Month: March 2017

Categories
News

‘Insufficient’: Kessler petition to oust Bellamy thrown out

Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy outside the court after the petition to remove him from office is dismissed. Staff photo

 

Jason Kessler chastised reporters on his way into court today and spoke disrespectfully to the special prosecutor who requested that Kessler’s petition to remove Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy from office be dismissed because it lacked enough signatures.

Kessler, who burst into the local spotlight after he discovered unsavory tweets Bellamy made before taking office in 2016, collected 597 signatures on a petition and cited misuse of office in calling for Bellamy’s removal.

According to the special prosecutor, Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Doucette, Kessler needed 1,580 signatures. The Code of Virginia says a petitioner must obtain signatures from registered voters equal to 10 percent of the “total number of votes cast” in the election of the official—15,798 in the 2015 City Council election.

In that contest, voters could cast three votes for the three open seats on council, and while that is an unusual situation, said Doucette, the code clearly states “total number of votes cast.” At a February 16 press conference, Kessler said he had been told by his legal team, which he refused to identify, that he only needed 527 signers.

“The number is insufficient,” said Doucette in court. “We move to nonsuit.” The court dismissed the petition without prejudice, which means Kessler can refile—but he must start over again with the signatures, explained Doucette.

“The fact that you disagree with a particular vote is not grounds for dismissal,” said Doucette outside the Charlottesville Circuit Court. Bellamy had called for the removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee last March, and was one of three councilors who voted to get rid of the statue February 6. Kessler had alleged that was evidence of Bellamy’s “black supremacy.”

doucette
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Doucette also handled a petition to remove former Albemarle supervisor Chris Dumler from office after he was convicted of sexual battery. Staff photo

“You’ve got to show a link between the misconduct and the misuse of office,” said Doucette.

The prosecutor said Kessler “was upset” when he came into courtroom and called him “‘Doucette’ in a rude fashion,” said the attorney. “I said, ‘It’s Mr. Doucette.” Doucette said Kessler calmed down, but added, “I’m not going to put up with disrespect.”

Earlier on his way into the courthouse, Kessler denounced NBC29 reporter Henry Graff for calling him a “white nationalist” on the air, and added that Graff was a “piece of shit pretty boy.”

kessler-reporters
Jason Kessler, left, after he took issue with NBC29’s Henry Graff, far right, had a few things to say to C-VILLE Weekly as well. Staff photo

Kessler also expressed his displeasure with this reporter, whom he called a “lazy journalist” for naming Pepe the frog as the mascot for his newly formed, Western civilization-protecting Unity and Security for America. The organization has a lion in its logo, Kessler pointed out, but its website includes a frog with the message, “Kek is with us,” and Kessler has publicly proclaimed his fondness for Pepe, which has been appropriated as a symbol of hate by alt-right groups.

Kessler was in court last week for an assault complaint he made against Crozet resident James Justin Taylor. The prosecutor dismissed that charge with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled, because video evidence did not support Kessler’s allegation that Taylor assaulted him. Kessler goes to court April 6 to face his own assault charge for allegedly punching Taylor in the face while he was collecting signatures for the petition.

After the hearing, Bellamy said, “I’m glad the court decided the way it did,” and that he was eager to get back to the city’s business.

“I have no ill will toward Mr. Kessler,” he said. “This is a democracy and you’re allowed to do that.”

Some have alleged Kessler’s petition was racially motivated. Bellamy, who is City Council’s only black member, said, “I’m not going to go into why someone did that.”

His attorney was less circumspect.

“I do believe the petition was racially motivated,” said Pam Starsia. “Jason Kessler is a virulent racist and misogynist” who advocates for policies that harm people of color and those in the LGBT community, she said.

starsia-3-8-17
Bellamy’s attorney Pam Starsia says the petition to remove her client from City Council was “racially motivated.” Staff photo

“I would describe this as a modern day lynching,” she continued, pointing out that Kessler had no problem with the two white councilors who voted to remove the statue.

Kessler said he disagreed with Doucette’s decision, but would not try to refile the petition. “I’m ready to move on.” He said he plans to investigate other city councilors.

City Council regular John Heyden, who attended Kessler’s press conference last month, filed a Freedom of Information Act request for “any complaints about Wes Bellamy’s conduct made by any city employees or citizens up to the present time.”

The city estimated it would cost at least $1,200 to search the records of its 900 employees, which Kessler blasted as the city trying to “obstruct” his investigation of other councilors. “That is a ridiculous charge,” he said.

Starsia said the FOIA was a “fishing expedition” and Kessler’s USA organization had already e-mailed every city employee soliciting complaints against Bellamy. “They do not have anything,” she said.

The attorney said she would be seeking legal fees from the city because state statute prevents Bellamy from collecting fees from petitioner Kessler in a nonsuit. Bellamy resigned from his job as an Albemarle High teacher after the tweets were revealed.

“The petition,” said Starsia, “was a frivolous complaint against Mr. Bellamy.”

 

Categories
Real Estate

Buyers Love Albemarle’s Lifestyle and Abundant Natural Beauty

By Celeste M. Smucker –

Albemarle County is a popular place to live offering many attractive amenities.  Home sales are brisk with interested buyers actively keeping an eye out for new listings. It’s not just the resale home market that is hot.  Builders are also busy as inventory shortages and demand for green features and more functional floor plans send many buyers in search of a brand new home.

