band that put him on the radar of both buzz blogs and the major music media. (He also worked for C-VILLE Weekly from 2009-2011, during which time he was the author of this column; in the spirit of transparency, I should note that Andrew is a good friend, for whom I have designed unused record covers and offered unsolicited and unhelpful music advice.)
Andrew Cedermark’s solo material is less bombastic and overbearing than Titus Andronicus, more subtle and thoughtful, and equally loud. His singing style is a shy mumble that occasionally builds to a voice-cracking yell, a low-key delivery that contrasts perfectly with the confidence and sureness of his playing. He usually seems happiest letting the guitar speak for him, loosely strumming raw chords that overtake the lyrics, climaxing in sublime crescendos that test the limits of his gear and the fidelity of his recording equipment. Though the songs stay at ballad tempo, they build to plateaus of gorgeous intensity, handcrafted anthems that are at once approachable and overwhelming.
2010’s Moon Deluxe was his proper debut, released on the cultishly adored Underwater Peoples label (also home to his hometown confederates, Real Estate). Mostly self-recorded in GarageBand with his laptop’s built-in mic over a period of several years, mixing and matching material that had previously surfaced on home-made tapes, compilations, and small-run singles, Moon Deluxe was an instant classic that combined the romantic reverb of Galaxie 500, the twangy chops of Neil Young, and the understated gentleness and lo-fi grit of The Microphones. It didn’t win over every Titus fan, but it did win accolades from many who had never been thrilled about that band in the first place (this author included).
The record was successful enough to give him a leg up on a potential career as a professional musician, but Cedermark seemed cautious of his early success, accepting compliments sheepishly, shying away from the shameless self-promotion of many aspiring musicians of his generation, and hanging onto his day job as a reporter. (He relocated to Jersey once again to write for a daily paper in 2011.) When asked about the transition to making more music rather than writing about it he said, “If we are to assume that shifting from writing about other people to being written about is a step forward in life, then it feels good. Writing about other people’s art forced me to be critical of my own, so in that way it feels like things have come full circle.”
Cedermark is an introvert, and his discomfort on stage is transparently obvious; he apologizes between every song, and often lets guitar feedback ring loudly while regrouping or tuning, partly to cover the need for stage banter. But this lack of ego is utterly endearing, and what he lacks in stage presence he more than makes up for in his talents and abilities, a winning combination that allows him to take risks as a performer, channeling a wild, nervous energy that turn his concerts into essential and thrilling experiences, keeping everyone on their toes.
Shows that could be reputation-cementing career-builders are just as often sidelined by strange whims. A typical example is the would-be hometown victory lap that found him sitting alone at the edge of the Tea Bazaar’s stage, fumbling his way through a set of sloppy Sinatra covers whose lyrics he had printed out from the Internet moments before plugging in, utterly bewildering a gathering crowd of youngsters who had heard his music for the first time on Pitchfork the previous afternoon. Many of them mistook him for an opening act.
Whether Cedermark throws a curveball, or—as is increasingly the case—plays it straight, every concert is an aesthetic success, an opportunity to hear a fantastically talented individual throw caution to the wind and play tremendously satisfying music with rough edges to keep it alive and crackling with infectious energy. It may be loud and loose, but it swings confidence and purpose.
Home Lifeis his sophomore offering, and though he’s now relocated to New York City, the album cover bears the image of his former Woolen Mills residence. Like the debut, it was recorded piecemeal, with the help of two separate backing bands (his original Charlottesville-forged rhythm section of Kevin Haney and Jacob Wolf, and a second group of his fellow Northeasterners, Alex Tretiak and Sarim Al-Rawi). But the seams don’t show. Like Moon Deluxe, it mimics the medley-style format of his live shows, each side flowing from one song to the next, with even more confidence and polish.
The A-side opener is another surprise, an unlikely (yet brilliant) cover of the Bill Withers classic “Lean On Me,” and several tracks quote lines from the work of Michael Hurley (another Cedermark hero), but the borrowed material is effortlessly interwoven with Cedermark’s own writing. The B-side is more confident than anything he’s done so far, synthesizing many of the band’s strengths into a cohesive whole, while giving everything room to breathe. The professional studio production allows a clear view of the material while retaining the trademark shambling, understated charm.
Home Life will be released by Underwater Peoples on July 16, and Cedermark’s latest touring line-up (which combines members of both in-studio backing bands) will play the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on Saturday, July 20. The cover charge is $7 and the show begins at 9pm.
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After Chris Dumler resigned his position as Scottsville’s representative on the Board of Supervisors, the county had 45 days to fill the seat in the interim. File photo.