The county’s comprehensive plan requires that growth and development be restricted to 5 percent of its area, which means subdivisions and essential services are concentrated in places such as Pantops on the east of town, Crozet to the west and Hollymead to the north.  Another active spot is south of Charlottesville, where neighborhoods have new life thanks to the opening of 5th Street Station.

Buyers will find a range of housing options to choose from, everything from condos and townhomes to gated communities, horse farms and estates.  Albemarle also features walkable neighborhoods  where residents  who want more community interaction can enjoy shops, gyms, restaurants, coffeehouses, salons and other gathering places without ever leaving their community.  On the other hand, those preferring the privacy of country life will find many rural areas are protected from future development by a growing number of conservation easements. 

Exceptional scenery featuring mountain views is a big part of  Albemarle’s appeal as are the many outdoor activities available there.  Whether you enjoy hiking and fishing, running, walking, biking or horseback riding and tennis you will find it nearby when you live in Albemarle.   

The Charlottesville-Albemarle area consistently receives high marks for being a great place to live,  thanks to its natural beauty, the four-seasons climate, availability of recreational activities and low health care costs, plus a healthy economy that features low unemployment and a growing high tech sector.

Albemarle’s Real Estate Market
Thanks to its lifestyle offerings and close-in location, Albemarle has an active real estate market, where the biggest challenge is a lack of inventory.

Barbara McMurry with  Montague, Miller & Co. said that the 2017 market in Albemarle is “off to a good start.”  She added that there is plenty of mortgage money available and interest rates are still low.  Of course it is a real plus that the weather has decided to cooperate this year with a very mild winter.  She joked that agents used to say “the bugs and the buyers come out at the same time,”  which historically has been at least March.  However this year, she said, the spring market really got started in January.

Unfortunately, McMurry continued,  the  early spring market has not meant an easing of the inventory shortage.  Describing buyers’ eagerness to find the right house she said that many are “camped out” just waiting for a house with the right price, style and location.  Her advice to buyers is that they need to be ready to act quickly, with a pre-approval letter in hand. 

Judy Savage with Keller Williams Realty also expressed concern about the lack of inventory.  “The market in Albemarle County is pretty tight right now because of the lack of inventory in price ranges under $450,000,” she said stating “there are fewer houses on the market and it is driving prices up.”  She went on to say that she recently listed a 50-year-old single family home for $289,900 and in less than 24 hours had six competing offers that pushed the price over $300,000.  That was after 10 showings.  And yet another of her listings, priced at $430,000, sold the same day she put it on the market.

Jim Duncan with Nest Realty described the market in what he called “the City and urban county,” as “significantly active,”  with buyers coming from “all demographics.”   He looks forward to more homes coming on the market as it is not uncommon for them to go under contract quickly, sometimes in as short a time as a few days making it challenging for buyers.  The new construction market is also doing “very well overall,” he added.

“The real estate market in Albemarle County is brisk,” reports Marina Ringstrom with Long and Foster Real Estate. “The continued influx of new construction has been a strong factor,” she continued adding “to compete, existing homes must be priced well, in good condition, and where necessary, upgraded.”

Rural Properties Popular in Albemarle
While all of our region can boast scenic beauty as a benefit, Albemarle has the additional advantage of being the county closest in to the many advantages of Charlottesville such as quality hospitals, restaurants,  the Downtown Mall, the University, jobs and other social and cultural amenities. Even for buyers who love the privacy of a rural home or estate, the push is to live as close in as possible.

For example, John Ince with Nest Realty Associates has found that compared to years past, rural buyers are more focused on being close to town.  A veteran of 30 years in the Charlottesville real estate market, Ince says “I’ve seen a change in attitude in this current generation of near-retirees.  They enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside but really appreciate all that Charlottesville has to offer as well.  That makes any country property inside 20 minutes from town, golden.” 

Ringstrom cited the growth of services at both Pantops and 5th Street Station as being important for those who “prefer  rural destinations, but not more than 10-15 minutes away from shopping and health care.”

First Time Buyers
Inventory shortages are especially challenging for first time buyers who want to live in Albemarle County or the City of Charlottesville.  However, some options continue to be available.  “They are not a huge part of the market,” McMurry said but they are available in town and in Albemarle County. 

Savage agrees stating that “of the six offers I received in the last twenty-four hours, they were all first time home buyers utilizing low down payment type financing.”  She added that since new construction, single-family homes are more in the $500,000 range, they are out of reach for most first timers unless they opt for a town house. 

Many buyers are apparently opting for attached homes such as a town house.  CAAR’s recent Year End Market Report stated that year-over-year closed sales of detached homes in Albemarle County increased 5.6 percent compared to the end of 2015.  Attached home sales during that same period increased 41.7 percent. 

Albemarle’s Buyers
“Buyers continue to move here from all over the country,” Ringstrom said adding that “Charlottesville is still being hailed as one of the very best places in the country to retire, raise a family and do business.”  She moved to Charlottesville in 1996 and is currently a resident of Glenmore in the Keswick area of Albemarle County with no plans to move. She is one of many people who feel this way about Albemarle starting with Thomas Jefferson who called  his part of the county the “Eden of the United States.”

For people who move here from up north, part of the draw is the climate, which is relatively mild but still has four seasons. And it’s not uncommon for people to move someplace like Florida, and then relocate to Charlottesville after a couple of years of no autumn or spring.  Agents jokingly call them “half-backs” for moving all the way south, then half way back. Of course they also appreciate the much lower prices, property tax rates, and heating costs compared to the Northeast, or Northern Virginia.

Albemarle is also very popular amongst those who love the outdoors.  The county offers everything from fly fishing and canoeing to walking, hiking, biking, running and horseback riding. McMurry, a runner, says it is wonderful to have “so many great places to run,”  including the county’s parks available for year around outdoor activities. 

For those who prefer to ride horses,  two of Albemarle’s parks, Preddy Creek and Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park offer 70 miles of riding trails, and in some areas such as Keswick in east Albemarle County, they can also ride on private property.  Pam Dent with Gayle Harvey Real Estate said that Keswick is known as an area that allows horse lovers to ride on large unbroken sections of farmland.  “The landowners are passionate about this tradition,” she said.     

Other popular activities in the county that draw both residents and visitors are its wineries and orchards.  Many of these rural businesses also participate in what is now called agri-tourism offering wine tastings and pick your own fruit, such as apples and pumpkins, in season.

These agri-businesses are part of  what  McMurry calls the “rural flavor” of Albemarle, representing the 95 percent of the county that is not developed.  And it’s not unusual for visitors to come to enjoy these many outdoor activities, and decide, after a few trips, to become permanent Albemarle residents.

Of course history buffs will find a lot to like about Albemarle.  Founded in 1744, it was named for its governor, Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, an American colonist and British diplomat.  The  original county seat was Scottsville located on the James River, the quickest way to transfer goods from east to west prior to railroads.  Charlottesville became the county seat in 1761, and Albemarle’s current boundaries were formalized in 1777 after several surrounding counties split off and became their own entities. 

Two  of our founding fathers and former Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, are native to Albemarle, and today their respective estates, particularly Jefferson’s Monticello, bring thousands of visitors to Albemarle County from all over the world. Monticello, a designated National Historic Landmark, is also a United Nations World Heritage site and attracts over 450,000 people a year.

Why Home Buyers Like Albemarle
People move to Albemarle for many reasons.  They come for jobs at the University and the growing high-tech sector. And, of course, many  University grads who fell in love with the region when they were students, often return here when they are ready to retire, enjoying the outdoor activities and the enrichment available through their alma mater’s non-credit courses.

Access to quality medical care is a big factor, especially for retirees who want all of the area’s amenities plus the security of knowing they have the best possible care when needed. The US News and World Report recently ranked UVA Hospital as #1 in Virginia, and #3 nationally in 3 adult and 4 pediatric specialties, while Martha Jefferson was ranked #12 in Virginia and high performing in 5 procedures/conditions.

Families appreciate Albemarle’s top ranked school system recently ranked #5 in the state by Niche.com using such indicators as test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, and teacher quality.

From very early on, Albemarle has been known for its horse farms and incomparable natural beauty.  Today it offers a host of modern amenities that make it a popular choice for a wide range of buyers. Call your agent today to help you find the best Albemarle County home for you.

Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author who lives near Charlottesville

Categories
Real Estate

Repurposing Is Good For Your Community and Your Wallet

By Marilyn Pribus – 

In colonial times, people automatically repurposed items when they broke or wore out. Today repurposing is still a smart practice because it keeps things out of the waste stream, saves on fuel for trash trucks, and reduces the need for disposal sites which can pollute the air and water. Reuse also means less demand for raw materials such as wood, iron, and petroleum that are expensive to lumber, mine, and drill.

Simply put, reusing and repurposing can extend the life of many things. On a large scale it means converting Charlottesville’s former Martha Jefferson Hospital into the home of CFA and incorporating “green” features such as a water reuse system reducing public water usage by 70 percent and solar panels enabling it to operate on 22 percent less energy than a similarly-sized office.

On a personal scale, some people convert an old firehouse or barn into a dwelling. On a much smaller scale reuse might mean turning a wobbly table top into a toy chest lid, bending unmatched flatware into coat hooks, or using an antique window to create a glass-topped coffee table, or display a collection of shells, thimbles, or autographed baseballs.

Make Your Home Unique With Repurposing
When you repurpose items, you announce your concern about our planet while creating an interesting home. For starters, don’t buy new. Check Craigslist, a Habitat for Humanity Resale store, or local thrift shops for everything from dishes, dog houses, or dressers to sinks, windows, and doors. Some upscale consignment shops stock designer clothing, handsome home accessories and fine furniture, and you can also often purchase sturdy, solid-wood furniture for the price of far less durable you-assemble-it items.

There are endless ideas. For example, when former City Market Manager Judy Johnson built a second dwelling on her property, she went out of her way to employ many good-quality previously-used items and economized at the same time.  

“I fulfilled my dream of creating the cottage while ‘rebirthing’ many of the things in it,” Johnson says. During construction she collected used antique doors, windows, cabinetry and even a big claw-footed bathtub from various sources. One excellent find was a large former entertainment center from a thrift store for only $25. She turned it on its side, painted it to match the walls and it now looks like custom built-in shelving.

What Can I Do With This?
A great “find” can lead to some brainstorming sessions. Say you scored an irresistible church pew at a yard sale but now it’s taking up garage space because it’s just too darn big. Why not cut out a section to make it smaller?  Use the carved ends to make the base of a table or buffet? Turn it on end and add shelves to make a bookcase to fit in the corner of a room?