It’s been eight months since former Albemarle County Supervisor Chris Dumler was arrested on a charge of forcible sodomy. Now that the rallies, mid-meeting outbursts, plea bargaining, court hearings, and Dumler’s resignation are in the past, Scottsville is ready to move forward. Ten people have applied for the interim position on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, which will choose its newest, temporary member—who will serve until a November special election determines who will carry out the final two years of Dumler’s term—after this week’s Wednesday meeting.
The county had 45 days after Dumler’s resignation to find a replacement, who could start as early as July 10. Supervisor Duane Snow originally stated that the Board would not consider anyone who planned to run in the special election for the longer-term position, but now Board Republicans’ commitment to that plan seems to be wavering.
“If we had two qualified candidates, I would pick the one who said he wouldn’t run,” Snow said. “But if everyone else was leaning toward the other, and it was a clear majority, I would probably go ahead and vote with the majority in that case.”
Supervisor Ken Boyd said he never shared the sentiment that the ideal candidate wouldn’t run in the fall, so there’s a chance that the interim candidate will occupy the seat for more than a few months.
“Some people believe that that would provide an unfair bully pulpit for an individual to run as an incumbent,” Boyd said. “But I don’t particularly share that thought, or think that it gives them any advantage.”
While Snow said he doesn’t want the decision to be based on political preference, Boyd said politics could play a role in the process.
“I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m a conservative,” Boyd said. “So my leaning would be towards that, but I hope to go into it with an open mind.”
Of the 10 candidates who put their name in the ring—originally 11, but one withdrew—four identify as Independents, three as Republicans, and three as Democrats. Both Snow and Boyd noted that retired Albemarle County* Sheriff Terry Hawkins and Planning Commissioner Rick Randolph have been elected or appointed into government positions before. William Craddock also served two terms on the Planning Commission, appointed by Lindsay Dorrier.
Of the 10 candidates, only Republicans Prandip Priukan and Cindi Burket said they plan to seek a nomination for the special election in November, despite the early call from the majority of the Board for applicants to swear off seeking the more permanent position.
“I cannot lie to them and give them the commitment [to not run],” Priukan said. “I believe in truth and honesty, and I have a desire to run for it.”
Neil Williamson, president of the Free Enterprise Forum, said his agency doesn’t have an official stance on the matter, but he thinks restricting the candidate pool to only those without future political aspirations could be too limiting.
“The Board may come to a realization as they go through all their candidates that their most favorite may not be willing to make that pledge,” he said.
The applicants
Richard Armstrong – D
Anne Bedarf – I
Cindi Burket – R
Nancy Carpenter – I
William Craddock – I
Terry Hawkins – R
Prandip Priukan – R
Kevin Quick – I
Richard Randolph – D
Edward Strickler – D
*An earlier version of this story identified Terry Hawkins as a retired Scottsville Sheriff.
Our small city has hundreds of places to eat, and when Charlottesville Restaurant Week kicks off next Monday, thousands of people will descend on its eateries both to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Charlottesville and to soak in a culinary culture that’s exploded over the past decade. With just shy of 30 restaurants participating this year, offering $16, $26, and $36 dollars price points for their prix fixe menus, it’s a foodie’s dream, a chance to take a core sample of some of the best food the city has to offer without going broke.
Like any trade week, it’s also a chance to take stock of the people whose blood, sweat, and tears make all the pretty plates happen, to peek behind the curtain that separates the back and front of the houses and look into the guts of the places we love. On the other side of each swinging door, in each forgotten corner of a dining room, across every cluttered serving counter, there’s a world that most diners never get to see, or smell, or hear.
Ian Boden of Glass Haus Kitchen. Photo: Justin IdeOrzo. Photo: Justin Ide
Yeah, the Food Network and Bravo have familiarized the landscape, transforming cooking into our newest spectator sport, but the restaurant industry doesn’t rely on editing or countdown timers (in most cases) or even on polished personalities. It mostly banks on teams of people who work in close quarters under intense pressure and care so much about the intrinsic value of what they do that they turn out plate after plate of good food. It’s a funny world that combines youthful exuberance and hierarchical discipline into a sweaty, noisy, and exhausting ballet that plays outnight after night.
My own culinary story is similar to many of those you’ll find in kitchens across town. I started cleaning greasy stovetops and oven hoods during the after hours of Sunday morning at a small pub when I was 15, eventually working my way up the kitchen ladder to busboy, waiter, and then finally to bar manager. Restaurants are quirky and they get their hooks into your soul once you’ve experienced them. Many of the chefs you find at the head of the table in some of the finest places started washing dishes or making salads.