One family laid a broken old fridge on its back and converted it into a cooler for their deck. They removed the defunct motor, mounted it on some sturdy legs, and for safety, ensured the door (now the lid) was secured when not in use. And boy, does it keep things cold.

Googling provides nearly endless, clever repurposing ideas. One site, for instance, shows a small fancy table cut in half with the cut side against a wall to create a shallow, legged shelf. It could be painted to accent the wall covering or refinished to show an interesting wood grain. Another site suggests twenty (really!) things to do with old books including making a “book safe” (paint page edges with white glue and hollow out the middle) or using pages as wallpaper. 

What could you do with that fancy antique mirror you “inherited” when your folks moved to a retirement place? Use it as a picture frame? Replace the mirror with wood and us it as a serving tray? Fasten it to your medicine cupboard to accent the bathroom?

How about an old door? You can make the classic desk or craft table by stacking it on crates to provide shelf space. Apply some “chalkboard” paint to create a blackboard, or mount on a wall to serve as a headboard. Use as the seat for a porch swing.

Mason jars can be used for drinking glasses, vases, storage of rice or other dry products, collecting change for a special project, growing sprouts from alfalfa or radish seeds with the addition of a screen top, making a chandelier, and other clever tactics. (You can even use them for canning or preserving.)

Other ideas: convert the kids’ outgrown “little red wagon” into mobile garden tool stowage, create a light fixture from wine bottles or those once-popular Jell-O molds, or convert a rolling pin into a towel holder.

Finally, when it is time to dispose of something, don’t just put it next to your trashcan. Often items can be sold via the internet, a yard sale, or a consignment store. People also can donate to thrift stores to support local charities and some non-profits will pick up large items. And if you offer something for free, you inevitably find someone happy to repurpose it for themselves. Rusty old tomato cages, bicycles missing a chain, old carpeting—the list is amazing.

A repurposing lifestyle is kind to the environment and your budget while lending unique personality to your home.

Marilyn Pribus and her husband live in Albemarle County. She finds many uses for canning jars—both antiques in pale blue shades and those from the pasta sauce she bought at the grocery last week.

Categories
Living

LIVING Picks: Week of March 8-14

John Grisham will be a panelist at the bracket breakfast. Photo by Dan Addison

NONPROFIT
Bracket breakfast
Monday, March 13

Panelists including John Grisham, Barry Parkhill and Ricky Stokes give you inside tips and make their NCAA Final Four picks. Fundraiser for Piedmont CASA; includes prizes and surprises. $125 per ticket, 7am. Omni Hotel ballroom, 212 Ridge McIntire Rd. 971-7515.

FAMILY
Girls’ Geek Day
Saturday, March 11

This fun, collaborative and hands-on environment teaches girls new tech skills and connects them to other science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs in the community. Free, 9am-noon. Cale Elementary School, 1757 Avon St. Extended. tech-girls.org/girls-geek-day.html

FOOD & DRINK
Grand opening luau party
Saturday, March 11

Celebrate the grand opening of Vitae Spirits distillery with discounted tiki cocktails, complimentary barbecued pig and fixings by Ace Biscuit & Barbecue and music by Rusty Spurs and Matt Curreri. Extra credit for donning a flowery shirt, board shorts and flip-flops. Free, noon-6pm. Vitae Spirits, 715 Henry Ave. vitaespirits.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS
Sugar Hollow Bridges Run
Saturday, March 11

This footrace, sponsored by the White Hall Ruritans, includes 5K and 10K courses along the Moormans River and through Sugar Hollow. $30-40, 8am. Starting line at 5275 Sugar Hollow Rd.; park at Sugar Hollow. whitehallva.org

Categories
Living

Brasserie Saison crafts new options for the local beer scene

Brasseries Saison, which specializes in Belgian cuisine and beers, opened in February on the Downtown Mall. Photo by Eze Amos

The idea of a restaurant and brewery on the Downtown Mall that specializes in Belgian cuisine and beers would have been completely absurd as few as five years ago. Today, with the mainstream dominance of craft beer culture in Charlottesville, it is practically a no-brainer. Charlottesvillians discuss new beers the way farmers talk about the weather.

Brasserie Saison was the brainchild of Hunter Smith, owner of Champion Brewing, and Will Richey, owner of The Whiskey Jar, The Alley Light and other downtown hot spots. Saison refers to the signature style of beer traditionally brewed on farms in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Smith worked closely with Joshua Lawson Skinner, a brewer at Champion, to create a house saison that could represent the restaurant and brewery.

“It’s in the name, representing the region we wanted to focus on,” Smith says. “That’s our flagship and has been the most popular since we opened. We knew that we needed to knock that one out of the park. …The first [experimental] batch we were like, that’s kind of it. So it was almost a little bit stifling when you get it right the first time. I was looking forward to a couple of months of messing around with it!”

A first sip of the house saison reveals a smooth and aromatic beer, reminiscent of Belgium’s iconic Saison Dupont that has come to define the style among American brewers.

The saison is also used in cooking the house-style steamed mussels along with bacon, garlic and chilies.

Since the birth of the American craft beer movement in the early 1980s, Belgian beers have held a special place in the hearts of serious American beer-lovers. Within the confines of a country less than a third the size of Virginia, Belgium developed a wide range of unique beer styles using malts and yeasts that weren’t used anywhere else in the world. Think of it as the Galapagos of the beer universe. It was difficult to obtain those Belgian beers before craft beer became mainstream, and on the rare occasions when Belgian ales were available in the U.S. they had often suffered badly from long trips on container ships where they were exposed to extreme temperatures.