In my career as a photographer I’ve shot hundreds of restaurants and I’m always drawn to the back of the house. To the ins and outs of buildings with hundred-year-old histories and jury-rigged kitchens. To the way a chef organizes her station. Or the way a young sous chef takes care of his knife. Or the focus a waitress puts into folding a napkin.
I’ve tried to put together a photographic journey that represents what goes into making a week in the restaurant world happen, in the hopes that you’ll be inspired to go try the food, but mostly, so you’ll remember how much work it takes to make it all look so effortless.
Family business
Kasey Donnelly, a pastry chef at Maya, told me a fairly typical story about how she got into the business.
“I kind of just fell into it…when I was 15 my brother managed a restaurant and I was his ‘expo.’ Then I kind of moved on to different restaurants, and Mike Yeager, the sous chef at The Glass Haus, got me this job.” I asked her what it was like to work in a small kitchen like Maya’s. “We’re brothers and sisters,” she said. “It’s like family coming in here.”
In many restaurants a type of informal apprenticeship is still the way you get in the door. Anthony Gamma, a student from Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, is doing an internship at Orzo. “I’ve learned about a lot of different recipes I wouldn’t have in a different type of restaurant, and how Chef [Tommy Lasley] changes things one day to the next based on the ingredients he gets.”
The mentoring relationship, where often times a student will work for free or very little money, teaches the essential skills necessary to succeed in the kitchen, but more importantly it fuels the passion and drive that makes the kitchen a home for many.
Kathryn McAtamney, a UVA student who works at Positively 4th Street on the Downtown Mall, is training as a line cook and waiting tables. She said seeing two side of the business is the best way to understand its totality. “I really love the restaurant business because it is an intimately social experience. Anyone can make good food, but the dining experience is what really makes it special.”
Ara Avagyan. Photo: Justin Ide
Breaking bread
The family atmosphere in a fast-paced kitchen is perhaps best exemplified by the tradition of sharing a meal before a shift with fellow employees from both the front and back of the house. “It’s great… it gives us a chance to catch up with one another on a more personal level, eat together… break bread, it’s good,” said Melissa Garner, of Orzo’s shift meal. The head chef or someone appointed by the chef, makes a communal meal for the staff each day from over stocked items, left overs from a recent special, or as a way to try out a recipe prior to sending it out to the general public.
Justin Tilghman, who has worked in Charlottesville restaurants since he was 15, says “it usually consists of what we have left over, like salmon or trout scraps and we’ll go anywhere from tempura frying, to smoking them… you name it we’ve done it, but it’s important to come up with something tasty for the staff.”
C&O chef and owner Dean Maupin says his chefs take turns whipping up the staff meal before the shift begins. “Generally the person with the lighter load, less prep work, cooks up something…We want people to feel nourished before service. Typically it is things that are left over and you are forced to be creative, but to make it tasty.”
For the customer, dinner should be a leisurely experience, but for the staff, it’s as fast and furious as the rest of the job.
Maupin: “Rarely do you have a chance to sit down…sometimes we get 15 minutes to sit at the bar and talk, but generally we’re eating on the run.”
Horse & Hound Gastropub. Photo: Justin Ide
Mise en place
Mise en place, which translates to “set in place,” is a common term used in kitchens to denote the setup of ingredients at a station, but it’s also an overall organizing principle. Each restaurant has its own idea of what makes up its particular mise en place. For Chef Tommy Lasley at Orzo, mise en place is more of an overall concept than a particular set up for each kitchen station. “Mise en place means a lot of different things,” Lasley said. “But on a grand scheme, I would consider mise en place to be pantry staple items… One of the key components in my mise en place is pickled brine. It’s got the acid, got the flavor of what we pickled with, so right now in the walk-in I have picked ramp brine, pickled garlic scape brine, pickled fennel brine and a standard curry brine,” all of which are available to him to use in sauces, vinaigrettes, and as a splash of brightness on any plate.
The providers
Another key component to restaurant week, and any good restaurant’s menu, is the produce and proteins purchased from local farmers. During my rounds I ran into a Mennonite farmer from Pleasant Pastures Farm in Charlotte County, Virginia, about 80 miles south of Charlottesville, as he was making a delivery. “I come every Wednesday, and we try to keep everything as fresh as possible,” he said. Slightly hesitant and speaking with a Dutch accent, the farmer declined to be photographed or give me his name, but the pride he took in his produce was crystal clear. “We have committed to raising the produce on our farm completely chemical free, using a lot of compost, compost tea for fertilizer, so that is what is the conviction behind our farm,” he said. Later that day, I crossed paths with Ara and Gayane Avagyan, Armenian immigrants who manage Double H Farm in Nelson County, a purveyor of heirloom pork. “Our goal is to grow healthy food for the people of our community, and to always be number one.” The competition for the best food starts in the fields and pastures.
To see more of Justin Ide’s photos from behind the scenes of Restaurant Week, click here!
Helen Dragas. Photo by Cole Geddy/UVA Public Affairs.
Check c-ville.com daily and pick up a copy of the paper Tuesday to for the latest Charlottesville and Albemarle news briefs and stories. Here’s a quick look at some of what we’ve had an eye on for the past week.
Martin takes over as UVA rector
Helen Dragas’ term as rector of UVA’s Board of Visitors ends this week, making way for George K. Martin to become the first African-American to lead the University’s governing body.
Dragas, heavily criticized for engineering last summer’s unsuccessful ouster of UVA President Teresa Sullivan, was appointed to a second four-year term on the board by Governor Bob McDonnell last June.
Martin, who becomes rector today—Monday, July 1—is a 1975 UVA alum and a graduate of Harvard Law School, and has been a managing partner at McGuire Woods LLP’s Richmond headquarters since 1990. His term on the board began in July 2011.
Stepping into the role of vice rector is Bill Goodwin, a Richmond billionaire who previously served on the board from 1996 to 2004. He was made an advisor after the Sullivan crisis last summer, and was appointed as a full member in January to replace Randal J. Kirk.
PHA begins search for new executive director
After nearly 17 years of leadership, Stuart “Stu” Armstrong is retiring from his position as executive director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance, a local nonprofit that assists low-income families purchase homes, redevelops affordable housing units, and owns Friendship Court.
According to a press release, PHA started out as a two-person operation, and has expanded its staff to 22 members under Armstrong’s direction. Armstrong’s professional honors include a Housing Leadership Award from the Virginia Housing Coalition and a President’s Award from the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.
Deputy Director Karen Reifenberger will serve as interim director while the board of directors searches for a replacement. The board plans to name a new director by this fall, and Armstrong will stay on as a consultant during the transition period.
Rivanna’s bacteria levels cause for concern
Conservation groups are warning that the Rivanna River may not be so safe for swimming in the summer.
The Rivanna Conservation Society and StreamWatch have conducted regular testing of the waters of the river and surrounding streams for a year, and have observed an uptick in levels of potentially harmful E. Coli bacteria during the hot months, according to a report by NBC29.
Bacteria levels increase after rainstorms, according to the two groups, when pet waste and other bacteria-laden pollutants wash into the river.
RCS director Robbi Savage suggested waiting 24 hours after rain before letting kids enter the water, and reminded people to pick up their pets’ waste in the watershed.
City receives funding for McIntire Park trail bridge
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced last week that the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department will receive an additional $609,560 from the Transportation Alternatives program, funds that will go toward constructing a bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting the two sides of McIntire Park across the Norfolk Southern Railroad.
The planned bridge is a key part of a plan to make the overhauled park more accessible. Once the basic engineering plans regarding height, width, and location are approved by the railroad, the city will hold a public meeting to discuss final design details, and hopes to have the bridge built and ready for use by this time next year.
Hospital looks for shop volunteers
The UVA Medical Center’s Gift Shop is moving to a new, bigger home, and is seeking volunteers to help staff the store. No experience is necessary. Volunteers can choose a three- or four-hour shift once a week or work on an as-needed basis. Call 924-5251 or visit uvahealth.com/volunteer for more information.—C-VILLE writers
Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings in the comments section.
The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board meets from 1-3pm Monday in Room 241 at the County Office Building on McIntire Road.
The Charlottesville City Council‘s next regular meeting is at 7pm Monday in council chambers at City Hall. Included on the agenda is a report from Charlottesville Area Transit on bus routes 7 and 11.
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday starting at 9 in Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building. There are several ordinance and code updates on the agenda, and at 3pm, the Board will begin hearing the statements of the 10 applicants seeking to fill the Scottsville supervisor seat vacated by Chris Dumler. Board members plan to enter closed session shortly after, and could select an interim supervisor at that time.
Take note of Independence Day closings: On Thursday July 4, county and city government offices will be closed, reopening the next day. Charlottesville Area Transportation will operate on a Sunday schedule. Curbside trash and recycling will not be collected. Thursday collection will be picked up on Friday, and Friday collection will be picked up on Saturday.