The allure of the exotic and unobtainable Belgian beers tempted many beer-lovers on this side of the Atlantic to try their hand at brewing their own. For decades, it was the only way to drink the stuff. Belgian beers became an unofficial litmus test among homebrewers, microbrewers and beer insiders. Anyone can make an acceptable IPA. If you can make a convincing Belgian saison or dubbel, you’re probably a highly skilled brewer.

Brasserie Saison’s dry-hopped version of the house saison and Belgian IPA both depart from the traditional Belgian beer style. Photo by Eze Amos
Brasserie Saison’s dry-hopped version of the house saison and Belgian IPA both depart from the traditional Belgian beer style. Photo by Eze Amos

Being asked to develop an entire menu of Belgian styles would be a dream come true for many American brewers.

“Yeah, it definitely is a dream assignment,” Skinner says. “I’ve been really passionate about Belgian beers even before I was a homebrewer. I have an idea in my mind of how they should be. It’s been a lot of fun to design and execute it and see it come to fruition.

“I’m really proud of the dubbel,” he says.  “…A lot of [dubbels] tend to become banana ester bombs or syrupy sweet. So we set out to make this one dry and not too estery or too phenolic. …A lot of that is fermentation temperature and the strain of Belgian yeast that you use.”

The dubbel was indeed a dry example of the style. There were subtle notes of caramel and a hint of butterscotch in the finish.

Among the beers that Skinner developed with Smith for Brasserie Saison, there are two that depart from a traditional approach.

One is a dry-hopped version of the house saison, which is everything that the standard version is but taken up an octave with a stronger nose, and pronounced notes of citrus and pine on the palate.

Dry-hopping, which originated in England, refers to the process of adding hops to the fermenting beer rather than during the earlier boiling process. American homebrewers picked up on the technique and experimented with it in every style of beer and variety of hops imaginable. Belgian brewers noticed what the Americans were doing and recently began copying the method and applying it to their own styles. Now, Skinner and Smith have borrowed it back in their dry-hopped saison.

Brasserie Saison’s second departure from tradition is its Belgian IPA. It is doubtful that any brewery in Belgium is making an IPA, but this is probably what it would taste like.

It has a clear, sharp flavor with the body of a saison and the hops of a thoughtful, restrained Pacific Northwest-style IPA.

I handed the glass to my photographer, Eze Amos. His eyes lit up as he drank it.

“Oh God, I love beer!” he said.

The Belgian IPA has a slight bubblegum taste that pops in for just a fraction of a second, then it disappears. A full marriage of American and Belgian styles.

I went back to a taste of the dubbel as Amos applied himself to the IPA in earnest.

“This might be the best IPA I have ever had,” Amos declared.

He’s not crazy.

Categories
News

City budget up 6%: Affordable housing, parking are priorities

City Manager Maurice Jones presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 to City Council on March 6.
City Manager Maurice Jones has a new job in Chapel Hill. Photo by Eze Amos

City Manager Maurice Jones presented his $170 million draft budget for fiscal year 2017-2018 at the March 6 City Council meeting, citing the city’s significant growth as a main reason for the 6 percent increase over the current adopted budget.

“City Council and staff have identified two critical areas that must be addressed in order for the city to continue to flourish,” he wrote in his presentation. “Affordable housing and parking. As commercial investment surges in the city, the cost of land increases, thus making it more difficult to build affordable housing.”

Over the next five years, the $171,619,374 budget offers a significant increase in the Affordable Housing Fund, with an extra $800,000 in the first year to total $2.5 million, and an additional $3.4 million per year starting in fiscal year 2019. Specific plans for the money have not been made.

The funding will be coupled with more than $2 million over five years allotted for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to improve public housing, Jones says.

In January, C-VILLE reported that 1,530 new housing units have been created in the city in the last six years, though only 73 of them, or fewer than 5 percent, are priced to be affordable, which means that a two-person family making at least $52,650 a year could afford to rent it. In Charlottesville, 1,800 families, or 25 percent, make less than $35,000 a year. The city has set a goal to have 15 percent of its housing be affordable by 2025.

By addressing parking, Jones says the city is taking steps to accommodate the tens of thousands of people who visit downtown Charlottesville every day. This year’s budget proposal includes $10 million in the capital improvement plan to fund future parking projects, which could include a garage at the Guadalajara and Lucky Seven site.

The proposed budget will give $575,000 to the City Council Strategic Initiatives fund, allocating $450,000 to fund operations of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, $20,000 to continue a GED program, and the remaining $105,000 will be used to fund council priorities, including diversion programs, skilled trades training programs and a black youth achievement coordinator position, details of which have not been worked out.

The draft budget funds about a dozen other new or reclassified city positions, including $92,500 for an IT support technician for the police, fire and sheriff’s departments, $68,461 for a traffic officer, $59,000 for maintenance workers and $26,000 for a  part-time Downtown Job Center assistant.

In the compensation and benefits category, public safety employees will see more money from $870,000 for a 2 percent cost-of-living increase. Another $970,000 will be set aside to adjust pay for public safety employees to make salaries more competitive, the result of a market salary study. An estimated $510,000 will be used to increase certain temporary and contracted employees’ wages to the city’s living wage, which is $13.79 an hour.

City schools will get an extra $2 million in new operational funding. Among upcoming capital improvements is a new track at Charlottesville High School. Over the next five years, $5 million will become available in an unallocated fund for projects of the schools’ choosing.

Jones has proposed $153,000 to Charlottesville Area Transit for a route adjustment to accommodate riders at the new YMCA in McIntire Park, and $37,000 is allotted to increase operating hours at the community recreation centers at Tonsler Park, Westhaven and Friendship Court.

The draft budget proposes no increase in any taxes or fees, keeping the real estate tax at 95 cents per $100 of assessed value.

State of the city

Charlottesville’s population has increased nearly 13 percent, from 43,475 in 2010 to about 49,000 in 2016, according to newly released information from the Weldon Cooper Center.

  • 39,155 jobs, the highest number ever recorded.
  • 3 percent unemployment rate, one of the lowest in the state.
  • 73 percent hotel occupancy, eight points above the national average of 65 percent.
  • 1.8 percent retail vacancy rate in January 2017, down from 3.3 percent in July 2016.
  • 30 languages currently spoken by kids in the city school system.

Revenue projections

Though the city’s real estate tax will stay at 95 cents per $100 of assessed value, commercial assessments are increasing by almost 30 percent, due to Charlottesville’s “incredibly robust commercial real estate market,” according to City Manager Maurice Jones.

  • Real estate assessments for the current year show residential property increasing by 4 percent and commercial assessments up 30 percent. As a result, revenue is projected to increase $7 million.
  • Lodging revenue could bring in an extra $1 million.
  • Personal property tax revenue is expected to increase by $790,000.
  • Meals tax revenue is projected to go up by $720,000.
  • Sales and use tax revenues are expected to increase by $400,000 and business license tax revenue will increase by $141,477.
  • Revenue sharing from Albemarle County up by $88,401.
  • Parks & Rec revenue will drop by $101,000 because of reductions in Aquatics and Recreation Center revenue.
Categories
News

Hate violence on the rise, bystander intervention training in demand

Claire Kaplan has continued facilitating bystander intervention trainings in town following her first on January 21, at IX Art Park. Photo by Eze Amos

When Claire Kaplan offered to facilitate a bystander intervention training before a local January 21 rally to support the Women’s March on Washington, the response was so huge that she had to turn people away. She promised to coordinate additional trainings in the future, and she’s been busy doing just that.

“Hate violence, and violence in general, has always been a problem in this and other countries. We just know about it more often because of smart phones, social media and cyber communications,” Kaplan writes in an e-mail. “I would think that bystander intervention is even more critical [now], given the dramatic and well-recorded rise in hate violence since the presidential campaign and the alt-right movement, which seems to have been given permission to express their hatred of any group that isn’t white, Christian, heterosexual and male.”

Green Dot bystander intervention is an approach to prevent violence by teaching bystanders how to act in potentially threatening situations, and Kaplan is a trained facilitator. She’s also the director of the Gender Violence & Social Change program at UVA’s Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center. She says this particular training is proven through research to be effective and is being adopted by college campuses and middle and high schools across the nation.

Kaplan describes her first public, volunteer training at IX Art Park before the women’s rally as ”just the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’ve been doing this work for years now. It almost felt like I was bringing them the gospel.”

Kaplan isn’t alone in her efforts. Charlottesville resident Sara Tansey has coordinated two bystander intervention trainings of her own, the second inspired by the experience of her friend—a woman of color—at Mayor Mike Signer’s January 31 rally to name Charlottesville a “capital of the resistance.”

“Surrounded by 500 people who were supposedly committed to resisting the in-your-face white supremacy represented by [Donald] Trump, she and two [other women of color] were left on their own to confront a known white supremacist and vocal Islamophobe with a gun,” Tansey says in an e-mail. “Speakers on the stage made flippant comments about it getting loud in one part of the crowd but did nothing to shut down this violent, hateful man, making any claims of a capital of resistance laughable at best and duplicitous at worst.”

If you see someone being harassed, approach them and ask what they want and need, she says. Tansey also suggests not calling the police unless you’ve checked in with the person who is being harassed and they give you permission.

“Often when the police are involved, they direct their force against the person being harassed,” Tansey says. “Vulnerable communities are targeted by the police just like they are targeted by white supremacists.”

Why intervene? Says Tansey: “It is time to activate white people to absorb some of the violence historically directed at people of color.”

Be prepared

“If you believe you are witnessing harassing, abusive or violent behavior, the first issue is your own safety,” says Claire Kaplan. “The good news is that there are plenty of things one can do without putting your own life at risk.”

At the University of Virginia, Kaplan uses the Green Dot bystander intervention curriculum to teach the three D’s for reaction.

Direct: Speak to the parties directly and calmly. You could address the target: “Are you okay? Do you need help? Would you like to come with me to a safe place? Can I call someone for you?” Or the abuser: “Hey, that’s not cool, leave her/him alone.” Direct action means addressing the behavior, not heaping abuse on the offender.

Distract: Accidentally spill something on the ground near the scene and then apologize profusely. Tell the abuser that someone is breaking into their car. Ignore the abuser and address the target by engaging her/him in a random conversation: “Oh my gosh, it’s great to see you. How are you? How are the kids?” The target will get it and join in.

Delegate: Ask others who are nearby to help you intervene, bring the abuser’s friend over to intervene, ask a bartender for help. If a weapon is present, or if you are alone and don’t feel that you would be of much help, move quickly to a safe location and call the police.

Categories
Arts

The communal Table 19 offers a disservice

In Table 19, Anna Kendrick (right) tries to make the most of her place card, but can’t quite save the wedding story. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Table 19 tells the story of an unlikely group of wedding attendants stuck together at the worst table, who were invited either perfunctorily or spitefully. Unfortunately it’s an accurate metaphor for the movie itself, which crams an impossibly talented cast into the lamest film of the year that appears to exist for no other reason than to keep actors employed between more worthwhile endeavors. Lazily conceived, woefully written, with plenty of punchlines that crash without proper jokes to support them, Table 19 is only worth seeing if you have a deep appreciation for watching solid actors trying to squeeze emotion out of cold, calculated nothingness.

Table 19
PG-13, 87 minutes
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

As mentioned above, the film is about the occupants of the “miscellaneous” table at a wedding. This serves as an excuse for there to be no plot in particular yet still have five completely unrelated stories in the same movie to disguise the fact that none of them is fully fleshed out. The guests aren’t exactly misfits as much as they are people whose relationship to the bride and groom is either distant or rocky. There’s Renzo (Tony Revolori), a junior in high school who is equally desperate and determined to find a romantic match. There’s Jo (June Squibb), the former nanny who believes her contribution to the bride’s early life to be more substantial than it was. Stephen Merchant is the groom’s uncle, who is attending while serving a prison sentence for theft. Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson play Bina and Jerry, an unhappily married couple who actively pester one another all day.

The main story, such as there is one, focuses on Eloise (Anna Kendrick), the bride’s oldest friend and very recent ex of the best man, Teddy (Wyatt Russell), who has brought his new girlfriend. Eloise initially has doubts about attending; doubts that are validated after seeing Teddy for the first time. It is revealed that he broke up with her over text message, and every interaction appears to indicate that they were actually miserable together. But as soon as a moment presents itself for some unearned sincerity, Teddy appears as a completely different figure with a sob story of his own, and we are expected to root for him and Eloise to reunite because we suddenly saw him cry.

Lazily conceived, woefully written, with plenty of punchlines that crash without proper jokes to support them, Table 19 is only worth seeing if you have a deep appreciation for watching solid actors trying to squeeze emotion out of cold, calculated nothingness.

That’s all that happens in everyone’s individual story. The bickering couple fights until we learn something about them. The nanny acts maternal until we learn something about her. The horny kid acts horny, the weird guy acts weird, even a crasher—a walk-on character with virtually no screen time—acts seductive, until we learn something about each of them. These revelations might be meaningful if the characters were worth any sort of emotional investment, but all that happens is they begin as husks and end as slightly different husks.

It is worth reiterating that the cast is stellar, and no blame for this waste of hard drive space belongs to them. There are very occasional earned laughs thanks to their commitment, and at times director Jeffrey Blitz (Rocket Science, episodes of “The Office”) seems to skewer the way weddings are entirely arbitrary gatherings of people who have no relation to one another, a worthy target.

However, any sympathy Table 19 might have earned flies out the window for A. sucking, B. not being funny and C. betraying its own characters. This observation may veer into spoiler territory, but Table 19 ought to be ashamed of the way it suggests that no relationship is too broken or dysfunctional it can’t be patched up by sticking it out or saying the right thing. Though La La Land was objectionable in other ways, it did have the maturity to recognize that the love between its leads would not work within a conventional marriage, yet they still met happy endings, and it’s time other movies get the memo. Stop with the stay-together porn and start respecting your characters, and the intelligence of the audience.

Playing this week

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
The Shops at Stonefield, 244-3213

A Dog’s Purpose, Before I Fall, Fifty Shades Darker, Fist Fight, Get Out, John Wick: Chapter 2, La La Land, The Lego Batman Movie, Logan, Moonlight, Rock Dog, The Shack, Split

Violet Crown Cinema
200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3000

A United Kingdom, Fifty Shades Darker, Get Out, Hidden Figures, I Am Not Your Negro, La La Land, The Lego Batman Movie, Logan

Categories
Living

Smoked food cart returns to downtown

Justin van der Linde (right), owner of Smoked BBQ Co. food cart and Smoked Kitchen and Tap in Crozet, says requests from customers to bring his barbecue back to the Downtown Mall solidified his decision to return. Photo by Rammelkamp Foto

Remember how sad you were in August, when the Smoked BBQ Co. food cart ran out of ’cue on its last day on the mall, and how you had to wait until December to eat it again, after a drive to Smoked Kitchen and Tap in Crozet?

Well, you can forget all about that, because Smoked is returning to the Downtown Mall. I repeat: Smoked is returning to the Downtown Mall.

Starting the first week in April, the Smoked cart will settle back into its usual spot near the glass elevator on the far end of the mall and again dish up its beloved sandwiches, pulled pork and other barbecue specials on weekdays, says Smoked owner Justin van der Linde.

Pitmaster van der Linde and his sous chef, Kent Morris, have spent the past few months “getting things stabilized” at Smoked Kitchen and Tap, located at 2025 Library Way in Crozet’s Piedmont Place building.

Once the restaurant was up and running, the decision to return the Smoked cart to the mall was an easy one for van der Linde. He says customers kept requesting they bring the cart back, and the Smoked crew wanted to keep a presence in the city.

Food hall fantasy

The Yard—a 10,000-square-foot food hall and meeting area with patios, benches, Wi-Fi and restaurants aplenty—is being planned for 5th Street Station. “Charlottesville has such a foodie culture—a great sense of place, good food and places for people to gather,” and The Yard will embrace that, says Jeff Garrison, a partner in the 5th Street Station property who is spearheading the project. He notes it’ll be similar to Atlanta’s Krog Street Market, one of the country’s best-known food halls. Garrison says they’re considering some Charlottesville-based food truck-type concepts, plus concepts from Richmond’s Carytown and elsewhere, but nothing is official. Garrison says The Yard will be the “finishing touch” to the 5th Street Station complex, and will open next to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in late summer.

So long, Nude Fude

Nude Fude, the restaurant that served fast farm-to-table food at 2800 Hydraulic Rd., closed its doors following service on Saturday, March 4, after a little less than two years of service. Owners Ken and Dani Notari used sustainable, locally sourced ingredients to create their dishes. “We are tremendously proud of the effort we put into providing real, sustainable, nourishing and tasty food to a broader audience at reasonable prices and expand it beyond the domain of the white tablecloth [farm-to-table] restaurants,” says Ken. “It takes incredible effort and commitment and we were fortunate to have such awesome partners in local farmers, suppliers and artisan providers—that made the challenge fun!,” he continued, adding that while Nude Fude “developed a considerable following, slower than expected growth forced us to focus on our higher priorities. As much as we’ve enjoyed being a part of the shift in food culture, our family is the most important thing to us.”

But the Notaris aren’t saying goodbye to local food forever—they’ll reengage at some point, says Ken. “We do believe more people are realizing the benefits to eating (and operating a restaurant) this way to human health, the natural world and our communities. Eventually as more people continue to champion the move to clean food, the demand will tip and drive it mainstream. It is coming!”

Green machine

For the second year in a row, Wild Wolf Brewing Company has been named the Virginia Green Brewery of the Year by the Virginia Green Travel Alliance. The brewery’s practices include sending its spent grain to a local beef farm to be used as cattle feed and using cans rather than bottles. Cans are made of about 90 percent recycled materials and weigh less than bottles, which saves on shipping fuel, and they require less cardboard packing material.

Categories
Arts

Natalie Haas talks about traditional music comebacks

While the cello is often seen in an orchestral setting, Natalie Haas (with Alasdair Fraser) and a small number of musicians are leading the revival to recognize its place in traditional Celtic music. Publicity photo

In the fashion world, LuLaRoe is bringing leggings back, one pop-up at a time. And it could be said that in the music world, Natalie Haas is helping to bring the cello back as a substratum for Celtic songscapes. Over the years she’s embraced the instrument, transforming its sound to complement those by the legendary Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser.

Haas, 33, met Fraser when she was 11 years old. Her parents had enrolled her and her sister in Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School in California. But unlike her sister, Brittany Haas, she didn’t play the fiddle. Instead, she lugged her cello off to the camp, where there was a specialty class devoted to its role in Celtic music.

“That camp really changed both my and my sister’s life and made us realize that music was something we could do and not just for fun,” says Haas, who is a professor at Berklee College of Music. “It was so important to us that we decided we wanted to make it our life’s work.” Five years after visiting the camp, Haas played her first show with Fraser, and the pair has performed together since. Fraser and Haas recently finished their fifth studio album and the duo will play at C’ville Coffee on March 11.

Natalie Haas and Alasdair Fraser
C’ville Coffee
March 11

For the new album, Ports of Call, Fraser and Haas have swayed from their staple Celtic melodies, which make up only half of the disc. The rest of the tunes were influenced by other cultures and music styles that they encountered while touring. “The ones that we are really exploring on this album are Scandinavia, Spain and France,” says Haas. Part of the exploration centers on the relationship between music and dance. “Halling,” one of the Scandinavian-inspired tracks on the album, is inspired by a Norwegian folk dance that involves acrobatics by male participants. “The goal is to kick off a hat that is resting on a pole that someone is holding up and it’s pretty far off the ground, so it’s a very impressive dance to watch,” says Haas.

“Waltzska for Su-A” is one of three songs that Haas wrote for the album. “It’s a little Celtic and a little Swedish,” she says. “That’s why it’s called ‘waltzska,’ a combination between a waltz and polska. It was written for a friend who came to visit me in Montreal.”

Haas, who has been hailed for bringing the cello back to Scottish music, explains how the instrument declined in popularity in Scotland—largely due to an increase of pianos and accordions that emerged in the 1900s. “They [instruments like the piano and accordion] could project more than the cello in terms of accompanying music for dancing. So cellos became more associated with orchestras and chamber music,” says Haas.

Today, Haas says she can count the number of cellists playing traditional music in a professional capacity on two hands. She credits Scott Skinner with being one of the last famous cellists in terms of traditional music, and notes that Abby Newton, a teacher at the Valley of the Moon camp 20 years ago, was one of the first cellists in recent times to play a role in its revival. “It’s still kind of a very niche thing, but we’re seeing more and more people—especially through the camp that we run—coming to study it,” says Haas, who has spearheaded the cello class at Valley of the Moon since 2002.

“I think it’s becoming more and more accepted, not only in traditional music but also in pop music and with singer-songwriters and all sorts of things,” she says. “It’s a very exciting time for the cello.”